August 25, 2014.... Stand in Obedience...Apart From the World

1 Peter 4:4

They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.

Changes......Radical Changes.

I used to LOVE Halloween.  Loved it.  Taellor and Devon have memories I am sure of incredible Halloweens... We would all dress up, decorate the house, incredible Halloween parties..once did a Haunted House... LOVED it.  I also had a friend during this time who chose not to participate in Halloween....and oh the grief that I gave her.  "Really? Really? Just think what he is missing?  It is just fun!  Don't dress him up in scary costumes...just bring him." 

And then, my life changed.  I had such an incredible thirst for God's word...and read and read and read.  When I got to Deuteronomy 18:10-12 says this, “ Let no one be found among you who…practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord…”  I had to pause.....

I had an incident with a Ouija Board as a young girl that was pivotal in my thinking....as it was the dear friend I was with.  I had an experience that would forever change my view of horror movies and "senseless and fun" activities... 

Many years after I accepted Christ as my Savior, I answered God's call to go on an evangelistic team to an area of Nicaragua that is steeped greatly in dark magic and voodoo...and found myself again face to face literally with evil.  Face to face with evil..yet, a witness to God's provisions every step up the way beginning six months prior to the trip.  God is faithful.  Truly life changing....eye opening...and solidified my faith in our Father.

I returned from that trip understanding what I already knew to be true...that evil...no matter how pretty, no matter how dressed up or vogue...is evil.  It is.  And to partake in any of it...was wrong.  And, oh the grief that I caught...from our kids (We've always done it before! Why not now?" to our friends "What's the big deal? Do Trunk and Treat...it is church sponsored." ....and I caved.....until I met a real witch.  Yes, real witch.  Do you tell your children that they are fantasy?  Made up?  Very much alive and well....    And then I knew in my heart of hearts that I had to answer for my own obedience....and as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.  Now I live in a country where they think it is absolutely crazy that we would celebrate halloween..we would dress up as devils, witches and ghosts....

When we make changes, what the world considers "radical" changes, we will be messed with...we will.  Be ready.  And the opposition can be fierce...your changes may force them to reevaluate their lives..and that isn't always welcomed.  Be obedient..but be obedient humbly....walk with assurance....yet, walk softly.  Life isn't about a popularity contest.... Odds are there may be more that dislike you than truly like you....and as the end draws near...this will become even more apparent...so stand ready, armed with God's word...obedient in every step. (By the way, I have since apologized profusely to my sweet friend over the halloween incident!)

August 24, 2014...... Where Does God Rank?

1 Peter 4:3-4

For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do-living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.

Debauchery is defined as extreme indulgence or decadence for pleasure of the senses.

Lust is defined as a strong sexual desire, or a strong desire for something

Drunkenness is defined as to be delirious with or as if with strong drink; intoxicated.

Orgies is defined as any actions or proceedings marked by unbridled indulgence of passions.

Carousing is defined as to engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking.

Idolatry is defined as the worship of an object as a god.

God is telling us again....to live different. Live different from the world...live different from how we used to be prior to being Christians. In each of these, it seems to me that the common factor is extremeness that does not have a Godly focus. Extreme indulgence, extreme desire, extreme intoxication, extreme indulgence of passions, extreme merrymaking.....and worship of something other than the one true God.

I am very much an extremist...if I am not careful. My friends who know me well...know this. Whether it be Martial Arts, Yoga, Running, Reading, Working, Studying...you name it.... I can completely, completely overindulge. Some might call it just being an overachiever....but I have come to realize that for me...it is wrong. There is nothing wrong with any of those activities....until I let it go to the level past what is considered normal or "balanced". What is interesting...is that in this world, I can overindulge in any of these activities and be praised greatly....but when I "overindulge" into my relationship with Christ..I am quickly labeled as radical or cautioned about "crossing the line"....
Through my journey with Christ, I have learned that satan can take a good thing...a good activity, a good "project" and with my tendencies to overindulge can quickly use it as a way to pull me from God...pull me from my family...pull me from my real purposes in life. Just like Eve and fruit....if I am not careful, I will fall for it every time....every time. Tae was good with where she focused her time and talents. She "schooled" me constantly when I would start to veer.... I remember even after we had moved here to Nicaragua an opportunity presented itself for her to possibly dance here.... It would call for her to be disciplined again in the dance world, spending hours in the studio...but think of the possibilities that she could possibly minister too.... Very quickly, she closed that door...knowing full well where God intended her to be..where she had been called to minister to...not looking left or right but straight on into the journey God had laid before her...specifically for her.

