Tag: Jeremiah 29:11

Posted on in 2012 Posts

The Election is Over, Now Let’s Live Like People With Hope!

I’m thankful for those who have served and are serving our country still today! Honoring my dad, two brothers and son today…I rejoice for their sacrifice and for those who continue to serve to keep us free!  God Bless America!

Today my grandson, Brycen, is staying with me because he is a bit under the weather.  He was asking me what we were going to do and I told him we had to stay home today because the blind guy was coming.  He said, “You’re having a blind guy come over?”  Then he started asking how he was going to drive here if he was blind.  I had to explain…I am having a guy come that sells blinds, he’s not blind!  This past weekend a friend called and asked what we were doing and I told her not much.  I said, “I had a cyst removed on my leg Friday so I’m not supposed to be doing much for a couple of days.”  She replied, “You helped your sister move?”  We both had a good laugh when I explained what I had really said.  Too funny!

There are many times that we say things that make perfect sense to us but when spoken out loud are either misheard or misunderstood and their true meaning is totally lost.  I giggle when I think about it.  Perhaps a few politicians who didn’t keep their promises from the last election might use the argument, “You misunderstood or misheard what I said.  I didn’t say I wouldn’t …”

Speaking of the election, I have talked to many who are distraught over the results.  Call me a hopeless optimist, but I just can’t seem to muster up fear and trembling because of the outcome.  Nor will you see me walking around exclaiming the world is coming to an end.  It just isn’t in me.  Even if the world is coming to an end, what’s the worst that could happen?  I die and go to heaven?  I just can’t get too upset about that.   I believe wholeheartedly in a God who can so why would I believe He won’t or fear He can’t?  Before the election, many were claiming His promise in 2Chronicles 7:14 that says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  What promise in that verse changed since November 6?

I know many of you also believe and trust in God like I do.  However, it concerns me to see so many Christians feeling hopeless about our future with the latest election results.  As Christians, we are not a people without hope.  As far as I am concerned, God is still in control no matter who the president might be! Our hope is in God not in a man, is it not?

Don’t get me wrong.  I do feel a permeating evil in the air when our Christian values are voted out more and more in each election.  I grieve when I see freedoms slipping away one by one as well.  I agree something has to change.  We can no longer live as usual as I feel our Christian morals are under attack more than ever.  I hope the passion exhibited during this election will carry over into a strong passion to be more vigilant about our faith in the days ahead.  I feel God is calling us to pray harder, work unceasingly for the Kingdom and EVANGELIZE more than ever before!  If we want to change our moral culture in America it is going to start within the hearts of each person.  God may not always answer our prayers how we thought He needed to but He is still God!  Nothing has changed!

God’s Word gives us many promises of hope:

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Deuteronomy 31:6  Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Proverbs 1:33   But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.

John 16:33  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Can God’s message be any more clear?  Focus.  We serve a God that we can trust in ALL things, at ALL times and He is here for ALL of us if we would just call upon His name!  Don’t live in fear; rather, rejoice as children of the King with hope!  Have a blessed week and don’t forget…go be a blessing!

Advertisement
Posted on in 2011 Posts

Dreaming Big Doesn’t Hurt, But Not Dreaming Might…What’s Your Dream?

As we are nearing the end of one year and heading towards the beginning of a new one, many will find themselves taking the time to reflect on this past year.  Have we followed our passions and dreams or did we allow life to get in the way and crowd them out?  Do we still even have the fire and passion to pursue some of those dreams we once had in our younger years?  Perhaps you feel that you have no choice right now other than to just survive and stay above water; let alone be able to pursue a dream right now.

One of the courses I took in college was designed to help us find our passion and/or purpose in life.  I found the process fascinating and when I finished the course over 5 years ago, I was inspired once again to write a book.  As most of you know, I have always wanted to write and be an inspirational speaker, but it just seemed that every time I tried, nothing happened.  That all changed last fall when I began writing my first book, Just Trying to Be a Blessing.  All of a sudden the stories and lessons I had learned in my life just started to flow onto the pages and before I knew it, I had a book! I was almost thinking I would never get it done and it’s hard to believe it is really happening.  Have you had an ongoing dream like me that seemed like it was never going to become reality?

