Prayer Requests...

-Please pray for my dear friend Emily, (Pink "Pray for Emily" ). She was diagnosed with cancer a while ago and the most recent thing I heard was that she was getting a spinal tap for her horrible head aches!!! Please pray for healing, comfort, and peace through this hard time!!!!

-My aunt was just diagnosed with cancer just before Christmas. It was a shock to everyone!! She is having a surgery on Thursday to try to get rid of the damaged tissue. After that we will see if she has to go through chemo. and radiology. She is not saved...yet! Pray for, first of all, salvation and healing, in God's timing, and peace through this difficult time.

+Plus, this side of my family is not saved yet, but many of them are seeking the Lord through this. Sadly it has to happen this way, but God has a plan.

-My friend just had a major complication with her heart. It is all figured out now and she is home but please pray for comfort and peace in her home. She also has diabetes, a lung disease, and other health issues. Please lift her up in prayer, too.

-Please pray for this beautiful family, The McCourtney's. They have 12 children, so far, and are probably going to take in a few more soon, and live in Northern Uganda ministering to the lost souls there. They are a wonderful family striving to please God and do His will! Pray for guidance, blessings, funds, and wisdom...Their blogs are...

http://www.mamainuganda.blogspot.com/

and

http://www.fromglory2glory.blogspot.com/

The McCourtney's...

"Ask and it will be given to you; Seek and you shall find;

Knock and the door shall be opened to you."

Matthew 7:7

Thank you, friends!

Puzzles...

Look what we have been working on for weeks!!!

Winter here is the longest season, or so it seems.

We needed some good ideas for the long winter days to come

...so...

we got out our PUZZLES!!!

This puzzle took a good amount of time,

but we worked together as a family

and eventually it was finished!

Just like Christ's body...

When we work together, all keeping our eyes

on the head, Jesus,

God's plan is accomplished!

All for His glory!!!

"Approved by God...

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

If you cannot express yourself well on each of your beliefs, work and study until you can. If you don't, other people may miss out on the blessings that come from knowing the truth. Strive to re-express a truth of God to yourself clearly and understandably, and God will use that same explanation when you share it with some one else. But you must be willing to go through God's wine press where the grapes are crushed. You must struggle, experiment, and rehearse your words to express God's truth clearly. Then the time will come when that very expression will become God's wine of strength to some one else. But if you are not diligent and say, "I'm not going to study and struggle to express this truth in my own words; I'll just borrow my words from some one else," then the words will be of no value to you or to others. Try to state to yourself what you believe to be the absolute truth of God, and you will be allowing God the opportunity to pass it on through you to someone else.
Always make it a practice to stir your mind thoroughly to think through what you have easily believed. Your position is not really yours until you make yours through suffering and study. The author or speaker from who, you learn the most is not the one who teaches you something you didn't know before, but the one who helps you take a truth with which you have quietly struggled, give it expression, and speak it clearly and boldly.

Sharing your Christian life with others is so important!! Your journey can change others journeys... and ultimately, lead them to God!!

God is Everywhere!

Oh! show me where is He,
The high and holy One,
To whom thou bend'st the knee,
And prayest, "Thy will be done!"
I hear thy song of praise,
And lo! no form is near;
Thine eyes I see thee raise,
But where doth God appear?
Oh! teach me who is God, and where His glories shine,
That I may kneel and pray, and call thy Father mine.

"Gaze on that arch above:
The glittering vault admire.
Who taught those orbs to move?
Who lit their ceaseless fire?
Who guides the moon to run
In silence through the skies?
Who bids that dawning sun
In strength and beauty rise?
There view immensity! behold! my God is there:
The sun, the moon, the stars, His majesty declare.

"See where the mountains rise;
Where thundering torrents foam;
Where, veiled in towering skies,
The eagle makes his home:
Where savage nature dwells,
My God is present, too:
Through all her wildest dells
His footsteps I pursue:
He reared those giant cliffs, supplies that dashing stream,
Provides the daily food which stills the wild bird's scream.

"Look on that world of waves,
Where little creatures glide;
Within whose deep, dark caves
The ocean monsters hide:
His power is sovereign there,
To raise, to quell the storm;
The depths his bounty share,
Where scaly creatures swarm:
The Master speaks His voice, when we are yielded and still."
His message brings us comfort in ages old and new, Peace, Be still!

