The Sign of the Son of Man

Chad continued with his sermon series on the Fall Feasts today--The Sign of the Son of Man.

Importance of Daily Bible Reading

I am constantly amazed (although I shouldn't be!) that oftentimes my daily Bible reading speaks
directly to something I have been pondering, struggling with or curious about. Today's scripture truly hit home!

I encourage you to read your Bible Every day. Even when you think you won't get anything out of a reading, God can use it to speak to your heart.

For me, this scripture:

Jeremiah 42:10-12

If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.

is symbolic for something I have been struggling with. You need to keep your heart open to hear what God will say to you through His Word.

Release, Forgive, Pray

Job 42:10 

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Job had spent much time listening to his friends telling him he was wrong and full of sin. I'm sure he as not feeling the kindest thoughts towards them. However, God will only accept Job's friend's sacrifices by Job's hands which meant Job had to pray for his friends. It is when Job releases his bitterness that God blesses him.

We, too, need to let go of bitterness in our lives/hearts if we desire God's blessings. Harboring bitterness only creates a wall between us and God.

This scripture reading and understanding it is timely for me as I realize I have been harboring bitterness towards some people that have harmed my family and possessions. I t won't be easy, but I know I need to release, forgive, and pray for those who have harmed us.

I have also been reading Jesus Calling by Sarah Young and part of today's reading went along well with this.

I know precisely what you need to draw nearer to Me. Go through each day looking for what I have prepared for you. Accept every event as My hand-tailored provision for your needs. When you view your life this way, the most reasonable response is to be thankful. Do not reject any of My gifts; find Me in every situation.

We should not hold bitterness towards what aspires in our lives if we truly remember and believe that God is in control of all things. I'm not saying that God directly places hardships in our lives, but He does allow them for various reasons.

Follow The Judge

James 4:6-12

 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

Praise God for His grace! 

Thank you, Lord, for showing me grace and mercy despite my numerous failings!

I have learned that although God's ways don't always make sense to me and/or the world, His ways are better. When we submit to His ways and resist the devil, we will have success.

I need to draw closer to Him! When I draw closer to God, He draws closer to me (the same is true of earthly relationships as well).

We need to give up our ways of thinking and doing and follow Him. We can not be double-minded and try to follow both. His Word says over and over to follow Him. It isn't up to us to save others by being their judge. Our job is to lead them to The Judge--Jesus Christ.

Balance Between Giving and Saving

Philippians 4:19 

Our wood stockpile

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

We recently discussed in our Wednesday night study about the balance between giving and providing for family (savings, health insurance, etc.).

I tend to have a different attitude on this subject than most people. I feel that if it is in our power to help/give now, that we should and God will provide for us later. I think the different mindset comes from seeing a difference between a need and a want. I might want a large savings or a stock pile for the "what if", but it isn't a need.

Paul tells us in this verse that God will reward giving by supplying "all you need." While I know that the world will say it is wise to prepare for the future (and I do agree to some extent), I believe it is wise to help where God is calling as well and I tend to live by 2 Corinthians 5:7--"(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)"

I think that since I have seen God provide in many ways, I tend to have the faith that He will continue to do so. I'll share a few examples.

I was given some canning jars that I figured we would need to put up items for the winter. Well, our apple trees didn't produce very well that year and we didn't get much venison so I ended up not using all our jars. I had a friend who had a banner year in her garden and she was out of jars. I told her she could have a few dozen of mine. She didn't want to take them because she knew I would need them the next year. I finally talked her into taking them by telling her that if I needed them, God would provide more later. Well, not even 24 hours after she picked them up, I received a call from an older relative who was getting out of canning and asked if I could use more jars! I ended up with 6 more boxes full of jars! I have never run out of jars (I've used all the empties we had, but never needed more than those).

Another time, I had a friend whose husband didn't get any venison that year. She had two small children and was trying to feed them on a tight budget. We had a good year that year as far as venison goes so I gave her some of our venison. That spring, just as we were running out of our venison, God provided more meat through another friend who was cleaning out a freezer. I didn't need to store that venison to provide for my family--God did it for me!

