Joy In Jesus

2007-07-05T07:54:00.000-04:00

I'm changing my blogsite yet again! My active blogsite is now:
www.DailyPrayToGod.blogspot.com

2006-04-10T13:20:00.000-04:00

I'm changing my blog site to the following: http://www.myspace.com/bouchdi
Please visit me there!

2006-02-24T07:31:00.000-05:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME AND DENNIS!

Today is my 28th Wedding Anniversary! What a blessing! I can hardly believe that the years have flown by so fast!

I want to take just a bit of your time today as I tell you about my wonderful husband, Dennis. He has got to be THE most patient man on the face of this earth! Honestly, to stay married to me for 28 years he has to be! Seriously, Dennis is such a great and godly man. He is the perfect example of being a servent leader in the home. There is not a thing that he won't do to serve me and our children.

Here's a a very graphic and real example of that... Several weeks ago our daughter had a violent stomach flu. She woke me up at 2 AM telling me that she had thrown up all over her room.. I went in there (I'm even gagging now) and almost past out from the smell ... I couldn't clean it up.. I woke up Dennis and he so graciously got up, cleaned it up, shampooed the rug while our poor daughter is feeling horrible with high fever and I'm in the hallway gagging and whining like a baby that it smells so bad. haha! I'm such a woosie! But he never complained, he never was upset that I woke him... What a guy! ( this is just a small example of how sweet he is.. there is not enough time or space on this blog to list all the ways that he has served our family)

But, that's just a small example of how wonderful he is. He spiritually leads our family by his example. The first thing he does every morning (after he makes the coffee) is sit down to read the bible and to pray. He prays for me, the kids etc.
He loves Jesus. He serves the Lord in our local church. He loves me! :)

I respect and love Dennis deeply and I am proud to be his wife. The years haven't all been easy but we are in this together until the Lord calls us home. And the beauty of it all is that we WANT to be together for all time!

Lord, I thank you for Dennis. I thank you for giving this man to me, to lead me, to walk through life with me. I ask for you to pour your blessings over him. You know the deep desires of his heart Lord and I ask that you hear and answer his prayers. I pray Lord that as you continue to draw near to Dennis, that He would continue to draw near to you. I pray that you would lead Dennis into an ever deeper love and intimacy with yourself. I pray that He would continue to seek to glorify you in all things and I pray that Jesus would remain his greatest treasure. Lord, thank you again for 28 awesome years with Dennis and I look forward to all the years that we have left together. Thank you Lord that Dennis loves you. Thank you that Dennis seeks your face. Thank you Lord that Dennis loves your Word, that He loves prayer. I pray that our sons would be like their dad. Help me Lord to be the godly wife that I should be for Dennis. Help me love him and respect him more and more each day.Help me to help him be the man of God you want him to be. Do not let me be a hindrance to him Lord, but a help. Thank you for this man, Lord. Thank you for this anniversary day! In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME AND DENNIS!

2006-02-20T12:28:00.000-05:00

My Inheritance

How unexpectedly God blesses us! Oh how He satisfies me with His steadfast love. Oh Lord! Thank you so much for the beautiful gift of being satisfied in You! One day I was “wishing” for a deeper intimacy with the Lord Jesus, I can’t even say I prayed for it, I was just longing for it.

In God’s great mercy, kindness and grace He heard my cry!
I heard an old hymn on one particular morning and God totally encouraged my heart and increased my affections for Him.

“His Eye is On the Sparrow” (Civilla D. Martin, 1905.)

Why do I feel discouraged?
Why do the the shadows come?
Why does my heart feel so lonely
And long for heaven and home?

When Jesus is my portion,
A constant friend is He.
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy.
I sing because I’m free.
For His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me.

I was so encouraged by the remembrance of this song. I was reminded of God’s ever watchful eyes upon me, of His constant care.

The word “portion” caught my attention and I looked up it’s definition. The meaning of the word as used in Psalm 73:26 : “My flesh and my heart my fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!” and in Psalm 16:5 which reads: “ the Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup, You hold my lot.” is: Allottment, share, allowance… and further confirmed by Numbers 18:20 telling us that God himself is our portion and inheritance.

