Tuesday, June 3- 1 Timothy 4:12

hey- and happy sun-shiny-day!!

I remember when I was 22 years old- I was asked if I would be willing to manage my own Chick-fil-A restaurant. I already had 6 years experience and could basically walk in and run it without much training. At first, I turned down the offer out of shear fear- then, I began to think about all the benefits of running my own restaurant...so I accepted the offer. On January 1, 1993, I became the 'head cheese' of the Chick-fil-A, Fairgrounds Square Mall. It was a crazy experience!! However, there was one thing I didn't really take into consideration when making my decision- I looked really young for my age (people still say I look young for my age- "Oh, you're the youth leader?"). When I walked in and began managing- something interesting took place, I realized I needed to prove my abilities as a manager, because I certainly didn't look like one. I didn't only have to prove by action, but also in word, attitude, and authority. I had to show confidence in myself and in my employees. I had to show the employees, the customers, and myself that there wasn't anything that I couldn't handle in that restaurant. I had to gain respect from all those I came in contact with every day.
Needless to say, I grew and learned a lot about myself during those 18 months. God really showed me what I was capable of doing- He placed those abilities in me and I did I my best.


Today's verse talks about this fact:
No matter your age, when God blesses you with gifts, talents, and abilities- use them in such a way that sets an example to those around you. When you are young, you can feel very intimidated, insignificant, and incapable. But, God can use even the youngest to impact people for His glory- if that's what He wants.

The young person in this verse had to live by example in the following areas:

• speech- this includes any type of conversation being sure to avoid lying, gossiping, fits of anger, and the like. Being sure to encourage and find the best in people.
• life- everyday choices such as how you handle tough situations, who you hang out with, what you do in your spare time. Actions speak volumes!!
• love- acts of undeserved kindness and grace, self-sacrificing of time and energy, making sure the hearts' motives are showing through.
• faith- when life's problems come, choosing to act in faith over fear will prove an amazing example.
• purity (or integrity)- at times when mistakes are made, being sure not to put the blame on someone else or deny the mistakes- but own up to them, be changed by them.

So, is setting a godly example difficult?
YES!!
And when you're young, there's a lot of growing and learning along the way- but, no worries because God has you right where He wants you-
so trust Him and the abilities he's placed upon you...you won't regret it!!

I love you guys and pray for you constantly,
Pam S.

Saturday, May 31- 1 Chronicles 4:10

hey everyone,

I have to say I absolutely love this verse- it's filled with inspiration.
First, it mentions quite specifically that Jabez was known as 'the brother who prayed to God.' How are you described by your family members? I don't know about you, but I want to be known by my family (and friends, and neighbors) as the one who prayed to God. The one who was known for depending on God in all things. We can't pray enough- out loud in front of our kids, peers, parents- in quiet time, while we're driving, in class, at work.

A few things I learned from the prayer of Jabez:
1. He asked for God's blessing- he didn't just expect God to bless him. How many times do we just expect God to bless us with good grades, good health, better relationships, better finances... when we aren't even doing our part in taking our requests to Him in prayer or when we aren't even faithful at keeping up with our end of our relationship with Him?

2. He prayed for three specific things:

• for God to help him in his work- this could mean your asking for help with school, with your attitude, with ministry, with your duties at home or work
• for God to be with him in all he did- do you pick and choose where you want God to intervene in your life? do you think, at times, that God doesn't need to be bothered with that? This part of Jabez' prayer shows me we need to ask God to be in all areas of our lives- we are never bothering God.
• for God to keep him from trouble and pain- WOW! this would save us a whole lot of anxiety if we would ask God to keep us from trouble and pain- that's praying proactively, instead of waiting until we are in the midst of the trouble and pain. We need to be praying for our safety and the safety of those we love at all times, asking God to keep us and protect us. Not just for physical safety, but spiritual safety (beginning with our thoughts, motives, and desires)- we live in a dangerous, relentless world.

3. We need to pray specifically-
Many times, my kids ask me for things- like candy for example. They may point to it (while I'm not even looking, hmmm- wonder why I don't respond), or say rather abrubtly, "Mom, can I have that!" Or they might make some kind of sound that is somehow supposed to mean, "Mom may I please have a piece of candy?" My response to them at this point is always, "Be specific, use words, ask politley!" Of course, I'm also thinking- do they need it or deserve it? I already knew what they wanted, but I needed to hear them ask for it in a civil manner. God is the same way, He knows what we want (and need), but he wants to hear us ask for it, He wants to hear our hearts.

4. Not only should we make our requests known, but acknowledging our need for God in all areas of our lives is vital. We have no right asking for blessings when he isn't in the center of our lives.

Notice the end of the verse-
"And God granted him his request."

Now, realizing that God doesn't always grant our requests- we need to see the importance of how Jabez prayed. Understand that he probably made a habit of praying like this and living faithfully to God in all areas of his life. What an amazing role model he was to his brothers...

Let this verse challenge you to take your prayer time up a few notches and to keep God as the center of your daily life- and I'm sure then you'll find that "God will grant you your request!"

love guys
ttyl,
Pam S.

Friday, May 30- Psalm 29:25

hey there!!


People often ask what it means to fear God. Does it mean we believe in him because we are afraid of what he might do if we don't? Does it mean we believe in him out of fear for our eternity?
The answer to both is NO.

When the Bible talks about fearing God- it means to be in awe of God, to have respect, reverence, and trust in God. When you fear God, you should feel liberated- not bondage or obligation. In which case, when you fear God- you should be at peace, knowing he's got your back.


What happens many times though, is we tend to fear people more than we fear God. This brings on bondage and sometimes sin. How? Let me elaborate.


Let's say you are feeling pressure from your parents, or guidance counselor, or friends about your future plans after high school. You decide to please them out of fear you may let them down- so, instead of waiting on God, you take things into your own hands. This could lead you down a path of unwanted twists and turns that you would've avoided if you had feared God more than people.


How could fearing people more than God bring on sin?
Let's look at the story of Peter in John 18. Peter, one of Jesus' disciples- a very outspoken follower, denied knowing Jesus three different times- because he was more fearful of what people would think of him, let's face it he may have been arrested.


A lack of trust in God means you are trusting more in yourself and others. If you are not in awe of God, you are in awe of yourself or others- and in doing so, you desire to be recognized more by others than by God.


Human recognition is temporal and could lead to harm, but God's recognition is eternal and leads to safety.


Do you have hopes and dreams? Give them up to God in prayer and sit back in his safety, trusting him enough to bring those hopes and dreams to pass for you as you walk in his guidance. This is not to say you can't take advice from people you trust or that you can't trust your own intuition- but the questions you need to ask yourself are:

Am I trusting people first and foremost?
Am I willing do anything it takes to please myself or others?
Am I more worried about honoring the expectations of others than I am of God's expectations of me?
Do I look for self gratification more than God's affirmation?
Is my success dependent on what people say about me?


If you answered yes to all or most of these, then you fear people more than you fear God.

You need to pray for God's liberating power to take over in your life- you need to read into the Bible about how awesome and amazing God is- be reminded why you chose to live for him. Capture the kind of fear in God that says, "I don't care what other people say, my hope and trust is in the Lord!!"



I love you guys dearly,
Pam S.

Friday, May 23- John 3:30

hi everyone and Happy Friday!!

There is something unnerving about being around a person who thinks they are better than those around them. They are always right, have the best ideas, always bragging about their abilities and possessions while putting others down. How frustrating is it to be around people like that?(I'm getting tense just hinking about it!) Sometimes, those people are family members- so, you can't always avoid them- you just stay silent and let them do their thing. But, when it comes to non family- you see them coming and take a quick exit somewhere...anywhere. You have thoughts like, "Plllleeease, give yourself a break!" or for some of you, you may actually find yourself jealous and wishing you were more like them.
What does a Christian who has this proud presence about them look like? They might be in ministry or in leadership- often called upon by leaders above them. They might be highly educated in theology or an expert of the Bible- acting like they have the answer for everything. A Christian teenager could be simply acting like they are better than their non Christian friends- like their friends aren't worthy of the same forgiveness and salvation they have in Christ. Some Christians may come across like their relationship with God is better than others, as though they've 'arrived.' Maybe they try to gain all the credit for the 'changes' in their lives or they are so caught up in their own world that they don't even see the needs of others around them. Does any of this sound familiar?

Today's verse is very interesting.
John, the writer, portrays an amazing amount of humility here. John was one of the twelve disciples and loved deeply by Jesus. Although Jesus' love is clearly communicated in other books of the Bible, in the book of John it is the central theme- probably because his own experience of Jesus' love was so strong and personal.
John could have very easily become full of himself, acting like he was the best of the twelve, pushing them aside, grasping at first privileges. And that could have trickled down into his ministry where he would've put more emphasis on his importance as a loved disciple than on what he was supposed to be doing for God's Kingdom. But, as you read in this verse, John chose to be the opposite. He chose humility- why? I think it was because John had a full understanding of who Jesus was and that automatically put his importance (or lack thereof) on a much lower level. This becomes clear in the next verse:
"He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. I am of the earth, and my understanding is limited to the things of the earth, but He has come from heaven."

