By God's Grace...

By God’s Grace persistent, positive, precious people continue to make a powerful impact in our little corner of the world. This website shares snapshots of some of the Good Samaritans who generously give their time and talents as volunteers at Tim’s Gift Inc.! Other volunteers will be highlighted in future By God’s Grace stories. Mike Nettror, a retired U.S. Army veteran, settled in the Clement community with his family when duty was done in South Korea and Ft. Bragg several years ago and quickly became involved in helping people throughout Sampson County. Mike joined Tuesday morning prayer warriors at Tim’s Gift in 2018 and volunteered to help build a barrier wall to keep water from flooding the back area where equipment was stored. Mike recognized other needs that required man power and earned the title trusted and true volunteer. He comes at our beckon call to help wherever needed.

Jeff Swartz, a longtime friend and avid supporter of good things throughout our community, is a longtime Tim’s Gift volunteer who graciously offers his services and wisdom wherever needed. He helped make two Tim’s Gift Tea Parties a sweet time for ladies dressed to the hilt with hats topping off their attire. He was the man of the hour in charge of Tea Party waiters’ duties, kitchen prep, food presentation, and details that ensured each event was enjoyed by everyone who attended. Jeff is there in a skinny minute when a volunteer need arises.

Mike and Lisa Hoffman, our newest Tim’s Gift volunteers, came bearing good news and helping hands in March, 2022. Sitting down at the prayer table (donated by a Good Samaritan) they unraveled a beautiful love story with details of a good life together working and living in two states, sweet retirement in Clinton where Lisa was born and raised, and a desire to become sponsors and volunteers at Tim’s Gift. Lisa asked a question teachers get all the time…do you remember me being in your 7th grade class? She shared stories and gratitude for a memorable school year that impacted her life and now longs to pay it forward by helping at the ministry. With my humbled heart racing and tears streaming, we prayed and praised God for the bond of love refueled and the beauty of Good Samaritans willing to volunteer any way needed. Mike and Lisa are off and running with working hands and willing hearts. I can hardly wait to share some of the creations they design and donate to TIm’s Gift to share with others.

Two Learning Station Sunbeams, Abigail and Chelsey, begged to help me with afternoon duties. Their childlike faith and passion for life at such an early age struck a sweet chord in my heart. Surely dear Lord, these little ones are on track to become Good Samaritans and teach the world to sing in harmony not hatred.

By God’s Grace, we will salute other Good Samaritans who give generously and support Tim’s Gift. If you know a Good Samaritan who is making a difference in your church, business, ministry, home, etc. - send their name and how they serve our community as Good Samaritans to : Tim’s Gift 108 NE Blvd. Clinton, N.C. 28328 or to becky@timsgift.com.  We will share short stories of Good Samaritans and give God the glory for good things HE and they have done in our little corner of the world where we love to live… home sweet home!

Do you share the power of love?

Do you share the power of love by being a Good Samaritan every chance you get or stay on the other side of the road hoping no one notices when someone needs a helping hand?  Jesus told the Good Samaritan story after talking about God’s greatest commandment to love Him with heart, mind, soul, and thy neighbor as thyself.

While loving our next door or down the street neighbors can be easy as pie, sometimes problems can keep neighbors from speaking and sharing simple pleasures of everyday life in neighborhoods flowing with milk and honey.  Neighborhoods all over the world are filled with God’s children who make choices to honor His greatest commandment or disregard the truth of HIs Word and HIs Son’s ways. Daily choices of how we act and react reek happiness or hatred within hearts, homes, and neighborhoods from North Korea to North Carolina…from Nairobi to New York! Good Samaritans and grouchy Scrooges can be found in every neighborhood on planet Earth!  Contemplate the neighborhood you call home; names of happy and/or hateful neighbors surely make the wanted or unwanted list in your neck of the woods!

This week, I locked the door at Tim’s Gift  and headed to my childhood home for dinner with my brother’s family and Bible Study at  my childhood church, Union Grove.  Driving through neighborhoods on country roads stirred this story.  Passing tobacco fields, where I spent many long summer days working on slow moving, red harvesters, brought memories of neighbors who paid me fifty cents an hour, brought snacks twice a day, took good care of me, and are now in heaven. In each neighborhood from Clinton, to Kitty Fork, to Beaverdam, to Rebel City there were homes where dear neighbors I love and cherish live and other homes where I did not know the new neighbors or people I never formed a relationship with.  Pondering this in my heart, I wondered what kind of neighbor people think I am or what memories pop up in people’s minds when they walk or drive past my home!  Goose bumps were my sign the Lord was teaching me a lesson we have all been taught but not mastered: loving Him with all our heart and neighbors ( wherever they live, whatever they look like, whatever they believe) like we love ourselves!      So, what kind of neighbors are we, the people of the United States of America, as we live good lives with milk and honey still flowing in spite of how we take God’s goodness for granted? Oh how wonderful when we embrace God’s greatest commandment and live as Good Samaritans in our neighborhoods. We become ‘the apple of His eye’ when we love where we live, share God’s love, and show that we have a close relationship with Christ!

How sad when neighborly naughtiness or misunderstandings sour the sweet relationships Jesus longs for  neighbors all over His creation to embrace peacefully and preciously! Red or yellow, black or white, Asian or American, rich or poor, Democrat or Republican, city boy or country girl, kind or callous hearted, pretty or ugly…and the list goes on! 

 Slowly savoring every bite of fresh vegetables prepared by my sister in law, our family talked of things happening with neighbors in The Middle East and right across the way (meaning places near our little crossroads community)!  We prayed for Jennifer whose mother called during dinner with news that her kidney transplant surgery went well. My brother, Billy, sat at the table with us but was unable to enjoy the home cooked meal.  He never complained but his tired body showed the effects of dialysis and diabetes.  We embraced the power of prayer, believing God will send a kidney donor to Billy Smith as he did to Katy Holland and Jennifer Brewer, who received kidneys from Good Samaritans willing to give the gift of life to a neighbor in need.

Sitting with my family on the back row at church was the perfect place to scan the sanctuary and see neighbors who have colored my world with love for sixty five years. The service began with neighborly chat. Then, David stood with hymnal in hand and joked we wouldn’t sing ‘Showers of Blessings’ but ‘Shining for Jesus’! How appropriate when showers have brought headaches and hallelujahs from neighborhoods across our nation.  Pastor Mark’s teaching came from Proverbs 1:20    The lesson God began downloading in my heart on my drive to the neighborhood where I grew up was completed as Pastor preached about Solomon not always practicing what he preached, God needs willing souls as He cries out to give us wisdom, we are unwise without God (1 Cor. 1:25), we learn from mistakes, treat others as we want to be treated, disciples need to be disciplined, and God gives us free will (Rev. 3:20)!  In closing, he reminded us we must deal with our tough times to see what God is teaching us! After the prayer, neighbors hugged and huddled to sway stories for the longest time, a sure sign that His sweet spirit is alive and well in neighbors of all sizes, shapes, and situations who come to church to praise and worship in one accord.

After church I drove through two neighborhoods, making three stops ( to deliver a Rollator walker to someone in need and to return four large containers to a man who donated one hundred stuffed bears to Tim’s Gift (that story coming soon), and  to Tim’s brother’s home to visit Mom (Tim’s mother)! Our short time together was sweet and satisfying. At ninety four years old, she is more eager than ever to share time with her loved ones.  Taking time to keep relationships alive, love our neighbors, and live life to the fullest with a willing soul and satisfied mind are gifts that give us peace, joy, happiness, and give God glory.

Kissing my mother in law on her wrinkled forehead, the sweet goosebumps He sends tingled again. Squeezing her frail hand, I thanked God for removing the ‘in law’ label we embraced for way too many seasons and rejoiced that we love each other deeply and devotedly per God’s greatest commandment. The gift of loving, cherishing, and enjoying life with family and neighbors kept me singing as I drove my pick-up truck through rain showers on dark country roads to my home in Clinton.

