THE HAPPY FILE

1. I thought this was a wonderful thing and I wanted to share.... “Be joyful always.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16 (NIV) It wasn’t what some would call a perfect day, but to her it was special. We had spent the day together just hanging out around the house. Simple things like lunch on the deck, soaking in the sunshine, and giggling over funny memories traced the outlines of our shared moments. That’s when she whispered a few words as if she were telling herself a secret, “This day is going in my Happy File.” She explained that her Happy File was a record kept of God’s simple blessings, those moments in time that beam with a little extra spark. You know the ones. When no one else would get it, but whenever you recall it… you smile. Her collection was spilling over the top. Often we choose to hang onto the bad memories. We relive the abuse. We replay piercing words. We carry the guilt and hold on to the shame. We forget the promise of Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (NIV). No condemnation. Period, nada, zip, none! She found the Happy File very helpful when darkness came creeping into her life. Satan loves to fill our minds with negative thoughts and trip us up with stumbling blocks. A stash of happiness works like a flashlight in the middle of the night. The evil one can cloud our world with gloom, but when we open the file that holds God’s blessings, the shadows are shattered. So what are you choosing to keep on file? Here is the deal. Start a collection of Happy Files! God’s fingerprints are all over each day. Look for them! Record them! Recall them! Next, pull out those old musty files that have collected guilty dust and shameful mildew. One by one as they come to your mind plunge them into God’s thought-shredder. Second Corinthians 10:5 instructs, “Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (NIV). When you say this verse out loud, something amazing happens! The thoughts go away! God longs to give you freedom from guilt, shame, worry, and anything else that hinders your ability to be joyful. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can begin daily to rid your mind of the garbage Satan has dumped on you and replace it with Happy Files. Then you truly can BE JOYFUL ALWAYS. Dear Father, thank You for forgiving us for every sin we have ever committed and promising never to condemn us for them! Help us each day to choose to live in the freedom of that promise and to be joyful always. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Our Church Our Storm

I was sure by now That You would have reached down And wiped our tears away Stepped in and saved the day But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining As the thunder rolls I barely hear Your whisper through the rain “I’m with you” And as You mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away I’ll praise You in this storm And I will life my hands For You are who You are No matter where I am Every tear I’ve cried You hold in Your hand You never left my side And though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm I remember when I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry You raised me up again My strength is almost gone How can I carry on If I can’t find You As the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain “I’m with you” And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away I lift my eyes unto the hills Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord The Maker of Heaven and Earth

NEW*** Thankful Thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for....... A beautiful day outside, windows could be open, good day of school, laundry being done, my migrane FINALLY going away, chocolate brownies, good friends, our victoriously Frazzled Female study, My wonderful husband taking our children out so it was peaceful for study, late night talks, warm and comfy bed, My Jesus

What's in your bucket?

When our oldest daughter started Sunday School, she had a little girl in her class that she tried to play with and tried to get her to smile. She was a very sad little girl and it was a great concern to our daughter. We prayed with our daughter and God gave us great yet very simple wisdom. We pictured this little girl holding a bucket. And her bucket was empty. She didn't have any kindness or joy or smiles in her bucket. We told our daughter that every time she was kind to this little girl, some kindness would be put into her bucket. Every time she smiled at this little girl, a smile would go into her bucket, etc. And soon, this little girl would have some smiles in her bucket that she could share with our daughter. A few short weeks went by, our daughter came home from sunday school very excited. The little girl had smiled at our daughter for the first time. God showed our daughter the principle of sowing and reaping first hand. And she took great joy in learning this valuable lesson and seeing the answer to her prayers for this little girl. What you sow into other peoples' lives, you will also reap. Do you know the account of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38 and on? Martha is frantically trying to get things ready for a meal with Jesus, and Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet listening to Him. Martha gets irritated because Mary isn't helping her in the kitchen. But Jesus says, " Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Martha was worried and bothered - those words mean anxious and disturbed. Wow, what are we anxious about today - what are we disturbed about today? When we allow those type of emotions to get into our thoughts and in our heart, we move into a realm of fear, doubt and unbelief. Those things are not from God. 2 Timothy 1:7 says that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. Fear,doubt and unbelief are the opposite of faith. Hebrews 11:6 - "Without faith it is impossible to please God". I want to please God. Jesus also told Martha that there is only one thing that is necessary....and Mary had chosen the good part. That is, sitting at Jesus' feet, spending time with Him, learning from Him and soaking in His everlasting love. And no one can take that away. I love that. No one can take away my precious time with Jesus. No one can take away my love for Him. No one can reach in and take away from me what God is doing in my heart. So today I say, "what's in MY bucket?" I have been running pretty hard the past couple weeks. Some things get pushed aside because of the busyness. I confess, I was being a "Martha". And the result of being too busy brought unrest to my heart. My bucket was not being filled daily with the sweet peace of Jesus. You know the old childrens' song "There's a hole in my bucket, dear Georgie, dear Georgie" ? I had a hole in my bucket and it leaked out everything I had. Jesus is so very faithful. His arms are always open - always open - and the invitation is always there to come meet with Him. I will be as Mary and choose the one good thing...sitting at His feet and taking in everything that He has for me for today. Blessings on you as you sit at the feet of Jesus.