So as we sing this hymn and read the psalms we see that God is our inheritance! JESUS is our inheritance! What greater inheritance can there be?? Heaven is wonderful, but if Jesus weren’t there would we want to be there? Of course not! Jesus himself is our inheritance.

The truths from this hymn taken directly from scripture that Jesus is our portion and inheritance AND from Matthew 10:30-32 “But even all the hairs on your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my father who is in heaven” increase my affections.. remind me of God’s gracious gift of himself through Jesus Christ and his constant watchful care over me.

How kind of God to increase my affections for Him, drawing me into deeper intimacy with himself, and I didn’t even ask.. he heard my wishful longing….

My friends, draw near to God, and he will draw near to you! Abide in His Word and believe His great promises and your affections for Jesus will increase and you will be satisfied in Him alone and when this occurs God is greatly glorified!

Oh the beautiful gift of God!

2006-02-15T08:01:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been “unsure” about your salvation? Have you ever questioned whether you are “really” saved? Have you ever worried and fretted as you share the gospel with someone about whether your words affected change? I read an article this morning by Rev. Ligon Duncan III that answers these questions better than I ever could! I encourage you to go to this link that I found through monergism.com and prayerfully read this article!
I can pretty much guarantee that you will come away in awe of our gracious, merciful God! May Jesus be your greatest treasure!

http://www.fpcjackson.org/resources/family_and_culture/Understanding%20the%20Times/faith_or_regeneration.htm

Current of God's Love

2006-01-16T09:39:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning thinking about the time almost 28 years ago now, when my husband and I were stationed (Army) in the Republic of Panama ( yea, I know, hard life) (
My husband and I, with another couple and their 2 year old son, took a weekend vacation to a small little resort on the Pacific side of the Isthmus to a place called Mu Mu Cottages at Santa Clara Beach. It was absolutely beautiful! The ocean was magnificent!  I had never before seen or have since seen the ocean as beautiful as it was there.
We had a great weekend of friends, and food and relaxing! AND… I had an adventure that I will never forget.

The waters were fairly rough but as a 23 year old girl, who apparently thought she was immortal, I wasn’t afraid to go into the tumultuous waters! Our friend’s 2 year old son was in a small inner tube (no such thing as arm floaties yet) in this HUGE ocean, just kicking his little feet like crazy… We were all having a wonderful time, jumping the waves etc.

SUDDENLY, I found myself without control being flipped and tossed by the water. I was doing somersaults, not of my own accord, but by the water tossing me… My head kept hitting the bottom of the ocean floor as I kept getting flipped and tossed around. I remember trying to get myself out of the situation but I was helpless, I just resigned myself to go with the “flow” of the water’s current. I started taking in water and had that brief moment of realizing I was probably going to drown when all of a sudden it seemed like the ocean spit me out and I was on shore. I was very shaken up… My friends and husband all ran over to me as did others on the shore at the time . I had been caught in an undertow!
No one could get to me to help me out. My hair was beaded with sand, there were sand particles imbedded in my scalp. I really was so tossed around! I was not a Christian at the time, but I knew I had experienced a miracle. I truly could have drowned!

Since that time the Holy Spirit has given to  me a new heart, one that loves and follows Jesus.
One day I heard the following hymn and it reminded me of the time I was caught in the undertow:

O the deep, deep love of Jesus,Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!Rolling as a mighty ocean,In its fullness over me;Underneath me, all around me,Is the current of Thy love;Leading onward, leading homeward,To my glorious rest above.
by Samuel Trevor Francis, 1875

(you can listen to a demo of the song here at the RUF hymnbook:
http://igracemusic.com/igracemusic/hymnbook/hymns/o10.html )

As I heard that song I recalled that time I was caught in the undertow. There was water all around me. As I was twirling and flipping around in the water there wasn’t a part of me that didn’t have water in and around me! And that is how it is with God’s love! When God effectively calls his children and draws them to himself we are “caught” in the current of His love! We are surrounded by it! It is over us, under us, around us, in us… we are completely consumed by God’s love in Christ Jesus! God’s love for his church isn’t something that comes and goes it surrounds every part of us always… It isn’t something that we always “feel” but the truth of the matter is God’s love is always there… it is steadfast, never failing.