We have been blessed with the opportunity to store a lot of firewood to heat the house in the winter. Unfortunately, a lot of it is pine because with an outdoor wood stove, we are able to burn pine, but we do also get hardwood often as well. We have had a few times where we've had friends who needed wood to heat their homes in the winter or they would have gone cold. We have been able to provide them with what they needed to get them through to a payday or until they had a chance to cut more themselves. God has always provided more wood for us whenever we have shared.

New Business Venture--Lilla Rose!

I had been considering signing as a Lilla Rose consultant for almost a year. The opportunity came earlier this month for me to do so at a significant savings over the regular cost so after praying about it and discussing it with my husband, I decided to sign.

My girls and I love using Lilla Rose hair products! We own at least one flexi-clip in each of the sizes offered (except for the X-large and Mega), one set of bobby pins, and a couple of their headbands. We love that they are simple to use, look pretty and are gentle on our hair. We are looking forward to expanding our own collection, trying new to us items, and sharing with others.

You can check out and/or purchase Lilla Rose products at http://www.lillarose.biz/darcyc.

You can see some of the way we use the flexi-clips in an older post here (but remember to visit my site for purchases!).

I will be doing a giveaway of a Lilla Rose product in the near future so stay tuned and tell your friends to either follow here or on my Facebook page!

Trumpet/Jubilee

I need to start by apologizing. I do not have Chad's sermon from yesterday on audio.

First, as I was packing everything up to go to church, we had an incident which took me away from packing and when I came back, I forgot to add the Ipad (which is what I use to record). When we arrived at church, I realized my mistake and went home to get it. Unfortunately, when I setting it up to record, one of my children began to have a meltdown and I didn't realize that I didn't fully press the "record" button.

The best I can do is to share his sermon notes. While you won't get the full sermon (because he usually adds as the Holy Spirit leads him), you will get the idea.

It really was a great sermon which opened my eyes to some things that I never realized before.

23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Lev 23:23-25 (KJV)

Just as we have in America, memorial day,(To remember those who gave their lives for this nation) God too commanded Israel to have a memorial day, to remember when He sounded the trumpet.


Pray

13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.
Ex 19:13 (KJV)

16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
Ex 19:16 (KJV)

19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.
Ex 19:19 (KJV)

We have a memorial of when God blew His trumpet. When the trumpet or showfar sounds Jesus shows up.

Notice that there is no mention of actually blowing a trumpet for the  a memorial of blowing of trumpets, untill that is we get to chapter 25
 1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. 3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; 4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. 5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. 6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, 7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.
8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. 9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. 10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.Lev 25:1-10 (KJV)

Just in case you dont know we currently are in the 49th year.The shemitah year. The year of a Land Sabath.

What happens on Ethanim 10 of the 49th year?

8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. 9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
Lev 25:8-9 (KJV)

So Ethanim 1 is the memorial of the blowing of trumpets but no trumpet is actually blown!

Ethanim 10 is a Sabath to afflict our Souls

Add to that, you actually Blow the trumpet on this day to announce the year of Jubile.

What happens in the year of Jubile?

Everything returns to the rightfull owner!

Ponder that! Who walks to and fro upon the earth?

The White witch claims to own Narnia, but who I ask is the rightfull owner?

Is this a picture of what Christ will do when He returns?

So every year we have a a memorial of blowing of trumpets, but no trumpet is blown, then on the 49th year on the 7th of 7year cycle of land Sabath, in the 7th month so 777 we once again have  a memorial of blowing of trumpets but no trumpet is blow, then on the 10 day of that month on the day of atonement we actually blow the trumpet, and the trumpet means Jesus could show up, He showed up on the first aniversary of blowing the trumpet.

Lets go for a walk down trumpet or showfar lane.

Exodus 19 is the first stop on showfar lane we also stoped at the second stop on showfar lane in Leviticus 25 so lets move on down showfar lane to the next stop

Next stop Joshua and the battle of Jerico

Kids count seven
 1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. 3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD.7 And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD. 8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. 10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. 11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. 12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13 Andseven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. 14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days. 15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seventimes. 16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.Josh 6:1-16 (KJV)

 I once preached threw Joshua and didnt see the tie to Christs return, yet here today it stares us right in the face.

