Saturday, October 13, 2012

How do you find God?

I cannot get the verse out of my head that says: If you seek Me, you will find Me....if you seek Me with all of your heart.
  I want to know Him....not just know who He is. I want to be closer to God.....know what
He says and what He desires from me and my life.
  I have heard many people say...I don't believe in God, or is there really a god.....or I don't know
Him, or I cannot feel Him etc etc. The Bible sure is a great way to get to know God and who He is...and if He is real ....it has the answers to many of our questions. It simple says you will find Him...if you seek Him with all of your heart. This is not talking about finding a genie and getting 3 wishes, or making all of your dreams come true...or yes...if you find God...you will live a perfect life....nope...not at all....it is just saying that God is not hiding, He has not changed, He is still there...He never left you or me...it is us...we are the ones that walk away....if we really want to know Him....just seek with all of your heart.
  You know I have a son...and if I couldn't find him.....how would I look....for 5 minutes and get
bored? No...I would look everywhere, call friends, do whatever it took to find him. How about when we lose our car keys and we are running late....we may frantically run through the house searching through drawers, or closets, coats...leaving a messy trail behind us..but it doesn't matter at that moment...all that matters is finding those keys!
   Wow....do we really seek God? Do we search for Him? Do we spend time trying
to know Him and talk with Him? Even if we don't....even if we haven't...He is waiting for us....patiently loving us still.
  Thank you Lord for loving me...I want to know you more...help me to seek You with all
of my heart!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Healthier & delicous Apple Crisp







   I just adore Fall. It is my favorite season......and even though I am early...for some reason I feel the need to bake through Fall and Christmas. I am not one that likes really sweet or sticky desserts...and I wanted something healthier. I tried this recipe and loved it....hope you will give it a try too!


3 medium apples cored and sliced thin ( you can remove skin if you want...I didn't)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour

Topping:

1 cup quick oats
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 brown sugar
2 tablespoons heart healthy margarine or butter

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Mix first 4 ingredients and place them into a 9 inch backing pan

In a small bowl mix topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over the apples

Bake for 30-40 minutes until apples are soft and topping is golden brown

Friday, August 24, 2012

Look up for your redemption draweth nigh!

Some people think what I believe is crazy, some think it is silly or that they need to argue to prove I am wrong. It is okay, I think everyone deserves the freedom to choose their belief or what they think.......but honestly you won't change my mind. It isn't religion to me, it is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Nothing will change my belief. I believe Jesus is real, that He was perfect, He died for you and for me, He took all sin on Him, He died....but He rose again and He is sitting on the right hand side of God in Heaven...and yes, I believe He is coming again.  LOOK UP, FOR YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH.

 The reason I am writing this..and you may or may not understand, but I feel it in
my bones, I feel the Holy Spirit tugging.....He is coming..soon.Jesus is coming back...tell as many as you can. Jesus is coming back to take those that are saved to Heaven. Not everyone will go......you won't go just because you are a good person, or you donate money or time etc to charities, or just because you go to church, or your dad is a pastor or whatever excuse we may have. The only way to go......is through Jesus. Asking Him to come into your heart, to forgive you of all the wrong you have done, let Him know you believe in Him and that you believe  what the Bible says. Ask Him to help you learn and live the way He wants you to live. That you want to read the Bible and understand it. Then there is the part of changing, stop living the way you used to live...and He is right with you through it all. What a joy that comes in your life when you ask Him into your heart! I know it changed me.

 Know that you won't be perfect...........I certainly am far from perfection, You will still fail, your life won't be rainbows and unicorns...but it is different...a joy you have never know, a peace that passeth all understanding. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

 I am sharing this because I would want someone to tell me. One morning you may wake up...and so many people will be gone with no explanation. Your grandmother, or child, or sister, husband or wife. Shock, fear.....all of these things will be happening here on earth. I don't want to be left here or experience this.....I want to be with Jesus in Heaven forever and ever...for all eternity....worship God!

Just because people laugh, argue, deny that He is real......doesn't change the truth. They
did all the could to stop Jesus....even crucified Him...but they couldn't stop Him from rising again....they cannot stop that He still touches lives today! I can say I don't believe in air...I don't see it...you just made it up....but it is still real...and I need it every day! I need Jesus every day.

What a loving God we have that would send His only Son....to die.....for you and for me. We
all have a choice where we want to spend eternity. We might not know if we will be young or old when we die....but we all will die. We all are born...some of us live long lives, some are cut too short. We can choose where we go after we die. There are only 2 choices............one is with God in Heaven and the other is in Hell. You may say well if God is so loving why would He send us to Hell. Hell was not made for you or me......that is why He sent Jesus to die for us.............so we could be forgiven, we could live forever with Him............but you know our loving God.......He does not force us to chose Him. He won't make you.............He didn't make us to be robots that followed every command. No, He gave us a heart, a free will, a mind to chose. What will you chose? There comes a time when it is too late. Too late to make a choice, too late to say I love you, or take back things you have done or said. Now is the time of salvation.

