Jesus, our LIVING hope . . .

Even when we can't believe things for ourselves, God puts family and people around us who can, in times of need. Today I BELIEVE for my niece Marissa -

I love you Marissa!

My prayers for her

1 Peter 1:3 - "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead"

Who Marissa Is In Christ

She is accepted...

John 1:12
She is God's child.

John 15:15
She is a disciple, She is a friend of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1
She has been justified.

1 Corinthians 6:17
She is united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
She has been bought with a price and I belong to God.

1 Corinthians 12:27
She is a member of Christ's body.

Ephesians 1:3-8
She has been chosen by God and adopted as His child.

Colossians 1:13-14
She has been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

Colossians 2:9-10
She is complete in Christ.

Hebrews 4:14-16
She has direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

She is secure...

Romans 8:1-2
She is free from condemnation.

Romans 8:28
She is assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.

Romans 8:31-39
She is free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22
She has been established, anointed and sealed by God.

Colossians 3:1-4
She is hidden with Christ in God.

Philippians 1:6
She is confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.

Philippians 3:20
She is a citizen of heaven.

2 Timothy 1:7
She has not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.

1 John 5:18
She is born of God and the evil one cannot touch her.

She is significant...

John 15:5
She is a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.

John 15:16
She has been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.

1 Corinthians 3:16
She is God's temple.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21
She is a minister of reconciliation for God.

Ephesians 2:6
She is seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.

Ephesians 2:10
She is God's workmanship.

Ephesians 3:12
She may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Philippians 4:13
She can do all things through Christ, who strengthens her.

"The more you reaffirm who you are in Christ, the more your behavior will begin to reflect your true identity!"

Can . . .

"The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights." Habakkuk 3:19

For all the can't in our lives, as I read this verse, I wanted to shout it outloud today! To myself, to my husband, to my kids, friends, and the body of Christ - HE IS OUR STRENGTH! You CAN! You CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens you!

So where are your can'ts? Do you dream of doing something and then have it quickly dashed away by the lies of can't? My prayer for all of us today, is for the CAN, the can with Jesus! May He strengthen you to believe once again.

Really cool . . .

Remembering . . .

Just want to say, we will never forget her. Two years have gone by since Christel Joy Conley went home to be with Jesus. Even though it has been two years, she very much lives on in our memories and hearts. I wished I would have had more time with you Christel, you always made me smile! But, I look forward to spending all of eternity with you, worshipping Jesus together!

See her big sister's site here for more

The Presidential Prayer Team

I wanted to tell you about something I am part of that can make a difference in our country. It’s called Pray the Vote—a special initiative of The Presidential Prayer Team that is calling everyone to pray for this fall’s elections. It’s based on the belief that when God’s people call out to Him in prayer, it opens a window for God to bless our nation in ways we can’t imagine. Pray the Vote is asking people to commit to pray for the elections and then to register that commitment on their website. I hope you’ll check out the Pray the Vote website and join me by committing to pray. Thanks for considering this important decision.
Also, here is an encouraging video to watch.
http://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ppt_ecrd_PTV

Prayer . . . believing God for miracles

I have a sister/friend who moved to the other side of the world 3 1/2 years ago to marry the love of her life. Tonight she needs prayer. She has a little boy who is a year and a half, and he is sick with croupe and had to go to the ER because he couldn't breathe. My friend has a bulge in her lower back that caused her to be in excruciating pain for last several weeks, and barely walking. Tonight she is desperate for healing, for her self, for her son, and so I post here for anyone to believe in prayer for their healing! JESUS WE ARE ASKING, BELIEVING, AND KNOCKING BECAUSE YOU TOLD US TO IN YOUR WORD, AND YOU ARE FAITHFUL! So hard to not be able to help in the physical, yet I know what is done in the Spiritual is even more important, and I guess this is my best way of helping my sister. So I am asking please pray for her and her son even if you don't know their names, God knows.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

Great is Thy Faithfulness . . .

Today I am praising God for His faithfulness! 20 years ago today I married my best friend, and not only do we very enthusiatically celebrate 20 years, whoo hoo! But, we thank God for them. This hymn (below) was in our wedding and it seems to be the theme of our life together. Here's to my wonderful lifelong friend, I look forward to every day we have together for the rest of our lives! I love you!

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee.

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me.

Summer and winter and spring-time and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide,

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Live abundantly . . .

Live in full joy being close to the One who loves us more than anyone can! JESUS!
God promised us through Jesus in His word:

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

Oh, God is smiling over us . . .

