What Would Happen?

“Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4, AMP).

Today on the news, I heard about a set of parents who taught their four-year-old to think of all the other children who wouldn’t be receiving toys on Christmas. In response to this, the child started raising money for toys for underprivileged children.

Can you imagine what would happen if we, as adults, would take this child’s lead and think of others rather than ourselves?

- Annagail Lynes

Are You Sure You Want To Try Those Again?

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.

Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Joshua 1:8

I love yeast rolls with holiday meals.  My mom always had them for Thanksgiving and Christmas and for me, it was my favorite part of the meal.  Now, actually, she would make them with the little package of yeast and flour.  I tried that a couple of times, a long time ago and it didn’t work out so well, so I switched to Brown & Serve rolls.  They always came out okay, but they never tasted as good.  Then, a few years ago, I found frozen packages of yeast rolls, so I thought I’d give them a try.

 

I tried all different varieties, but for what ever reason, I could never get them to come out right.  I would forget to thaw them out the night before, try to do the quick thaw method and they would be hard as rocks.  Another time I let them rise too long and then they fell and they were like little flat pancakes.

 

It became a joke in the kitchen at holidays, me and my yeast roll efforts.  Add in the fact that Bobby went to culinary school and was an Executive Chef for many years, before getting into construction, and makes the perfect holiday meal seem effortless, and you can see my dilemna.

 

So when I came home from the store the other night, with my Christmas meal purchases, and Bobby saw that package of frozen yeast rolls, well, his comment to me was, “Are you sure you want to try those again?”

 

And I said, “Yes, I am not going to give up.”

 

And this time, I read the directions twice, and I followed them to the T, and for Thanksgiving dinner we enjoyed flaky, perfectly browned, wonderful tasting yeast rolls!  I was so proud of my contribution to the meal. 

 

After dinner, when I was cleaning up the kitchen with a friend, we were commenting on my rolls and I said I would use them in a story.  And she thought it quite humorous that I could find a spiritual concept from making dinner rolls.  She said to be sure and call them rolls and not buns … someone might get the wrong idea, and we don’t want that!

 

So here goes, for so many years my life was a mess. I would try to do the right thing, but it never turned out the way I wanted it to.   Because, just like with those rolls, I was not following the directions.

 

God gave us an instruction book for life, His Word.  Everything I needed to know to have a good life was in there, but I wasn’t reading it, nor following it’s guidelines.  And I kept messing up.  Even after I came to know the Lord, my life wasn’t changed magically, zapped into a utopian like existence.  Things still went wrong.

 

But I didn’t give up!  I kept reading and learning and eventually, I started to get it.  And as a result, God’s peace is now flowing through me and the ups and downs of life are mellowing out a bit.  Now, please don’t think my life is perfect, it’s FAR from it.  But with God’s peace, the intensity of life tones down immensely and when I follow His Way, the path is much smoother.

 

I’d like to encourage you today, if life isn’t quite working out for you the way you want it to, maybe spending some time reading through the Instruction Book will give you some different results.

 

And as Sir Winston Churchhill once said, “Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

Father, thank you for giving us Your guide to Life, a good life here on this earth and eternal life with you in Heaven.  Lord, even when the answer is right before me, I have continually messed up.  Help me Lord to not do things the way I want, but to consistently go to your Word for instruction and guidance.

I Love You Jesus. 

     In Your Name I Pray,

     Amen

God Bless You!

Joyce

Submitted by:

  Joyce Schneider

   A Life Decision

  http://www.alifedecision.org

 

“How Much I Love You”

“Untethered by time, (God) sees us all.  From the backwoods of Virginia to the business district of London; from the Vikings to the astronauts, from the cave-dwellers to the kings, from the hut-builders to the finger-pointers to the rock-stackers, he sees us.  Vagabonds and ragamuffins all, he saw us before we were born. 

And he loves what he sees.  Flooded by emotion.  Overcome by pride, the Starmaker turns to us, one by one, and says, `You are my child.  I love you dearly.  I’m aware that someday you’ll turn from me and walk away.  But I want you to know, I’ve already provided a way back.’

And to prove it, he did something extraordinary.

Stepping from the throne, he removed his robe of light and wrapped himself in skin: pigmented, human skin.  The light of the universe entered a dark, wet womb.  He whom angels worship nestled himself in the placenta of a peasant, was birthed into the cold night, and then slept on cow’s hay.

Mary didn’t knew whether to give him milk or give him praise, but she gave him both since he was, as near as she could figure, hungry and holy.

