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“Memories!”

We all have memories of something or someone.  They may be good memories or bad memories.  I am sure that every one of us have things in our growing up years that we wish were not there.

Unfortunately, we live in a sinful world and nothing ends up as perfect as we would like.  We may even have bad feelings toward our parents and their mistakes.  But one thing that I have found is once I had kids of my own those feelings about my parents’ mistakes vanished.  It is not easy being a parent.  I know there is some pretty evil stuff that happens to kids but I am not referring to those things.  I believe the worst things are not as common as the more general mistakes that take place.

I like to dwell more on the good things from my childhood.  And I hope my children will try to do the same.  There are many pleasant things that I can remember growing up.  And I am sure we all can think of things.

I spent this last weekend in an area near where I grew up.  It is in an area where there are rolling fields of grain.  There is a beauty in the rolling fields of grain.  At a certain time of year it is a beautiful green.  Then near the end of the summer the golden grain is beautiful.  As the breeze is blowing and you look across a field and you watch it and it looks like waves, it is beautiful.  Every stage is beautiful and perfect.

It brought back warm memories.  I love where I live now in the mountains with trees but there still is a beauty to the fields.

It also made me think of many things.  So many things in the Bible are connected with fields.  I think of the disciples walking by a field, taking the heads of grain and taking out the grain and eating it.

I do remember as a kid taking wheat, chewing it, and if you’re really careful you end up getting rid of all the germ and bran and you end up with what is called gluten. Once you got it to the gluten stage you could chew on it all day.  It doesn’t have much flavor but it is something to chew on.  How many of you ever did that.

The grain when it gets to the golden ripe stage also reminds me of when Jesus talks about the harvest being ready.  There is a need for the “wheat” to be harvested.  There are hearts ready to receive Jesus but there is no one there to tell them about Him.  If we are parents that is our children.  Are we too busy for them?

The wheat fields also make me think of the end of the world when Christ comes.  Jesus said the “wheat” and the “tares” would grow together until the end of time.  Then the Lord would gather the “wheat” to Himself and the “tares” would be burned.  Jesus also said that this is not our job to do because in the process of trying to get rid of the “tares” we may pull up the “wheat” also.  God is the one that will separate the “wheat” from the “tares”.

The thing that I so love about God is that He is the perfect judge.  We are so unworthy to judge others.  God knows each person’s heart and their motives.

Dear Father,

Thank You that You are such a just God.  Thank You for Jesus who came to die for us so that we have the opportunity for Salvation.  Guide us as we strive to follow You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

We are told to enter in at the straight gate.  Let’s strive for it so that we can be ready when He comes.  I just read this recently, “In the Christian live, “striving” is not our performance of God’s will, but it is our surrender to God so that He can carry out His will in us.”  This is a great statement.  Let’s surrender all to Him so He can work in us to will and do of His good pleasure.

Love you all.

Have you been around wheat fields?  If so what illustrations have you thought of?  Please share.

 

 

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“Does He Really Care?”

Have you ever felt like no one cares?  You may share something with someone expecting them to say something but they just sit and look at you or they start giving you advice rather than really caring for your heart?

It is true we cannot be like God but we can allow the Lord to direct our paths and we can be a blessing to others.

We have struggle financially for a while and have not just struggled but have been in crisis.  I was looking back on a story I shared on Facebook that I would like to share with you.  God uses people to bless us each day and I think sometimes we over look the blessings that He provides.

“The Lord is so good! My son needed some supplies for school and I don’t really have the money for it but it needed to be done. I called two different stores and they both had it but the one store I forgot to ask the price, but that was the store I seemed drawn to go to. We were in line and the line was getting longer so another cashier stepped in and said, “I will help who’s next.” It was us, so we went over. She checked the price for me and it was sixteen something. I was debating if I should buy it. She said, “we will do a price match.” I didn’t know any cheaper place cause the other store I checked was the same. She said “I know they sell this for ten dollars at ________so I will give it to you for $9.95.” Thank You Lord. He is always watching out for us if we just trust Him.

Dear Lord,

Help us to trust in You with all our heart and not to lean on our own understanding but in all our ways acknowledge You, so that You can direct our paths.

And help us to stay our minds on Thee and to trust in Thee and thank You as we do that we can have perfect peace. Thank You that as we trust in You we can have everlasting strength.

In Jesus Name, Amen”

Trust fully in Him today and He will work all things for your good.

