For His Service

 Each day we must decide  if will we pursue Wisdom or Folly?   Pursue Wisdom.... study His word.  Get your face in THE Book!  Proverbs 9   New Living Translation (NLT) 9  Wisdom has built her house;      she has carved its seven columns. 2  She has prepared a great banquet,      mixed the wines, and set the table. 3  She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.      She calls out from the heights overlooking the city. 4  “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.      To those who lack good judgment, she says, 5  “Come, eat my food,      and drink the wine I have mixed. 6  Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live;      learn to use good judgment.” 7  Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.      Anyone who corrects the wicke...

Happy New Year!  2015 is here!   I have a few resolutions for the new year, things to shoot for to make an even better 2015.  I want to  practice  an attitude of gratitude and make a conscious effort to find things to thank God for.  None of us are going to have perfect lives this side of Heaven, but we can still be to be thankful.   I am going to focus on the good and let go of the bad. I am not going to compare myself to others.  God made me ... He knit together my "in most being" ... my personality.  I have to be me. .. and not worry that I am not as neat and organized as other moms, that I am not as pretty as another, that I am not as smart as another, etc.     Comparison is a thief of joy because comparison tells us that we have been cheated.  However, we are not walking in their shoes.  We really do not have a clear picture of what their struggles are... even if we are facebook friends with them. ...

The Fellowship of the Believers  (Acts 2) 42  They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43  Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44  All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47  praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. How cool!  God shows us in Acts the need for the church  to devote itself to  “fellowship.” What do you think about when you hear the word fellowship?   If you are a good old Baptist, you probably think of food. :)     We expect the church to...

God does have a sense of humor. He takes two totally different people and tells them they are now one.... to think as one... live as one.   .. How are we suppose to do that?  We can't without His Holy Spirit.  We, by nature, are selfish and only think about our own needs.  It  isn't like us to naturally consider the other person's feelings.  Don't believe me?  Watch any two or three year old!  We have to teach them not to hit...to share... to be loving, etc.  me and my sweet Husband... There are many Bible Verses on marriage.. Genesis 2:22-24 ,   Ephesians 5:23,24,32 , 1 Co, Ephesians 4:2-3,  1 Co rinthians 7:1-16 , 1 Peter 3,  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, etc.. However, I think Philippians 2 is one of the BEST passages to put into action to have a HAPPY marriage in a broken world.   Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing i...

Elaine  and Ray Russell and Rachel The picture above is of my mom and dad when they were first married. Now in 2013, they are celebrating 50 years of marriage this year.  They were not believers at the time when they got married, but God..even then... had them model devotion and commitment to me and my two sisters.  After 23 years of marriage, I want a full, Christ filled marriage for all of my family and friends.  I see the importance of the younger women learning from the older women. Titus 2  says "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God." Titus 2:3-5 We need to know that certain struggles are normal. We need to know...

Olivie', my deaf two year old Papillion-poodle on the left, is watching Dirk, my 10 year old Schnauzer-poodle on the right.  She watches his body language to try to figure out what is going on..and how she should respond.  You can see her looking at me and then... watching his body to see what HER next move should be.     She has done this for some time.   As I AGAIN observed her doing this, I thought this is such a good lesson for women.  We have to know that other women are watching us to see how we respond when our children are hard to parent....when our husbands hurt our feelings.... when we get in a fuss with a neighbor...etc.    We also need to know that we can reinforce bad thoughts in our friends.... even on accident.   If Dirk decided to act inappropriately and jump up, Olivie' would as well.  If Dirk started barking, even though Olivie is deaf... she would do the same.   If Dirk ran to the front door, so would Olivie. ...

So love can fail if I don't feel that my spouse or friend isn't being easy to love?  So my love can fail if I feel someone else can love me better?    So my love can fail if being together isn't fun anymore?  So my love can fail  if I feel that God wants me to be happy ...even though Christ was a "man of many sorrows"?   (Isaiah 53:3).   We KNOW these things aren't true...but we often choose not to live this way. Read 1 Corinthians  13 1If I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such [ a ] as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers ( [ b ] the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in ...