I think many times when we read this verse in 1 Peter, we quickly glance through it dismissing it....if we drink, we don't drink to excess...or maybe we don't drink at all....married with no extramarital affairs and we don't worship statues...so we are fine. But when we look closer, we might not be so easily dismissed....If we aren't careful, we live lives of extremes... Where do we spend most of our time? Work? What about our time after work? How much time does God truly get in our lives? If someone else observed our lives for a week, a month, a year, how would they rank what we place of importance on in our lives? Where would God rank? Do we truly place Him first?

What can we do different tomorrow that will demonstrate not just to the world but to ourselves that He is the Lord of our life?

July 29, 2014.... Choose Different

1 Peter 2:11-12

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.

Live in such a way that we bring glory and honor to our Creator.... Every day....in every circumstance....and this will be foreign to this world.

The book of 1 Peter tells us how, as Christians we are to be in this world so that others might know Him....how we are to respond, how we carry ourselves...because of whose we are...we are to choose to be different in order to glorify our Father.

When we are betrayed, ridiculed, slandered or worse, our response is the only thing we can control...and God tells us to live such good lives that those who are our critiques will take notice and will glorify God. Yet, the world we live in will tell us that we must stand up for ourselves or we will loose all respect, that we must defend our honor, we must defend our character....but this has never been about us.... It is Him that we are to glorify not ourselves....not our honor, not our character but His....and He will be glorified in our responses...or not.

The battle that rages against souls tries to poke and prod us...looking for weakness in our amor.. Is it our pride that is weak? Is it our feelings? What can satan provoke within us that will cause us to choose to respond in a manner that reflects this world...and not our Heavenly Father.

If we can choose to respond differently to this evilness (and it is all evil) and respond as children of God, then literally there will be a pause in the interaction. The fire of destruction will be weakened as we choose not to add fuel to a fire created by satan. I believe when we can truly see that it isn't flesh and blood that we battle against but rather the evil of this world....then instead of taking Light from the darkness....we start shining Light in a dark world.

I know that Jesus was angry in the temple...but what caused His anger? Defilement of His Father's house... People that were supposed to be taking care of His Father's people, actually taking advantage of them....and this brought out the wrath of Christ..... Jesus was provoked beyond our imagination....betrayed at the greatest level, mocked, slandered and, yet, when He did not allow satan to provoke a worldly response out of Him.... Maybe if He would have, they world would have accepted Him better..."oh, wait, he is one of us.." But no, it was never about Christ either but the one who sent Him.

We can choose to respond however we wish...and we will find those in this world who will praise our actions... It is your choice. Your actions. But for those who are children of Our Father, we have been called to live as strangers to this world...we have been called to glorify our Father with our actions....all of them.

This beautiful painting complete depicts what we believe was Tae's heavenly encounter while in this earth.... He's closer than we imagine.... Let's live worthy to be called His.

July 30, 2014... Be the Peacemakers...

1 Peter 2:13-15

Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.

As Christians, as children of God, we are to be model citizens......not only following the laws of our government but using our words to support those who govern us. God isn't surprised by anything....therefore, those in authority have been placed there by His consent.... Good or bad persons of authority, we are to obey the laws of our land without commentary tearing them down. By doing this..doing good...we can silence the words of those who are foolish.

I have learned that it is so much more effective to disagree with someone and respectfully work alongside them, supporting the common cause and refraining from judgement. In my younger days, I felt it was more about principle.....we all had to know where each other stood as those boundaries had to be evident for all to see....that wasn't Christ-like at all. Without words, everyone that you encounter should know whose you are and where you stand. By your actions, by your chosen responses, they should know....and you will either silence ignorant talk or you will be part of that ignorant talk.