When I finally laid my head down to sleep, I savored every detail of a delicious day and thanked

The Promised Gift

Promised gifts come with great anticipation as we wait with wonder for their arrival.  Surprised gifts come with no expectation or wait time to wonder when, where, and how the gift will be delivered.   Have you received surprised or promised gifts that impacted your life forever? 

Hopefully, this story will restore exceedingly great joy and awe for God, our good Father,  in your heart. His promised gift makes all the difference in our lives...if we accept and cherish it!

In the New Testament, Jesus told His disciples about a promised gift as He prepared for the cross and before He ascended to Heaven.  When Jesus ate the Last Supper with his disciples, he knew he would soon be put to death.  Realizing He needed to encourage and prepare them for life without HIm beside them, Jesus gave them hope with news of a never ending gift that would live inside their hearts as an inner GPS.  He promised to send the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Can you imagine dining at the table, reclining, listening,  and wondering what events would unfold as Jesus humbly prepared their hearts for what was ahead?  Think of the twelve disciples’ reactions as Jesus explained the Promised Gift would empower them with hope and guidance.  This Gift of the Holy Ghost, would help them get through the difficult days ahead when Jesus would be crucified, buried, arise, and spend time preparing them to carry on the good news of a New Covenant of Love. Jesus would  walk and talk with them, showing His nail scarred hands to help them understand and prove (especially for doubting Thomas)  that He was the risen Christ who would be leaving them soon to sit by the right Hand of His Father in Heaven.

Jesus told His inner circle who would carry on the teachings of Christ and spread the Good News near and far, “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And the Father shall give you another Comforter. The Holy Spirit will abide with you forever.  I will not leave you comfortless when I go to my Father and manifest myself to Him.

One of His beloved, Judas - not Iscariot, asked how He could manifest Himself to them and not to the world.  Jesus explained, “If a man loves me, he will keep my words and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  He that loveth Me not, keepeth not my sayings, then the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.”

Jesus knew this was too much information in their time of grieving His departure, so these words were meant to soothe their hearts as they can surely do the same for you and me…’for such a time as this’!  

“The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance.  In other words, the Holy Spirit will be our inner GPS that guides and nudges our hearts “to do” or “not to do” things that we might miss without His spiritual stirrings within our hearts.  

Jesus’ last words to his disciples before He ascended to Heaven told them to wait in Jerusalem for the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.  Ten days later, during Pentecost, the Holy Spirit arrived and the disciples were filled with amazing boldness to help them go forth in faith and share the Good News of Jesus Christ wherever they were led.

The Holy Spirit will come into our hearts and dwell when we BELIEVE in JESUS.  We are truly the new temple of God.  Let us be comforted ‘in these troubled times’ by God’s Word, Jesus’ example of living out loud lovingly, passionately, boldly...and the Holy Spirit’s guidance that lives without our hearts. Then, we will know we are connected to the Vine and victory in Jesus is yours and mine...and any of God’s children who invite Him into their hearts to walk with, talk with, and spend eternity with when their work here is done and they head Home!

Now, that’s a promised gift that brings happiness here and in Heaven forever and ever! Amen.

By God's Grace

By God’s Grace, we begin a new season with longer days, warmer weather, gardens growing,  flowers blooming , fields flourishing, farmers scurrying, families vacationing, children celebrating school’s out - teachers wore their virtual wits out, lazy, hazy days,  teachers resting or teaching summer school, churches seeking sheep to fill the pews,  elected leaders lamenting ‘what are we to do?’  in our homeland - nation under God- blessed beyond measure... yet, sin infested ways of leading and living destroying our treasure, seeing fulfillment of God’s Word, witnessing miracles among us, naysayers and media won’t share (but  Good News Newspapers do  with no fuss,  silent Christians sitting on the fence, citizens wondering where morals and patriotism went, Satan running rampant across the land we love, God sending signs and wonders from above...  praying, fasting, trusting, obeying people with Jesus in their hearts, seeking God for  revival in our land that can start from a spark,.. growing numbers taking  a stand for God’s way in our land, knowing we will self destruct without HIS helping HAND, His Hand that wrote on the wall - refusing to obey, love, and fear their Creator and Holy God would make nations fall, a season when vacations will take us near and far, will God be invited to go with us and live within our hearts, if we keep Him first and give our Best to THEE...Summertime 2021 can be a season when we turn our eyes upon Jesus with repentant, humbled hearts and see miracles among us as revivals HE will start...America needs a cleansing from within -  from sea to shining sea  -  God  is seeking - scanning - searching  the USA for faithful soldiers of the cross to stand up for THEE...what will our answer be?  Now is the time for all His children in our land to be a spark that gets fires of revival, renewal, rededicating our lives, and RISING UP to honor HE - the TRINITY.  By God’s grace it can happen...can God count on you and me?

By God's grace, I write what is wrong, grammatically, from beginning to end; yet, the message is timely and can turn our eyes upon HIM!

The above writing is all wrong when graded for punctuation and what we deem right for us to read; yet, the message is one, long sentence that can get God’s attention if we our hearts are pleasing in His sight and bring healing to our land when we love Him first, love our neighbors as ourselves, live by His Word (eat It) and finally understand… HE LOVES ALL HIS CHILDREN, desires a close relationship with us, longs to be loved and reverently feared,  despises sinful, deceptive living, delights in humble worship and giving… so, what is our answer to HIM?... as He waits and watches for us to change our ways and revival to begin -  while divine signs shout ...“we’re closer to the end - we’re closer to the end... BY GOD'S GRACE... let us be prepared with eyes focused on HIM, for when His Word is fulfilled and it all ends...GOD WINS!

Follow After Peace

Are we peace seekers or peace destroyers? As a national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -  a mighty man of God - who sought equality for all God’s children is approaching, a story about the power of peace, love, and harmony stirs in my heart.

Dr. King’s vision became reality as he kept marching on with hope in his heart and peaceful pleas for equality in his words and actions.  His dream that all God’s children could live together with peace and equality from sea to shining sea showed His powerful faith and willingness to die for the cause He believed was right in God’s sight.  As we honor the man who stood tall and carried a big message filled with God’s Word and Jesus’ way... let us follow the lead and let our lights for peace shine ‘for such a time as this’ when peace and harmony in our land is on the decline.

Across America, cries of corruption ring loud and clear: ‘having things our own way in everything, feeling entitled, forgetting God as our first love and foundation of our country, corruption in government beyond anything we thought we’d ever see, raging tempers, anger, animosity, quarreling,  lawlessness, disrespect beyond belief, cries for continuous ‘giving, giving, giving, with an  ‘all about me’  learned way of living.  What can be done to restore peace and harmony in the land we love and call ‘home sweet home’?

In Romans 12:16, Paul pondered the same concerns and sought God’s help for answers. 

“Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to (people, things) and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits.”

In other words, we can learn to be adaptable and adjustable even when all things seem to be out of control and we aren’t getting our way. Paul wasn’t saying there aren’t things we need to resist or to change, but also didn’t mean we are just to sit on the fence (passively) and let the world and devil run all over us.  Minor things that steal our peace can be handled if we would pray continuously, calm down, and stop having fits every time things go wrong!  We should heed the ‘put it in perspective’ message Paul pounded in prideful peoples’ hearts ...you have an inflated opinion of yourselves and feel entitled to have things your way!

Paul listed things in Ephesians 4:31 that caused trouble in his (and our) lifetime! His list included resentment, anger, brawling, clamor, contention,  resentment, and bad tempers. He taught how those negative ways of living have a root cause called ‘pride and self-centeredness.  To put it in Paul’s perspective: these ugly ways of living arise because we want what we want when we want it.  In other words, we get mad when things don’t go as we believe they should. Anger stirs up angry words and lawless actions, and people end up getting hurt!

In 1 Corinthians 13: 4-5 we are taught that love is not self-centered. “Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

It is not conceited, prideful, rude, and does not act unbecomingly. Love does not insist in it’s own rights or its own way…”

If we really want God’s anointing and help, we must live together in peace and harmony with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Now is the time to rise up in Christian love and follow after peace.

