I Needed That

For the past couple of weeks, I have been in a rut. Nothing really significant has happened to me to make me feel a little down in the dumps..........I have just not felt like myself. I know that part of it is a certain preschooler who has been trying to assert his own will when it conflicts with the will of his parents. I know that I have been a little homesick, too. It has been 7 months since I've seen my parents, family, and friends back in Texas. I have also had some concerns that my thyroid medication is not right.

But, I think the real reason I have been feeling down is because a couple of Saturdays ago, I stopped doing my daily Bible reading. And, I have really missed spending that time in His word. And then today during Bible class, the teacher read this verse, one of my favorites (and an Acapella song!):

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

I am so thankful for the Spirit of God that gives us strength! And how AWESOME is the love of Christ!

I hope that if you are feeling a little down today, that you will look to Him for strength. He loves you so much and can do way more than you can ever ask or imagine.

Have a blessed week,

Manda

See what HE did!

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:1-10

Recently, I have been reading a book called The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller (l-o-v-e having a hubby in a ministry training program because I get to read all his neat books!). The book addresses some of the age old questions skeptics ask when they are struggling with belief in God. It was a good read, but as always, you have to chew up the fat and spit out the bones.

One statement on page 19 of Keller's book really caused me to stop and think:

"God's grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior." Timothy Keller in The Reason for God pg. 19

Our Christian faith centers on our belief that we are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus as seen in Ephesians 2; NOT because we are better than non-believers. My brain has comprehended this fact for a long time, but I am sorry to admit, my heart and actions have many times failed to follow suit.

We need to pray.......I need to pray that God will change my heart in the way I view others. I need to remember that I was dead in my sins and needed so desperately a Savior to reconcile me to God.

If you are already a Christian reading this, I ask that you evaluate the way you view and treat those without Christ..........we were in the same mess they were before we found Him.

If you have not given your life to Him because you don't think you are good enough or that you think you can't live the life He calls you to live........know that it is His grace that will save you through your faith in Him. He will help you live for Him if you will only give your life to Him. The Bible teaches that He made you to perform His will in Christ Jesus! If I can help you learn more about that, please let me know.

What is my portion?

Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
That I not be full and deny You and say, "Who is the LORD?"
Or that I not be in want and steal,
And profane the name of my God. Proverbs 30:8b-9

Is this my prayer? Do I ask God to give me just what I need and no more? It became very evident to me when I was 18 years old and visited a small island called Dominica that I am a rich person. Yes, there are lots of people in the United States who have lots more than me. But, compared to millions around the world and even millions here in the U.S., I have always been rich. I have always had enough to eat, clothes to wear, and a warm bed to sleep in at night.

Yet, there have been numerous times in my life that I have been unappreciative of what I have because I want more. And, I can think back to times where in my abundance, I failed to give God the glory and have forgotten that He is the source of all that I have.

My encouragement today to you and especially me, is to pray a prayer that sounds like Proverbs 30:8-9. I think when we pray a prayer like that with a sincere heart, the Lord will bless us with a true appreciation for what He has done for us. Because, really, despite how much or how little we have materially, we ALL have the most precious gift offered to us by God our Father..........and that is the salvation that comes through Jesus.

Jesus is my portion!

Dear Father, I pray today that you will give me only what I need......no more and no less. Lord, I praise your name for the way you have cared for my physical needs. Help me to only desire the things that I need, and most of all, create in me a heart focused on the love of your Son Jesus so that I can shine His light to others. Amen.

Help!!!

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah. Psalm 46:1-3

I don't know about you, but there have been numerous times in my 32 years where I just needed HELP! And even though I was raised in the church and was taught about how God will take care of me, I often times have failed to call on Him when times have gotten difficult.

I was reading in Isaiah 31 recently, and while I still have lots of learning to do when it comes to understanding the prophet, I don't think I missed the point when it said,

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the LORD. Isaiah 31:1

You see, in their time of need, God's people were seeking help from Egypt. And, God's response in verse 3 is:

But the Egyptians are men and not God.......

It's very interasting, on the same day that I read the passage in Isaiah, I also read the following from the New Testament:

One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." Luke 8:22-25

Why were the disciples scared? Had they not already witnessed Jesus' power as he healed the sick? And why would God's people turn to Egypt in their time of need? Had they not heard of all the Lord had done for His people over the years?

And what about me? Why do I forget about God's promises to me? His promises to take care of me and lead me so that I can spend eternity with Him. Over the years, I have turned to many people and things to help me in times of distress. Worse, sometimes I relied only on myself to help with a problem.

