The Blood of Christ

I was reading through an old bible study lesson I had attended at my church. I had saved it because it was so good. It was about the blood of Christ. It talked about how the blood speaks (Genesis 4:10, Herews 12:24, and Hebrews 9:11-15 and 21-26). It is such a cool thought that it "speaks" to us. My mind automatically went to God creating the heavens and the earth with just a word spoken and it was done. Words are powerful. Words can harm and they can heal. We must be careful with them. We alone, of God's creations (animals) have been given the gift of speech. (Yes, my writer aspirations and speech-pathology ways are seeping out of my thoughts again, sorry---I love words!) Anyway, that just struck me as powerful. That is why the blood does all the work and we don't have to, we can't/couldn't even if we tried. Salvation is a gift, bought by our precious savior. Thank you Jesus! By His stripes and by his blood we are healed. We just have to accept the gift.

Blood is the universal symbol of life and that is what Jesus gave us...His blood, His life, His standing with God as a beloved child of God, an heir. God gave His son to reconcile us. Another word is "atonement" or as you can think "at-one-ment". It makes us one with God and takes away the effects of sin that separates us from God. Now we have "at-one-ment" with Him.

Now, since Jesus has spoken for us through his blood, shouldn't we speak for him and tell others the good news? We should freely share the blessings that our Lord is doing in our life. Be not ashamed for He is not ashamed of you. In our retched state of sin He stepped in and spoke for us, died for us and saved us. Would you do the same for someone else? You don't have to shed your blood, just tell them about the one who already did!

Little Blessings

HAPPY SPRING BREAK! I hope everyone is having a great time and enjoying the extra time with family, especially the kids. I know I am. What a blessing! Sam's latest phase is to tell me that he "changed up his mind" (changed his mind). He also likes to frequently tell me that "I'ts ok mom, it's nothing you need to worry about." He also likes to pretend to be a circus cat named FaahAaahAaah or a dog that lives in my purse (a blanket he wraps himself up in) named Freejah. Yes life is definitely entertaining.

Max, on the other hand, is having epiphanies that he explains to me. The current one occured when I was driving. An elderly person was in front of us and not driving well, as if they didn't know where they were going. Max was frustrated and wanted to know why. He hates any traffic to slow us down and complains about it. I told him that when people get older they have a harder time remembering things and sometimes forget. His face lit up with a deep understanding as it all clicked for him. Then he said "Oh, that's why daddy is so much smarter than you, because you are older than him." Yes I am 3 1/2 years older than my husband, but I didn't think that I was so, so, so "not smart". I was livid. I quickly explained that daddy was not smarter than me, that we were both smart, just in different ways. Max acted like he felt bad and told me it was ok. But that dad was always the one who had to fix things because I didn't know how. To my consternation he was right. Ugh!!! Yes my ego was shot that day. Anyway, my husband got a kick out of it. I had to admit later that it really was funny.

Sam has been asking frequently about why we can't see God and Jesus. I told him that we can't see the wind or air, but that we can see its affects when it moves things. This is how God and Jesus work. When he still kept asking, I also reminded him that our eyes don't work well, but when we die and go to heaven we get new bodies that are perfect (like superheros, which they like) and that then we will be able to see him with our new eyes. That seems to pacify him, not that he doesn't need reminders. Anyway, if you run into the same question, maybe that explanation will help.

Kids are certainly a blessing from God. They keep things interesting and they keep us hopping. Enjoy this week with your little blessings!

The Baby's Hand

Many of you may have seen this email which has been going around lately. In case you haven't, I wanted to share it . . .

A picture began circulating in November. It should be "The Picture of the Year," or perhaps, "Picture of the Decade." It won't be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the US paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it. The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother's womb.! Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta . & a mp;n bsp; She knew of Dr. Brun er's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.


During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile. The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text explaining the picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life." Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture. She said, "The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person." Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful. Now see the actual picture, and it is awesome....incredible . and hey, pass it on. The world needs to see this one!

P.S. Don't tell me God isn't awesome!!!!!
There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. Albert Einstein

I know what I know

I know what I know what I know. What do I know? Oh, I don't know. All I really know is that God knows and that is all that really matters. I worry so much about knowing things, being in control of things, fixing things. But really I can't do anything. All I can do for sure is trust God to know, to be in control, to fix things. He is my provision, my portion in the land of the living. In Him I find all things.

Colossians 1:16-17
"For in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities---all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

Wow! Need to know anything else? I think not. All I need to know is HIM!!!! A friend of mine challenged me to trust God more this week. My first response was anger and fear. Not at my friend, but at God. What about past trials? Sure he got me through them, but at what cost? It was awful. I don't want to be led into that again. But if I don't trust Him, who do I trust? I certainly can't trust myself. I can't blame God for other people's sin. He doesn't cause sin, we do. He just forgives us, others, and carries us through the dark paths when we can't see or walk ourselves. My friend was right. I need to step out in faith.

I can hinder God's work and delay his blessings when I don't trust Him in obedience. Am I trusting in God's blessings or in Him? Will I trust Him before he provides or do I need proof like Thomas?

John 20:29
"Because you have seen me you have believed. But blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

I challenge you just as my friend challenged me---Step out in faith and trust God in a new way. You may not have seen his plan or provision, but you do KNOW...You know that He knows and He is able. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever imagine. Trust and see.