My prayer for all my readers this morning is this, taken from the book of Ephesians:
Ephesians 3:17-19 English Standard Version (ESV)
So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
May God grant to you an ever increased awareness of His great love for you. As you are are caught up in the current of God’s love may Jesus Christ be your only treasure!

My dear friends it h

2006-01-07T09:57:00.000-05:00

My dear friends it has been a long while since I have written. I admit to withdrawing from certain things that were a part of my daily life. Both my husband and I have been facing some health challenges. I have been waiting for biopsy results. My tendency when I am in a time of trial is to withdraw and isolate myself. I am happy to say that for the most part, by God’s great grace and mercy I didn’t do this. However, I didn’t write on my blog because I really had nothing to say! Haha! Those of you who know me well are probably laughing hysterically that I actually had nothing to say! Yet,  Isn’t it better to say nothing than to use words carelessly!?

Yet today I have that urgency in my heart to share with you.
I want to be transparent and honest with my readers. The Lord allowed this trial in my life to teach me many great things. I have been dealing with this health issue since late September. All my life I have dealt with fears of illness. At the beginning of 2005 I asked God to deal with this issue in my life once and for all. I admit I was NOT surprised when in September this health issue came up! (  God is faithful!
I learned so much… and I will use future blog writings to share with you… how God used this time of waiting to cut the strings of worldliness that I have… how God showed me how to deal with fear… etc…  how God showed me to focus on things eternal.. the Lord and I revisited assurance of salvation… So many beautiful things to discuss and I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you!

However, this is not what I want to share with you today… Many of you may have already heard that John Piper, great author, pastor, theologian and man of God has been diagnosed with cancer. He wrote a letter announcing this. Following is the text of his letter… please read it and be amazed at what it is like to be totally surrendered to God’s will, to put Jesus before all else.. to want and love Jesus more than life itself!
John Piper and Cancer
January 6, 2006
Dear Friends,
I hope this letter will encourage your prayer, strengthen your hope, and minister peace. I am writing with the blessing of the Council of Elders of Bethlehem Baptist Church to help you receive the news about my prostate cancer. At my annual urological exam on Wednesday, December 21, the doctor felt an abnormality in the prostate and suggested a biopsy. He called the next day with the following facts: 1) cancer cells were found in two of the ten samples and the estimate is that perhaps 5% of the gland is affected; 2) my PSA count was 1.6, which is good (below 4 is normal); 3) the Gleason score is 6 (signaling that the cancer is not aggressive). These three facts incline the doctor to think that it is unlikely that the cancer has spread beyond the prostate, and that it is possible with successful treatment to be cancer-free. Before going with my wife, Noël, to consult in person with the doctor on December 29 about treatment options, I shared this news with the Bethlehem staff on Tuesday morning, December 27, and with the elders that evening. Both groups prayed over me for healing and for wisdom in the treatment choices that lie before us. These were sweet times before the throne of grace with much-loved colleagues. All things considered, Noël and I believe that I should pursue the treatment called radical prostatectomy, which means the surgical removal of the prostate. We would ask you to pray that the surgery be completely successful in the removal of all cancer and freedom from possible side effects. With the approval of Bethlehem’s executive staff and elder leadership, we are planning surgery in February. The recovery time is about three weeks before returning to a slow work pace, and six weeks to be back to all normal activities. This news has, of course, been good for me. The most dangerous thing in the world is the sin of self-reliance and the stupor of worldliness. The news of cancer has a wonderfully blasting effect on both. I thank God for that. The times with Christ in these days have been unusually sweet. For example, is there anything greater to hear and believe in the bottom of your heart than this: “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)?God has designed this trial for my good and for your good. You can see this in 2 Corinthians 1:9, “Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” And in 2 Corinthians 1:4-6, “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God . . . If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation.”
So I am praying: “Lord, for your great glory, 1) don’t let me miss any of the sanctifying blessings that you have for me in this experience; 2) don’t let the people of Bethlehem miss any of the sanctifying blessings that you have for us in this; 3) grant that the surgery be successful in removing cancer and sparing important nerves; 4) grant that this light and momentary trial would work to spread a passion for you supremacy for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ; 5) may Noël and all close to me be given great peace—and all of this through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen.” I hope God will lead you to pray in a similar way.
With deep confidence that
“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
Pastor John
With Sam Crabtree, Lead Pastor for Life TrainingKenny Stokes, Lead Pastor for SpreadingTim Johnson, Chairman of the Council of EldersRoss Anderson, MD, Bethlehem Elder
(image placeholder)
Please join the saints in praying for John Piper.

