Mary Brainard

“So I go on, not knowing

I would not, if I might

I would rather walk in the dark with God

Than go alone in the light.

I would rather walk with Him by Faith

Than walk alone by sight.”

– Mary G. Brainard

Shared by: Kristine, author, blogger, humorist, homeschooler, professional mom, chocolate lover.

Lord, Help Me to See You

Jesus said to [Bartimaeus] in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus said to him “Go; your faith has saved you.” And at once his sight returned and he followed him along the road.” Mark 10:51

This week’s Gospel is one of many illustrations of Jesus’ power to heal. These miracle stories usually share some common elements. The person approaches Jesus with firm conviction that Jesus can fix whatever it is that ails him or her. Jesus then performs this service, healing not only the body but also the soul. Lastly, Jesus comments on the person’s faith. It is the faith that saves the person. The person believes.

I am reminded of Jesus’ words to Thomas in the Gospel of John “You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” (John 20:29) Obviously, those of us who practice our Christian faith 2000 years after Jesus walked the Earth fall into the second category, but believing without physical proof is not always easy. I’ve heard it said that faith is a gift given from God. That may be true. Perhaps some are given a greater capacity for faith than others. I think that all are capable of some measure of faith, however. God would not have created a person and made him or her incapable of believing in God. That doesn’t make sense, especially in light of the fact that our main purpose for being is to know, love, and serve God. Therefore, it has to be possible to intellectually choose to have faith, to believe even when one doesn’t have the feeling of belief. St. Therese did this in her last days. She doubted there was a heaven. Yet, she still chose to believe. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta did this as well. She had no consolation from prayer, yet she continued to pray and continued to believe in her mission from Christ.

I have heard so many takes on this Gospel. We all have blindness in our lives that needs to be removed. We are blind to the beauty of the world around us. We go through life with blinders on – looking, but not really appreciating the magnificent creation around us. We are blind to the needs of others. We focus on our own needs and wants and somehow miss how we can help those who share our lives who are in pain. We are blind to our own faults. We choose to overlook the shortcomings in ourselves, but are quick to point out the failings in others. Oh yes, we are all blind in some way.

Sometimes, however, I think that our greatest blindness is our failure to see God in our everyday lives. A spiritual director that I once had used to ask me “Where was God for you today?” It is such an important question, and one that we often overlook. We get so busy in the minutia of life, in the chores and the work and the responsibility, that we fail to notice God amidst the rhythm of daily life. Then, when the world comes crashing down around us, we wonder “Where is God?” God is there all the time, in both the good and the bad, but we need to open our eyes and quiet our hearts to see. We need to choose to believe even when we don’t feel like it.

Dear Lord, please help me in my blindness. Help me to see you in each and every day, and to acknowledge your presence in my life. Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief.

by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
http://spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com

Are You Listening?

 

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27

We have a new family member, Jack, a Jack Russell Terrier. Jack is a sweetie pie, cute as a button, the total opposite of Zeke. Jack loves to hunt, he has a field day in our yard running from tree to tree chasing whatever it is that he is chasing. He plays keep away with Zeke, they chase each other around the house, each one trying to keep the ball or stuffed animal away from the other. Jack has never had an accident, he’s not chewed up anything except chew toys. He’s a good dog. But Jack does not listen to me.

I can be calling his name and he’s so focused in on what he’s doing … he totally ignores me. I have to actually go over to him and pick him up for him to stop doing what he’s doing and look at me. Jack does not hear my voice.

Zeke, on the other hand, who has been my best buddy for over five years always hears my voice. Even when I don’t want him to hear me, he does. I cannot say one word without Zeke being at my side. Sometimes I don’t have to even speak, I can just look at him and he’ll come over and lay his head on me. Zeke loves me, he listens for my voice and the second he hears it, he responds.

Sometimes I act like Jack, with God. I am so busy running around doing my thing, I don’t hear His gentle whisperings. He literally has to put a wall up in front of me for me to stop what I am doing and listen.

I want to be more like Zeke in my walk with Jesus. I want to hear His voice, whatever I’m doing – where ever I’m doing it. I want to stay attuned to His call.

I want to be part of His flock. I want to follow HIM.

Father, thank you for allowing me to see this example so clearly. Teach me Lord Jesus, how to hear your voice, no matter what the circumstance.

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

God’s Blessing Upon You!

Love,
Joyce

Million Copy Give-Away.
    Will You Help?

http://www.alifedecision.org

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…
   it’s about learning to dance in the rain!

What Makes You Feel Good About Who You Are?

When do you truly feel as if you’ve “come into your own.” In what atmosphere, setting, or moment in time have you felt like you were the person you truly wanted to be? What makes you feel good about being YOU?

So many women don’t feel good about themselves. You can see it in their faces. Maybe they believe lies that were told to them when they were young. Maybe no one has encouraged them or told them they were valuable in a really long time. Or maybe they are just trying to be something…someone that they simply were not created or destined to be!