Love you all!”

One thing that I have found to be a blessing to me is to write down the answers to prayer that come.  Or to write down answers to prayer that happen before I even ask.  I find that I am very forgetful.  I think writing them down and then looking back over them now and then is a great idea.  God cares even about the small things.

Do you have a story you can share about how God has answered a prayer for you?  I would love to hear your stories.  The stories that you share will inspire all of us.

 

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“Happy Fourth!”

 

What comes to your mind when you think of the 4th of July?  It seems that a lot of us think of time together with family and friends, having that picnic meal, and then comes the most exciting thing of all, fireworks.

 

I think a lot of us don’t really give it much thought as to what this day is really all about.  We just get into all the festivities of the day and forget the real reason for this celebration.

 

Thinking back to the time when celebrating the fourth was that day that brought about independence, this country became independent from all others.  There were many people who died to bring about independence and freedom.  

 

I want to give a big “Thank You” to all who have served and fought for the freedoms of the USA.  Some may think we don’t have freedom.  We may not have as many freedoms as we once did but we are still blessed with many freedoms.

 

To me the most important freedom that we have is the freedom to worship according to our conscience.  Each one of us has that freedom and we should allow others to have the same freedom.  

 

We need to enjoy the freedoms that we have.  We may be losing some of the freedoms this country once had.  There are many concerned about losing their freedoms.  But we need to be thankful for what freedoms we do have.  We need to quit focusing on the freedoms that we fear of losing and start focusing on the freedom that matters most.

 

There is freedom that we should be more concerned about losing.  We have been given the opportunity to receive the best freedom that can ever come to us.  It is the freedom from sin.  It is the freedom to choose to allow the Lord to transform our lives so that we will be ready when He comes.  The best freedom will be when we get to heaven.  We will be free from the great enemy, the devil.

 

We can always have freedom in our heart no matter what the circumstances if we are in full submission to God and His Word.  Let’s live the freedom that God has given us so that others will be attracted to what we have then we can share the truth of God with them.

 

Dear Father,

 

Thank You for the freedom that we can have in You.  Lead us and guide us in the months ahead, drawing us ever closer to You, so that we will be ready when You come.

 

In Jesus Name,

 

Amen.

 

I want to thank all of you who have served this great country.  You have given much to protect us all and I want to show my gratitude.  

 

Love you all.

 

Do you have a family member that has served this country?  Share their story here.  I would love to hear it and I am sure many others would as well.  You are welcome to change the names for privacy.

 

I love patriotic songs and this is one I recently heard, Listen and enjoy.

 

 

 

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“Is There A Mouse In Your Heart?”

I don’t know about you but it seems the mice have been terrible this year.  A mamma had babies in our van somewhere and they fell out on the ground in two different locations.  My son had one inside his car running all over including the glove box.  And they keep coming in the house.  I don’t like it at all.

My cousin is also experiencing this in her home as well and here is what she shared.

“Have you ever had a mouse in your house?  We usually don’t have too much trouble with mice.  Occasionally one would get into the house and we’d set our traps and catch it.  This last week, we’ve had more trouble with mice than ever.”  

“This situation reminded me of a devotional we read recently.  It quoted a verse from Song of Solomon about little foxes and was saying how important little things are.  A lot of little things can lead to big things.  Even one little thing can lead to big things.  One “little” sin can cause a lot of damage.”

“We caught two mice live in traps.  The trap only caught them by the leg, so my husband had to take them out and destroy them.  At first, he was reluctant.  Mice can be cute, and it is hard to take the life of a creature; but mice bring disease and destruction.  So with sin.  It can appear “cute” and harmless to begin with, but it too brings disease and destruction.  If we are reluctant to deal with it, it can get out of hand.”

“We trapped about 8 mice last week.  We have never had mice this bad before.  Now, I am in the process of going through all the boxes of things stored in the loft to see if there is a nest some place so I can get rid of it and clean things up.  In this clean-up process, I am having to let go of some things that got ruined by the mice.  Some of it is hard to let go of.  Some I am hoping to clean up and salvage.  The Lord is teaching me that I need to let go of earthly treasures and place my heart and mind on heavenly treasures.  “Set your heart on things above, not on things of the world.”  Colossians 3:2 (my paraphrase)”

“As I am going through this process, I wonder, Is there any sin that has “nested” in my heart?  Has sin destroyed something valuable in my life?  It’s time to clean up and let go.  It is time to allow God to cleanse me and repair the damage.  “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”  Psalm 51:10”  -Lori

Dear Father,

Search me and show me where the “mice” are hidden in my heart.  I want to surrender my whole life to You.  And with Your help clean out the bad things that are nesting in my heart.  Thank You for Your love and helping me.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Surrender all to Him today.  And remember, you do not have to do this alone, God will help you.