Also, I would like to publically thank Jesus for his mercy in my life. My biopsy did come back normal. God is good… but God is good whether my biopsy came back normal or if it didn’t. I rest in God’s goodness always. Please join me also in praying for my husband who is undergoing some medical exams as well. Blessed be the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

The Mendonsa Family

2005-11-29T09:40:00.000-05:00

I was deeply moved this morning as I read what fellow blogger and brother in Christ Tim Challies wrote about this morning on his blog. I encourage you to go to his blog at www.challies.com and read the entry titled, “ Our Privilege as Members of the Same Body.” He writes of a family in Tennessee who have endured such excruciating hardships and yet persevere in their faith by the grace of God. Please read and keep the Mendonsa family in prayer.

Give Thanks

2005-11-22T09:01:00.000-05:00

Please forgive me, those who are faithful visitors to this blog! I have been so busy!!!
But, I’m back on track now? Let’s hope so!

As I think of this week being Thanksgiving I can’t help but be very thankful for Jesus Christ. There are so many blessings that I am thankful for... but today, I want to take some time to be thankful for the GIVER of all things; for the God of my salvation, for Jesus Christ!

I can’t help but reflect this week about Jesus and Him crucified! Jesus, my Savior and King, lived a perfect life! He obeyed the law perfectly! For me, the law only points to how insufficient my greatest efforts are to obey it! The law points me to my need of a Savior, to Jesus! Jesus came to die, to die for my sins! He bore the wrath of God that belongs to me! He died. He rose from the dead! And Jesus will come again! Alleluia! Upon regeneration, the Holy Spirit made me aware of my grievous sin and God, in His kindness, brought me to repentance!!! Jesus’ righteousness was imputed to me… and by his grace through faith, I am forever saved!  And I live by faith in God that I will persevere to the end! Wow! Thank you oh God of my salvation!

Christian, if we preach that to ourselves! If we remind ourselves of that daily, maybe sometimes more than daily, how can we not fall to our knees in thanksgiving?
I am thankful for my inheritance, Jesus Christ himself! Praise be to His holy name!

May each of you take time this week and ponder and remember the gospel!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. “  Romans 3:16

Stay tuned for more lessons God has taught me through my puppy!  (

CCEF

2005-11-14T11:39:00.000-05:00

It’s been a while, a LONG while since I’ve written here. To those who do check it out regularly, I apologize! I have been busy playing and learning!
This passed weekend I attended the CCEF conference. CCEF is the Christian Counseling Education Foundation. I attended this year’s conference for several reasons:

I mentor and disciple young women and wanted to be further equipped for the task

I am interested in pursuing a certificate in Biblical Counseling from CCEF and went to check out the organization firsthand.

To let God teach me!

The topic this year was Redeeming Anger. Of course the title means many things... I learned how the anger of man can be redeemed and how the anger of God leads to our redemption! Excellent.

I have so much information in my head and heart it’s going to take the Holy Spirit quite a while to help me process it and apply it all!
Here are a couple of nuggets I came away with:

1) I have a new perspective on the wrath of God... his wrath is beautiful and merciful!
God is the only one who can be angry perfectly. God’s zeal and his anger are our hope... for his anger at sin and his anger at man's rebellion is what motivated him to give us a Savior. The drama of anger is the drama of redemption. The anger of God brought Christ to the cross. We should never be embarrassed or feel we have to defend the wrath of God, for his very wrath leads to our redemption! They called the anger of God against the sin of man as the "glorious collision of grace"!

2) I was reminded that as a believer, God is not mad at me. He never will be mad at me. The wrath of God that was meant for me was spent on Jesus.