I think when a person does not have a true and deep understanding of who Jesus is- I mean allllll that he is- and experience Him for real in their life, then that person just might live their life with their priorities messed up, blinded by their pride, and losing out on the true God-given purpose for their lives.

If you are like the person I described earlier- then you are dealing with pride- and that is a serious issue. You have to recognize the pride in your life and get rid of it by submitting to the sovereignty of God. Have the willingness to decrease in importance, as John did, and live in the kind of humility that comes from understanding your limitations and knowing that God doesn't have any.

I love you guys and pray for you constantly,
Pam S.

Thursday, May 22- Philippians 4:13

hey!!
just a shout out to all you Real Life graduates- you rocked my socks off last night!!! I'm so proud of you!

So, this verse pretty much 'says it all.'
Does it mean you can literally do anything through Christ? No, it means Christ will empower you to do anything according to his will for you. Have you discovered God's will for you? Does it seem way impossible for you? Are you saying things like- "Not me, you meant for that other person to do that, " or "What? that wasn't part of my plan, I'm too busy for that right now."
If it's God's will- and that's what you're after in life- then He will make a way for you, and you will prosper in it.
BUT- only by the strength of Christ.
Not your own strength, or the strength of your best friend, mom, or spouse- Christ's strength. This strength is not only to help bring to pass God's will for you, but also to help see you through any of the struggles along the way. Seriously, it could take years for you to see God's will come to pass for you, so drawing on His strength in the mean time is so important. God doesn't want us to live out any day in our own strength.

So, what does God have in store for you today, tomorrow, next week, and next year? Whatever it may be, don't attempt it without the strength of Christ. Call on it, cry out for it, pray for it all the time, and then don't doubt Christ's willingness to strengthen you.

If you try to do what you think God wants of you- all on your own, a couple of things could happen:
You could get burned out and lose sight of God's plan for you.
You could get your eyes off God's plan all together because you might start feeling inadequate. You could begin feeling defeat, in some cases, because there is only so much you can do in your own strength.

If you feel like everything in life is so over-the-top hard for you, ask yourself two things:
Am I relying on God's strength, or my own (or others)?
Am I going after God's will for my life- or am I going through life doing what I feel like?

If you haven't discovered what God's will is for you, don't give up. As you live in the strength of Christ everyday, He will reveal it to you at the right time. So stay strong and be ready.

love you guys,
Pam S.

Wednesday, May 21, Matthew 5:14-16

hey guys,

how have you been doing at letting your light shine brighter and stronger this week? What have you been doing differently? Perhaps putting the characteristics such as humility, compassion, forgiveness, or a hunger and thirst for righteousness into practice?
Jesus wraps up the teaching of The Beatitudes with telling us our duty to shine our light into the darkness.
Now, I know Pastor Eran dug deep into these verses last week, so I won't belabor the point. But I did want to add just a few more things:

First, if you are not a light in your world then the darkness around you isn't changing, its not being extinguished, you're not making a difference.

Second, Remember that being a light isn't only about what you do- but also how you act.

Third, let's look at some ways we hide our light:

• being quiet when we should speak- we are all guilty of that once in a while, but maybe we should be challenged to not keep our mouths shut concerning sharing the love and truth of Christ to others
• going along with the crowd- this is for real, we can't make a difference in this world if we act like the world
• denying the light- what does that mean? it means you are denying the impact you can really have on someone because you have Jesus in your life
• letting sin dim your light- this is logical, if Jesus is the light that shines out of us, then when we hide our light- or our light gets snuffed out, then we have allowed sin to take over the light
• ignoring the needs of others- we learned about all the Beatitudes, which are basically examples of where our characters should be if want to be like Christ- mercy and humility were two of them. And it would be impossible for us to be humble and merciful if we ignored the needs of others.

So, do a heart check today- do you feel like any of the above examples of hiding your light are evident in your life? If so, just give it to God right now and begin finding ways to bring your light out into the open, like a city on a hill.
Don't keep the light of Christ to yourself- get it out in the open and bless someone with it today!!

love ya's and cya tonight,
Pam S.

Tuesday, May 20- Matthew 5:13

hi there!!

Do you like to cook or bake? I do.

I started cooking about 2 years after I got married. Up until that point, I cooked all things out of a box, packet, or can- or we did what most Americans do, went out. I started grabbing those little cookbooks at the check out line and slowly became interested in cooking. I felt very accomplished as I began replacing the box of Alfredo noodles with my own homemade Alfredo sauce, replacing the Ragu with my own tomato sauce. Now, I try my best to cook everything with fresh and natural ingredients- the less processed the better. But that means I have to work hard at bringing out great flavor. One thing I learned in time was the importance of herbs and spices. I started collecting many spices and experimenting with them- learning how to season my food with fresh seasoning instead of pre-packaged seasoning.

If you know anything about cooking, you know this one thing- salt makes THE difference in all meals. It not only adds just the right flavor to a dish, but it helps to bring out the flavors of everything it is added to. I feel bad for anyone who has to watch their sodium intake- oh, how bland everything must taste. I didn't know this until a couple of years ago- but, I always saw salt as one of the ingredients in baking recipes and never understood why. Well, even in baking- just a pinch of salt is needed to help bring out a richer sweetness in the dessert. Salt is the key to a great tasting meal, without it- your left pretending that your enjoying your meal.

[[side note]]
We all know too much salt is bad for us- but, I'm gonna leave that alone in order to bring the point across here.

If salt has no flavor, it has no value. How can salt lose it's flavor? Well, I know that if it gets too diluted- the flavor is gone.
The same goes for our relationship with God. Jesus refers to us in this verse as the salt of the earth, but if we are allowing the worldly things around us to influence us, then our effectiveness as a Christian will be diluted- becoming invaluable and ineffective. We need to realize that our effectiveness as 'salt' of the earth is not only in what we do, but how we act.

Christians should not blend in with everyone else.

Instead, we should affect others positively, bringing out the best in people- just as salt brings out the best flavor in food.

love you guys,
Pam S.

Monday, May 19- Matthew 5:11-12

hey,

May 8th Bangladesh News: Muslim villagers in Mymensingh district eager to rid the area of the Christian work of a local pastor have gang-raped his 13 year old daughter, the girls father said. Pastor Das of United Bethany Church said that around 3 a.m. on May 2 the villagers sexually assaulted his daughter and left her unconscious in front of his house in attempt to drive him and his Christian ministry out of their village. Local residence have long been angry with him for his ministry and evangelism and he has received many death threats.
"I did not pay attention to any of the threats or hindrances- I continued evangelical and pastoral activities with prayer, " Das says. "When nothing stopped me, they wanted to leave me scarred for life, so that I would be upset and not be able to show my face, and therefore I would leave the village." Das, who became the first Christian in the area in 1986 and has been key in an increase to more than 250 Christians and development of 12 churches, said the brutal attack was pre-planned and calculated to stop further expansion of Christianity in Bangladesh. Das' daughter was always being teased by her fellow students, she was the only Christian in the school. "Five people lying in ambush in the pitch-dark near the outdoor toilet- where she was headed- snatched her by gagging her mouth, taking her about 400 meters from her thatch home, where they gang raped her, " said investigating officer. Das said he suspected friends of the rapists and perhaps the rapists themselves observed them as they went to the police station to file charges, as they later threatened to harm them if they did not withdraw the case. The family took the threats seriously and resided in the police station for two days. The daughter then identified two of the rapists. Fearful for his life and the lives of his family, Das along with his family relocated to the home of a friend. Das is being urged to leave his village.

This is but one recent story of a family being persecuted for their faith in Christ. There are over 35 regions all over the world that are in constant threat of persecution, America is not included. Christians being arrested, imprisoned, killed, tortured, assaulted, and taken from their families all for their belief in Jesus. These Christians are converts from many religious backgrounds and are shunned by their government, communities, and friends.

Do we know what persecution is? Not from experience, not the way the rest of the Christian world experiences it- and the way the early church mentioned in The New Testament knew it.
Who are we to be nervous about what someone may think if they find out if we are Christians? We hang our heads in embarrassment or all of a sudden forget what God has done for us. We might get laughed at, hear jokes about us, or a friend might treat us a little different. That all pales in comparison to the life Das has to live every day in his Bangladesh village or the thousands, perhaps millions of others like him.

Lets take a moment and pray for Das and his daughter, Elina, today. Lets also pray for God to help us rise above our insecurities in regard to our witness and strive to live in boldness with the light of Christ flowing out of us- with no reservation, no hesitation, and no regard for what others around us may think.

I love you guys and pray for you constantly,
Pam S.

Saturday, May 17- Matthew 5:7-8

Hi all,

(verse7)
Mercy is pretty amazing- let's look at it closer.
If you are a merciful person you are forgiving, compassionate, kind and selfless. You don't expect anything in return when reaching out to someone in need. You withhold punishment or judgement from someone who deserves otherwise (that's pretty cool). Mercy is like cutting someone a break- perhaps when they least expect it.