I’m still in the process of “coming into my own.” But the more I am able to truly know who I am, what I feel, and what embodies or makes me “me” – the freer I feel in my own skin. The more relaxed I am able to be and the more I seek to learn about myself, because I have found that I am a very intricate person!

For me, I have found that I will never be okay with who I am when I am seeking things outside of God’s love, plans, and messages that are aimed just for my personal heart and soul. The more I desire to be closer to Him, the more I embrace the truth that He loves me “just as I am” – then those are the moments where I can enjoy life the most and live it with the most abandon, because then, I can forget myself in the process. And I believe that is how God truly wants us to live.
 

It’s time we stop putting so many unnecessary demands on our shoulders, stop trying to meet expectations placed on us by others, and instead start discovering what our true calling in life as a woman and an individual is ….
 
 
…. it’s the only way we will ever truly feel free in being just the person that God created us to be.
~ Dionna Sanchez is the Founder of EmphasisOnMoms.com.  Subscribe to her free monthly newsletter for moms at http://www.EmphasisOnMoms.com/newsletter.htm

Big Dreams

“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.”
Jeremiah 29:11

Carson and Chase spend a lot of time talking about what they want to do when they grow up. Carson wants to be a Veterinarian and live on a farm in North Florida with a lake and raise Guinea Pigs and take care of hurting animals. That is a big dream.

Chase wants to work at Sea World and swim with the dolphins and the whales. He wants to own a preserve and have all sorts of animals there that he and his buddy, Josh, take care of. That is a big dream.

I used to have big dreams when I was a kid. Then I grew up … and I allowed life to steal my dreams.

A few years ago, my life turned around and I wrote a book about the hope and healing I had experienced through Jesus. Most authors dream of selling a million copies of their books. My book was never about the sales, but rather the lives helped.

I had an idea the other day … why couldn’t I GIVE AWAY A MILLION COPIES in E-Book Format? That’s a BIG DREAM … but I serve a BIG GOD!

So … here goes. I am dreaming big. Will you help me achieve my goal?

Please forward this email to your friends and family … let’s see how many lives God can affect through email … through the Internet … through a book about healing and hope!

Chili and Chocolate Cake is not your average inspirational book; and is as unique as the title. The author shares her message of forgiveness, restoration, and hope for hurting women– especially those who have experienced the loss of a child through abortion, miscarriage, or stillborn birth. This book is a shining testimony to the power of God to heal the broken heart. Author Joyce Schneider’s dramatic life and the miraculous change from a tortured young women to a great woman of God will encourage every reader. God even used the stablilty gained from preparing chili and chocolate cake to weave the thread of His grace throughout her troubled life. Get ready for an outpouring–from the barren days of the past, to springs of living waters; rivers that will refresh long after you close the pages of this book.

All the details are on my website:
http://www.alifedecision.org

Thank you for your support!

Father, thank you for dreams. Thank you for giving me the encouragement to step out of my comfort zone and make a difference … for you!

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

God’s Blessings To You!

Love,
Joyce

 

 

“Pick Me!”

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him,
“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?”
They answered him, “Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”

Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. Excerpt from Mk 10:35-45

I think that all of us can see ourselves in James and John in this Gospel. It is only normal to want to be chosen for the place of honor. We want to be acknowledged. How many of us have waved our hands and yelled (or at least thought) “Pick me! Pick me!” at some point in our lives? I’ve been there more times than, in light of this Gospel, I care to admit.

The Bible Study group I belong to is currently making its way through Growing in the virtues of Jesus: The Marianist method of virtues for use in groups
by Quentin Hakenewerth, SM. The very beginning of the book invites the reader to develop one’s true self and set aside one’s ego self. According to Hakenewerth, the ego is the part of us that believes we are the source of our own worth. “When we live out of our ego, we feel worthwhile only to the degree that we can attribute to ourselves – or get others to attribute to us – some achievement, merit, or credit.” Our ego is always searching for the next vote of approval. Hakenewerth shares a story of a religious sister who encountered a four-year-old girl at a Family Renewal conference. The sister asked the little girl what she had learned that day. “Oh, we learned about the old self and the new self,” the little girl responded. “When I am selfish, that’s my old self. And when I love others, that’s my new self.” The little girl had it all figured out.

This is the message of today’s Gospel. To follow Christ we must be the one who serves. We must put our own ego aside. We must stop looking for the accolades and the approval of the world. Rather, we must find our worth in the only One who matters. Our worth comes from God from the very moment of our conception. He made us. That is the source of our value. Instead of seeking the praise of the world and longing to be put on a pedestal, we need to seek to serve, to be “the slave of all.”

Of course, as with so many things in following Christ, knowing it does not make it easy to do. Our ego will continue to rear its head until the day we die, but we can take steps to move in the correct direction. We can take advantage of opportunities to put others first. Those opportunities abound in everyone’s life. We need only make the right choice. Instead of yelling “Pick me!” we can demonstrate “I choose to serve.”

by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
http://spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com

True Happiness

I was listening to Randy Carlson one  morning on Parent Talk discussing the subject of “happiness.” Happiness is a subject that is really relevant because so many people struggle with it.  People think that gifts and material items will fulfill them and make them happy – or they make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, etc in the quest to find happiness.