I heard a very wise statement made by a lady in Bible class recently. She said that when she was really struggling with something, that before she called her mom or her girlfriend to vent or to pour out her heart, she would take it to the Lord in prayer. Of course! Why wouldn't we turn to the Creator of the universe and the Savior of the world........first! My prayer is that from this point forward, I will turn to God when I am in need of HELP. He is the only answer when we are in the midst of life's storms. And, hopefully, I won't forget that He has already claimed the victory through the death and resurrection of His son, Jesus!

What about you? What do you do when you need help? Can't wait to hear from you!

The Littlest Bible Student

You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. Deuteronomy 6:7

Isn’t it amazing how young children love to have the same stories read to them over and over again? I remember being very young and listening to The Cat in the Hat on my little Fisher Price tape player. I listened to it so much that I memorized the words, and I remember it being the first book I was able to read all by my self. My son Jacob is the same way. When he was two, he would have me read the same book to him every day before his nap and before bedtime; Giraffes Can’t Dance. If I happened to skip a line or miss a word, he was very quick to correct me.

Around the same time, my husband and I decided that we wanted to make sure and read the Bible to Jacob every day. We started doing this at night, and we read The Beginner’s Bible: Timeless Children’s Stories. At first, we were simply going through a new story each night. The stories are very short, and they are written for very small children. Again, Jacob would really want us to read the same story over and over again. My husband, on the other hand, really wanted to make sure that we read through all the stories. We felt good about reading the Bible daily, but Jacob didn’t seem to be retaining much.

Then, one day I had an idea; one that should have come to me much sooner. You see, when teaching 5th grade math, I was always nagging the parents to make sure they studied the multiplication table with their 5th graders on a regular basis so that they would remember their facts. I told my husband that day, instead of reading Jacob a new story each night, we should spend a whole week on one story. He was skeptical at first thinking we would never be able to finish all the stories. But, we gave it a try.

Within a few nights, we both knew we had found a great way to study the Bible with Jacob. Because we read the same story each night, we were able to ask Jacob questions and talk with him about what we were reading. And, Jacob was very proud that he was able to remember the people and things that were going on in the story! That was about 9 months ago, and we are almost finished with The Beginner’s Bible. In addition to reading the story as a family at Jacob’s bedtime, Jacob and I also read it before he takes a nap each day. That means we are reading the same Bible story 14 times a week! Another thing Ryan started doing was reading the story and pausing so that Jacob could finish the sentence. It is amazing how a little boy can wiggle around so much during the story, but still knows exactly what’s being said! We now start a new story every Sunday, and on Saturday we have what we call Silly Saturday. On Saturday evenings, Ryan will read the story, but he will insert wrong words or names to see if Jacob has been listening. Jacob thinks this is SO funny! Most of the time, he is able to supply the correct word and we have lots of laughs.

Through all of this, I have learned that it is never too early to start regular, meaningful Bible study with your child. I will always cherish these times as a family!

I would love to hear how you study God's Word with your family. Have a blessed day!

How We Got the Bible

I just finished this book by Neil R. Lightfoot.......How We Got the Bible: Third Edition Revised and Expanded.

It was one of those reads that left me saying, "Ooooohhhh, now I get it!" After reading it, I now know how important it is for every Bible student to study the origin of our modern day Bible. There are many ways to do this and many, many books to read on the subject. I liked this book because it was written in non-technical language while still presenting the information in an in depth way.

You can find it here on Amazon. I hope you will read it and let me know what you think!

Adoption as Sons

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:14-17

As I was sitting in worship one Sunday morning, trying to focus on the Lord, thoughts of my 3 year old son kept distracting me. On this particular morning, I was worried about how my Jacob was having such a hard time adjusting to his new church home. He had been fussing each Sunday morning before church about any little thing. He had told me at one point that he didn't have any friends in Bible class. And, each time we dropped him off for Bible class, he kept a scowl on his face and the teachers were having a very difficult time getting him to participate. It had been 5 months since our move to a new state leaving behind the only church family he had ever known. But, I really thought that he would adjust much quicker.

On that Sunday morning, with all of these worries and some tears, I was thinking about how hard parenting can be.................loving someone so immensely and trying to figure out the right things to do to help that little someone grow into a well adjusted Christian with a focus on Him. How, when they hurt, you hurt. How when they are difficult and willful, you worry and second guess. I was also thinking of how extremely wonderful it is to be Jacob's mommy. Since the moment I laid eyes on my son, I have been completely and totally amazed at my love for him and how every little thing he does and says is so special! It is liking wearing my heart on the outside of my body.

And then, it hit me. This is how our heavenly Father feels about us! He loved us SO much that He left Heaven to save us. And when we are obeying Him..........oh the joy and pride He must feel. When we stop to talk to Him, he probably hangs on every word. And when we are teaching others about Him, is he thinking, "That's MY child!"?

