All That Glitters

During the Christmas season I am thinking of all the wonderful gifts that the Lord has given to me during my lifetime.  Awesome gifts such as His love, salvation, mercy,  grace, children, and a wonderful husband.  It would take a long time to list them all.  I also think about Christmas presents when the children were small; how they would shake them and learn what was in each one before Christmas morning.  I myself am content to wait until the day of Christmas and be surprised.

To be a child and standing there looking at all the pretty packages with shiny paper and pretty bows made it hard not to open them.  You just knew the exact thing you wanted would be there inside the gift that looked so pretty.  The excitement made you feel you would burst if you had to wait any longer.  Then, on Christmas morning the children would run downstairs and open the gifts and their expectations were met. They would jump up and down with joy.  Mom and Dad were so happy to make their dreams come true.

Everyday our Heavenly Father loves giving us gifts.  After all, we are his children.  Sometimes they are wrapped in beautiful wrappings and those are the ones we are attracted to.  For instance, children, friends, the sun, the rain, healings, and so much more.  There are gifts wrapped in not so pretty paper.  Some people have the talent to make a package look beautiful and others may not pay attention to the outward look, but want the gift on the inside to reflect how they feel about you.  Shiny gifts are so alluring while packages that are plain and simple may not be.  Many times, we can be fooled.  GOD does not disappoint us in how he presents the gifts to us.  Shiny or plain, His way is best.  A gift such as children are so beautiful, but being childless doesn’t seem pretty to some people.  We can look at death the same way, or not getting healed.

Our GOD can take the plain simple body and change us into a bright shiny gift for himself.  He wraps us in his love and that is as perfect as it gets.

During and long after the Christmas season, let us look forward to our Heavenly Father unwrapping us and finding all the things He loves.  I know it will make Him happy.

-Written By Linda Tatman

God Sized Dreams

We are made to fulfill the dreams of a Creator. The Creator’s eye can see every eventuality and every outcome; He breathes life into the stillness and lights hope in the darkness, and with all the magical wonder of His artistic ways, He created a space in the story line of eternity that only you can fill.

 Have you considered how you will fill it?

The Creator has.

"I know the thoughts I think toward you,’ says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

He has huge plans and desires and ideas for your chapter in His story, for the way in which you will fill a shape in the puzzle of His masterpiece.

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” (Psalm 139:16)

He has an outline for your story, but only you get to choose whether or not to live it... to fill in the words, to make the pages turn, to see the story continue.

Will you choose to do so?

Are you choosing to do so?

Are you taking the thoughts He places in your heart, the desires... are you taking them, running with them, pursuing them? Are you sacrificing everything? Are you willing?

With every rise of the sun are a million opportunities to walk in the narrow path He has ordained for you...

Or to falter, to stumble, to hide away.

But you are beautiful and glorious and made in the image of a Creator.

And you were never intended to hide away, for the Creator brought you “out of darkness” and “into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) You were brought out of that darkness to fulfill a purpose, a destiny. To grasp ahold of His vision and to pursue it with every ounce of your being.

Our Creator is a dreamer.

Are you?

-Written By: Rachel Carpenter

Love Yourself, Stay Strong In The Lord, This Is The Day The Lord Has Made

 Love Yourself

Forget about what others think about you. Forget about what society thinks you ought to be. 

Instead LOVE YOURSELF and know that God loves you too. If you have lived long enough to experience life's hurts, pains, and disappointments then you know it can be a slow journey to overcome some of the negativity that has come your way. Just keep reminding yourself with encouraging words that you are loved and beautiful, and you were and are created in God's own image. (Genesis)

We also have to acknowledge to ourselves the things that are buried on the inside, to let go of our own will, and to let God take control so that he can start the healing process of our self esteem. 

 Stay Strong In The Lord

When life seems to keep us down and out, and when the enemy is trying to kick us we need to say with boldness and authority,” GET THEE BEHIND ME SATAN,” (Luke & Matthew). We need to be aware of the enemy's tactics because he is waiting for that vulnerable moment. The enemy will use anything, anybody, anywhere, and anytime to distract our minds and hearts away from the love of God. Let's continue to pray for ourselves, family, friends, our leadership of the church.

This Is The Day The Lord Has Made 

Always remember that every day is a GOOD day.

Even when things don't go your way. 

Even when it is dreadfully hot, raining, cold, snowy, cloudy, or dreary, it is still a GOOD day.  

Even when your closest loved ones (i.e. husband, children, parents, friends and even your pets) make you go bonkers. Even when someone hurts your feelings - intentional or unintentional. 

We need to value and honor our life. Be thankful and grateful that the Lord woke you up this morning. Be thankful and grateful that He has given you all of your five senses. Be thankful and grateful that you have all of your limbs and they work. Be thankful and grateful that the Lord has given you a good stable mind. So, the next time someone, including yourself, complains about the day they are having, just say to them or yourself, ”EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY; IT IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE; REJOICE AND BE GLAD!!!!!!  (Psalm)  

-Written By Dionne White