I'm Thankful For Food!

I'm so thankful for the bounty of food that God has blessed us with. Even in leaner times, we still eat so well! Thank you, God!

I'm Thankful That God is God

Today I'm praising God just for who He is!

I'm Thankful For Beautiful Fall Leaves!

This fall has been such a pretty one! The leaves have been especially bright and colorful this year. I really like the red ones. These photos were taken while out on a walk around our neighborhood.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1

 Red, yellow, green and brown

Leaves are floating to the ground.

We pile them up, oh so high!

Then we jump in,

My dog and I!

Let all creation rejoice before the LORD.

Psalm 96:13

 He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

What are you thankful for today?

I'm Thankful For Those Who Fight For My Freedom!

 Andy's grandfather (top) and Andy's dad (bottom) in their military days. This is the only picture we have of Andy's dad from that time period. Apparently it was a little warm in Vietnam!:-)

I'm thankful for all who are serving or have served in the military!

Thank you! It is only through your sacrifice that we are able to enjoy the freedom we have.

Happy Veterans Day!

**Andy wrote a very nice tribute on Veteran's Day last year which can be read here.

I'm Thankful For Dirty Dishes

 ...Dirty Dishes!

Thank God For Dirty Dishes

Author Unknown

Thank God for dirty dishes;
They have a tale to tell.
While others may go hungry,
We're eating very well
With home, health, and happiness,
I shouldn't want to fuss;
By the stack of evidence,
God's been very good to us.

I'm Thankful For A Warm House

The past few days have been pretty chilly. Especially in the evenings and early mornings before the sun comes out!

 On Saturday, we were set up all day at an outdoor festival. It was not warm. For Southerners anyway! When we came home that evening, we were greeted by our nice warm house. It felt so good!

Funny, how when I'm home all day, I really don't think about it. But when I don't have that comfort for a while, it makes me think about how fortunate I am to have the blessing of a warm house.

So today, I'm thankful for one of those little things that we often take for granted: heat and/or a warm house. I am so blessed!

I'm Thankful For God's Provision

 In continuing this month's theme of thankfulness...

As I'm baking bread and cookies to sell today, I'm grateful for all the opportunities God gives me to make a little extra income.

Back in September, both my husband and I were impressed upon to pray for extra  income. And then God told us both the exact amount we were to pray for monthly. (Thankfully, it was the same!)  At first, I felt like the amount we were praying for was too large; surely we didn't need that much! Although I knew we could use it. As the month went along, God provided and at the end of the month we started to tally up the extra income and we were excited and humbled to see that God had provided the exact amount we had prayed for. Right down to the penny!

Not all of this was in cold hard cash. Some was in the form of gift cards, some in savings(things we ended up not needing to pay for or got at a better price), some were even in the form of winning blog giveaways.

We continued to pray the same for October and God came through again!  It has really been exciting to see how God is providing.

Sometimes I get a little frustrated with all the many ways I'm using to garner extra income- online surveys, baking bread and other goodies to sell, childcare, my etsy shop and setting up at craft shows, selling on ebay and using coupons to decrease expenses. Wouldn't it be easier to just have one thing that brings in more income than so many small avenues that are not always extra profitable?

Maybe so. But I know that God has led me to do all of these things during this season. He's using all of these small things plus a few other ways to provide and answer our prayers.  It grows my faith to see how He is working in giving us opportunities and  answering prayer as we are obedient to what He has called us to do!

As I was organizing our budget notebook at the beginning of January, I wrote this verse on the front: "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:19) At the time, I had no idea how real this verse would become to us this year!

How has God directed you to pray specifically and how has He met your needs? What are you praying  for today?

Thirteen Things I Learned At The Women's Retreat

I promised I would share some of what I learned at the Women's Retreat that I attended last weekend.

The retreat was part of the ministry at Living Waters, which is near Brevard, North Carolina. Living Waters offers many retreats and youth camps throughout the year at absolutely no charge. Yes, you read that right. They provide lodging and three very yummy home-cooked meals each day. This is made possible by donations and love offerings. Each person brings their own bedding, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. I love this concept of not charging for anything and know that many women were able to attend the retreat because of this.

