God is Good

God IS good all the time.

God is GOOD all the time.

God is good ALL the time.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME.

I can't finds the words to express my gratefulness for His tender care towards me.

He loves in the midst of my neediness
He is my joy in the midst of sorrow
He is my peace in the midst of my storms
He is patient in the midst of my striving
He is kind in the midst of my growing pains
He is good in the midst of everyday life
He is faithful in the midst of my faithlessness
He is gentle in the midst of my learning
He is in control in the midst of my chaos


He is God and I belong to Him and He is mine. Hallelujah!

Happy Birthday Jon

Jon, you are the most wonderful husband and I love you very much. I hope that this year will be a year full of great surprises, joy and adventure.

Treasuring His Word

In one of my earlier blogs I mentioned the areas that I sensed God was leading me to make some changes in this new year of 2009. One of those areas was hiding more of His Word in my heart. Nothing is more profitable for us than treasuring His Word within us. My husband's blog challenged us today to memorize Scripture. Check out Java with Jon.

I was talking to Jon last night about blogging and why we do it and what benefits it has for each of us. I think the Lord is using it in my life for accountability; even if that accountability is with myself.

My desire was to memorize 2 verse(s) a month. I have memorized:
Proverbs 2:1-5 (NKJV)
My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
[2] So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
[3] Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
[4] If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
[5] Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.

I not only have memorized this passage I have used it in my prayers. Below is the next verse I want to memorize and make apart of my prayers. I was perusing some my web sights and saw that one of my teachers was challenging her students to memorize Scripture and this was the verse she had chosen and the translation. This verse speaks to where I am at need and so I am adopting it as my next verse to hide in my heart.

Isaiah 33:6 (NET)
"He is your constant source of stability; He abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; He gives all this to those who fear Him."

What about you? Don't forget to check out: http://jacksonparkbaptist.blogspot.com.

Cleaning Out the "Stuff"

There is something rewarding and refreshing about cleaning. I'm talking about cleaning out the over stuffed and crowded drawers, closets and storage areas in our homes and offices.

This Christmas we had a family who God brought into our lives with needs. One of those needs was furniture. Jon being the generous man he is quickly thought of a desk and shelf we had that was in his inner office. He immediately threw the things off the shelves and out of the desk to deliver hope to this family. He then settled back into his life with the mess still all around him. Yesterday I sought to meet one of his needs by going and cleaning up the mess and organizing his stuff. He even let me organize some of his desk drawers. He was thankful for the gift and for the feeling of being relieved it was in order finally. I was also thrilled and felt tremendously rewarded even though it was work. At first you look at the mess and feel overwhelmed and don't know where to begin or if you dare to begin. After the first step there came an inner strength to continue till the job was done.

Our spiritual lives can be like this as well. We have so much "stuff" where it does not belong that it crowds out our effectiveness and usefulness. Mess can be distracting and overwhelming. What needs to be cleaned out, given up or put in it's proper place? We must fight the moods to put if off another day and dig in with the knowledge that we will be rewarded and refreshed. If we work to clear our lives of all the unnecessary we will be able to live the abundant life more effectively. Prepare your lives for the Lord.

"The Shack"

I finished reading "The Shack" last night.

It is a work of fiction that I somewhat enjoyed reading. It was an easy read. It was a challenging read.

That being said, I recommend reading only with great caution. Although it is a book of fiction the author delves into matters of theology. As followers of Christ we must always gracefully check to see if stated theology matches to God's theology found in "sola scriptura." Young's theology doesn't always ring true with Scripture.

If you are a follower of Christ who is a student of the Word and likes to be challenged within the realms of fluff (fiction) then by all means go for it. If on the other hand you are a new Christian or a Christian that isn't familiar with what you believe and why you believe it then I say, stay clear and read "The Holy Bible."

If you want more info I would be glad to write more but don't want to give away any of the story line to those wanting the challenge.

What Am I Seeing?

What am I seeing and does it make a difference?

Where are my eyes focused literally during my day?