Joseph Hutton

I am just human...

"Stand up; I myself am also a man." Acts 10:26

When Cornelius met Paul, he bowed down to him, but Paul told him to rise up for he knew that he was not a man worth praising. He knew that no man should be praised. Only God alone should be glorified!!!

We cannot praise man!! When we take all the glory for ourselves we benefit nothing; we sin against God. God commands us to give Him the glory!

Rise up and glorify the Lord!

"...whatever we do, do all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

Light Out of Darkness

God moves in mysterious ways

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never-failing skill,

He treasures up His bright designs,

And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take!

The clouds ye so much dread,

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,

And scan His work in vain;

God is His own interpreter,

And He will make it plain.

William Cowper

Repentance/Conviction

"Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation..." 2 Corinthians 7:10

Conviction

of sin is best described in the words:

My sins, my sins, my Savior,

How sad on Thee they fall.

Conviction of sins is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person's conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person's relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God- "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight..." (Psalm 51:40). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, "I have sinned." The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes-a reflex action caused by self disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of god is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man's respectable "goodness." Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person's life (see Galations 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses- repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for "the gift of tears." If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
Oswald Chambers

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:23-24

I was recently convicted of a sin and my heart sank when I let my Savior down AGAIN. So I prayed to God and asked for His forgiveness, but something was still wrong. That night all i could think about was the verse in the Bible that talks about how God won't hear your prayers if you don't make them right, something like that. I felt that the Holy Spirit wanted me to ask for forgiveness to the person that i did wrong to, also. (I didn't understand it at the time, but I was being convicted.) This was very hard for me to do because usually I am really shy... Anyways, I was able to apologize to the person and ask for forgiveness. I didn't care how crazy they thought I was, all i knew was that I had to make my relationship with God right. And after i obeyed, i understood the blessings!!!! A few days later I read this repentance/conviction page from
Oswald Chambers in my daily devotion. Now I understand so much more...
The Holy Spirit is working in my life if I am being convicted... I am so excited I have learned more about my Savior's Word!!!

May you pray and ask the Lord today to see if there is any wicked way in you and ask Him to convict you of anything that is separating your relationship with Jesus....It brings great blessings!!!

"REMEMBER WHO YOU'RE LIVING FOR..."

NEW!!

New things are always fun! I hope you like the new title and idea... : ) Anyways, though many things change, we can always stand firm in the promise that God

IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER!

WHO WAS, IS, AND IS TO COME!

I want you...

This link is Mark Hall's testimony. Mark Hall is the lead singer in the band "Casting Crowns." It is wonderfully encouraging! Please listen to it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8QO5oib-sM&feature=related
(From here after you listen to this one, there will be part 2 also...)

" 'I DON'T NEED YOU,' SAYS THE LORD, 'I WANT YOU!' "
"You did not choose ME, but I chose you..." John 15:16
"I chose you out of the world." John 15:19
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine." Isaiah 43:1

THIS...

Before i was even in my mother's womb, God ordained THIS for me. He put THIS in my heart.

He made me, to be HIStory...

Peace...

There is such beauty in sitting at the feet of Jesus.....

"In solitude I sit quietly and listen to the whispers of His wisdom."

"Peace be still, lay all your worries down. Be still, oh my soul...for if God is for us, then whom shall I fear, and our God is for us, so be still my soul."

"I can't sing loud enough when I am singing for You. I can't bow low enough, when I kneeling for You. I can't lift my hands high enough, when I am reaching for You."

"He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His names sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23

Find Peace in the Lord!!!

I chose you...

"I chose you, not because of who you were or who you are, but because of who you might become..."

"You did not chose Me, but I CHOSE YOU

and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit..."

John 15:16

It breaks His heart...

"This is American soldier Maj. Mark Bieger. He found this little Iraqi girl after the car bomb that attacked our guys while kids were crowding around. The soldiers have been angry and sad for two days. They are angry because the terrorists could just as easily have waited a block or two and attacked the patrol away from the kids. Instead, the suicide bomber drove his car and hit the Stryker when about twenty children were jumping up and down and waving at the soldiers. Major Bieger rushed this little girl to our hospital. He wanted her to have American surgeons and not to go to the Iraqi hospital. She didn't make it. I snapped this picture when Major Bieger ran to take her away. He kept stopping to talk to her and hug her." Michael Yon

I know this breaks my heart. How much, I know, it must break God's heart!