Although I will share a bit more of my experiences in another post, I thought a Thursday Thirteen list would be a simple and concise way to share some thoughts and quotes from the teaching that was given during the sessions. Otherwise, I might go on forever!(As a side note: I've been talking to my husband about what all I learned for the past three days and I'm still telling him new things!)

Most of the teaching from the weekend was related to "The Kingdom of God". A contrast was made between the the kingdom of King Jesus and of Satan/God of the World System. That is where I will start and then the rest of the points will be random things that stood out to me from my notes.

1. In Satan's kingdom, rebellion, confusion, injustice, anxiety,sorrow and destruction reign.
In the kingdom where Jesus Christ reigns, there is authority, order, justice, righteousness, peace and joy.

2."The water of the Word soaks, softens and makes us pliable for His use. When we're hard, we're not concerned about other people. We're soaking in the water of His Word for a purpose-so that we can experience the authority, order, justice, righteousness, peace and joy of His kingdom."

3."Too many know God by a Word or an act; we need to know Him by His ways."
Psalm 103:7: "He made known His ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:"
The Israelites always wanted to see God's acts; Moses wanted to know His ways(be in His presence).

4."I'd much better know Him by the Spirit of His Word, than by the letter of the law."

5."Do not stop looking to the Holy Spirit for instruction. Each person is responsible for hearing from the Holy Spirit. Each person is different and will hear different things."

6."Study the Word for yourself, not to teach others."

7."Give God permission to work in Your life."

8."When you walk in radical obedience, you have sustained confidence to face the difficulties of life."
Hebrews 10:35: "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded."

9.Psalm 16:8:"I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
"We tend to set our circumstances before us, instead of the Lord."

10."The askers, chasers and seekers are the ones that get the revelation.
A lot to do with your purpose is revelation. More revelation gives you more purpose."

11."The most powerful two people who pray together are a man and his wife."

12."Everyone can hear God. You can hear God speak to you in your own situation."

13.On the last night, the main speaker, Marilyn Adams gave us a prescription to take with us:
--Personal Responsibility. I will take personal responsibility for me.

--Mentor. Ask God to show me who it is that is supposed to mentor me and ask that person. If I am supposed to be a mentor to someone, ask God to show me that person.

--Take personal responsibility to study the Word.

--Develop a prayer life.

--Develop yourself as a woman.
1.Take care of yourself.
2.Take time for yourself.
3.Develop and nurture your relationship with your husband.
4.Develop and nurture your relationship with your children.
5.Develop and nurture your relationship with your grandchildren.
6.Develop and train your children to take care of themselves.

--Give to your church. Do not give to the Lord and the church and neglect your family.

--Be willing to give to your community. Know the season and the seasons of your life.(If children are small, you are needed at home.)

--Teach your children to eat right. Feed them fruits and veggies and limit the junk food.

I had to pick and choose to come up with only 13 things and as you can see I kinda stretched it to include much more! I have so much that I gleaned from the retreat with so much that I can/will apply to my daily life. I hope that something I've shared here will also inspire you in your walk with God.

For more (actual) Thursday Thirteen lists, visit Happy To Be At Home.

Update On New Year's Goals

Sine we're now almost to the middle of March, I thought I'd do an update on my New Year's goals. I've copied and pasted them from this post. For the sake of simplifying, I'm adding a note of my progress under each category.


Spiritual:
--Reading and studying God's Word
Plan of action: Continue reading one chapter each day, writing down what jumps out at me and how it will change the way I live my life.

--Develop a meaningful prayer life.
Plan of action: Continue reading and praying through The Power of a Praying Wife as I seek to lift my husband up in prayer each day. Pray for people I know immediately as the Holy Spirit brings them to mind. Keep a list of ongoing prayer requests and a list of answered prayers.

Progress: I've been having a pretty consistent quiet time which has been so helpful to me. I've been getting up early to be able to do this before my day starts. I've found that if I wait, it just doesn't happen. So rising early has been a good thing for me right now.

