Prayer - How Long has it Been ?

How long has it been since you prayed? I don't mean the before-you-eat kind of prayer, but, instead, the lay-it-all-out-there kind of praying. I mean the kind of prayer where you tell God your deepest, most private thoughts; where you pour out your heart to Him. We NEED an intimate relationship with God through prayer.

Need forgiveness? Pray. Need healing? Pray. Need comfort? Pray. Need direction for your life? Pray. Need a job? Pray. Need money to pay the bills? Pray. If you truly have a need, God wants to meet that need in your life!

There are some prerequisites though. First of all, you must put your faith and trust in Christ for forgiveness of your sinfulness and be committed to being a Christ- follower. He hears the prayers of His children. Only those who are in His family of believers are His children. After that, you must pray within His will. If you know you've been called to be an evangelist, but you are praying for a job as an accountant, that probably isn't in His will - and you know it. The same goes for asking the Lord to let you win the lottery. He doesn't want you to waste your money on such things! The last prerequisite is simple but we sometimes forget it. We must ASK, believing that if it is within His will, He will provide what we need. Yes, God knows our needs before we ever come to Him, but He wants to hear it from us. He wants us to communicate with Him!

So, I' m not a Name-it-and-Claim-it kind of gal, because I don't believe we can ask for just anything because we want it, and then expect God to give it to us. However, we ARE told to bring our burdens to the Lord. We are also told that if we call to Him, He will hear us and will show us great and mighty things which we did not know. So I ask again, how long has it been since you prayed? Has it been a while? I want to encourage you to find a quiet spot and spend some time with God today. He's waiting to hear from you!

The Benefits of Spending Time with Jesus

I used to think that spending time with Jesus was just a luxury for single people and those who no longer had children at home. Of course, I was wrong. Yes, I actually said it! I was wrong. Our time spent talking with the Lord should not be merely once, or maybe twice, a day! Instead, we should be having an ongoing conversation with Him all day long! As we are driving to work or school, we should pray for the day ahead, asking for His guidance throughout the day; asking Him to direct our thoughts, actions and even our reactions to others. 

Jude 1:24 says that Jesus is able to keep us from stumbling, slipping or falling. Now that could be taken literally, but I think, more often, it is to be taken figuratively. He can help me keep my mouth shut when I really want to blast someone. He can keep me from reacting badly in an already volatile situation. He can help me listen calmly and openly when someone is criticizing me instead of reacting defensively. He can keep me from putting my foot in my mouth. All of this and more are available to me.......IF, and ONLY IF, I walk with Him daily, hourly, every minute of the day.

As we go through our day, we must remember that God cares about the little things as well as the big problems in our lives. There is no problem too big OR too small for God. I can't even count the number of times I've asked the Lord for a parking space, when I was in a time crunch, or asked Him to show me the keys I had misplaced, and I needed to leave, like, NOW! He always comes through- right on time! He cares about our every need. Of course He also knows whether it is a genuine need or just something we want! Currently, I have misplaced something that is valuable to me and I have been asking the Lord to show me where I "put it for safe keeping." ( I do that a lot, and I have GOT to stop doing that!) So far, He has not chosen to let me find it. I have looked high and low, but...nothing. I am trying not to freak out over it. I have every confidence that if I really need it, the Lord will show me where it is hiding. Until then, I have PEACE!  What a blessing! I can have peace instead of stress because I know Jesus cares about every small detail of my life!

 

Philippians 4:6-7 CEV - "Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything.  With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel."

Jude 1:24 AMP - "Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight]--"

What is Revival?

Our church is currently in the middle of a 4-day revival. I am told that church revivals are pretty rare these days. So that set me to thinking about this subject. What is the point of revival? What is it, really? Why don't more churches want revival?

As I understand it, revival services are intended to revive our spirits. The daily grind of everyday life tends to weigh us down, speed us up and, often, pull us away from the path God intends for us. Revival is a time to "set right what once went wrong", ( If I may quote a line from Quantum Leap.) sometimes we don't realize just how far we've drifted away from God. This reminds me of the beach. As I get out into the water and enjoy jumping over the waves and splashing around, I look up to the beach, where our car is parked. I want to be sure I can still see it. The more I stay and play in the waves, the less I look up to locate the car. After an hour or so, when I'm ready to get out of the water, I make my way onto the beach. It is then that I realize just how far away the waves have carried me! It's a pretty long walk to get back to where I started.

