Follow Your Faith

Joshua 3: 2-4
After three days the officers went throughout the camp,3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.


Luke 6:39
And Jesus told them this parable: "one blind man cannot lead another one; if he does both will fall into a ditch. 

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Who will you follow?

Follow the one you trust....You can’t be an unbelieving believer. You either trust God or you don’t. You trust His Word or you don’t. Get into His word and find your way. 

Psalm 118:8  "It is better to trust the Lord than to trust people."

Matthew 21:22. "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

belief is Key...I love the words in this song sung beautifully by Jake Hess and friends, " Have faith when you speak to the Master, that's all he asks you for.  Prayer is the key to Heaven, but  faith unlocks the door."

Job's trials kept him on the road to God, he trusted him even though he had not seen him,
Job 23: 9, God has been at work in the North and the south, but still I have not seen him.
Job 23:11, I follow faithfully the road he chooses, and never wander to either side

Dear Lord...give me faith dear Spirt. Help me to be patient as I follow Your Word.  You will not fail me, of that I am sure.  In your precious name. Amen.

A Living Example

When you stand for God, you will stand out. And sometimes it will be painful, and sometimes you will fail but Sometimes You Won't and that's what is important.

Be a Holy living example, 

Lord, I want to be a just like You
cuz he wants to be like me

A great message about what others see in you, when you don't even know they are looking. 

Remember the saying, "Little pitchers have big ears"? well they hear, see and imitate...When I see myself in the people around me, I want to be proud of what they have chosen to emulate! 



2 Thessalonians 3:9
We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.
1 Timothy 4:12
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

As important as it is to be an example to the younger generation, I want to be a person people use as an example for their life and purpose. that is a huge, monumental goal, but attaining that goal becomes part of your everyday life, a little bit at a time. 

Who  I admire, read, watch or listen too may be the deciding factor in reaching the height I have set for myself.  
And as important,  how do I react when I slip on my chosen path and I know that I will.


We Are Examples
Learning to live as the Savior and follow where he leads...

Father, Help me to look and learn about Your loving guidance and order as the pattern for my life. By following the example of Your Son, in mutual love and respect, may I become a living Bible for others to read.  Lead me on Your path.  In your precious name, Amen

Good News

The “Gospel” is the “good news” that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for our sin so that we might become the children of God through faith alone in Christ alone. The basic ingredients of the gospel message, are namely, the death, burial, resurrection, and appearances of the resurrected Christ. 

1 Corinthians 15:1–4,  

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sinsaccording to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

 Paul provides the most succinct summary of the gospel: the man Jesus is also God, or Christ, and died on a cross in our place, paying the penalty for our sins; three days later He rose to conquer sin and death and give the gift of salvation to all who believe in Him alone for eternal life.

The good news starts out as awful news, He died and was buried, but the wonderful Good News is that He rose and lives in Heaven with His Father, and went to prepare a place for us.  If we believe that Jesus rose from that grave, we have heard the Good News and we will also rise from the grave, and be reunited with our many loved ones who have gone before.





Spread the Good News of Hope and Victory from death.

Good News,

         Good News
Isaiah 52:7 .....How beautiful on the mountain are the feet that bring Good News...Who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Dear Lord,
Thank you for being the Good News in my every day...the end of my bad day is always...Good News, Good News..I believe that I will be with you one day.  Thank you. Good News! In your precious name, I believe in your Good News.  Amen.

I'll Rise Again

I'll Rise Again

by Dallas Holmes

A promise of salvation through our Lord Jesus

I've Just Seen Jesus

sung by David Phelps and Lana Ranahan

His promise is true









And I'll Never Be The Same Again

Jesus Made a Way

Exodus 26:31
"Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim woven into it by a skilled worker.

Matthew 27:51
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split

Luke 23:45
for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

Matthew Henry's commentary excerpt... At the same instant that Jesus died, the veil of the temple was rent from the top to the bottom. This spake terror to the unbelieving Jews, and was a sign of the destruction of their church and nation. It speaks comfort to all believing Christians, for it signified the laying open a new and living way into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. 