I'm almost to the end of The Power of a Praying Wife. I have spent a whole week or more on some of the chapters as they were areas that I knew I really needed to be praying for my husband. What I like about this book is not that I have to pray just like the author but using her prayers as a springboard for a deeper prayer life.I really like all the specific areas and verses that she lays out. I have a list of prayer requests in my quiet time journal that I've been using to help me remember to pray. I still want to do a notebook for only prayer requests so that I can record the answers and be a bit more detailed.

Physical:
--Exercise 3-4 times a week.
Plan of action: Currently, I'm getting started running by following this 8 week program. My motivation is my first 5k that I'm planning on participating in on March 7. Yikes!!!

--Losing a little weight.
Plan of action: Continue watching food portion sizes, eliminating most snacks and limiting fast carbs(breads, sweets, etc.).

Progress: I've been running but not making as fast of progress as I had hoped. Once I started running a bit longer distances, I started experiencing a lot of knee pain. Because of this, I've had to really scale back and do a lot more walking again, instead of mostly running. Up until the knee pain hit, I was still planning to run my first 5k on March 7th. I knew I would be really slow and possibly not even be able to run the entire thing, but I was still going to participate. This 5k was out of town and I was going to do it with my sister-in-law who was running the 10k that day. My knee pain really slowed me down and then some other things came up where we decided to not go out of town that weekend after all. In the meantime, doing more of a walk/run and applying ice and heat to my knee is really helping. So I'm continuing on, working up to more running again. I still really want to run a 5k eventually and I am continuing to work towards that.

Weight loss. This isn't going very quickly at all. I've lost 2 pounds total so far and now I've gained them back. Losing weight is much harder now that I'm in my 30's! I realize that with all the running, I was building a lot of muscle so that will slow down the weight loss. I'm starting to keep track of calories in hopes that I will see a bit more progress.

Homemaking:
--Simplify.
Plan of action: Simplify by continuing to declutter, carefully analyzing whether or not I need an item before purchasing, use what I have.

--Continue my quest for healthier living.
Plan of action: Find natural alternatives to all cleaning supplies and air freshener. Continue to cook healthfully by implementing more whole foods into and eliminating refined sugars from our diets. (More on this next week as I participate in this carnival!)

Progress: Unlike weight loss and exercise, this area of simplifying and homemaking is a fun one for me! In January, I sent several more boxes of donations to Goodwill. I've slowly been working through each drawer and shelf, reorganizing and decluttering. I'm not done by any means, but working on one thing at a time is certainly progress! For now, I've really focused on the kitchen. You know your cabinets need to be cleaned out when items fall out and break when you open the door! Next up is my drawer that holds my leftover containers. As I've slowly been switching to glass containers, it's time to weed out some of the plastic ones.

Even though we go to yard sales and thrift stores fairly regularly, I've been trying to be extra careful what I bring home. So far, so good!

I purchased some essential oils last fall. These oils have added so much to my homemade cleaners. I've been making a new all-purpose cleaner with castile soap that I really like. I scented it with peppermint oil and this smells so good as I'm cleaning! I still use regular Windex and furniture polish. Baby steps, baby steps. I have a recipe for homemade air freshener but I still have many cans of Glade to use up.

As for food, I'll be sharing an update on that tomorrow.


Financial:

I don't feel very comfortable divulging many specifics on this topic since I have many real life friends and family reading this blog. I love them all very much, but I do like to keep some things private!

I will say, though, that our main financial goal this year is to continue saving for a down payment on a house. Last year, our goal in this was to get a house fund started, which we did. We haven't yet established a specific goal for this year.

Progress: Our focus right now has turned out to be our emergency fund instead of the house fund. We've been putting all extra $$$ towards building that up a bit more.



Are you making progress on the goals that you set for this year? Please share how you're doing!

A Verse To Ponder

It's Friday and my brain is about worn out. So while I run errands and work around the house, reflect on this promise from God's Word.

Have a wonderful and refreshing weekend!

Ephesians 3:20(The Message):
"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."

Continue On In 2009!

Happy New Year!

