Just Like Baking

As I have been doing my Bible reading I came across a portion of scripture that I had not seen before. In preparation of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, in Exodus, is a verse that says as the women were given wisdom in their hearts, they spun. And then immediately the next chapter talks of the men getting wisdom from the Lord to do a work.

Maybe because the Lord is dealing with me about some issues in my life about getting and staying right with him, that it hit me that if women get themselves right with the Lord first then we would have men getting right with the Lord.

In society today, women want to be the first in practically everything...except in the place where they should be (keep in mind that Eve was the first to sin then Adam). Where should the woman be first you ask? Women should be the first to say, I will get right with God. I will stay right with God. I will stay at home and be the wife God intended for me to be. I will have children and be the mother God intended for me to be. I will learn to do the homemaking that is necessary to meet the needs of my family. Every family has specific needs and there is only one who can meet those needs. If you are Mama and/or if you are Wife, then that person is you. That person is me in my home. 

I can't help but think of that old commercial of a working woman coming home and frying up some bacon. Not because she was working outside the home because that is contrary to the Bible but because she was cooking. I have had to learn to meet the needs of my family over the years. First, I had to learn the needs of my husband. Then we were blessed with a miracle son then a second son who is our double blessing. And with each one I had to learn their needs and each one has different needs and each year that changes some. Add my elderly mother in the mix and still there are needs I must learn to meet for her. I can't meet any of their needs if I am constantly thinking of "my" needs and how can I get more "me" time. I hear so many women, both young and old saying that they don't get enough "me" time. Young mother's leave their children with others so they can get away for hours upon hours each week. Older wives neglect their husband and home to have their "me" time. With everyone having access to the internet today, one way neglect of family needs takes place is hours spent on the web. And most everyone has a hand held computer in their hand. 

There are ingredients to having a good home where each member has their needs met. Being a wife and a mother is a high calling and a wonderful honor that is given by our Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ. It is one that we should not take for granted and too often we do. Without the proper ingredients in any recipe we will not get the intended result.

When I make bread, if I were to leave out the yeast my bread would not rise. The same is true about love in a home. If there is no love the husband and children do not grow as they ought. If I leave out the sugar it wouldn't have a sweet taste. A home without joy will not be remembered as a place with fun and happy memories. Without the flour there is no base or substance to my bread. Likewise, without Jesus Christ there is no foundation with which one can stand on and truly have the other ingredients for a lifetime. Without the warm water to activate the yeast the rising process cannot begin. We must have a warm and affectionate heart to blend in. Being cold hearted just turns others away. Then there is the oil which is characteristic of the Holy Spirit. We must listen and be willing to even change areas of our life if it is not in tune with what the Holy Spirit says the Father wants in our life. Oh. And there is the egg which seems to hold things together. Jesus bridged the gap from hell to heaven for us. Jesus holds us in his perfect peace. 

We love our bread in this home but without just one ingredient it would not be bread. There is perfection when the recipe is followed. I for one have to follow the recipe by reading and re-reading it. I have a friend who can read a recipe once and has it memorized. I can not. It takes me reading the recipe over again with each step. Does that make me a bad cook? I don't think so and my family is very solid if I do say so myself. I'd like to think it is because I'm willing to take the time to ensure that I have the recipe correct. The same should be true with the recipe that the Lord Jesus Christ gives us in his Word. We should take the time to read it and re-read it until we get it right. Do I get it right all of the time? No. I do not but do I quit because I don't get it right? No. I get back up. I empty that mixing bowl and start again. Proverbs 24:16, tells us that "the just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again..."

With all that had been said, as I encourage myself, may I also encourage you, dear reader, get back to the kitchen and read the recipe again. Empty the old batter out and start anew with fresh ingredients. Read your recipe slowly and carefully. I would venture to say that when you do the end product will turn out perfect for all to enjoy.

It is well with my soul. Is it well with yours?

Jesus Is The Anchor

We live in a world of turmoil that provides no stability. If no stability then one can be tossed to and fro. And when one is tossed about they face possible harm, even that of being thrown over board to drown in their troubles and sorrows.

There is One who can not only provide stability but He can help you with every burden and care. He can comfort and give peace. He can save your soul from sin and give you a home in heaven.

If you have not done so already, will you:

Admit that you are a sinner and have sinned against God?

Believe that Jesus died on the cross to forgive your sin?

Confess that you deserve to pay for your sin in a place of eternal fire?

Decide that today is going to be the day that you trust Jesus and him alone to take you to heaven?

If you have done this then you can trust Jesus to be the anchor of your soul.

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16

It is well with my soul. Is it well with yours?

What Can We Learn From Hurricanes?

I believe every Sunday School student knows the song below , as it is based on Matthew 7:25 which says, "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock."


The wise man built his house upon the Rock
The wise man built his house upon the Rock
The wise man built his house upon the Rock
And the rains came falling down


The rains came down and the prayers went up
The rains came down and the prayers went up
The rains came down and the prayers went up
And the house on the Rock stood firm


The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
And the rains came falling down


The rains came down but no prayers went up
The rains came down but no prayers went up
The rains came down but no prayers went up
And the house on the sand went flat


So build your life on the LORD Jesus Christ
So build your life on the LORD Jesus Christ
So build your life on the LORD Jesus Christ
And the blessings will come down


The blessings will come down as the prayers go up
The blessings will come down as the prayers go up
The blessings will come down as the prayers go up
So build your life on the LORD Jesus Christ



Many years ago I heard Evangelist Tom Williams say the following, which I wrote in the back of my Bible because I did not wish to forget the statement, as I tend to do, forget some things.


Rains Descend,
Floods Oscend,
and the Wind Blows.


Rain is testing from above.
Floods are temptations from below.
and the winds blow because God still cares.




Hurricane season is a time of the unknown. Often hurricanes stay out to sea but when they reach land they can wreak havac from just high winds and rain to much flooding and complete devastation as has been seen with Katrina in 2005 to Harvey and Irma most recently.


The bible tells us that preparation of the body, soul and spirit is key to survival.