The solution to problems of lawlessness, lack of respect, honor for God and country, arguing, prideful living is LOVE!  When we can learn to live by the messages from God’s Word  and Dr. King’s dream , we can learn to love peace and harmony. Then, things we deal with will not be all about you and me...but about others and THEE!  

In 2022, let there be peace on earth and let it begin with ... you and me!

Falling in Love with Jesus

Have we fallen in love with Christ?  Do we live each day filled with emotion for His love and the good life He has given?  How can we recognize one’s true love for Jesus Christ?

Mark 12:30 states how we are supposed to love the Lord.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy /god with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…”  

Christ truly touches every area of our lives.  He touches our minds and we are transformed by the renewing of our minds.  The proof that God wants us to use our minds is found in Isaiah 1:18.

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

When is your favorite time  to talk and reason with God?  Early morning hours, before the sun rises, is my cup of tea  with Thee. Nothing makes me happier than reading, thinking, praying, and enjoying the first hours of a day: just God and me!   It pleases Him and fills us to the brim with blessings  when we take time to walk and talk with Him and tell Him we are HIs own? In those divine meetings with our Creator, we realize there is no greater love than His, the one He bled and died for, the one He longs to share with all His children around the world. As  true love grows, frustration- aggravation - envy  - chaos -  prejudice - pride, -  drama -  even  hatred goes!   Oh, the joy deep down in our hearts we will happily impart when we turn our eyes upon Jesus and a true love with Christ starts! 

Now, the time  is nigh to tell of His marvelous love. He told the woman at the well to ‘go and tell’! Why then should we be silent when what the world needs now is ‘love, sweet love’...that’s one important thing there is ‘just too little of’!  

Let us show the world how great is our God who loves us so much HE sent His Son to die for our sins.  Our true love for Him will show by how we live and what we do!  It is never out of style or too late to start… being in love with Christ with all our mind, soul, and heart! That agape love flows like a river as we grow closer to our Lord and loved ones.  When our hearts are in tune with The Master of the sea, the Great I Am,  the One who hung the moon in place,  God’s Son who sacrificed His life for you and me...life will be good - even when it seems our world is turned upside down and everywhere we look people are wearing frowns!

The Bible tells us not to wait - for time waits for no one and one day our time here will end.  Taking time to get to know and fall in love with Jesus Christ is when our best life here (and in heaven when our work here ends) will just begin!

A song plays in my mind as this story about being in love with Jesus  is about to end and  tears drip from my freckled chin.  Remembering when I was a little girl standing for the altar call  beside my mother as church services ended , her sweet singing echoes in my heart.  Mother sang loud and clear for all the world and heaven to hear.  I sang softly with wonder in my heart and inklings of a deep love for Jesus about to start. Mother would squeeze my hand to sing  as Daddy’s big arms wrapped me with comfort and a silence that thundered deep inside his little girl’s heart…”Our little Becky Dean- we love you, and Jesus does too.”

That old song seems to be the perfect ending to a story about waiting too late and missing the joy of falling in love with Christ.

“ The Savior is waiting to enter your heart; why don’t you let Him come in? There’s nothing in this world to keep you apart -What is your answer to Him? If you’ll take one step toward the Savior, my friend, You’ll find His arms open wide. Receive Him and all of your darkness will end, within your heart He’ll abide.  Time after time He has waited before, And now He is waiting again...To see if you’re willing to open the door - O how He wants to come in.”

Please don’t delay asking Jesus to come into your hearts and witness a tender, true love story start. Falling in love with Christ will give peace, joy, and blessed assurance of living with Him forever...deep down in your heart!

Grow Up...for God

Have you been stung by these words “ - Grow Up” - from a parent, relative,  co-worker, friend, foe, or boss?  How we Grow Up happens by circumstances we encounter, choices we make, and cherishing life with Christ at the helm!   

Last week’s message encouraged making good choices and sowing seeds of peace. In James 3:18 a message of peace parallels one of growing up in Joshua 24:15.  

We, God’s  children, make choices to live in peace and grow up for God or to live in pride, prejudice, and predicaments pleasing to Satan that smother the good life and separate us from our good, good, Father.   We make the choice.

When the devil tries everything he can to upset us and succeeds, it is not because he has forced us to do so, it is because we have chosen to do so.  The choice is always ours. How we react in a situation is a choice. We all make choices, have attitudes, and react differently. 

Things in our past  that hurt and wounded us can cause us to react negatively and make wrong choices.  We can overcome making such negative choices by being connected to Christ and knowing the Word of God. When we choose to live by the example Jesus taught  instead of reacting to circumstances and making poor choices, we can celebrate serving the Lord!  We can rest assured He will walk and talk with us every day as we Grow Up... praising, praying, and putting God first.

As for you and your household, who will you serve ‘for such a time as this’ when what is right seems wrong and what is wrong seems right?  Choices being made by people (in high and low places) -  across our planet - to disgrace God (as Goliath did) sadden hearts of believers who chose to follow Christ every day! Sharing Joshua 24:15 seems fitting to finish up this story about making choices that have eternal consequences.

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.  But, as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  

God created us with a free will! He gave us the ability and freedom to make our own choices in life.  Troubled times, recorded in Revelation, that come near the end are spreading like wildfire in this land we love.  People are making choices that leave God out, while opening doors for the devil to rush in.  However, we know who wins in the end...GOD!

So, let us get our hearts and homes in order, trust and obey,, choose to serve the Lord this day, and Grow Up for God!

Go with the Godly Flow in 2022

Will you ‘Go with the Godly flow’ or ‘Let your anger show’ in the year of the Lord 2022?  New Year Resolutions have been pondered, penned, and only time can tell what we will do!

As January debuts, we face freezing weather -hopefully snow, piles of paperwork, my son’s birthday (your family will surely celebrate special days too,  a holiday saluting Martin Luther King Jr. for peacefully and prayerfully seeking equality for all God’s people, short days and long nights with fireplaces crackling, heat pumps humming, Christmas decorations stored away,  holiday goodies still tempting night and day,  families cuddling on couches searching for a decent t.v. show to view, dreaded news reports, natural disasters, phenomenal happenings man can not explain, while staying closely connected to Christ being  the most important  thing on the list - to do.There are duties to love, care for family and people in need, check homework, attend meetings for church, work, recreation, and the list goes on…! With a year of opportunities ahead promising more to do than we can possibly get through, we look for help from the One who created us and knows the number of hairs on our heads to reveal  plans He has for us to do.  God, our Father,  promises never to leave or forsake us. His inner GPS (Holy Spirit) will guide us day by day, and Jesus (His Son) will be our Best Friend as He shows us The Way!

As 2022 begins, we make choices of how we will deal with what a new year brings. The choice to be angry and impatient, using words that lead to trouble have all the wrappings for a wretched year.  Making a list of things that bring trouble and turmoil reveals what many people fail to see happening within their hearts and homes.  Ephesians 4:31 (with added elaboration - all writing teachers (now retired) taught faithfully in order for their students to score a 4) lists troublesome things we do.

“Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will or deception of any kind)”!

Oh, what a list!  Which of these things poses the biggest problems for people in 2022?  All of them rear their ugly heads in ways we (oldie goldies - senior citizens - elderly) never thought we would see - extremely and  blatantly displayed from sea to shining sea!  Yet, angry, bad tempered, slanderous, spiteful, evil-speaking, bitter people are still loved by THEE!  He can heal harsh, hard people who even kill Christians. God did it for Saul (hated, heroic Christian killer) when He was blinded on the Road to Damascus. God sent encouragers to help Saul (Paul) experience the love of God transform him into a mighty man of integrity who lived by the Word, wrote much of the Word, and died for the cause of Christ.  If God could change Saul to Paul, He can work miracles in our lives too.  He doesn’t want us to live hard, harsh lives disconnected from Him. Just as Paul, we have the ability in the Holy Spirit to be adjustable and adaptable. We can live like Jesus and not like them - those who will - one day - hear His say: ‘depart from Me; I never knew you’! Romans 12:16

James reminds us to be quick to hear, slow to speak - take offense - and to get angry in James 1:19!  With multitudes of angry people demanding, disrespecting people and God, demonstrating, (not peacefully and purposefully like Martin Luther King Jr. did with honor and reverence for God), learning to control our tongues and actions could get God’s attention and bring miracles from our messes.  We must go with the Godly  flow...seeking His way in our words and actions every day.