Christ walked among many different kinds of people. He was under the authority of rulers that were not believers....yet, there was never a question as to Whom He ultimately answered to.... By His actions, every day....everyone knew.

We are under the rule and authority of those that are not believers. My family is under the authority and rulings of those that..., well, let's just say are not followers. Yet, to raise words against them... to refuse to follow their authority...would cause us to loose our ability to be effective missionaries in this country. Be respectful, be the peacemakers....live in such a way that even those who criticize us, as children of God, in their time of need will seek us out asking for prayer to our Father....asking for guidance. Will they seek an ask if they know beforehand that they will have to walk through hatred? No, but if they know they will encounter love....respect for their held position, they will seek us out and then they will listen.

There is no question that we serve God first....that He is our ultimate authority.....but He has called us to choose to live in such a way that we draw others to Him. Not all of our leaders will be Christian....we will probably come to a place in history where they will be in the minority....some of our sisters and brothers already live like this... So how are we to respond? According to our early scriptures, we are to rid ourselves of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander...all. This includes our elected and appointed officials..... Be the peacemakers.

July 31, 2014... The Greatest Freedom

1 Peter 2:16-17

Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

There is freedom found in Christ. True freedom. Many people will look at Christianity and see rules, dos and donts.....judgement. But they have been blinded to the Truth....

Christ's word is constant....today, tomorrow,...the same. While I am being tempted by satan, when I fall to his temptation and sin to the moment when you repent....He does not change..... It was, it is, it will forever be. However, this world is not. Satan is not. When we are being tempted by satan, he will masquerade as light, as goodness, as freedom. When we succumb to sin.... When we act and it brings shame to our Creator, satan rejoices for himself but as for us....he condemns us, he ridicules, he reminds us how weak we are, how unworthy, how disappointing we must be.... his words are not constant... They aren't truth and they will change however they need to in order to bring sin upon this world........passive aggressive at its finest.

I have many times seen the destruction of abortion. We all know where God stands on the issue... But satan will tell you that it is your body, your right, your freedom...... Until the moment that it is too late, and in the dark of the night, he condemns....his message changes.... Time and time again, I've held women in my arms crying because of the lies that were woven that cost their child's life....and the people and friends that initially supported them in their "rightful" decision are gone....and they are alone.

The same with prositution, affairs, "having it all in this world".... And the list goes on and on....

So when we completely turn our lives over to Christ and become a willing vessel for Him to fill....we start living in Truth.... On a foundation that is secure... The message is what it is....no matter what our response has been...it does not change.

And in this, we find the greatest freedom. No longer are we shackled by the bondages of this world whose lies try to entrap us but rather live according to our Father's desires...... The desires in which we were created to live.

Taken the day after Tae's Funeral in Nicaragua... We are still standing....

August 1, 2014 Seek Christ.....

1 Peter 2 18-21

Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps.

Christ left us an example.

It is a joke around my house that before I embark on any "new" activity or experience, I read everything I can find on the topic. I have owned so many "self-help" books....that it is almost embarrassing. Good books. Recommended books. Books of the New York Times best seller list..... Several years ago, I decided to train for an adventure race and needed to start running for the first time. I read for two months before I ever laced up my running shoes....

I have done the same thing with my walk in faith. I have read books on how to pray, how to be a better Christian wife, how to raise my children, how to have a better Christian marriage..... Praying for the "10 practical steps" that I can do in order to do this right. Give me a checklist. I would meet amazingly Godly people and either try to emulate their lives or try to figure out what it was....what they did that made them different in this journey with Christ.

And one day, God led me again to the story about the rich young ruler....and I saw it in a different light. Here was a man that truly
wanted to follow Christ, had followed the "list" and yet still wasn't quite there.....and he knew it. He knew it. Just as we know when we aren't where we are to be.... And he asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. And this is where I always in the past had focused on him not being able to give up his riches to follow Christ..... Instead of fully focusing on what came before..... He knew and he had obeyed all of the commandments that Christ listed and he still only called him "Good Teacher" not Lord...not Savior. In spite of following the rules and extremely practical advice, he still was not a follower of Christ.