Evangelist Tom Williams stated that the rains test us from above. Many people say, "when it rains, it pours." I know that I have made that statement. Years ago I looked at the rain in a negative light because my hair would always frizz up because of the humidity that the rain brings. Generally, with naturally curly hair it causes the curls to shrink, mine however, just frizzed and I honestly disliked that because I could do nothing with my hair. Vain? Yes. Do you look at the rain negatively? Do you go out and rejoice in it? I do today and I have taught my sons to do the same. It's almost a contest to see who is the first one to Praise the Lord for the rain. My sons will come running through the house yelling "it's raining" and we will all run to the front door to go out onto the front porch with our hands raised in the air praising God. Even if we are watching an old movie and it is raining in the movie, we praise the Lord for that rain too. And many times the Lord sends us rain shortly afterwards because we praised Him for the rain in the movie. Some might think that to be silly but in the Texas Panhandle you are thankful for every bit of rain, even if it is in the movies. Do you look at the blessings that come with the rain? I didn't used to but love to today. The water for the plants that the rain brings...the greener the grass gets...the moisture in the air...the water in the aquafers...I believe the Lord wants to remind us to look up when it rains and Thank Him for it.


Flooding is treacherous and many people lose their lives for different reasons, mostly because of the unforeseen currents that flood waters bring with them. This Evangelist stated floods are temptations from below. What is below the earth? Hell is below the earth. Who is in Hell? The Devil and his angels are in Hell. What is it about Hell that I would bring it up with flooding? Time is short for the Devil. The Lord Jesus Christ IS returning soon. Disasters are allowed to happen to see who is left on this earth that will still Praise God! In the good days of blessings and in the bad days of cursings will there be any faith still on the earth? How about it Christian? How is your faith today? Are you trusting in God? Or do you trust in the government to supply your needs?


Now, Evangelist Williams finished his statement by saying that the winds blow because God still cares. The flood waters will recede - the waters will be gone. The aftermath will not be pretty. Homes will be destroyed. Businesses will be destroyed. Schools are destroyed. Lives have been lost and lives have been spared. Treasures and keepsakes have been destroyed. But there is one thing that is sure! And that is that God still cares! Jesus still cares for that lost soul that will confess that they are a sinner and that they need a Saviour. God still cares about the Praise he will receive from the believer who is thankful for what blessings they do have. God still cares about you! Too often we don't see that God cares because we are too self obsorbed. Because we become selfish we cannot see how much he cares for us.


Dear friend, wont you take a moment and think about the little things that God has done for you? All of those little things add up to lots of things.


We may be tested and tempted but it is to show us how much Christ really cares for us.




It is well with my soul. Is it well with yours?

Turn Right

Please forgive my tardiness in writing something new. It has been a long several weeks taking care of my elderly mother with many doctor's appointments and hospital stays. I Praise the Lord that it is behind us for now, for a season.

I was reading some thoughts that I jot down in my Bible that I get from preaching and teaching times and came across what I'm about to share with you. As I began to reflect on this little thought I couldn't help but think about times in my life that it appears I made a bunch of left turns. I know I have:

- - Left Love of/and/for the things of God
- - Left Joy filled Happiness
- - Left Jesus at my front door
- - Left Husband's Leadership in/and/of my home
- - Left Children's Attention because of my own selfishness
- - Left Holy Spirit Fullness and Power in/on/through my life
- - Left the Father's Care of every situation in my life, trusting myself
- - Left Trust that Christ has the devil in check and will soon say checkmate
- - Left Home to work in the world

It's not too late for anyone to quit making left turns in their lives. Praise the Lord.! I had to determine in my heart to begin making right turns. Once that first right turn is made it is easier to make that next right turn. I had to:

+ + Turn Right about the things of God  (Colossians 3:1-4)
+ + Turn Right and be filled with happiness and joy  (Isaiah 51:11; I Peter 1:8)

+ + Turn Right and take Jesus with you everywhere.  (Colossians 1:27; John 14:17; I John 4:12, 13)

+ + Turn Right and let your husband lead your home (Ephesians 5:23, 24; Titus 2:3-5#5)

+ +  Turn Right and love your children. Make memories with them.  (Proverbs 29:15; Titus 2:3-5#4)

+ + Turn Right and get back in tune with the Holy Spirit and his guidence in your life. 
       (Ephesians 1:15-19; Isaiah 40:13, 14)

+ + Turn Right and realize again, that the Father in heaven knows everything that is going on in your
       life and cares, after all, his thoughts of you are more in number than the grains of sand.
       (Psalm 139:17, 18)

+ + Turn Right and trust that Jesus knows what the devil's moves are and soon he will come for his
       bride.  (Isaiah 62:5; Psalm 73:28; I Thessalonians 4:14-18; Ecclesiastes 3:1; II Timothy 4:2;
       Job 1:8-10)

+ + Turn Right and work on becoming an "at home" wife and mother.  Develop a trade from home
       that will earn your "egg money". (Titus 2:5)

These are just some thoughts that came to mind. Things that I have come to in life and have had to make a change in my direction. I know that there are more things that we make Left Turns on but the point is to Turn Right and Keep On Going toward God and the things that are pleasing to God.

We are and were created to bring Glory to God. (Revelation 4:11)

"A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left." (Ecclesiastes 10:2)

A heart that is Right with God will not be Left behind.

When we get carried away with the things of this world we have Left the Right Way.

And if we are not Right with God then we can be out in Left field.


"Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts..." (Psalm 80:19)


"Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil." (Proverbs 4:27)


When you stay on the path with God, you will have no need to turn left or to turn right because you have kept going in the direction you should be going. If you are on the path with God you will not want to make a left turn, therefore, you will not need to turn right to get back on the path with God and will not be in the company of evil.


It is Well with my soul. Is it well with yours?

Scripture A.B.C.s

When our oldest son was barely able to talk my husband and I wanted to begin teaching him scripture so I sat down and looked up verses that would speak of his faith, his delight, and the Word of God, etc. Each verse is just a portion of the verse.  We will add the entire verse for memory work as our sons grow older. By the time my oldest was three he had approximately 50 verses memorized including these. Our hope and prayer is that our boys will hide God's Word in their heart's so that they 'might not sin against God'.

So, I thought I would share the Scripture A-B-C's that we have used to teach our boys. I realize that there are a lot of them out there that people use but maybe as you read these you will see why these verses were chosen.