Love you all.

I want to thank Lori for sharing.  It was a great inspiration. Do you have an experience you have had that you can draw a spiritual application to?  Whether it is to do with physical, emotional, financial, or spiritual health, write it down and submit it to me and I may include it in my next blog.

Submit your writings to, revittalizen.your.health@gmail.com.

 

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“Fathers!”

One thing that we all have in common is we all have a father.  Now what we think of our father can all be different.  Some of you may be very close to your father and others may not.  No matter what your experience has been with your father in a couple of days it will be the day to celebrate fathers.

As a kid I don’t remember what we specifically did on Father’s Day.  Looking back at my younger years, until I was around 11 years old my dad had his own business.  One thing I remember very well, he would come home from work on a Thursday night or late morning on a Friday and say,  “Let’s go camping.”  We would be so excited and immediately prepare for going.  We never knew when it was going to happen but it was wonderful when it did.

As I got older there were circumstances that changed in our lives and that closeness I had with my Father when I was younger was not the same.  Because of those circumstances and the breakdown in communication I did not always listen to my Father’s advice.  Because of that I made some decisions that weren’t what they should haven been.  And some of those decisions have affected and will affect me for the rest of my life.

One thing I have learned now that I am older, I wish I would have known in my younger years, was to listen to my Father even if I did not agree with him.

I think it should go without saying, but I want to emphasize here, that as I share here I am talking about a father that is safe.  If you live in an abusive situation or have lived in an abusive situation you need to get away from it and don’t put yourself in a vulnerable position with him again.  Although we need to have a forgiving spirit we do not need to live or be around someone who is abusive.  Forgiving does not mean we don’t set boundaries.

If we have a Christian father or even if he is not Christian we need to honor and obey him as long as it is not contrary to God’s Word.  If I had done this I would have saved myself so much grief.  But as a young person we somehow think we know so much more than our parents and how can they possibly understand.

I want to speak to fathers.  There are so many things that you do for your family that is mechanical.  They are definitely things that need to be accomplished.  Your family could not survive without the things that you do.  But there are other things that should not be left out or you will lose your children.  I want to share some steps with you that can help towards a better relationship with your children.

  1. Love them. This should really go without saying but I do understand that a lot of fathers do not even know how to love.  They think that love is all about the mechanical things that they do, like providing food.  The kind of love I am talking about is unconditional love just as Christ has loved you.  In the next steps love will be more defined in actions you can take to show love.
  2. Keep an open communication. A lot of times the only communication is mechanical and disconnected with your children.  How you communicate may differ between children for sure.  Because boys tend to be more mechanical, just like their fathers, do something with them and while doing it ask them about their day, listen to their heart.  With girls definitely take the time to listen.  Sit with her or take a short walk with her.  Find out what would be the best thing to do.  Ask your wife she can probably help you in this area. Show your children that you have the time for them and allow them to share what is on their hearts without condemnation.
  3. Spending time. By having the time for them they know that they are important to you.  Too many times fathers are too busy to spend time.  And I am not talking about spending time in front of the television.  It needs to be relational time.  When watching something everyone zones out, that is not relational.  Spend time doing something they would like to do.
  4. Speak kind words. A lot of times fathers tend to be harsh.  Yelling, “I am the one in charge you better obey me.”  Although fathers need to be an authority figure they can do it in love.  How would Jesus treat the young person that you are addressing no matter what they have done?  How has Jesus treated you when you have made mistakes, small or major?  Natural consequences may come but love them through it.
  5. Encourage them. You might say that is the same as “speak kind words”.  I want to make a distinction.  I would say the majority of fathers notice and pounce on all the bad that their children do but hardly say a word or maybe don’t say anything about the good they do.  You need to reverse this.  You need to encourage them in the good things they are involved in as well as the good actions they may have.  When they do something bad be matter of fact with the consequences, in love, and let it go.  Don’t rant and rave about it.  And when they do or say something good make a big deal, within reason.  You will find that this can make an amazing difference.
  6. Speak words of blessing. I was introduced to the book “Power of a Spoken Blessing”.  This is a good book for any relationship.  But I found this to be such a blessing for the relationship with my children.  I am definitely not perfect at it but I see the concept as such a blessing.  Our words have the power to crush a person or to heal.  It is really impossible to explain the whole concept here but I want to give one example.  It all depends on age but here is a blessing that was given to a seven-year-old that was struggling with sulkiness and gloom that worsened over a period of months.  All the attempts that were made to correct the problem failed until the parents learned about using words to bless.  Here is what they said, “Lord bless Samuel with a radiant countenance, joy in his heart, and a beautiful smile that ministers into the life of others.”  It made a difference in the life of their child.  Fathers can be speaking such negative words toward their children that it discourages them.  But changing that to positive words, speaking words of what you want them to become, will make an amazing change.
  7. Ask forgiveness. I cannot emphasize this enough.  You are not going to be a perfect father.  When you make a mistake, go to your child and confess your wrong and ask forgiveness.  And please, please, please don’t make excuses, just accept responsibility.  If you have gotten angry with your child don’t go and say, “I am really sorry I got angry at you, but if you had not done ______ I wouldn’t have.  Can you forgive me?” You have lost your Childs heart right there.  Instead say something like this.  “Johnny, I got angry with you and that was wrong for me to do, can you please forgive me?”  Then you can let them know you love them and walk away.
  8. Love their mother. There are a lot of children that are coming up in divided homes.  But if you are still together with your wife loving her and showing that love is a security for the children no matter what the age.  If you are no longer with your wife still show a loving spirit toward her and not a critical one.  It makes children bitter to hear negative critical talk.

