Wife of Noble Character

I was unable to attend church yesterday due to a horrendous headache, mainly caused by allergies, so after Tylenol made the headache subside, I did a Bible study on my own. My Bible study was titled “To Pray is to Work, To Work is to Pray.” The Scripture Reading was Proverbs 31:10-31 (one of my favorite sections in Proverbs) which is talking about the wife of noble character. Here is the Scripture:




“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hands she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” Proverbs 31:10-31



Back when this was written, this woman knew all about work even though she didn’t have a degree from Yale. She was a woman who feared and respected God and because of her noble efforts she was praised. In today’s world of work, we find that Monday is basically the most difficult day right?!?! We then focus on Fridays….the party days! YEA THE WEEKEND!!!! Well, with this attitude, it has a lot to say about our approaches to work. It is a far cry from “To pray is to work, to work is to pray.” Back in those early days, work was a reflection of worship to God. When people worked, they worked to the Lord and not to the pleasing of man (a boss, a friend, a spouse, etc). “A man can milk cows to the glory of God. It is our own attitude toward work that reflects the joy of the Lord”—Martin Luther. I sure wish everyone could recapture this concept of work. We would take the hardness and stresses of everyday life and give them to God. If we took the normal routines surrounding our work and begin to pray about them, our whole attitude would change for ourselves and others (I think so anyway ). We would no longer yearn for Friday every moment of the week to finally get here. We would see ever day as a Friday.



In my study, Emilie Barnes answers the main question: How do we learn that to pray is to work, and to work is to pray? I am going to quote her answers below:

1. “Each morning when we wake up we thank God for a new day and all that is in it.”

2. “We offer to God in worship all of our energies, creativity, time, and skills.”

3. “We recognize that work done in an attitude of prayer brings excellence, which in turn bears testimony to God.”

4. “We realize that we are obedient to God when we provide for our family and their needs.”

5. “We model to our children that work is good, so that they see us give worship to God for the work he has given us.”

She is spot on. I know a lot of us are not involved in the “workforce”. But as a stay at home mom—I know that that is A LOT of work! We are always busy, but we have a tendency to complain about all the laundry, cleaning, dusting, etc…but aren’t we blessed to be able to stay home with our children and not miss anything!!! Also for all of the homeschooling moms, I know grading is extensive and there is so much to do with teaching our children…but HOW AWESOME IS IT! God has blessed us to teach our children at home with Him as the center of all knowledge! I know everyone has to face hard times with everything we have to do, tons of sweat, back aches; but we can’t forget that how we do our jobs is a reflection upon our worship to Christ. I know that I truly want to wake up every morning with a praise song in my heart and full of eagerness to start my new day and before I go to bed I want to praise God for giving me another day’s work. No matter what we are doing, working in a factory, working at a hospital, business office, patrolling on the streets, or even staying home as a wife and mom, we need to be in continuous prayer while we are working. What we do every minute should be pleasing to the Lord!



Also—when we read the Scripture talking about the wife of Noble Character, most of us women sigh with hopelessness when we read about this woman. She is just too perfect to try to be like. But some people suggest that instead of ONE perfect woman, this tribute to “Super Woman” actually represents the collection of several different women. With that being said, it is kind of a relief right?!?! Okay, that is only one interpretation of the passage, but considering it fills most of us women with hope. We admire this wise wife but in a way we feel more intimidated by all of her abilities. For instance, we compare ourselves to others all the time. For example, you are at a potluck dinner at a friends house. Your friend Rose and you have both made Peanut Butter Cookies. Well…while looking both batches over, you notice that Rose’s cookies are big and soft while yours are hard and flat. Hmmm…another example…There is a science fair and you are supposed to craft the solar system…okay. Well Jennie’s project that her and her mom worked on is seamless and perfect, however Johnny’s project that you and him worked on has glue-gun globs of mess all over. Okay, one more…we stick are feet in our mouth on occasion, but Sally always knows just which words to use (and not use). What I am trying to get at is that we are all far from perfect. The people who we tend to compare ourselves to, are indeed like us, not perfect. We are better at some things like they are better at others. Everyone excels in different things. So whether or not the Proverbs 31 woman is one amazing woman or a combination of several women, we can take heart from the truth that hardly any of us can ever demonstrate all of these qualities at once. But the greatest thing of all is…God doesn’t expect us to. He knows we are far from perfect. He knows we are going to stumble and fall. He knows we are tired and can grumble. But he forgives us and loves us in spite of our faults. The only thing he desires is that we do our best to follow Him and to have a relationship with Him. He loves us in spite of us. He loves us unconditionally! What an Awesome God we have!



Closing with a quote: “It is our best work that He wants, not the dregs of our exhaustion. I think He must prefer quality to quantity.” ~ George MacDonald

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

Interesting...two blogs in one day lol

The kids' Bible class today dealt with Abraham and Issac.  We have touched on them before and expanded on them today.  We were discussing when Abraham went to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son Isaac because that is what God told him to do.  We all know the story...but here is a summary:  Abraham takes Isaac to the top of the mountain, builds an altar, places the wood on the altar, ties Isaac to it, Abraham is about to kill his son, however the Lord stops him, and then provides a ram that is caught in a thicket to be used as the burnt offering instead of Isaac.  The Lord was testing his faith, trust, and fear of the Lord.  And due to Abraham' faithfulness, God provided the solution.  This happens to us daily.  Not really in the same exact way of "sacrificing our children", but in everyday situations.  We are thrown so many challenges that we are like "are you serious", "I can't handle this, etc...however it is God testing our faith, trust, and fear of Him.  It can be little things and it can be huge things.  But Christ is always there to show us that He is ALWAYS there for us and ready to give us a solution if we just trust Him and leave our troubles and stresses at His feet.  How amazing is our God?!?!  We just need to have the faith and trust in our Lord and let him show us the way!  His way!!!  Not our way!!!  I have been having so many struggles lately dealing with a certain few people.  I have been praying for them and the relationship for over a year now, however, nothing seems to be happening, or so I thought.  I was too focused on noticing that nothing was happening on "their" end.  Yet, with prayer, it will happen when they want it to.  With prayer, my end I have noticed that what they say or how they act, doesn't get at me anymore.  It used to just make me upset, mad, and hurt, but not anymore.  Funny thing is, I just realized that prayer answered that part a long time ago.  I overlooked my portion because I was too focused on them.  I am still praying for them daily, and hopefully one day things will change because they are only hurting one person other than themselves...and it is that person that I care about the most.  I am doing my best to show that person that it doesn't matter what is said, to just keep to her morals and values and let everything slide off her back.  I am doing my best to lead her in the way of the Lord and down the narrow path.  That is what I am supposed to do, and I will continue.  And because God has answered that prayer on my half, we have no stresses here or raise our kids with useless gossip.  And our family and home run great because of it!  It is such a blessing to realize when prayer hasn't 100% been answered because it shows you what has been answered and what to look forward to when it is complete!  So we all have to make sacrifices that might seem impossible to do (like in Abraham's case), yet when we trust fully and have faith, God will show us the solution!  The only sacrifice we have to make is letting go of the issues and stresses to Him, and we reap the reward!  The reward being a closer relationship with our Savior and answered prayer!

Til Fingers meet keyboard,
Lauren

What a journey!

Well, I haven't been able to post any blogs lately due to our move into our house :)  Well, now we have internet up and running so we are back in business lol.  My parents have moved into my grandma's house and we now have the house I grew up in to ourselves!  What a blessing it is.  The kid's have their own rooms now and they LOVE IT!!!!!  If you are a friend of mine on facebook, feel free to look at the pics in my mobile upload section.  We are just so blessed and grateful. 