Scripture A-B-C's
A.V. 1611 - King James Bible

A.  ...All have sinned (Romans 3:23)
B.  Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ
      (Acts 16:31)
C.  Children, obey your parents in the       Lord (Ephesians 6:31)
D.  Delight thyself also in the LORD
      (Psalm 37:4)
E.  Enter into His gates with  
      thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4)
F.   Fear ye not, stand still, and see
      (Exodus 14:3)
G.  Give attendance to reading (I
      Timothy 4:13)
H.  Holding forth the Word of life
      (Philippians 2:16)
I.    An idle soul shall suffer hunger
      (Proverbs 19:15)
J.  The just shall live by his faith
     (Habakkuk 2:4)
K.  Keep thyself pure (I Timothy 5:22)
L.  The Law of the Lord is perfect
      (Psalm 19:7)
M.  Mercy and truth are met together
      (Psalm 85:10)
N.  I will never leave thee (Hebrews
     13:5)
O.  Obey them that have the rule over
      you (Hebrews 13:17)
P.  Pray without ceasing (I
     Thessalonians 5:17)
Q. Quench not the Spirit (I
     Thessalonians 5:19)
R.  Rejoice in the Lord alway
     (Philippians 4:4)
S.  Study to show thyself approved
     unto God (II Timothy 2:15)
T.  Trust in the Lord with all thine
     heart (Proverbs 3:5)
U.  Uphold me according unto thy
      word (Psalm 119:116)
V.  This is the victory that
     overcometh the world, even our
     faith (I John 5:4)
W.  Let the Word of Christ dwell in
      you richly in all wisdom
     (Colossians 3:16)
X.  Exhort one another daily
     (Hebrews 3:13)
Y.  Yield yourselves unto the Lord (II
     Corinthians 30:8)
Z.  Be zealous therefore, and repent
     (Revelation 3:19)

Just as other parents are pleased when their child hits a home run or plays their first piano recital, I love to hear my sons quote what they have learned from the bible. As our sons learn scripture it is an absolute delight in my heart to hear them preach these same verses on the street, as well as in the church house. 

I do hope these will be a blessing to you.

It is well with my soul. Is it well with yours?

Teachers Of Good Things

As parents, we are always teaching our children things. Whether it is teaching them how to walk and chew gum at the same time (wink) or to tie their shoes or maybe to do math or write their full name, our children are always learning. Some parents teach their children how to steal and to cheat or to tell lies to escape punishment. Some teach their children how to bully and to fight. Some teach their children how to use profanity with every other word being a vulgarity. Some parents teach their children if they do not like what someone says to call that person names. Parents teach their children about drinking booze, smoking or taking drugs and sex, too. Children also learn that if someone says something that they don't agree with then that other person must be wrong. After all, there is only one point of view or one side to every thing and it is theirs! Right? What a nation of cry babies parents are raising today.

My husband and I are raising two young men that we are told are a blessing to others. We are raising them with manners. We say please and thank you; no sir and no ma'am, yes sir and yes ma'am; be kind and gentle (sometimes it is said as "easy-gentle" as little boys that was easier for our boys to understand). We are teaching them not to interrupt others when they are talking. They love one another because mama and daddy love one another. They love spending time together as brothers and dont have to do their own thing. They love helping others whether they know them or not, such as picking up something that someone dropped or opening a door for someone. Or saying a kind word to the cashier when we are at a check out line and making them smile or maybe just handing a gospel tract to someone because they are concerned for their eternal soul. They will pray for a stranger, even those who are not so nice. Why, do you ask? Because they have watched their parents do the same. Because we are raising them in the nuture and admonition of the Lord. We want our boys to love God and the things of God rather than the chaos that this world has to offer them in sin. Are they going to be perfect? No. Are their parents perfect? No. Will they live such a life that they will not sin? No. And neither do their parents.

We want our boys to be good men. We want our boys to love their wives and to love their children. We want our boys to love the Lord with all of their heart. We want our boys to be good citizens. Good does not come naturally nor can we just snap our fingers and good happens, so we must teach them. Parents, we must teach our children good things.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he shall not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6


It is well with my soul. Is it well with yours?

Counting Daisies

In counting daisies I am counting my blessings. And I am truly blessed each and every day.

While my husband and I were courting he would sing me a song about giving me a daisy a day. He didn't know it at the time but in his singing that song to me that is what the Lord used to win my heart to him.

My husband worked the midnight shift and drove one hour each way to work. While he would drive to work each night we would talk and dream of our life together. Oh, the plans we made.!

At that time I was not supposed to be able to have children so we were planning trips to places we both had dreamed of going...Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, England and other places in the states. Since we married the Lord has given us two very beautiful boys full of energy. Needless to say, our dreams changed to raising children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Every day I am thankfully blessed with a husband who loves and cares and forgives me when I fail at being the perfect Proverbs 31 wife. Every day I am miraculously blessed with not one but two young boys the Lord has chosen me to get to be their mother.

Every day I am thankfully blessed that I have a roof over my head that my husband works hard to provide for our family. Every day I am thankful for children who believe they have the best mama ever. When my boys tell me that my heart just melts. I am thankful that through my aches and pains I can still walk without assistance.

There are so many things to be thankful for each and every day. If we were to put pen to paper there would be so much in the blessing column verses the cursed column. I would like to think more on the blessings and count my blessings and name them one by one.

It is July already and there are yet six months left in this year. Will you join me in counting your blessings? Lets count them all and see how many we can count to the end of the year...

It is well with my soul. Is it well with yours?



Below is the words to the song that my husband sang to me. He sometimes has a hard time makung it to the end without tearing up at the end. May you enjoy the song as I do.

A Daisy A Day
(by Hank Snow)

He remembers the first time he met her
He remembered the first thing she said
He remembered the first time he held her
And the night that she came to his bed.

He remembers her sweet way of sayin'
Honey has something gone wrong
He remembered the fun and the teasin'
And the reason he wrote her this song.

Chorus:
I'll give you a daisy a day dear
I'll give you a daisy a day
I'll love you until the rivers run still
And the four winds we know blow away.

They would walk down the street in the evening
And for years I would see them go by
And their love that was more than the clothes that they wore
Could be seen in the gleam in their eyes.

As a kid they would take me for candy
And I'd love to go taggin' along
We'd hold hands while we walked the corner
And the old man would sing her this song.

Chorus:
I'll give you a daisy a day dear
I'll give you a daisy a day
I'll love you until the rivers run still
And the four winds we know blow away.

Now he walks down the street in the evening
And he stops by the old candy store
And I somehow believe he's believin'
He's holdin' her hand like before.

For he feels all her love walkin' with him
And he smiles at the things she might say
Then the old man walks up to the hill top
And gives her a daisy a day.

Chorus:
I'll give you a daisy a day dear
I'll give you a daisy a day
I'll love you until the rivers run still
And the four winds we know blow away.

Make Jesus Welcome, Mama.

I see and hear so many these days that have little respect for each other let alone respect for Jesus Christ. What happened to mama's who love their children with every fiber of their being? Little girls could not wait to grow up, marry their Mr. Right and become mamas themselves. Now we have teenage mother's throwing their babies away in bathroom trash cans and leaving them in the commode head down in the water, all so that they can go back to a dance floor. Or they will go have an abortion so that they can go on their planned vacation without any disruptions like morning sickness, let alone possibly gaining a pound or two and not being able to wear a particular outfit.