Dear Father,

Being a father, especially to children that show rebellion is so difficult.  But You know and can understand because You deal with rebellion all the time and You still show us love.  Thank You for being such a loving compassionate God.  Help each father, on this special weekend for “Father’s Day”, feel Your presence and forgiveness.  And help them in going forward into this next year to become more like You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Even though I know what I have shared here is not exhaustive it will be a starting point.  Commit today to be a father that is fully surrendered to God in every area of your life and see the transformation that can come to your family.

To those of us with fathers, listen to them and obey their counsel if it is not contrary to God’s Word.  Show them honor and respect.

What ways have you found that have helped in molding your children’s characters to be like Christ that have been a blessing?

Do you have a story about your father and what a blessing he has been to you?

 

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“He’s Getting Married!”

It seems that hardly a week goes by and I hear about someone getting married.  I am sure as you read this you probably have more than one person come to mind that is either getting married very soon, has recently gotten engaged, or has recently married.

A few days ago somebody I know got married.  Although I was unable to attend the wedding it makes me think of weddings that I have attended.

I love the beauty of a wedding and to see all the diversity of wedding ideas that come out of different personalities, cultures and backgrounds.

I can picture the happiness of the bride preparing herself for her soon to be husband.  I love it when the groom does not see his bride until she is fully prepared.  The brides beautiful white dress, representing purity and her hair beautifully done.  She has prepared herself in the most beautiful way.  She is radiant with love for her husband to be.

The groom is anticipating his pride walking down the aisle toward him.  He will have the privilege of her being with him forever, “until death do us part”.  He is full of excitement and a desire to take care of the one that he loves and has longed to be with him.

We live in such a sad society now.  Relationships are such a walk in, walk out mentality.  There is no commitment.  There is no ideal.  There are many selfish people who just want what they want.  As soon as they get tired of it they want to throw it away.  There is not commitment in marriage like there once was.  Unfortunately this also applies to Christians as well.

How can this be?  The devil knows that if he can get the marriage and family he can take down the church.  He knows that the marriage is what God has given us to represent our relationship with Him.  So if Satan can corrupt our thoughts of marriage and how it is supposed to be, he can corrupt the thinking of people about how our relationship needs to be with Him.

Here are some steps you can take toward a good marriage to your spouse as well as a good marriage between the church or Christian and Christ.

  1. “Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church andgave Himself for it.” Ephesians 5:25.  This is a very tall command.  This is a command for Christian men.  Just like Christ continues to love us no matter what we do, husbands should do the same for their wives.

This will be a very hard thing to do at times.  Husbands can only do this with a full surrender to God and being totally dead to self.  This is a commitment that God expects of Christian men.

