Did you ever try to build something out of blocks with your kids when they were little?  You did all the building.  All they wanted to do was knock it down because they hadn't developed the skills and patience to successfully build something - and of course as parents, we would let them!  I spent hours building and letting them knock the structure down. The bad thing was when they tried to play with someone else, there would be a fight because they didn't like them knocking down what they were trying to build.  As my children grew up and developed those skills needed to build, they got more satisfaction out of creating something than tearing it down (just like our Father) We no longer like to destroy what took hours to build.  The same holds true with our words.  We need to choose them carefully, making sure they build up those around us and not tear down what they are trying to build.  You will be amazed at what begins to build around you, but you must carefully Guard What You Have Built!! Don't destroy it with one careless word thrown out there in haste!!  I am starting today to begin to build my world around me.  I am going to build a relationship with my Father in Heaven, confidence in my children and grandchildren - trust in my friendships - integrity in my heart!!! My grandchildren use to watch Bob the Builder.  Whenever anything was broken, they would always shout, "Can we build it?  Yes we can!!!"  You can do anything with God's help!!!  Begin building with your words today!!!!

You will find me and I will end your slavery.  I will restore your fortune. You will find me when you seek me if you look for me in earnest.  The plans that I have for you are for good and not evil.  What a promise from God!!!  If you are being held captive today by whatever.  Earnestly seek God!  Your emotions may be crushed to the point of death!  So also was Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane for He prayed the same prayer 3 times to draw needed strength from His Father - refusing to be held in slavery by His flesh! He said the spirit is willing but how weak the flesh is!!  Jesus knew in order to overcome the flesh, He had to seek God's help.  He could have chose just to walk away that day - leaving us behind - prisoners to our flesh!  But he didn't!  He chose the path that freed all mankind!  And He won't turn away today when we seek His help! He will help you find the path to freedom from the flesh!  Don't just walk away!  Don't turn away from his love today?  He has a future and a hope for you!  STARTING TODAY!. 

As I was reading in Acts, Chapter 3  (Peter and John had met the lame man at the temple gate and God had healed him), it said, "All the people stood there awed by the wonderful thing that had happened."  However, the verse that really jumped out at me was the very next one, "Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd!"  I feel like so many times in my life I clutter my mind with things of the past  that I miss my opportunity in the present!  When God opens the door of opportunity - we have to be ready to step in!  If Paul had let his past experiences (persecution of the church) consume his thoughts and listened to the enemies accusations, he would have never saw the opportunitiy!  Where would all the people be whose lives he influenced?  Do not let the past destroy your future!  Do not let the past cloud your vision causing you to miss the opportunity God has given you now!!!!  Look forward!  See your door of opportunity and when it opens, don't hesitate - RUN THROUGH IT!!!!!

I am deeply saddened by the outbreak of violence in our country - the latest over a pair of tennis shoes!  Our country and it's leaders are desperately searching for a cure.  They are (with good intentions) trying to legislate more laws to control people - to create a more peaceful atmoosphere.  When will we learn?  More laws will not fix things.  More laws will not dictate people to do the right thing!  Creating more laws will not change the actions of people!  Change is something that occurs from within.  It is a door that can only be opened from the inside.  Laws did not work for people in the Old Testament and creating more laws will not work today.  Jesus stands at the door and knocks, but we have to open the door!  Will we as a country, open the door and let him change our culture?  Will we invite His love in our hearts to change us?  We say we need to do something to stop the violence in our country, what better time than Christmas to begin the birth of a new nation?  One that is led by the love and nature of God - not by laws and the opinions of man.  Will you sit back and ignore or will you open the door? 

Getting ready for the Christmas Play is an exciting time at church!  In the children's department, we are working hard - learning our parts.  The theme this year is "Finding God".  The 3-6 year olds are singing a song titled "Bullfrogs and Butterflies" (We've both been born again). Learning the song has been the easy part!  The problem is EVERYBODY wants to be a Butterfly!  We have no Bullfrogs! Simply because the masks are much prettier and so shiny!  Even at the early age of 3, our nature wants to be the one that stands out - the center of attention.  Even in the older group - (even though they are not so vocal) everyone wants to be Mary and Joseph.  Jesus taught his disciples that it's not about being #1.  It's not about who is the prettiest or who has the best part!  It is about who has the heart to serve.  Those who humble themselves to do what needs to be done to make things work - they are the greatest in the Kingdom of God!!!!  So I am trying to remind myself as I begin the New Year - Sometimes, when everyone else is getting to be Butterflies - God may need me to say, "Hey, It's o.k., If God needs someone to be a frog, then I'll be a frog!!!!

How scary is it to be lost with no idea how to find your way?  When I was little, my family used to go to my grandparents house on the weekends.  It was near the lake and surrounded by woods.  One day, my couisn and I were playing outside - we were hiding from the older cousins.  Well, as kids will do (we were about 6 years old) we ran too far back into the woods.  When we tried to go back to the house, we got all turned around and wandered for hours, only to find ourselves farther away from home.  We had spent the last 4 hours arguing and yelling - each one blaming the other one for leading us down the wrong path!  Because of our constant complaining, we could not hear the faint calls of my Dad who was trying to find us.  We just kept climbing over fences, walking as fast as we could and griping at each other.  When it grew dark, we finally sat down on the ground - both of ;us in tears - thinking we were never going to find our way home.  We were all out of words and just sat there exhausted in the dark.  It wasn't but a few minutes before we heard a faint voice that sounded like someone calling out our names.  We began to yell back at them - afraid to move.  They found us huddled together by a big tree, sitting by the edge of a huge bluff.  It was only by God's grace that we didn't fall off of it!  Sometimes, in my walk with God, I tend to wander off of the path and lose my direction.  When I do, I try to remember the lesson I learned when I was only 6 years old.  Stop Hollering and complaining about where I am, how I got there or how I am going to get out!  If I will just listen for that faint voice (God) in the distance, quietly calling to me, I will hear the direction I need to go!