“Understand (this) my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear ( a ready listener), slow to speak, slow to take offense, and to get angry.”  James 1:19

The Lord sees our actions, attitudes, and resolutions for a new year!  He sees our prayer lists and hears our repentance of sins, pleas for forgiveness, and cries of frustration, as evil running rampant makes Him sad too. We know God is to be our First Love as we keep walking in faith while wondering: why, when, how did we (the land of the brave and the free - one nation under God with liberty and justice for all) allow the enemy to enhance anger, malice, division, and hatred for God’s Word and way...which could make our nation fall. “For such a time as this”... we must hold tightly to reins of hope, knowing with God’s help we can master our mouths, change our ways, and witness our heavenly Father work miracles and bring back…’Oh, Happy Days’!

Walking with Jesus in 2022

What Godly Words can help us bear good fruit and get through -2022?  Reading a book during the holidays  titled, “Me and My Big Mouth” stirred this story that can jump - start the new year with a bang and initiate an attitude - action change.

The change that needs to take place in us does not come by our efforts or good works; it comes from knowing God personally and intimately. When we walk and talk with Him, changes from within will begin. The desire to live by His greatest commandments: 1) Loving God first with all our heart, soul, and mind and 2) Loving our neighbors as ourselves will be alive in our actions and attitudes - not stuck on dormant shelves!  When we make up our minds to LOVE as God commanded and as  Jesus taught by example -  good fruit will grow as bad attitudes and habits will go. 

 When we stay in the presence of God - trusting and obeying in 2021...glory, honor, and good stuff will have only just begun. Yet, if we leave the Lord out of the picture,  problems will prevail every which way we turn.  Change comes when we stay in God’s presence and wait on Him to do in (and for us) what we can’t do ourselves. God longs for us to be who He made us to be while walking and talking daily with Thee!  May this New Year’s message bring encouragement because of what WE Can Be - if we are willing to submit to the Spirit who will guide the way for you and me.

A quote from “Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ” seems fitting to close this story and open our hearts to dwell with Him. “And there in your spirit God dwells. Oh, when you have learned how to dwell there with Him. His divine presence dissolves the hardness of your soul. And as that hardness of your soul melts, precious fragrances pour forth from your soul.’

May you and your families have a Happy New Year celebration as we welcome the year of the Lord - 2022! Let our hearts not be troubled and hardened as evil and hatred for God and goodness grow rampant across our land.  We must stand up as soldiers of the cross, seek changes pleasing to Christ, eat God’s Word,  and walk by faith - holding Jesus’ Hand!

Sharing Gifts and Making Memories

What gifts are wrapped under your tree? Gift giving at Christmastime can be a blessing or burden. . Do you love or lament when gift giving time is nigh?  Does Christmas and giving unto others make you grouchy like the Grinch or humbly like Jesus?  Perhaps, Mrs. Rice’s poems and remembrances from me can spark the  joy of giving - as the Little Drummer Boy did when  - JESUS... he did see.

“As once more, we approach the Birthday of OUR KING - Do we search our hearts for a GIFT we can bring.Do we stand by in awe like the small DRUMMER BOY who had no rare jewels, not even a toy,

To lay at Christ’s Crib like the Wise Men of old, who brought precious gifts of silver and gold -

But the DRUMMER BOY played for the Infant Child and BABY JESUS looked up and smiled, for the boy had given the BEST that he had,  and his gift from the heart made the Saviour glad - today HE still smiles on all those who bring THEIR HEARTS to lay at the FEET OF THE KING.

All the world has heard the story of the Little Christ Child’s Birth. But too few have felt the meaning of His mission here on earth. Some regard it as a story that is beautiful to hear, a lovely Christmas custom that we celebrate each year… But it is more than just a story told to make our hearts rejoice, It’s our FATHER up in heaven speaking through the Christ Child’s voice, Telling us of heavenly kingdoms that He has prepared above for all who trust His mercy and live only for His love...And only through the Christ Child can man be born again, for God sent the Baby JESUS as the Saviour of ALL MEN.

At Christmastime our hearts reach out to friends we think of dearly, and checking through our Friendship lists as all of us do yearly, we stop a while to reminisce and to pleasantly review happy, little happenings and things we used to do - And though we’ve been too busy to keep in touch all year. We send a Christmas greeting at this season of Good Cheer - So, Christmas is a ‘lovely link’ between old years and new, that keeps the ‘Bond of Friendship’ forever unbroken and true.”

The gift of celebrating 68 Christmases fills me to the brim with precious memories I pray will never end.  Personal memories of Christmases past rise up throughout the years, bringing giggles and  happy tears. The joy of times (gifts) shared with Father,  family,  friends, even strangers helps us understand the mission of the Baby born in a manger. How do we count the ways we love THEE… along with the gifts, memories, and blessings received while celebrating the reason for the season during the most wonderful time of the year?   

Two memories I still recall with detail and delight stir to end this story of giving - as did the Drummer Boy - who felt he had no gift to give. Yet, when he played his drum - giving his best... Jesus smiled; HEAVEN SMILED too!  Do you have memories of giving when your heart felt the divine  drumbeat...well done, well done, your best, your best, I ( /God, the Great I Am) am glad, I (Jesus, Messiah, Saviour) am glad, I (the Beginning and the End) am glad, I (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) am glad!

Two memories of  first Christmas Tim and I celebrated as man and wife brought us closer to one another and to the Lord.  We missed a blessing when a little girl - from Falcon Children’s Home - in my fourth grade class - asked if I would take her home  with me for the two week Christmas break. Her two brothers and younger sister had been adopted by local families those two weeks but she would be spending Christmas at the orphanage. My heart said...yes but no, for it was our first Christmas in our little mobile home on the corner near Tim’s family. I knew we missed the opportunity to open a gift that would have made Sylvia happy and heaven smile.

However, our second Christmas came with blessing someone special on our list. Christmas Eve came...Tim and I loaded his red 280Z with gifts galore for a man who lived alone.  I told Tim stories of this precious old man  always clad in overalls, old hat, chewing tobacco dripping from or stuck in his beard, wise and loving which many failed to see. He  lived down a dusty path in a little cabin and made a lasting impression on me. Mr. Dub walked  two miles to our country store for a little Coke, conversation with Daddy, playing checkers with farmers,  and spending time sharing stories with me.  Tim sensed my love for Mr. Dub and agreed we needed to bless him. So, my husband and I celebrated our second Christmas Eve in a little cabin warmed by a pot belly stove with a lonely man who grinned from ear to ear as we spun tales and blessed him with gifts and good cheer.   We sang, prayed, and warmed by his wood stove with a sweet spirit snuffing the stench inside and filling his home with joy and love.

  Hugs and smiles tendered our hearts as we waved good-bye...  Tim, me, and his shiny red car - feeling like Santa - did go!  We kissed and said  as we drove out of sight…”Merry Christmas Mr. Dub and to all a good night’!   Tim said, “Baby, this is what  Christmas is all about!”

 By God’s grace, James Vann and I were blessed with the gift of marriage on January 5, 2013. In 2014, James and I celebrated our second and last Christmas together enjoying our singing Christmas tree,  celebrating  a  Grandchildren week-end in our home going, having James’ family for Sunday lunch, joining my family for dinner at the old home place, watching holiday movies, giving gifts to friends and family, buying a new car together on December 23rd,  going to the doctor for a flu test on Christmas Eve, having breakfast and gifts with Cameron’s family,  goodies and gifts withTina’s family, sharing time with our Moms. In retrospect, I see now how God was lining up blessings before calling James Home.