In 1 Peter 3:7-12 it reads,  “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them (wives)according to knowledge (understanding), giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” It is frightening to think that, as men, your prayers are hindered if you do not live with your wife in an understanding way.  It may be a time of reflection and surrendering to God’s plan for marriage.

This can be so challenging.  Dying to self is such a key.  There are wives that are very challenging.  And it will take a lot of love and patience.  And only God can help you love as He loves.

When you are struggling with doing these things think about what Christ has paid for you.  Have you been that perfect “bride”?  Does Christ love you even though you have spat in His face, even though you have argued with His ways?

  1. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the

Lord.”  Ephesians 5:23.  When a husband truly loves his wife as Christ loves the church this becomes way more possible.  If a wife feels loved and understood it is easier for them to feel safe in the decisions of their husbands and to submit to those.

As a wife you may be asking, “I do not understand, my husband is asking or

telling me to do things that are contrary to the Word of God and/or he is beating me physically or emotionally and you’re telling me I need to submit.” Let me make this clear, there are criteria for submission.

In Colossians 3:18 it reads, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”  The bottom line, what they are doing or asking you to do needs to be in accordance with God’s Word.  If it is not and it is against God’s ways, “We ought to obey God rather than man.” Acts 5:29b.

God does not want wives to be doormats that are walked all over and beaten either physically or emotional that is not His plan.

We as wives need to be submissive to God first and then to our husbands. We need to die to self and be willing to listen to our husbands as to God if they are not asking us or doing things contrary to God’s Word.

All of us as Christians need to be submissive to God in this way.

There are many other things that can be said on how to have a good marriage but I am only touching on these today.  I will touch on more in the future.

Just like we prepare for a marriage here on earth there is a marriage feast that we are to be preparing for as Christians.

Christ loves us just as a husband is to love a wife.  He loves us unconditionally.  Just as a husband is supposed to sanctify, and cleanse his wife with the washing of water by the Word so that he might present her not having a spot or wrinkle, that she is holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:26-27), so Christ does for us.  And just like a wife needs to be in submission to her husband for this to take place, we need to be submissive to God for Him to be able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The only way a husband can do this for his wife, with love, is if he is in full submission to God.  And the only reason Jesus can do this for each one of us is because He was and is in full submission to His Father.

Is this an easy path? No, dying to self is a battle.  But God is able to provide the strength if we submit our lives fully to Him.

Dear Father,

We have great need of you.  We cannot do any of these things without You.  Come and heal our marriages and our families.  As we have the marriage that you would have us have and a family that is well-ordered, we can be a true light to the world for You.

Thank You for Your unconditional love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

I don’t remember exactly how the saying goes but it goes something like this, “Couples that pray together, stay together.”  In this world of no real commitment let’s commit to God’s ways in our marriages.

What things have you done to keep your marriage alive?

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“Sleep? Do We Really Need It?”

All of us have the same 24-hour period.  And what we do with our time is our choice. It seems that we try to get more done each day than is humanly possible.  A lot of times what gets cut is how many hours of sleep we get.

In my own life I have been working on implementing the “BALANCED” life, which starts with Bedtime.  I do struggle with getting enough sleep.  I keep trying to cram as much into my day as possible.  Before I know it, it’s 10:30 at night and I am still working on getting into bed.  And 3:30 comes very quickly for another long day.  I have learned that this is not the best for me physically, emotionally or spiritually.

For each person the need for sleep will be different.  We should get between 6-10 hours of sleep per night depending on age, and health conditions.

Those that are very young need a lot more sleep.  A baby grows very rapidly at first and believe it or not a lot of growing happens while they are sleeping.  For the first couple of years it is good for them to spend more than half of their day (24 hours) sleeping.  Then it cuts back to more of half of the day (24 hours).

Another time when big growth spurts usually happen is in the teenage years.  I have read that a little over 9 hours a night is best for a teenager.  Wow, talk about difficult. It seems impossible to get them to get that many hours of sleep.  They think they are invincible and they don’t need all that sleep.  But the attitudes we have to deal with tell us something different.  They don’t understand that they will have to pay for this later on in life.  I think those of us that are older can attest to that.

For the average adult, we need anywhere from 6-10 hours of sleep.  I think we all know when we do the best and how much sleep we really need.  Now we may be ignoring the signs but deep down we know.