Life is amazing!  I couldn't ask for anything better.  We now have more room to have our family fun times and it is great!  The kids and I have started reading their Left Behind book series (the kid version) and they love it.  We are now on the second book.  And I usually only read three chapters a day, however they beg for me to read more...so I do.  Their thirst for knowledge of Christ is just mind-blowing!  It is such a great thing to watch them read their Bibles, without me telling them it is "Bible Quiet Time".  I have them reading in Psalms and Proverbs.  Starting in January, I will be reading the Bible to them in chronological order in the way the events occurred.  They are excited.  I am just so proud to be raising them in the way of the Lord!  They are little soldiers on earth fighting for Christ!  I am just one proud Mommy!  I am not in any way saying my children are perfect lol...trust me they have their moments of fighting with each other, however, they realize what they did wrong and they apologize.  Then they pray together asking for forgiveness for their wrong actions...HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!?!?!  See... I am blessed!  I love our family more and more every minute.  I am living day by day, not worrying about what tomorrow will bring.  It is the simple life.  I focus on the here and now and cherish every second.  We are not guaranteed a tomorrow.  So why push things off til then?  Tomorrow never comes if you look at it.  You are always living in "today".  Tomorrow is always tomorrow.  Try living in "TODAY".  It might just change your outlook on things...especially when your youngest gets out of bed 40 million times.  Yes it can be frustrating, however, that is 40 million more tuck ins and extra hugs and kisses!  There are positives to every negative :)  Hope everyone has a blessed week.

Til fingers meet keyboard,
Lauren

Yes 2 blogs in one day :)

First of all, I am so blessed to be able to teach my children at home and to watch them excel! They are doing fantastic! We had our first homeschool group day yesterday and it was a blast. The kids have P.E. at TSU from 11-11:45. Let me just say, our group from last year has GROWN! I swear the number has at least doubled from last year! There are so many parents out there that see that it is so much better to homeschool than have their children in public schools. I am not a fan of public schools, however I do not judge parents for having their kids in public schools. I don't teach my children based on the TAKS test. It does not prepare them for college at all! They only learn how to make "the grade" on the TAKS test. Each of my children have books for their designated grade with the subjects of English, Spelling, Math, History, Science, Bible, Literature, and Penmanship. I also give them the TAKS test every year. Funny thing is is that I don't review over "practice tests" of the TAKS, I just give it to them and they pass with flying colors! Another reason I love to homeschool is the main fact that I can teach all about Jesus without being censored! Jesus is in every subject I teach. Christianity is in every subject I teach. So not only am I preparing them for their bright futures of college, I am also giving them the best gift ever, the knowledge of Christ. We do the normal Bible class which teaches about the stories of Israel. We also do a family devotional time. And I just got the order confirmation today that The Left Behind Series for kids has been shipped! That is what we are going to read together as a family before bedtime. So I am just blessed to be able to teach my kids at home...now sorry...got off on a rant that was in left field...so back to where I was....to refresh your memory...Homeschool group. Okay so after P.E., we all have lunch at the park. The moms talk and the kids eat and play. Then the kids have a life skills class that is from 1:15-2:15. The life skills classes will consist of three parts: carpentry, cooking, and sewing. This semester they are doing carpentry and LOVING it. Plus they get to see their friends and play with them and they are the type of friends they need. They too have a love and desire to follow Christ! Who says you can't pick your kids' friends lol...I sure can :) We just love our homeschool group! The moms are amazing and their kids are too! Next year I am thinking of teaching a theater/musical theater class and putting on plays and musicals. I think the kids would love it!








Other than teaching and our homeschool group, I am also running them to their extracurricular activities. Dereck plays junior high football for the Faith Knights! 6 man football! He is number 8 and is doing fantastic! He is nicknamed "The Beast" lol and of course brags about his "battle scars" (aka bruises lol). James and Alyssa are still doing karate. They are yellow belts and they actually teach the newcomers on Tuesdays the blocks and kicks. They are super excited about that! I swear, they can kick some major bootie lol :)







God has answered our prayer and the light is at the end of the tunnel. Grandma is moving into an assisted living at the end of this month and my parents are moving into her house. Which means...we have our house! We are super duper excited! The kids are glad they get their own rooms with their school desks in their room. They are already talking about how they want to decorate! We are just so blessed. And if it wasn't for God, none of this would be possible. I have never been this happy...EVER! I am married to the most amazing man in the world (over 5 1/2 years), have 4 beautiful and happy children, and I get to homeschool them with Jesus as the center. We may not be "rich" in the "world's" eyes with a mansion, new cars, rolling in money, however I am "rich" in my eyes! I live every minute of my life for Jesus and do my best to live His Word, to be the best wife ever, and the be the best mom and teacher I can be! And that is all that Jesus wants from me. I don't care what others think or say, because the only one who matters is HIM! If I make him proud--I have done my job :) Thank You Lord for everything you have blessed us with! Thank You for keeping us strong when the storms roll in! Thank You for everything you have done or us, for what you are doing for us, and for what you will do for us!


To close this blog I am leaving you with Hillsong's Mighty to Save!  What an amazing song!  Please listen to it!

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren


       

The storms in life

No one has ever said "life is easy." Why, because it isn't.  Storms come through our daily life on a continuous cycle.  They may come in sprinkles or as a tornado with torrential floods and hail.  However, that does not determine "our life" as we see it.  Yes, those storms can be minor or severe.  But what matters is how we handle the storms.  Do we build our "shelter" on the sand under a pine tree and watch the storms wash us away time and time again?  Some people do.  However, we refuse to.  We build our "shelter" on the rock under God's umbrella!  No matter how many storms come our way and their severity, we stay together and we conquer because my God is AWESOME!  I have storms dealing with certain people, but I don't let their negativity, anger, or resentment (and plain just meanness) bring me down.  My weapon is praying for them daily.  My prayers haven't been answered yet for them, but in God's time it will happen.  I will remain friendly and Christ like and turn the other cheek and not allow them to make me stumble.  There are also big storms that have hit us.  It is all over the papers now if you read them, Dublin Police Department are getting rid of two officers due to the "budget", Chris being one of them.  (Keep Dublin in your prayers!  It is a rough town.  Chris said it was worse than San Antonio!  There is so much gang activity in Dublin and I pray for the citizens' safety.  Dublin is in no way like it used to be when I went to school there.  And getting rid of 2 officers is just taking the extra security away from the citizens.  They need our prayers!)   Are we letting that get us down?  Heck no!  It is all in God's plan!  God brought him home to us giving him a job at the Dublin Police Department so he can be home with his family.  Answered prayer!  Yes, the door is shutting on September the 29th.  Are we discouraged?  Heck no!  When God closes one door, He opens another.  Will it be today, tomorrow, or next month?  I have no idea, but God will place Chris where he is supposed to be.  Here?  Washington D.C.? Alaska?  Who knows, but we will be where God wants us.  I have no worries or doubt in life because my God provides in every way we need.  Like I said, when these storms hit us, we stay dry.  Trust me, my Savior's umbrella is HUGE!  And there is plenty of room under His umbrella.  You just need to have the faith and let Christ take care of your problems and just build your life on the Rock!  Read your Bible daily, pray daily, have a relationship with Jesus, live the Word, and have all of your faith wrapped up in Christ!  It is the best decision, and the most important decision, you will ever make for yourself and your family.  Without Christ we are nothing. 

"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."  Philippians 4:13

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done."  Philippians 4:6

And to end, I will leave with a quote that I probably will end up misquoting lol...so I am just going to write it the way I want to (or remember it to be lol)

Don't tell God how big your storm is, tell the storm how big and mighty your God is!!!!! 

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

What's new?

Well--tons of things have been going on.  We are just blessed!  We will be getting this house in less than 20 days!  We are all super excited!  Mom and Dad will be moving into my grandma's house.  We have so much in store for this house!!!  The kiddos will now have their own room!  They are stoked!  It is going to be a blast moving everything around and putting it in place.  And when we are all settled, we will be having a family fun weekend with just us and the kids.  We are planning on four-wheeling, train dominoes, karaoke, and our usual wii battles :)  It is going to be GREAT!  Still counting down the days!!  Thank You Lord for blessing us and I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us!

Dereck is playing Junior High 6 man football.  He is on the Faith Knights and he is number 8.  He is doing great at practices and has offically been nicknamed "The Beast"!  His first game is against Happy Hills in Granbury on Saturday!  Alyssa and James are back in karate.  They are still yellow belts and should have a test in a few months to move up.  They are doing excellent too.  My kids are growing up way too fast!  School is going great!  I will be giving Dereck and Alyssa a TAKS test between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Other than that, it is all about doing their subjects with Jesus as a priority!  There is nothing better to teach your children at home with Jesus as the core!  Our Homeschool group is finally back!  P.E. starts tomorrow at TSU and then we will have lunch at the park with the other kids.  Then, James, Alyssa, and Dereck will be doing the life skills classes.  They are so ready!  Chris and I are doing wonderful.  It is so much easier to live day to day life, if you just let Christ take the reigns and just go with the flow!  That is what Chris and I are doing and trust me, it is SOOOO easy and life is a breeze. 