You really need a sensitive heart in order to have a merciful heart.
For some, mercy is a gift from God- for others, prayer is needed for God to help them keep the eyes of their hearts opened to the needs of others.
Mercy is powerful and can make an eternal impact of someones life.


Jesus is our perfect example of mercy- showing us time and time again, portraying mercy so beautifully with just about every person he came in contact with. Befriending the friendless, healing the outcasts, feeding the hungry, spending time with the hated, saving the lost, teaching the open-minded, dying on the cross... and what did he get in return for all his acts of mercy? Mostly, questions how or why- rarely any thanks. But, then again showing mercy means you are not expecting anything in return.

What are you doing with your life in return for the mercy Christ has shown?

Who can you show (more) mercy to today? a single parent, an elderly neighbor, a fellow student with no friends, someone in financial need, a family dealing with a serious illness, an abused friend, your brother or sister (for real!), a stranger...


How can you show mercy? making a meal, cleaning, giving a ride, inviting them to hang out with you and your friends, listening, babysitting for free, forgiving someone who doesn't deserve it, paying for someones coffee, dessert, dinner, etc.

Showing mercy isn't a once and done thing. We need to always be looking for ways to show mercy, praying for God to show us who He wants us to bless.


(verse 8)
What does it mean to 'see God?' To see His love, forgiveness, provision, wisdom, mercy, power--
To see God is to be able to truly embrace all of who God is and who He can be in your life. And it might be just seeing a part of God that is needed for a specific moment. Many people wonder why they don't see God's provision, mercy, and so on- well, according to verse 8 in today's scripture, a person needs to keep their heart pure before God in order to see God.
[[side note]]
now this isn't across the board... for reasons only known to Him, God may choose to reveal Himself to someone who isn't seeking Him at all- or He may withhold something from someone living a completely pure and humble life.


The following scripture is a big help in showing us how we can have a pure heart:
"Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and heard and saw me me doing."(Philippians 4:8-9)


In so many words, these two verses are saying: pure thoughts yield pure actions and together they produce a pure heart. What goes into the mind usually comes out in action.

What are you feeding your mind? If Internet, music, movies, inappropriate conversation, and the like out weigh your time spent in God's Word, serving, praying, and in fellowship with other believers- then you need to ask God to help you find ways to fix your thoughts on Him more, so you can see Him more clearly and be blessed by His presence in your life.

I hope you are challenged today to find ways for showering someone with mercy and to live with a pure heart before God. If you, are then get ready to be blessed, God is waiting.


I love you guys!!!
Pam S.

Friday, May 16- Matthew 5:5-6

hey and how are you today?! Enjoying every bit of sunshine, I hope!

I have never done a study on The Beatitudes and must say that I have been challenged greatly. I never realized the depth of what Jesus was teaching us and today's verses are no exception.

I've decided I really want to be the person described in these verses: gentle, humble, and hungry for godly things in my life? sounds hard, but let's see what Jesus was talking about and find out how we can make these things a daily part of our lives.

I've been thinking hard about this- and I'm pretty sure I don't know anyone that fits this description completely... quiet in nature- not shy necessarily, just collected. When dealing with problems or issues they consistently handle them in a positive, calm manner so as not to come across indecent in any way. Patient in all things, slow to anger but quick to affirm. A humility that thrives on serving...

Have you thought of anyone yet? Can I meet them? (actually, I think my mom fits this description pretty well :)

Without hesitation, I think of Christ when I ponder such characteristics. How can we put on such gentleness, kindness, and patience? I heard biting your tongue before spouting off at someone works pretty good. But, truly? We need to want it bad enough!! Working through the impatience and selfishness with a hunger for what's godly and through lots of prayer you will create change in your life. Also, starting over every time things get fouled up- realizing that in Christ, you are capable of becoming more like Him.

Speaking of a hunger for what's godly- that leads me to the next verse. But first, think of a time when you were hungry or thirsty for something very specific- and nothing else was gonna do, you had to have that one thing and you were not ready to wait for it. For me, I get a hunger or craving from time to time for a good plate of spaghetti and meatballs. It's like my body knows when it's been a while. Seriously, nothing else can fill that hunger when it comes. Maybe when you're away from home, you miss a certain food or restaurant- and the very day you get back home, you don't hesitate to get there and pile up. I mean you can already taste it before you get there!!

That's the kind of hunger Jesus was talking about here. The kind of hunger for godly things in your life that says- "I ain't moving from this spot til I get it!" You know, hunger comes over us all the time- we always have to think about what's for lunch, then what's for dinner, and so on. The same goes for your spirit- you should continue to hunger for godly things, not being satisfied with wordly bliss- but being filled with the likeness of Christ.

I am hungry for gentleness and humility, patience and kindness. The things that will set me a part, the things that will give me a more peaceful life, the things that will cause my light to shine brighter than ever before-


What are you hungry for?


I hope you have a great day filled with the blessings of God!!
I love you guys and pray for you constantly,
Pam S.

Thursday, May 15- Matthew 5:3-4

hey guys,

I'll admit, I struggled with these verses- how do they apply to me, how can they apply to you? I'm not poor (not many Americans are really poor in comparison to the desperate poverty in places around the globe), I'm not mourning any losses at the moment. So, how can this scripture speak to me?
First, I just started thinking about poverty and what it means- basically, that a person is in real need of the necessities in life- just to survive day to day. Without someone reaching out to them, they will go without. I think of emptiness and desperation.
But, I realized that the verse isn't talking about financial poverty- but spiritual poverty. What could that mean? Emptying yourself of all the stuff that gets in the way of you feeling the need for God. Someone living in poverty is desperate for help. Are you desperate for God? I like the way my Bible (New Living) translation reads verse 3:
"God blesses those who realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them."
How much do you really need God right now? Is your life filled with so many things that you don't realize your need for Him?
Did you notice the blessing given to those who realize their need for God? The Kingdom of Heaven!! How's that for a reward?! (the word 'bless' is a churchy word for reward or gift) Blessings for those who are in financial need are things like food, clothing, shelter...but, since Jesus is talking about a spiritual need- the greatest blessing is an eternal blessing.

And the same goes for mourning (verse 4), there is emptiness, longing, and desperation. I can say there is nothing like the feeling I had than the time I mourned the loss of someone a couple of years ago. I have had some dark times in my life, but none quite like that- I experienced such desperation for God, nothing else mattered to me but to receive all the love and comfort God had to give.
I believe that's what these verses are trying to tell us today- that we need to get to a place where we are desperate for God. Push away the things that make us so rich that we forget about God sometimes. God loves us and wants to bless us- this chapter is filled with the blessings God wants to pour out on us. Give Him the chance to shower you with His blessings- empty yourself of the things you 'think' you need at the moment, become poor so God can richly bless you!!


I love you guys and pray for you constantly,
Pam S.

Wednesday, May 14- Isaiah 54:10

hey ya!!
Jumping right in- the first thing I notice about this verse is that it doesn't say "If the mountains be shaken and if the hills be removed..."
There are many references in the Bible to life's difficulties- the fact that they will exist. No matter who you are- where you live- what kind of job you have or your parents have- no matter race, age, gender, religion, heritage, likes, dislikes, home schooled, public school, private school, college education, or no education... Everyone will see their 'mountains shaken' a time or two in their life. To what degree? When? What will be the outcome? Obviously, there are no answers to those questions-
But, you could certainly answer this question, now or in the midst of your trouble-
What is your safety net when life falls a part around you? Is it money? relationships? What ever it is, what happens when that falls a part as well? Try clinging to what the rest of the verse says,
"Yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord.
Again, notice He doesn't say 'maybe' my unfailing love for you will not be shaken... no, it's a promise! And when God says His peace will not be removed- that means enough peace, MORE peace to cover all your brokenness and pain now- and forever.

I'd like to refer to another scripture, story in the Bible from Matthew 8:
Jesus was in a fishing boat with his twelve disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee. A violent storm(imagine- strong winds, dark clouds, high waves, boat tipping) came without warning and the disciples became scared (imagine- terrified, helpless, raging fear). Jesus, what was he doing during all this? The Bible says he was sleeping. I know, crazy right? Picture this: the disciples are running around crazy, trying to come up with the best thing to do to prevent them from going down like the Titanic. One of them says to another, "Where is Jesus? Why isn't he here helping us?" While the others may be saying, "We don't need Jesus, we're fishermen- we can handle this!" The story goes on... realizing their fate, the disciples go to Jesus screaming, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" I can hear Jesus' stern voice when he said to them, "Have a little faith, why don't ya!" Then, He proceeded to rebuke the storm and all became calm (then, I like to think Jesus went back to sleep). And the disciples were in awe. Awe? They saw him do countless miracles, why did this one surprise them?

I believe Jesus delayed his coming to help the disciples for a few of reasons: First, to bring the disciples to a place where they realized all they had to do was come to Him for help, to help them grow in their faith in Him, and to bring glory and honor to Himself. Is He perhaps, doing the same in you right now?

Listen, be it mountains shaken, hills removed, or a violent storm- they are all the same... life's difficulties and pain. And the solution to all of them is calling on the peace of God. I don't mean to belittle any of your problems, I just want you to discover what the disciples discovered that day on the sea- that the peace of God is in your midst, you just need to have the faith that He is able to give it to you.

love you- see you soon
Pam S.