WAR. What a tragic thing we have to go through. For those of us who are left here to watch and listen for the reports of the soldiers, all we can do is simply PRAY! PRAYER CHANGES EVERYTHING!!! Jesus said that if we have faith we can move mountains. "For assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20 We must believe, have faith, and trust that the Lord knows what He is doing!

Not only should we pray for the soldiers, but also their families who are also giving up so much so that this nation can be free. Pray for their safety. Pray for their hearts, minds, bodies, and souls to be protected. Pray for their salvation. For we know that when they believe in Jesus, they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. Philippians 4:13 And also pray for God's will to be done. Though it may be hard to take what God's plan may be, we must know that He is in all control and that He knows best.

God bless the soldiers of war, physically and spiritually!

HE died so that I might LIVE!

Here is a beautiful example of Christ's love...

When you plant wheat you throw out seeds. But once the seed is in the ground it does grow. First the seed DIES. Then, after the seed dies, the plant starts to grow. So, the seed gives up its life so that more fruit can be grown. He gives up everything for the growth of more wheat.

Just as the wheat, Christ gave up His life for others! Before anything could grow, He first had to sacrifice Himself. Then, after He died, we could grow closer and closer to Him, and live ineternity with Him and His Father! He died so that we might live through Him and for Him. He died so that we could become fruitful for Him! What sacrifice of a King!

I know I am special to God! I am His beautiful Princess, saved in his arms!

"Most assuredly, I say to you,

unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone;

but if it dies, it produces much grain."

John 12:24

Little Eston

This is a beautiful family that lives in Kitgum, Uganda. They will soon be missionaries to the Acholi people, up in Northern Uganda. Zane and Summer McCourtney, so far, have 10 children, 2 biological and 8 adopted. They are close friends of mine and I always love to see what they are up to.

They have always taken a sad little child, malnourished, lonely, abandoned, sick , or abused, and brought them into a loving home to love on them and grow their physical body and their spiritual body all for God's glory. Each child has a miraculous story. But recently they found this young, lonely boy named Eston. He is said to be two years old, but maybe to bigger than an 18 month old. This boy NEEDS prayer. Please join me in praying for this child of God.

For now, he is living with the McCourtney family. And they are taking wonderful care of his physical and spiritual body. Keep little Eston in your prayers, please!

"...for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; i was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; i was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? Or when did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren you did it to Me.' "
Matthew 25:35-40

Wordless Wednesday

THE WORD!!

THE WORD OF THE WEEK!!!!!


HUMILITY!!!!!!!

"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

James 4:6

PRIDE!

The definition of pride...

The sinful tendency to put our trust in ourselves and our abilities, rather than in God.
(this is at the root of so many other destructive sins in our lives)

In our lives if we notice it or not, pride is at the root of many sins! In my life I find God convicting me on a sin and I ask Him for wisdom on how to put His work into practice. And most of the time, He reveals to me that the root is... PRIDE! As I search in His word He points me back to the opposite of pride, which is humility!

The definition of humility is...

The tendency to put our trust in GOD and GOD'S abilities, rather than in ourselves.

God wants us to have humility, a humble heart, and the faith that God will do all things! This is one thing that the Lord desires us to do! Let us everyday, continually call upon the Lord to fill us with His humility. And to give us wisdom on how we can show it!

"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

"Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, because He will lift you up." James 4:10

Urgent Prayer Request!

I don't really know if anybody really checks out my blog but for those of you who might I have a prayer request that needs great prayer!

My dad's friend's wife has some type of brain cancer! She is very very sick! I don't know much about the situation but right now she is in the hospital and not doing good at all! Her, her husband, and 6 year old son are not believers! They need the Lord!

Please pray for God's will to be done in this family's life! Pray for their salvation. Pray for healing! May God's will be done!

ZECHARIAH 4:6

" 'NOT BY MIGHT, NOT BY POWER,

BUT BY MY SPIRIT,' SAYS THE LORD!"

Zechariah 4:6

It is not by our own power that we overcome the flesh and this world! We, alone, can never ever do it! When we try and try to focus on not doing something...we end up doing it. But when we realize that only when we focus on doing something good, and more importantly asking God to help us with whatever that my be...we find ourselves being strengthened by the Creator and doing what He called us to do! How wonderful it is when you feel the power of God working through you!