Well--reading time is about over...so I need to close this blog and get to teaching class.  Hope all is well with everyone!  We are a little under the weather, however, we won't let that bring us down!  :)  Have a great day all and remember, put Christ first and all else will fall into place as He wants it!

Til fingers meet keyboard,
Lauren

I Love Living Life. I Am Happy.

WOW! What inspiration! This is a must watch! Mind blowing!

Til fingers meet keyboard,

Lauren

Our Children are the Greatest!

Yes, it is a devotional blog again. I just love my devotionals! Especially this one that I am about to talk about. I am going to type it up as it is written. I do not want to lose any meaning of the devotional. It is found in 15 Minutes of Peace with God by Emilie Barnes. It is titled “Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”






Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:1-6

“At the time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck to be drowned in the depths of the sea.’”



Key Verse: Matthew 18:4

“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”





“Jesus is saying that unbelievers need to humble themselves before the Lord as little children so they can gain salvation. In fact all of us need to humble ourselves until we become as a little child: exhibiting trust, openness, and eagerness to learn. These are the childlike qualities that constitute greatness.



Jesus used children as an illustration of the faith, trust, loyalty, and submission to God which are required in order to become part of His kingdom. The sharing of the gospel to children must be a priority for home and church. All believers have the assignment to model a godly life before the children in their presence and to love them and tell them about the Lord.



The gospel message is to be given to all, and a response is required by all who are old enough to know the difference between right and wrong (‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ Matthew 28: 19-20). Children are very capable of responding to God and can respond to Him in praise, worship, prayer, and thanksgiving.



In this passage Jesus does not tell children to become like adults but tells us adults to become like children. He also gives a very strong warning to those who might bring harm to these little ones. In Matthew 18:6 He states, ‘And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck to be drowned in the depths of the sea.’ That is a very serious statement of consequences, and therefore I want to do all within my power to take it seriously. We are to be teachers and edifiers with the proper instruction for our children.”





We as parents need to know how to pray for our precious children! They need a prayer said for them daily no matter how old or young they are. The Lord hears our prayers and answers them accordingly. I know as a mom, your children mean the most to you. You hurt when they hurt, you are happy when they are happy. Things are going to happen to our children that just break their hearts, we literally want to grab their heart, give it a kiss and band-aid it back together…but we can’t. The best defense we have and even the best offense, is prayer. We just need to know how to pray for them and what to pray for. Well, in a book by Donna Otto, titled The Stay-at-Home Mom, she lists ten ways in which we as parents can pray for our children. She states: “Let’s face it, without prayer anything else you do to influence your children for Jesus is feeble at best.”



Listed below are the ten ways that we can pray for our children, by Donna Otto.



1. Pray that your children will fear the Lord and serve Him. “Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.” Deuteronomy 6:13

2. Pray that your children will know Christ as Savior early in life. “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1

3. Pray that your children will be caught when they’re guilty. “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.” Psalm 119:71

4. Pray that your children will desire the right kind of friends and be protected from the wrong kind. “My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.” Proverbs 1:10 “my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths” Proverbs 1:15

5. Pray that your children will be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers, For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14

6. Pray that your children and their prospective mates will be kept pure until marriage. “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

7. Pray that your children will be teachable and able to take correction. “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.” Proverbs 13:1

8. Pray that your children will learn to submit totally to God and actively resist Satan in all circumstances: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

9. Pray that your children will be hedged in so they cannot find their way to wrong people or wrong places, and that wrong people cannot find their way to your children. “Therefore I will block her path with thorn bushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them.” Hosea 2:6-7a

10. Pray that your children will honor their parents so all will go well with them.



“The only assurance I have of access to my children’s hearts is through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit.” Emilie Barnes





Interesting Note: The Reverend Moses Browne had 12 children. When someone remarked to him, “Sir, you have just as many children as Jacob,” he replied, “Yes, and I have Jacob’s God to provide for them.”



Amen to that note! God provides not only for us but for our children!!! What an amazing God we serve! He is our Rock, our Protector, our Father, our Friend, and the King of Our Heart!



Till Fingers Meet Keyboard,

Lauren

What is the truth?

Doing my morning devotional and it was about a subject that in a round about way, effects us all.  It is titled Golden Idols.  Its passage is Exodus 32:1-33:6.  In summary, it is about Moses being gone on top of the mountain getting the two tablets of the Testimony.  The Israelites were getting very scared and didn't know what happened to Moses.  Thy asked Aaron to make them gods that would go before them.  Aaron told them to take off their gold jewelry and he made a golden calf.  They worshipped it and even made sacrifices to it.  The Lord was angry and sent Moses down to deliver the message of how angry he was.  Moses comes down to see them worshipping it and dancing around it.  He throws the tablets, and basically asks who is serving the real God, and they killed the others (about 3,000 of them dead). 

So, it brings me to my point...I know most people don't go and make themselves a god out of gold, silver, paper and worship it...but do we not have things that come before God?  "If we only had more money, our problems would be solved!"  NOPE!!!  NOT TRUE!  Money is the root of all evil.  It is probably the number one idol that comes between our relationship with the Lord.  From real estate to cosmetic venture, our minds race over all the opportunities that offer the "big" money and the amazing "success" until all all our time and energy is wrapped up with the pursuit of those things.  We, as women, even say "oh I wish my husband was more romantic.  I wish he could be like that guy on the movie who brings flowers, takes me to Tiffanys and buys me more diamonds, oh look he tells her all the time how beautiful she is and that she completes him."  Does any of those sound familiar?  I bet you have watched some of those movies!  We tend to get wrapped up in those "chick flicks" in search of "prince charming" to make up for hat we think our husbands lack.  Yep...that is also an idol.  God brought your mate (my mate) to you (to me) for His reasons and to fulfill His purpose.  He created us right!!  I think He knows better than you and I of who is the best fit for us...the one that will complete us for the rest of our lives.  We even tend to let our "looks" get in our way.  We are embarassed to go out because "I am fat", "I had a bad hair cut", "my face is all broke out", "I have nothing to wear."  The sad thing is, this "thought process" causes some to not even go to church to worship Jesus.  We may not be perfect, but Christ loves us unconditionally. Does He care that you are on the "fluffy" side...NO.  Does he care that you wanted to get layers and a highlight, yet you come home with big bird yellow hair that has a bowl cut....NO.  Does he care that you have zits, OH MY GOSH NO!  Does he care what you wear...No. (just make sure you are naked though :)  he he...had to throw that in ).  He just wants a relationship with you and I.  Not one that you have when it is on your time or when things are going bad.  He wants to have a 24/7 relationship with you that is a never ending relationship through good times and bad.  YES!  He loves us that much.  HE WANTS US FOR WHO WE ARE!  Who can say no to that???

Whether it is a get-rich-quick scheme or a golden calf, the results promised by our "invented gods" will melt under the heat of life (as the golden calf did in Exodus 32:20), leaving us with the truth that only God and a relationship with him can meet our truest needs.  He is all we need. 

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Why do the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’ Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. O house of Israel, trust in the Lord—he is their help and shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord—he is their help and shield. You who fear him, trust in the Lord—he is their help and shield. The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, he will bless those who fear the Lord—small and great alike. May the Lord make you increase, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to man. It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to silence; it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore. Praise the Lord.”
Psalm 115

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

Stuck! Be still!

I know, a very weird title for a blog. Yet, it isn't. I was doing my daily devotional this morning and what a message that God sent me. You know from previous blogs, I tend to write about my devotional. At times, they are meant for me, yet others I feel the need to share because God wants others to hear about it due to someone else's circumstances. I don't really have any special talents that I can use for the Lord. But I have been praying for years for God to show me what talent I have that he wants me to use for Him and His purpose. In the past few weeks, I believe whole-heartedly that He wants to use me as one of His vessels. He wants me to write and speak to others about what he is showing and teaching me. I am beyond blessed and thankful that He has "enlisted" me to help spread the Word and to even reach out to others who are having problems. Thank You Lord for my talent that you have sent me; may I make you proud for the rest of my life here on earth.