Life as a Christian can be like that.  The place where you parked on the beach is representative of that time in your life when your were made right with God through faith in Christ. Your sins were forgiven and you committed to living your life fully for Him. Playing on the beach, right by the car, building sand castles and burying yourself in the sand might represent going to church, reading your Bible, hanging out with Christian friends and living in a right relationship with Christ. Going out into the water represents life, full of its ups and downs. Family, jobs, and relationships tend to cause you to drift with the tide. You occasionally look up. That is, you remember your faith, but are too busy " doing life" to really focus your efforts on it. After all, jumping waves CAN be fun! Eventually, the world pulls you so far away from God that you can barely see Him, barely feel His love. You are no longer in a right relationship with Him. It's time to step out of the water and up onto the sand. It's time to walk back up to the place where the car is parked. (And DON't stop to collect seashells along the way!) Revival is a return to God; a time to ask for forgiveness once again. We must renew our commitment to living a life that honors Christ. When we do this, God will refresh our spirits and give us a renewed sense of freedom, hope and purpose. Joy will be restored!

So, why don't more churches have revival services? Perhaps they are busy splashing in the waves of good works. Maybe they are picking up seashells of knowledge. Maybe, just maybe, the currents of "dong church" have caused them to drift away from the Lord. They've been focused on church attendance and finances and the people who criticize. When the waves get high, it can be hard to see and equally hard to hear the still small voice of God. 

WE ALL NEED REVIVAL.  Whether it's as a church or individually, today's Christians NEED to turn back to God, ask for forgiveness, and recommitt to living a life that honors and glorifies Him. When we do, we will feel refreshed, renewed and we'll be ready to share our faith with those around us!

The Ugly Word

SIN. It's such an ugly word. So ugly, in fact that most people deny that they are " sinners." The very mention of the word conjures up images of  murder, theft, someone being physically or verbally attacked; what we consider "real" sin. Then we say to ourselves, " I'm not THAT bad!

We are ALL sinners. We all have sin that we don't even realize is there or that we don't remember because we felt it was so small or insignificant. There are things that we neglected to do. That is sin, too. We also, of course, are aware of the sins we commit which we consider "real" sin. We must ask forgiveness for ALL THREE types of sin. In God's eyes, sin is sin. It doesn't matter if we think it's major or insignificant. It only takes ONE sin to separate us from God, who is PERFECT. 

I am so grateful that Jesus paid the penalty for my sin; so grateful that I only had to pray for forgiveness. I chose to follow Him and I am no longer separated from Him. I'm not perfect but my Father in Heaven sure is and, with His help, I can be the person I was meant to be, both now and for eternity!

"None of us can see our own errors; deliver me, LORD, from hidden faults! Keep me safe, also, from willful sins; don't let them rule over me.Then I shall be perfect and free from the evil of sin. May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O LORD, my refuge and my redeemer!"

                                                           Psalms 19:12 - 14  GNT

A Prayer for Our Time

As I was doing my daily Bible reading the other day, I was in Psalms, reading the words of David as he was hiding from King Saul and his soldiers. They were out to kill David. I had been reading this section of the Bible for several days. Many of David's prayers seemed to be similar. This prayer, however, seemed to jump out at me!  This is what I read.

    

      "Break the power of wicked and evil people;punish them for the wrong they have done until they do it no more."  Psalms 10:15 | GNT.   

Perhaps it stood out to me because of all the terrible news I've been hearing lately: police officers being shot for no reason, refugees fleeing their homeland because the war has taken their jobs and the ability to feed and cloth themselves, people selling body parts of aborted babies. Oh, the HORRORS!

I feel like we are living in a nightmare. Why do these people not see that what they are doing is wrong?

Then I begin to wonder, " What can I do? I have no contact with these people and I have no control over them."  Enter God's Word, prayer of David. "break the power of wicked and evil people..." David was being pursued by wicked and evil people, and his response was to pray. Just PRAY! We are powerless to defeat evil on our own but we know the One who is all-powerful! He can defeat these evil, wicked people. But He's waiting for us to pray. Not just a "Lord I need your help and I need it right now!" kind of prayer but a "Lord, I am your servant and I know You are in control and if it is your will, please defeat these evil people. Punish them so they won't do it any more" kind of prayer.

So instead of allowing all the bad news get me down, making me fearful, I am going to the God-of-angel-armies in prayer. 