Tues. May 13- Proverbs 3:5-6

hey there,

God is asking you to have more trust in Him today!!
are you ready?

Every portion of this scripture is amazing, it's like a 4-step process for decision making- who doesn't need that?? Actually, there are people who think they don't, but I won't go there.

Trust is a HUGE thing for people to get a handle on, especially those who have been deeply hurt. I think once you lose trust in someone, you have to go through a growing and learning process to trust again. That could take years. The fear of being let down again is always lingering. Bottom line, trust can be a very sensitive thing sometimes.
There is a whole lot that can be said about the subject of trust, but I am going to focus in on this one question:

How much are you really trusting in God?
Are you trusting in Him with your whole heart? That means whatever is on your heart about today or tomorrow or the next day or 5 years down the road needs to be given to Him to take care of for you. So, is that a yes or a no? Or maybe you think you can handle it all on your own, in your own way? Because you know better, right?
NO!!

Who knows you better than the God who made you? Than the God who knows your future? Than the God who sees things in you that you don't even see? Than the God who loves you more than you love yourself? Than the God who trusts you enough to use you to make a difference in this world?

There is nothing too small or too big that we shouldn't trust God to handle for us. The problem comes when we think we understand the whole situation- so, in a pinch or something we just take the reins. Not realizing there was a whole other side to the story that we didn't even see- so we are back to square one or worse off than when we started. Some advice: just save yourself some time and anxiety and go to God first. You don't have to understand everything, just understand that God is asking for you to fully trust Him and have peace that His understanding far out ways your own understanding.


[[side note]]
Does this mean we shouldn't think for ourselves? No- we should not omit careful thinking or belittle our God-given ability to reason. However, we should not trust our own ideas to the exclusion of all others. We must not be so confident in our own thinking that we are not open to God's Word or wise counsel.

Do you ever wonder why you don't sense God's direction in your life? Maybe you're not following the instructions God has given you.
Think of Proverbs 3:5-6 as a simple math problem, you don't follow the rules of math, you don't get the correct result- if finding God's will for your life or in a specific situation is the result your looking for, then you must follow the formula of the verse:

Trust in God with your whole heart (-) your own understanding (+) seek out God's ideas and plans in all you do = He will guide you in the right direction.
We often want to get straight to the result without paying attention to the instructions.

"God what did you want me to do??" We cry out in desperation after we've tried everything else first.

I don't know about you, but I'm the kind of person that doesn't like reading or following instructions. I'll give the example of helping my son with his Legos. I see the picture of how it's suppose to turn out- but, do I follow the instructions to put it together? no, a resounding NO. "I got this," I mumble as I toss the instructions aside. But, does it get put together correctly in the end? another resounding NO. I waste a ton of time trying to do it on my own (with limited help from my son)- add frustration to the equation and looking pretty dumb in front of my son and you can guess the end result. A mess. "Mom, it doesn't look like the picture!" OK, let's start over.

God wants us to trust Him and come to Him first. He wants us to follow the instructions of Proverbs 3:5-6. He wants us to trust Him more, starting now!

love you,
ttyl-
Pam S.

Monday, May 12- 2 Chronicles 15:7

hey!!
I hope your weekend was great!!



Today, we're going to talk about something we all like and probably wish we had more of in our lives- reward, MORE reward. I'm not just talking about 'things'-although, material things can certainly be a part of our day to day reward sometimes. But, I'm also talking about eternal rewards.


Let's define reward: positive consequence, something given for a special service. In other words, the work done was not over looked, it was deserving of a reward- special recognition.
I wouldn't consider a paycheck or an allowance a reward- I suppose they could be, but I think that's stretching the idea of a reward. I think of something out of the ordinary that was done for someone or many people, a selfless act. I love seeing a reward given to someone who wasn't even expecting it- they just loved, served, worked, did above and beyond what was expected of them. Then, BAM (yeah, just like Emeril)- they're rewarded for it!!


I don't think our society does enough rewarding- we dwell on the negative that people do so much (think of what the news if filled with), that the good things people do is so often over looked. Wouldn't it be cool to have a news cast dedicated to showing us all the good people do and seeing them get the rewards they deserve? That would be pretty uplifting and inspiring.


anyhow,
let's be inspired by today's verse. A little background-
The 'men of Judah' were in the middle of a very hard time. The ruler, Asa, turned to the Lord during this time. Despite the problems of war brought against them- they still sought God. Now, they were being told by a prophet that as long as they stay strong and courageous, their work will be rewarded. So, following that message- Asa, the ruler proceeded to repair the altar of the Lord and offer up worship through a covenant of faithfulness to Him- and the people followed his lead. They eagerly sought after God and found Him. What was their reward? God gave them rest from their enemies on every side. (verses 8-15).

Notice that the reward was exactly what they needed for their specific situation. Notice what they did to receive their reward. Even in the dark times- they were faithful to God. Even when they were told that they were going to be rewarded- they continued to remain faithful to God- they didn't just sit back and wait for it. They were wholehearted in their acts of worship.


material reward: Living by God's standards may result in reward and recognition here on earth. That's COOL!! Scholarships, promotions, good health, awesome career, ice cream (ha! let's face it- we like to reward ourselves with a little something sometimes!). God wants to reward us for our faithfulness. Actually, He has more and MORE reward waiting for us as we choose to make godly choices.

[[side note]]
Let's not forget, this does not mean there won't be hard times in our lives. But, I believe God is watching how we handle those hard times- if in those dark times we grow closer to Him, stronger in Him, and just keep our eyes on Him- there is surely a reward waiting for us.


immaterial reward: when you chose to spend your time investing in the lives of others for the sake of Christ, you may not ever see the reward that comes from that. For example: going on missions trips gives you many, many opportunities to make an impact on someone and allow God to use you to change their lives. If you have been praying for someone to come to the Lord- and you have been witnessing to them, sharing God's love with them- don't take for granted the change that may be taking place in their life. Giving financially to a cause reaps many rewards that we never see. Many times there is the reward of knowing you did something right and good and compassionate- like volunteering, helping someone in need, or just lending a hand around the house. Sometimes the feeling you get from doing stuff like that is reward enough.


heavenly reward: let's not forget the reward waiting for us in heaven. This should never be our only reason for being faithful to God here on earth- because our earthly rewards can be pretty cool, too. But, our heavenly rewards are going to be... unimaginable- limitless- the ultimate!! Way over-the-top amazing!! MORE than we ever deserve!!



So, be inspired today. When it feels like what you do is unnoticed or you're wondering when the light is going to break the darkness- God is ready, maybe waiting for just the right moment, to give you your reward!! But, don't ever forget your heavenly reward awaits you as well. Just stay faithful.



I love you guys- like, for real!!
Pam S.

Sunday, May 11- Romans 12:2

hello and Happy Mothers Day!!!


We have been challenged this week to seek for more of what God has for us- because He is always waiting with more of His blessings to give us. Today, we are going to turn the focus on us- we are going to look at how God desires more from us- He challenges us that there is always more we can do or give, or give up for Him.

MORE CHANGE

"...let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think."

For the record, this sort of change- the changing of your thought life, doesn't happen over night. And it's not one of those 'once and done' things. It requires a desire for you to want more change in your thoughts every single day, actually every hour of the day (God isn't gonna change your thought life or anything else about you if you don't want it). Because at any given time of any day- negative, sinful thoughts could take over, and in a short amount of time, before you know it- you're not living the way you should.

A couple of days ago, I talked about our weaknesses and how we need to draw on the strength of God in our weak moments. Well, we all probably feel over-the-top weak with regard to our thoughts. Ohhhh, how much trouble we would all be in if our thoughts came to life. So, we absolutely need to realize that only God can change our thoughts, minds, and hearts- we could never do it on our own. And if our lives are going to change- or according to the verse, be transformed, we have to start by letting God help us change the way we think.

You might be saying, "I'm a good Christian- I have remained pure, I stay away from drugs and alcohol, I don't hang out on bad websites, I pretty much obey my parents, I give, I serve..." Well, it is possible to avoid worldly customs and still be proud, envious, stubborn, selfish, and arrogant. Don't think for a minute that anyone is exempt from needing change in their thought life!!

God is asking for MORE from you. Are you telling Him what parents tell their kids sometimes, "all gone" or "not right now"? There is always room for more change in our lives- every day. Start with your thought life.

Are you willing?



Let me end by referring to the end of our verse,

"Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is." WOW- don't you realize? When your way of thinking is changed, then and only then, can a true transformation take place- AND then, you can know what God wants you to do and what His will is for you. Your mind clutters your life- so, wouldn't it make sense then, that if your thought life isn't on track with God, then it's not going to be clear to you what His will is for your life?



I don't know about you, but I want to know what God wants me to do today and tomorrow and with my future. I want to know His perfect will for me- so, I say-
"Yes, Lord- begin with more change in my way of thinking (once again)!!"


I love you guys and I pray for you constantly,
Pam S.

Saturday, May 10- Psalm 94:19

Hi and Happy Saturday!!