 We both felt under the weather and contemplated waiting until the day after Christmas  to deliver the load of gifts that filled our Explorer...our first new card ever - bought together in  hopes of taking trips and exploring while growing old together. We had no idea, on that cold Christmas afternoon, James’ next trip would be to Heaven!

James felt worse than I did but insisted we make good our promise to be Santa to the family waiting for Christmas. James stopped in front of their apartment, put his hand on mine with words my heart replays as I write.  “Baby, you don’t feel well. Stay warm in the car; I’ve got this.” While watching, wiping tears, thanking Jesus and James, what to my eyes did appear through the side view mirror - ten little children and mom racing to our car with good cheer. Something inside stirred to be still, watch, and remember. Seeing James handing out bicycles, stockings, gifts, hugs, and a special  gift  for the Mom of two, wife of a bedridden husband, and aunt caring for her sister’s eight children- made me feel like the happiest wife in the whole wide world.  James was finally inside the car squeezing my hand as the mother tapped on the window with a look of love we three could understand. With children celebrating, mom crying, James shivering, and joy flowing, I scooted over the console close to my big hearted husband. He held me close, kissed my cheek, whispering words my heart sweetly repeats and safely keeps... ‘Baby,  this is Christmas; it feels good. I’m so happy!”  And we both said, “I love you!”

God gave me two gifts I open every time I think as Paul taught ..’on things that are lovely’ especially Christmas Day - two memories  of love etched in my heart to stay.

Countdown to Christmas is ticking fast; think on things lovely you can do for Father, family, friends, and neighbors -in need - that will last.  With  city sidewalks dressed in holiday style, gatherings planned, and lights blinking on your tree...be still and listen for signs we can hear and see. Take time for giving and making memories  with them and Thee...that will live in our hearts for eternity.. 

Falling in Love with Jesus

Have we fallen in love with Christ? Do we live each day filled with emotion for His love and the good life He has given? How can we recognize one’s true love for Jesus Christ?

Mark 12:30 states how we are supposed to love the Lord.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy /god with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…”

Christ truly touches every area of our lives. He touches our minds and we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. The proof that God wants us to use our minds is found in Isaiah 1:18.

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord”

When is your favorite time to talk and reason with God? Early morning hours, before the sun rises, is my cup of tea with Thee. Nothing makes me happier than reading, thinking, praying, and enjoying the first hours of a day: just God and me! It pleases Him and fills us to the brim with blessings when we take time to walk and talk with Him and tell Him we are HIs own? In those divine meetings with our Creator, we realize there is no greater love than His, the one He bled and died for, the one He longs to share with all His children around the world. As true love grows, frustration- aggravation - envy - chaos - prejudice - pride, - drama - even hatred goes! Oh, the joy deep down in our hearts we will happily impart when we turn our eyes upon Jesus and a true love with Christ starts!

Now, the time is nigh to tell of His marvelous love. He told the woman at the well to ‘go and tell’! Why then should we be silent when what the world needs now is ‘love, sweet love’...that’s one important thing there is ‘just too little of’!

Let us show the world how great is our God who loves us so much HE sent His Son to die for our sins. Our true love for Him will show by how we live and what we do! It is never out of style or too late to start… being in love with Christ with all our mind, soul, and heart! That agape love flows like a river as we grow closer to our Lord and loved ones. When our hearts are in tune with The Master of the sea, the Great I Am, the One who hung the moon in place, God’s Son who sacrificed His life for you and me...life will be good - even when it seems our world is turned upside down and everywhere we look people are wearing frowns!

The Bible tells us not to wait - for time waits for no one and one day our time here will end. Taking time to get to know and fall in love with Jesus Christ is when our best life here (and in heaven when our work here ends) will just begin!

A song plays in my mind as this story about being in love with Jesus is about to end and tears drip from my freckled chin. Remembering when I was a little girl standing for the altar call beside my mother as church services ended , her sweet singing echoes in my heart. Mother sang loud and clear for all the world and heaven to hear. I sang softly with wonder in my heart and inklings of a deep love for Jesus about to start. Mother would squeeze my hand to sing as Daddy’s big arms wrapped me with comfort and a silence that thundered deep inside his little girl’s heart…”Our little Becky Dean- we love you, and Jesus does too.”

That old song seems to be the perfect ending to a story about waiting too late and missing the joy of falling in love with Christ.

“ The Savior is waiting to enter your heart; why don’t you let Him come in? There’s nothing in this world to keep you apart -What is your answer to Him? If you’ll take one step toward the Savior, my friend, You’ll find His arms open wide. Receive Him and all of your darkness will end, within your heart He’ll abide. Time after time He has waited before, And now He is waiting again...To see if you’re willing to open the door - O how He wants to come in.”

Please don’t delay asking Jesus to come into your hearts and witness a tender, true love story start. Falling in love with Christ will give peace, joy, and blessed assurance of living with Him forever...deep down in your heart!

Do people see us enjoying… life, faith, and work?

Our lives should give others an appetite for Jesus. Many people are hungry for passion and purpose with no clue that God gives gladness of heart! Enjoying life is explained divinely in Ecclesiastes 5:18 - ‘This is what I have observed to be good; for a person to eat, drink, and enjoy their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days God gives them - for this is their lot. When God gives wealth, possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil - this is a gift from God.’ God’s gift of enjoying life is meant for all His children; how sad when God’s gift goes unopened, causing lean appetites for Jesus with many missing the joy of everyday life! 1 Peter 5:7 proclaims ‘ We are God’s personal concern. The fruit is what God produces in us.’ Romans 8 teaches the importance of being transformed into His image. When busyness becomes our way of life - facing distractions, feeling overwhelmed, being fragmented and weary - we easily wrestle instead of nestle with the Lord and loved ones. God wants first fruits and time with His children. He longs to love and to be loved tenderly and true. What does He enjoy about HIs time with me...with you? Are we wearily or wonderfully scripting our stories and sharing time making precious memories with our Father and family? He longs to see us enjoying life with an appetite solely for Thee; time is nigh and the choice is up to you and me! Isaiah proclaimed we become weary when wearing a mask of busyness, while the devil makes us busy when he can’t make us bad! Now is the time to prune things that steal our joy and focus on what makes God glad! Jesus put BEING before DOING in perspective while telling stories to Mary and waiting for Martha to finish cleaning and cooking when he visited in their home. Mary chose to rest in Him and reap the joy of hearing His stories. She enjoyed time with Jesus while Martha worked herself into a frenzy leaving no time to connect with Christ! Jesus never said DON’T DO; He emphasized DON’T OVERDO! He encouraged resting not rushing while enjoying each day the Lord hath made! So... do people see us enjoying life even when a season of problems, political ploy, and Pandemic plagues our planet? When people see us enjoying our faith - ‘‘for such a time as this’ as fear lurks like a lion ready to devour - we proclaim our love and loyalty to Christ the King with divine power who could return any hour! As August comes to a close and ‘Summer 2020’ slowly subsides, will a new season ( my favorite - Autumn) bring bigger blessings to enjoy or burdens to bear? I’m believing bigger blessings will come as we learn to enjoy the good life God gives in ways we can only imagine!! These uncertain times offer endless opportunities to enjoy life while doing things differently and coming closer to our Lord an d loved ones. My summer work at The Learning Station and Tim’s Gift was done differently but enjoyed immensely! ! I wondered what we would do with our little flock of lambs from seven until five thirty with no pool, skating, and visits inside local rest homes, Prayers were answered as doors divinely opened for our children to enjoy sharing Jesus on a ton of Sonshine visits, each child shared June presentations about something they enjoyed doing and their heroes in July, make over 800 cards with a verse from Colossians we shared wherever we went, and bake goodies we delivered to families in need. The children helped restock shelves at Tim’s Gift with supplies, organize and clean equipment, and pray with people who came to give help or to receive help! Every child wrote (or drew pictures with help on writing) daily in personal journals that tell their stories of a Pandemic Summer, loved weekly visits to Papa Pete’s Farm, learned weekly Bible verses, witnessed in ways only He could make possible, learned tic toc dances and created songs and stories to remember our special summer. God was with us as we worked, played, and enjoyed sharing the love of Jesus every long, hot day! Yes, it was a sweet summer season filled with passion and purpose. Was your summer season enjoyable though it was not normal? What plans do you pray pan out for Autumn? Do people see you enjoying your life and standing strong in faith even as the enemy pounds and God’s love surrounds!