You all have heard the saying, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes you healthy, wealthy, and wise.”  I don’t know about the wealth part, but I can say by experience that when I get to bed earlier it does make a difference in how early I can get up and have a great day.  I seem to do better when I get more hours in before midnight.

I know a lot of people will say, “That all sounds good but I have a hard time getting to bed any earlier than 11pm.  I just can’t seem to get relaxed enough to get to bed any earlier.  I just go and finely drop at 11pm.”

It is really good to have a morning routine and an evening routine.  The evening routine can be really good in helping a person to relax, whether you’re a teen or an adult.  This can also apply to children and some things to babies.  Most of the time if we are relaxed our babies, as well as our children, will be relaxed.  If we as adults learn to be calm and relaxed in the evening it has an effect on the rest of those in our home.

But there are some factors that can help in bringing about this relaxing atmosphere.

  1. Journal.  One thing that I have found beneficial is to journal.  This can be added to your morning and evening routine.  I have been using a very simple free app called “Five Minute Journal”.  It helps me get a focus on my day and then in the evening I can write down my best accomplishments for the day.  It also asks you what is one thing that could have been better.  This clears you mind from thinking on the day’s activities.
  2. Make a list. I also find it good to make a list of things that I need to get off my mind.  These may be things that I need to get done the next day, or any day in the future.  I use the free version of “Evernote” for my memory.  You can make separate notebooks and name them.  I love it.  So you can make a list, put a date at the top of each note and then just lay out some notes.  This is a good way to empty those things out of your mind that keep your mind running a hundred miles per hour.  You can even make it a checklist.  Each day as you accomplish these tasks check them off.  If you don’t get them done just copy and paste them into the next days list.
  3. Turn off all electronics. It is best to turn off all electronics at least one hour before going to bed.  The lights and activity of phones, computers, and television keep the brain stimulated.
  4. Read a book or listen to some calm, quiet music. This is really good for everyone.  If you have small children, read to them.  As you are reading they will start relaxing and so will you.  Even a teen can crawl into bed and have a book that can calm and relax them so that they are ready to sleep.
  5. Drink a hot cup of calming herb tea. This can be a great thing to do to get you calmed and relaxed.  One of my favorites is “Sleepy Time”, which you can get at most grocery stores as well as health food stores.
  6. Try implementing an essential oil routine. This is something I have learned about more recently and I love how certain essential oils work for me.  I put some on the bottom of my feet just before going to bed and it gives me restful sleep.  It is great!
  7. Prayer.  I have found this to be amazing as well.  After you have gone through your routine, crawl into bed and spend the next few minutes in prayer.  I can tell you this is a wonderful way to lay all your burdens on the One that cares.  He is the answer to all your problems and perplexities.  It is so relieving to give everything to God.

Dear Father,

Thank You that you are there to take all of our burdens.  Give us Your rest as we cast all our burdens upon you.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember to cast all your burdens upon the One that can give you true rest.

What routine do you do to relax yourself before bed?  I would love to hear your ideas.

 

 

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“Financial Disaster!!”

Have you experienced financial disaster at some time through your life?  I am sure most of us probably have.  There can be so many different reasons why we get into these situations.  You may have school bills that are eating you up, or maybe you have had a sick loved one or a loved one that has passed away and you are left with all the hospital bills, or maybe it has been just because of your own foolishness.  It really doesn’t matter so much how you got there but now the question is what to do about it.

All the time I have been married we have had financial difficulty.  It has been better at some times than others.  I remember when I got pregnant with our third child I cried, “We can’t afford this.”  But after she was born and losing her five weeks later, I learned that money is not everything.

But then again we do have to figure out how to make it in this world and when we don’t do things right it can be a disaster.  When you ignore things and hope they will go away, it does not work, I am speaking from experience.  The one thing about the banks, they will keep giving you credit cards and more credit until you are in big trouble.  There is no bank out there that is really interested in your good.  They are interested in making money.

One of the hardest things is when you and your spouse are not together on your finances.  That was our experience.  Sometimes you, along with the family, have to suffer until there is change.  But sometimes that is what it takes for some people to get to the bottom.  Financial Disaster!  When I told my husband it was looking like we were going to have to bankrupt he finally started to listen and wake up.

Are you feeling overwhelmed right now with your situation and wondering what you should do?  I am going to give you some steps that we have taken.  I hope this encourages you to make the step.