My devotional today deals with the passage Exodus 13:17-Exodus 14:31. It is when Pharaoh let the Israelites go. The Lord led them, along with Moses. In a summary, the Israelites became frightened that they were going to die in the desert and that they would have rather served the Egyptians. However, they were told to be still and to trust because God would deliver them and they would never see the Egyptians again. They came to the Red Sea and Moses was told by God to raise his staff and to part the sea. He did! (My input...how amazing would that be to see!!) They had water to the left and right but a dry path to walk on. The Egyptian army followed them, and the Lord told Moses to close the sea. He did, and the Egyptians were dead, not one survived. The Israelites saw what had happened and they feared the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses.

Because I don't want to have any meaning lost from the devotional, I am going to type it word for word and then I will put my two cents in :)


"Moses stands on the edge of the Red Sea with the Israelites bleating like scared sheep while the Egyptians bear down upon them. 'It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!' (Exodus 14:12)
Moses' response to the Israelites is much like God's response to us in the unbelievable moments of our lives when the Red Sea blocks our way and the Egyptians of our day are closing in. 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still' (Exodus 14:13-14).
Who are the Egyptians bearing down on us today? Bills to be paid? Unkind critics? And what is the Red Sea that threatens to hem us in from hope? Unemployment? Illness? Confusion about our personal value?
Where the tendency may be to worry, panic, and run, God tells us that we 'need only to be still.' This day, this minute, stuck between the Egyptians and the Red Sea, we can choose to lay aside panic and instead be still."


Wow! This devotional is all in all mind-blowing! For one, can you imagine being there and seeing the Lord at work with a sea being divided?!?! My mind can't even grasp an idea of how that was or looked to be there! But, what is said in my devotional is without a doubt, 100% true. We have things that hit us and we can't handle it (so we think...because at the time we forget about what God has said about not giving us anything we can't handle), and we PANIC!!!! We STRESS! WE CRY!!! We dwell on the NEGATIVES and forget to focus on the positives. Each and everyone of us have done this. We panic, worry, and forget about our Maker who is in charge and He is just waiting for us to let Him take control of the situation so He can show us (as he showed the Israelites) that we should BE STILL and to have faith! Our God is powerful! Yes, we have things that hit us and we cannot handle it. It can be a surprise expense of a medical bill, a betrayal from a friend, a death in the family, etc... In my opinion, I believe it was thrown at us for a reason. For one, I believe God throws us these "inconveniences" to bring us to our knees and pray for His help and guidance. (This could be because everything is going "peachy" and we have forgotten about Him or don't have as much time for Him as we should. Or we are starting to focus on the worldly things instead of the Godly things). They also give the Lord a chance to put us back in our proper place, on the narrow road following Him and abiding by His Word. They also give us the remembrance of trusting the Lord completely and laying our problems, worries, and stresses at His feet for Him to take care of. He loves us SOOOO much. He would do anything for us. Let God handle all of our stresses, worries, and problems. We just have to live our lives for Him, trusting Him always, and to BE STILL!

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, he will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. HE makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. 'Be still, and know that I am Gd; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.' The Lord almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." Psalm 46

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:14-18



To close this blog, I will leave you with a video of a song by Kari Jobe. She is amazing, and her music digs deep into your soul! The song is entitled, Be Still!












Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

What Does Forgiveness Mean?

Wow, God speaks doesn't He!  It is mind-blowing how he will just know when you are in need of a certain message, it just so happens it is in that devotional that you are about to do! 

The title of my blog was the title of my daily devotional.  The passage is Genesis 45.  It is about Joseph forgiving his brothers, who were afraid, after selling him into Egypt. 

It brings us to the question, "What does forgiveness mean?"

"Does forgiveness mean acting as if nothing wrong happened? Well, no.
Does it mean overlooking an offense? Well, no.
Does it mean excusing the offender? Well, no."

"Denial and rationalization don't heal hurts.  They just bandage the wounds.  We can't erase a wound by pretending we weren't injured.  That's not what God did for us when he gave Jesus to pay for our wrongs with his death and resurrection."

"Forgiveness means squarely facing an offense--recognizing it for what it is and then choosing to cancel the debt.  Healing begins when we recognize the hurt and determine to let it go over the long haul and in the daily minutes."

For the longest time, I thought the "forgive and forget" was forgiving the person and then "pretending" that it never happened.  Yet, your blood would start to boil if you saw the offender or something reminded you of the offense.  So, with that--I never truly forgave and forgot! 

Things happen.  People get hurt.  You can be hurt by family, ex-family, friends, and even strangers.  Is it right that you were hurt?  Well, heck no!  But why carry that hurt around for the rest of your life?  Recognize that you were hurt, get on your knees, and pray!  Ask for the strength of Christ to be able to forgive the offender and the action and to honestly forget about it.  Yes, I know that can be hard, but trust me, it is so much better!  As you pray, leave that heavy back-pack of hurt feelings, rage, anger, and resentment at Christ's feet, and let Christ take it.  Walk away from it completely and not look back.  Trust that Jesus will take that back-pack and throw it as far as the east is from the west!  He can!  He is MIGHTY!  If you insist on holding on to those back-pack strings, it doesn't hurt the party that offended you, it hurts you.  Not only does Satan win, you will carry those feelings with you everywhere you go and will make you miserable! 

So if someone that is reading this today, is not being able to let go of a hurt or anger or resentment, I want to pray for you.  I know how great it feels to just let God handle that problem and instead of being weighed down, you feel light as a feather and happy.  Like I have said before, happiness is a choice just like forgiveness and forgetting is a choice.  Yet at the other end, misery is a choice as well as holding grudges is a choice.

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."  Mark 11:25

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."  Ephesians 4:32



Jesus, I come to you today first and foremost to thank You.  Thank You for what you are doing in my life, for what you have done in my life, and what you will do in the future of my life.  I know from experience how hard it can be to want to hold on to the feelings of anger, hurt, bitterness, and resentment.  I also know how it feels to just let those go and leave them with you.  I feel as if you led me to talk about this.  I feel that someone who is reading this blog needs You.  They need to be able to feel confident enough to leave this heavy burden at your feet so they can be FREE!  I pray that they realize that they can trust You and count on You to take care of it.  I pray that they without a doubt know that you are Mighty and are always with them.  Whoever they are, I pray that they are able to drop the burden at your feet and walk away feeling light, free, and over-joyed!  Only You Lord can provide that!  Thank You Lord for using me as a vessel.  You have showed me so many things, blessed me with so many blessings.  You, Lord, are Amazing!  In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

It is funny who Satan can use to try to make you stumble

After receiving an email, I thought "wow, God has answered prayer!"  Well, I was wrong.  I am so disappointed.  I decide to call and express my appreciation but, nope.  Evidently I was supposed to just be quiet on the end of the phone and agree to everything...nope don't think so.  I am not going to get into this measly stuff.  Why you ask...well I am going to rise above this negativity and not fall into Satan's trap.  This battle is being fought by my amazing Lord!  It is a petty, stupid battle that just deals with the worse of all evil MONEY!  See...petty!  So, I just need to focus on fighting the only battle we should fight and that is against Satan and his schemes with our Lord Jesus on our side.  My main priorities is my life with Christ, my husband and children, and others around me.  I am blessed beyond belief, and no one and I mean NO ONE can ruin my happiness.  Happiness is a choice.  And I choose to be happy, and luckily it isn't hard!  I have so many things in my life that make me happy...things being my Lord, husband, children, family, and friends!  Nothing else in this world gives you happiness.  I, unlike others, don't let anger and bitterness rule over me.  Why, because that is making Satan happy due to the fact holding on to grudges and those things makes the Lord despised!  I don't know about everyone, and I can only speak about myself, but I live for the Lord.  I walk with the Lord.  That is what I am here for.  I teach my children not only their education, but also the difference between what is right and wrong, and to walk the narrow path with Christ!  To repeat, I will not fight this petty battle with yall!  I am giving it to my Lord and just praying for yall.  My battle is against Satan and his evil schemes that try to make me stumble.  I can sleep well at night because I know that I did everything in my power to abide by my Book of Instruction (the Bible) and followed God's Word.  I can also sleep well because I know my husband and children are happy here and are very well taken care of.  There is no stress over here because when we are all together, it is about family time and sharing love and the Word of God.  We don't focus on anything else. 