We need old fashioned women willing to love their husband and who love their children. We don't need anymore "I love myself too much...I'm not willing to stay at home, listen to a husband, raise children, tend to a house and I'm especially not willing to do anything remotely close to looking like, I'm being submissive!" Elizabeth Rice Hanford wrote a book entitled, "Me? Obey Him?". Yes. Dear woman. You (and I) obey him, our own husband. After all a vow was taken till death do you part.

I grew up in a home that did not have Christ in it and as a result my siblings and I each took a path of discovery looking for love. We each found ourselves wallowing in sin. My father grew up in an Assembly of God Church and as soon as he could get out from under his parents he was out of there and had nothing else to do with church unto his death. He did profess he was saved from Hell. My mother went to a Christian Church Academy through sixth grade and claims Baptist but she too wants nothing to do with church. She has also professed that she is saved from Hell. Both have lived lives that say the contrary.

As a result of neither parent making Jesus welcome in the home, their children went the way of the world into a life full of sin. There were three children in the home. One lived a life of promiscuity and drunkenness. One lived a life in drugs, promiscuity and drunkenness. And one lives a life of drunkenness and is on a third marriage. I Praise the Lord that he saw fit to save me at the age of nineteen. As a result of my salvation both siblings came to know Christ as their Saviour. One sibling has gone home to be with the Lord after battling cancer for three and a half years and was thankful that so many years ago she accepted Christ.

With the upbringing that I had and the life that I lived before my salvation of accepting Christ's payment for my sins on the cross and my only hope of Heaven, I resolved in my heart that if He allowed me to have children that I would do everything that I could to help them love Jesus. That I would show them how good He is, how loving He is, how forgiving He is, how comforting He is, how wise He is, and so on and so forth. My sons are seven and five and to date they both love the Lord and have accepted Christ as their personal Saviour. In fact, my seven year old, who was six at that time, was preaching at a morning service last May. When he gave his invitation my five year old, then four, walked forward and prayed to have his sins forgiven. We pray together. We Praise God together. We share blessing together. We look for ways to show Jesus together. We pass out tracts together. We look for Jesus return together. We preach together, well, my husband and my boys do the preaching and I hold a scripture sign.

I do my best to make sure that Jesus is welcome in our home. One of the best ways I can do this is by being the kind of wife and mother that scripture instructs me to be. According to Titus 2:3-5, I am to be in behavior as becometh holiness; I am not to be a false accuser; I am not to be given to much wine (grape juice); I am to be a teacher of good things; I am to be sober (seriousness and not a drunkard); I am to love my husband; I am to love my children; I am to be discreet (don't tell all that I know and do); I am to be chaste; I am to be a keeper at home, which means that I must be at home. I can not be at home if I am working on a career. I can not love my children and teach them adequately or properly if I am paying a day care or sitter to raise my them. If I am doing anything other than the above I give opportunity for the word of God to be blasphemed.

My boys absolutely love the Lord Jesus. I pray that daily they will always love Him. Whenever and wherever they can they will begin singing to Him with songs that they make up for Him to show their love for and to Him. I love to hear them sing their praises. One of my youngest son's favorite places to sing his praises is while he is in the bathroom. He will close the door and sing his little heart out. I sometimes will stand by the door just to listen.

This is not all my doing. Daddy has a lot to do with making Jesus welcome in our home too. Daddy tells them Bible stories almost nightly. In fact, my oldest has a hard time sleeping if he hasn't had his Bible story each night, Bible stories help my boys to relax before falling asleep. And it is their special snuggle up next to daddy time. Many nights they all fall asleep sitting together in daddy's old rocking chair. I have some happy boys!! Happy because mama and daddy love each other. Happy because mama and daddy love Jesus. Happy because Jesus is always welcome in our home.

Mama, will you join me and make Jesus welcome in your home too? Oh, how much happier everyone would be and how much better our nation would be because mama gets back to pleasing Jesus herself by obeying the instructions found in His Word.

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority, Let no man despise thee." Titus 2:11-15


It is well with my soul. Is it well with yours?

How To Have A Good Day

I don't know about many of y'all but there are some days that I just don't quite have it all together and at the end of the day I feel like it has been a bad day. The truth is that I let my circumstances affect my attitude and I don't get done the things that I should get done or I say something that I ought not to have said. For the Christian, every day should be a good day because we have been bought with a price (I Corinthians 6:20; 7:23)and redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Oh, how I fall short!

The Bible tells us that "the thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy..." (John 10:10): he will steal our joy if we will let him, he will kill our spirit if we will let him, and he will destroy our testimony if we will let him.

Sometimes we need a reminder about having a good day. Not too long ago I got that reminder from an evangelist (Dr. Dave Spurgeon) I went to hear. It was refreshing to hear this particular message and I thought I would share...

How To Have A Good Day:
(I Peter 3:8-17; James 3)

Conversation - think about what you say. Don't speak just to hear yourself.(I Peter 3:10)

Conduct - Eschew: abstain from, avoid, stay away, shun evil. Don't walk the line of things that are or could be questionable. If you have to ask is this questionable then it is more likely than not, questionable. (I Peter 3:11) However, a good question to ask is, would this be pleasing to Christ, my Saviour?

Contact - have regular fellowship with the Saviour. Thirst after and for his fellowship. Seek peace and Pursue after it. True Peace comes from Jesus and only Him. (I Peter 3:11)

Confidence - don't waver in your trust of God. Jesus never changes and is always faithful in his love and care for and toward us. (I Peter 3:13) He is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever". (Hebrews 13:8)

Consecration - set yourself apart for Jesus Christ in your service and in your worship. Remember who you are serving... yourself or Christ? Your glory and praise of men or Jesus Christ and his glory because of what he did for you (and I) on the cross? (I Peter 3:15)

Conscience - don't hold onto guilt and confess your sin. Don't let sin go unconfessed. Unconfessed sin can lead to guilt and can affect your relationship with Christ. And the most important relationship one will ever have is that with Jesus Christ. (I Peter 3:16)

Remember to be Real! Be real with yourself and with others. Don't Be A Counterfeit.! Be the person that God believes you can be and you will have a good day!!!

It is well with my soul.! Is is well with yours?

🌻 Sunflower: Weed or Worship 🌻

For years I loved the sunflower but could not put a finger on why.  One year I agreed to take a Sunday School teacher's position of junior girls with fourth, fifth and sixth graders that later became open to seventh and eighth graders also.