Knowing my book will soon be here, I was recently asking people on Linked-In what worked best for them when it came to promoting their writings.  One man told me I should get a copy of a book from John Maxwell called Putting your Dreams to the Test.  In that book, John talks about some who are only dreamers while others actually do what it takes to make their dreams reality.  That made me stop and think about how committed I am at this point to make my dreams reality.  I no longer want to talk about them; I want to be living them.  I love the fact that the book is almost out and I have begun on book #2.  I’m even more excited that I am also finally getting the opportunity to share as a speaker!  It’s only been a 25 year old dream that is finally becoming a reality now!

God says in His Word, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” in Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV).  He made each one of us with purpose and with passion.  Have you ever met one of those people who from the minute they could talk, knew what their purpose in life was and followed it out from that point every breathing moment of their life?  I stand back and am amazed each time I encounter one of those people. As a person with A.D.D., God knew He couldn’t give me one purpose that long ago and expect me to stick to it throughout my entire lifetime.  First of all, if he gave me this purpose at a young age, by the time I got to 50 years old and He was ready to make this new thing happen, I would have never remembered what it was I was supposed to be doing!   Secondly, He has to mix it up for those of us with A.D.D. or we get bored!

I think our purpose and passion sometimes changes according to the season of life we are in at any given time.  There was a time when raising my children felt like my main purpose and passion.  Now that they are raised, God seems to have given me new direction as well as He is continuing to fan the flames on some older dreams that I just haven’t gotten around to yet.    Unlike the childhood prodigies that follow their life’s purpose beginning just after their first step, most of us probably fit more into this category of various changes throughout their lifetime.  Some might refer to them as our seasons of life.

One of the people in history that I really admire is Abe Lincoln.  Abe was an entrepreneur like me and he seemingly never gave up despite tremendous adversity that he faced year after year.  Jim laughs at me when I get another idea as he knows it will take me down a path for a while where sometimes I win and other times I will lose.  To be honest, I have more losses than wins with my life’s endeavors.  When I do feel like I’ve lost another one, I once again think about Abe and am reminded that great people didn’t do great things without a whole lot of struggle through the not so great tries along the way.

My life’s purpose seems to be doable—what about yours?  God hasn’t asked us to die on a cross and carry everyone’s burdens.  Nor has He put us on the earth without the Power of the Holy Spirit to get us through that which He has asked us to do.  All He has asked is that we find our purpose, follow our passion and let Him do the rest.  Do you have a dream?  Is there something you dreamed about doing many years ago and gave up on it thinking it would ever happen?  Spend time in prayer and ask God to show you the purpose He has for you this upcoming season.  We have a new beginning on January 1, 2012.  What are we going to do to make our dreams become reality?  The fact is dreams will only be dreams if we let them.  Dreams becoming reality require purpose, planning, passion and the tenacity to follow through even when we fail the first time…and maybe the fifth time…and the eleventh time…you get the point.

Thank goodness Jesus never gave up.  I am also very grateful Abe Lincoln didn’t give up either.  Next December, I want to be saying, “Thank goodness you and I didn’t give up.  Look at what God has done in 2012 through us!”  Keep in touch and let me know what dream/dreams you are pursuing for 2012 and keep me posted on how God is bringing you through!

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  Romans 8:21 (NKJV)

I have to make a plug since it is somewhat related to this topic.  Please bear with me and keep reading!  Not related to my book, God is also opening doors for speaking engagements so that I can tell other women about my relationship with Christ and share my personal testimony as a speaker with Stonecroft Ministries.  If you are local and would like to hear me speak, I will be in Cincinnati on Jan 19, Middletown on Feb 6 and North Dayton on Feb 7.  I would love to include you in the audience one of those days.  Email me with your contact information and I will make sure you get an invitation from the coordinators of the events.  Sorry guys, these groups are for women only.  Feel free to invite me to your church groups though if you’d like!  I love to share God’s goodness whenever I can!

