Hmmm...Chronicles!

I MUST admit I struggle to find a truth in my readings through Chronicles at times! Ha!

However, I did find a little nugget of truth in chapter 7 this morning. This chapter discusses the lineage and inheritance of 5 of the tribes of Israel. I find it interesting how God mentions a different area in which each family excelled.

God has given each of us a different area in which we excel. How sad when I take this area and excel for my own glory rather than using my God-given talents to glorify God.

It seems from this chapter that God is pleased when I am willing to give back to Him what He has given me in the first place!

Thank you for this reminder, God, to be unselfish in giving my life for Your service. There is nothing I would rather do with my life; what a HAPPY place to be!!

Am I a Spiritual Baby?

Hebrews 5:12-13 "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat."

"For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe."

It seems that too many of us Christians remain spiritual babies for most of our lives--needing help instead of becoming a helper.

God should not have to teach me the same lesson twice. I should take a lesson learned, apply it to my life, and then turn around and teach it to others. These verses obviously show us that God is disappointed when we do not mature into spiritual teachers but instead remain as spiritual babes, needing to be helped through every aspect of our lives.

What a great challenge! Thanks, God, for your patience with me...with all of us as Christians!

Serving God is FUN!

I feel sorry for those who feel serving God is a chore! It seems more wonderful and rewarding to me each day!!

I had the privilege of meeting up with some of our teen ladies and their moms at a tea room near us today. We had so much fun together! It is a great blessing to share some food and small talk with other ladies who also have a desire to serve God.

I feel that Christian fellowship is SO important! We all desire to have fellowship of some kind. If we seek it out among other Christian ladies, what a sweet fulfillment it can bring to our lives! Thank you, God, for the privilege of spending time with some sweet Christian ladies today.

Young People are IMPORTANT!

II Kings 15:1-3

"In the twenty and seventh year of Jereboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign.

Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.

And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done;"

Thanks, God, for this reminder of what GREAT things young people can do for your work!

Young people can be great leaders for God if they surrender their life to You during their youth. Young people needn't wait till adulthood to begin their service for God. In their youth, they are establishing what kind of adult they will become.

Thank You, God, for the PRIVILEGE of working with young people and encouraging them to give their lives to You in their youth. I pray You will give me wisdom to show our young people through my life what a WONDERFUL thing it is to live a life fully surrendered to Your will. I couldn't be happier with my choice as a young person to yield my life to Your service. No regrets. It is so much fun to serve You!

How Can We Be Sure God Will Hear And Help?

Psalms 91:1 & 15 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

"He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him."

Great thought today, God!

EVERYONE wants God to hear their voice as they cry out to Him. How can I be sure He will hear?

By dwelling close to Him. Not just visiting Him in areas of my life, but centering every aspect of my life around His will--what HE would want.

What a great reminder, God! I need you in every tiny area of my life today, no matter how insignificant it may seem...how I dress, how I greet others around me, how I spend my spare time, etc.

I invite you into every area of my life today!

Do Our Words Really Matter?

Apparently they do to God in Proverbs 15! Nine of the 33 verses in this chapter make reference to our words.

Verses 23 and 28 popped out to me as I read today.

Proverbs 15:23 "A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due, how good is it!"

My words rightly spoken can be uplifting to others while bringing joy to myself at the same time! I personally always feel better about myself and my life after I have helped someone. Therefore uplifting words can help others and bring me joy at the same time!

Proverbs 15:28 "The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things."

My words are probably my largest area of influence in every relationship I have in my life. Why do I then so flippantly throw words out of my mouths without realizing the life-lasting influence they might have?

God reminds me here that if I want to be counted as righteous (Def: acting in a moral or upright way), then I need to study my words in my heart before I say them.

In short...Think before You Speak. Before I spill out what I want to say, I ought to think of how it will impact others around me.

Thank You, God, for this important reminder that every word I speak will have an effect on others and myself.

Sweet Blessings...

Sorry it has been a LONG time since my last post. I have had some health and chiropractic issues with my pregnancy.

Yesterday, during the evening service we had a testimony time since it was Independence Day and our church's 63rd Anniversary Sunday.

Pastor asked for the testimonies to be limited to God, Family, Church or Country. It was sweet to hear different members give a testimony of what God has done for them in these areas and just spend some time praising Him.