Working for and Resting in Jesus

What memories of Labor Day pop in your mind as we take time away from work to rest and enjoy end of summer recreation time with our families and friends?  Labor Day gives reason for all Americans to look forward to the first Monday in September.  I sure do!

President Grover Cleveland signed into law that Labor Day would be a  national holiday in 1894. At the first official Labor Day parade in Chicago, Chairman McGann shared powerful words with all the people celebrating this new holiday. “ Let us each Labor Day, hold a congress and formulate propositions for the amelioration of the people.  Send them to your Representatives with your earnest, intelligent indorsement, and the laws will be changed.” 

 His words encouraged  members of Congress to particiapte in Labor Day  parades.  Many Congressmen were excited to reach out to the people who voted for and believed in their Christian leadership to help make America one nation under God  (where people would work and worship together to make America the Beautiful a blessing for all to behold) indivisible with liberty and justice for all. 

Billy Graham’s words about labor remind us that working (being productive with our time and talents) is needed in order to survive and enjoy the good life we have all grown accustomed to! “We Americans have Labor Day - a day in which the wheels of industry stop and the entire nation is reminded of the tremendous contribution that labor has made to the American way of life.” Labor Day gives rest for those who work. Does our work give satisfaction to us and to the Lord? 

Jesus had a whole lot to say about labor too.  He knew that a laboring person needs rest and recreation, because He was a working man.  Jesus watched his earthly father work and became a carpenter Himself! Can you imagine being in Joseph’s  workshop where Jesus learned to use a hammer and saw?  We, sometimes, forget Jesus was human as well as divine. He grew up working and seeking the ways of His heavenly Father in all He did. If Jesus cut His fingers working, his blood ran red and warm like yours and mine.  He had dirty fingernails and calloused hands like you and I when we work hard...like He did.  Jesus knew what it meant to work long hours, to come in at night tired and weary, to stay the course for His calling...even when Satan tempted Him at every turn. Jesus taught us lessons of working hard and resting in Him. What joy He gives  when we enjoy our work and love Him first!

 Lyrics from two songs seem fitting to end this story with a message for all His children (red, yellow, black, white - all precious in His sight) to ponder. Will we live our lives out loud in love working and resting in Him, or will we spend our days being  ‘lazy bones sleeping in the sun’...’till Jesus comes and eternity begins?  

Labor Day provides time to enjoy being  with family and friends. May we all thank the Lord and commit to being our best for Him, give God our first time, walk and  talk with Jesus, listen to the Holy Spirit within...and let the celebrations begin! Amen.

Be Full of Love

Do you honestly believe what the world needs - for social reform and returning to Christian principles... in the pursuit of happiness - is LOVE?  Surely, God would give a thumbs up from above!  Yet, what are we doing with the time we have left here to do things God’s way and enjoy the rest of our days? 

 Many live by lyrics written by Mick Jagger and Keith RIchards - ‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction’!  The Rolling Stones serenaded millions with  a message that  makes Satan smile - I’ve  tried and tried and tried and tried… but I can’t get no satisfaction!

When (and IF) History Books will continue to  be written, historians will probably call the times in which we have lived  ‘‘the age of anxiety’!  Anxiety grows rapidly like kudzu that completely covers land, buildings,  telephone poles... anything that gets in its path.  Uncontrollable anxiety can cause people to miss the awesome life God has planned for each of HIs children here and for eternity where He is! Anxiety comes when our hopes are centered in anything short of God and His will for us.  When we make anything else our goal that shuts out God, frustration and defeat are inevitable!  When we become captive to Satan’s ploys,  peace, patience, love, joy,, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control go by the wayside, and we become miserable creatures that can’t get no satisfaction.

Though we have less to worry about than previous generations, we have more worry. THough we have it easier than our forefathers, we have more uneasiness.  Though we have less real cause for anxiety than those who lived before us, we are inwardly more anxious.  Pioneers had calloused hands and grateful hearts; we  have  calloused hearts and greedy hearts.  God never promised to remove all our troubles and problems. However, He promises never to leave or forsake us, to bind our wounds and heal our broken hearts, and to prepare a place for us to go where He is when our work here is done...if we keep Him in our hearts and live by His ways.  God is our only hope to change the lyrics in any song of sadness and depression  to  sunshine and satisfaction.!

Words from Psalm 17:15 are just what the good Lord sent to remind us what to do  when worry and ‘woe are we’ consumes and we can’t get no satisfaction .  When we call out His Name...wherever we are - He will be there.  When we keep God first in our lives, live by His Son’s example, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide our way, we can get satisfaction each and every day!

 Psalm 17:15     “As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness, when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.”

Psalm 22:26    “The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall  praise the Lord!!!  May your hearts live forever.”

May we seek to serve while enjoying  each day , live out loud in love - sharing  joy along our way,  and  get divine satisfaction  deep down in our hearts to stay!

Riptides and Relationships

How do you handle riptides? Riptides - more accurately named rip currents - are strong, narrow currents that happen when water that’s been trapped between an underwater sand bar and the shore gives way and pushes back out to sea. We’ve all been warned of how dangerous it is to get caught in a riptide.  Recall ongoing reminders from parents and people  hammering in our heads not to fight or try to swim back to shore but to go with our natural instincts. Lessons learned the hard way resonate as one lost in  a  riptide struggles to swim parallel to the shore, get out of the current, swim back to safety and rest on the sand. Many times, in the waters at the beach and in the waters of life, we fight hard and eventually rest well ...knowing the Creator of  the sea was protecting  you and me!  

Have you ever been caught up in verbal riptide?  Oh, the times our tongues have caused us to swim against all odds when our words were misconstrued and efforts to share the good news with people were misunderstood?  Paul understood well such struggles as he was under constant attack for blasphemy, defiling the temple,  sharing God’s Word and ways, and seeking to make believers of those caught up in riptides of false gods and teachings.

When Paul was Saul, he killed Christians and kept a close eye on those who professed their love for God. On the road to Damascus, Saul was blinded when a riptide turned his world inside out and tossed him into a place where God would rescue and raise him up to serve the Lord with all HIs heart, soul, and mind. Paul grew into a strong supporter who gave his best in service to God. He made people aware of the urgency to serve the Lord with gladness, spread the good news gospel powerfully, and wrote letters to encourage and edify the church. Paul shared how God pulled him from riptides and plopped him in places to proclaim how great is our God. Through persecution and problems, Paul and his faithful mentees prevailed  wherever they  traveled on land or sea.

In Acts 24:33 Paul was caught in a verbal riptide when a Roman commander had him arrested for causing an uproar over blasphemy and bringing  Gentiles into the temple.  If Paul hadn’t been arrested he could have been beaten to death by Jews who believed they were the only ones fervent for God.  Poor Paul caught grief from all sides: Romans, Jews, and Gentiles! 

Paul navigated riptides by swimming parallel to shore until he could find a way into the hearts and minds of those who didn’t want to listen. He never stopped seeking ways to save and show how God loves all people.  The Holy Spirit used parts and pieces of Saul to help Paul rescue unbelievers from dangerous riptides. His teachings touched hearts and taught the power of believing.

When riptides plummet us into dangerous places, we can call out to God for courage to handle whatever is pulling us away from Him with wisdom and words  that He will provide.