Posted on in 2011 Posts

Sacrifice–The Hardest 9-Letter Word I’ve Ever Known

Yesterday, on 9-11’s 10th anniversary, I attended a call to duty ceremony for my son who is being sent to Afghanistan for a year with the Army National Guard.  There are so many emotions, at least for me, that arise just by thinking about 9-11 and all of the tragedy that occurred on that day.  Then, to add my son being sent into a war zone on the same day, it was a bit overwhelming.  I found myself unable to control the tears when they played the national anthem, as I felt the strong sense of appointment my son had been given to protect our land and serve those who can’t help themselves.

Even now that my son is 30 years old, I still feel the pain of sending him into lands unknown and into dangerous situations.  When we raise our children, we have hopes and dreams for them.  Never in my wildest  dreams did I dream of my son going to war, even when he marched around our house in fatigues pretending to be a soldier at a young age.

Seeing my son deployed, by far, is one of the hardest things as a parent I have ever endured.  He has done it a couple of times before and every time, I hope and pray it is his last.  As I reflect on my pain and fear in this situation, I was thinking about God.  Oh, how His heart must’ve grieved when He knew that the only thing that was going to save all of creation was to send His Son onto the battlefield to die for the sins of others.  I can’t begin to even imagine His pain.  I know.   He is God.  He can see to the end of the story and know that it all comes out well. However, to know that you were purposely sending your Son to suffer and die would be gut-wrenching no matter who you are.  It goes against every grain in our body to want to see our children suffer.

Although it’s not me leaving my spouse and small children to go across the seas to fight against someone else’s bad decisions, I am beginning to understand the sacrifice that is made.  I see my granddaughters ask daily, “Where’s daddy?  Is he coming home tonite?  Does he still love us?  Why isn’t he here?”  Then there’s his wife that carries the load of two parents, so that her husband can go defend our country and keep it safe.  I see the pain in my son’s eyes when he reflects on the reality he will be missing Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the girls’  birthdays next year, too.  These are all special blessings we enjoy as our families come together and celebrate on these occasions.

My son’s sacrifice is big.  I am forever grateful for those serving in our military who daily give of their time, talents, and sometimes their lives, to keep those of us here in the U.S. safe from the enemy.  I am also thankful for their spouses who stand by them in their call to duty.

God’s sacrifice is incomprehensible.  How grateful I am that God loved us enough that He was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for you and I.  I’m not sure that if I were faced with His decision to send His son to die, that I could’ve made that one, no matter how many people would be saved in the process.  I have plans for my son to go and come back just as He went—happy, healthy, and all in one piece—without any suffering.

In Jeremiah 29:11 the NIV version says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Can we not trust the One who was willing to sacrifice it all so that we could have hope and a future?  Does this not say to us even when we don’t feel God’s presence near us that He loves us more than we can ever know? He wants the best for us even when we can’t see it sometimes. How can we question the One that was willing to sacrifice His Son’s life for us?

I pray that you never have to send a child into war or other sacrificial circumstances, but if you do, remember this.  Your pain is nothing that your God in heaven hasn’t felt or understood.  His heart grieves for you and your children as He truly knows your pain.  When the call to duty comes to you in the days, weeks, months ahead, are you willing to make the sacrifice?  Perhaps God will ask you to forego a vacation and pass the money along to an unemployed friend instead.  Maybe He’s saying, ”You can drive that junker one more year so you can give a little more to your church this year so the pastor can finally be full-time.  He may even want you to sell all you own and move to Africa to the mission field, yourself!  Or, He may just be asking for 10 minutes of your time every morning to spend with Him.  What is it He’s asking of you?  Are you motivated to give Him your all after taking time to reflect on all He’s done on your behalf?  I am. Here I am Lord, send me. (Isaiah 6:8)