At this very moment, as I am pondering the verse for today, it is pouring down rain outside. It's chilly, windy, probably one of the gloomiest days we've had in a while. I just want to curl up with many blankets, lie down in front of the t.v. and watch movies like "You've Got Mail" and "Princess Bride" over and over. I don't want to face my day, I want to avoid it. I want all my responsibilities to leave me alone until the gloom of the day is over. Motivation and energy do not exist. Do you ever get like? I'm sure I'm not alone. It's so hard to rise above and push through a day like today.

In the same way, it's hard to rise above life's difficulties such as illness, rejection, loss of a friend or loved one, and loneliness- even anxiety caused by high expectations from school, parents, job, and decisions for your future are difficult to bear. These storms of life come at us, sometimes with no warning- with gloomy days where you don't want to do anything. Where is the joy in that?


In light of all the Bible translations out there- I'd like to paraphrase today's verse, combining the Amplified Version and the NIV-

"When I was upset and beside myself, your comfort brought joy to my soul."

Whose comfort? God's comfort brought joy.

Not a boyfriends comfort, not a best friends comfort, shopping didn't bring comfort, eating didn't bring comfort, video games didn't bring comfort, the Internet didn't bring comfort, " ...GOD'S COMFORT brought joy."

Sometimes you don't realize that only God can bring real joy until all else fails you.

[[side note]]
Joy comes from God- it's eternal, pure, and selfless. Happiness is what the world gives- it's temporary and conditional. You have to work toward happiness, joy comes automatically when you have enough faith in God.

The Bible tells us that storms or difficulties are a normal part of life, but we are to have joy in the midst of them(despite them, not because of them). That doesn't mean you deny or ignore the problems and pain. It also doesn't mean you pretend you aren't going through one of the hardest times of your life. Finding the joy of the Lord in the midst of your difficulty is done by putting your complete faith and trust in God that He will bring you through, knowing in your heart that He will not leave you alone and will always love you- then joy will come as a result of that trust, abundant joy, MORE JOY!

How do you get that kind of confidence? By getting to know God more. The darker the days, the more you need to spend time with Him- in prayer, studying the Bible, and worship. When you do- He will replace your sadness with joy!!

So, if you are experiencing one of life's storms right now, press in and call on the comfort and joy of the Lord- He won't let you down!! Think of the example you will set for those around you as they question the confidence and joy you have during such a difficult time in your life.

love you and hope your weekend is great!!

Pam S.

Friday, May 9- Psalm 73:26

Hey there,

Weakness can be a pretty broad subject- covering lots of bases. Let's see... we can be weak physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. There might be specific people or situations that make you feel weak or small. Even those who seem to have a great amount of self-confidence feel weak sometimes.

There are situations in life that can break us- make us feel defeated and completely incapable of going on. And at times, in those situations- you may actually experience weakness in multiple areas of your life all at the same time. For example: your parents getting divorced can make you feel very weak in many ways- when the strength of your home just crumbles around you- at this point your weakness becomes painful. Maybe there is someone at school or at work that doesn't like you and just rubs you the wrong way- they do things intentionally to upset or hurt you. You dread having to see them- you can't think straight, you've lost your appetite- they have sapped all the energy right out of you. Or perhaps you give into temptation- the guilt takes over, you don't deal with this spiritual weakness so it only gets worse- and you not only feel weak, but now you feel unworthy.

Listen, all of these situations and hundreds like them, have to be dealt with in different ways. But, for the person who might be asking the following question-

"Where can I ever find strength to get through this??"

the answer is in one word...

God.



God's strength is just a prayer away.



His strength provides a refuge, shelter, and relief. His strength lifts you up and helps you rise above your weakness. His strength gives you power to overcome your weakness- nothing can empower you like the strength of God!! His strength helps you stand strong against all of the temptations around you.



Here's just a couple of things to remember about your weakness and God's strength:

• When you are weak, allowing God to fill you with His power, then you are stronger than you could ever be on your own.


• God does not intend for you to be weak, passive, or ineffective- there are enough hindrances and setbacks in life without you creating them. However, when those obstacles come, you must depend on God.


• When you are strong in your abilities or resources, you are tempted to do life on your own. Your weaknesses help you recognize your need for God.

So, starting right now- call out to God in your weakness, declaring your need for His strength. Reread the verse for today out loud making it your anthem- and oh yeah, don't forget... When you feel like you don't have any strength left to go on-

God is saying, "There is ALWAYS MORE!"

I love you guys and pray for you constantly,

Pam S.

Wednesday, May 8, Matthew 15:8-10

hey there!

OUCH!! These verses will hurt a little...

The following phrases help describe what Jesus was saying here:
"Don't do as I do, do as I say"
"You're all talk"
"You can't just talk the talk, but you gotta walk the walk"
"Actions speak louder than words"

All of these phrases and many others describe someone who basically doesn't mean what they say, they are just out to please someone.

In these verses, Jesus is referring to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were religious leaders in those days who considered themselves experts of the law- the law of Moses. They often thought of themselves as better than most- they were arrogant and unteachable. In some scriptures Jesus is bold enough to refer to these Pharisees as hypocrites!

This is a pretty cut and dry scripture about worship. Jesus said, "Their hearts were far away and their worship was fake."

So, how can this happen to someone? How can a person know so much about God, go to church their whole life, perhaps attend a private Christian school, maybe have some involvement in ministry, and even read the Bible just about every day... how can a person like this have a heart so far from God? How could they possibly be faking?

I have a couple of possible reasons:
Someone like this probably hasn't allowed the things they have learned and experienced from church, leaders, or the Bible to truly change their life by applying it to each area of their life. Many times, a persons relationship with God becomes so routine that nothing really means anything to them anymore. Sure they love God- they are a true believer, but there is no root, no inward change, the Bible holds no meaning anymore- the words role right off their back. But yet, they choose to act like they are worshiping.

Also, someone like this may not have truly found God for themselves. Their relationship with God is based on their parents relationship with God or even their friends relationship with God. They may look like they are close to God, but in reality, 'it's all talk.' None of the God-experience goes to the heart. As a matter of fact, if their parents or a certain friend stopped going to church or walked away from God- they would be right behind them- because that's the only reason they believe in God.

Do you have a dad or mom who is all talk? They say and promise so much, but they never follow through? Did you ever have a boyfriend or girlfriend like that? They put on the charm when needed, gave you stuff, said "I love you"- but in the end, none of it mattered...you realized they were faking. That HURTS!! You feel used, right?
That's exactly how God feels when we act like we are living for him- or when we act like we are worshiping him. And as much as we can put on the act for others, we can't fool God! He knows our hearts and our motives.

If these verses describe you, you may be asking how can I learn to be real with God and get rid of the act? Begin by softening up to God's word and finding ways to allow it to penetrate your heart. You will need your own Bible. Talk to God all the time, not about others- but about you and how you can better your relationship with Him. Find your own place to worship, your own style, your own words expressing how you really feel about God. Be teachable and humble- recognizing your faults. I think that's a pretty good start.

WOW-
now let your worship be more real and more meaningful than ever!!


I love you guys and pray for you constantly,
Pam S.

Tuesday, May 6- Romans 12:1

hey guys,
Have any of you ever had the privilege of staying in a hotel where meals and activities were included in the price?? That's called an all inclusive resort- parents love places like that because they don't have to think about all the little things they would be spending their money on...cruises are like that too. Don't you just love hearing this- you go to pay for something you thought was gonna cost extra and you hear these words, "Oh, that's included- no extra charge!"
Sweet!!

Now, getting back to worship- you need to apply this 'all inclusive' thought to your life. ALL areas of your life need to be lived as worship unto God- as mentioned in our verse for today.

Imagine, if you will, this conversation between you and God:
God starts by reminding you- ever so kindly- that worship isn't just about the song or music (yes, yes- you've said that already!).
But, He goes on to tell you that you must "...give your body to Me."
"What is that supposed to mean??" you ask Him.
"You need to learn to be obedient from your heart (obedience with pure motives), daily lay aside your own desires to follow me, put all your energy and resources in my hands and... trust in me to guide you."

((That's all inclusive worship to God))

"Ohhhh, nope. I can't do that- I can't lay this desire aside or trust you with that situation just yet... that'll cost ya extra!" you said with a slight smirk.

"Extra?! After all I've given already??" God just waits for your response- but there isn't one.


There are places in all of our lives where we just hold back- we don't give it to God- preventing us from having an all inclusive, totally surrendered life of worship to our Creator. Take just a moment to pray right now- asking God to show you those things in your life that you need to put aside or the areas you need to trust in Him more. And then ask Him to help you surrender those things to Him.

Don't wait for God to do more for you- He's already done enough!!




love you and see you at the concert!!
Pam S.

Monday, May 5- Psalm 63:2-4

hi real lifers!
huge week coming up at Real Life- have you invited some friends to join us? we can't keep all this excitement to ourselves!!

well, I understood these verses better when I started reading back at the first verse-
so here it is:
"O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water."

