Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah 40:31 "But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."

Sunday, November 23, 2014

The Legacy -a poem



The Legacy        
Where is God in all of this?
Look around at our world today.
How much time do we spend with our bibles?
How much time to we spend with our phone?
Which is more important?
How much time to we spend with family?
How much time do we spend in front of the TV?
How many conversations do we have with our kids?
How many conversations do they have with their friends?
Who is the influence in their lives?
Who is with them more?
What is important to give our kids today?
What kind of parent do we want them to be?
What kind of legacy do we want them to have?
Do we want them to be able search You-Tube, or do we want them to be able to use their bibles, their very own Sword of the Spirit, their only weapon against Satan!
You can’t throw and iPad at Satan.
You can throw scripture at Satan, Jesus did!
Where is God in all of this?
FIND HIM!
He is in your bible.
He is in the birdsong out your window.
He is in the blessings of family that he has surrounded you with.
He is in the trees swaying gently in the wind.
He is in the snow sifting softly to the ground.
He is in the love you feel for your kids.
He is the bonding agent in your family!  If he isn’t, he should be!
He is the glue of life.
He is our Savior.
He is our ticket.
He is our maker.
He is our Father.
He is our Redeemer.
If he is not around you, seek him, find him, love him, and teach of him!
He is the legacy to drive our futures.
                                                                           Angela Hiskett

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Focus on the Son rise






The other day I was driving to work.  Before the time-change this fall I used to drive to work during sunrise – I miss that.  I should go to work an hour early just to watch the sunrise each day… but that’s not my point today.  Anyhow, it was a foggy morning, the light was dim and the sun was struggling to give its light to the world (yes you may see where I am going with this, but read on).  I saw what appeared to be little pink clouds zooming across the sky.  It really looked like they were floating by on some upper atmospheric air current, and they were pink!  It was cool.  I thought, ‘that’s awesome God, thank you for letting me see that!’  Then I noticed something, it wasn’t the clouds that were moving, it was bits of fog.  I realized what I was actually seeing was bits and pieces of a gorgeous and breathtaking sunrise that was hidden by the fog.  What I, at a quick glance, had thought to be moving pink clouds was actually holes in the fog, through the holes I could see this amazing color filled sunrise, the fog was actually hiding it from me, I was only receiving small bits and tastes of the glory behind the fog.
We don’t receive God’s full light.  How can God give his light to the world if we don’t even notice its missing?  How can God light our path if we aren’t even looking for it?  If I had glanced at the pink clouds and said – oh cool – and went on worrying about what I would need to do first at school that day – I would have missed the awesome sunrise – I would never had realized it was even there.  Think of that with a different homophone – I would have missed the awesome Son rise…   What is forever, what is beautiful, is an eternity with God – focus on God, don’t be turned by world, focus on God so your place in eternity is secure, brush away the fog and see the true beauty that God has in store, brush away the daily trials, and issues, and take a look at the majesty that IS God.   That is the true beauty of life; serve him, not the world.  Serve him and SEE the Son rise.
Psalm 37:5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust him and he will help you.
The fog is our daily lives, our worries, our business, our little ‘water cooler’ trials.  It’s all the little things that bring our focus to earth. 
Matthew 11:28 - 30  Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
We get so caught up in the world that we miss reality.  Our time here is from God, our time here is fleeting.  We can’t take all our amassed ‘things’ with us when we die.  All of our ‘big deals’ and ‘I can’t believe she said that’s’ are going to be forgotten in a week.  The rough time or trial we are experiencing now will be gone and just a memory in a week or year.  Some things may still hurt, but they will still be a memory.  If we keep our focus on God, if we live for him and follow his way, we will still have these trials, but he will guide us through them.  If we give our worries to him, they won’t be worries anymore.  If we recognize the sunrise on the horizon for what it is, and not get caught up in the fog, we will be blessed with the glory of God.  If we recognize the Son rise for what it is, and not get caught up in the things of this world, we will be blessed with the GLORY of GOD!
Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Friday, November 7, 2014

One of Our Jobs



Proverbs 31: 10-12, 25-27, and 30  Who can find a virtuous wife?  She is more precious than rubies.  her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.  She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life…  She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.  When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.  She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.  Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;  but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

Ephesians 5: 21-24  And further, submit to on another out of reverence for Christ.  For wives this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church.  As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

Scary huh?  What does all that mean?  Love your husband.  Support him.  The wife should be the backbone, the support system.  We should be ready with actions that speak love.  No harsh words, no nagging.  No controlling, no demanding our own way.  The bible says that in a marriage, the husband plays the role of Christ and the wife plays the role of the church – well, think about that – would the church ever dream of telling Christ what he could and could not do.  We also should not try to rule over our husbands.

Live up to the bible’s directions, God’s directions for a wife, pray for your husband and more than likely he will also follow the bible’s directions for a husband.  Am I saying to be a doormat – no!  Have respect.  Love and honor, let him be the man, the head of the house.  Share your feeling and ideas and thoughts, but in a respectful and calm way.  Discuss rather than rant.

Let’s take a good look at that section in Proverbs 31, verses 10 to 31.  Read it over, and I will highlight and give you my personal translation of those verses here:
10 - be virtuous
11-  be trustworthy in all things big and small
12 - do good, not harm – pray and support rather than nag and control
20 - help others
25 - trust God, be strong for him and your family
26 - be kind – no harsh words
27 - don’t be lazy
30 - fear the Lord – know the Lord, hold him in your heart, follow his directions

Be patient; don’t fly off the handle when he screws up.  He is human, and he will screw up.  Don’t attack, process, think it through, see where discussing the issue will take you.  Will it be a benefit to your marriage and family life, or will it just make everyone feel like crap and solve nothing?  If you decide it needs discussed, then discuss it when your tempers are not involved.  

God has entrusted us with an important job. In marriage and everything else, the bible is our instruction manual, our guidebook, our map, and our teacher’s guide to life.

Proverbs 31: 10-12, 25-27, and 30  Who can find a virtuous wife?  She is more precious than rubies.  her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.  She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life…  She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.  When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.  She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.  Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;  but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

Remember, we can’t change, make decisions for, and control the actions of others.  We CAN change, make decisions for, and control the actions of ourselves…

A key phrase to remember:
Will it be a benefit to your marriage and family life, or will it just make everyone feel like crap and solve nothing?