So what was it that he was missing? It wasn't only because he was wealthy because other wealthy people didn't have to give up their riches...

What God showed me that day was that it wasn't about a list, a method, a best way.....it was about an only way. Him. Christ is our example. He is who we follow. Books are great and I LOVE to read......but we need to be sure it is Him we are seeking and not just seeking. I tell my students who are studying for tests not to spend so much time preparing to study and organizing what they are going to study that they run out of time for studying for the test itself! Let's be careful and not spend too much of our time preparing, organizing and trying to find the perfect devotional, Bible....that when our time is finished here......we have yet to actually have a relationship with Him.

It is Jesus. Quite simple. We try to make it harder than it is.... He is the example. Not your pastor, not your mentor, not me.....not Taellor. To try to emulate others lives would result in trying to live a life planned by God....but a life that is not your own. Seek Christ..... Follow Him....and be prepared to experience a life that is literally not of this world.

August 2, 2014 He's There...Always

1 Peter 2:22-23

"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth."

When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He trusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

How do you face suffering? As children of God, we may face suffering because we have sinned, because of consequences of our own actions or simply because we are living in a fallen world. Christ lived His life here without sin......therefore, the suffering that was brought upon Him was the result of a fallen world. He left us the greatest example of how to suffer......especially during times when it isn't our fault.

Within each of us it seems, there is the need to justify ourselves. From the time we are kids on a playground, insults are hurled freely back and forth to clarify who we really are.... Lies are spread that ruin reputations, deceit regarding well- lived lives start to take root....and satan has succeeded in creating havoc. Havoc that does not lend itself to well to the nurturing of our souls but rather the destruction of them and those around us.

Jesus has left us a living example to face suffering with patience, compassion and confidence.....knowing full well Who is in control..... He knew, I mean really knew and trusted, who really held His future....God. So when suffering came His way, He didn't try to talk His way out of it, He didn't meet their accusation with equal hatred.....He didn't call down a legions of angels to save Him....He walked in obedience.

Not everyone will like us. In fact, most probably will not. Live a life set apart from this world and you will suffer for His name..... You will. Choose to make decisions that glorify Him and you will find that the world will distance itself from you....and for some, that's a scary thing. But realize, as you are being treated different, as lies or slander is being hurled your way.....as you choose to walk a different path....they will be watching. They will watch your reaction, they will watch your response.....just as Jesus was watched. And what they see from you will either pull them towards Christ or will assist satan in pulling them away.

Tae's death has been the most difficult circumstance on this earth that we have had to face. When we lost Tae, I imagined Mary, Jesus' mother, I imagined Abraham instructed to take Isaac to the mountain as a sacrifice, I imagined Job as all of his boys and girls were gone in an instant,..... For the first time, I knew, really knew, their pain. I could feel it...the breathlessness of suddenness, the heartbreak of finality, the emptiness of a parent's arms......and.yet, there was something else....the thing that empowers the ability to carry on.......obedience in knowing in the core of their being who was really in charge. Their faith was unmovable, unwavering.......more than words in a song that they had sung, a good sermon they once listened to or words in a Bible that they owned. Their faith was a faith that was interwoven into their very being.....

We must strive daily to have that faith....I believe that it is achieved by continual daily communion with our Father.....just like Abraham, Moses, Noah, Sarah......Jesus. Scheduled quiet times are wonderful but I believe the intent is that it is to be carried on into the rest of your day. You don't have to "go before the Father" when you've been walking and talking with Him all day. So when insults, slander, deceit, lies and hurt feelings come our way, we have been continual bathed in His thoughts, His desires and we respond in a manner that glorifies our Father....instead of the fleeting satisfaction of knowing that we got the last word.

Today, talk to Him as you go about your day. It may seem strange at first but it will become second nature.. Sometimes we live our lives thinking He is so far away, when really it is us who have chosen not to include Him in our every moment......free will. He won't push Himself on you. He's already there.

Tae's Annie.....Best Friends....