Seven Priests
Seven trumpets
Seven days
Seventh day seven times then add a shout!

Who commands the shout?

16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.

Joshua in Hebrew is Yhowshua {yeh-ho-shoo'-ah}

That is two Hebrew words put together

Y@hovah,  yeh-ho-vaw'
(the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.

 yasha`,  yaw-shah'
to be open, wide or free, i.e. to be safe; causatively, to free or succor:--, avenging, defend, deliver(-er), help, preserve, rescue, be safe, bring (having) salvation, save(-iour), get victory.

In English Joshua means Jesus Saves

  1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

 Ps 47:5 ¶ God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.

 Ps 81:3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.


 4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. 5 Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. 6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. 7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 8 Let the floods clap theirhands: let the hills be joyful together 9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.
Psalms 98:4-9 (KJV)










 

Sermon on the Mount

Love one another

I was reading in Luke for my Bible reading this morning. It's interesting that I had been thinking about the Sermon on the Mount for a couple of days and then that is where my reading plan took me today. I still don't know how to put my thoughts on this into words, but I figure I can't say it any better than the Holy Spirit led Luke to write it, so I am just going to share it.

Luke 6 

 27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. 29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. 30  Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37  Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.  41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye. 43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.  45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. 46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. (KJV)

Little by Little

Exodus 23:29-30 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

When we cry unto God for deliverance, His answer is not always yes. However, even if His answer is, "yes", it does not mean the deliverance will be immediate.

In this scripture, God tells the people that it would be bad for them if it was immediate (which, in reality, a year still isn't immediate in our eyes) and He explains why it will happen "little by little". We can grow though the struggles and waiting. God wants to increase us and not only will we appreciate it more if it takes time, but it helps us truly appreciate how far He has brought us.

The next time your prayer isn't answered as quickly as you had hoped, remember that God is growing you through the process!

Trim Healthy Mama Fruit Pizza

I saw a recipe for a THM fruit pizza on Facebook the other day and saved it since I didn't have any fresh fruit in the house. I was going to stop by the farm market on my way home today and forgot, but fortunately, I did bring home some fruit salad from our last MOPS meeting today so I decided to make it for myself tonight. I'll post the original recipe and then mention the changes I made.

FRUIT PIZZA WITH "SUGAR COOKIE" CRUST.
I sort of threw this together and it was pretty darn good!! Recipe: crust- 3/4 cup finely ground almond flour, 3 packets of Truvia, splash of vanilla, 6 tbsp of butter, 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder, 3 tbsp. of egg whites. Mix together and bake, 400 until lightly golden. Topping- block of 1/3 fat cream cheese, splash of vanilla, 3 tbsp of swerve, 4 packets of Truvia (sweeten to taste), 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream. Mix with a hand mixer, chill and top. Then top with your "S" approved fruits!!! And maybe a squirt of whipped cream wink emoticon YUMMY S DESSERT!wink emoticon YUMMY S DESSERT!

I don't like to measure things so I didn't do anything exact. I did use approx. 3/4 cup almond flour, a splash of vanilla, approx. 6 tbsp butter, and approx. 3 tbsp egg whites; however, I only used 3/4 scoop of protein powder and I used a few shakes of green leaf stevia (big hole opening on my container) all for the crust. For the topping, I used about 2/3 of a block of regular cream cheese (because that is what I had), a splash of vanilla, a few small ladles of cream off a jar of raw milk, and then about 3 tbsp of my homemade truvia (xylitol and green leaf stevia mixed). I baked the crust at 400 degrees until golden brown, cooled it, "frosted" it with the cream cheese mixture and then topped with the fruit from the fruit salad.

I have to say that I really like it! I'm glad I made it and will enjoy it (I'll probably have some for breakfast tomorrow!).

Amena Brown Be You Bravely Anthem MOMcon 2014

Wow!

Heart Change

I recently discovered a blog that I enjoy reading. I was originally drawn to it because the blogger's last name is Smith which was my last name before I married, but I have continued to read because I agree with everything I have read so far and often find encouragement.