The "thankful heart" key

I love this chapter out of Francis Frangipane's book - "The Stronghold of God". I am reminded today of the places where I have not been thankful. Lord, forgive me for grumbling and complaining. Lord, I AM thankful for many wonderful blessings of family and friends you have placed in my life. I am forever thankful for the many wonderful blessings you have given us, especially Your Son.

A THANKFUL HEART By Francis Frangipane

The very quality of your life, whether you love it or hate it, is based upon how thankful you are toward God. Our attitude determines whether life is to us a place of blessedness or wretchedness and misery. Indeed, looking at the same rose bush, some people complain that the roses have thorns while others rejoice that some thorns have roses! It all depends on your perspective.

This is the only life you will have before you enter eternity. If you want to find joy, you must first find thankfulness. Indeed, the one who is thankful for even a little enjoys much. But the unappreciative soul is always miserable, always complaining. He lives outside the stronghold of God.

Perhaps the worst enemy we have is not the devil but our own tongue. James tells us, "the tongue is set among our members as that which . . . sets on fire the course of our life" (James 3:6). He goes on to say this fire is ignited by hell.Consider: With our own words we can enter the spirit of heaven or the agonies of hell! It is hell, with its punishments, torments and misery, that controls the life of the grumbler and complainer! Paul expands this thought in 1 Corinthians 10:10, where he reminds us of the Jews who "grumble[d] and were destroyed by the destroyer."

The fact is, every time we open up to grumbling and complaining, the quality of our life is reduced proportionally--a destroyer is bringing our life to ruin!

People often ask me, "What is the ruling demon over our church or city?" They expect me to answer with the ancient Aramaic or Phoenician name of a fallen angel. What I usually tell them is a lot more practical: One of the most pervasive evil influences over our nation is ingratitude!

Do not minimize the strength and cunning of this enemy! Paul said that the Jews who grumbled and complained during their difficult circumstances were "destroyed by the destroyer." Who was this destroyer?

If you insist on discerning an ancient world ruler, one of the most powerful spirits mentioned in the Bible is Abaddon, whose Greek name is Apollyon. It means "destroyer" (Rev. 9:11). Paul said the Jews were destroyed by this spirit. In other words, when we are complaining or unthankful, we open the door to the destroyer, Abaddon, the demon-king over the abyss of hell!

IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Multitudes in our nation have become specialists in the "science of misery." They are experts--moral accountants--who can, in a moment, tally all the wrongs society has ever done to them or their group. I have never talked with one of these people who was happy, blessed or content about anything. They expect an imperfect world to treat them perfectly.

Truly, there are people in this wounded country of ours who need special attention. However, most of us simply need to repent of ingratitude, for it is ingratitude itself which is keeping wounds alive! We simply need to forgive the wrongs of the past and become thankful for what we have in the present.

The moment we become grateful, we actually begin to ascend spiritually into the presence of God. The psalmist wrote, "Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. EnterHis gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him;bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, and Hisfaithfulness to all generations." Psalm 100:2, 4-5

It does not matter what your circumstances are, the instant you begin to thank God, even though your situation has not changed, you begin to change. The key which unlocks the gates of heaven is a thankful heart; entrance into the courts of God comes as you simply begin to praise the Lord.

Blessed Lord, forgive me for being a complainer. Help me to offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving in all things. Lord, I come this day to covenant with You. By Your grace, I will be thankful regardless of what my life seems to be. Oh God, remember Your covenant pledge and gather me near to Your heart. In Jesus' name. Amen.

First step, get out of the big comfy chair . . . Living beyond what was once just a dream

Sometimes dreams seem too big to tackle, sometimes they just lack the ability to see the first steps. This little video below, by Banning Liebscher, turned on a bunch of lights for me this morning to see those first steps of visions and dreams I have. They are simple steps, and those dreams we have, dont' have to start out as giant, overwhelming mountains, that seem impossile. Take your dreams, and just go! Maybe it's the journey thats more important than actually getting there.

I am encouraged today and wanted to share.

We are a people awaking to follow their dreams . . .

Yes, I know, it's a Superchick song, but hey, I kinda love it.

"Here's to the ones who don't give up
Here's to anyone who never quit when things got hard
You'll never let them say "You'll never get that far."