You know, for me, there are times when I'm reading the Psalms and forget all the hard ache that David- the writer went through. I mean, he went through a ton of junk, but his writing proves that he new how to deal with it all. Just a little background on verse one here- David was hiding from his enemies in a barren wilderness, he was completely alone (who knows for how long), longing for a friend he could trust to ease his loneliness. No wonder he was crying out "... my soul thirsts for you..."
So, the verses to follow are an amazing expression of praise and worship to the Friend that David found in that dry and lonely moment in his life- he found God. He found God's power, honor, and His unfailing love.

We've been talking a lot about worship lately. Answering questions like-
What is worship?
Why do we worship?
Does my worship really matter?
How should we approach worship?
What is real worship?

Well, I think these verses and many others like them- answer another question about worship...
How am I supposed to worship God when I don't even feel God near me?

The above verse, Psalm 63:1, shows us that some of our most intense and real times of worship come while we are in the midst of some of the toughest moments in our lives- even when we feel lonely- even when God seems far away. But, the clincher is this-ready?? We need to make the effort to call out to God. He promises to hear you and be there for you when you call on Him. And believe me- when you can experience God the way David did here (in the midst of his pain), you will be able to worship God like you never have before- as a matter of fact, your worship from here on out will never be the same. This is the coolest part: you will realize that in this time of worship- you have forgotten the pain you were dealing with because God's 'unfailing love' is greater than ANYTHING!!

What is your 'parched and weary land' experience? Does it seem like it will never end? Or are you just in a dry place concerning your relationship with God?
Well, what are you waiting for? [[Don't wait for things to get better to worship God- recognize that the toughest time in your life can create the most real time of worship for you]]- and allow calling out to God in worship be just the beginning of God's healing and time of refreshing for you!!


you're AWESOME and I love you guys,
Pam S.

Saturday, May 3- Psalm 66:16-20

hey guys!!
I hope this scripture changes you as it did me...

These verses aren't about the act of worship so much as they are about how you need to approach worship. And what should your approach to worship be? Start with a time of confession. It would be hard to enter into a time of worship with the heaviness of sin on your heart (maybe you know what I'm talking about). You NEED to confess your sins to God, cry out for His forgiveness and help to turn from those sins--daily, more than daily, every time you sin!! The less you confess your sin, the more of a barrier you build between yourself and God.


Imagine this little scenario:
Think about all the 'little' and not so little sins you might commit just in one day and forget to confess to God- and each sin is represented by a brick. With each one you don't confess, it gets stacked on top of the next and side by side. For example: lying to your parents about who your hanging out with, cheating on homework, telling bad jokes, your lustful thoughts as you check someone out, disobeying traffic laws(yeah, that's a sin too), disrespecting your parents or teachers, gossip, etc.... That wall is getting pretty high isn't it? It doesn't take long. For some of us, we go days or weeks or months without sincerely confessing sin to God.

How can you expect God to receive your worship when you have a huge wall of unconfessed sin standing in the way??
You NEED (and I'm speaking to myself here) to get into the habit of recognizing when you sin and confessing it right away, with the intention of turning from it(that's called repentance). That way your worship will be honorable and pleasing to God.
PHEW!! I feel freedom just thinking about it!

One more thing-
One Sunday morning, not too long ago, it was the worship time of the service. We were all standing in worship- when two younger guys came in and stood right in front of me. Actually, one stood and began worshiping while the other turned around at his seat and bowed to his knees. He prayed a quick prayer before entering into worship. I was challenged by seeing him take the time to do that and realized how amazing his worship time must have been because he took the time to give his heart to God in prayer before he gave himself up in worship. I think we can all learn a lesson from this man. Our worship can be so much more real if we are continually experiencing God's forgiveness in our lives.

And then we can say as David did, "Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer and did not withdraw His unfailing love from me."





love you guys,

Pam S.

Friday, May 2- John 4:23

hey and Happy Friday!!

I'm sure this verse has some kind of theological explanation behind it, but I am choosing not to go that route this time.

One of the first things that jumped out at me was the term 'true worshiper.' Before I dive into that- let me ask you a question. Define in your own words what a true friend is...

here is my definition:
maybe someone who is real, honest, doesn't care what others may say about you, loves you no matter what, you can talk to them about anything-good listener. Or maybe someone you can have fun with doing nothing at all and you can be yourself. Maybe you have a true friend that moved and the distance hasn't hindered your friendship. A true friend is someone you are willing to do anything for to keep that relationship alive and strong.

A true worshiper has alot of those same qualities. A true worshiper of the Almighty God will worship no matter what circumstances arise. A true worshiper will worship no matter what people around them may think. A true worshiper doesn't actually have to DO anything to worship God- they could be worshiping God with their thoughts and prayers. A true worshiper doesn't have to feel close to God only while they're in church- but can feel close to God through worship at any given time of the day. A true worshiper realizes they do not need to compare themselves to the way others worhsip- they know they can worship God in their own personal way- they can be themselves in their worship...remember what Pastor Eran said on Wednesday night? No one else can worship the way YOU worship.

Do you truly worship God? Wouldn't you want to be known by your friends as a true friend? In the same way- wouldn't you want to be known by God as a true worshiper?

The last part of the verse says, "The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way." God isn't looking for just anyone to worship- He is looking for you to worship in a true and real way, the way He deserves.
Worship is not to be taken lightly. It's not to be done just because its something you've done in church since you were a kid. True worship comes from a humble heart that is ready to give back to God through living a life in honor to Him.


"The Father is looking for for those who will worship Him that way." Will He find you among the true worshipers?


I love you guys and pray for you constantly,
Pam S.

Thursday, May 1- Psalm 40:1-5

Hey guys!

These verses are over-the-top amazing!!!

First off- David, the author, mentions "I waited patiently for the Lord to help me." Well, I don't know about you- but, waiting is NOT one of my favorite things to do..let alone patiently. Let's camp out on patience here for a minute. I couldn't begin to tell you all the times when I needed patience the most and it was no where to be found. But, instead of dwelling on what a lack of patience can do to your character- let's focus on how patience can build you up.

Patience = Growth. When you are going through a tough time at school, with a friend, or at home- and you decide to wait patiently on God to help you instead of trying to handle it all by yourself- you WILL grow spiritually.
Patience = Strength. There is another verse in Isaiah that talks about waiting on the Lord, it says- "They that wait on the Lord will find new strength." I claim this promise almost daily. So, strength to make it through is cool, right?
Patience = Self-control. I know they kinda go hand in hand, but really, self-control is an awesome reward for someone with a patient heart.
Patience = Peace. That's seems obvious, but it's a beautiful truth. I know when I choose patience while dealing with my kids, for instance, my house is alot more peaceful!! Everyone loves a peaceful attitude.

So, yeah- waiting isn't easy- for any of us- but look at the benefits David received from waiting patiently on God...

He lifted him out of his despair. That means God reached down and pulled him out of his problems. What problems are you facing? Have you tried waiting on God to help? Or are you too impatient for God? God just wants to rescue you!

He set his feet on solid ground and steadied him as he walked. Basically, God didn't leave him hanging. Have you ever had someone help you with something and you still needed a little direction, but they just said- "K, see ya later, you're on your own now!" That's a terrible feeling. God will not only help you out, He will help you on your way to make sure your ok.

He put a new song of praise in his mouth. That sounds kinda silly, but think about it. Have you ever made it through something difficult or even seen someone else make it through something so tough? And through patience, prayer, and hard work they were a better person for it. It's like they are a different person- they feel better, look better, even sound better. That's what that verse means.

Lastly, these verses are a song of praise to God for what He did for David. Don't ever forget to thank God for helping you in your time of need. That's the easy part, but we often forget.


And keep in mind that many times good things cannot be received unless we go through the trials of waiting.

I love you guys,
Pam S.

Monday, April 28 - Psalm 143:7-9

Hello there, guys!

Here's my favorite verse from this passage:

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,
for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
for I give myself to you.

Seriously, this would be a fantastic prayer to pray each morning! It's so basic, but it really covers it!

I think one of the really cool things about this verse is the idea that it really captures the "covenant nature" of our relationship with God. K, that's a big word, and you might be confused. Let me explain. Just like a married couple takes vows, promising what they will do to show their love and commitment to one another, that's kind of how it works with our relationship with God. It's a give and take, and that's what makes a real and beautiful relationship. We see this all through the Bible, and all through history. God says, "I value you and want to share in a promise with you. I promise to do this because I love you, and you promise to do this because you love me." So let's take a look at this verse again, only now from the perspective of what we want God to do, and what we promise to do in return:

GOD: Remind me that you love me and you're taking care of me.
ME: I'm going to trust in You, and believe that Your way is the best way. (I'm going to trust you in my heart and mind.)

GOD: Help me to figure out what I should do and how I should live.
ME: I'm going to surrender my life and my decisions to you (I'm going to trust you in my choices and actions.)

It's time we stop asking God to do everything for us, and we start by taking a step toward him. It's give and take. Remember the Bible says that when we move toward God, He will move toward us? What are you asking God for? What's your part of the promise? How are you moving toward him?

Example:

GOD: Help me in my relationship with my parents.
ME: I will do my best to honor them.

GOD: Help me forgive the person who hurt me.
ME: I'm surrendering the situation (and my right to be angry), to You, God.