There is a RIGHT and there is a WRONG

What is RIGHT...is not always EASY and What is EASY .... is not always RIGHT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And yes.....God says to LOVE THY NEIGHBOR However, God also says....... To everything there is a season.... There is a TIME to LOVE and if there is a TIME to love then to me that means there is a TIME when we need to place our love on the back burner and BE STRONG and do WHAT WE NEED TO DO in the name of LOVE. Being strong and doing what WE NEED TO DO doesn not mean...ILL WILL or HATRED. It simply means we need a back bone and need to do what is good and right and just....sometimes LOVE IS TOUGH it isn't always soft and kind and giving someone their way...or just not wanting to "make a scene" doesn't make it "LOVE". Jesus was a LOVING MAN....however when he knew ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH and he turned all the tables over in the synagoge....that didn't make Him unloving. He needed to be STRONG and DO THE RIGHT THING..... in the NAME of LOVE and what is right. So I believe that loving your neighbor does not mean being WEAK and letting them prevail so you don't "hurt" them. Discipline HURTS, Accountablitily can HURT, getting back on the RIGHT course can HURT. PAIN does not mean hatred. Pain can mean growth. Pain CAN mean love. However...LOVE does NOT MEAN you don't have to be strong and do what's right. Doing what is right in the name of LOVE is more important than letting someone go on doing wrong because you are afaird to offend or hurt them. Do you think Jesus was afaird when he was upset and turned the tables over? He did it in the NAME of love and WHAT IS RIGHT. We need what is RIGHT. THAT is real love. If I say I love my children and keep letting them do whatever they want.... because I am a Christian and should show love.....to me... That is NO LOVE AT ALL. However, if I make them accountable, responsible and if need be disciplined for their wrong actions THEN I am really showing them love. When I have a backbone....when I really care.... when I want God golified and I want the wrong dealt with... THAT IS LOVE!

God Is Using THIS

Four Words I recently heard four words that have changed how I view everything. These words are so profound to me, yet so simple. Before I share those words with you, I thought I’d share some instances in which those words can be used. See if you can relate: You have to work with a difficult co-worker. (A backstabber, perhaps?) Someone totally misunderstood what you had to say at Bible Study (or on your blog!) and became offended. Your ob-gyn calls you with questionable test results. You need to come in for a biopsy. You and your husband are in total disagreement regarding how a certain situation should be handled. The bills are mounting, and there's not enough money to pay them. Your toddler just decorated the couch with ketchup. The car made a pitiful noise when you started it this morning. Your child's teacher has some "concerns" and has requested a conference with you. You've prayed for years for a certain situation in your life to change, and it has changed alright… for the worse. Your teenager is deeply hurt over a friendship, and there’s nothing you can do about it. A loved one is continually making poor choices. And on, and on, and on. These scenarios (and more!) are what we face each and every day as plod this earth. There are moments and seasons of deep and abiding joy, punctuated by times of hurt, angst, and bewilderment. Here are the four words I heard a few weeks ago: God is using this. What if: Beth Moore (or insert the name your favorite Bible study teacher) was in town doing a conference, needed to make some last-minute changes in what she was going to say, and called you from the hotel to see if she could use one of your Bible study resources? Rachel Ray wanted to use one of your family recipes for her show? Laura Bush wanted to use one of your children’s books in a talk she was giving at your local library? Your favorite singer was sitting near you on an airplane wanted to use your iPod? I know these examples are somewhat far-fetched, but would you let them use what's yours? I would, in a heartbeat! It would be an honor for someone of their renown to want anything I have. I would offer it up gladly! What if the God of the universe, the Creator of all time, events, and people wanted to use the time, events and people in your life for His purposes? This one's not far-fetched at all. He does. God uses finite circumstances to accomplish eternal works. What a privilege it is to think that He would use what concerns me to fulfill His plans! And He does it every day. Oh, I think I've always been conscious of that on some level, and I’ve certainly repeated Romans 8:28 to myself plenty of times over the years, "God works all things together for good to those who love God, to those are called according to His purpose." (NASB) But lately, it has helped me so much to look situations square in the face and say out loud, "God is using this." These are the raw materials with which He will work as He "works all things together" in my life for my good and for His glory. He will use the big and small events in my life to mold me into the image of His Son, to draw me and others to Himself, to reveal more of His character, to further His Kingdom on this earth, and to bless me in this life as well as eternally. How that knowledge counsels my heart as I get a real sense that it is all in His hands. All of it- the good and the bad- must bow to His perfect will for my life and for this world. What are you facing today? Disappointment? Joy? Confusion? An area of bondage? Health issues? Remember, God is using this.

Mother Daughter night

Tonight was the Mother Daughter Banquet at First Assembly. I bought tickets for my mom, sister, my four daughters and myself. The food was great and all the wonderful men of the church serving us....Pastor Bob too was GREAT! They were so kind and so attentive. It was great. Rusty was very kind too because in the middle of all the hussle and bussle he went and sent up another table so we could all sit together and eat. Rusty is GREAT too!!! Anyway, it was a nice evening and the speaker was excellent! She spoke on the Victorian era. It was very enjoyable to listen to her. We learned alot of fascinating stuff. Anyway it was a fun evening. Oh, by the way...the picture of my girls is from a "secret keeper girl" spa evening I made for them a few months ago where I pampered them and did manicures, pedicures, facials....we had lots of giggles that evening too!