I hear from women very regularly because of my Emphasis On Moms Ministry. I hear from women who are depressed, dealing with guilt because they are striving for a standard of perfection in their homes, they are struggling in their marriages — and so much of this stems from pressure in the Christian environment to appear that they meet a certain standard – when they are not. And if they can’t or they aren’t – they become unhappy because they feel like they don’t measure up.

I think there is this unwritten rule or standard that for Christians, especially, that we must always appear happy. If we aren’t, then we must not be close to the Lord – right? But it just puts all the more pressure on us. I think we need to let each other know that it’s okay that all is not perfect in our world all of the time.

I am a pretty happy person. But for me – happiness is a benefit of my life – not the goal of it. I don’t strive to be happy. It just comes because of the inner choices I make for myself and my life. I do try to better myself all of the time – but I don’t focus on happiness as a result – because I know that most of the time, happiness is that choice of being content where I am, even if that’s not ideal. It’s knowing I am loved, feeling blessed with what I’ve been given, knowing that I’m in God’s hands and that He will hold me and guide me through the challenges in my life. It’s impacting others on His behalf.

I truly feel content. I may not always be bubbling with laughter due to navigating one circumstance or another – but I have no complaints.

I know that there are people who are always trying to “have fun” – but internally, they are not content or happy. Because they are always searching for that next “high” to keep them feeling that adrenaline rush. If it stops – there’s a hole left in their lives. A hole that I don’t feel or experience because God is with me through all of my highs and my lows. That’s where my contentment comes from.

No one else can make you happy. True happiness comes from the Lord. But God also created us to be emotional people. So I think it’s okay to feel sorrow, dissapointment, overwhelmed, and discontent at times. I think it’s okay to feel those emotions because God created and gave us those emotions!

As we face a new year and a new season in our lives….wherever you are in your life and wherever you’re heading, whatever you’re facing – Be encouraged that God loves you no matter how you are feeling or how other people think you should feel. Stop putting pressure on yourself to appear a certain way if you don’t feel that way – but allow yourself to be real with others.

True happiness can’t be manufactured or created – it comes from within. It’s a choice. I hope that choice comes to you and your home this year. For the contentment and joy that comes from knowing, serving, and growing in the Lord, will bring you everything you need within to sustain you, nurture, and guide you through whatever it is and wherever it is you’re headed.

 

You can read more of Dionna’s writings at her personal blog – http://beautyinthestorm.blogspot.com

The Difference…

There is a great difference between realizing, ‘On that Cross He was crucified for me,’ and ‘On that Cross I am crucified with Him.’ The one aspect brings us deliverance from sin’s condemnation, the other from sin’s power.

- John Gregory Mantle

Shared by: Kristine, author, blogger, humorist, homeschooler, professional mom, chocolate lover.

Impressions ~ By Dionna Sanchez

Every home has an atmosphere within it. When you go to visit family and friends, it is so evident when you walk in the door that each home has its own flair, personality, and character.  It has its own “vibe” as you would say.
 
As we raise a family, it’s important for us to take a good look at what atmosphere we create within our home.  What impressions are we leaving on our kids?  And a good place to start is by looking at what is on our walls and what is on our children’s walls.  The things we surround ourselves with in our home are images that constantly integrate themselves into who we are and who we are shaping our children to be.
 
When I was growing up, my home – just as any other home – had lots of décor on the walls. Some in particular that I remember are a cross in my parents room with two wedding rings in the middle of it, a picture of the last supper, and a picture of an old man praying over bread and water. My mom gave me this picture a few years ago and I hung it in my kitchen. Do you know why I love it so? Because it is a reminder to me to be thankful for everything – even the small things. It reminds me to be humble and that God gives me all that I have.  Now what kind of an image do you think this will have on my children? I’m hoping it will be just as positive and warm as it was on my heart as I grew up.
 
We need constant reminders around us that show us who we belong to and what we want our lives to be about. If we fill our home with images that contradict what we say we believe in, those will make a stronger impact on our family than what we say.
There is a verse in the Bible in Deuteronomy that says, “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
 
To me, that verse means that not only can I say I believe in the Lord, but I need to talk about Him, live a life for Him, and let Him be reflected in me in my home. If I say I love the Lord but then let my child decorate her walls with dark images, I think that is contradictory – don’t you?
 
What are you reminded of when you look at your walls? It’s something to think about because those images are nurturing the family you love.
 
 
~ Dionna Sanchez is the Founder of the Emphasis On Moms Ministry at http://www.EmphasisOnMoms.com

–

“Introduction to Christ”

Secular comedian Steve Harvey “introduces” Christ to a secular audience.  This is amazing.  Length: 3 mins., 18 seconds.

Shared by Kristine.