3) That God loves me NO MATTER WHAT and he WILL complete in me what He has begun.

4) Attended a valuable elective on How to Counsel an Angry person and one on How to Forgive

I encourage everyone to check out CCEF’s web site for information and valuable resources! www.ccef.org

I praise God and I thank Him for giving us godly people who are humble, transparent and smart to teach us, to minister to the body of Christ as we journey toward our real home!

God bless!

Surviving? ....nay, Persevering!

2005-11-04T09:38:00.000-05:00

I confess publicly that I am a watcher of the TV “reality” show Survivor. ( I am fascinated by this show! For those who have been spared getting drawn into the watching of this show let me explain it to you in its simplest form. A group of 16 individuals are transported to some exotic, isolated island somewhere in the world and are separated into 2 tribes (teams) where they compete tribe against tribe for rewards (usually some yummy food or some necessary supply such as matches or cooking utensils) and for immunity. Whichever tribe wins an immunity challenge the individuals of that team are exempt from being voted out that night. The tribes are left to find their own food, make fire, find potable water etc.. thus the survival aspect of it. Eventually, when the combined number of individuals from both tribes is down to about 10 they merge into one tribe and begin competing against one another for the ultimate prize of 1 million dollars. Only one person can win! This game gets nasty! Rarely can a person participate without succumbing to selfishness, lying, slander, etc in order to win. In fairness to the show there have been a couple of seasons where a few of the participants let it be known that they were Christians and a actually won the million! It is between them and God whether they got there with their integrity completely intact. I believe they did, but I wasn’t there, so what do I know!!!! (

Okay, so why all this Survivor talk? I’m sitting here this morning watching my Tivo’d episode of last night’s survivor episode thinking how opposite the culture of Survivor is from our Christian journey. Last night at my 50th birthday celebration God reminded me of how many friends, brothers and sisters in Christ that I have to run this race with me! We aren’t competing with one another to win this race; we are running this race together. I received so many words of love and encouragement. I was overwhelmed.

God has given us the blessed gift of community so we can run this race in fellowship and unity, in care and compassion for one another. If, on Survivor, someone falters the others are happy because this increases their chances of being the one that survives to the end. In the Christian community and in the local church when one falters there are ones who come around to help! Sometimes help comes in the form of a listening ear, or an encouraging word. Sometimes it comes with practical help such as making a meal, visiting in the hospital and sometimes it comes in the form of speaking into someone’s life, gently and humbly helping someone see a sin that they’ve been blind to. In all these things the point is to help this person to continue to follow Jesus completely, to be brought back to a place of gazing at the cross, of trusting in God fully and completely! What a JOY to have these friends in our life! We are not supposed to be isolated as Christians. We are not in competition with one another; we are here to live this life together, to encourage one another, to care for one another, to help keep our focus on Christ alone! This glorifies God! To borrow a phrase from one of my favorite authoers, John Piper, living this way is “for our good and God’s glory.”

I thank God that Survivor is not a reflection of the church, of the Body of Christ. I am praising God today for my brothers and sisters in Christ, for those who will whack me upside my head when I need to be whacked… ( They will encourage me when I need encouragement and will rejoice with me when I am rejoicing and will weep with me when I am weeping; that will pray for me when I need prayer, will pray with me when I am interceding.

I was so encouraged and blessed this entire week as people helped me celebrate my birthday. I am reminded of the great gift the body of Christ is! Of course the greatest gift I have is Jesus. He is my inheritance. What a life! I don’t have to “survive” but by the grace of God and the sure promise of His work in me I will persevere!

English Standard Version (ESV)

Hebrews 10:24-25 (English Standard Version)
24And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Romans 15:5-7 (English Standard Version)
5May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 12:25-27 (English Standard Version)
be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Ephesians 2:20-22 (English Standard Version)
21in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
“God thank you so much that I don’t have to “survive” this life on earth, that by your grace and mercy , by your faithfulness and steadfast love I will persevere to the end. This is your promise for the elect. I am so grateful Lord for the people you have placed in my life, for my husband, my children, my church, my pastors, my friends etc who you have placed alongside me to run this race with me! Mostly Lord, I praise you and thank you for YOU are my inheritance. I respond Lord with thanksgiving and praise, I pray you will help me obey you and keep your commands. Thank you for your faithfulness! Thank you for the body of Christ. You are indeed so great. Increase my faith Lord, increase my love for you Lord, draw me nearer and nearer to thee. In Jesus, precious and holy name. Amen.”