     "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."   2 Chronicles 7:14 | NIV

I must first acknowledge my own sin!  I must humble myself before God. That means I give Him control and He is in charge of my life, whether I like it or understand it or not. I must ask to be forgiven and turn from my own wickedness. (Let's  be honest. We all have a little streak of evil deep down inside. We try not to let it out or let it show but, given just the right stressful situation, it just might rear its ugly head!) Aren't you glad that God is faithful to forgive us no matter how evil our sin?

If every believer would follow 2 Chronicles 7:14, then we could be free to pray David's prayer found in Psalms 10:15. This is the ONLY WAY our country, our world, can change! Dear Lord, let it begin with me. 

Will you join me?

     

5 Minutes with Jesus

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/27863-take-five-with-jesus

I LOVE this new promotion to spend at least 5 minutes each day with Jesus! So often we are busy, busy, busy and we feel like we just don't have time for Bible study and prayer. We put God on the back-burner, so to speak. But ...5 minutes? Everyone can do that. Even me!

I just want to encourage everyone to try it! It might mean reading your Bible while you eat your breakfast or lunch. It might mean praying ( eyes open!) while driving to work! You could even let the kids pray in the car, on the way to school. What a great way to send them off every morning, armed with the Spirit of Truth and with Jesus on their minds! This could truly transform not only your attitude for the day, but also your family's attitude.

Remember those old acronyms - F.R.O.G. and WWJD? Fully Rely on God and What Would Jesus Do? Maybe we should bring those back to life. They might just help our children focus on Jesus this school year.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."
         Ephesians 6:10-13 NIV

Summer's Nearly Gone - Press On!

Nearly 2 months have gone by since my last post. It's not that I forgot, but instead, that I was not able. This summer has been a whirlwind of activity, mostly involving travel both near and far. My summer began with Bible School at home. Then I had the opportunity to see dear friends in Hungary and to make new friends in Croatia. I was blessed to share the love of Jesus with many people along the way. I learned how to live with no cell phone and very little Internet. I drove hundreds of miles on very little sleep and, upon arrival, sang and talked to a group of senior adults about my travels. After driving back home, I was asked, at the last minute, to lead music at a revival my husband was preaching. (No, HE isn't the one who asked.) I am humbled that the Lord chose to use me this summer! I have experienced Him in ways that I never could have if I were anywhere else. 

Finally, I am at home! I have about a week with no real commitments! That sounds wonderful because I am worn out, completely spent, dog-tired and I can't seem to get enough sleep. I know I need to write this blog, but I don't really know what to write about. It's like I've been used up and I'm on "empty",  both physically and mentally. Spiritually, I'm on "full"! 

I'm sure the apostle Paul felt that way many times. He was always going somewhere, too, it seems. Maybe I now understand a little better what it means to "press on". A couple of times this summer, I was so exhausted that I felt I just couldn't continue. Once, I even had a short emotional breakdown. It happens. Our body and mind are connected. When one suffers, so does the other. Over the years, I have learned that crying does a woman good. (I suspect it would be good for men, too!) It's an emotional release, like pulling the plug to let out the steam. Once those emotions had been released, I found I was able to "press on" and do what I needed to do. 

If your summer has left you feeling spent, I want to encourage you to rest, spend time in God's Word, spend time crying out to Him in prayer and don't leave those emotions bottled up! It could cause an explosion! We put a lot of emphasis on being physically healthy, and that's good, but we must put in just as much time becoming healthy both mentally and spiritually if we want to be all that God wants us to be!  

"12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14 | NIV

The First Sunday of June

Today is the first Sunday of June. Many people are beginning a vacation. Some are going to the beach. Some are going camping. Some are traveling to another city or town to have a little adventure. As for me, I am a Christian and a pastor's wife., so I am doing what I do almost every Sunday. I am going to church. This is a wonderful thing! I have been going to church most of my life and I have always found it enjoyable. But, as I have been sitting here, thinking about it, it has come to my mind that Sundays and church are not for my enjoyment. Yes, I really said that!

God's Word teaches that Sunday (our Sabbath) is to be a day of rest and a day dedicated to worshipping God. So let's see how I'm doing. Rest?  Yes!!! I need a good nap today. What about worship? Well...what is worship, really? Is it going to church? Is it listening to a sermon? Is it singing songs about what Christ has done for us? Well, yes...and no. Those things are often parts of a worship service, but true worship is when we take time to offer ourselves completely and without reservation to God. It's a time to acknowledge the He is God and WE are NOT. It's a time to say, " Lord, Here I am. Use me for Your glory. Make me into whatever you want me to be. You are the potter and I am the clay."