Matthew 6:20-24 (NKJV)
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
[22] "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. [23] But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
[24] "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Are my eyes seeing more things of God (Light) or are they seeing more the things of the world (darkness)? God is asking me to take a truthful inventory of what I am setting before my eyes. He is telling me in this passage that what I see will make a difference in my life. He is also stating that if I am indwelt with Christ the Light of the world and still choose the world over Him how great the darkness will be in my life. I have the power to overcome temptation, selfishness, laziness.... Will my life be full of light (God) or full of darkness (the world.) What I set before me is that which I serve, that which I treasure. What do I truly treasure? Lip service does not count.

What do I want to treasure and who do I want to serve? I truly want to serve my God in love, faith, trust and full immediate obedience. I want to treasure Him, His presence and His Word.

God also took me to the Abrahamic Covenant today where the sign for the covenant was circumcision. Abraham had to do this before Sarai would bear a child. Sometimes before we can bear much fruit we have to cut some things out. He needs the room and our attention to work.

What needs to go and what is He wanting to set before my eyes?

I know He wants the Word before my eyes and I also know He has challenged me to read more this year. I want to read books that are written by men and women who set God before themselves and therefore bore much fruit. I want to bear much fruit to His glory.

My first passage to memorize for the year:

Proverbs 2:1-5 (NKJV)
My son, [ Pam ] if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
[2] So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
[3] Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
[4] If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
[5] Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.

Epiphany

One of the things I have tried to communicate to myself and the ladies in my SS class is that we must not try to over complicate our faith life. It is not about knowing and doing all the "do's" and all the "don't's.' This leads to frustration and legalism. This kind of Christianity becomes just another religion and ritual not relationship. Our faith is based on a real, living personal and intimate relationship with the real and very personal Jesus, the Son of God. He hears us and sees us and invites and even pursues relationship with us. When we get up each day and focus on I have to do this and that so I will be a good Christian or so that God will love me more we are focused on the wrong thing. Focus on Him. Get up and talk to Him. Talk to Him about everything and listen to Him; that is relationship. He will lead you along your journey and the "do's" and "don't's" will be fulfilled.

Our journey is seeking Him, seeking to be in His presence and not letting anything stop you until you see Him face to face.

So what is Epiphany? That is what many call today; the 12th day of Christmas. Nov. 30 to Dec. 24th is the Advent; the season of excitedly anticipating the birth of our Savior. The 25th of Dec. is the Birth of our Lord and Savior. Those 12 days following are the 12 days of Christmas leading to the day we celebrate the coming of the Wise men.

We know that the Wise men did not arrive in Bethlehem on the day of His birth but it was much later. We know this biblically: 1.The wise men arrived at a house. The census would have taken a long time without the modern conveniences we have today. Also, there was not a reason for Joseph and Mary to return home knowing the reputation they had and Joseph needed to provide for his family. [Matthew 2:11] 2. The word change in describing Jesus, he was at birth a "babe" brephos which means infant; and now He is a "Child" paidion, little child. [Matthew 2:8,9,11,13,14] and 3. When the wise men went to Jerusalem to ask about where the newborn King was Herod pretended interest and "determined from them what time the star appeared." He then gave orders for all the 2 year old's and under in Bethlehem and surrounding areas "according to the time which he had determined from the wise men" to be put to death. He probably gave himself some wiggle room just to be safe. So Jesus at this time was probably 12 to 18 months old. [Matthew 2:1-17]

The wise men (don't really know how many) from the East saw the star near the time of His birth. They packed up and started on their journey in seeking this King in order to worship Him.
As they journeyed God led them along the way, even their encounter with Herod was God's will in order to fulfill prophecy. As God led them they followed. They didn't let anything keep them from worshiping this King. They sought Jesus. Their whole journey was focused on Jesus and not all the peripheral issues.

As I stated in the beginning our journey needs to be simplified to seeking Jesus and his presence and then walk with Him (not asking Him to be with us) through each day. Trusting Him to lead us with every detail.

Seeking Him Today

Happy Birthday Grant

Today is my baby's birthday. Grant is turning 24. It does not even register.