And, I also realized that when we turn our back on Him, what a great sorrow and loss it must be.

In Romans 8, the Bible tells us that those who are being led by His Spirit have received a spirit of adoption as sons. And for that reason we can cry out, "Abba! Father!"

My son Jacob is adopted. Although he did not grow in my womb, I know that God created me to be his mother. I thank God so much every day for the blessing that Jacob is to me. I have learned so much and know that I have much more to learn.......he is still only 3! But today, I wanted to share with you one of the most profound lessons that I've learned as a parent..........now I can see how my heavenly Father feels about you and me. We are His children! His sons and daughters. He loves us, and wants nothing less than to have us in Heaven with Him. And not only that...........He has revealed to us how to get there! Through His Son. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

I praise Him for choosing me!

What has being a parent taught you about your heavenly Father? If you haven't become a child of His, what is standing in your way? I would love to hear your comments and/or help you as you think about becoming one of His.

A Must Read

I have always enjoyed reading a good book. Lately, I have been enjoying the author Karen Kingsbury. She is a Christian fiction author who has written several series and several stand alone titles. I am currently reading her Redemption series. They are very hard to put down! I like Kingsbury's books, because her characters express their faith or you can see them as they come to believe in God and obey him. I have been very encouraged by them.

In addition to fiction, I am trying to alternate a fiction book with a non-fiction book about the Bible or Christianity. The first of these books was a book Ryan had to read for school. It is called The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel. The back of the books says,

A Seasoned Journalist Chases Down the Biggest Story in History

Is there credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God?

Retracing his own spiritual Journey from atheism to faith, Lee Strobel, former legal Editor of the Chicago Tribune, cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools like Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis, who are recognized authorities in their own fields.

Strobel challenges them with questions like How Reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence exist for Jesus outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the Resurrection was an actual event?

Reads Like A Fast-Paced Novel

Strobel's tough, point-blank questions make this remarkable book read like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But it's not fiction. It's a riveting quest for the truth about history's most compelling figure.

What will your verdict be in The Case For Christ?

I enjoyed this book tremendously! It was very faith building to read about all the historical evidence for Jesus. I really think it will help me as I share my faith with non-believers. I hope that you will check it out, and tell me what you think after reading it.

Promise

....for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. I Timothy 4:8

Godliness - Reverencing God, and his character and laws; obedient to the commands of God from love for, and reverence of, His character; conformed to God's law; devout; righteous; as, a godly life.

The Bible, in numerous passages, talks about the godly and encourages us to be godly. Personally, I have understood the reason why I should strive to live a godly life - it is my response to the grace offered to me by Him through faith in his son Jesus so that I could one day live with him in Heaven. And, I fully understand that what I do will not earn me a ticket to Heaven, while on the other hand, faith that produces no fruit is a dead faith (James 2:26).

But today, after reading the verse quoted above, I noticed something new. It's the phrase, "promise for the present life." I have often only thought about the "promise for the life to come." Heaven. But we have promise for NOW. Today.

So, how does trying to live a godly life hold promise for me today? How does it contrast to the alternative.....an ungodly life? Being a Christian does not exempt me from life's hardships; sickness, death, heartache, poverty, etc. These things are experienced by all, Christian or not. But, I have noticed without a shadow of doubt the blessings that come when I try to pattern my life after Him. When I love and submit to my husband in a godly way, we fight less and work together SO much better. When I forgive someone a wrong, God takes away the burden of holding a grudge and He forgives me. When I choose not to engage in the "night life" that is so popular among people my age (okay, who am I kidding, I am quickly getting older than that!), I can avoid some of the consequences that come from those activities; addictions, sexual sin......the list goes on. When I choose to serve instead of be served, I get to witness how the love of Jesus changes people's lives for the better. When I spend my time with other Christians worshiping or working, I am encouraged to keep on running because I am not alone. What an awesome God we serve who blesses us in this life AND the one to come!

In what ways have you been blessed here in THIS LIFE by trying to do it His way? I would love to hear how that promise reaches you personally. So, please share!

Everything We Need............

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3

We sing with our children at church, "Neglect your Bible and forget to pray and you shrink, shrink, shrink".......and while we sing, the children "shrink" until they are laying on their stomachs on the floor. It is such a cute song with such a profound message.

Daily. Bible. Reading. This spiritual discipline has always been a tough one for me. Taking the time to read God's word. And, reading with a focused heart. You can read more about my personal attempts at becoming a regular Bible reader here. It has been about 8 months since I started the Milk, Meat, and Honey daily Bible reading program. I have stuck with it pretty well, and it has been a HUGE blessing in my life. I must have been starving before............but, now I am being fed everyday from many different parts of God's word. Again, if you'd like to know more about Milk, Meat, and Honey go here. This was Ryan's post about it.