In choosing a name because I loved sunflowers I thought why not Sunflower Junior Girls? So I began to do a little research about the sunflower. I wanted to teach these girls why the Sunflower name was chosen. Many of my friends teased me about the only reason I was naming the class Sunflower Junior Girls was because I was from Kansas. Some said I was naming the class after a weed that most cut down. Of course, this was not so but I like that idea too, that of being from Kansas anyway.

As I researched I learned that the flower head always followed the sun no matter the weather. If it was cloudy the flower head was still facing the direction that the sun was in the clouds.  If it was rainy the flower head was still facing the sun's direction. I began watching the weather and watching the sunflower heads and without fail they were always facing the sun's direction. Although I could not see the sun they knew in what direction the sun was facing. I found it to be amazing! Then I learned that as the sunflower head matures it begins to bow down. Wow!

What an awesome testimony this one plant that many call a weed has. Something that is thought to be insignificant has  more sense than some Christians that I know.

You see, as Christians we are supposed to follow the SON of God who is Christ Jesus The LORD. Whether life is stormy, or we can't see through the cloudy circumstances, or we're just sailing along the sunshiny seas, we are to always know the direction The SON of God is and face him. Will we always see him? Physically no. But spiritually we can because we should be daily learning to know the direction in which he is. How do we learn daily to know his direction? By reading the Word of God, the King James Authorized Version of 1611. Why the KJAV 1611? If I'm reading a letter from my husband I don't want someone else's interpretation of what he is saying to me in his love letter, I want his words as he wrote them. If I am drinking a glass of milk I don't want it watered down. Any other version is just that... someone else's watered down version of an interpretation of the original letter that had been preserved by The God of heaven for man to have today. Period.

As we go through this life and as we go through struggles and trials, we mature as Christians. As we mature we learn to glorify God thus worship Him more too. We learn to bow our heart's to Christ. We learn that nothing is of our own doing but all comes from Him for our good to help us to worship Him more. We learn that "I can do all things through Christ which strenghteneth me". We learn that "I must decrease and He must increase". And ultimately one day every knee will bow down and worship Him in heaven. What a happy day that will be... To see Jesus face to face... the author and finisher of our faith.

After learning what a sunflower does in worship of its creator, it is no wonder that I was so fascinated by this weed to many but a true wonder to me. Oh, how much were can learn from the sunflower!!

It is well with my soul. Is it well with yours?

Growing Up and Growing Older

The other day was one of those days when this mama sees her little boy's growing into young men. Ready or not, they both are growing up and that makes me growing older.

My oldest son, who we call "Brother", because that is what my youngest son (who is called " Bub-e") has called him since he could talk, opened his jar of peanuts without assistance including removing the seal under the lid. That may not be much to some but to this mama who waited years to have a child to care for it is. He also makes his own sandwiches because he wants to be a help to mama. We ended our daylight with the two of them riding their bikes in our driveway. Brother who is seven believed he was big enough to have his training wheels off of his bike. Daddy was on his way home and Brother waited as patiently as he could trying different wrenches in his beginner tool box. He would not ride his bike anymore until daddy was here. As soon as daddy was parked he wasted no time taking his bike to him. Daddy got his tool kit from his trunk and took off the training wheels. Immediately brother was riding his two wheel bike. This mama wanted to cry. Where are those bricks to put on their heads to keep them from growing older?

If that was not enough Bub-e wanted his training wheels off as well. He said he could balance just like brother could. I tried to explain to him he wasn't big enough yet but he started crying. He so loves his big brother and has to do everything big brother does. He came over to me with his tears just beginning to flow from his eyes and said "mama I'll still be your baby but I'm growing up. I'll be your baby boy when I'm an adult. Even a teenager mama. I can balance just like brother." I said to daddy to let him ride brother's bike. Daddy told Brother to hold onto the bike and let Bub-e ride. Bub-e got on the bike just as pleased as he could be while Brother was holding it up. They got about three feet and Bub-e immediately said " I'm not big enough. I'll have to wait until I'm big like Brother." He got off the bike and gladly got back onto his bike, training wheels and all. He became King Richard with helmet and sword and his bike with training wheels was his horse.

I ask again, where are those bricks parents always say they are going to put on their child's head for growing? My boys believe they have grown an inch almost every morning when they wake up. They also say that they can not obey our rule to not grow up that God wants them to grow up because they have to get married to their wife and children too.

I just wanted to share a little growing pain I went through with my little miracle man and my double blessing. I am truly blessed to be the mother of these two boys. Thank you Jesus for answering my prayer to be a mother and then blessing me a second time as well. What a great joy it is to be mama of young boys in my latter days!!! And to be a mama in God's timingits far greater than anything I could have imagined.

It is well with my soul.! Is it well with yours?

The Martyrs Song

       A few months ago, I came across this song while looking for another. I don't recall ever finding the song that I was looking for after discovering this one. I can not help but have tears swell up in my eyes to see how much our fore fathers were willing to go through for the Gospel and the cause of Christ. Today I see so many who profess the name of Christ yet fall by every other wind of doctrine out there.
       I do so want to be one who others would say, "she did not waver and named Christ unto her dying breath".
       This song was a blessing to me. May it be a blessing to you as well.

The Martyrs Song

Come and wander through the halls of time

Filled with humble awe

As our Christian fathers for no crime

Before their kings were called

When asked to say that Caesar’s lord

Or kiss the pontiff’s ring

They said, oh no, I’ll not deny my faith

Close your eyes you’ll hear them sing

(Chorus)

My Lord is Jesus, oh, and how I love that name

Though tortured death or prison wait for me

I’ll ever more proclaim

My Lord is Jesus, he bled and died to set me free

Though you take my life, you’ll never-never take my liberty

Can you see them marching to their deaths

Their babies in their arms

As the lions roared or flames burned hot

They feared no earthly harm

Given one last chance to recant

They said so hum’ble-ly

Oh, king I can’t deny my Jesus

You see, he gave his all for me

(Chorus)

My Lord is Jesus, oh, and how I love that name

Though tortured death or prison wait for me

I’ll ever more proclaim

My Lord is Jesus, he bled and died to set me free

Though you take my life, you’ll never-never take my liberty

As we look into our hearts today

Is the cross of Jesus there

Or as we’re flir-ting with worldly ways

Are we burdened down with care

When asked to say that Caesar’s lord

Or kiss the pontiff’s ring

Will we stand with all the saints of old

With heads held high and sing

(Chorus)

My Lord is Jesus, oh, and how I love that name

Though tortured death or prison wait for me

I’ll ever more proclaim

My Lord is Jesus, he bled and died to set me free

Though you take my life, you’ll never-never take my liberty

(Chorus)

My Lord is Jesus, oh, and how I love that name

Though tortured death or prison wait for me

I’ll ever more proclaim

My Lord is Jesus, he bled and died to set me free

Though you take my life, you’ll never-never take my liberty

My Lord is Jesus

(Lyrics are as sang by the Watchmen Quartet)

Keep Your Words Sweet

You 've heard the old saying that you can catch more flies with sugar than you can with vinegar, right?  Well, if you don't know, it's true.


