Sit and be fed (filled)

Then Jesus said, '"Have the people sit down." there was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down...Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated - so also with the fish, as much as they wanted" (John 6:10-11, HCSB).

I was reading John 6 about Jesus feeding the 5,000 when it hit me. Jesus asked the disciples to have the people sit down. It is not a new thought to sit and eat. It is certainly what we just did for Thanksgiving when twelve members of our family gathered together to celebrate what the Lord has done for us. The thing that struck me was how many times we eat as we go. And of course the spiritual implications are what really hit me...how many times we want the Lord to fill us yet we don't stop to sit down and be filled.

Jesus desires for us to come to him and to be filled. Yet, He desires for us to sit and be filled. If anyone was ever on a mission for God, it was Jesus. Even though He was super busy, He always took time to get away from the crowds and to be alone with the Father. He took time to sit and be filled.

Especially during the holidays it is easy to be too busy to sit and be filled. I'm going to commit to make sure I schedule that sitting time so that I can be filled with God's wisdom for the day. Anyone else want to commit to sit and be still during this busy season?

"Give thanks to God the Father for Everything."

"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 5:19-20)

As we have celebrated Thanksgiving with you friends and family, I hope all of us had a time to reflect on God's goodness to us. I was reminded of a song I learned as a child that sums up the message to me above all about WHY I should be so thankful.

"He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to take my sins away. And now I sing a brand new song "Amazing Grace," Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay."

"To do" lists, school stress, project deadlines, family illness, early shopping hours and lines etc. may cause us to take our focus on Christ, but let us remember to sing a little song in our heart to the Lord. HE PAID a DEBT THAT I COULD NEVER PAY." Let us all express our thanks to Him!

sing alleluia!

"Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wondrous works! ... Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered" (Psalm 105:1-2,4-5). Let us remember our God this day, and tell others of His boundless love!

Luke wrote of David, the ancient King described much in the Old Testament: "David said about him: 'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay'" (Acts 2:25-27). Today, we can love God and get to know Him even more, now that He sent His son to die for our sins. Jesus has risen again, and the Holy Spirit is able to come inside of us and give us joy, peace, and the strength to walk with God as our leader.

Later in Chapter 2 of Acts, Luke describes how some of the first believers gathered: "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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:46­-47). Let us be glad – wherever we are today – and praise His holy name, for we have a God whose love never ends and we have a fellowship of believers to come together to praise Him. Let us declare to all: Oh, how He loves us! Happy Thanksgiving!

Worship songs below (feel free to share some of your favorites):

"Sing Praises" by Third Day - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYSzDeo3Acs
"How He Loves" by David Crowder Band - http://www.onlylyrics.com/hits.php?grid=11&id=1034792

(art from http://www.marciabaldwin.artspan.com/)

ThanksLiving!

"My Mother & My 66 Year Old Uncle Larry"

Many join me today through precious memories for our loved ones that are in heaven this year as we give thanks around our tables for the first time with their earthly chair empty but with our hearts full of Indescribable Thanks! The Lord has my heart flooded with a sweet still small message/testimony of HOPE to share with you that may be growing weary as you wait for your loved one or friend to accept the Lord as their Savior...NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!!

I pray that these promises will encourage and strengthen your unending desire for your loved ones to turn to The Lord and be SAVED! "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."!! NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!
1 Cor. 15:57-58 (HCSB)

As a first-generation Christian, I deeply understand some of the thoughts and feelings that many reading this blog right now are feeling as you prepare to gather with loved ones that still need the Lord...it took over 10 years of unconditional love and prayer until my own mother came to know JESUS as her LORD & SAVIOR...Praise You Jesus that I had the greatest joy and privilege of leading my mother to the Lord on 2/15/92 (this date is written at the beginning of her Bible that now sits in a special prayer place of my home)!! As I celebrate these first holidays with my mother in heaven due to her home-going this past Spring from cancer...the word that I cling to that gives victory is JESUS...CELEBRATE JESUS even if it is mixed with some tears of grief especially as I cook some of her favorite recipes and decorate with some of the special tokens of love she made through the years! NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!

