Almost

Almost done Christmas shopping...
Almost done wrapping presents...
Almost time to have our candlelight service...
Almost time to have Christmas with my parents...
Almost time to be with family and friends...
ALmost time to celebrate the Greatest Gift of all...JESUS!

Happy Two days before Christmas!

A time to praise

Thank-You Lord, for this beautiful day...
Thank-You Lord, for coming to such a wretch as I...
Thank-You Lord, for being the perfect sacrifice...
Thank-You Lord, for Salvation...
Thank-You Lord, for Complete Sanctification...
Thank-You Lord, for Calvary...
Thank-You Lord, for the EMPTY tomb...
Thank-You Lord, for Amazing Grace...
Thank-You Lord, for My family...
Thank-You Lord, for My friends...
Thank-You Lord, for this beautiful day...
Thank-You Lord, for My country...
Thank-You Lord, for a Godly Heritage...
Thank-You Lord, for my church...
Thank-You Lord, for Your presence tonight in the service...
Thank-You Lord, for the message YOU gave us to share tonight...
Thank-You Lord, for Everything!

Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of this beautiful time of year, we need to stop and remind ourseldves of WHO we are celebrating and WHY! COnsider this a brag post... I'm just bragging on Jesus! He has done so much for me so how can I help but praise His Matchless Name! May the name of Jesus be lifted high and glorified this Christmas Season!

Goodnight All~

It's That Special Time Of Year Again...

When you stop and think about the Baby born in Bethlehem. I think this year I have thought more about Jesus birth than in past years. Maybe it's because I'm about the same age as Mary would have been when she had Jesus... or maybe it's because I'm playing the part of Mary in the Christmas program for the first time... I don't know but whatever the reason I have been pondering over how Mary would have felt.

What would it have been like to have been visited by an angel and be told that you were going to be the mother of the Messiah? I imagine that I (had I been Mary) would have felt first, so unworthy. A lowly girl from Nazareth chosen to carry and rear the King of Kings!

Second, I would have felt oh so mixed up in my emotions. I mean I would have felt scared of what my parents, Joseph, my family, my friends, and the townspeople would have to say when they found out that I was having a baby. I would have felt at the same time, incredibly excited! Imagine being the first to know that the Messiah, the King of the Universe, the Saviour of the world was coming! Think of how you would have felt to know that your baby, would be the great I AM!!

Thirdly, I think Mary felt sad. As one story so aptly says, Jesus was born crucified. He was born with love and compassion in His eyes and the cross in His heart. I would think that Mary probably prayed many times that Her son would not have to be crucified. While she was happy that the Saviour was coming, I'm sure she wished that man could be saved by another way besides her Son's death.

Fourthly, Imagine with me that night at the stable when Jesus was born. The awe and amazement that must have washed over Mary as she looked at her newborn Son, and knew that she was looking into the face of God. I can imagine being her and kissing my baby's cheek and thinking, "I just kissed the face of the Almighty!" Think of holding your child and knowing that you held the Messiah! I would have been on my knees before my Son, worshipping Him! I believe that Mary and Joseph were on their knees before the Christ-Child too!

There are so many more emotions and feelings that Mary must have felt, but for now I have given myself enough to chew on... enough food for thought... If you didn't get anything out of this, that's OK. This blog is really just a place for me to put my thoughts and feelings, so just consider this for me if you want! :)

Will be writing more soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's a beautiful morning, here in the south, with overcast skies, light breezes blowing, and a temperature of 63 degrees! GORGEOUS! The windows are all opened up and the house has a slightly "nippy" feeling! Here I sit in the recliner, thinking about what an amazing world it is and how blessed I really am.

I'm thankful for Jesus, and all that He has done for me. The fact that I can be clean and pure within is AMAZING! I am so thankful for this old-fashioned, Holiness way! Praise the Lord, for FREEDOM from sin! I am so thankful for the promises that He gives and the shelter and refuge that He is to His children! What an AWESOME God we serve!

I'm thankful for my family. I have been blessed with a truly remarkable family and I am so thankful for them. They uphold Christian standards, and have been faithful to show me the way to go. What a privilege to have been raised in a Godly home!

I'm thankful for my friends. From Indiana to North Carolina to right here in Sebring, I have the most amazing friends! They have been right there for me, and I just want them to know that I appreciate it!

There are so many more things that I could say, but instead I'll just close this post with this.

Thank-You, God, for EVERYTHING!!

Free To Be A Slave

Sound confusing? Well, here's what made me think of that title... A couple weeks ago, the Lord gave me an outline of sorts and I've spent alot of time thinking about it. I decided that I would share it with you all.

I was once:

I.Scared

Scared of what? Scared of meeting God, of death, of Hell, of going to sleep after I'd heard a serious message. Scared to think of what my eternity was going to be. Shaken by thought of crossing the deadline...

II.Scarred

Scarred by the chains that the devil had bound me in. Scarred by the pain that I had suffered at the cruel hands of my master, Satan. Scarred by the blows sin had dealt to my weak and fainting soul.