God was saying, “You no longer are on the outside. You can come in. My Son has made a way for you.”  The veil was torn. Jesus is now our Intercessor. We don’t have to go through a person to reach God anymore. We don’t have to go through rituals anymore. Instead, Jesus made a new and living way for us to reach God...by Greg Laurie

Dear Lord..You gave the ultimate sacrifice for my sake...I cannot repay..I can only accept your gift and Thank you.  I believe God gave His only Son as the sacrifice for my sin, forgive my sins, Lord Jesus, I believe in the resurrection and I believe that I will be with my Father in heaven one day.  In your Holy Name, Amen.

The Truth Will Set Us Free

The truth sometimes stings, but our reaction to the truth shows what we are made of. We can ignore or deny the charges and explain away the evidence, or we can take the truth humbly to heart, be accountable and let it change us.

...Truth confronts us with that which we do not want to know.
...Truth also hurts when it requires us to stop doing what we want to do, or requires us to start doing what we don't want to do.
...Truth is painful when it focuses on our own responsibilities and shortcomings instead of allowing us to focus on everyone else's

Yet when truth is painful, or requires something a person does not want to give or do, they often act as though it is somehow negotiable, or worse, non-existent. Avoiding truth is destructive but accepting Truth is instructive and shows us how to change pain to joy.


Who turned on the light to lead us out of our darkness? We are not always happy about the bright light coming on too quickly as it hurts the eyes..

think of a movie theater as we come to the end of a great story, still basking in the wonderfulness of it and FLICK! the light comes on. We squint and explore with our hands for a time but as the light comes over us, we rush forward with the knowledge of where we are going.

You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free..John 8:32

Truth is not a principle. Truth is a person: Jesus Christ.

One of the clearest and best-known statements by Jesus is 

Dear Lord, Help me to seek your truth, to find the Light of your way in this world of much darkness.  Sometimes I think I can just use a small lamp or a tiny candle flame to find my way, but I am just ignoring what I know to be true.  Jesus You are the Light of the World, thank you for showing me the way.  In your precious name. Amen.

Prom Night

As Prom Season comes into our lives again, I will re post this "Parents Prayer for Prom Night from May of 2012,  as many parents pray for the safety of their children.  It is a time when we are reminded that "wise choices" are learned from experiences and teaching they have had, up to the decision point.  Give them the opportunity to grow in accountability and to learn from their mistakes. They will make you proud.

"Raise up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6


Parents Prayer for Prom Night

May my child be blessed
on this special evening . . .
May my child be blessed with an enchanted evening.
May they dance with joy in their heart.
May they enjoy the smiles and laughter of others.
May my child have a date that is kind in word and deed, grateful and complimentary.
May their evening be filled with grace, dignity and respect. May my child experience a wonderful night, full of lasting memories.
I pray for the safety and wisdom for all that attend Prom this evening…
May the Lord watch over them.
- – Judy Geaslen

Walk the Walk

Let us seek to give assurance that our names are written in the book of life. Joy in God is of great consequence in the Christian life; and Christians need to be again and again called to it. It more than outweighs all causes for sorrow. Let their enemies perceive how moderate they were as to outward things, and how composedly they suffered loss and hardships...commentary from Matthew Henry.

Commentary from Wesley on Philippians 4:5
Let your gentleness - Yieldingness, sweetness of temper, the result of joy in the Lord. Be known - By your whole behavior. By your whole behavior. To all men - Good and bad, gentle and froward. 

Let your moderation be known unto all men....not just believers ..or the members of the church,  but also to unbelievers, to the men of the world, by not avenging themselves, but giving way to wrath; by patient suffering for well doing, without making any returns of ill, either by words or deeds...excerpts from John Gill

Our Joy comes from treating all men the same, not just those walking the same path as us but all those we meet along the way.  Our gentleness will be evident if we live our love for the Lord. Lead by example...just live your faith out loud..no need to shout and point out faults..let your gentleness be evident...Just as He said.

Not "What would Jesus do" but What Did Jesus do?

...He Prayed

...He sought out the downtrodden and outcast

...He taught and served others

Dear Lord...Thank you for keeping me humble and loving toward others..all others..Let me be like you..pray for the downtrodden and seek to serve wherever I am needed. To You be the Glory, Amen.