Look up, He is coming back.....Blow the trumpet in Zion...sound the alarm! What a wonderful day that will be...when my Jesus I see.....I am so excited .......yet torn. My family, friends, those that will be left behind. I urge you......don't be one that is left..........be one excited....one that is looking up...watching for Him to come and take you with Him!

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

For I(Jesus) am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father (God), but by Me (Jesus)  John 14:6

And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws nigh.  Luke 21:28



Tuesday, August 7, 2012

What is love????

So many times I hear people speak of love. Young and old alike have their views and experiences. I feel that most people have a warped view of love. It seems that love now is : selfish, cheats, easily gives up, treat people like garbage, fight, argue, talk about people, lies......and the list goes on.

I think we have all had love like this. We learn it from a young age. Sometimes from family members, parents, children, school friends, teachers, boyfriend or girlfriends, husband or wife etc. We all have received this kind of "love" more than we like to admit. Sometimes we even believe this is the best there is.........this is what we deserve......or chase after someone just to get a "love" this way. We even treat people like we have been treated.  But this is not the true love, not the love God has put in the Bible, not the love He has taught me. These verses in 1 Corinthians explain it well:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy or boast. It is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails.            ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Not only is this what love really is.......but what an example! People that have showed me unconditional love in my lifetime are rare, they really stick out to me. This is the kind of love I desire in my life and also the kind of love I want to share at all times with others. This is something I have to work on all the time. Even though I am a loving person, I am still human. I get hurt, talked about, lied to just like the rest. It is hard to love people when they do this....but it is what God tells me to do. And God............what a true example of love He is. He showed us the greatest love of all............He sent His one and only Son, Jesus to die on the cross for all the wrong we have ever done. Jesus was perfect, He didn't deserve the punishment. I did. Jesus didn't have to take this punishment.....but He did. He cared more for our lives.........He loved us and chose to go through this for you and for me. He traded His perfect life, for our imperfect lives. WOW! Now that is love...................and He didn't just do this for good people, or His friends............you know...the ones easiest to love.....................no He did this for all.

This also brought a song to my mind called  You Gave. We sang this during VBS. These are the lyrics:

Lord I want to be, pleasing to You
In everything I do
And I want to love you more
More than yesterday
More than words can say

'Cuz You gave your life
You lived and died
For me, for me

You paid the price
You sacrificed
for me, for me

Now the least that I can do
Is live my life for you.

Now that is what real love is! I am so thankful that He cared enough to love me, to spend time working on me and teaching me. He hasn't left me or given up. He is there every step of every day. I pray that I can always be one that shows others love like Jesus has shown to me.

So, what is your experience of love? Who do you tell so quickly the 3 words....I love you.....and do you really mean it? Are you chasing someone that loves you unconditionally? How do you show love? Have you had God's love in your life?

I know God doesn't run from me.....even if everyone else does. I for one....will live my life for Him. I love because He first loved me =)


Thursday, August 2, 2012

Woohoo, my first post on my very own blog...I am so excited!

Okay....so I have always wanted to start a blog.....not so sure why. Me?? Yeah..not so great with computers...might be stressful for me...but I would like to share my thoughts, ideas, opinions, maybe vent from time to time...who knows...

  I am in my 30's, a single mom (what a joy it is to be a proud mom of a 14 yr old son), avid reader of historical christian fiction and classic books,  a scrapbook er, card maker, trying to craft, bake, I have all of these ideas that fly around in my head...so I am dedicated to actually getting more done..and taking the time for me....that isn't easy..as I home school my son...he is headed into 9th grade (what a work load for both of us) oh and there is the whole Children's Ministry Director, VBS Director, Sunday School teacher, Youth Ministry, Young Adults....and and and....just basically means I am at church a lot. I love it...but it takes a lot of my time...I just don't get a chance to do these little things I want..so I am going to be posting..the good and the bad. the beautiful..and the what in the world is that? (keep your fingers crossed with me that some turn out great..lol) Also will add some reviews of books I have read, quotes etc.
 
 The reason I have named my blog My heart is in His hand...I love the Lord with all of my heart. He means everything to me. Through my joy, laughter, pain, sorrows, imperfections, the things I want to kick myself for, giggles, struggles, happy times, and when I mess up, He has loved me through it all. Wow..that sounds so simple..yet that is so deep for me. Such a Mighty God takes the time to care about who I am, what I am doing...and He loves little me.....I want Him to shape me, mold me into a better me...to be more like Him. My heart will always be in His hands...