When we have patience and long suffering being flowed into us by the Lord, we no longer have to suffer to "try" to be good. When we ask our every need to be supplied by God, He, in His perfect timing, will make all things beautiful! And when we let Jesus be the center of our lives then HE will give us the strength, the wisdom, the patience, the joy, and the love to get through each day! For He will never give us anything we cannot handle.

"...but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."1 Corinthians 10:13

Carried to the Table!

Wounded and forsaken, I was shattered by the fall

Broken and forgotten, feeling lost and all alone

Summoned by the King, into the Master's courts

Lifted by the Savior and cradled in His arms

I was carried to the table, seated where I don't belong

I was carried to the table, swept away by His love

And I don't see my brokenness anymore

When I'm seated at the table of the Lord

I was carried to the table

The table of the Lord

Fighting thoughts of fear, wondering why He called my name

Am I good enough to share this cup. this world has left me lame

Even in my weakness the Savior called my name

In His holy presence I am healed and unashamed

I was carried to the table...The table of the Lord!

Leeland

ONE WAY!!!!!

JESUS! Jesus is the only way! He is

THE ONLY way,

THE ONLY truth, and

THE ONLY life!!!!!!!!

One way, Jesus, You're the only one that I can live for!

The world will go back and forth on the way they think is cool but trully these things are only from the flesh and from the enemy!

But How? How do we overcome this thinking and this way of living?

Well, ultimately we cannot do it on our own strength! We ourselves cannot defeat the snares of the world! Only God can overcome the battles of the enemy! When we surrender our lives and everything we have and put our trust in Him, then He, only He, can be the heroin of our lives! He already saved us and died on the cross, but He calls us to follow Him, to pick up our cross and follow what He calls us to do!

Jesus is our door, our gateway to Heaven! The only way to the Father is through Him! When we choose the straight and narrow path, Jesus will be with us through every trial and temptation! He will never let us go through anything we cannot handle! And we have to trust that Jesus knows what He's doing! He loves us!

Like He says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God who is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptaion will aslo make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it, to endure it."

Singing for the Creator! (part 3)

Brody loves to not only sing and play piano, but he really loves to play the guitar! He will for sure be blessed by God with a music ability! This is his favorite song, too!

Singing for the Creator! (part 2)

Delaney loves to sing this song, but she got a bit confused with the words! But her favorite thing to do is sing worship songs! She is very quiet when she sings but I know the Lord hears her!

Singing for the Creator! (Part 1)

Though I love to sing and God has blessed me with His gift of singing, it doesn't mean I can't teach my family and that they can't love it too!

Beautiful Nevaeh!

He knows and loves me!

"O Lord you have searched me and know me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold O Lord, you know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me: It is high, I cannot attain it!

Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, YOU ARE THERE: If I make my bed in hell, behold, YOU ARE THERE. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me!

For you formed my inward parts: You covered my in my mother's womb. I will praise you , for i am fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvelous are your works and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed. And in your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand: When I awake, I am still with you! Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know mu anxieties: And see it there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting! "

How I love this chapter for me and my family, but my heart just goes out to those in Africa and now especially Haiti! They need to know that the Creator of the world created them and loves them for just the way they are! Please join me in prayer for the weak, the lonely, the widowed, the orphaned, the many children of God in Haiti who have gone through and incredible trying time! Though a 7.0 earthquake went through this area, God works all things for good! Keep praying!

We are Jesus Freaks!

God has used me through music to reach others and also my family! With my instruments, as a family, we can worship Jesus! Rock on!!!

JESUS, JESUS, JESUS! ! ! !

A River of Life!

I've got a river of life flowing out of me! Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see.

Open praising doors let those captives free!

I've got a river of life flowing out of ME!

Spring up O' well! Splish Splash! And make me whole!

Spring up O' well! Splish Splash! And make my life abundant!

I've got a river of life flowing out of ME!

Through God's unfailing love He can make a well out of our souls that has water that quenches the soul forever! He will give me water to share that is from Him and only Him! "Jesus said,'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink." John 7:37

All who are thirsty, all who are weak, just come to the fountain! Dip your heart in the streams of life! Let the pain and the sorrow, be washed away, in the waves of His mercy. As deep cries out too deep!

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!