2005-11-02T09:11:00.000-05:00

I love to sing songs of worship to God! It is a joy to honor and praise the lover of my soul, the One who saved me! It is good to sing songs of sound doctrine. My heart is always turned towards Jesus as I praise Him! One part of a song that we sing at my church, from the song, “I Will Glory In My Redeemer(Steve and Vikki Cook),” says, “ HIS faithfulness my standing place.” WoW! Do you see what it says? HIS faithfulness! God’s faithfulness, not my faithfulness… God’s faithfulness!!!

I don’t know about you, but I am not always faithful. My heart wanders; I sin; I am not always devoted to prayer… as another great hymn says, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love….” (Be Thou My Vision At¬trib¬ut¬ed to Dal¬lan For¬gaill, 8th Cen¬tu¬ry). When I ponder that it is GOD’S faithfulness that is my security, my standing place I am renewed in the wonder and awe of God’s grace and love and mercy! How great He is!

I found myself in the “performance mode” this week… do you know what I mean? Working in “my” strength, not by God’s grace and sufficiency.. but performing for man, concerned for “my” reputation rather than the good of another or the good of the body of Christ. I found myself in the “all about me” pattern of thought. Pride rears it's ugly head again.Ugh!

Now here is the GREAT news! Through a conversation with a friend and God’s conviction I realized what I was doing and had the opportunity to confess to God my sin and seek forgiveness from a colleague in ministry. My friend pointed out how the world says, “perform, perform, perform”… but God says, “Humble thyself” ( 1 Peter 5:6) Now, this was not my doing, nor my faithfulness that I saw this in my life. Instead, it was God’s faithfulness to sanctify me and make me more and more like Jesus that spoke to my heart.

This is good news, Christian! God WILL complete what he has begun in his elect.

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

What peace; what gratitude this generates; what relief! God will do it.

“Oh Lord, help me to surrender to your work in me! When my heart is hard, please soften it, help me to see my sins. Thank you for your faithfulness. Lord, I don’t have a leg to stand on but YOUR faithfulness is my standing place! Thank you so much that you never lie, that your promises are true and that your steadfast love endures forever! I praise you for your faithfulness.”

Oh Christian let this promise sink into you.. God is faithful! His faithfulness is our security!

Now, “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Amazed again...

2005-10-31T07:50:00.000-05:00

Today I am amazed by grace. I should actually qualify that statement.. today I am EXTRA amazed by grace.. I left church yesterday amazed by grace all over again, more in love with my Savior, encouraged by my Lord and refreshed in my faith. As we were singing songs of grace I was reminded of how thorough grace is… I was humbled all over again as my gaze was brought back to the gospel, to the cross. How kind God is to lead us to repentance! I could still be wallowing in my wickedness of sin… I could still be an enemy of God but instead, because of God’s love, mercy and kindness in calling me, I am saved, I am seated at the table of mercy and grace. I deserve death, punishment and the wrath of God and instead, by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ I receive faith, grace and mercy. Sometimes that truth hits me so hard that I can’t put my arms around how great it is! The only response to this must be worship, obedience and gratitude! So join me in praising our Lord!

Dear God, there is not enough time in this world, not enough words to express my gratitude for saving me. I thank you God that you know my limitations and love me still! It is by YOUR faithfulness and steadfast love that I stand in grace. I thank you for giving me a renewed vision of how amazing grace is. I ask that you never let me get complacent about it. Help me Lord to always be in awe of your mercy, love and kindness. Help me Lord to grow in the knowledge of your holiness and greatness and let this knowledge be used to grow me and sanctify me. Do not let my head just be filled with knowledge of this great salvation but use it Lord to change my life and reflect the glory of who you are! Lord, I want my words, my thoughts and my actions to reflect this great salvation. Do not leave me Lord to my own efforts, for my greatest efforts lead to my greatest sin! Instead Lord, by your grace help me to cooperate with your work in me, help me to surrender and to desire your will for my life. You are so great Lord God! May you be glorified today! Be magnified oh Lord for you alone are worthy of all glory and honor and praise! You are my greatest treasure!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, he predestine us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, the praise of glorious grace , with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. “ Ephesians 1:3-10