Joseph didn’t know whether to call him Junior or Father.  But in the end he called him Jesus, since that’s what the angel had said and since he didn’t have the faintest idea what to name a God he could cradle in his arms.

… Don’t you think… their heads tilted and their minds wondered, “What in the world are you doing, God?”  Or, better phrased, “God, what are you doing in the world?”

“Can anything make me stop loving you?” God asks.  “Watch me speak your language, sleep on your earth, and feel your hurts.  Behold the maker of sight and sound as he sneezes, coughs, and blows his nose.  You wonder if I understand how you feel?  Look into the dancing eyes of the kid in Nazareth; that’s God walking to school.  Ponder the toddler at Mary’s table; that’s God spilling his milk.

“You wonder how long my love will last?  Find your answer on a splintered cross, on a craggy hill.  That’s me you see up there, your maker, your God, nail-stabbed and bleeding.  Covered in spit and sin-soaked.

“That’s your sin I’m feeling.  That’s your death I’m dying.  That’s your resurrection I’m living. 

That’s how much I love you.”

– Max Lucado,  In the Grip of Grace.

***

Right on, Max. 

Shared by Kristine K. Lowder

http://www.HEvencense.wordpress.com

Learning To Walk

A man’s steps are directed by the Lord.  How then can anyone understand his own way.

Proverbs 20:24

Yesterday we were watching some old videos from when the boys were little.  We happened to have one on of Chase’s first birthday.  It was the day he learned to walk.  He was so cute.  He’d wobble just a bit and then he’d plop down and then he’d manuever himself back up and walk a few more steps before he’d plop down again.

And sometimes Carson would go over, pretty much a baby himself at about 18-19 months, and he’d help Chase back up and off he’d go again. Or I’d go over and put him back on his feet or Bobby would come to his aid.  Whoever reached him first would help him.  But sometimes we’d just let him get back up on his own, depending on the intenseness of his fall.

At one point he was cruising along pretty well, it looked like he’d really gotten this walking thing figured out and all of a sudden, BOOM, into the fireplace he tumbled.  That time, Bobby got to him first, lifted him up and cuddled him close, assuring him that he was okay, and then once again he sent him off to play.  

This is just like my walk with Jesus.  I was pretty wobbly at first.  I’d barely get a step or two in the right direction and boom, down I’d fall.  But I always had friends around me to support me.  To help get me going again.  And I’d be going along pretty  and boom, down I’d go again.  And sometimes it wouldn’t be too difficult and I’d pick myself back up, dust off my bruised spirit and off I’d go once more.  But many times the tumble would be so great, that the only way I could get back on my feet would be with the help of Jesus.  He’d  gently lift me back up, give me a big hug and tell me to go back out and play. 

Chase rarely falls down now, except when he starts running and tries to get ahead of himself.  You know, that seems to be about how my walk is going as well.  When I take it slow and steady, not so many stumbles, but boy, I can still take a tumble when I try to go to0 fast and get ahead of Jesus.

Father, thank You for this journey.  Thank You that I may not be where I’m going, but I’m surely not where I was at.  Help me to not get ahead of You, but rather to wait for Your guidance.  Direct my steps Lord, lead me to You.

 

I Love You Jesus.

     In Your Name I Pray,

     Amen

God Bless You!

Joyce

 

Submitted by:

   Joyce Schneider

   A Life Decision

   http://www.alifedecision.org

Point To Cross

Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” – John 8:10-11 (NIV).

This woman, who had been caught in the very act of adultery, didn’t receive condemnation from Jesus.  And this was before Jesus died.

Jesus has been judged for all our sins–past, present and future.  Our sins have been paid for.  Therefore there is no need for us to live under condemnation.  Now, we can live, just like the adulteress woman, without condemnation.

Next time the devil tries to bring up your past sins, you point him to the Cross where Jesus paid for all your sins.

Jesus shed His blood so that you might be in right-standing with God through Him (II Corinthians 5:21).  When we continue to live under condemnation, we are not accepting Jesus’ free gift in full.

- Annagail Lynes

Who Are You Impressing?

Your opinion of me is nice, but it isn’t necessary.

For many years, I had been obsessed with what people thought of me.

Growing up, I used to exaggerate the events of my life to make myself sound more exciting. The problem is that eventually people find out what kind of person you really are.

Now, I am to the point in my life that I am too old to worry about what anyone thinks of me or the way I live my life.