So, did I worship today? Yes. It was brief and probably not all it should have been, but the day isn't over! How about you? Did you rest and worship today? If not, it's never too late, even if it's already Monday!

The Road to God

We live in a culture that tells us that all roads lead to God; It doesn't really matter which religion you adhere to, as long as you believe in something or someone. Personally, I believe in Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God,  spoken of in the Bible. I disagree with the idea that all roads lead to God. Why?

I believe that the Bible is God's word to us. Many people believe that. However, I find more and more often that those who say they believe the Bible is true do not even know what it says! For example: "God helps those who help themselves." - that's NOT in the Bible!  Here's another one -" We are all God's children." No. We are all God's creation. Only those who believe in His Son, Jesus, are called His children.  The following excerpt from the Bible, from the book of Galatians, says this:

   "26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith," - Galatians 3:26 | NIV

As you can see, it clearly states that faith in Jesus is how we become children of God. 1 John (that's near the end of the New Testament) explains that we must accept Jesus in order to reach God.

   "22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life."          1 John 2:22-25 | NIV

So I ask you, where do you stand with God? Do you believe in God but prefer to bypass Jesus? These  verses clearly show that this approach to God will not work. If you deny Christ, you are essentially denying both God the Father AND His Son, Jesus. Instead of bypassing Jesus, He should be the center of our worship and in the center of our lives.

Proverbs 3:5-10 CEV says, " 5 With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment. 6 Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow. 7  Don't ever think that you are wise enough, but respect the LORD and stay away from evil. 8 This will make you healthy,and you will feel strong."

Choose Jesus!

Doing Life

In the last two weeks, I have been out of town four times, been to church six times, prepared a lesson on missions for the children, put together two photo slideshows for presentations and I've dug up a flower bed! That's only the highlights. Life is busy. Life is jam-packed full of "stuff I HAVE to get done."

I stay tired. How about you? What are you doing in this life that takes up your time?

We, as believers in Jesus Christ, often get so busy "going and doing life" that we forget that it is important to keep growing in our faith. This morning, God used His Word to remind me that doing life is good, but it's not enough. 

2 Peter 1:3-12 | CEV

3 We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God's own power, when we learned he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. 

4 God made great and marvelous promises, so his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.

5 Do your best to improve your faith by adding goodness, understanding, 

6 self-control, patience, devotion to God, 

7 concern for others, and love. 

8 If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. 

9 But if you don't grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven.

10 My friends, you must do all you can to show God has really chosen and selected you. If you keep on doing this, you won't stumble and fall. 

11 Then our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will give you a glorious welcome into his kingdom that will last forever.

12 You are holding firmly to the truth you were given. But I am still going to remind you of these things. 

Have you ever heard the phrase, "If you're not moving forward, you're going backward"?  I think that's what verse 9 is really saying. It is important for us to continually grow in our faith. 

So you may be thinking that your day is already full and your cup of life is already running over. How are you supposed to find the time? Well, that is something I have been asking myself for years!  Little by little, the Lord has shown me ways to grow in Him. Let me share just a few of these with you.

    * In the morning, either before you get out of bed, or while you're in the shower or getting ready to face the day, say a prayer. Ask the Lord to speak to you and teach you and use you that day. Ask Him to let you see people through His eyes and motivate you to do something small to brighten someone's day.

    * If you exercise, you can read your Bible, pray or listen to Christian music while you get fit. ( I am writing this blog while riding my recumbent bike!)

    * As you're driving down the road, listen to a Christian radio station or some other source of Christian music. This really keeps me focused on Christ and on listening for God's voice as He speaks to me through a song or a word from someone on the radio. (There's nothing wrong with other kinds of music. I like just about all of them! BUT, you don't need a steady diet of them. It is highly unlikely that you will hear God's voice while listening to "She thinks my tractor's sexy!")

    * As you are stuck in traffic, waiting at a light or waiting in line at the store, instead of getting frustrated and being vocal about it (I've been that person more than once!), pray silently for the people around you! If you must be vocal, be an encourager! Say something others may want to hear. If you can, allow that person who's really wound up tight to go in front of you in line! 