While the sauce for our traditional New Year's lasagna is cooking, I'll go ahead and post my goals and theme for this year. A specific list helps to keep me motivated and I tend to remember things that I've posted on my blog. It's also fun to read through the archives and see the phases that I've gone through and what was important to me at certain times. It does change, you know.:-)

While pondering what kind of a fresh start I would be making come the beginning of 2009, I realized that many of my goals were not new but go right along with what I've been doing and learning the last year or two.

At first, I was disapointed. Does this mean that I'm not really making a fresh start? Am I not learning new things or reaching my goals so that I can go on to new and different things?

Then I read this verse:

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2: 6,7 NIV

The phrase continue to live in him stood out. I knew right away that the word continue would be my theme for 2009. Continuing with what I'm learning and God is showing me and taking the next step in these areas.

Continue: con⋅tin⋅ue
   
verb, -ued, -u⋅ing.

–verb (used without object)

1. to go on after suspension or interruption
2. to go on or keep on, as in some course or action; extend
3. to last or endure
4. to remain in a particular state or capacity
5. to remain in a place; abide; stay

–verb (used with object)

6. to go on with or persist in: to continue an action.
7. to carry on from the point of suspension or interruption
8. to extend from one point to another in space; prolong.
9. to say in continuation.
10. to cause to last or endure; maintain or retain, as in a position.
11. to carry over, postpone, or adjourn; keep pending, as a legal proceeding.

In this new year, I will continue...

--to work on areas that I've let go.... exercise, eliminating/drastically reducing refined sugars from our diet
--to keep on... reading and meditating on God's Word, being diligent in prayer, especially for my husband, growing in Christ through lessons and circumstances in 2008
--to persist at...losing a little weight, saving for a down payment on a house
--to live in Him!

My specific goals at this time for 2009:

Spiritual:
--Reading and studying God's Word
Plan of action: Continue reading one chapter each day, writing down what jumps out at me and how it will change the way I live my life.

--Develop a meaningful prayer life.
Plan of action: Continue reading and praying through The Power of a Praying Wife as I seek to lift my husband up in prayer each day. Pray for people I know immediately as the Holy Spirit brings them to mind. Keep a list of ongoing prayer requests and a list of answered prayers.

Physical:
--Exercise 3-4 times a week.
Plan of action: Currently, I'm getting started running by following this 8 week program. My motivation is my first 5k that I'm planning on participating in on March 7. Yikes!!!

--Losing a little weight.
Plan of action: Continue watching food portion sizes, eliminating most snacks and limiting fast carbs(breads, sweets, etc.).

Homemaking:
--Simplify.
Plan of action: Simplify by continuing to declutter, carefully analyzing whether or not I need an item before purchasing, use what I have.

--Continue my quest for healthier living.
Plan of action: Find natural alternatives to all cleaning supplies and air freshener. Continue to cook healthfully by implementing more whole foods into and eliminating refined sugars from our diets. (More on this next week as I participate in this carnival!)

Financial:

I don't feel very comfortable divulging many specifics on this topic since I have many real life friends and family reading this blog. I love them all very much, but I do like to keep some things private!

I will say, though, that our main financial goal this year is to continue saving for a down payment on a house. Last year, our goal in this was to get a house fund started, which we did. We haven't yet established a specific goal for this year.

So that concludes my list of goals for the new year. I think it will be enough to keep me busy, don't you think?

What are your main goals as you begin a new year?

The Stable-A Story of God's Provision

This morning, Monica shared a heart-warming account of how God recently provided for her wants in the form of a child-sized Pottery Barn chair.

She asked for her readers to share stories of how God has provided for them. I was reminded of my stable story which I had not shared on my blog yet. But what a great time of year to share this with my readers!

This was my comment on her post:

"God has provided so many times it's hard to keep track, which is why I like to chronicle these things on my blog-so we don't forget what God has done for us!

One story that I haven't shared yet on my blog happened last winter. This was not a need but a want.

I have a nice nativity set that I purchased years ago at the Pottery in Commerce, GA for $1.50. I've used this for a long time. In recent years, I decided that I really wanted a stable to go with it as the $1.50 set only included the figures. Last fall(2007), I saved some money to purchase a stable. I started looking around in October. Hobby Lobby had one but I really didn't like it-some parts were flimsy. Michael's right out and told me they didn't"carry that sort of thing." Well, honestly,after a bit, I kind of forgot that I was looking for a stable and had come to terms with my holy family being homeless another year.