She recently wrote about how her (and her husband's) hearts changed on the issue of birth control, babies and family size. I have to say that our story is similar to hers, but not exactly. I encourage you to read her story at the link below.

How My Heart Changed Towards Birth Control, Babies, and Family Size

Whatever You Do

Colossians 3 
 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Whenever something is repeated in scripture, we must really pay attention. Repetition is a way of stressing the importance of the message.

Here in Colossians 3, we have a repeated thought--whatever you do, do it unto God and not unto man.

This thought is just before and just after directions of how wives are to treat husbands; husbands, their wives; fathers, their children; children, their parents; and servants, their masters.

I think an important point to take from this is that the other persons' behavior should not dictate your own. We are responsible to God for our words and deeds; therefore, as long as we act how we are commanded by God, then He will bless us.

Perfect Peace

Isaiah 26:3-4 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: 

God's promises--if only I would remember them and dwell on them!

I had a stressful 24 hours and I wish I would have read these scriptures before those stressful hours began instead of after.

"Perfect peace" is what I long for as well as strength. How do I find those things? I find them by keeping my mind on Him!

I need to keep reminding myself that God is in control and that He has a plan for me. I may not see the plan or understand the plan, but I know that He knows and He desires good things for me.

Fall Feasts

Chad's sermon today was a brief overview of the Fall feasts. He is planning on going more in-depth in future weeks. Below is a copy of what was inserted in the bulletin as a reference (for the Spring Feasts) and to use as notes for the Fall Feasts. (The formatting is a little off, but you will get the idea.)

Timeline of Spring Feasts & Appointed Days
	Nisan 10		Nisan 14	Nisan 15	Nisan 17			50 days later
Moses
	Pick the Lamb No blemish		Killed the Lamb	First born killed Left Egypt	Pharoah was killed in the Red Sea			God spoke 10 the Commandments
Jesus
	Jesus Entered Jerusalem		Jesus Died		Resurrection of Jesus			Pentecost

Timeline of Fall Feasts and Appointed Days

Ethanim 1

Ethanim 10

Ethanim 15

Ethanim 22

Comfort

2 Corinthians 1:3-6 

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

The Word of the Lord is living! This scripture is one example of that fact. I have understood this scripture in different ways at different points in my life. Neither is wrong, but both give comfort.

One way to look at it is that when we suffer, sometimes it is so we can better help someone else who goes through the same suffering. When we receive comfort, it is so we can share that same comfort to others who need it. In this way, we help one another in this world.

Another way to look at the scripture is that when a brother or sister in Christ is suffering, we can step along side them and join in their suffering; thereby, we reduce their burden. When they need comfort, we join together to comfort; thereby, we increase their comfort.

In either interpretation, we are to be there for one another, help one another, and encourage one another.

One Flesh

Mark 10:6-9 

But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

When God created the world, He created male and female. Adam saw that every animal had a mate of the opposite sex. When God saw that Adam needed a help meet, He created a woman, not another man.

It is God's design for a man and a woman to go through life together. They join together and become one new being.

When we enter a marriage covenant, it is for life. No one, not even us, should attempt to break it. God fuses the hearts together and they can never be completely separate again. There will always be a connection.

P.S. Happy Birthday to my other half (of our one flesh)! 

Belief/Disbelief

Mark 9:24b 

Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

There have been times when I believed God could do something, but not that He would. In instances like these, I had belief, yet I had disbelief.

God wants us to truly believe. In just the previous verse, Christ says, "all things are possible to him that believeth." He didn't say some things, but all things! When we lack the faith to truly believe, we need to go to our Father and seek His help. We can ask Him to strengthen our faith just as we can ask Him anything else.

True Wisdom

Job 28:12-13; 28

 12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? 13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. . . . 28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

The world stresses the importance of education. I'm not saying education is wrong, but it needs to be put in perspective.

True wisdom will not be found in college degrees or earned fancy titles. True wisdom is found in the fear of the Lord.

Our founding fathers were wise men. Our nation has stood as long as it has because of their wisdom. Their wisdom did not come from books, but from the book--The Good Book--The Bible.

Despite what most modern textbooks say, the majority of our founding fathers feared God and departed from evil. They were wise and full of understanding.