The only opinion I care about is my Heavenly Father’s. Everyone else’s opinions are not relevant.

In school, if a certain group liked something or someone, I conformed my thoughts, my beliefs, to their way of thinking.

There’s only one Person I will conform my thoughts and beliefs to now. Can you guess who? Yes, my Lord.

People can conformed to what is “Politically Correct.” People can conformed to latest fad in Christianity. People can conformed to the beliefs of the political leaders. That is their choice, and I respect that.

However, it is not my choice. I will only conform to the thoughts, feelings and purposes of my God. In the end, it is God I will stand before on Judgment Day not the media, not the political leaders, not even the celebrity of the week.

In light of that, to me, the opinions of everyone one else seem trivial.

Let me leave you will this thought: Who are you trying to impress? God or people?

- Annagail Lynes

The Babe In The Manger

We sing the song every Christmas, ‘Away in a manger no crib for his bed …’, but have you ever really given thought to that statement?  Can you imagine giving birth to a baby, in a stable and then putting him in a manger to sleep?  And we are not talking a top of the line horse stable here.  Most likely it was more like a cave, that the animals found shelter in.  And here was this very young, probably very scared young girl about to give birth to the Son of God.  WOW … can you just image?

 

I love Mary’s faith.  I pray for a faith as strong as Mary’s, but would I really be willing to endure what she endured?  Here she was young, probably about 12 or 13 years old, when an angel appeared to her and told her she would be pregnant with a child, conceived by the Holy Spirit.  Mary was already engaged to a fellow, Joseph, at this time and when the families found out she was pregnant, Joseph could cancel their marriage and even worse, Mary could be stoned or ostracized from her family.  But I love her response that day to the angel, “May it be with me as you have said.”   (Luke 1:38) 

Now that is faith.

And it took faith to go tell Joseph, “Oh, um, by the way, I’m pregnant.” They weren’t living together, Joseph knew the baby wasn’t his, and he wasn’t happy. But before Joseph could call the wedding off, that same angel came to him and told him what was going on.  And Joseph had faith … and he married Mary.

And then, right when the baby was to be born, they had to go to Bethlehem to pay taxes.  Boy, talk about bad timing.  Can you image having to travel any distance on a donkey when it’s close to your due date?  And I’m sure that the donkey ride helped spur on Mary’s labor, cause once they got to Bethlehem, Mary is ready to have that baby.  But they find out there is no place to stay … the inns are all full.  Boy, it just keeps going from bad to worse for poor Mary.  But we don’t hear her complaining. 

I have to confess … my little Chase came too quickly for anethesia during his labor and I had to birth him the old fashioned, natural way and it hurts!  It wasn’t what I had planed, but sometimes life throws a monkey wrench into our plan.  I had never wanted to be in that club, that ‘I had a baby naturally club.’ 

And I image by this point in time, Mary was wondering if this was all such a great idea.  Sure, it wasall fine and well when the angel first told her, but now when push comes to shove, literally, I’m sure she was wondering what she had gotten herself into.  There she is, poor little thing; tired and hungry and now going into labor and no place to even lay down.  If anyone had a reason to be grumpy, she did.  But we don’t see that … we see that strong, quiet confidence that comes only from God … from a faith that can’t be squelched by the natural cares or concerns of the world.  We see that faith in Mary, the mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as she gave birth to her son.

      

Away in a manger,
No crib for His bed
The little Lord Jesus
Laid down His sweet head

The stars in the bright sky
Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing
The poor Baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes

I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky
And stay by my side,
‘Til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray

Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to heaven
To live with Thee there

 Father, I love the faith of Mary.  Oh Lord, what she must have endured to bring you into the world, yet she was Your humble servant, living out her faith in action and in spirit.   Father help me to walk the walk … not talk the talk.

 

 I Love You Jesus, In Your Name I Pray!
Amen

The Story of the Birth of Jesus:  Luke 1 – 2

Merry Christmas to you all and a Blessed New Year!

Love,

Joyce

Submitted by:

   Joyce Schneider

   A Life Decision

   http://www.alifedecision.org

Pretty Packages

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Matthew 5:8

I walked into a doctor’s office the other day and came across a Christmas tree with beautifully wrapped packages underneath.  And no, I’m not ill, it’s part of my daily courier route.  I asked the girl at the desk,  who the presents were for?,  and she shared her secret with me, the boxes were empty.  They looked pretty but they contained nothing. 