The day that I was going to set up my nativity, we stopped at a yard sale(in December, mind you!) on a whim. As soon as I got out of the car, I spotted a table of the usual tacky Christmas decorations but something wooden and rustic was sitting in the middle. My husband says that he's never seen anyone move more quickly than I at the prospect of a bargain and I practically flew over there!

Sure enough, it was a stable and exactly the style that I was looking for. They had $2 on it, which it was definitely worth, but after counting my nickles and dimes, I found that I only had $1.50. I asked if they would take $1.50 instead and after a bit of hesitation, they were glad to.

We got in the car and drove home, me holding my precious stable. My husband asked as he always does after we've seen God provide, "You prayed, didn't you?" Which I had, but only at the beginning of my search as I asked God to direct me to the right place to find what I was looking for and then I forgot all about it.

God did not forget, however. As I put up my nativity set this year, I was reminded of how I came to have the stable, and how if God desired to gift me with a house for a set of ceramic people, how much more He desires to care for us as His children!"

We have seen God provide in tangible ways in the past few years. This has grown my faith and trust in God tremendously. God is not my personal Santa giving in to my every want and whim, but He does desire to provide "good things for His children." Luke 11:13

As I include God in my daily activities and ask for His guidance in all areas of life, I am much more aware of how He provides. It's noticeable when God provides in a tight spot but how about when He provides for me to have a decent sized grocery budget which allows us to buy really good food and more than we need, a roof over our heads when it's raining,central heat and air when it is very cold or hot? The things I take for granted and see every day are the very things that I should be thanking God for.

For a few more accounts of practical ways God has provided for our family, you can read all about the $5 chair, the futon and even my husband's need for a belt!

Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart!"

Post-Election Thoughts

As glad as I am to finally have this election over with, I have very mixed feelings over the president who was elected.

As most of my blog readers can probably pick up, we are very conservative-minded Christians. On Tuesday, we voted that way as well. No candidate or president is perfect but we cast our votes for the one whom we felt best lined up with the conservative values that mean so much to us.

The sanctity of human life...Traditional marriage... National security... Lower taxes.

I spent a lot of time in prayer for this election and have a peace over God's ultimate sovereignty in all of this. This is the first presidential election that I have followed so closely and frankly, it really scared me!

My hope is not in this country or my president. My hope is in Jesus Christ.

I don't believe that God has removed His hand of blessing from America with this election, but rather that He has allowed it in order to carry out His plan.

But what should be my response to this election?

We have had several people coming to us panicking and asking "What do we do now?" This led me to compile a short list of encouraging Scriptures to meditate on and believe in. I know there are many more that could be listed here; these are just a few that I came across.(Feel free to add your favorite Scriptures in the comments!)

John 16:33: "...in me you may have peace. In this world you may have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 14:1:" Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."

Psalm 91:9,10: "If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent."

Psalm 4:8: "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."

Joshua 1:9:"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Psalm 39:7:""But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."

Jeremiah 29:11:"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Lamentations 3:21-23:"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Romans 15:13:"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Hebrews 10:23:"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

This is a time for Bible-believing Christians to snap out of our complacency and truly rely and trust in the power of God. This is not the time for panic! We need to stop playing around, stand up for what we believe in and pray, pray, pray for our nation. Romans 13:11 says, " "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."

While I don't believe that America is going to cease to exist with President Obama at the lead, our nation as a whole has forgotten God and the wonderful principles this country was founded upon. This is a frightening place for our country to be.

My next response as a believer is to fulfill my Scriptural responsibility by praying for our new leader. I will respect his authority and support him in prayer, even if I do not agree with his stand on many of the major issues. Romans 13:1:"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

I praise God that He is still on the throne and in control of everything! Even in these uncertain times, I can trust and believe in a God who never ever changes.

Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section. No matter what your view on the election, please keep your words kind and God-honoring. I reserve the right to delete any comment that I feel does not add to the wholesome content that I strive to present on my blog. Thank you!