Ladies, we need to keep our words sweet or we might just eat them. I don't know about you but eating my words has never tasted good the second time around when they have come back to me.


We need to know just when to keep our mouths shut. Silence. Can you hear the crickets? Neither can I in this society. Women today think that it is their given right to voice what ever is on their minds but Proverbs 29:11 tells us that "a fool uttereth all his mind".


It is one of the hardest things that I do, and as a woman who grew up in a society where meek and quiet was not the norm it is a very hard thing to do.


The bible is and should be the final authority and as such let's look at a few things that we should know about keeping our words sweet and knowing when we should keep our mouth shut.


We should keep our mouth shut:
     1.  in the heat of anger.  (He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly...Proverbs 14:17)
     2.  when we don't have all the facts.  (He that answereth a matter before
          he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. Proverbs 18:13)
     3.  when you haven't verified the story.  (Seest thou a man that is hasty in his
          words? there is more hope of a fool than of him. Proverbs 29:20)
     4.  when you are tempted to talk about sin. (Fools make a mock
          at sin...Proverbs 14:9)
     5.  if you are ashamed of your words later. (The words of a talebearer are as
          wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. Proverbs 18:8)
     6.  if your words would convey a wrong impression. (He that hath
          knowledge spareth his words...Proverbs 17:27)
     7.  if you want to appear as wise. (Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is
          counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
          Proverbs 17:28)
     8.  if the matter is none of your business.  (The heart knoweth his own
          bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy. Proverbs 14:10)
     9.  when you are tempted to tell an outright lie. (Put away from thee a
          forward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Proverbs 4:24)
    10.  if your words would destroy a friendship. (A froward man soweth strife:
           and a whisperer separateth chief friends. Proverbs 16:28)
    11.  when your words would damage someone's reputation. (An ungodly
           man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire. Proverbs 16:27)
    12.  if you may have to eat your words later. (Death and life are in the power
           of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21)
    13.  if you have already said it more than once, it is nagging. (A foolish son
           is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual
           dropping. Proverbs 19:13)
    14.  when it is time to listen. (A WISE son heareth his father's instruction:
           but a scorner heareth not rebuke. Proverbs 13:1)
    15.  when you are supposed to be working instead. (In all labour there is
           profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. Proverbs 14:23)


I know with two sons under the age of eight right now, I must in all things show myself to be a pattern of good works which includes sound speech with grace. (In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. Titus 2:7, 8 and Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. Colossians 4:6).


I want my sons to marry women who are sweet, not loud and stubborn and who love them. How can I help them choose one who will be sweet? By being sweet in word and in deed. I don't want them to marry women who speak their mind all the time. There is a time and a place to.


Do I get all of these all of the time? I wish I could say yes but the truthful answer is, No. I do work on it and my sons see a difference when we go out and about and will sometimes mention the difference that they see in women.


Ladies, we can season meat with salt and even preserve it for a while with salt. We can also sweeten our tea with sugar or honey and I love a glass of sweet tea now and again. But our words last longer than the seasoned meat or the sweetened tea; so shouldn't we take more time to think about what we are going to say rather than just blurting it out because it was in our heart, on our mind and sliding off of our tongue?


A woman who does not have sweet words is just like the women who marched after the Presidential Inauguration and the Day Without Women in the workforce recently. They are loud and stubborn and their feet abide not in their house. Those kind of women teach young girls to do just as they, speaking their mind showing all the world how little they have in them.


Keep your words sweet or you might just have to eat them!


It is well with my soul. Is it well with yours?

Reflection from Korean Missionary

After fixing the evening meal and playing the kissing machine mama game with my sons who run and hide from me, which is always fun because this mama makes it a big deal for them, I found some old notebooks. In looking through them I came across these little quotes from a missionary wife to Korea for 40 plus years that I wanted to share...


Everything good and bad that comes our way is to cause us to Praise the Lord.


Dancing for the Lord is a spontaneous Praise.


Use what you have in life to Praise God!
         Broom, Duster, Mop,  Dish Towel,
         Laundry Basket, Frying Pan,
         Throw up Bucket for a sick child, etc.


Thanksgiving is good but Thanks Living is better.


There is much to be thankful for and there is so much to thank God for.


Life has it's hard places but God will take care of you.


Thank you Mrs. Fern Patrick for being such an example of a life of Thanks Living!

Consider The Queen of Sheba

Early in my Christian life I observed some things that according to scripture, the Queen of Sheba paid close attention to when she heard of and when she met with King Solomon.




I would like to take a look at those observations according to II Chronicles 9:1-12. The Queen of Sheba is also referenced as the Queen of the South in Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31. We read in our story that this queen "heard" of the fame of Solomon from afar. Because of what she had heard from afar about Solomon she had decided that she would leave her kingdom in the hands of a trusted leader while she journeyed to commune with Solomon. As the custom was, when you went before a king, you brought a gift. Sheba did just that. She brought with her as gifts such things as gold, precious stones, spices, and trees. This journey was not a short one. It is estimated that it took nearly six months to get to Solomon. That's one year of just travelling that she was away from her kingdom and the people that she ruled, not counting the time that she spent with Solomon. I don't know about you but that's a very long time to be travelling one way to get to your destination.




Once arriving to King Solomon, having heard of how he ruled and the wisdom that he had, I can picture that after the formalities were done with that she begins to ask questions. Solomon doesn't dodge one question but rather answers every question that she has. She is amazed that no question is left without an answer. Solomon in all of his wisdom is able to answer matter of factly. While they are talking Sheba watches everything that is going on. She watched how the food was prepared for the table. She watched how the servants sat in the presence of their king. She noticed the attire of those around him. She watched how they walked. She noticed their faithfulness. Sheba watched their service to their king. She listened to their knowledge. Because of all of these things she observed she was overwhelmed so much so that the Bible tells us "there was no more spirit in her".




Let's break all of these things down. First, Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon. Sheba is a lost queen who knows nothing about the God of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob let alone the God of Solomon's father David. But because of hearing how Solomon ruled with the Word of God she had to learn more of this God and was willing to make the long journey to find some answers.