I want to shout it out to all (9) of my kids (it's not just a girl song). . . So here's a shout out (and the prayer and cry of my heart for all of you). . . you are the one's who don't give up . . . KEEP GOING! Keep holding the hand of Jesus, and letting Him tell you who you are and where you should go! Don't let go of His hand, even when it's hard, even when there is bruises and bleeding, stay strong, don't give up!

You are amazing and you are beautiful!

Find me there . . .

Somedays seem seem like playful fun in the fountain of life. Other days seem like a mad dash for the shade of His wings. Either way, it is where life, true life, is found, and that is where you will find me. Though they are very different days, I will praise God for either of them, because in Him alone, can I live and see and breath. Thank you God for everyday that you give me.

Psalm 36:5- "Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of Your wings. You feed them from the abundance of Your own house, letting them drink from Your river of delights. For You are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."

You were there all the time . . .

Today I am thankful that we have a mighty God, who loves us, and is faithful. Today I praise Him, and thank Him, and freshly trust Him again.
________________________________

God of Our Yesterdays
by Matt Redman

We were in the darkest night,
And wondered if our eyes would ever see the light,
You were there, Lord,
We were in the storm again,
And wondered if we’d ever live in peace again,
You were there, Lord,
You were there is the struggle,
You were there in the fire,
You were there all the time.

Praise you, the God of our yesterdays,
Praise you, the God who is here today,
Praise you, our God, as tomorrow comes.

So whatever lies ahead,
Whatever roads our grateful hearts will come to tread,
You’ll be there, Lord,
And we will fix our eyes on you,
And know that there is grace enough to see us through,
You’ll be there, Lord,
You’ll be there is the struggle,
You’ll be there in the fight,
You’ll be there all the time.

Praise you, the God of our yesterdays,
Praise you, the God who is here today,
Praise you, our God, as tomorrow comes.

We thank you for grace in our yesterdays,
We thank you for peace in our hearts today,
And thank you, our Joy, as tomorrow comes,
We will trust you, God.
You’re always closer than we know,
Always more involved and in control,
We will trust our lives to you,
The One who was, and is, and is to come!

Praise you, the God of our yesterdays,
Praise you, the God who is here today,
Praise you, our God, as tomorrow comes.
We thank you for grace in our yesterdays,
We thank you for peace in our hearts today,
And thank you, our Joy, as tomorrow comes,
We will trust you, God.

Even though . . .

Even though I am sick, and life dictates I should be well, You are still God and I trust You.

Even though I forgot to do some things and life dictates I should have, You are still God and I trust You.

Even though I think I know so much and life indicates I know very little, You are still God and I trust You.

Even though my heart feels one way and life dictates my actions in another, You are still God and I trust You.

Even though at my very best efforts I fail and life confirms it, You are still God, and I trust You.

Even though You are still God and I trust You, and the world indicates You are not, You ARE still God, and do I ever trust You!

Oh Praise Him . . .

Joshua 23:9-11 "The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. So be very careful to love the Lord your God."

Today, we saw a miracle. The judge granted us PERMANENT GUARDIANSHIP. He is ours forever. No more court - we will raise him as one of our own, which he has already found that place in our hearts 8 months ago when he was a week old.

When we showed up in court today, we found out he had been assigned a lawyer. A very good one at that. And not only had this man been assigned to the case, he knew exactly every detail of the case. He talked to us in a small room before court and he was the first person in this whole process that had read the entire file, from our petition and questionnaire, to the CPS reports, and hospital reports. I was truly truly in shock and amazed all at the same time. FINALLY, a person who knew. Not only did he know, but he made the petition, today, no more wasted time and petitioned the judge to grant us permanent guardianship today. And the judge did. We were truly in awe. We felt like God sent an angel dressed like a lawyer, into the courtroom today, and it was quick, fast, right, and is now DONE! This case is closed, and he is ours.

Thank you all for walking with us in this journey - we thank God for each one of you.

O Praise Him

Turn your ear

To Heaven and hear

The noise inside

The sound of angels awe

The sound of angels songs

And all this for a King

We could join and sing '

All for Christ our King!'

How constant How divine

This song of ours will rise

Oh, how constant How divine

This love of ours will rise Will rise...

CHORUS:

Ohh praise Him!

Ohh praise Him!

He is Holy!

He is Holy!

Turn your gaze

To Heaven and raise

A joyous noise

Oh the sound of salvation come

The sound of rescued ones

And all this for a king

Angels join to sing '

All for Christ our King!'

How infinite and sweet

This love so rescuing

Oh how infinitely sweet

This great love that has redeemed

As one, we sing...

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

He is Holy, He is Holy