I'll Pray For You

How many times have you told someone,"I'll pray for you"?

And how many times have you forgotten?

I know I've forgotten to pray for specific requests often. After I promised that I would.

I've been thinking on this a lot recently. A friend of ours said that she never promises to pray for someone anymore because she will almost always forget! The best way she said is to pray for them right then and there.

Next, she tells them that she will continue to lift them up in prayer as the Holy Spirit reminds her. How freeing is that?!? I'm not talking about avoidance here, just to be clear, but rather having a pure heart that is in tune to hearing the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

I know it also helps me to have a list of prayer requests in my notebook that I can quickly jot down when they come to mind or are spoken. For this to be effective, however, you need to be sure and open your notebook or have your list nearby during your prayer time!

Whenever someone pops into my mind(especially someone I haven't seen or even thought of in a long while), I try to make a point to pray for them at that moment. I know the Holy Spirit is reminding and prompting me to pray in those times.

At one time, we used a prayer jar which really was a teapot filled with slips of paper with friends and family members names. Each morning we would pull a name out of the jar and pray for that person/family. We loved this but somehow that ritual got thrown by the wayside and we don't do it anymore. I realize that I do want to bring that back. I'll have to talk to my husband about that today!

I have a lot of room to grow in the area of intercessory prayer. It is so important but something that we or at least I tend to rush through!

"Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way." 1 Samuel 12:23

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16

"I thank my God every time I remember you." Philippians 1:3

Please share your thoughts on prayer!

Guest Post: The Purpose Of The Church

Today, I'm excited to have my husband Andy sharing a guest post! Having him contribute to my blog at times is something that we've talked about doing for awhile now. His writing style and subject content is a little different and deeper than what I normally post here. But change can be a good thing! Please read along and leave your thoughts in the comments!

The Purpose Of The Church
Does your church have a mission or vision statement? Does your church have a clearly defined purpose? With so many different churches, denominations and theologies surrounding us today, it is quite easy to find our true purpose and reason for living this life muddied. I’d like to make an attempt to clean up some of the mess. And in the true spirit of Mary Ann’s House, it is quite practical and simple.

Right off the bat let’s look at the great commission.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

A couple of points to ponder…

If all authority was given to Jesus and He is sending us out as his witnesses to make disciples, then we go with that authority, all authority! But what does it mean to “make disciples”? Well, make means “to produce; cause to exist or happen; bring about, to cause to be or become; render.” So we are to produce disciples. But what is a disciple? A disciple is a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower. Now, we can only produce what we are and what we know. So if we have not taken the time to actually be a disciple, to be a follower of Christ, how can we in turn make one?

Let’s take the time now to dig a little deeper into what it means to actually BE a disciple.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42

First we must focus on the word “devoted,” zealous or ardent in attachment, loyalty, or affection. It requires absolute commitment. Devotion is not a hobby or something you do for 15 minutes in the morning. Devotion is a representation of who you are. Think of it in these terms, where you deposit your time and effort is what you are truly devoted to.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

There are Four things a disciple of Christ is to be devoted to.

1. The apostles’ teaching. But what is the apostle’s teaching? Look back at the great commission. “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” There are seven main commands of Christ to be followed here. And as an act of devotion on your part, here are the scripture references. Take the time to get to know what they are yourself, then you can pass the hope of Christ on to others.

Command #1 Luke 9:23, Acts 17:24-34
Command #2 Matthew 22:37
Command #3 John 13:34-35
Command #4 Matthew 22:39
Command #5 & 6 Matthew 28:19 (I’ve already quoted this one for you.)
Command #7 Matthew 28:20 (I’m making this way too easy, I’ve quoted this one too.)

2. The Fellowship. Now be careful here. This is not just attending church. The Greek word used here is koinônia, literally partnership. To be devoted to the fellowship is to be an active participant, not just to warm a chair or a pew. How are you partnering with your fellowship?