These are only a few things you can do. I'm sure you can think of other ways you can connect with Jesus during your day.  The MOST IMPORTANT things are prayer and reading God's Word. You may think you don't have time to read the Bible every day. Not true. If you have a smart phone or email, you can have scriptures sent to you. How easy is that???? If you aren't into technology, you can get a devotional booklet for free at many Baptist churches or you can just open your Bible and read a few verses before turning on the television or even before bed. It doesn't have to be a LOT, but you need to include prayer and Bible reading each day.

Personally, I don't EVER want to be moving backward because that means I would be moving further away from God. I want to be growing closer to Him and becoming more like Him every day.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Are You Ready?

This week my husband has been the guest preacher at a Bible Prophecy revival. I listened as he preached his sermons, imparting his understanding of the events the Bible describes as signs of the end of this world, as we know it, and the beginning of the reign of Christ. One of those signs is the rapture of the church, of those who believe in Christ. The rapture is going to be the moment in time when every believer on earth will disappear, being instantaneously transported to heaven, to be with the Lord.  Although there is much debate over when this will happen, I have always understood that there would be a rapture.

On our way home from the revival, I was doing some reading online. I came across an article in which the author says there will be no rapture of the church. He goes even further to say that IF there were to be a rapture, that it would be the "evil" people who would be taken, not believers. Wow! That really threw me for a loop! He cited scriptures to back up his claims.

After thinking about it a while, I decided that, at this point, I'm not going to worry about who's right and who's wrong. After all, none of us knows for sure! Only God knows exactly what's going to happen and how it will all play out. My responsibility is to be ready.

When my life on this earth comes to an end, whether I'm raptured out of here or get hit by a car tomorrow, I know for certain that, in the twinkling of an eye, I will be alive in the presence of the Lord.

You may wonder how I can know this. I know it because I have chosen to follow Christ, not only in word but with my whole heart! His Word, the Bible says,"to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." Because I believe the Bible, I have confidence in my eternal future.

What about you? Are you ready?

What Makes a Marriage Strong?

I have just come home from a wedding. The daughter of a prominent family in our town was getting married. Her parents attend our church and we've come to know both the bride and groom, so we went to the wedding to show our support of this family. Both the bride and groom are strong in their Christian faith and they were sure to make Christ the center of their wedding. There was a large, flower-covered cross in the background. The couple also assembled a unity cross as part of the ceremony. In their personally written vows, they each spoke of God's leadership in bringing them together and promised to serve Him together, until "death do we part".

I began to wonder just how many couples would be getting married in the next couple of months. This is the beginning of "wedding season", you know. Of all the couples getting married, I wonder what fraction of them have consulted with God about their potential spouse. Could very many actually say, "God brought us together and we want to serve Him together for the rest of our lives"?
I dare say I doubt there would be many, even among people who claim to be Christian!

God created a wife for Adam "and brought her to the man." He put them together. She was formed to be his helper in life. If God created a wife just for Adam, I believe He continues to bring couples together when they seek to live for Him.

Will life be easy because it's a "match made in heaven"? NO! We are human. We sin. We make mistakes. We fight. We are selfish. We want our own way! This is why Jesus taught us about forgiveness. We must not only love, but we must also forgive. Strangely, the cycle of loving and forgiving and loving some more, makes a marriage stronger. Each time we fail and ask forgiveness, we must become vulnerable to one another. This forms a stonger bond than was originally there. Don't ask me how it's possible. I don't know! I only know it's true because I have experienced it!

I hope and pray that the young couple who took their vows tonight will have a long and happy marriage and that they will still be serving Jesus together 35 years from now!

Resurrection Day Thoughts

Many people, on this Easter Sunday, are going to church, quoting scriptures and song lyrics about the Savior who was pierced for our sins and rose from the grave on the third day, conquering sin and death. I love those scriptures and I enjoy singing all those songs but I do not want to merely repeat what has already been said.  Instead,  I want to ask a question to those who are believers in Christ, those who are celebrating Christ's resurrection today. When you go back to your regular routine tomorrow, to work or school or whatever you do, will the remembrance of Christ's death and resurrection impact where you go, what you do or how you do it?  Will you be the same tomorrow as you were yesterday? Did your worship today change you in any way? Did you truly repent and worship today, or was it just your usual holiday routine? When Christ left Heaven, He knew He was coming to die as the perfect sacrifice lamb to forgive us of our sinfulness. He has called everyone who calls himself a Christian to be holy, "set apart", for His glory. Tomorrow, will the people around you know that you are different somehow? Will they see the joy in your heart because of your relationship with Christ? Will you let your light shine?

