Abba's Girl

If you are of a certain age, you most likely remember the Beetles song all you need is love, but earthly love does not quite cut it. So much of the love depicted in literature, books, on movies and in TV is A) not real and B) very unhealthy. God loves us with a pure and healthy love. I think through His love, our love for our spouses, children and people in general becomes more healthy. Perfect - no, healthy - yes. The Word tells us this: And I (Paul) pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. We are to be rooted in love...grounded in love, love is to be a part of our everyday life. We are also to love ourself, Jesus said so: A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that y...

Do any of you ever wake up and feel an impending bad mood? And then...your husband is happy, smiling, and talkative on top of the impending mood... I felt that way this morning and still feel in a small way the desire to fall into the bad mood. I decided I would skip Wally World and shop at Target before work, Wally World might give me the excuse to jump into the mood with both feet. A couple of things can change my mood in an instant: Praise Music - How Great is Our God, Shout to the Lord, Majesty, Amazing Love to name a few. A few of my favorite Scriptures: Ps 19: 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Psalm 150 1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the soundin...

I don't know who this post is for, but you feel weary beyond words and wonder if God has abandoned you. He has not abandoned you. He knows you are weary and feel as if you are being crushed. His word tell us: We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. You think I never hear the Lord anymore, when will He show up? He is there. He will never leave you or forsake you. Sit quietly, tell Him what is bothering you. Pour it all out. Ask Him to ...

My Siesta Memory verse is: Ps 16:2 - I said to the Lord,"You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." As I was searching verses on Monday, this one really spoke to me in conjunction with something I posted about a month ago - Call Me Marty..."Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Am I choosing what is better and will not be taken away from me? What do I consider above God? Is He 1st place or 2nd or 3rd place? Most likely on many days He is number 1, then maybe 3 at some point, up to 2 later on and back to number 1 before bed time. I want Him to always be Number One because I know that I know that I know apart from Him, I have no good thing.

Is anyone a little weary? Maybe because it's 103 outside, maybe because work is not going well, maybe you have a wedding to plan, maybe you are job hunting, maybe your husband left, maybe you just had major surgery, and we won't think about what teens may or may not be doing right!!! There is 1 answer for us, no matter why we are weary...the solution is the same, His name is Jesus Christ, the Risen Son of God the Father. He came to save sinners, to redeem us, to reconcile us to God. He came to heal our minds, bodies, and spirits. Soak up these precious words, they are fresh and alive, spoken for everyone who has ever lived and who will ever live: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf at...

Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says it's "heresy" to believe that an individual can be saved through a sinner's prayer of repentance. In her opening address to the church's General Conference in California, Jefferts Schori called that "the great Western heresy: that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God." The presiding bishop said that view is "caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus." According to Schori, it is heresy to believe that an individual's prayer can achieve a saving relationship with God. "That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy."

This is not a commentary on Michael Jackson, his talent, music, or life. This is a comment on how the media has over reported the story since the man died. Serious riots in China were not reported in the US for a couple of days nor was the coup in Honduras. Michael Jackson was an extraordinary talent, but he was a person - a human being like you and me. I have avoided TV since he died as much as possible, but have seen enough to know many people emptied their bank accounts to stand in front of the Staples Center today during the service. It is very easy to cross over the line from being a fan to setting someone up as an idol. Please keep his children in your prayers, I fear the vultures are circling to grab what they can from his estate. Keep these words close to your heart: We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear c...

Celebrate America's Freedom...it came with a price...

We are so much in Christ and have so much in Him. I want to touch on the freedom we have in Christ. When we are transformed by the power of Christ we are free to love, to forgive, do the things that were not possible before, do the things we never wanted to do before. We are also set free from the law, sin, and the sting of death. Sure, we still die, but we go on to our real home, our eternal destiny - heaven. The Bible tells us: The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, Jesus sets us free from sin...through Him we are reconciled to our Father and our sins are forgiven. Through Jesus we find healing of our bodies, minds, and spirits. Psalm 119:45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have so...

Peace is mentioned often in the Bible, I learned years ago, if God thought it was important enough to repeat, I better act on it. One of my favorite verses mentioning peace is the greatest birth announcement ever: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, He wants to give us peace in the midst of all the situations we endure. As tired as I was when dad was ill, I had peace. My dad had peace. My mother had peace. Even when I drove away from the hospital the night he died, I had peace. I was sad, I still tear up, I still want to call him and say turn the tv to channel so and so, I miss sharing meals and time with him, but I have peace. Though we suffer - we have peace: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by fai...