A Psalm and a Prayer

2005-10-28T08:01:00.000-04:00

Psalm 138

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
Before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
And give thanks to your name for your
Steadfast love and your faithfulness,
For you have exalted above all things
Your name and your word.
On the day I called, you answered me;
My strength of soul you increased.
All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
For they have heard the words of your mouth, and they
Shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
For GREAT is the glory of the Lord.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
But the haughty he knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You preserve my life;
You stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And your right hand delivers me.
The Lord WILL fulfill his purpose for me;
Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Dear Lord, May the reading of Your word magnify your name in my heart and mind and life. You alone are deserving of all glory, honor and praise. I do give thanks to your name for it is above all things. Lord Jesus, be my highest treasure. Help me to treasure you above all things; above my life, my health, my family, my friends, my job, my ministry… all these things are gifts from your hand, yet Lord, I want to worship the giver not the gift. Be magnified in my eyes O Lord! Great is your glory! Keep me humble Lord for you regard the lowly. Help me to see others as more important than myself. Do not let pride and selfishness reign in my life. Lord! Be glorified in my life! Thank you that YOU preserve my life as I walk in the midst of trouble. Lord, increase the strength of my soul! God, I thank you for the truth of your Word that you WILL fulfill your purpose. Your Word is good and true. Increase my faith Lord so that I will believe your promises. Thank you Lord for your steadfast love that endures forever. Thank you that you do not forsake the work of your hands. I thank you for your faithfulness. I am in your hands and this is good. What can harm me when you are for me? I praise You Lord! You alone are worthy. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for loving me. I pray now that as I go forth in my day that all my thoughts, words and actions would reflect my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In Jesus holy and precious name I pray. Amen.

To My Friend Ricky

2005-10-27T05:53:00.000-04:00

Please indulge me as I reminisce about Ricky. Last week, a very dear friend of mine went home to be with the Lord! His name was Ricky Lyons. So many of us will miss Ricky but oh what rejoicing we have because He persevered! He made it! He ran the race; Jesus brought him home in victory!

He grew up in North Carolina but at some point in his childhood he moved to the inner city of Washington DC where he became involved in drugs, alcohol etc... He lived a hard life, saw some of his siblings die on the street and because of this lifestyle Ricky eventually contracted HIV. Ricky ended up in prison. It was there that the Holy Spirit regenerated Ricky and he was saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ! It wasn’t long before Ricky began to see his HIV as “Heaven In View.” He lived for Jesus and for the Kingdom to come.

He began to study the Word of God in prison. Through a prison ministry Ricky became associated with a suburban church in Northern VA (where I attended and worked at the time). Ricky had a heart for Jesus... such a BIG heart! When Ricky was released from prison he burst forth in ministry in the local church as well as in the inner city! He had a heart for inner city ministry, youth ministry, for racial reconciliation, for prison ministry, for biblical manhood and biblical womanhood... he worked for the poor, for the hungry... he worked full time at the church I attended as well as being  a part time pastor in the city.. Always serving, always praying to the glory of God!

BUT! It’s not his life that I want to talk about … I want to talk about his funeral.. rather.. his HOMEGOING! It was an incredible time! I had the best time I've ever had in church! Such joy was expressed. Joy in the promises of God for those who belong to God through Jesus Christ!

One day when Ricky and I were taking a break from our jobs at the church we began to talk about funerals and Ricky said to me, “ Darlin, you don’t KNOW what a real funeral is like until you go to a homegoing.” So Ricky and I made a deal, if I die first my husband would seek Ricky’s counsel in how to give a homegoing. If Ricky dies first I promised to attend his homegoing so I could see how it’s done! Ricky beat me to the finish line and on Saturday I saw how it was done!