Second, she had a list of questions. How do you do this? How do you do that? What about this? What about that? Can't you do it this way? Why not? We know how women are, don't we ladies? There is always a question on our lips. But every question that she had she received an answer that satisfied. Aren't we as Christians supposed to be instant in season and out of season always ready to give an answer? Solomon was. And Solomon did.




Thirdly, we have the table setting of food preparation. Although this is physical I can't help but think of the spiritual application. How do we prepare our daily food with the King of Kings? How do we prepare to read our Bible? Do we just slap if together like we sometimes do with sandwiches? Do we just open to a passage of scripture that we have read before, one that we are familiar with, and quickly read over it? No thought or preparation for the meal or how God might wish to speak to us or with us? Do we just go about our day thinking nothing of the importance of reading God's Holy Word? If we are not willing to take time out to read God's Word then we have not properly prepared our table (our mind and heart) for the world that we are about to spend the next twenty-four hours in.




Fourth, Sheba watched how Solomon's servants sat in his presence. Do we give much attention to how we sit before the presence of  King Jesus? Do we confess our sins to Him regularly so that we can be clean from sin? When one goes before a king they go before him with the best of their best. Our vessel must be cleansed of sin which must be confessed for "if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness." (I John 1:8, 9) What about how we physically sit? Ladies, we are ladies! We should not sit like men! In the presence of a King one does not slouch but sits tall. Do you sit at home like you would in public? Do you sit in public like you would if you were sitting before a king?




Fifth, is the subject that many women, including Christian women, absolutely hate and that is attire. Modesty. This is a subject that many get defensive about and quite frankly, I believe it is only because they truly know that modest attire is not what they are wearing or what they do wear regularly. The Bible is clear that women should not wear that which pertaineth to a man and a man should not wear that which pertaineth to a woman. Women are to wear MODEST apparel. Modest is not wearing something that shows curves or cleavage. Cover it up, ladies!. Show it off to your "own" husband, not mine! If you are not married then keep it covered until you are. If you can see a small curve then others see a giant curve. If you can see a tiny bit of cleavage then others see much more cleavage. And let's face it, wearing pants shows the curves of your thighs and buttocks. Draw a mental picture here. When someone is wearing pants there is an arrow that points directly upward to an area that no one should be paying attention to. Oh, but you say that it's covered. Well, it might be covered but where is the arrow pointing to and where are you telling others to look? Too often women wear pants too tight anyway, or the material is such that there is nothing left to the shape of that personal area. What women are wearing today they surely would not wear before a King so why should they be wearing it at all? If if's not for sale, don't advertise it.




Next, we see that Sheba watched how the servants walked. Do we walk circumspectly? Do we pay attention to where we are walking to? Do we walk toward danger or away from it? Do we walk toward grace or away from it? Do we walk toward God or away from Him? Do we walk with our head held high as a child of the King or do we walk with a head bowed low because we are ashamed of Christ? Do we walk in the path of righteousness or in the way of the forward? Do we walk in Praise or in scorn? Do we walk with pep in our step or scoot in our boots?




Seventh, the Queen of Sheba watched the faithfulness of King Solomon's servants. When he called they came, immediately. When he needed something they were there to fill the need. When they were tired they continued to serve. When it looked like they were overwhelmed they encouraged themselves. They did not give up serving their king. They did not give in to temptations. They kept on keeping on, as the old saying goes. Can that be said of us in our service to King Jesus?




Eight, Sheba watched how they served. Was it service with a smile? Or was it service with an attitude? I'd like for others to see service with a smile when they see me. What's your service to the Lord with? What's your service for the Lord with?




Ninth, Sheba listened to the knowledge they had about the God Solomon served. One gains knowledge by asking question, by listening, and by doing. Do you suppose that Solomon's servants listened to the wisdom of Solomon when others asked him questions? Do you think that they practiced what they heard? Do you believe they were willing to ask Solomon what to do when they didn't know what to do? Or do you think that they knew better and just what they felt? I don't know about you, but I believe that if someone has more knowledge of an area than I do, I'm going to listen to their expertise. I don't know it all and neither does anyone else out there. We need to listen to those who have more experience than we do, especially when it can be backed up by God's Word. It's time that Christian women get back to obeying the Bible and fearing the Lord, again.

Tenth, Sheba saw that Solomon's servants were happy. They were happy in what so ever state they were in. They were happy because they gained wisdom. Where did they get their wisdom from?  Wisdom comes from the word of God. And Solomon used the word of God to rule. Do e use the Word of God to rule over the things that we say and do our the places that e go?


Lastly, when the Queen of Sheba returned unto her homeland she implemented the things that she learned from King Solomon. I have read that she likely ruled in Ethiopia thus we have the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts chapter 8 who was reading the Bible. When the Queen of Sheba left King Solomon, she left trusting in the God that Solomon served. I have heard preachers say that Sheba died and went to hell but in Matthew 12:42 and Luke 11:31, the Bible tells us that the Queen of the South will rise up in judgment. Only the saved will judge. That is not two different queens but the same queen. Others will hear of our testimony and as a result will want to know more about our Saviour. I'm not saying lifestyle evangelism is what saves someone from hell but certainly my lifestyle can cause another to stop and ponder what makes me different from everyone else resulting in their asking questions.




I'm not perfect and still sin everyday but I do strive the best that I can to practice these Sheba observations.




It is well with my soul! Is it well with yours?

Who Is Hannah Elisabeth?

Who is Hannah Elisabeth? Let me give you a little insight to why this name was chosen for this blog.

Hannah and Elisabeth are two women that we read about in the Bible who became mothers later in their lives. Hannah was mother to the Prophet Samuel and Elisabeth was mother to John the Baptist. It is not certain at what age these two women became mothers but we do know that they mothered two men who did great things according to the scriptures.

Hannah is one of two wives according to I Samuel chapter one. Peninnah is the other wife and has children, sons and daughters. We know that it is at least four because scripture tells us sons and daughters and that would mean at least two each. She wanted a child. It was the desire of her heart but she could not have any because the Lord had closed her womb.

Can you picture it? Hannah is taunted constantly by the other wife because she does not have any children. Hannah cries herself to sleep. She cries when she sees Peninnah's children playing with their father. She cries when she is doing the dishes. She'd really rather not be around the children because she is reminded that she can not have any, but as the custom of the day was, everyone helped everyone in the family. Her heart is so grieved that she can not even eat. Her husband, Elkanah, loves her dearly and is troubled that she is hurting.

