Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. – Revelation 20:15 Over the last couple of weeks the Lord has lovingingly, yet boldly, been correcting areas of my life and ministry that need some attention. While sharing the message of heaven with the Grief Share group I was asked if a family member of one of the attendees would be in Heaven. This individual did not believe in God and chose not to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Thankfully, whether or not this person will be in heaven is not for me to decide, it is completely up to…

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. – Colossians 4:5 I read another translation of today’s verse that really touched my heart. It read, “walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.” A few weeks ago I met a woman who recently moved to this area. Shortly after settling in she was diagnosed with cancer and began chemotherapy treatments. Just as she was finishing her treatments, and before she was to begin several weeks of radiation, her husband unexpectedly died from a heart attack. She contacted me about the Grief Share program and by God’s Divine intervention, needed a…

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 I am a summer girl. The hotter, the better for me. So while the cooler temperatures are bringing a repreive to many, my heart is sad that the long sunshiny days are growing to a close. Along with the shorter daylight hours come some added perks, no need to mow or water the lawn for example. And when the really cold weather arrives, there will be many days inside next to a warm fire. On my walk today I thought of bears hibernating and how they eat large amounts of food as they…

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. – 2 Timothy 4:2 What a timely passage for the fall season. This passage came to mind today while we were winterizing our RV. I was thinking about how different things will be in the coming months. Running and biking will take place indoors at the gym rather than outside on the open trails. Many other activities will take place inside with everything covered in pumpkin spice, warm blankets and cozy sweaters. But just because the seasons are changing, it doesn’t mean that progress has to stops. It will just look different. And that different…

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” – Genesis 22:1-2 I have gained a whole new respect for Abraham after dealing with God’s request in my own life these last few weeks. God asked him to sacrifice the one thing that meant the most to him, his son Isaac. He immediately prepared and departed the next day in obedience to the Lord. I can only imagine what must have been going through his mind on…

Trust in the Lord with all your heart    and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him,    and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6 This Royal Make Over has been quite the journey and I’m finding that the easy stuff was just for the beginning. Now it’s time to dig deep and to address issues that are far below the surface. I thought it was difficult giving up foods that previously had my full attention and the withdrawal from resisting them was a whole new experience. But as hard as that was, the next steps are proving to be much more difficult, but I believe they will end…

And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority. – Colossians 2:10 ERV I absolutely love when Jesus sits me down and explains the life lessons He has been walking me through. Over the last few weeks I have had a couple of situations where my own insecurities have revealed the incompleteness that exists in my life. Those same issues, which seem to be so obvious in the lives of others, have been hiding behind the emotions of pride and ambition in my own life. When I met with Jesus this morning He graciously opened my eyes…

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. Matthew 25:21 The things we have in life are blessings from God and He has entrusted us with them. He hasn’t given us all the same things. We each have differences in financial status, health, intellect, skills and talents, etc. No matter how much or how little, they are all gifts from God and are exactly what is needed for us to accomplish all He had prepared in advance for us to do. What will you do with the…

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love  he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—  to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace  that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he…

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right and steadfast spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10 As this Royal Make Over continues I am learning that it isn’t just about eating healthy and exercising regularly. It’s about aligning everything in me to the will of God. While I’ve experienced some success in the weight loss category, I’m beginning to realize that there is excess weight remaining in the emotional areas of my life that also needs to be addressed and removed. Some of those areas are anger, bitterness, resentment and pride. They each hold weight that my spirit was never intended to bear and they all effect my…