The sweetest blessings for Dan and I were the heartfelt testimonies of some of our teens. God has wrought such amazing works in their lives the past 6 years we have been here at Arlington Baptist Church. Many of them reached as bus kids just a few years ago are now singing in church, preaching nursing home services, running bus routes, etc. Brought many tears to my eyes.

Thank you, God, for the PRIVILEGE of being used for Your glory!! What greater joy than to serve God?!

Proverbs 28:20a "A faithful man shall abound with blessings:"

Do You Like Pizza?

I LOVE pizza..I grew up near Chicago!...but not the grease-infested tasteless kind we get at Little Caesar's sometimes! I MUCH prefer homemade pizza.

Granted, it may not be the world's most healthy dinner! However, if you make your own, you control what toppings you put on and how much.

I have to admit I did not do it often because it took too long. That is UNTIL I found this so incredibly easy recipe about a year ago. We now enjoy pizza a little more frequently because I am in control of what goes on top!

Here is a quick, simple, and great-tasting recipe for homemade pizza...

DOUGH:

2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

2/3 c. water (Sometimes I have to use a little bit more, just depends on how it mixes up)

THAT's IT! C'mon, everyone has those 3 ingredients in their cupboard, right?! Just combine your 3 dry ingredients, stir in the water till you have a thick dough. Place it on a floured surface and knead it for about 2 minutes. Flatten and shape however you desire and put it on a pizza pan (cookie sheet works fine too).

TOPPING:

Vegetable oil

Tomato Sauce

Seasonings

Grated Mozzarella Cheese

Meat, Veggies, chopped onions, fresh garlic, whatever you like!

Spread some vegetable or canola oil on crust (keeps tomato sauce from soaking into the crust), then put the tomato sauce on. (Usually one little can is more than enough. I use the one with no added salt, so I can control the sodium.) Sprinkle seasonings on the tomato sauce (salt, pepper, Italian Seasoning, Garlic powder, whatever you like). Top with fresh grated mozzarella cheese! Mmmm! Then top with whatever you like! We enjoy sausage, bacon or grilled chicken (cooked first!), zucchini, onion, fresh garlic. Be creative! This is a good way to get your family to eat some different veggies!

*For a real treat, I have even used a cream alfredo type sauce instead of tomato and topped with grilled chicken, grilled onions, mozzarella cheese and veggies!! I make my own cream sauce. Mmmm! NOT low-fat, though! Unless you buy a can of low-fat alfredo sauce, but I am not a great advocate of canned sauces! If you are in a hurry, they still might be a bit better than that greasy "to-go" pizza!

Enjoy this home-made treat with your family; a fun family dinner!

Think Before We Speak...

2 Kings 2:3, 5

"And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace."

"And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace."

Here Elisha was about to lose his mentor, the man he worked and labored with, one whom he loved dearly. I can imagine he must have been hurting emotionally. Elijah had taught him so much and been his companion.

Twice in the verses above, men (prophets even) spoke nonchalantly about this to Elisha. Probably not thinking about the hurt it would cause him.

We ought to work to be sensitive to the feelings of others before we speak. Oftentimes we blurt out something without thinking, sometimes even in jest, and then realize the hurt it may have caused another who is listening.

Simply because something is true does not mean it has to be spoken or told to others. A great motto to strive for in our lives is..."Think BEFORE we speak!"

Love it when my little man wants to "read with me" in the morning. We had fun! I always read a few verses very dramatically for him. He loves to "read" with Mommy using his little Bible! I always write about what I read. He wants to write too, so I got him a little notebook to write with Mommy! I want my little man to learn to LOVE reading the Bible while he is young.

It is the BEST way to start any day!

Hard Choices...

I Kings 15:13

"And also Maachah his mother, even her he removed from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol, and burnt it by the brook Kidron."

I don't imagine it was an easy decision for King Asa to remove his own mother from the throne. Sometimes following God's way may require a stand that those close to us may not understand.

Taking a right stand for what we believe is God's will in our lives may require some hard choices. However, God is our greatest ally. If we make our choices as King Asa and King David did, "turning not aside from any thing that God commands us" (I Kings 15:5), then God will bless accordingly.