GOD: Show me what to do about my college choice.
ME: I'm going to trust you with my future.

Are you starting to see how this whole give-and-take, promise thing works? So are you all "take" in your relationship with God? What are you giving? What are you promising?

Love you. Here for you.

Pastor Courtney

P.S. God ALWAYS keeps his promises. What is his promise to you? Find it in the Bible, in a prayer, in a sermon... Write it down. Cling to it. And then figure out how you can take a step TOWARD God and that promise.

Saturday, April 26 - Hebrews 13:15-16

When it comes to worship, have these thoughts ever crossed your mind?

"I just wasn't in the mood."
"I didn't feel like it."
"I had a long day."
"I wasn't feeling the songs."

Yes, yes, yes, and yes. I know that at some point in time, I've had these thoughts cross my mind. "Thoughts" is a nice word. It would be more accurate (although a bit harsh) to say they were lousy excuses for holding back from God everything he deserves. And I've been guilty MANY times. The truth is when I'm tired, God's still good and beautiful and worthy. When I don't like the music, God's still loving and powerful and deserving.

You're not always going to feel like worshipping God. When I say "worship," I'm not just talking about music (although this is one expression of our worship). I'm talking about the other things we do to show God we are living for him - like reading our Bible, praying, sharing our faith, giving a portion of our money (called "tithing"). You're not always going to FEEL like spending time with God or obeying what you know is right. But check out this verse in Hebrews. It's called a "sacrifice" of praise, and that's exactly what it is. When you sacrifice something, you give up the right to get your own way... you set aside what you want or feel or prefer for the benefit of someone else. Sacrificing is usually not easy. It's typically inconvenient, and sometimes it even hurts.

Sometimes we think worship is about getting good, warm, fuzzy feelings. I'd venture to say that when it comes to worship and our feelings, it's not always about the good feelings we get from it, but rather about the negative feelings we have to overcome for it.

QUESTION: How have your feelings kept you from giving God the worship he deserves? How can you overcome those feelings?

Love you. Here for you.

Pastor Courtney

Thursday, April 24 - 2 Corinthians 4:6

We did something a little different to select verses for the next two weeks... Each day, the verse comes from one of the songs that will be on the "No One Else" CD. Special thanks to Maurice for picking the verses that really capture the meaning and origin of the songs.

Today's verse goes with a song we sang tonight - "WE SHINE."

I LOVE this verse. It's basically saying that God, who is the creator of light, shines his light in us, which does two things...

1. His light illuminates the truth for us.
2. His light shines through us to other people (which then helps them see the truth).

A lot of us want to shine. We want to make a positive impact on the people in our world. I think sometimes we forget that without God in our lives, there's no light to shine through us. HE is the source of light and hope and goodness. He ALONE can transform lives, bring healing from painful hurts in our lives, bring freedom from the things that control us, and bring purpose for our future.

There are two kinds of people this verse speaks to:

1. People who have God's light and hope and truth in their lives but DON'T SHINE.
2. People who want to shine but are RELYING ON THEIR OWN GOODNESS AND STRENGTH rather than God's.

Something to think about: which one are you?

Love you. Here for you.

Pastor Courtney

Wednesday - Romans 14:13

This verse deals with one of those "hot" issues.  It's one of things that we all hate - it's when somebody "judges" us.  We all hate it.  We don't want people to judge or tell us what is right or wrong.  I think we all deal with this fear or irritation that people are always going to be "in our business".  

"Just let me live my life" is the attitude that most of us have.  

To get into this verse a little deeper and really understand what the Apostle Paul (the guy who wrote this) is trying to say you have to understand a little bit about the current "hot" issue in the church that day.  

People were fighting over what kind of food you should and should not eat.  The Jews, coming from a more traditional background were very strict with their diet because they followed the Old Testament diet rules.  The Greeks or Gentiles who had found Jesus, but weren't raise the same way the Jews were, would eat all kinds of stuff.  The Jews were judging and condemning the Gentiles because of what they ate.  

You have to understand that this kind of judging had to do with someone basically saying two things: 1. What you're doing is wrong and 2. God won't accept you if you keep doing that.  

We only have the right to offer the first of this two ingredients if what they are doing is clearly spelled out in the bible.  Very clearly spelled out.  The second is only ever God's job.  

Paul is telling them in this verse that our focus should not be judging the other person as much as making sure that we ourselves are not doing something that might be an issue for someone else.  It's a maturity issue.  People that like to judge want to draw the attention away from themselves and what they are doing that might be wrong.  

It's kinda like when somebody says, "Mind your own business."  That's kinda biblical.  Look out to make sure that you're living life like it should be and stop focusing so much on what someone else is doing.  

The maturity comes into play when you decide to restrain yourself from doing something that you know in good conscious you can do simply because you don't want it to be an issue for someone else.  Here's the example: you know that can enjoy listening to a variety of music both secular and christian, but one of your friends has really been struggling with this issue.  Your maturity comes into play when you choose to not flaunt your freedom in spite of their struggles.  

Question of the day:  Are you mature enough to deal with your own issues and stop judging others?  Are you mature enough to say no to yourself in order to keep someone else from stumbling?  

Love ya, 

PE

Tuesday - Mark 11:24-26

Well here's another one of those passages of Scripture that really rub me the wrong way.  I just don't really like this one that much, simply because (just being honest here) this is really tough to live out.  I like the easy ones, but this one is tough.  

Here's how this verse plays out in my life and yours.  So you're trying to work things out with God, serve him, pray, worship, live for God, etc... and all of the sudden it becomes apparent that you have some issues with someone - a person, friend, parent, etc...  Ultimately, the problem is that they've hurt or angered you in some way and so now you need to forgive them.  

Here's what we like to do in these situations.  Let's pray about it, think about it, talk to God about it, talk to some other friends about it, talk... think... talk... try to forget.... talk.... think... pray some more...., but basically none of those options really cut it according to this verse. Basically, Jesus is saying forget about all the worship and prayer stuff, forget about talking about it to others and then praying some more, it's time to just deal with it.  

In fact, this verse actually gives us a wake up call when it comes to our unforgiveness.  If you choose to not forgive you basically put God in a situation where he can't extend his forgiveness to you.  Scary thought here - what you're willing to do for someone else, God is willing to give to you, but what you're not willing to give to someone else God is not willing to give to you.  

There's a major disconnect in our lives when we choose to not forgive.  It comes in not understanding how much we've already been forgiven by God.  If we don't come to grips with how much love and forgiveness God has already poured on us it's really quite impossible for us to be willing to forgive others.  It's only when we begin to really see how much we've been forgiven that no amount of hurt or pain we've experienced can match up to how much hurt and pain we've caused God. 

Bottom Line: If you can't forgive others, God can't forgive you.  Think about it, why should He? You've done alot more to offend him than others have done to you.  You owe it to yourself, to others and to God to choose to forgive.  

This is a tough one.  Keep wrestling with it.  

PE

Monday, April 21 - 1 Peter 4:8

You know how when you don't like a person, it seems like EVERYTHING they do is annoying? It works the other way too. When you're best friends with a person, you put up with stuff that might bother you if someone else did it. For example, that girl you don't like annoys you because she is so loud... but so is your best friend. The difference is, you LOVE your best friend, so you're able to put up with more.... Check out this verse:

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sin."

The Message says it like this: Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.

Does this sound familiar? It echoes the words of Jesus who says that the greatest commandment, the one we should live our entire lives by is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind AND to love your neighbor as yourself. We can't say we love God if we don't TRULY love each other. They go hand in hand.

So back to 1 Peter 4:8... love covers a multitude of sins.. That means that true, real, genuine love (that is not shallow and not faking it) is able to withstand some hurts and forgive sins and overlook flaws. If you "peace out" on your friends, and cut people off as soon as you are hurt or offended, you never really loved them... it was shallow. No one likes a fake, and no one wants to be a fake, but love like that IS fake.

Here's another way to look at it... When you are hurt, fall back on the love that you have for that person... remember that love, and remember WHY it is you love them - it will give you reason and grace to forgive.

Is your "love" fragile, and your relationships easily broken? Or are you loving like your life depended on it? THAT love "makes up for practically anything," and can withstand practically anything.

Love you. Here for you.

Pastor Courtney

Friday, April 18 - Matthew 5:38-42

These verses completely fly in the face of everything we are used to and everything we see in the culture around us. There are actually 2 extreme ideas here...

1. DON'T give people the payback or "cold shoulder" they might deserve. (pretty extreme)

But it doesn't end there...

2. DO give people kindness they don't deserve. (VERY extreme)

That's what Jesus is talking about when he tells us to go the second mile. Now, we can sort of understand this concept, but when you understand a little Bible history, Jesus' words are even MORE extreme. So let me fill you in...

About 600 years before Jesus' life on earth, the Romans, who were in power at the time, enacted a law saying that any Roman soldier could stop any Jewish guy in the middle of what they were doing, and make them carry their gear for an entire mile (and if the guy didn't, he would be thrown in jail). Now, the Romans and Jews didn't get along with to begin with. The Jews were oppressed and taken advantage of by the Romans... How frustrating would it be to have to stop in the middle of the day, and miss a few hours of work (and pay), to lug around the gear of one of your enemies who was simply to lazy to carry it?!? I would be SO mad! I obviously wouldn't want to go to jail, so I would have to carry it the full mile, but NOT A SINGLE INCH FURTHER!