On Godly Dating

Our church got to serve lunch to the Baptist Collegiate Ministry students at the local university. My husband and I were also asked to do a 10 minute devotional. We decided to speak on Godly dating and relationships. There is SO much that could be said, but we only had 10 minutes!

Here are the basics of what we shared:
      -God  created man and woman to be married. The woman was created to be her husband's helper.
      -The husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church.
      -Wives are to respect their husbands.
      -When considering whether or not to date a person, you should ask yourself a few questions:
1. Would a relationship with this person draw me closer to God or pull me away from him?
2. Is this person a Christian, living out his/her faith in word and in action?
3. Do we have common interests and similar or compatible long-term goals?
4. Were we raised in similar ways or are there major differences that would affect our relationship?
5. Are we of the same religion/religious faith? If not, am I willing to change?

A good rule to follow: Don't date someone you wouldn't want to marry!

On Mission

As I write this post, I am on a mission trip to Kansas. I am with a group of wonderful college students, their leaders and my husband. The students have been working on the campus of a small university, cleaning flower beds, trimming bushes, raking and other outdoor types of work. As for my husband and me, our responsibility has been to drive the van/bus and to shop and cook for the guys. We have all been trying to form relationships with new people and show the love of Christ in both words and action. 

If you've never been on a mission trip, I can assure you it is NO VACATION! It can be very stressful and downright exhausting!!! You may be wondering why I am telling you about this. Here's why: God calls each and every one of us to get up off of our comfy couches, get OUT of our comfort zone, and GO! It may be That He wants you to go across the street to visit a lonely neighbor. Maybe you need to go to "the other side of the tracks", so to speak", and form relationships with people who are not like you. maybe you need to go to another city, state or even to another country. God is calling. There are millions, YES, I said MILLIONS, of people who do not know Jesus personally. They have no relationship with Him and are, therefore bound for eternal hell. It is MY responsibility and YOUR responsibility to GO and TELL them of Christ's love.

      14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

                                                      Romans 10:14-15 | NASB

How do YOUR feet look to Jesus?

  

              (yes, I know I need a pedicure!) 

My feet are sort of ugly to me, but in God's eyes they are beautiful!

   HIS OPINION IS THE ONLY ONE THAT REALLY MATTERS!!!

Transformation

Lately, I've been considering getting some highlights in my hair. Because my hair is very dark, this means my hair would first need to be bleached before the color could be applied. It's a big decision and a big commitment but, hopefully, in the end, the result will be a transformation that gives me more self-confidence!

Many people say they believe in God. Some even know Bible stories and are familiar with the life of Jesus. These people know about God but that doesn't mean they know Him personally. Having a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, is a bit like me getting my hair colored. It is a choice. It requires that you become vulnerable and allow Christ to first cleanse you of the old "color", or the sin in your life, then let Him change you in the areas where you need to change. It doesn't happen in a couple of hours, like getting highlights put in your hair, but it IS a process. In the end, God will transform you into a beautiful reflection of His Son, who is not only self-confident but who's confidence is rooted in knowing that you are forgiven and loved.

A New Ministry!

After a year and a half of praying and seeking the Lord's direction, I am excited to announce that I am beginning a Christian speaking ministry!  It is my hope that I will be able to influence my audience to know that they are LOVED, ACCEPTED by God and that their spirits can be RENEWED and refreshed thru the teaching of God's Word. This ministry will have Micah 6:8, Romans 12:2 and Mark 12:30-31 as it's foundation. (Possibly a few others, as well.)

 I am just beginning the process of getting the word out, but if you are reading this and are looking for a speaker, I would LOVE the opportunity to speak to your group - big or small! Below I have listed some possible speaking topics that spark my passions. This is only a springboard. If you have another idea, contact me and we'll see where the Lord leads.


      Speaking Topics:
             Beauty Basics ( Mark 12:30-31)
             Renewed (Romans 12:2)
             Ignited to Serve (Missions)
             Faint Not! ( Isaiah 40:31)
             Choose Joy!

LOVED. ACCEPTED. RENEWED.
Tammy Albrecht Ministry

Contact me @
TammyAlbrechtMinistry@gmail.com