  1. Start with your local Bank. I went to our bank.  We had credit cards, lines of credit, and a personal loan.  Some banks are not as workable, as I discovered but our main bank was, on most accounts.  Most of our accounts, with our request, lowered the interest rates for the life of the loan, which lowered the payments and made it more affordable to pay.
  2. Contact all other credit cards or loans. After working with our local bank I called each of our other cards from other banks and lenders.  Most of them were workable also.  But there were a few that did not work with me.  I pay all those that worked with me first and if I don’t have enough to pay the ones that did not work with me, I either don’t pay them or pay what I can.  I have had them call me and be willing to lower the interest some after they did not receive full minimum payments.  It isn’t easy but you have to make a plan.
  3. Do the snowball plan. If any of you are familiar with Dave Ramsey you know all about the snowball plan.  You list all your credit cards and loans down, starting with the one you owe the least on.  Pay the minimum on each one and as you pay one-off add that minimum to the next one bill in the list and so on.  It is amazing on how it works.  I did use this method once before in our life and got us completely out of debt.  It does work.
  4. Take on extra work. We have been running our own family business for many years, which I have been a part of.  But at this point I went out and got an outside job.  The Lord provided me with just the right job for me.
  5. Trust in the Lord! I believe starting with asking the Lord for His forgiveness for our wrong choices is definitely a start, if we have brought this upon ourselves.  We can’t just ask forgiveness and sit back and wait for God to do something.  But as we step forward to make efforts, He will come along side us and help us.  I found that to be so true when I was looking for a job.  Not only did He provide me a job, as I was looking, but He also provided a job that will come to me at His bidding.  Where I work they call me in when they have extra work.  So my prayer has been that God will provide the work that He knows that I need to have.  I have had to trust Him because sometimes there has been a lot of work and other times there has not been.  But I have a job and I leave it to Him to bring in the work through that Job.  I do understand why He has given me some slack time, which I can’t get into here but I have learned that I can trust Him.

There are many other things that can be done that I will be sharing in coming blogs but for now this is a few steps that has led us along the way.  We have not arrived at the debt free status but we are heading in that direction.

Dear Father,

There are many that are suffering financially.  You know their need and I pray that You will provide wisdom and strength.  Give us peace as we do Your will.  Thank You for Your help and guidance.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Remember to trust God through the hard times and He will guide you through.  Take the steps that you need to take a He will provide.

Love you all.

Have you had financial difficulty?  What steps have you taken to get financially free?

 

 

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A “BALANCED” Life!

It seems like with the hustle and bustle of life can keep us from doing the things that we really need to be doing to keep a balanced life.  We get up run through the routine of taking a shower, dressing, getting the kids ready, getting a quick breakfast and out the door to school or to the baby sitters and then we are off to work.  At the end of the day we pick up the kids, get home fix a quick supper, get a little house work done, then sit in front of the TV, read a book, or play with the kids.  A lot of times the kids are left on their own because we don’t have time for them or we are just too tired.  We end up in bed late and then we start the cycle all over again.

We all have a busy life and it isn’t until we finally collapse that we have to take the time to reevaluate things.  I am going to share some ideas with you that have been a blessing to me.  I have an acronym that I will be going through in this blog but will be getting into more detail on each one in future blogs.  There are eight letters in my acronym and it leads to a BALANCED life.

  1. Bedtime.  We tend to think that we can just keep on going everyday without a proper amount of sleep.  We should be getting between 6-10 hours of sleep per night depending on age and health conditions.  There are so many benefits that come from getting plenty of rest.
  2. Aqua.  Aqua is Spanish for water.  Water is so important for the body.  Our body is made up of so much water.  We should be at least drinking half of our body weight in ounces.  Our bodies cannot function properly without water.  And it has to be water.  It is cleansing to our bodies.  Can you imagine washing dishes with soda pop, juice, coffee, or any other beverage?  Our dishes would not get clean.  We need to drink clean, clear water to keep our bodies clean.
  3. Light.  Our bodies need the light of the sun.  It is good for us to get out in the sunlight everyday.  We do have to be careful not to get too much sun.  But on the most part I think that a lot of us do not get as much sun as we should.
  4. Air.  We need to get some fresh air each day.  It can be easy just to go from our house to our car, from our car to our job and back again at the end of the day.  We need to be getting out each day and deep breathing the wonderful fresh air.  It is the way to clean out our lungs.
  5. Nutrition.  Nutrition is important for our bodies.  We need to be eating foods that will give us what our bodies need to function properly.  We need to be very balanced in what we eat.  It is also helpful within the times that we live to take a supplement
  6. Control.  We need to have self-control.  This can be a very hard thing to do.  We may be eating a lot of junk food and it can be hard to get a way from it.  We crave these things.  There can be some reasons for that, which I will get into in future blogs.  We can be struggling with our weight and staying fit because we are struggling with self-control.
  7. Exercise.  We need to keep active.  This not only strengthens our more visible muscles like our legs and arms but it also strengthens the heart.  Strengthening the heart is so important.  Exercise will help with many more things other than just muscles, like sleep and self-control.
  8. Dependence on God.  This is probably one of the most important.  We can do all of the other 7 things on this list but if we don’t have dependence on God our health can be destroyed.  We have to lay all of our burdens at His feet and let Him untangle the web that our lives may be in.