To close:

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:19-27




“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

When We're At a Loss

I did several devotionals today while the children were working on their school work and during their reading time. I was going to post one, then I changed my mind when the last one was laid on my heart to post. It starts you out reading Genesis 24:42-67. In summary, the passage is about where the servant was sent to find a wife for Isaac. And the servant found the suitable woman that God led him to, Rebekah. It ends with him bringing her to Isaac, Isaac marrying her in the tent of his mother Sarah, and Isaac being comforted after his mother’s death. My devotional then reads the following:


“In mourning the death of King Louis XV, the church bells of a cathedral in France were rung continuously for forty days and nights. As a result of this repetitive ringing, believe it or not, the echoes of the ringing sounded continuously for an additional twenty years and seven months. Like the vibrations of the hard-rung bells, loss hits us in repercussive waves. Loss of a parent. Loss of a child. Loss of a marriage. Loss of a dream. Just when we think we’re done with grief and life can return to normal, another cycle begins. And yet I’ve seen the beginning of a truth in the lives of those who grieve. The repercussions eventually grow weaker, shallower and quieter. In their place come new insight, understanding and strength. Yes, a simple touch on the wound can begin the vibrations again. But the pain is less each time the touch comes, until finally it leaves but a gentle resonance, a memory of what was but is no more.”



After reading this devotional, I know of several people who are going through all of this grief and hardships. I just hope that this can encourage them to keep them motivated and ask for help and guidance from our amazing Savior who is there at all times to comfort us and for us to lean on. I am not at all saying that it should be easy to get over a death. I know it is hard. I have lost several people dear and close to me. I know it is hard. But with the Lord by our side, we can conquer any grief or any hardships that come our way. Does that mean we will forget our loved ones who have passed…NO! We will forever remember them in all ways imaginable and the memories will be passed on from generation to generation.



“I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, save me!’ The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 116:1-9



And to close, I leave you with this final verse:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,

Lauren

Such a blessing

It was a busy week!  Mom and I took the kids and stayed two nights at the Embassy Suites downtown in Fort Worth.  We had a blast.  The kids had the most amazing time at the Children's Museum!  I have pictures and will post later when I have a little more time.  But in all it was a fabulous trip!  Then this past weekend, Chris' family came down and stayed.  We swam and had a fun filled day on Saturday four wheeling and having a yummy BBQ.  And the best part was Sunday.  It was a great day!  Not only was Sunday School and Church AMAZING, Dereck and Alyssa got baptized!  It was just breathtaking!  We all just cried such happy tears!  My dad even assisted with the baptism.  What a memory the kids will take with them forever. 

It was a great day, inspite of some childish bologna from certain people with dirty looks and rude remarks.  But, I will just keep being my kind self and walk with Jesus.  I pray for them and hope that one day, they can hand over their anger and bitterness to the Lord and focus on Him and what He has blessed them with. 

Til fingers meet keyboard,
Lauren

Wow!

I was working on my nightly Bible Study, and I just had to share.  It was titled "Look to the Left, Look to the Right".  It started out with the Scripture Reading of Matthew 9:35-38.  The Key Verse being, "He (Jesus) felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd."  Matthew 9:36

Wow, kind of gives you a whole different aspect!  In today's time, we hear all about bombings, murder, gangs, starving families, etc.  We either read about them in the paper, see it on the news, and mainly now we see it all over facebook.  But with everything that we either see, read, or hear, we are starting as a whole to desensitize to all the bad news.  We tend to think if it doesn't affect us and our friends, we tend to turn our heads and look the other way.  Maybe instead of looking to the left and to the right, we should look UP toward our AMAZING GOD and say a prayer for all of those people caught up in distress.  We may not be able to donate money to Africa, but we can look closer to us and buy some groceries for a family that we know are having a hard time.  Something like that.  If you cannot afford it, do the best thing which is PRAY!  Lift them up in prayer.  God hears and answers!  I pray that us as a whole will become aware of people who are distressed and downcasted and we take on one of Jesus' character traits which is compassion!  A little compassion can go a long way.  And just think what can happen if each and every one us did just an ounce of compassion...those ounces even add up to become HUGE! 

"There is no excuse better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up."--John Andrew Holmes

As I close this blog, I will leave it with one more quote. 
"Should we feel at times disheartened and discouraged, a simple movement of heart toward God will renew our power.  Whatever He demands of us, He will give us at the moment the strength and the courage that we need." --Francois de La Nothe-Fenelon

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

Been awhile!!

Everything is going fantastic!  Chris is loving his job and especially his hours! He is off every weekend, which rocks!  I am doing great.  So ready to start the upcoming school year!  So many fun things planned and including awesome science projects and experiments!!!  I know I sound like a nerd, but I love watching the kids being amazed...it is kind of like I am a magician (but not really...you can be a magician with just a little baking soda...it can make tons of things fizz etc lol).  The kids are doing well.  We are missing Alyssa like crazy.  She has been with her dad.  I get her back Friday, thank goodness!  I have been missing her like CRAZY!!!  But she is having a blast and that is all that matters.  I did have her for a week and we all had tons of fun!  Went to several places, but the best of all was Great Wolf Lodge!  The kids loved it!  The place is SOOOOO worth the money!  We are going to make it an every summer vacation!  We all swam pretty much all the time lol, but the kids enjoyed the quests!  I don't see how anyone would go there and NOT have their kids do the quest!!!  They enjoyed it soooo much.  We also went to eat at the Rainforest Cafe to celebrate James' and my birthday.  It was super yummy!  It was a great week. 

Let's see....news....well Dereck and Alyssa are getting baptized the 25th!  I am one proud momma!  Having my kids wanting to love and abide by Christ is such a blessing!  Everyone is coming down.  Chris' parents and brother and sister in law are coming down!  I am so excited.  Dereck and Alyssa were hoping they would come :)  My dad is even assiting with the baptism.  That is a memory and a blessing in itself!!  Can you tell I am proud?!?!  :)

Mom and I are also going to go on a mini vacation with the kids this month as well.  We are going to stay in a hotel in Fort Worth and take the kids down to Cowtown and the Children's Museum.  And hopefully something good is playing at the Omni!  It is going to be a blast! 

Other than that, not much else is going on.  School stuff is pretty much done.  Just waiting to start it! 

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Til fingers meet keyboard,
Lauren

It has been awhile

Man, it sure has been awhile since I last blogged! Well, been super busy.  Chris is working for Dublin Police Department and LOVES it!  He is home!  And we are all so happy and excited about it!  It is truly a blessing!  We also signed up for a membership for a gym and worked out last week and this week.  I am working out 4 to 5 days a week and love it!  I am addicted to the bike lol.  I normally do 15 miles at least on it a day...but on Thursday, I accomplished something I never thought I could. I biked an entire marathon!  26.3 miles!  I was so proud of myself!  Also love lifting weights.  It is fun to workout with my husband...he keeps me motivated and pushes me!  The kids are now done with school.  We will start back up in July.  Izzy is in Pre-K, James is now a 2nd grader, Alyssa is now a 3rd grader, and Dereck is now officially in junior high!!!  My goodness!  Time sure does fly.  I cannot believe he is in 6th grade!  They are all growing up so fast!  They are getting more and more independent, and yes that is great...but...in a way I am jumping up and down saying "what about me what about me" lol...It is crazy how they are growing and maturing into little young adults! 

God is great!  I am loving my devotionals and especially my new book that the kids bought for me for Mother's Day.  He is an amazing God!  Living our life for him and following His law, our life can only be for His purpose!  I am just blessed by Him daily!  What an Awesome, Mighty Lord I serve!  Hope everyone is doing well. 