Singing Puts Us In A Happy Place

...excerpts from an article by Julia Layton....
All types of singing have positive psychological effects. A study published in Australia in 2008 revealed that on average, choral singers rated their satisfaction with life higher than the public --  Singing can have some of the same effects as exercise, like the release of endorphin, which give the singer an overall "lifted" feeling and are associated with stress reduction.  And singing necessitates deep breathing, another anxiety reducer. Deep breathing is a key to meditation and other relaxation techniques, and you can't sing well without it......Choral singers need to concentrate on their music and technique throughout the singing process, and it's hard to worry about things like work or money or family problems when you're actively concentrating on something else. So choral singers tend to have a built-in "stress-free zone." why choral singing specifically?.  **remember the song "don't worry, be happy"......because some of the most important ties between singing and happiness are social ones....the support system of being part of a group....commitment to that group...feelings of belonging to a group, of being needed...

Well, you get the idea, singing along or singing with a group just makes you feel happy, try it sometime, and if it is just in the shower, belt it out, breathe deep and sing it from the heart.  I like to turn simple Bible verses into melodies and sing them over and over. One time during our church service, Pastor was talking about the "name of Jesus" and I couldn't help myself, I just started singing, "Jesus, Jesus, there's just something about that name" and before long the rest of the congregation had joined in.  It was spontaneous and just left us all feeling very good....and happy.

"Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him."
Psalm 95:2 (NLT)

"The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving."
Psalm 28:7 (NLT)

Dear Lord
Let my singing forever bring joy to me and Praise your  Holy name. Amen

The Constant in Our Life

Nothing is as constant as change....Seasonal change.the constant of Spring is sure, be it wetter or drier, warmer or cooler than last year, it will come. Time never stands still; it must steadily march on..there is no going back, but only forward....


Look to what is the constant in your life and embrace it. Look to the creator of change, God. He continually sets the world in motion keeping it in perfect balance...month after month... season to season. We are His to nurture and mold, He does not change, but gives us the opportunity to be all that we can become through Him.

Psalm 136

English Standard Version (ESV)

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

23 2

Lamentations 3:22 – 25
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. ” (NIV)

Dear Lord

Help me to adapt to the changes in my life and realize what is important and be thankful for the experiences in my life that have made me who I am. You dear Lord have been my constant, never changing, ever loving me and teaching.  As I have heard said, "You have helped me find the joy in my journey.  In Jesus name, Amen

Keep Your Promises

Bone healing is a great metaphor: If you take good care of a fracture, the bone becomes stronger than it was before. If you take good care of your promises, the relationship becomes stronger than it was before. It is impossible to follow through on every promise you make in life, but how many you break and how you handle that break, is so very important.

I hear it in the stores all the time, "not today honey, I promise you can get a toy the next time"... "I promise, we'll get a treat next time"...   waiting on a promise takes patience and builds character but the broken promise no matter how small, hurts.  A broken promise relays a feeling of lesser value to the person we have disappointed and people start to tag us as someone they cannot count on. "I will, I promise" has led to many a difficult moment along with the phrase, "I said I promise, but I didn't say when".

Using the word "promise" can become a habit, and it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. Are you just throwing out the word promise, to get out of a situation at the time?  Be conscious of how many times you use it in a week, and how many times you actually mean it. Do not promise what you can't deliver...it solves a problem in the moment, mends a fence perhaps, but with no follow through there is no build up of trust and the let down starts immediately with a breakdown of trust, no matter how minuscule the content. 

If God has promised, the promise is true, and God will not change His mind. You can depend on the promise.

Romans 4:20

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

The key was Abraham's confidence that

 "God had power to Do what He had promised" 

We sing of His promises

"God's Promises are true, the sun's gonna shine, in God's own good time, and He will see you through"

"Standing on the Promises of Christ my King.  Through eternal praises let His praises ring"

Use this character building word with caution. Promise only what you can deliver.

Joshua 23:14, 
.....You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the power of your promises, and for giving me the faith to wait with anticipation and patience.  Amen.

Just Give it Away

“You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.  O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever.”  Psalm 30:11–12

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Melody Beattie

“Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy — because we will always want to have something else or something more. Gratefulness makes us aware of the gift and makes us happy. As long as we take things for granted they don’t make us happy. Gratefulness is the key to happiness. Practicing gratitude is so central to my spirituality.” — David Steindl-Rast, Sacred Journey (October 2001)

Give it away without a thought of being repaid, be grateful that you had it to give. Not necessarily wealth or money, perhaps a smile to a stressed retail clerk, assistance to a burdened shopper without enough hands or a word of encouragement to your son with the failing grade.  We have more than we realize sometimes so why not give some of it away.