Come out of Hiding!

21 Nov

Come out of Hiding!

Lantern

Matthew 5:15 (KJV) Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

With Christmas fast approaching, I was thinking about all of the beautiful Christmas lights going up everywhere.  They are so beautiful and are sending forth a message that the Celebration of Jesus’ birth is coming!  The three wise men travelled to find Jesus as they followed the brightness of the light of a star!  Light is mentioned over and over in the Bible as it alludes to the true Light which was Jesus!

John 1:4 (KJV)In him was life; and the life was the light of men

Are you shining a light or are you hiding in secret hoping no one will notice you in a room.  My understanding of this scripture may be a little different from yours, but in my thinking, Jesus is simply stating that what I have from him which is his life and light is in me to bring light into dark places.  Isn’t that what Jesus did?  He was the light of the world and came when the world was filled with “gross darkness.”  When we share his love and life we too are bringing light into the darkness!

As I was invited to speak at a wonderful church last night there were things about me that could not be hidden.  If you’ve followed my blogs then you know that I’ve stated many times that I am a Kentuckian that moved to Georgia.   When I speak there is no hiding the fact that I come from the South!  I have a slow southern drawl that I couldn’t hide even if I wanted to.  The minute I utter the first word, the light is shown and the crowd can conclude “Yes she is definitely from the South!”  I used to be intimidated by others and what they thought of me.   However, after many opportunities opened unto me to speak, Jesus helped me to not be concerned about what others may think.  I am not trying to sound arrogant, but I know that the Lord fills my mouth to share what he places in my heart!  He continues to give me open doors and speaking engagements!

When I was a child we used to sing a little song entitled “This little light of mine!”  Perhaps you sung it in your Sunday school class.  We would sing “ we were going to let our little lights shine all over the world!”  As a child it was simply a song to me, but as I became an adult I realized the significance of the lyrics to that song.  It’s not just a cute little song, but it is truly our commission from the Lord when he left.

Mark 16:15 (KJV) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

He told us to go into all of the world and basically shine our lights. We are to do what he did while he was on the earth!  You may be asking “Well how to I do that, I am only one person?” My answer to you is to simply start where you are at. I may shine my light differently than you do as we all have different gifts and talents, but nevertheless we have a commission from the Lord himself!  I find that to be so exciting and adventurous!  No matter where the Lord has placed you, realize that you are strategically placed there to shine a light!  I love the following scripture:  Mark 20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen!

He is with us, he will work with us to fulfill what he has placed in our hearts to do!  I encourage you …..Come out of hiding and Shine your Light!

 

Challenge!

14 Nov

Challenge!.

Challenge!

14 Nov

Challenge!

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (KJV) Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest

Is it just me, or does the years seem to be going by faster?  As of this day that I am writing this blog, there are only forty-five days left in the year of 2014!  I don’t know about you, but I always try to examine my year to see if I have passionately pursued the desires in my heart and done what the Lord had called me to do.   I don’t do this so that I can beat myself up if I didn’t quite meet every goal, but rather I do it because it teaches me life lessons that I can’t learn any other way!  When I take the time to think about what I spent my time on, I can see some very rewarding things that I’ve done, but on the other hand there will be other things that didn’t quite work out.   If I honestly evaluate the things that didn’t quite work out the way that I wanted them to,  I can usually use them as good teachers that will help me in the year to come!

When I look to the New Year I like to think of it as if it is an action adventure in a brand new chapter of a book that has yet to be written.  I guess it is the writer in me, but I find the new adventure to be very exciting!    Although the steps I am beginning to take can be somewhat unfamiliar, this to me is what makes life worth living and stirs up my passion to pursue it with all my might!  I love that with the Lord, I get more chances at reaching the goals that I may not have reached before in the previous year! He redeems my time so nothing is wasted!

Even though I have published four books before, I am excited to be preparing another one!   It’s like having a new baby! I know that I have to take care of it, but it does not mean that I necessarily know how.  I cannot always do the same with this baby as my last!  Every child is different!  You just sort of play it by ear and let the baby tell you what it needs.  More than I want to promote the fact that I am working on a new book, I really want to promote the message behind the books that I have written and will continue to write!   I have a passion and a desire to encourage others to follow their dreams, no matter how crazy they may seem.   I am a farm girl who was born and raised in a small little rural community in Kentucky.  Why would I, of all people, be chosen to write books?  My answer is simply this…because I said YES!   If I, of all people can write books and be published, then there is no limit to what you can do… What is your passion?  If you do not know what your passion is, then this blog is your divine challenge!   Until you know what you truly desire to do and are passionate about, then you will spend much of your life (years) being unfulfilled and very unhappy.  However, when you know what your passion is and the Lord co-labors with you in fulfilling your purpose, there is nothing more rewarding and satisfying!

So this is the challenge! I know that I’ve said a lot, but it all boils down to:  What is in your heart to do?

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (KJV) Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

It sounds to me like you have been created to do something passionately with your life and that you are to do it with all your might!  This blog is one of my attempts to passionately pursue what is in my heart! I hope that you will follow suit and arise to the challenge to pursue your passion as well, no matter how outrageous or crazy it may seem!

Treasure on the Inside!

5 Nov

Treasure on the Inside!.

Treasure on the Inside!

5 Nov

Treasure on the Inside!