I am celebrating Heaven in a sweeter way today because my mother is with Jesus this first Thanksgiving (which is also her birthday) and CHRISTmas...GLORY TO GOD!!! You see my friends, I know your hearts desire for your loved ones to all become believers! It is one of the greatest passions of my life!! I pray that my testimony will give you ThanksLiving HOPE & JOY!! You see, not only is my mother in heaven this season, but her 66 year old brother, my uncle Larry, ACCEPTED JESUS AS HIS LORD & SAVIOR at her memorial service as God gave me the humble privilege of SHARING JESUS and sharing my mother's testimony with GREAT JOY!! NEVER GIVE UP on those that you are still trusting the Lord to reach for JESUS!!! And as you gather with your loved ones and friends that still need Jesus, I can share with you that one of the greatest witnesses we can give, even though I know it is not always easy, is ThanksLiving (attitude) and Unconditional Love (expression) that described in the key verses that I shared at the beginning of today's Blog..."be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain"!! NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!

I thank God for you and you can count on my prayers as God gives you supernatural strength to keep extending His Love to your loved ones (the names that He has on your heart right now)that need the Lord!! Please always feel free to e-mail me with any private prayer requests that you may have as we keep planting and watering evangelistic seeds in the hearts of those that need JESUS!! "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." (God Will Do It!) 1 Cor. 3:6-7 (HCSB) NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laE9wlvD9MI (Give Thanks)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YMLmlHfehQ (When I Get Where We Are Going)!

No Worries

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore, don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:33-34, HCSB).

I am thankful for so many things: my family, my friends, my home, my job, and so much more. Most of all I am thankful for my salvation and the joy He brings to life. In the middle of plumbing problems, a desk piled high, and Thanksgiving quickly approaching, it is of great comfort to know that God loves me, cares about me, and takes care of all the worries of this life.

Today, let's look for who we can remind that God is available to each of us. His salvation is only a prayer away.

Happy Thanksgiving week to each of you. What are you thankful for?

"I'm in a hurry...."

"to get things done. I rush and rush until life's no fun..." Do you know that song? Sometimes we hurry & worry through life. Have you ever been there? Proverbs speaks to this dilemma we encounter in our life from time to time (or maybe you encounter it every week). Listen to this: "Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,And he who hurries his footsteps errs." Proverbs 19:2 Did you catch the latter phrase..."he who hurries his footsteps errs." It's so true. I can tell you countless stories about little scrapes & bruises I've earned from rushing about...you too? But can you imagine how many opportunities to share the Gospel we've missed because we're too busy to stop, too busy to listen. This week I experienced victory in this area of life and made a conscious decision to slow down to take the time to visit neighbors and hear where they were in life. And I can tell you that my schedule could wait all day but the stories I heard from a precious neighbor that needed immediate attention...they could not wait! Had I been hurrying I would have missed the opportunity. Don't miss your chance to love your neighbor because you have too much to do. Let your agenda bow down to God's will.

enthusiasm

"That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome." (Romans 1:15)

When our first child, Kristi Marie, was born, I remember that Tim and I had our "list" of people to call to tell the good news of her birth. After we called everyone on our "list" Tim decided that he was tired and hungry after a long labor and delivery; so, he decided to go to the cafeteria to get something to eat. He told the cafeteria workers, the cashiers, the man putting mustard on his hot dog and even the people on the elevator about the good news of Kristi's birth. Then, on the way out of the parking lot later that night a horrible thought crossed his mind that "perhaps the news had not yet filtered down to the parking lot attendant about her birth." He proceeded to tell him about the birth of his new little girl.

The next morning in his quiet time, the Lord spoke to Tim as he read this verse and it was if if the Lord were saying to him, "Tim, you are so eager to tell people about Kristi's birth, BUT do you have that same eagerness to tell about My Son, Jesus Christ, and HIS birth?"

Wow!! That has been a conviction for both Tim and me ever since then. We all must not only be willing, but eager to share the good news of Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the cross to all who cross our path. Let us encourage each other to be EAGER to share!