III. (In the devil's plan I was) Shun to Hell

Satan had me where he wanted me, in total darkness with seemingly no way to escape the horrible pit of sin and degradation that he had me trapped in. I was his slave, a pawn in the enemies hand. But one day, the Bright and Morning Star shed His light upon my pathway and showed me the way of escape. Praise the Lord for His marvelous grace, to a wretched sinner such as me. One who was not worthy of anything but death and an eternity in the lake of fire, was visited by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord's! I committed my life to the good shepherd and now I am:

IV. Hopeful

I have hope at last! When life gets tough and the battle rages fiercely, I just look up and remember that Jesus has promised me Victory, and at the end of this life, HEAVEN is waiting for me!! Praise the Lord for the hope we have in Him!! When I was in sin and life handed me it's lemons, I had no time of reprieve to look forward to, all that stared me in the face, as I looked out across time, was my payday: Hell.
Oh what a diffence Grace made in my life! Praise the Lord that I can now look at what lies at the end of my path with hope!

V. Healed

No longer is my heart scarred by the chains that had bound me, for I am FREE and Jesus, the Great Physician has healed my broken heart. He has taken the plague of sin that was ravaging my soul and made me whole. He took out my heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh, so that He can "write" His words on it and it would be receptive of them. He used a crucifixion to self, to tear that old carnality out of my heart and make me like Him. What a Wonderful Saviour I serve!!!

VI. (I now have the) Hope of Heaven!!!

One of these days, I'll step on shore and find that it's Heaven, touch a hand and find it God's, breathe new air and find it celestial, wake up and find it HOME!!!! I'll be with my Precious Redeemer for all eternity!!! And on top of that, I will no longer have to fight the Devil for he will be banished to Hell, and I'll get to see all my loved ones and friends who have gone HOME before me! What a meeting that going to be!!!!

Sooo, did you figure out how I got my Title?? I was once enslaved in sin, a robot in the devil's hand. But now, I am FREE! Jesus calls me His daughter, but I feel so unworthy that I commit myself to Him to be a love slave. I am still a slave but not by force, as I was before Jesus saved me. No, Oh No, I am a slave by choice, because I love my Heavenly Father so much! Free To Be A Slave... What a JOY and PRIVILEGE to be a love slave of the Lord's!!! He is WORTHY of all my praise! Praise His name!

Congratulations!!!

I have so much more to post but for tonight, let me just say a heartfelt Congrats, to my Best Friend and her Fiance! Bethany and Ryan, I am honored to know you both and I pray that God will give you pleasant times as you prepare for that special day when you become, Mr. & Mrs.! So happy for you guys!! Bethany, Thank-You for the privilege to be your bridesmaid! Can't wait to help you out with your Wedding Plans! I know your wedding will be beautiful... a reflection of the beautiful bride-to-be, YOU!!! Love ya, girl!!

Scripture Saturday!

Hello All! I'm back to blogland finally! I know it's been forever... but I promise to do better. I have been enjoying facebook... so that's my confession. grin! However, what would I do without you wonderful readers?!?! Today I'd like to give a special reader award to, Wanda Viehdorfer, for her faithful reading and encouragement to keep writing! Thank-You, Wanda, for reading my blog! May the Lord richly bless you and yours!




Okay... On to bigger things. Today's Scripture Saturday Text is: Psalms 37:4

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

Truly this is a wonderful Scripture! How incredible it is to allow the Lord to lead our lives, for when we do, we find that the Lord will give us the BEST. This Scripture has been misunderstood by some, and it has been said that as long as we're good then the Lord will give us exactly what we want, when we want it. This is a false doctrine. Let's take this verse one section at a time and see what it really says.

"Delight thyself also in the Lord;" This means that we must obey the Lord with a willing spirit, if we don't have a willing spirit, we aren't obeying any way... here's an example. You can tell a child to clean up there room, and they may do it. BUT, if that child in their heart is saying I don't want to, I shouldn't have to etc... and through their eyes you can tell that they are mad, then they are not fully obeying, even though they are doing the thing required of them. So it is in our spiritual lives. We may do what God asks but if we do it with an angry, unwilling heart, we are not fully obeying His will. When we do not COMPLETELY obey Him, we cannot have the benefits of His approval. When we do our part, then, and only then, will we reap the benefits.

"and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." This means that the Lord will give us His best. Whatever will be the most beneficial... Where it says that we will be given the desires of our hearts, is where I get so excited! When we are in complete obedience to Him, our desires then become what He wants. So even if situations don't always turn out like we thought they maybe would, it is NEVER a disappointment because, God's ways are always BEST and things always turn out BEST when God is in control! Isn't it amazing how God works in our lives and helps us to have a heart that has the same cry and desires as His?

So let's take time to thank the Lord for all He's done for us including all those things He does for us that seems so insignificant to others. (more on that next week)smile! Hope all this rambling of mine has made some sort of sense. I got all excited over this verse this week and I hope I've made some sort of sense... wink.