Nativity window

I know that sometimes changing things up a bit is not always easy for people to accept, however I feel that it is change that makes life so interesting! Because I feel this way, for this week’s blog and with Thanksgiving and Christmas being right around the corner, I decided to post something a little different!  I hope that you will enjoy it!  Yeah, well I could already hear in my hearing someone stating that “Thanksgiving has not come yet, and here is this lady writing about Christmas!”  I know that this post is about Christmas, but it is really not just about Christmas, but it is about every season in our lives!  If you read my blog last week, then you know that I wrote of Thanksgiving!   Also I decided to post my Nativity picture because it represented some of the change that I so frequently blog about.  The painting is an old antique window that I painted a few years back. It might not be that great, but it was a time of stretching or change for me.  I had never attempted to paint faces before and because of that I am pleased with it!

 

Treasure on the Inside!

To look on my outward appearance

You may not be impressed,

There may not be much beauty, poise,

or gracefulness.

But take another look, please, look

deep and look wide,

For what I may lack on the outward

is hidden treasure  inside.

 

No longer hidden though

is my greatest heart’s desire,

I want to live from the inside

out for others to admire.

For inside this vessel a living treasure

Not acquired by myself,

But hidden on the inside is a kingdom

of infinite wealth!

 

A priestly King from Heaven, a Holy seed

Born through virgin loins,

To demonstrate the Father’s love

That many children could be born.

A holy child given unto the world on a starry Christmas night

Hark the herald angels sing praise in abiding shepherd’s hearing

A Heavenly Father’s greatest present freely was in sight

A celebration in my heart as I counted his gift so endearing

 

I accepted his sacrifice of the punishment meant for me

A kingdom that was purchased not with sweat on brawl

Jesus now my savior that was hung upon a tree

By the shedding of Holy blood no other was endowed.

The Father’s holy gift is still being offered in each and every season

As a precious treasure for all to freely accept and to receive

His heart was to love you; His gift is for this reason

His invitation to be a member of his family for those who will simply believe!

 

 

My Four Books being advertised on Lakeview Times!

5 Nov

My Four Books being advertised on Lakeview Times!.

Link

My Four Books being advertised on Lakeview Times!

5 Nov

http://www.lakeviewtimes.com/U/Holiday2014.htm

Thanks Giving Adventure!

29 Oct

Thanks Giving Adventure!.

Thanks Giving Adventure!

29 Oct

Thanks Giving Adventure

Thankgiving

As I begin writing my blog today, I realize that Thanksgiving is coming up very quickly! For many Thanksgiving is a time set apart with their families as they partake of a bountiful meal. They all may express what they are thankful for! I love this tradition as well and usually have a crowd of family and friends at my house every year for Thanksgiving.  However, along with the old traditions, I wanted to start a new tradition with my family leading up to Thanksgiving Day! So I declare the entire month of November to be Thanks Giving Adventure month!  I think we will do it much like an Advent Calendar.  We are beginning November 1, 2014 until Thanksgiving Day. Giving thanks to God and giving praise to Him is always wonderful, but this year we will not just be Giving Thanks with words, but with our deeds as well! My family will make the month of November an adventure month full of Giving!

As I think about it I am already excited!   Honestly it will be easy for my family to do as my children love to give!  They always want to bless others.  I have begun already preparing for November 1, 2014 as my children have outgrown several jackets and winter coats that are in very good condition!  I have gotten their jackets and coats as well as a couple of jackets of mine and my husband’s out of the closet and washed them up to donate!  I am encouraging my children to think of what we can physically do to show that we are so thankful to God that we want to share his goodness with others!

Below is just a small list of some of the things that we may do that we came up with! A lot of these will take a little money or time, however, there are a lot of things that I am sure we will do that does not cost us anything but a little effort!  The point is that we will go through the month of November with Giving Thanks as our purpose and see how exciting it will be!  I say exciting because I know that anything that you can do for others and ask for nothing in return is such a blessing!  But, you know what I have found out?  If we will be a funnel for God to pour through, He will keep pouring in to us so that we can continue to give!

  1. Donate good, clean, clothing.
  2. Make special goodies such as cookies, muffins, candies etc. to give away. I usually do this every year anyway as my specialty this time of year is pumpkin rolls.
  3. Something we like to do is clip restaurant coupons and if we can’t actually pay for someone’s meal at the restaurant than we can give them our coupons so that their meal is at least reduced.
  4. Donate a bag or two of food to your local animal shelter or if you know an elderly person who may be on a fixed income who has a pet, bless them with their pet a bag of food!
  5. Maybe donate non-perishable food to feed homeless.
  6. Donate shampoos, soaps, razors and bath tissue to single working Mom’s that you know  may struggle.
  7. Donate socks or blankets to homeless shelters

Most of these again, my family already does, but to know that we are purposing it for our Thanks Giving Adventure just makes us excited about doing more of it!  We are going to use our imagination and if we see something that we can do to bless someone then with God’s grace upon us, we are going to do our best to do it!

Happy Thanks Giving Month! I hope that this inspires you to possibly go on a Thanks Giving Adventure of your own!   God only knows who will be blessed more,  those you bless or you!

Thirty Four Years of Wedding Bliss….Not!

22 Oct

Thirty Four Years of Wedding Bliss…..Not!.