Happy New Year!

"Come near to God and he will come near to you". James 4:8

May this year bring you peace, love, happiness and most importantly closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Happy New Year!

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I LOVE Christmas time! I love all the decorations, all the lights, all the sparkles and all the excitement! I love listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies and baking Christmas goodies. But most of all I love celebrating our Lord and Savior, Jesus' birth. It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Here are a few of my favorite ornaments

My Aunt Jean gave me this one the Christmas

 after my baby brother passed away. 

I was 7 years old.

A handmade bell from my high school

piano teacher.

I bought this Santa in Paris.

Mark bought this one for me the Christmas I was 

pregnant with our oldest Luke. I was 

8 months pregnant.

The first ornament Lilly was given.

A special handmade ornament of my baby.

One of Mark's from his childhood.

The reason we celebrate Christmas: the birth of our

Savior, Jesus Christ born to a virgin, lived a 

perfect, sinless life, died to save us 

from our sin, rose again and

is in heaven waiting

for us.

May you experience God's love and peace this holiday season and remember why we celebrate this most wonderful time of the year!

What if....

What if...

• I get sick and hospitalized?
• The cancer has spread and I don't know it?
• The cancer comes back in 10 years?
• My body (liver/kidneys) is damaged from the chemo?
• I'm never healed?
• I never feel good/normal/strong again?
• My kids reject the Lord?
• Mark dies?
• My kids die?
• We can't get out of debt?
• I can't find a job?
• I get a job I hate?

My good friend, Joan, came to help us for my 4th round of treatment . She is a godly woman and a special friend and I love her dearly. Joan and her husband Mark influenced our lives spiritually more than anyone else. I learned more in the three years that I sat under Pastor Mark's preaching than I have under any other pastor. I am blessed and thankful to call them friends! 

During her time here helping us Joan and I were able to talk a lot; she encouraged me through scripture and challenged me to really trust the Lord in all things. One day after she left, I dropped the kids off at school and took my Bible and my journal and went to the beach. I spent a couple hours listening to the crashing waves and enjoying the warmth of the sun and really gave it some thought...and prayer!

What if?

To be honest, I didn't find the peace I was looking for. I didn't get the answers I wanted or the reassurance that none of those things would happen. We live in a sin-filled world. There's diseases, death, heartaches and a lot of pain and suffering and any one of those questions could happen. I could not be healed. I could have the cancer come back later in life. My husband or kids could die. We could always struggle financially. 

But I do know that God is still God and always will be. I do know that he promises to never leave us or forsake us. Joshua 1:5 "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."

And I do know that I can give him my worries and my fears and I don't have to be burdened down by them. Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

The God who created all things: the ocean, the birds, me! Loves me and wants me to trust in Him and to cast my cares/stress/anxiety on Him so that I can rest in His peace for the future. So that is what I'll do. 

1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on the Lord, for he cares for you".

Shine Bright!

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." John 15:18-19

Earlier this week I was talking to my dear friend Joanna about a troubling situation, she said something has stayed on mind all week. Something to the effect of "those in darkness run from the light". That brought clarity to me about the situation I was dealing with and gave me something to think about.

This morning I woke up thinking about being a light for Christ and what all it means. It means that people will think you're weird and different and they will make fun of you. They will try to find ways to upset, hurt and be mean to you. Because they don't like the light. At church this morning we heard a great message talking about the same thing. When you follow Jesus the world will hate you. You may even be persecuted. The dark world hates the light of Christ.

The closer you draw to the Lord, the brighter your light will shine and the brighter you shine for Him the more the world will hate you. Expect it. Pastor Aaron used an analogy that Mark uses with his football players. Mark always tells the guys "don't worry about it when I'm getting on your case (in practice), worry when I don't because I don't waste my time on those who don't play". Pastor Aaron said almost the same thing but in the spiritual sense "don't be upset when the world persecutes (that means you are doing something for the Lord) but worry when they think you're normal".

I have found that the more I seek the Lord and the more I depend on Him during this trial the brighter my light shines for Him. There will those who run and hide from the light because the darkness hates the light. But you never know, they may just come to know the Lord because of your light.

So Shine Bright!