I've put off writing this post because I haven't known what to say.....somethings transcend words....and this most certainly does. A friendship that deepened into sisters.... I had prayed for years that God would send "that" friend for Tae......and God send us Annie....someone as passionate as my Tae, whimsical and pure.....

Tae was so excited to share her life in Nicaragua with Annie...so excited. I was able to watch the two of you serve together...literally glowing with the love of Christ. I am so grateful that God granted that last request here on this earth for Tae.....

Annie, from the musical Wicked.....our Tae was a better Tae because of you.....

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes the sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good
(Elphaba):
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...
Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
(Glinda):
Because I knew you
(Both):
I have been changed for good

Love you, dear one....to the moon and back and forth.
Annie Fritsch

 

August 3, 2014.... I Am Not Lost in This World

1 Peter 2:24-25

He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

The Overseer of my soul. He's our Comforter, the Great I Am, my Protector, my Shield, the Great Physician, the way the truth and the light.....and the list could go on and on..... And the Overseer of my soul.

As we make our way through today, the Sabbath....let us pause and reflect on the Overseer of our souls. That means that whatever happens in the here and now....whether I encounter trials, pain or success, I can rest assured that my soul is guarded and protected by the Almighty.

My mother gave me a special diamond ring when Taellor was born. Beautiful ring that I wore constantly....until the day when the stone fell out of the setting. Distraught, Travis and I looked for hours in the place that I knew where I had lost it....until I finally came to the reality that it was forever lost to me. About four months later, mom was diagnosed with cancer. While I was sitting by her bedside in MD Anderson, Mom reached over and asked about the ring she had never seen me without....not wanting to upset her or.....endure the wrath of my mother:).... I told her it was home since I didn't want to risk loosing it. (Or a portion of it was anyway). After Mom passed away, I had decided to make some major changes in our life....as God directed, I obeyed.....however, one morning I woke up and worldly thoughts filled my head. As I walked into the kitchen, I noticed something shining in our utility room floor. As I got closer, I realized it was the stone that had been lost over a year prior.....at a completely different location.....sitting smack dab in the middle of the utility room door right over the path that I would walk that morning.

Now, I ask that you trust that we did sweep and mop those floors over that year's time! As I reveled in His incredible power...... I found myself for probably the first time catching a glimpse at just how much He cares. In light of this world, that stone means very little. In light of my soul, it means even less. But in my heart, that stone is absolutely precious and He knew that. I felt like He was saying......"See what I can do. I've got this......with the most loving kindness imaginable, I've got this."

As Overseer of my soul, I know He's "got me" right in the palm of His hand......just as He had Tae when her time here was completed. This means as we strive to be obedient to our Father and follow His path in this life we can rest knowing that that the Almighty is our Shephard.....and as His sheep we will not be lost in this world no matter how desperate times might seem...... Rest assured the Great Shepherd that Oversees our souls is a constant in this world of chaos and darkness....

— with Taellor Stearns.

August 7, 2104....Submissiveness

1 Peter 3:1-2

Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any I them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives when they see purity and reverence of your lives.

We either believe all of it or none of it.

Of my entire Christian journey.....submissiveness to my husband has been the most difficult. It was never my intent growing up to marry or have children....my dreams included a life of independence and freedom not a home and family....but God changed that. He introduced me to someone who made me more than who I am, who taught me, challenged me and who I knew the first time I saw him.....that this is who I would marry. Crazy, yes. We married young....18 and 19...and against the odds started building a life together.

After the first seven years, I realized that both of our perceptions were totally different. He grew up with a single mom who kept an immaculately clean house and I grew up with my and dad married and a dad that could literally fix anything.....and neither of us could live up to the ideal of marriage to the other. Marriage was wonderful until the other person couldn't live up to our expectations. He wanted a perfectly cleaned house but didn't want a part in making that happen and I expected him to be able to fix any repair needed whether it be car, washing machine, etc...and then we started to go to church and I started hearing that I was to be submissive....seriously! Or my favorite...subservient. Thankfully, our God is patient.