As I walked down the hallway, I noticed that all the pictures in the office had been wrapped as well.  They looked like new gifts, but they were actually just covering up something old.

Carson’s birthday was a couple of weeks ago and when we went to wrap his gift, an electric scooter, we didn’t have any birthday wrap so I suggested we use Christmas paper.  Bobby looked at me like I had two heads, but I assured him that Carson wouldn’t care what the present was wrapped in, it was what was inside that counts.  And I knew he would  be tickled pink over this scooter.  He’d been wanting one for a long time.

When I share my story, I talk about how, before I found Jesus, on the outside I looked like I was part of the perfect little Christian family; going to church every Sunday, but I did not have a personal relationship with Jesus.  I might have looked good on the outside, but there was nothing of substance on the inside.

Have you ever met someone and made a decision or a judgement about them by their appearance, but than after you really got to know them, you’ve found that they are the total opposite of what you thought at first?

Again and again, The Word instructs us to guard our hearts, that God see our hearts, that our hearts are the wellspring of our lives …

I want to encourage you today – it’s nice to look pretty on the outside, but it’s so much more rewarding to be filled with substance.

Father, it’s so easy to get caught up in appearances … help me Lord to keep my heart pure. 

 

Thank you for loving me Jesus!

     In Your Name I Pray,

     Amen

God Bless You!

Joyce

 

Submitted by:

   Joyce Schneider

---

LIFE IS… Not About Perfect A Daily Dose of Encouragement by Joyce Schneider For More Of My Story:  http://www.alifedecision.org For nothing is impossible with God.     Luke 1:37

“It’s About the Cross”

This is so great.  By a Christian acapella trio, GoFish.  Just over 3-1/2 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/v/VyR0lwO-nXc&rel=1

Enjoy and may His love light your way to a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Preparing Him Room,

Kristine

http://www.HEvencense.wordpress.com

Teach Me To Pray Mommy

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 29:12-14

 

The other night, I was lying in bed with Chase, chatting a bit and finishing up our day and I asked him if he wanted to pray.  He said no, he wanted me to pray.  I asked him why?  His response, “If you teach me to pray Mommy, I’ll know how to pray with my kids.”

Oh my … what a sweet response.  And what a nice picture, my little Chase as a grown man, kneeling down at his children’s bed, praying with them before they go to sleep.

And I explained that there really wasn’t a right way to pray. That when he prayed, that he was simply talking to Jesus, about his day, his life, really anything that he wanted to share with Him.   And then I prayed.  

I remember the very first time I prayed out loud in a group.  I was just petrified.  I was a brand new baby Christian and I had started attending a MOPS study and at the end of the study, everyone stood, held hands and went around the room saying a short prayer.  I was close to panic by the time it was my turn.  All these other women seemed so confident and sure in their prayers and I had just come to know the Lord.  I hadn’t a clue how to pray to Him.  But as they went around the room, my silent prayer was, ‘teach me to pray Jesus’.

And when it came my turn, I simply started talking to Him.  Thanking him for my day, my life — I really don’t remember exactly what I said, but I remember I was quite comfortable and before I knew it I had said, AMEN, and it was the next person’s turn.  

A while back, I was doing a radio interview and the host asked me to pray on the air.  For a brief minute, I had this intense anxiety, oh my, what would I say, and then I remember just bowing my head and talking to Jesus.  Asking Him to protect a missionary who was living in Iraq and thanking Him that we had the freedom here in the US to worship Him openly, without fear of persecution.

One of my friends, actually was driving down the road, flipped on her radio and about ran off the road, cause there I was praying over the airways.  We got a cute chuckle out of that later …

The first time we meet people, our conversations can be a little stilted.  But as we get to know them, we open up and our conversations become more animated and more intimate.  And we may correspond one way in a group atmosphere and another, one on one.  

The same is true of our relationship with the Lord.  As we grow closer in our walk with Him, the way we communicate changes. But alone or in a group, there is no right or wrong way to pray, Jesus just wants us to share our lives with Him.

Father, thank You for showing me that it’s all about relationship, not rituals nor rules — not recited rites.  Lord Jesus, thank You that You always hear my prayers and that when I seek You, I find You!  And thank You Lord that Carson and Chase don’t want to go to sleep at night without saying goodnight to You.

 

I Love You Jesus.

     In Your Name I Pray,

     Amen

God Bless You!

Joyce

Submitted by:

   Joyce Schneider

   A Life Decision

   http://www.alifedecision.org