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

Mother's Day

I want to start off first by doing a little shout out to my mom.  Mom, I love you so much.  You have been there for me through it all.  You helped wipe the tears, cheered me on through celebrations, and have always shown what a Godly mother is.  You are an inspiration, my inspiration.  You mean the world to me.  I am so blessed by our Loving Father, that he chose me to be your one and only daughter and chose you to be the amazing woman that I can call Mom.  Thank you for everything that you have done for us.  Thank you for your unconditional love that grows with each breath.  You are truly remarkable!  I admire you!  I love you more than I can even express in words.  Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day has been great!  I woke up this morning and went outside to share in some conversation on our front porch with my amazing mom.  We listened to Kari Jobe, sang, played Scrabble on the iphone, and just watched the beautiful cool breeze blow through the grass and trees.  Dad worked hard in the kitchen and made us Shrimp Etouffee and a cake.  Let's just say YUMMY!  It was delicious!  Thanks Dad for all your hard work to make this Mother's Day FANTASTIC!  I received home made cards from the kids, a huge card that sings (and when I say huge I mean HUGE), a new devotional Bible, and the book Just Give Me Jesus.  I am super excited!  I sure wish Chris could have been here, but in due time!  He will be home Tuesday!  That was my mother's day gift from God!  So I am just stoked!  I am a blessed wife and mother of 4 children.  I am blessed with an amazing God!  I am blessed with amazing parents!  I am blessed with in-laws that are my second parents...no "in-laws" about it...they are my parents as well. 

My amazing God loving husband!  I love him to the moon and back!  He is an awesome father and am so glad that he is in my children's life!  He is my hero, my love, and my life.  My life wouldn't be the same without him!

 

My amazing blessings from God!  These four children mean the world to me and I am blessed by God to be able to teach them at home and raise them into fishers of men and women for Christ!  They are my loves!!!

My amazing parents who are dear to my heart!  They molded me into the Godly woman I am today!

This picture is of my husband, kids, and my second parents!  They are wonderful!  They are always there for me no matter what and treat me as I was their daughter and not an inlaw!  Love them to pieces!

Thank You Jesus for giving me everything in the world that I need.  You blessed me beyond belief!  You are my Rock!  Thank You for all that you have done, for all that you are doing, and for all that you will do in the future. 

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,

Lauren

Another blog again (you say)...well YES!! Answered Prayer!!

God is great!!!  We have been praying for months now so my husband could be home with us.  He has been working 4 hours away at a different police department and is only home a few days out of the week.  Well he applied at two police departments close to home and we left it in God's hands.  Which ever police department called first, offering a job, he was going to take it because that is where the Lord wanted him to be.  Well, Chris got the call and went in for his final interview this morning, and Chris will now be working at Dublin Police Department!  Yea!!!  We are stoked!  We have been praying and doing our best to keep our patience strong, yes there were times we became irritated and lost patience, but the Lord picked us back up and told us to "have faith and to trust", and low and behold, GOD ANSWERED OUR PRAYER!  It wasn't on "our time" schedule, it was on His time schedule (how it should be).  Thank You Lord for what you are doing in our lives, for what You have done in our lives, and for what You will continue to do in our lives.  Our Lord is AWESOME!  So as the song lyric goes and I think it works perfectly for the situation for Chris, "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition"  :-)

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren (A very blessed woman!)

Back to the book

Wow!  Is all I can say.  Chapter 9 is MIND BLOWING!  A bring-you-to-your-knees revelation of who you actually are.  It is a great book.  I can't stress enough on it!  I know there are so many people out there that NEED this book.  I promise it would uplift them into a new "them" and it is where you are at a lost for words. 

On the latest book blog that I wrote, I received an encouraging email from a friend (lets just call her Beauty).  She was inspired by my blog.  That in itself, meant everything to me.  Who would ever think that I could inspire anyone by just writing my thoughts on a blog.  Wow!  Anywho...Beauty is in the same boat as I am on her insecurities.  I am just glad that she can know that she is not alone.  And Beauty...if you are reading this, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL ON THE INSIDE AND OUT and you are such a light that shines for our Lord Jesus!  Don't feel any less of a person based on your size.  God made us the way he wanted us to be.  We have a mighty purpose here on earth.  We should not be swayed by the "media" of what a woman should be or look like.  That is not our purpose at all.  Our purpose is just like you said.  First and foremost, we are to be a daughter of Christ who lives for Him, serves Him, and be witnesses to bring others to Jesus.  Second, we are to be a Godly mother to our children.  It is analogy time...our children are like a garden.  We, the parents, are the caretakers/gardeners.  We are to raise them up (water them) for them to grow in Christ.  Thirdly, (which that just sounds funny...is that even a word lol) we are to be the submissive wife that the Bible teaches us to be.  We are to be loving and nurturing.  We are to be of a noble character!  How can we be those things if we don't surrender our insecurities to our amazing Lord (who mind you is just waiting for us to hand them over to Him so He can take care of it and not us).  Those insecurities hinder us to be what God has wanted for us this entire time.  Trust me, you will really grasp what I am trying to summarize in this blog as soon as you read this book.  As soon as I am done with the book, it is still yours :)

Again--This book is amazing.  It is Beth Moore's So Long Insecurity...and it is amazing!  It is changing my life, my view of who I view myself as, and literally, God is speaking to me directly from the pages.  It seems like God used Beth Moore to write this book for Lauren!  It is amazing. 

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

What an AMAZING day!

Super duper excited!  One of which, I am unable to say at the moment but will give that good news as soon as I can. 

We do Bible class daily and go to church.  Been working with the kids and discussing being saved and baptized.  Well, Dereck and Alyssa have been wanting to for awhile now.  Knowing that some of their friends have, I wanted to make sure that they wanted to be baptized for the right reason.  It is a pledge and vow to live for Christ and be fishers of people!  So, I decided that it was time to talk to our pastor and set up some time with the children's pastor to start the counseling sessions.  I am just so blessed and honored to have children wanting to live for Christ and to be His children!  It is just AWESOME!  I am just thrilled!  Thank You Jesus for guiding my children to you and having them thirst for more of You!

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

All you need is a good book

After several posts from some of my friends on facebook talking about how great the book by Beth Moore was, I had to get it.  It is titled So Long Insecurity.  I got this book, in all reality, not based on what others have said, but the word "Insecurity" hit close to home.  We are all, men included, insecure.  This could be rooted from so many things, but my insecurity is based on personal limitations.  I am the first to say that admitting to be insecure, is no piece of cake...especially saying it over the entire internet that anyone can read and either poke fun, roll their eyes, or talk behind my back with others...but as a Christian, I have nothing to hide.  I don't need to hide anything from anyone because honestly, not to sound rude, but I don't owe anyone anything.  The only person in my life, other than family, that I have 110% faith and trust in is my Lord and Savior, who...no matter what you try to hide, he ALREADY KNOWS!  If you are shocked by that, I am sorry, but it is the truth.  Okay...back to being insecure and I will continue with that previous rant in a few...I admit, I, Lauren, am insecure.  Phew...not so bad afterall.  The majority of the time, limitations are matters of perception.  "Attitude is everything when it comes to limitations, and the way you view yourself will acutely shape how others view you." --Beth Moore.  After reading that, it hit me in the middle of the face...I might as well have been Goliath being hit in the head with a rock by David...it hurt!  One sentence could just take the breath right out of me.  That is my problem.  Yet I type like you know what my insecurity is...or shall I now say was.  Let me fill you in...Coming from a girl who used to weigh 110 in highschool, could basically wear anything I wanted...well two kids later...not that girl anymore.  I work out, eat right, yet it seems like nothing is working.  Come to find out it dealt with some unbalanced hormone problems...well anyway...I felt ashamed to even be seen anywhere because of how "I looked"...and that is in quotes because...what I was perceiving to be me...wasn't what others really saw.  I may not be that skinny girl that I used to be, but my limitation is not going to define who I am anymore.  I may not be the "perfect 10"...but honestly...who is?  No one...because believe it or not...those "skinny" girls...they are insecure just as much as I am...maybe not with the same thing, but they feel like they are not good enough either.  I know I am just rambling...but stay with me...I do have a point lol.  I have actually come to the realization that no matter what I look like on the outside,  my inside is beautiful and that is what matters!  Being a lover, a follower, and a daughter of God Almighty is what I strive for.  Yes, we all fail when trials or tribuations come our way, but like the Bible says in James, that we should consider it all joy when the trials come our way because God is trying to perfect us to be more like Him.  So while working on the "inside" layers of Lauren, I decided to get the book, and I am SO glad I did.  I am to be a light for Jesus.  Our purpose in life doesn't deal with our perceptions of who we are or what we think "we" are here for...We are here to serve and live for the Lord and to share the Word with others.  That is our purpose.  Not to live for ourselves, but to live for Him.  And what is crazy is, my past few devotionals were dealing with this exact subject, and I went to church today, and low and behold, that is what Mike preached about!  Our God is awesome!  So, for me to do my purpose that God wants for me to do, I can't be ashamed of how I look.  That disables me to do His calling!  I would be stuck at home!  How is that being a witness?  It isn't.  So thankfully I started reading the book, and only had to get to chapter five to be hit right in the head with the "DUH" sign.  All I have to say is, thank You God for talking to me today and allowing me to see what I needed!  My husband and friends always build me up and tell me I am beautiful but for the longest time I would say, "well you have to say that" or "yeah yeah whatever".  But now, I can honestly say "Thank you" and actually believe it.