I can be very strong-willed and as I would study God's word this would be a part I would easily glean over....a part I would omit, refuse to look at....couldn't do. But God seems to work on us in layers....in increments at a time....and slowly I came to realize that this portion of His word was just as relevant as any of His word......and I had to trust Him.

I came to realize that God made me strong for a reason.....to walk with confidence in the brothels, to look evil in its evilest and not flinch, to bury one of my greatest treasures on this earth....and be ok. But He did not make me strong to be strong in my marriage....instead He gave me a place of refuge here on earth that can be found in my own husband's arms. A place where I can just be....and he will protect me.

Satan has created strife within our marriages especially those of the church. The footholds we give him are footholds made of pride....and I'm afraid, as women, we are the worst. We either trust God with it all or none of it...... I saw as I began to let go and trust.... My Travis flourished in ways I had only dreamed.....but even if he hadn't, my part in this was to be obedient to God...and through that, I find freedom. Too many times, I believe we wait for the other person to change first and then we will change. So we continue in a cycle of dysfunction that must make satan proud. But as women of God, we have been told to be different from the world, to first be submissive so that they might see.....

Let it begin with us. I'm almost ashamed to admit that years ago, I started "The Love Dare" five times and couldn't get through the first week.... Then, I thought it was Trav's fault....now I know it was my own. Love...above all else love.

August 8, 2014... Amazing Grace, Amazing Beauty

1 Peter 3:3-4

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

We live now in a country where there is never enough....when food is handed out, when supplies are distributed...if you do not fight to the front of the line....you will not get...you will not receive....and, yet, God's tells us here to have a gentle and quiet spirit. As women, we are to have a gentle and quiet spirit...this goes against everything that this world will teach us.

In order to be loved, you must be skinnier. In order to be respected, you must stand your ground. In order to be happy, you must have the latest fashions. In order to provide the best for your children, the must have the latest fads. In order to be worthy, we must be beautiful. In order to be, we must have...and so we continue trying to have it all...trying to get to the next step only to realize that this is not what we really aspired to have but the next one...so we sacrifice ourselves again, we sacrifice our families, we sacrifice all the while telling ourselves that once we get to the next step...we can just be. We justify a life of whirlwind craziness....and the world encourages it.

And we can continue on...all the while watching as we and those around us spiral out of control. Or...we can live set apart. We can say "no" to the world and follow Him and Him alone. I remember those "people", don't you? I remember seeing kids when I was in school that were "different" that lived set apart...and unfortunately, I looked as the world looked and saw what satan wanted me to see. They didn't fit into the world. They chose at all costs to honor the Sabbath. They lived as God has asked us to live...and they were ridiculed, ostracized, called crazy....and, yet, they were walking as God has called us to walk. I have had to go back and apologize to my fair share of Christians, whom in my past, I thought their lives were crazy....and the interesting thing was, they didn't care what I had thought...because they were living only for their worth in God's sight!

How shocking was that to me that they did not care what we had all thought...they didn't care that the world didn't embrace them....They knew Who they were serving and it wasn't me and it wasn't the world....and they did it in the most humble, God-fearing manner. They were not the Christians that were on display but rather those who quietly served as He called.

My desires of this world have changed so dramatically....and, I pray that God continues, as He promises, the work that He has started in me. I don't want it all....I only want to live worthy of Him....and that means a radical change from who the world would encourage me to be. It means my having an inner circle of real believers that I can rely on finding Truth...even when sometimes there are no words. It means being different...and being okay with that..., yet, remaining humble and recognizing that what is being done through me is done by Him. It means not holding tightly to anything....but my Father in Heaven...and being okay with that.

Be different today. Let's look inside of who we are and find where we follow the world...where we are not gentle and quiet. I have found that there are some places in my world that I literally can not be gentle and quiet...not yet, anyways...and God has given me the freedom to step aside and wait while He continues to mature me... So grateful, that He is a God of patience...of amazing grace.

Tribute to Tae..........

Tribute to Tae....including me talking at the Pursuit regarding Tae's Death


This is an incredible tribute to Taellor.... Taped during her Celebration of Life in Springfield.  We never expected this....any of this to happen.. Yet, when her time came...God was faithful. It was our desire to share God's story with everyone about his faithfulness......  This was taped about a week after her passing....