Grant has grown into quite a gentleman. Do I sound surprised? I'm not really because I kept believing God for Grant. We have had our moments Grant and I. I have had my disappointments and yes many sleepless nights over him.

Today, Grant is always calling to check up on us and never hangs up without telling me he loves me. When Jon had his seizure on the road, Grant was who I called first and before I could blink he was on the road to come to us. He is a neat freak now; this completely blows my mind. He has become financial independent and making very wise decisions.

He is engaged to Anneen and the proposal was done with thought and romance. He took her to her favorite place (her church) as the sun was going down. She says that it was raining all the way until they got there and then it stopped. The ways she tells it, it was a miracle just for them. She is a sweetie. He then got down on one knee and proposed. I know those of you who know rough and tough Grant are shaking your heads in doubt. Grant was the one who took his Blazer to the desert to hot rod and then got stuck, the one who built a fire in the fire pit that was as big as the house, the one who skateboarded off the roof and the one that said he wasn't getting married until he ran with the bulls. I do believe that he said he was going to find a woman who could do it all and wait on him hand and foot. You should just see this guy around Anneen. He melts like butter in her hands.

Grant is active in his church. He has helped fix the building up as they moved to a new location. He and Anneen lead a Weekly Bible Study in her family's home. When Grant was in New York and Michigan they would pick books and read them and then talk about them over the phone. They keep each other accountable.

I am a proud mom of a 24 year old son. I am a proud mom of a young man seeking after God. He's not perfect but neither is his mom.

I love you son!

A New Year?

I have never really gotten the holiday of New Years. I am not a party girl, don't drink and although I stay up late most nights I just don't get it. Am I the only one? We really don't have any family traditions for New Years Eve or New Years Day. Growing up we were suppose to have Black-eyed Peas on New Years Day for luck. I didn't and still don't like them so that tradition died with my parents. I also remember us all staying up and watching Dick Clark rock in the New Year (boring) and then we would count down as the ball dropped or went up; I can't remember. Then we would go outside yelling and screaming, and honking the horns and sometimes....Dad would shoot off his shotgun. Of course he stopped that when it became illegal. Then we all went in and went to bed. I am still not getting into it. Oh, yes I do recall that we (Jon, the boys and I) do have one tradition for New Years Eve. We always buy a couple of those Sparking Grape Juices and get out our fancy glasses and drink that. The boys always thought that was kinda neat. Jon and I did that again this year. Unlike the peas I really like this juice.

Reflect. What I do at this time of year that is meaningful to me and probably to many others is reflect. I look back at the last year and examine my life. I really want to know and establish that I have grown in someway. This year I did the same. I am very pleased to announce that I have grown in many areas. I was deeply encouraged by that.
Remember. Not only do I reflect over the past growth but I also remember. I remember all God's blessings. Recounting all God has done in my life and my family's causes me great joy of which I return to God in praise and thanksgiving. It also reminds me that my God is with me always and He remains faithful.
Resolution. Then of course I am drawn to my desire to make changes where changes are needed. Although I have grown this year I want to continue to grow. There is much need to grow more. I don't know who said it first but I fully agree with the statement: "If you do the same thing the same way you will get the same results." I know God wants me to continue to climb up that mountain that stands before me.

That is where I have been the last few days; what changes do I make? What goals are of God? Will accountability help? Some things on the top of my head...Still praying through

1. Read a book a month (especially the classics..EM Bounds, Foster, Spurgeon) Of course that is after I read the Shack so I can get it back to Betty Green
2. Memorize 2 verses a month
3. Less TV (give me more time to read)
4. Exercise
5. Write the Children's Devotional
6. Blog (UGH! I don't get why God and Jon keep after me to do this, Another thing I don't get)
7. Grandchildren (do something creative to be in their lives...it's so hard living apart from them).
8. Nails (yes, I would really like fake nails but can't afford them so I want to really work at making them look the best I can.) Is this silly?

Maybe, this is way too much. Maybe I am missing something. Maybe I am right where God wants me. I am praying and asking. I know this; I can't stay where I am and go with God. I want to experience all God has for me and not be slow about it.