3. The Breaking of Bread. Put simply, there is something special that occurs when believers sit down to a meal together. There is a bonding that takes place. In addition to that, when you participate in a meal by bringing food, or setting the table or washing the dishes, you have shown devotion to those eating with you. You are literally putting into practice the afore mentioned partnership. One person is not doing all the work or shouldering all the responsibility. Mary Ann and I are fortunate as this is a regular part of our Sunday Fellowship.

4. Prayer. I’m not sure this one needs much expounding, however, here we go. This is a time commitment on your part. And the beauty of it is any time works, driving to work, making breakfast, when the kids are napping, anytime!! Now something we all to often forget is that prayer is a two way street. It involves talking and listening, especially listening. Remember God gave you two ears and one mouth and that was on purpose.

There that wasn’t so hard, was it? Now we know what it means to be a disciple. So, now we can make disciples. This simple thing is the purpose for God’s church and quite literally is the church being the church.

Thanks for allowing me to invade the blogosphere, we’ll have to do it again sometime.

/\ndy

Thankful For What God Doesn't Give Me

I focus a lot on answered prayer, thanking God for the tangible ways He shows His love for me. This is usually by Him giving me what I have asked for or providing a specific need.

Countless times I have asked for specific things and He has graciously answered and saw fit to provide me with these things. When He answers my prayers in this way, I am overjoyed and reminded of His great love for me.

But what about all the prayers that He doesn't seem to answer? What about the things that I've prayed for that never come to pass? Even after years and years, it seems He's not even listening. Do my prayers even make it past the ceiling?

We all have circumstances in our lives that we wish were different. I am no exception. My life is not perfect. I have often wrestled with God over things that I felt were rightfully mine but either I knew He had said"No" or I felt as though He just wasn't answering my prayers.

We were blessed to be able to attend a David Meece concert this week. (I know, talk about a blast from the past!) His song, "Things You Never Gave Me" hit me right in the heart. It was just what I needed to hear.

Things You Never Gave Me from the There I Go Again album

Had a lot of dreams that never came true
Things I could have done,
But never got the chance to do
When I couldn't see the path of the storm
Your wisdom wouldn't let me go that way
And it broke my heart,but now my heart can say

Thank You for the times You said,"No".
Thank You for the doors that You closed
All the ways You never let me go
And the things You never gave me
So many times I didn't understand
And wouldn't let You take my hand
But now I want to fall at your feet
And thank You for the things
You never gave to me.

When I wanted less than what You had in mind
When I wanted more than I could handle at the time
When I needed You but turned You away
You wouldn't let me slip out of Your hand

I just didn't know, but now I understand
Looking back across the years
I can see beyond the tears
And thank You...thank You

God always answers my prayers. He just doesn't always do it my way. Sometimes He says "No". Many times He does not choose to swoop in and change my situation. Instead, He allows these things as opportunities for me to grow and depend on Him more.

Thank You, God. Thank You for being in control of my life and for choosing what is the absolute best for me. Help me to remember to thank You even when Your way is different than mine and to realize that sometimes the very best answers to prayer are when in Your wisdom, You say, "No.". Amen!


Thanks to Laura of Heavenly Homemakers for hosting Gratituesday!

Too Busy?

I tend to be a very busy person rushing around and doing all sorts of things and activities. They are good things to do like taking care of my house, cooking and baking for my husband, church activities, sewing, etc. My husband laughs and asks if I ever take a break just to chill out . He says that he is tired just watching me! Sometimes I think he isn't busy enough while he thinks I'm the other extreme.
Well, we just returned from a trip to visit my family. He met some of my family for the first time and spent alot more time with those he had only met briefly before. He soon came to the conclusion that I come by this "busy-ness" honestly! While sitting and visiting, my mom, grandma and aunt all had crocheting in their hands. When going about the house, they are scheduled, efficient and purposeful. He understands now why, even when I sit down, I like to have something to do in my hands- a book to read, recipes to copy, hand sewing to do, lists to make, fingernails to file- something!
It is good to be busy. After all, "Idleness is the devil's workshop." But, I wonder... can I be too busy? Am I able to quiet my mind and focus on what is truly important? Do I turn off the radio and the TV so I can be alone with my thoughts and think about God and hear what He is saying? Today I want to make an effort to, at least for a few moments, do what God says in Psalms 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God..."