"Nothing is more impressive than a person who is secure in the unique way God made her."  Beth Moore
That is my goal.  God made ME!  I am unique and I am His creation, why should I ever dislike anything that He has created.  I can't!  So no longer will I ever put myself down!  That is a promise!  And if you are dealing with being insecure, please go buy the book or email me, I will pass the book on--no charge...the only thing you have to do is pay it forward and do the same. 

**Another ramble...While reading more of the chapter there were a few things Beth said that I felt needed to be shared.  I don't know who they were meant for, but it was laid on my heart to write it.

"Life really is hard.  No one can escape it.  No one is unscathed by it.  But we are not just flailing aimlessly in a universal black hole.  There is purpose.  There is order--because there is God."  Beth Moore

And the one I am going to end this blog with, is simply amazing in itself. 
"The thunder crashes in the heavens, and the earth grows dark in the middle of the afternoon, and a man, beaten to a bloody pulp, cries from a cross between two thieves, 'It is finished!'  Because He did, one day God will wipe away every tear from the eyes of those who trusted Him, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will pass away and all our hardship will be finished."  Beth Moore

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

Faith

People ask me a lot, "how come you are so strong in your faith?"  It is quite simple.  Faith is all we have.  My faith in Jesus is strong because He is strong.  Jesus is constant.  Nothing else of this earth is constant.  It will either fade or die.  Jesus and God's Word is the only thing that is a constant in my life for as long as I will live.  There are some people that I know that question my beliefs to why I believe in something so strongly that I cannot see.  Quite simple.  You believe in wind right...can you see it?  No, but you can feel it.  We cannot "see" God because he is not ready for us to see Him because he is so worthy and bright that we would die if we saw him.  Just because I don't see him, I believe in Him because I feel Him.  He is ALIVE!  And I will see Him when He calls me home one day.  By no means am I pefect.  We all sin and that includes me.  But growth in Christ focuses on asking for forgiveness and repenting.  We should be thankful that our Lord is such a forgiving Father!  So yes, my faith is built on someone that I have never seen, but my faith is built on pure FACT!  God's Word is the only proof that we need...I need.  He talks to us through His Word.  He may not talk to us like He did with Samuel, but he does speak to us.  We just have to open our hearts, pray, and read His Word, and He will speak.  That is my reasoning on my faith.  God has never led me wrong.  He is always there to help me through the trials that are brought my way.  He blessed me with an amazing husband and four kids.  Why question Him?  I am not ever going to.  He is my Savior!  He is my Rock!  And I look forward to my growing relationship with Him.

Til Fingers meet Keyboard,
Lauren

You're Special

I was doing my devotional yesterday and at the end of it was something that was written by an unknown source, and I believe that each and everyone needs to read it.  It is full of encouragement and it is how God sees us.

"You’re special. In all the world there’s nobody like you. Since the beginning of time there has never been another person like you. Nobody has your smile, nobody has your eyes, your nose, your hair, your hands, your voice. You’re special. No one can be found who has your handwriting. Nobody anywhere has your tastes for food, clothing, music, or art. No one sees things just as you do. In all of time there’s been no one who laughs like you, no one who cries like you, and what makes you cry or laugh will never produce identical laughter and tears from anybody else, ever. You’re the only one in all of creation who has your set of abilities. Oh, there will always be somebody who is better at one of the things you’re good at, but no one in the universe can reach the quality of your combination of talents, ideas, abilities and feelings. Like a room full of musical instruments, some may excel alone, but none can match the symphony sound when all are played together. You’re a symphony. Through all of eternity, no one will every look, talk, walk, think, or do like you. You’re special…you’re rare. And in all rarity there is great value. Because of your great value you need not attempt to imitate others…you will accept—yes, celebrate your differences. You’re special and you’re beginning to realize it’s no accident that you’re special. You’re beginning to see that God made you special for a purpose. He must have a job for you that no one else can do as well as you. Out of the billions of applicants, only one is qualified, only one has the right combination of what it takes. That one is you, because…YOU’RE SPECIAL!"

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wondefully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."  Psalm 139:14

Hope someone finds this as something they needed to hear.  You are all special!

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

Life is an adventure

Life is an adventure!  There are new discoveries just waiting to jump in front of you saying "here I am" and it is amazing.  I ordered some more books a few weeks back for the kids unit Bible study.  And to say... I LOVE THEM!  I am addicted to christianbookstore.com.  It is an amazing site!  The kids love them.  We already do a Bible class with the books that are provided with our curriculum, but I wanted so much more.  And these books were an awesome buy.  We are not writing in them, so I can pass them on.  I am trying to show the kids that their main objective in their everyday life is to live for Christ.  The past few lessons have dealt with the book of James and talking about when trial come their way that they are supposed to consider the trials with joy.  These trials (yes can be as simple as Izzy called me a baby and it hurt my feelings) teach them that God knows they can handle it hince that is why He let them get tested.  They just have to learn that when tested and lets just keep with the example, called a name, then to ask themselves "what would Jesus do?" and turn the other cheek and just shower them with love and kindness and forgive.  Yes at times, this can seem hard, but it is the right thing to do.  Also teaching them that JOY has a hidden meaning. 
J---Jesus
O---Others
Y---You

In every situation, I am teaching them that they need to put Jesus first above all.  Then think of others and be willing to sacrifice something that you want for others.  In can be as simple as deciding that there are only 3 cupcapes left, and one of them sacrificing a cupcake so the other three kids can have one, and they eat a different kind of dessert.  It is what we mothers do all the time.  We are always putting everyone's needs above are own.  That is what a mother does.  And it feels so good to do so.  I am blessed to have an AWESOME Lord that I serve and is my number one, and I am blessed to have an amazing husband and kids to put before me.  God is great and I love what He is doing in our lives.

Yesterday, after I taught school, Chris, Scott, the kids, and I, went out in our fields on our four wheelers.  We went on another treasure hunt.  Back in the fields, there is an old homestead.  We take out the detector and some shovels, and find the neatest things.  Yesterday beat any day!  We found an old gun barrel off of a gun.  Hand made, who knows how old it is!  We also found some marbles (which were buried way deep).  Looking them up on the internet, we discovered that they are actually from the 1700s.  The kids were thrilled.  We also found old horeshoes, old pots (clay), old door frames, bolts, etc.  TONS of stuff.  It is so fun to find more and more history just in your back yard/pasture land.  Not only is it interesting, but what a learning experience!  We had an amazing time. 

Hope everyone is having a great week! 