This is just a brief overview of the things that can bring a BALANCED life.  I will be getting into more depth on each of these in the coming blogs.

Dear Father,

You are the One that we can come to in any struggle that we may be going through.  To keep our lives BALANCED we need You.  Thank You that You are always there and all we need to do is reach out to you.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Start one step at a time to get your life BALANCED.

Do you feel like your life is out of balance?  What are some ways that you have done to accomplish a more BALANCED life?

 

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“What Will Your Life Bee?”

I don’t know about you but I love honey.  Have you ever watched a honeybee?  It is amazing what a little worker bee can do.

When a bee is born in the cooler weather, like spring, they don’t have to travel as far to collect nectar.  There are more flowers available so it is much easier to find places to collect.

When it is summer time and the weather is hotter they have to travel longer distances to find the flowers.  So in the summer, when the bees work the hardest, they only live about 40 days.  When the heat is turned up the work is harder and short-lived.

An average bee travels about 500 miles.  During its lifetime, it gathers enough nectar to make about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey.  This is a lot of hard work but they are persistent in their collecting.

Another thing that is amazing about the worker bee is that it can carry a heavy load.  When the worker bee is loaded down with pollen or nectar their wings must carry almost two times its body weight.  And they do this an average of ten times a day.

When worker bees are flying around looking for nectar or pollen they go in all different directions but when they get full they make a beeline for the hive, in other words they take a direct route to get back home.  They do not allow anything to distract them.  Their burdens have become so heavy that they no longer think about anything else but getting back home.

We are living in awesome times.  There are so many people out there that need to know about the love of Jesus. They are beautiful flowers that just need to be pollinated.  It may be someone right in your own home.

There is coming a time when the heat is going to be so strong upon Christians that it will be a lot more difficult to pollinate.  Sharing will shorten our lives.  There are parts of this world that are already in these conditions.

We need to work now while it is cooler.  We will be able to reach more people at this time than when it gets hotter.  “I must work…while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4.  Another way to look at it, we must work while it is cooler because there will come a time where it is so hot no man can work.

It might seem at times that we work so hard with hardly any results.  But we need to be like the worker bee.  They don’t even think about it, they just keep working hard every day even though in their lifetime they only make 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey.  We need to look at life with a different perspective.

As we strive each day to work for the salvation of those around us we will “collect” burdens.  At times we may feel so heavy that we cannot go on.  At this point we need to be sure that we are taking a beeline to “home” the Burden Bearer.  We need to be filled with the strength of God each morning as we spend time with Him.  And He will be our wings through the day and carry those heavy burdens.  “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10.  He will carry us through.

Dear Father,

Thank You for the example of the bee.  We need to work while it is in the cool of the day because the heat is coming.  Help us to work for You without complaint but with diligence just like the bees.  Thank You for the lessons that we can get from Your second book, nature.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Let’s keep busy for the salvation of others.  Remember it starts with our family.  If our family is in a lost condition, we need to be working for them.  To work for the salvation of others, when our immediate family is in need, is not God’s plan.  I have seen many families where they have spent many years in the mission of reaching others and their children were in a lost condition.  We can become so focused on winning others to Christ that we miss what work God really has for us to be doing.  It is easier to work for the salvation of others over our family because our family truly knows who we are. The best witness we can be to others is by reaching the hearts of our family so that our family reflects Christ.  Let’s make sure we keep the right perspective.  It isn’t about what other people think about your choices but what God thinks.

Love you all.

What lessons have you learned through the life of the bee?  I would love to hear it.