August 9, 21014.....Wisdom With Our Words

1 Peter 3:5-6

For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

Wisdom with our words.

As women of God, we are called to be wise, to be submissive to our husbands....even with our words. Our words that we use towards our husbands, our words that we use describing our husbands to our children, our families, our friends......our own hearts.

It is easy in this world....to fall into being martyrs...to feel sorry for ourselves and to be submissive outwardly but use our friends as people who can commiserate with us regarding our "lot" in life. Maybe he isn't romantic enough, maybe he isn't as handsome as he once was.....maybe he doesn't listen, doesn't care, doesn't notice and the list goes on and on.....

Or maybe on the outside we pretend that all is perfect, but behind closed doors we meet him with icy stares, cold words and mean hearts...... Thinking what? That this will make it even? God calls us to be submissive.....completely.

Acts of obedience. Period. Different from the world. The world will tell us the grass is greener on the other side.....yet, the same dirt is under the grass on the other side. The deeper we go in any relationship, we will find that everyone....everyone has flaws.

Early on in our marriage, I hate to say that my first response was to leave...... I would get angry and instead of talking it out I would have the desire to walk.... Thankfully, God gave me a husband who had lives a childhood that saw leaving as the solution....and when he married me, he married for life.

My advice to all couples who are planning to get married is that it is hard work.... There will be days when you won't want to love the person beside you but with God's provision.....you will. You will choose to be obedient if anything to the vows you made before God. Satan wants nothing better than to destroy what God has put together......we have the power not to let him...... I know, not politically correct these days..... But, but, but..we believe all or none of it.

Now, I am still very much a work in progress..... I couldn't call my Travis "Master" without sounding extremely sarcastic and self-serving..but I try in my actions daily to treat him with reverence..... for he, too, is a child of God.

23 years later........I love him more..... I look back and see the storms we weathered and the faithfulness of our Father.

August 10, 2014....Love, Simple, Pure..Untainted Love.

1 Peter 3:7

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

And this is how it is supposed to work.....on both sides there is to be reverence for each other.... Respect, love, trust, dignity.

And this is how in my mind I was able to reconcile the whole submissive text. As a world, we have once again taken words that were meant to create good, harmony.... A heavenly partnership that results in the greatest team imaginable..... and by a world tainted by evil, these words have been used to oppress, place women in bondage, beat, damage, subdue and control......sometimes even in the name of God. Oh my.....and no wonder our relationships are where they are....no wonder instead of loving those that have been given to us....we often times fear complete trust. No wonder our closest relationships may not be with our own mates but rather those on the outside.

Men. In the same way. In the same way. There is no part in that which suggests she should walk behind you, that she is your property, that you are her "master"... Sarah call Abraham "Master" out of reverence that was earned....not demanded.....out of obedience to Her Father in Heaven not because it was demanded from her husband.....And, my friends, there is a big difference.

As part of the weaker sex thing... Took me a long while to accept but for the most part, men are physically stronger than women, yes? Physically, they are. There are some men (even my own husband) that I can (and have) gone "toe- to- toe" with.... I used to do a few martial arts tournaments, and at times would be placed to fight in the men's division. I loved it. Loved the rawness, loved the no drama, no fluff....just game on. Even was placed against my Travis, and won. Did it mean I was stronger than him? Not at all.....quicker, more agile, more experienced, maybe. But not stronger. Does it mean as a woman I am less? No.... Again, we have taken words and allowed satan to have a field day in manipulating their intent.....

The greatest partnerships, I believe are those that look past the worldly ideas and place full-focus on Christ.... Pure focus that results in such a heavenly relationship that the world will take notice and ask how? As men choose to honor their wives with the purest of hearts selfishly loving them in a manner that builds them up to their greatest potential....God will reward. But for those who have bought into the "worldly design" of using God's words for their own personal pleasure and gain......He tells u here why your prayers aren't being answered.

Love..Simple, pure, untainted love.