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

Monday blog

Mondays can be so scary at times.  You go to bed Sunday night, listing the "to dos, the need to get dones" that have to be fulfilled by the end of the week.  You try to get everything done on Monday.  So Mondays are "dreaded", which in all reality, they shouldn't be dreaded.  God made Mondays!  We are just simply blessed to wake up and be breathing this morning!  Again, look at the positives!  I love Mondays.  Why, you ask?!?!  Quite simple...I start out my day with thanks.  I thank the Lord in prayer for everything that he has done, is doing, and what will be done in the future.  God is great!  I then do my morning devotional and start teaching.  Plus, listening to Kari Jobe is an AWESOME way to start off my Mondays or any day in fact!  I know I have talked about her several times, may I just emphasize how FANTASTIC she is!  So, just listen to her!  Anywho--it is just a great day.  We tend to forget with everything going on, that we are blessed beyond belief!  Focus on that, and your Mondays will actually seem quite pleasant.  Your day is what you make it!  It takes 21 days to form a habit...so start today and eventually Mondays will be awesome everytime they roll around :) 

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

The feeling of Love

The feeling of love is SO over-powering-awesome!  I know that isn't a word persay, but I just made it one.  We feel that love with our spouse.  It can be the little things of surprising you with a movie that you have been wanting to see, bringing home take out just for the two of you, or even a post it note on the bathroom mirror stating "I love you."  We feel that with our children.  It can be the simple saying of "I want you", having them curl up next to you while you read, and the most amazing is the fire in their eyes when we do Bible class and them want to know and learn more.  There is no greater love than sharing Christ with your children!  That is why I LOVE homeschooling.  Not only do they do the normal classes (which also incorporates Jesus and the Bible as well), but they have Bible class!  Yes, with church they learn too, but learning the Bible and about Jesus should be a daily joy.  And thank goodness it is in our family!  Jesus is our rock.  He is also the glue that holds us together.  Which brings me back to the OVER-POWERING-AWESOME LOVE!!!  The love that Christ has for us is just that. He was beaten and crucified for us and our salvation!  Now--that is LOVE!  What an amazing God we serve!  Yes, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, but He loves us unconditionally and forgives EVERY time.  All He wants is a relationship with us.  I am so thankful for my relationship with Him.  Through Him all things are possible.  And as a busy mom, He is always there to show me the way.  I was so blessed to be able to attend the last retreat at Cottonwood.  I was introduced to an amazing singer through the music we sang.  Kari Jobe!  Simply AWESOME!  We listen to her everyday during school along with other praise songs (but I always start out with her).  If you have never heard her music, just youtube her and listen.  I can guarantee there will be at least one song that will just grab your heart and bring you to your knees! 

So, I guess to sum this blog up:  I am blessed beyond all recognition.  I have an amazing Lord, an awesome husband, fantastic kids.  And all is a gift from God.  And forever I will be grateful!

Til fingers meet keyboard,
Lauren

God is good!

God is so good!  I mean seriously, look around!  You will see the same thing.  He has been working so much in our lives!  Can't really go into detail just yet, due to the situation...but just know GOD IS GOOD!  I really wish that I could scream it from the mountains, but I can't.  As soon as I am able to I will :)  Just know it is going to change SO much for our family!  Really Really looking forward to it.  Also, let me just say I love my devotionals!  I do four devotionals a day, and it seems like that is what God wanted me to hear each day.  It is an amazing feeling!  Like I said, God is good...no let's scratch that...God is GREAT! 

Kids are doing amazing.  They are in love with their 4 wheelers lol.  They love when we drive out in the pastures and go treasure hunting.  Also a big plus is the fact that our property is right next to a game ranch and it is like having their own personal zoo in their back yard lol.  It is a blast!  We are blessed!

So yes, life is good.  About to be great!  Can't wait to see what else is in store!  But know that we walk with the armor of Christ and Jesus is our leader, nothing can come our way that we can't defeat :)  It is an awesome feeling!  Hope everyone is doing great.  I will be blogging again soon.  Busy busy day today.

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

Heaven gained an angel today

If you are on my facebook, you know who I am talking about.  Dasa and John Gain lost their five year old daughter Mikayla to Alpers Disease.  She is no longer in pain.  She is now full of joy and happiness celebrating her new life in Heaven with our Lord Jesus!  Just keep the Gain Family in your prayers.  I can't even fathom what they are going through.  It is heart breaking!  They also have another child, Morgan, who has Alpers as well.  Please pray.  That is all I have today.  I am at a loss for words.  A crummy day for us, yet a glorious day in Heaven with the angels welcoming a brave, strong, beautiful little girl with open arms!

Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,
Lauren

Not meant to Preach, but God layed this on my heart

I know that it seems like my blog is going to turn into a "preach fest", well, that is not my plan by any means.  I have been doing my devotionals today, and I just felt led to share it.  I don't know who God wants to share this with, but I will do my part and follow his instruction.

Love is God's word.  Psalm 119:105 states, "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path."  I know we try our best to do Bible readings...I know I have tried, and thank goodness for my devotionals.  At first, the Bible seems just too big to understand.  It is like an impossible challenge.  That is just Satan talking to us. As a Christian, we are not left alone to try grasping the major themes and the deep meanings of the Bible. The Holy Spirit, Jesus, lives in our heart by way of salvation, and He is our illuminator of the truth. “For the Spirit searches everything, even the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10). Because of His internal lamp that he provides us, the Scriptures are now ours to read, to absorb, and to live by. We do need to make a habit of reading a portion of the Bible everyday. I find it helpful with finding devotionals. My favorite is Quiet Moments for the Heart and Soul. I absolutely LOVE it! Psalm 119:10-11 states, “I have sought You with all my heart; don’t let me wander from Your commands. I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.” In my devotional, I was told to read Psalm 119:9-16 and see the wonderful benefits of the Word of God. Then I was told to read the appendix in the back of my devotional for a list of additional blessings to be found in God’s Word. I will type those out word for word along with the Bible verses that go along with them. I normally don’t copy word for word, but I don’t want what God wanted to share to be misinterpreted because I changed it up. So I will start out with Psalm 119:9-16.




Psalm 119:9-16: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”



The following is from the Appendix:

The Word of God in My Life

Let this proclamation help you to rightly approach the Word of God.



• The Bible is the Word of God.

• It’s holy, inerrant, infallible, and completely authoritative.

     o Proverbs 30:5-6: “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”

     o John 17:17: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

     o Psalm 119:89: “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”

• It is profitable for teaching, reproving, correcting, and training me in righteousness.

     o 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

• It matures and equips me to be ready for every good work.

     o 2 Timothy 3:17: “so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

• It is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

     o Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and light for my path.”

• It makes me wiser than my enemies.

     o Psalm 119:97-100: “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.”

• It brings me stability during the storms of my life.

     o Matthew 7:24-27: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

• If I believe its truth, I will be set free.

     o John 8:32: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

• If I hide it in my heart, I will be protected in times of temptation.

     o Psalm 199:11: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

• If I continue in it, I will become a true disciple.

     o John 8:31: “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples’.”

• If I meditate on it, I will become successful.

     o Joshua 1:8: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

• If I keep it, I will be rewarded and my love perfected.

     o Psalm 19:7-11: “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

     o 1 John 2:5: “But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him.”

• It is the living, powerful, discerning Word of God.

     o Hebrews: 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

• It is the Sword of the Spirit.

     o Ephesians 6:17: “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

• It is sweeter than honey and more desirable than gold.

     o Psalm 19:10: “They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.”

• It is indestructible and forever settled in Heaven.

     o 2 Corinthians 13:7-8: “Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.”

     o Psalm 119:89: “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”

• It is absolutely true with no mixture of error.

     o John 17:17: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

     o Titus 1:2: “a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.”

• It is absolutely true about God.

     o Romans 3:4: “Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: ‘So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge’.”

     o Romans 16:25: “Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past.”

     o Romans 16:27: “to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen”

     o Colossians 1:3-29: “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over this world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthed with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the first born from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of you evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God game me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”

• It is absolutely true about man.

     o Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

     o Psalm 8:4-6: “what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet.”

• It is absolutely true about sin.

     o Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

• It is absolutely true about salvation.

     o Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

     o Romans 10:9: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

• It is absolutely true about Heaven and Hell.

     o Revelation 21:8: “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfer. This is the second death.”

     o Psalm 119:89: “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”



“Lord, open my eyes that I may see truth and my ears to hear truth. Open my heart to receive it by faith. Renew my mind to keep it in hope. Surrender my will that I may live it with love. Remind me that I am responsible when I hear it. Help me desire to obey what You say through it. Transform my life that I may know it. Burden my heart that I may share it. Speak now Lord. Give me a passion to know and follow Your will. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else.”



That was what the appendix was about. It is funny how while doing my devotional, I look on my schoolroom wall and notice the pledges that the kids do every morning before school starts. Of course we do the Pledge to the American Flag. But on top of that we do the Pledge to the Christian Flag and the Pledge to the Bible. So I will close with those.

Pledge to the Christian Flag

I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for Whose Kingdom it stands. Once Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty for all who believe.

Pledge to the Bible

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s holy Word. I will make it a lamp unto my feed and a light unto my path. I will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.



Til Fingers Meet Keyboard,

Lauren