What is it in our nature that makes us not want something until we can't have it?  I can go all day without drinking a glass of water, but the minute you tell me there is no water, I get so thirsty I can hardly stand it - or I might go for days without eating anything sweet, but you bring up the phrase, "cut back on sweets" or "try to drop a few pounds" and I get this sudden urge for a big chocolate shake!!! That battle is nothing new - it has been here since Adam and Eve.  They only had one rule: Do not eat of the one tree.  But that is exactly what they wound up doing. I have noticed with my grandchildren - if I say,"Don't touch that, it's hot!:  The first thing they do is reach to see if it is really hot.  Sometimes, I am better off not to say anything at all than to point it out.  Some of us choose to learn by others' experiences (a good thing)  Then there are those of us who must learn for themselves (also a good thing) At first I thought it is much smarter to learn by others' mistakes - and there is truth to that, but we need to be careful not to put down those who seem to always have to learn for themselves.  (He always has to touch that stove that you said don't touch)  Because he's thinking you might not be right.  The good thing about being a person who has to find out for yourself is when it comes to getting to know God, you will not go so much on other people's experiences, but you will choose to find out for yourself - Have your own relationship with God- not one based on others' experiences and honestly, lessons learned from first hand experiences tend to be lessons learned for a lifetime!!!

In the beginning, God created! And He saw that what He created was good!  He was pleased!  Have you ever noticed how good it makes you feel to create something and see that it is good?  We all were designed to create things with our imagination just as God did - but we don't all enjoy creating the same things.  Some like to create new recipes, some new businesses, some write songs, some landscape, some paint, some create great homes for their families!  Whatever gift that was placed in you when God created you, you will want to manifest in the physical world.  How awesome is that?  Sometimes we get confused about what God created in us.  Sometimes, we mistake the influences around us that have affected who we are as something God created us to be.  Wrong!  For instance, we may have been mistreated growing up, causing us to be aggressive and demanding, yet rather than deal with the outside influences that altered the way God created us, we tend to use the excuse, "God made me this way."  You can guarantee that if you left good food out of the refrigerator for very long, it would be altered by outside influences!  They same goes for the spiritual you!  If you want to preserve the the gift that God created in you, don't be influenced by the physical things of this world - You have to preserve your gift with the word of God! The word will preserve the beauty that God created in you - enabling you to reproduce that same beauty!  Even thought the word has not been approved by the FDA, I can guarantee it is the safest and ONLY sure way to preserve the good God created in you! My question this week is, "What have you been creating?"  I think it is time we all stirred up that gift that God put inside us and start creating something good!!!

Where are those keys? I just had them a minute ago!  I know I put them in here!!!  How many times have I been through this same scenerio - Digging in my purse going through all the stuff that I MIGHT need SOMEDAY?  I do this at least 3 times a day!  If I am in a hurry, I get frustrated and begin to lose it! This is something I don't need in my life - something easily corrected!  If I would simply dump everything out and only put back in those things that need to be there, life would be much simpler!!!  But no, when I go to putting things back in, I tend to keep even things that I might need someday (maybe one time a year). Even worse -the next time I go to buy a purse, I get an even bigger one that holds more stuff - making even more stuff to sift through.  This is what God has to go through everytime He tries to talk to me.  He has to sift through all the junk I am carrying around - just to get a little word in.   No more!!! I am emptying the purse, getting a smaller one and only taking with me what God tells me to!  Everything is going to be in its place so when He talks to me - I can hear Him! At least that is my mission this week!!! 

Did you ever wake up and just be so overwhelmed with everything that you just didn't want to do anything at all? You have so many things in your bag of duties for the day that you can't do any of them right.  Before you know it, you are stressed to the limit (especially if you are a perfectionist and think EVERYTHING you do HAS to be perfect)! Recently, I let myself slip into this funk.  I was cranky and out of sorts with everyone - EVEN GOD! I remember asking God, "Didn't you say that You would not give me more than I could carry?"  "I can't do all this!" When I finished having my tantrum, I heard Him speak so softly to my heart, "Did I put all that in your bag?" No, He didn't.  Most of the things that were taking my time were things I had put in there on my own!  God is not concerned with the amount of things we do - only that we do the things He needs us to do! My grandkids love to help me carry in the groceries.  I never give them the bags that are too heavey for them to carry and neither does God give us things that are too much for us! Most of the things I had busied myself with were things that were really not productive.  They were only taking up my time - keeping me too busy to hear what God really needed me to do. Did you ever notice how kids love to play with dead things (bugs, stagnant water, etc.)? Dead things carry bacteria! When we let them mess with these things, they run the risk of becoming ill. When I find myself doing (playing with) all these unproductive (dead) things that God did not give me to do, I run the risk of becoming physically, mentally or emotionally infected!  Just a little encouragement - What have you been carrying around in your bag? Begin to sort through it and remove those things that God did not put there!!! Stay Healthy!    Life will be so much better for you and everyone around you!!!!