From Blogger Pictures

2 Peter 1:3 tells us that we can KNOW what to do in our lives to be godly through our knowledge of HIM. There aren't any mysteries. He has laid it out for us in his word. I pray that you will find a Daily Bible Reading program that will work for you. Whatever you choose will be nourishing to your soul.

What gets in the way of you reading His word daily? If you are reading daily, please share the method that works for you. I can't wait to here your comments!

Oh, yeah! The second verse of the song we sing with the children is, "Read your Bible and pray everyday and you grow, Grow, GROW!

Jesus, the Mediator of a New Covenant

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:22-24

I can't remember the day or time when I came to believe that Jesus was God's son. I was taken to the church that my Grandma and her sisters were founding members of in my hometown since I was a newborn. We went every time the doors were opened. My dad was a song leader. My parents met at that church, and both sets of my grandparents and some aunts and uncles all attended. So, I always knew that one day I would confess Jesus and be baptized for the cleansing of my sins.

When I became a teenager, I started to struggle with the WHEN. When would I make that commitment to God? Was I ready to live a Christian life? I had long reached the age of knowing right from wrong, but I was very unsure that I could live a life without sinning. And that was the problem. I thought being a Christian equaled not sinning.

The summer I was fourteen, I started to talk with some friends from church about being baptized. If I remember correctly, these conversations happened at Camp Bandina. A few weeks later, on a Sunday night after worship, an elder who worked very closely with the youth approached me and said, "Amanda, I hear that you are thinking about being baptized?" I told him yes, I had been thinking about it. He asked, "What is holding you back?" I told him something about not knowing if I was ready. His next words will forever be etched in my memory. "Amanda, do you sin?" I told him yes. "Are you responsible for those sins?" Again, I replied with a yes. "Amanda, wouldn't you like those sins to be washed away?" I can't remember what I told Farmer Krejci that day, but I do remember being convicted of my sins for the first time in my life and wanting SO badly to have Jesus take them away for me.

On the way home from church that night, I told my dad that I wanted to be baptized the next Sunday. Looking back, I should have done it right away! Nevertheless, we went home and told my mama, and the next Sunday we all went to church. It was July 7, 1991. When the invitation song was being sung, my dad walked with me to the front.........I was SO nervous! After filling out the response card, Virgil Davis asked me if I wanted my Dad to baptize me. I hadn't even thought of WHO would do the baptizing and never thought it could be Daddy. I said yes! So, on that day, in front of my family and church family who had known me my whole life, I confessed Jesus and my precious earthly daddy baptized me for the cleansing of my sins. It was a happy day! After the closing prayer, I came out of the little room by the baptistery and the youth group surrounded me and sang "We Love You with the Love of the Lord". (Below is a picture of that youth group just weeks before coming home from Camp Bandina.........I am the blond girl in the bottom left with the striped shirt.)



That day was the beginning for me like it was for so many others. That day I made a covenant with God through his son Jesus.............a covenant that at that time, I still didn't fully comprehend. Yes, I knew enough and was ready to make the covenant, but I had so much to learn. In the days, months, and even years after being baptized I struggled with keeping Jesus as my focus. I still held to the thought that being a Christian simply meant not sinning. During those times, sin was so enticing, and I often felt guilty because I knew I was not living the life that I had promised to live. I was faithful in my attendance and involvement with the church, but at other times I was doing things that were contrary to God's will.

Through it all, though, God has always provided the straight path for me to choose and follow. As I have gotten older, saying no to temptations has become easier. Especially with the encouragement of my husband and church family. Also, I have come to realize that it is much more than living right. It's the WHY we are living right; it's the excitement of knowing He has won the victory; it's looking at my life here on earth as temporary; it's seeing His mission for me to shine His light to others. My prayer today, is that I continue to seek God, know His ways better, and DO THEM! I get the DON'Ts..........and now I am ready to live a life that shouts the fact that I am planning to be with Him in Heaven and that I want others to be there, too.

What was your beginning like? If you have not had your beginning yet, what is holding you back? I would love to hear your comments.

Manda

Welcome!

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

I have been encouraged by my husband to start a blog with my faith in Jesus as the focus. Today, I accepted his challenge and am excited about opening my heart to others as I attempt to do that. I entitled this blog "Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus" because I have come to realize in my Christian walk that Jesus has not had the center stage. I was trying to do all the "rights" and avoid all the "wrongs" and was forgetting the WHY. There is so much that can be taken from the verse I listed above, but right now I simply want the emphasis to be on Him. Jesus. The author and perfecter of our faith. His life, death, and resurrection are the WHY! That is what the Gospel is all about: the good news about Jesus and God's power to save........US!

So, Welcome!