God's Calendar

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers!

Chad preached on God's Calendar today to prepare us for his series on the feasts.

(Due to difficulties, this wasn't actually posted on Mother's day, so happy belated Mother's day!)

Obedience is Better than Repentance

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Does God forgive? Sure! Does God prefer us to obey the first time and not have need of forgiveness? Definitely and 1 Samuel 15:22 tells us exactly that.

Obedience is better than repentance. When we do commit sin, we surely need to repent and ask forgiveness, but it would be better for us to obey in the first place.

We can not live our lives thinking we can just sin and then ask forgiveness. If we live like that, is our heart truly repentant?

There is a saying, "Better to ask forgiveness than to be told no," but God's Word tells us the exact opposite--obedience is better than forgiveness!

Turn Aside

1 Samuel 12:14 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.

Could this apply to American and our president? I feel that it definitely can! The people have turned from God. We, as a nation, no longer fear God. We don't live by His commands.

1 Samuel 12:20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

We need to turn back to God! We need to serve Him! We need to follow His commands! We need to put aside our greed for it is vain. Money can not save us--only Christ can save us!

Spiritual or Tradition?

Isaiah 66:2-3 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. 

When reading these verses in context of the entire chapter, you see that the people approached sacrifices as rituals; the sacrifice had lost meaning and they were just doing it because it is what they were supposed to do.

God desires our hearts. His concern is not with who gives the most or who gives the best speeches, or who knows the most scripture. He wants our hearts! If we give what little we have out of our thanks for Him, He is happy. If we speak His Word to others, He is happy. If we tremble at hearing His word, then He is happy.

What does it mean if we stand in church and open our mouths to sing if we don't have a spirit of praise? What does it mean if we put something in the offering, but not willingly or with respect? God sees our complacency as an abomination. Traditions and rituals can become vain repetitions if our hearts are not in the actions.

Ecclesiastes 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

LifeWalk 2015

Life Resources of Northern MI, Inc. is an organization that supports families. Their mission statement

Life Walk 2014-Eva was missing last year as she was
volunteering at a Joni & Friends family camp.

is: Because God gives life, we affirm this truth to those we serve. They have pregnancy resources (pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, learning opportunities, provide needs such as clothing, formula, etc.), abortion recovery, fatherhood services, and even enter local schools for abstinence education. My family has been supporting this wonderful organization for the past 10 years. Every year we walk and raise funds for Life Resources of Northern MI, Inc. by participating in their LifeWalk.

We will be participating in LifeWalk 2015 on May 30th. We would love if you would join us by praying for us and Life Resources of Northern MI, Inc., sponsoring our walk, and/or joining us on our walk (if you are local)!  You can follow this link to sponsor us and see pictures of previous walks as well as watch our progress on raising funds. If you would like to walk with us, you can register at www.donor.liferesourcesnm.org and click on the "engage" tab and then click on the event and date and follow the link.

Life Resources of Northern MI, Inc. will also be hosting their first ever 5K 4 Life the same day. If you are local and are a runner and would like to participate, please let me know and I will share more information.

Different By Design

Alistair Begg preached on something that I often talk about with my children and others if the topic comes up. My husband listens to Alistair every morning and sometimes I am still in the room to hear it also, but other times I listen on-line.

Different By Design Part 1 of 2

Perfect Peace

Isaiah 26:3-4 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: 

God's promises--if only I would remember them and dwell in them!

I have had a stressful 24 hours and I wish I would have read these scriptures 24 hours ago instead of now.

"Perfect peace" is what I long for as well as strength. How do I find those things--by keeping my mind on Him! I need to keep reminding myself that God is in control and that He has a plan for me. I may not see the plan or understand the plan, but I know that He knows and He desires good things for me.

Drawing Close to the Lord

Today our church had a guest speaker. Chad preached at the Blessing of the Jeeps yesterday (I'm trying to find someone who recorded it as I wasn't there) and he didn't feel like he would have time to work on two sermons so he asked Abraham VanDuinen to fill the pulpit. Abraham has filled the pulpit a few times for Chad in the past.

His sermon today (5/3/15) was on drawing closer to the Lord.