Singing New Songs

 Do you want to be depressed? Two of my favorite books - “The Bible” and  “The Secret of Self-Control” - shed  light on depression. Nobody wants to live distressed; yet, many people make choices in difficult seasons that send them to a place Dr. Suess stressed to stay clear of: Depressed-ville!

How can pit stops - even a lifetime - being stuck in depression happen to people longing to live a good life in peace and prosperity? Choices  and ways of living send us to Happy Town or Depressed-Ville. Many people spend a majority of their time watching movies, videos, and FB  filled with violence.  Focusing our minds on bad memories, experiences, and failures in our lives can suck us into sadness that devours like quicksand.  We play old songs of life that are filled with sadness, sorrow, degradation, and corruption.  Those old sinful songs share life threatening tunes of despair and defeat.  Hiding or holding onto a  deep buried past can haunt minds and hamper happiness. Feeling insecure, unappreciated, even inadequate can be the onset of fearful living that thrives in depressed hearts. So, do we really want to be depressed? King David wrote songs throughout his lifetime that told stories of depression and deliverance.

Encouragement can break chains of bondage when depression sets in like a monsoon with old, painful songs playing over and over in our minds. Changing radio stations, CD’s, playlists, and songs that penetrate deep within our souls can send waves of healing when we change what and who we listen to in life.  You can focus on a loved one’s painful death or on what a great person he or she was and the wonderful time you spent together.  One focus causes more pain; the other focus will eventually create JOY in the middle of grief-ville!  Phillippians 3:1 confirms relying on His Word and rejoicing can change our negative perspectives.

Instead of living in a town of regrets with dead end streets where tragedies and pain of life pound like a sledgehammer,  we can choose to rejoice in the Lord and rely on His Word for relief. Surely, you’re thinking…’right, Becky - but it’s not that easy to shake off heartache and live in happiness when you have no desire to sing a new song’!

How can we do this?  In Genesis 4:7 God gives a glimpse of learning to sing a new song when we change our ways live by His Word.   God told Cain to “do what is right” and receive His acceptance.  Reading the Psalms gives us a great place to start doing what’s right, to start drawing closer to God, and to apply His Word to our lives!  

When we spend time talking with the Lord, reading and ‘eating His Word’, and concentrating on new songs of joy, happiness chokes out heartache ingrained in our hearts as well as negative mindsets stuck in our heads. 

The Word of God will lift us to a new place and set our feet “on a rock and give us a firm place to stand.” Psalm 40:2

When we slip and slide in despair, feeling like we are falling into a miry pit with water rushing over us...we can call out to God.  He really will put us on a solid rock and replace depression with joy, joy, joy, joy down in our hearts to stay.

Yes, we are living in troublesome times when standing up for what is right and good in God’s sight is challenged in a society when ‘what is wrong seems right and what is right seems wrong’! The Psalms remind us that even in the darkest times, God will see us through and help us take charge of our lives.   He loves deeply and is with us no matter what circumstances we face.  Let us live by the Psalms in His Word and sing a new song of joy and love... knowing He will make sure it is heard!  

Praising God Lifts People

Is everybody happy? This story stirs while humming a little song we all know by heart. Sing it as you read…”If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.  If you’re happy and you know it then your face will surely show it, if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.”  

Does your face show that you’re happy or that sadness dwells within?  Recently, I picked up a book from a shelf in Tim’s Gift library titled, ‘Freedom From Depression’ and thumbed through it with no intentions of reading it. However, a chapter titled  - Depressed Christians on the Rise - caught my attention. 

The author addressed issues  about depression being a feeling of sadness, usually brought on by a loss, disappointment, or some type of frustration.  Christians can also deal with valleys  as well as mountaintops. Believers experience joy and happiness that can be challenged with waves of sadness and discouragement.  Staying closely connected to Christ, while guarding our thoughts, ways,  and actions when signs of depression knock on our hearts’ doors, can shoo depression away.  When we trust God for deliverance and seek help per His guidance, we can eventually have happy faces every day.

So,  “Why do we always expect Christians to be bubbly and joyful?  Are we any different from people we’ve read about in the Bible who faced discouragement? Poor Job lost it all and cried out in despair, especially when well meaning friends sat by his side in support but wondering why Job was going through torment. David wrote Psalms that echoed heart wrenching cries of depression. Seasons being stuck in caves surely wiped the ‘happy off his face’ ; yet, he stayed true to God’s calling and was a ‘man after His own heart’! Sweet Naomi buried her husband and two sons; yet, stayed strong in a season when depression could have killed her also.  Poor Jonah cried out in distress and depression, “Please kill me, Lord: I’d rather be dead than alive.”  Jonah 4:3

Elijah became so depressed , even after a great victory over Baal’s prophets, that he wanted to die also.  He was so upset when he yelled in despair, “I’ve had enough...Take away my life. I’ve got to die sometime, and it might as well be now.”  1 Kings 19:4

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet of Israel, dealt with sadness every which way he turned.  He declared, “What sadness is mine...oh, that I had died at birth...Lord, you know it is for your sake that I am suffering...I have not joined the people in their merry feasts. I sit alone beneath the hand of God”  Jeremiah 15:10-17

Even Jesus Christ experienced sadness. He is described as “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” Isaiah 53:3

Jesus even wept over the death of his friend Lazarus and shed tears because of the rebellious people in Jerusalem.  We know God bottled up those tears shed by His Son, just as He promises to do for all His children.  There are times when tears cover our happy faces and joy doesn’t dance in our eyes.  A good cry can be healing; however, we must muster up faith and put one foot in front of another as we walk in faith to healing hearts, minds, and bodies the devil schemes to secure and hopes to depress.  We can rise above difficult, disgusting, depressing situations when our focus stays on God instead of circumstances that steal joy and make happy faces … sad.

Imagine the discouragement Jesus felt in the Garden when He prayed, “Let this cup pass from me.”  Matthew 26:39  

Jesus understands us so well in our times of sadness, heartbreak, and hurt because He also endured the pressure of discouragement.  God created us to experience various moods and feelings and to stay closely connected to The Vine in order to keep  Happy  Faces in hard places!  Our emotions may go up and down like a see-saw...happiness to sadness -  joy to anxiety and tension, love to anger; yet, we can live out loud in love, peace, and tranquility when we keep our hearts and minds focused on our heavenly Father, live by His Son’s ways, allow the Holy Spirit to move us peacefully place to place, and keep a smile that radiates love, peace,  and contentment in Christ... on our faces!

Then, we can praise the Lord and sing, "We are happy and we know it and our faces surely show it... we praise God with everything and let our joy ring as this little song we sing... We give the Lord three cheers, get our lives in forward gear, live happily the rest of our years, believing time for Jesus to return is near, yet, we will have no fear... for All is Well with our Souls as we live expectantly with Love for Him ... strong and bold!

Freedom to Live Happily

What depresses or delights you about August? August ‘no see ums’ aggravate while soaring heat indexes irritate. School begins on normal schedules (whatever normal is ‘for such a time as this’ and schedules are packed again like we dealt with before the Pandemic began. August transitions us from lazy, hazy summer days to sneak previews of the splendor of Autumn.

August has three red letter dates (birthdays of three men of integrity that colored my world with love) that bring sadness and joy, memories made and memories missed, gifts given and gifts withheld, awesome parties and quiet celebrations, cards with dates and messages of love - cards with only a signature to cherish, and birthday blessings remembered and treasured the eighth month of every year, even though they aren’t here. Tim, James, and my brother in law, Kurt were all born in August. While they celebrate eternal life in heaven, I remember each August the joy of birthday parties we shared in the seasons God gave us to love and cherish one another.