It is time to go to the temple. We find Hannah, in verse thirteen, praying so fervently in her heart that she is moving her lips but no sound can be heard. The priest, Eli, supposing that she is drunken, approaches her and begins to question her. Hannah responds to his questions by letting him know that she is not drunken, that she has not drank wine (pure juice from the vine) nor has she drank strong drink (fermented juice or alcoholic beverage). She continued by saying that she is a woman that is of a "sorrowful spirit" and had "poured out my soul before the LORD." She bargained with the Lord that if  He would give her a son that she would give him back to Him. With every fiber of her being she would raise him for God. Time at the temple for sacrifice is over and they go back home. God honors her prayer and gives her a son the next year. She raises him until he is weaned when she keeps her vow of giving him back to the Lord. Can you picture it? Samuel is weaned from taking suck, typically around three, and she takes him to the temple. Her heart is broken but full of gladness too. She leaves Samuel at the temple with Eli the priest to be taught the things of God in the temple. Samuel becomes a Prophet and a judge over the house of Israel.

Now, there is the name of Elisabeth. As we have learned in Luke chapter one, Elisabeth and her husband Zacharias the priest were without a child. As with so many who want children and can not have them, they prayed for God to give them one.

Can you picture this woman? She goes to market and sees the other women with their children following behind and prays that she could be a mother. She goes to the well and sees all the younger girls and younger women and prays that she could be a mother. She goes to the river and sees the other women teaching their daughters to wash the clothing and prays that she could be a mother. Her younger years have passed and Scripture tells us that they are well stricken in age. We don't know how old they are exactly but I picture a couple in their forties but they are likely much older. As Zacharias is doing his priestly duties he is told by the angel Gabriel that their prayers have been heard and that Elisabeth would have a son. Do you suppose that since their prayers were going to be answered that they prayed for a son? A specific prayer for a specific child? Maybe even the color of his eyes and hair? Zacharias is told all about what kind of son he would have. A son who would preach, "to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." And behold, time passes and Elisabeth is pleased to be a mother. Can you see the joy in her heart? Or the smiles on her face? Would you suppose being a mother was a desire of her heart? John the Baptist becomes the man God uses to prepare the Way for Jesus Christ.

Okay. Those are the stories of the two women behind the name but why were they chosen instead of my own? In my younger years I wanted children but was unable to have any. I had been told "IF" I should have any it would take a very long time to conceive because of the way my female organ was angled. I was also told that once I did conceive and was able to carry a child to term that I would need to be more cautious because then I could conceive very easily because a term pregnancy would put my female organ where it needed to be. I wanted children. It was the desire of my heart but the Lord had other plans. I remember in my younger years being like Hannah and crying myself to sleep. I didn't want to be around children because of the reminder that I couldn't have any of my own. I had a very wise Pastor's wife who told me in love that I was being selfish. That I was missing out on blessings of helping others who needed help who had children. And she was right! Thank you, Mrs. Patricia Olivas, for seeing what I could not see.

Now. Elisabeth was older. How do I relate to her? Well, you see, I was forty-two when the Lord blessed my husband and I with the news that I was now going to become a mother. I gave birth when I was forty-three to a son who had sea blue eyes just like his grandfather, my husband's dad and nickel sized curls. His eye color and curls were answers to prayers from years earlier. My Lord threw in a blessing and gave him three colors of hair already parted. Now my little miracle man couldn't wait to see his father and decided he would be born almost seven weeks early. He spent three weeks in the NICU before he could come home but what a miracle. He was absolutely gorgeous! Just when we were settled that we were blessed enough to have this one son God threw us a curve and we learned that we would once again have another child. At forty-five I gave birth to another son. Our double blessing. I mentioned that I was told that once I had a pregnancy to term that I could conceive easily? This has been true. Although we have only the two sons there have been many pregnancies, all between the two sons and after the second son. we would love to have had each child but I praise God that He has been so gracious to my husband and I to have given us these two sons. Both love the Lord and love each other. My little miracle man talked to our double blessing daily and they are as close as two brothers can be.

I have met others along this journey who have heard my story and have thanked me for sharing because it had given them hope for themselves. I say this only to say that God Is still answering prayers and will answer in His timing and in His Will. Don't give up! Stay faithful and true as He is faithful and true.

It is well with my soul. Is it well with yours?

Dirt On Our Lives...

Dirt On Our Lives...

As I sit here watching the little lives that God has blessed my husband and I with playing in the dirt I am reminded how the Lord sees us.

Miracle Man and Double Blessing are in our front yard digging in the dirt with their many construction toys. With their shovels they dig and fill up their dump trucks and tractors making the hole deeper. They always tell mama they worked hard when the time has come for them to go in the house.

Isn't that just like us. We play in the dirt of this world digging and digging and when God says that it's time to come in out of the world, we tell him we worked hard on that hole, Lord.

If only we could realize how dirty we are in the sight of the Lord. My little ones don't realize how dirty they are until it's time to get into the bath. We too are the same. Only when we get ourselves into God's word do we realize how much dirt from this old world that we really have on us.

Oh, Lord, please help us be more like you. Cleanse our heart's and our minds from the varieties of filth that we play in day to day. Help us get up from the hole we have dug ourselves into and cleanse our ways.

But We See Jesus...

But We See Jesus...

I just wanted to share some notes I took in a recent preaching hour and four words taken from Hebrews 2:9...

Do we see Jesus in all that we do, say or hear? I must admit that I get caught up in the busy day to day things that come in my life, from motherhood to wifely duties, to homeschooling and being a pastor's wife, and caring for my elderly mother. I sometimes look at the task at hand through my eyes. When I see things through my eyes I see a glass half empty when I should be looking instead at the glass half full which is closer to the way Jesus would see.

When we see Jesus in all of our daily tasks we will begin to show Jesus to others. And those others include our loved ones, especially if we have children still in our homes. Im not talking about lifestyle evangelism where one only believes that their lifestyle will lead others to Jesus. Those who believe that have forgotten that we are supposed to go out and compel them (Luke 14:23) to come in. I am talking about: "but we see Jesus" where he lives. He is in heaven with the Father (John 16:16, 32, 20:17). Do we look to heaven ourselves and behold its beauty? "But we see Jesus" through prophesy. The scriptures are being fulfilled everyday. "But we see Jesus" through our  personal testimony. Where were you when Jesus saved you from your life in sin. Remember where Jesus brought you from and be willing to share it with others. "But we see Jesus" by learning and knowing and sharing scriptures. Study (2Timothy 2:15). "But we see Jesus" by not quitting and remaining faithful no matter what comes into our life (I Thes. 1:4, Hebrews 11:17). "But we see Jesus" who is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

We can be a witness of God's goodness no matter what our circumstances are because we live our life in such a way that "we see Jesus".

Because of Him, may He richly bless you today more than yesterday.