I. Corinthians 2:20
"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has for those who love him."

Remember, you may not know, but you do know that He knows. Thank God for that!

Seek Answers=Seek HIM

I read somewhere that we make around 2,500 choices every day. This really got me thinking. Granted, most of them are small ones that don't seem to make a difference in the grand scheme of things, but still, that's a lot. Just the mere fact that God made us with the cognitive ability to process information and have discernment to choose what is best. Wow. What a great God. He did make us in his image, with the amazing gift to make choices...and have "Free Will". We don't usually think much about it, but what a gift!

This gift can also seem intimidating. I wonder if I make the best choices sometimes. Along with the gift of "Free Will", comes consequences. Here is where the majority of worry comes in. Am I really seeking God's will or my own? Often I don't even think to ask His will. I just rush through my day, seeing choices as an obstacle to get done as quickly as possible. Yes, making decisions is work for me. I can never make up my mind. I could spend twenty minutes debating over what color of toothbrush to buy at the store and worry later if I made the right choice. I seem to rush through the more critical choices and agonize over the little ones. What is wrong with me?

Lord, help me to remember to seek your help and guidance more often instead of leaning on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). Holy Spirit, give me discernment when I should be more careful about my decisions. Help me most of all to not let anything come between my loyalty to Christ. Don't ever let the good become the enemy of the best. There are lots of good things to spend my time doing, too many good things. It is hard to choose which ones to do and which ones to let go. When do I say yes and when do I say no? I can spend all my time doing things that seem good (and truly are good), but still miss out on what you have planned for me to do. That is the essence of my fear and worry. Don't let me miss out on your plan for me. I want no regrets when this life is up. I want to please you in all I do. Don't let me waste Your time, because all I have is really your's.

Another snare is letting my confidence lie in God's blessings and not in Him alone. This seems easy. Of course I love and trust Him more than His blessings. But when difficulties come, how do I respond? Oh, the pitfalls are many. That is why we must constantly ask the Lord's guidance and help. Keep looking at Him and not the ground. Otherwise you will stumble. Yes, I know it seems like it should be the opposite. It is tempting to want to look at the ground and where we are stepping, but we must trust Him more than our vision and perception. He see's more than we do. He knows His plans for us better than we do. So to sum things up, if you are seeking direction, help, answers....then all you need to seek is HIM.

Sorry, I forgot to give you some verses I like about prayer. See! I do need all the help I can get to stay focused on task. Ha. Here they are:

Philippians 4:6-7 "Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

James 5:16 "The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects."

Ephesians 6:18 "Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, stay alert and always keep praying for all the saints."

Prayer Muscles

Let's talk about prayer. Prayer is powerful. Prayer is helpful. Prayer is important, essential. But prayer is hard. At least for me it is. Despite trying to finding the time, I also get so distracted...so easily. I try to be still and know that He is God. But when I try to listen to hear His voice, I get sleepy or daydream. I can't focus. What is my problem? I don't want my prayer life to be just one sided. No friendship/relationship should be that way. It is a give and take thing. Not that I have much to give to God except for my attention and love. Anyway, I am pitiful at prayer. I admit I am all talk and no listening. I can lay out my needs and ask for forgiveness, but hear His voice? Well, let's just say that is rarer. I get so frustrated sometimes, that I deliberately avoid praying. Does that sound awful? I know, but it's the truth. I can't be helpful to others or receive help myself unless I am honest.

I will share a few books that are helpful to energize your prayer life. At least they were helpful to me. Still, it helps to set a designated time every day to spend time in prayer. Having it at the same time helps with focus and not forgetting to do it. Can you tell I need a lot of help? I struggle just a smidge. Anyway, Stormy Omartian has two books that are great: "The Power of a Praying Wife" and "The Power of a Praying Parent." "Praying the Scriptures for your Children" by Jodie Berndt is also good. They help reveal how powerful our prayers can be for our loved ones. Intercession is more powerful than we realize. I think we barely tap the surface of that gift God has given us. It also sets up an easy list of things to pray for, one per day, for your child or spouse. That keeps it easy, less time consuming and more focused. (More do-able!)

Another thing I have found helpful is to pray through ACTS. ACTS stands for the order in which to pray to give you structure so you don't feel like you are floundering with your thoughts. A is for Adoration. Spend the first few minutes praising God, preparing your heart to be with your Holy Father. Then C is for Confession. Confess and ask forgiveness for sins so that they aren't a barrier, keeping you from hearing God. T is for Thanksgiving. Thank him for all he has done and is going to do, through faith. Last of all, spend time in Supplication, laying your requests before Him. If you were going to a friend, you wouldn't just rudely ask for things constantly, especially without developing the friendship first. Anyway, this structure helps reign in my thoughts during prayer.

The last thing I have to share is that praying the scriptures helps me a lot. I think that is why I love to memorize scripture. If I don't have the words to express my feelings or thoughts, just taking a scripture and praying over it helps. His words are much better than mine anyway!

I talk to my kids about praying and pray some with them (Yes, I still need to do better, be more consistent, etc.). I talk about having "Prayer Muscles". This is how God grows His superheros. Prayer is how we tap into God's power and strength, making us stronger. On our own we are futile and weak. If we want to help and bless others and receive God's blessings ourselves, we need to spend more time in prayer. OK, now that I have written this, I feel really convicted. Let's all flex our Prayer Muscles today. Aaargh!!!