Some years, when those dates roll around, I feel depressed like a popped balloon losing air; alas, other years I’m on top of the world while dwelling on happy times behind and ahead when we’re together again in heaven! Do you often feel like a ping pong ball going back and forth from happy to depressing moments, days, weeks, even seasons? It can happen when we lose focus and become overwhelmed with Satan’s ploys to depress and destroy us and the good life God has given for us to enjoy here and eternal life where He is to enjoy for eternity. However, we must make choices to stay connected to Christ and keep ourselves lifted up by praising Him and helping others. Depression never stops trying to take us down. It is our responsibility to care for our hearts, minds, bodies, and stay in touch with the Lord, loved ones, and friends in order to live life out loud in love and celebrate even when the world seems to be turned upside down and many are depressed in the dumps wearing frowns.

When we realize God wants to bless and use what we now possess for His glory, depression and discouragement can fly away...if we make right choices to live on even when loved ones, things we became used to, seasons and schedules with certain supplies, goods, and commodities we always had on hand, freedoms, and many blessings we’ve taken for granted...are lost!

We can strive for happiness and starve depression when our faith is strong and love for God and neighbors goes on...even when the enemy tries to take us down and destroy our happy homes. Our moments of weakness allow His strength to shine through, for “When I am weak then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ matt rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

In Matthew 5:48, we are told to “be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect”!

We know perfection is impossible as Jesus was the only perfect man. Jesus never sinned but he felt emotional rollercoasters just as we do. He probably had days in August when his heart broke knowing his own brothers and hometown friends didn’t believe in Him. Their loss was they missed seeing the marvelous miracles Jesus did when dealing with people who did believe and celebrated the amazing life of the man who walked on water and turned water into wine.

Jesus’ words and example of living showed the power and challenges us toward more positive relationships with people, just as He did those who walked and talked with Him during His thirty three years on earth.

Matthew 5:44 reminds us of a perfect way to handle difficult problems that arise in our lives when dealing with people and ourselves. “Love your enemies...pray for them which despitefully use you”

So, as we press on in these (burdensome or blessed) days of August, let us remember it is how we live each day (connected or disconnected from the VINE and people who color our world with LOVE) that makes all the difference in living happy or depressed.

Jesus is trying to teach us to strengthen our emotional well-being by praying for our enemies and relating properly to other people. He doesn’t command us to live perfectly without errors. He just wants us to press forward toward perfection as we grow in grace and become more like HIM!

The “Light of the world” wants to beam down the radiance of His excellence through us to illuminate a dark, ominous world! May we stay powered up, prayed up, and looking up for Jesus as He could return any day. Even on a steaming August day, we can soak up His love and give light to sad, depressed peop;le who have lost their way.

What is our answer to Thee? Let’s get in gear and give all we’ve got to make our hometown - nation - world a better place ...and we can! Let’s honor, obey, trust in Him and reach out to help our fellow man!

Believe and Be

Who are we becoming? The series of stories my heart stirred to share over the past two months centered on how we, God’s children, can become more like Christ. In these troubled times, many are challenged by ways of the world that can draw us away from Christ instead of closer to Him . Many have fled, faltered, and failed to honor God’s Word and ways! Sinful living has plummeted us to depths of despair. Yet, God is still there, waiting for us to turn to THee and become what He called us to be! As we plow through seasons that prove how prideful, loveless, faithless, hopeless, hostile living can ruin what God called us and America to be, may we focus on our good, good Father, stand up for what is right and good in HIs sight, and become a shining light for all the world to see...How Great is our GOD!

Jesus said unto him (the man in the Bible who took his son to Jesus to be delivered from a demon) “ If thou can believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

The father of that possessed child did believe and professed it tearfully and humbly to Jesus.

“ Oftentimes it has cast my son into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him, but if thou can do anything ...have compassion on us, and help him”

When Jesus told the man all things are possible if one believes, the father said. “Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief!” Mark 9:22-24

These stories remind us that all things are truly possible when we believe, even healing for our nation. However, we must show our belief is sincere, that we love God first with everything that we are, that we love our neighbors (no matter color or creed -as long as we love and stand true for our belief in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that we live for Thee while becoming what He has called us to be.

The stories shared about: Love, Joy, Peace, Self-Control, Hope, Patience, Kindness/Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Humility can jumpstart hearts across America to live like Jesus and become precious parts of solutions that can make America great again with honor and glory given to God. Making wrong choices makes us parts of the problems that plague our nation and put us in a path of destruction. God warned Sodom and Gomorrah over and over again and again. When they failed to listen and change their evil ways, God destroyed them and their land as Lot and his family ran away. When his wife disobeyed and looked back to the life and city she called home sweet home, she turned into a pillar of stone.

Living in America - the place we love to call home - we have enjoyed over two centuries of a land flowing with milk and honey in fifty states where we can freely roam. Christian roots and rigor have kept the United States connected to the Vine with successful revitalization movements throughout the history of our country...the land of the brave and the free! In a nutshell, our success is grounded in early Christians and people ‘Living In America’ through all the years who love God, country, family and BELIEVE!

BELIEVE is an action word we must embrace while trusting and believing in God to deliver us from breaking down and being in bondage. God loves and wants us to believe in more than the truths shared above. He wants us to believe with our whole hearts His Word to guide us every day as we become who and what He has called us to be. God can save us; HE can save America! What He did in the beginning and throughout time, he is doing today for you and me, if we will only BELIEVE!

Humility and Honor for Thee and We

Do you believe you are becoming more and more like Jesus ‘for such a time as this’ when our world seems to crowd Him out and cast stones at those who look to God for strength, His Word for truth, Jesus for hope, and the Holy Spirit for guidance.

Living in these troubled times - we’ve read about in the Bible all our lives - is proof in the pudding (mess we’ve made in America) that we should stand up for Jesus more than ever. While our nation sinks from within, our hearts can rise with love, joy, peace, self-control, hope, patience, kindness/goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, even humility. These characteristics of Christ are becoming to our heavenly Father and help us on our way to becoming who HE called us to be! So, why do we question His Word, sit fearfully on the fence of political correctness, and find it hard to simply BELIEVE with our whole hearts the powerful truths taught in the Scriptures?

Early Christians believed with all their hearts and it changed them from the inside out. Their loving and courageous actions toward family, neighbors, even strangers (barn raisings and honor to God in all their doings and dealings) showed God’s love flowing from within as America - one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all - was becoming a land with God at the helm! They cheered for, stood up for, and thanked God for freedoms that we have taken for granted and failed to cherish. They applauded freedom of religion, speech, the press, people to peacefully assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances, right to bear arms, right to be secure in homes against unreasonable searches and seizures, to a trial by jury, no excessive bail or unusual punishments, certain rights are not to be construed to deny others retained by the people, and powers not delegated to the United States by the COnstitution, nor prohibited by it to the States or to the people. Yes, early Christians stood up for core truths, love and respect for God, country, and family, becoming what He called them to be, and honoring Him while watching America become a great nation. What are we becoming as we watch America the Beautiful’s beacon of freedom, strength, and glory to God shine ever so dimly from sea to shining sea? Burning from within are reasons we should look within , stay connected to the Vine with honor and humility, and become our best for Thee!

Pride is not pleasing in God’s sight. Surely, He sighs to see prideful living saturate His creation. ‘Pride cometh before a fall’ has been proven throughout the history of planet Earth’s existence. The way we live and love should reflect the opposite of pride...HUMILITY!

Humility was modeled by Jesus as He taught lessons centered on humble living with fruit of the spirit flowing. Humility means we choose to esteem other people. When we live humbly like Jesus, harmony and unity grow - like Jack’s beanstalk ! There is power when God is first, Jesus’ ways are seen in our lives, we walk and talk with Him (the Holy Spirit) along our way, and we look to the Lord to help us become our best every day!

When we, the people of the United States of America, turn our eyes upon Jesus, repent, call our His Name, live humbly and happily with gratitude to God, become what He has called us to be, and let our lights shine brightly day and night!... humility,harmony and happiness will grow in America like Jack’s beanstalk that shot up heavenward and went out of sight!

Hopefully, this story will help all who read and share it to strive for humility and honor for God, country, and family to grow greater and grander as we become who and what He has called us to be! The choice is ours; what is our answer to Thee?