August 11, 2014..... Let's Love.

1 Peter 3:8

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

He tells us once again....to just play nice with one another. We beat each other up so well....that it has become almost second nature so that when someone actually is nice to you.....we question their motives.

I try to imagine a place where everyone is just kind....not just on the outside but on the inside, too. No stray thoughts, no unkind looks.....just loving kindness.....hence the inability to completely comprehend heaven.

I have learned here that a simple smile disarms much. Often times, I have encountered intimidating people, especially men....and a smile....me first.....changes every thing. Then they aren't ao scary.....and neither am I. It doesn't come easy to make the first step and there may be times that you might be ignored or laughed at....as adults even, yes? But the times when you break down that " false" barrier between two people to allow precious fellowship, how powerful.

Satan's wants us to be everything opposite of what God desires.... Be proud. You deserved it. Your kids deserves it. Don't call to check on them.....they didn't check on you when you were sick. Don't give him money for who knows what he might do. Let him sleep on the couch tonight for that's what he deserves......and in the process of trying to protect what is ours......we loose it all.

Will you be taken advantage of? It might seem....but possibly it is one step in the journey God has for you. I've had relationships in the past....that were drainers of my energy and time...literally drained and drained and they just kept coming....until one day I realized it wasn't them I was trying help as much as me trying to be the helper....there's a difference.

Let's love......

August 12, 2014... Be on guard....be ready...be different.

1 Peter 3:9

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing. Because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

I love that these words were written by Peter.... I wonder if he laughed at himself a bit as he wrote this.....or did he grimace with remembrance of the times when he quickly repaid evil with evil? Remember when the soldiers came to take Jesus and Peter quickly drew his sword and cut off the soldier's ear.....and just as quickly Jesus fixed it. Peter.....are you not listening? Have you not seen? Be kind. Don't be evil, too.

One of the best books of forgiveness I have ever read was regarding the Amish when a gunman entered their school and killed some of their own......and before the sun had set they were at the door of the gunman's house giving their forgiveness......refusing to play into the evil at hand. Choosing to respond differently.

This is large-scale forgiveness, right? But what about the car that cuts us off in traffic? I know people who are little different people behind the wheel of a car.....actions and behaviors they would never do so face to face....insult to insult. Or what about how we talk to our children, our husbands/wives?

Like Peter, the Holy Spirit has had a lot to work on with me..... Is evil in response ever justifiable? An insult either thought or spoken ever warranted? The world will say absolutely......but Christ calls us differently.

And those who are not believers, why should we be surprised when they act with evil or insult us? They have not been called to live set apart....but as God's children....we have. Expect evil acts upon you. Don't be caught surprised. Expect to be insulted. Don't be caught unaware. Be on guard.....be ready.

Be different.

August 13, 2014... God's Will and Not My Own

1 Peter 3:10-12

For "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of The Lord are on the righteous and his ears are at tentative to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

Seek peace and pursue it.

The majority of our Bible studies are held in areas where we have to make purposeful plans on how we conduct the study....our games must be selected purposefully, the craft and snack distribution prepared and purposefully given....all in the name of keeping peace.

Yet, in our own worlds, it seems as if "keeping the peace" means we've ceased to act or that we are accepting less and we should be almost martyred.....but we are told here to seek peace and pursue it. Not just to seek but to pursue

All actions on our part. I find it interesting that the more I delve into God's word......literally putt desires aside and read His word for what it was truly meant to be.... I am reminded once again that the accountability lies directly on our actions. We are to live so that we work to create the peace in our world..... We don't just pray for it, hope for it. As far as it is concerned, we each make it happen. Doesn't matter what he did or said? Doesn't matter that they hurt our feelings once again....how can we strive to make peace?

Sometimes, I think it does mean to set our desires aside. To be able look objectively and say.... God's will and not my own.

Tae's Grave....Still painting hands.....

Still working on the handprints on Tae's grave.... Today marked the beginning of Dios Provee. For VBS, the kids came out and places their handprint on Tae's grave..... I've been amazed at the number of handprint that we have been able to place there! God is giving us room for each and every one.