But wait... according to Jesus, that's not going to fly. Don't just go another inch. Go another mile.

Let me try to put this into perspective on a small scale: Say there's a kid at school who is your classic "bully," a complete jerk who seems to go out of his way to make your life miserable. He happens to be an athlete, and the school takes great pride in their athletes. To show their support, the school has made a rule that any athlete can order another student to carry all their bags and books to their next class. If an athlete asks you, and you deny him, you automatically get a week of detention. So this jerk, who happens to be an athlete, orders you to carry his backpack AND gym bag AND jacket to his locker... which means you'll definitely have to run in order to get to class on time. Of course he doesn't ask politely... he gives you a shove because you're not going fast enough. You HATE him! You can't wait to get to his locker and throw his stuff to the ground...

But wait... according to Jesus, that's not going to fly. He's basically saying that you shouldn't just carry his books to the locker once, but instead, offer to carry his stuff around all week, regardless of how he treats you.

How RIDICULOUS is this idea?! How REVOLUTIONARY is this idea?!

So there's probably at least one person you can think of that you're not getting along with. Maybe you feel good about yourself because you're not mean to them- you just ignore them....Jesus says to take it one step further, always one step further. Go out of your way to help them. That's walking the second mile. Don't just avoid the person you hate... make an extra effort to be kind to them.

What would happen?! What kind of revolution would you see in your relationships?

Try it out, and let me know :)

Love you. Here for you.

Pastor Courtney

Wednesday, April 16 - Romans 12:18-21

This chapter is absolutely loaded with incredible teaching. Our lives and relationships would be completely turned around if we focused on living out just this one chapter! I want to highlight a couple of things that jumped out at me from these few verses:

1. The verse says that we are to get along with everyone, "AS FAR AS IT DEPENDS ON YOU." Here's two simple ideas... when there is a problem you and another person, there's a good chance that you both share some of the blame. However, even though you may both be at fault, YOU can only change YOU. While you can let the other person know how you would like to see them change, YOU can't actually change them, nor can you let your decision to change hinge on their decision to change. What in the world am I trying to say? If you're in a difficult situation with someone, focus on what YOU can change, and don't let it depend on them. Maybe you feel like your parents are "picking on you," but you've also had a bit of an attitude lately... The only thing you can change is YOU. Work on your attitude, whether or not your parents work on how they treat you. Don't let your parents' failure to change be an excuse for your failure to change. I know this can be hard... Really hard. But the amazing thing is, that if you focus on the changes YOU can make, other people often follow your lead.

2. "Don't be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." So I was reading a couple of commentaries (the stuff scholars write about these verses), and this is a pretty powerful verse. Basically the first part of the verse says, don't hold on to the hurt and become the very thing you hate. The second part of the verse explains how we are to overcome those feelings of bitterness, anger, and hurt... "with good." The verses before it say that we are to be kind and helpful to our enemies, and we'll win them over ... kind of like the expression, "Kill them with kindness." It's hard for a person to stay mad at you or continue to treat you poorly when you are being kind to them.

K, those are just a couple of thoughts. Now for a couple of questions:

- Is there anyone you're not getting along with right now? Without waiting for them to change, what is something you could change?

- How can you show kindness to someone you are not getting along with? What if you are kind to them and they don't change- is it still worth it?

That's all for now. See you tonight!

We love you. We're here for you.

Pastor Courtney

Monday, April 14 - Romans 12:9-13

For the next few days, we'll be taking a look at Romans 12, because it has a lot of thought-provoking stuff to say about how we should treat one another.

I could write a lot about each of these verses, but I am going to narrow my thoughts down to 2 particular verses. "Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." We can really apply this to all of our decisions, but I want to specifically see what these verse means for our relationships. I know from experience that I have a hard time seeing the good in a person or in a relationship when I have been hurt. True for you, too? For this reason, in part, I think it is easy for us to abandon the relationship altogether, because we see no good and no value in it. What would happen if the next time we were hurt, we hated evil but clung to what is good? Example: Jill told some other people something you had told her in confidence, but she was also the only friend that really stood by you when your parents were getting divorced. What if you hated the gossip, but you clung to the love and support she showed you in tough times ? Do you think it might be easier to dig deep and find forgiveness for that person? Just a thought.

This ties in with verse 10, which states that we are to be "devoted" to one another in "brotherly love." Unfortunately, I think very few of us have experienced or shown this kind of devotion. As I said earlier, when we are hurt by one friend, it's often easier to just move on to a new friend. We have all grown up in a culture of divorce- whether we've experienced it ourselves or have supported a friend through it- and we hate it for how it robs us, wounds us, and scars us. And yet, as much as we hate it, we're already practicing it every time we give up on a friend. The very thing that we despise is seeping into our friendships. And not only are you and your friends hurt every time you go through it, but you miss out on ever experiencing depth in a friendship. When your friendships only last a few months, you never give them a chance to take root, and so all you have are shallow relationships and friends who don't REALLY have your back.

So how do we reverse the cycle of friendship divorce? We commit to working through our struggles and hurts together rather than moving on so quickly. This will probably involve a bit of effort and some difficult conversations. But knowing that you have a friend that will stick by you through thick and thin is worth it.

K, those are just a couple of thoughts for now. Feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment (THANKS BRIT AND MOE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS :)

We love you. We're here for you.

Pastor Courtney

Sunday, April 13 - Proverbs 18:21

I LOVE to read the same verse from in the Bible in a bunch of different translations, and it is really easy to do this at www.biblegateway.com. I'll usually read 3-4, and there's usually one version that will make me think, "Okay, I totally get it now!"

This time, the "Aha!" version for me was The Message. Proverbs 18:21 in The Message version says it like this:

"Words kill, words give life. They're either poison or fruit - you choose."

Whether we realize it or not, most of what we say is either tearing someone down or picking someone up. This seems a little hard to believe, because we're really not TRYING to tear people down or lift them up most of the time... Usually, we're just...talking! Maybe you're not trashing someone directly, but you're constantly pointing out the bad stuff in a situation and fearing the worst. Your words are bringing the people around you down - even if you are not saying mean things about them.

If we were more careful about the things we say... if we CHOSE our words with careful thought rather than rambling on without thinking... we wouldn't hurt so many people, and we wouldn't BE hurt by so many people.

So often times, our failure to "choose our words" causes the hurt in the first place. To make matters worse, once we're involved in a hurtful situation, we're usually even MORE careless with our words (thinking that the other person deserves it, or that we're just "venting"), which just leads to more hurt on both sides. What would happen if the next time you were involved in a hurtful situation with someone and tried to work it out by approaching them, you chose words that give life, even if you don't feel like they deserve it?

Recognize the power of what you say. Choose words that make people feel good about themselves and their situation, and in turn they will feel good about you. If you are involved in a hurtful situation and have the opportunity to approach the person who hurt you, don't choose death just because they did. Break the cycle. Choose life.


Love you guys,

Pastor Courtney

Saturday, April 12 - James 4:7

I know the scripture card says to just read verse 7, but I read on and found some pretty good stuff. Check it out:

7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

11 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters.[d] If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. 12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

This is often so far from the way we really live, which makes me wonder how things would be different if we lived this passage of scripture out.

How would your situation be different if you approached it with humility, not making judgments or assumptions about the other person, but considering them BETTER than you?

What would it look like if you submitted the whole situation and your attitude about it to God so that HIS will would be done?

What if, instead of judging other people for everything they do wrong, you put all that effort into figuring out how to live for God and obey him yourself?

The devil uses each of us, at different times, to hurt one another and tear one another down. He uses our hurts and offenses to divide us, because division makes a group weak and worthless. What if the next time we were about to get upset over something stupid, we chose to "resist the devil"?

Just a couple of late night thoughts and questions. Think about it...



Pastor Courtney

Thursday, April 10 - Tips for Approaching

Hey guys,

Here is a recap from last night:

1. Don’t approach the person until you've made a decision to forgive them.
2. You should have an attitude of humility and a desire to reconcile (work things out and restore your relationship). Your friendship to me is important so I really want to work this out. I want you to know what you’ve done that hurts me
3.. Be open-minded. Don’t attack the person with assumptions or accusations. Seek to clarify and find out what really happened and why the person did why they did. Don't assume you know it all or that you're completely right.
4. Remember: often we judge ourselves by our intentions and everyone else by their actions.
5. Pre-determine how you will respond if it goes bad or goes great:
- bad – I love you and forgive you and want to work this out when you’re ready.
- good – it mean a lot if you’d do this the next time.

Here are the three basic steps when you decide to approach them (remember and remind them that you are not there to attack, but rather because you care about the relationship and want to work things out). Tell them:

1. What they did.
2. How it hurt.
3. How we can fix it.

So those are just a few tips. We'll go into more detail later!

Love you guys!

Pastor Courtney