It was incredible! I have never been to a funeral, excuse me, homegoing, where there was such joy! There was singing, dancing, shouting, proclaiming the gospel over and over and over again! One of the highlights was when Ricky’s wife Raye sang. Ricky asked her to sing a song titled, “I Made It.’ … God’s grace was all over that woman as she sang with such strength and assurance. The song was all about persevering in our faith, with finishing the race. When that song was over the church roared with praises to God, there was dancing, it was beautiful.

Now I know that the majority of us Reformed types aren’t accustomed to shouting and dancing etc in church. (  But I am here to tell you that the theology during that 3 hour service was as biblical as it gets! Sound doctrine was proclaimed with every testimony!  I am as certain as I can be that God was glorified as he saw his children celebrating and honoring Jesus. There was joy for the working of the Holy Spirit in Ricky to the glory of God!

Death is sad, but only sad for those of us who remain in this fallen world!  It is sad because we no longer have the opportunity to see our friend in flesh and blood. Scary for those who have to walk through death, for sure!!!!

BUT it is a time for rejoicing for Ricky! If Ricky had the choice of remaining in the presence of Jesus or returning here, there is no doubt in my mind that He'd remain in the presence of Jesus! As one of the preachers on Saturday said, "Ricky used to walk by faith BUT NOW he walks by sight! The Scriptures say that when a believer dies we who remain do not grieve as one with no hope, but we have hope. Actually, I walked out of that service with ASSURANCE! (
Psalm 116:15Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
Philippians 1:21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Of course, death was not the intent before the fall.. But now, for those who are saved,  it is the only way to enter into heaven... but as we heard on Saturday, Jesus's life, death for our sins and resurrection took away the sting of death for those who are saved! RICKY MADE IT!  By God’s grace he persevered! How joyous is that?

I praise God for increasing my faith as I heard testimony after testimony of how God used Ricky to bring the Gospel to young man after young man in the city of Washington DC… I praise God because I saw God being exalted, His fame proclaimed!

To borrow a phrase from John Piper’s writings, “I grieve with hope,” yet I now I am reminded afresh to live with a renewed excitement. I live excited that I am but a sojourner on earth on my way to my real home. I don’t have the disease of HIV but Ricky taught me and many others how to really live with Heaven in View.

Poop in my room!

2005-10-26T08:38:00.000-04:00

The other morning I received an email from a friend of mine who said her morning started out a little rough when her son Jeff woke her up to tell her that their dog, Glory, had “pooped” in his room.  She said she went in, I expect somewhat bleary-eyed, to clean it up and I assume, went back to bed until a more reasonable hour of rising for the day. I received an email later in the day from Glory’s mom saying that when she went into her son’s room later in the morning, after she had woken up and once daylight was upon them, she realized she hadn’t really cleaned up the “poop” as well as she had thought and proceeded, I expect, to give that area a thorough cleaning. I chuckled a bit as I read her email and then God showed me how my sin is like Glory’s poop in Jeff’s room.

Glory’s poop in Jeff’s room is very similar to sins in my life! There are days when I will awaken to the smell of “poop” in my life… okay.. Actually let me call it what it really is: SIN!  Sin in my life is far smellier and far more dangerous than poop. Poop may be offensive to our noses, and unhealthy for us to be around for long… BUT WORSE our sin is offensive to a holy God! So, what is it that I do with that sin in my life when it’s odorous presence is made known to me? (

Clean it up! I have to clean it up! Okay.. This analogy only takes us so far… but truthfully, what sin/sins wake you up with it’s odor? What sin does the Holy Spirit bring to your mind that kind of lingers, you thought you cleaned it up but when God shines His light on your life you realize it’s still there? Is it is gossip or a critical spirit? How about sharp or harsh words to a family member or a co-worker? Is it telling “white lies” or yelling at the crazy driver in front of you on the way to work?

I praise God because he does provide a way for us to clean up our sins.

At this point, let me say that I praise God that He saved me. I praise God that Jesus is my Lord and Savior and that Jesus paid the price for my sins. Jesus bore the wrath of God that was meant for me! Could there be better news??? I am saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Wow! However, the reality is that although I am saved and God took care of the problem that my sin causes.. I still sin!  The truth is I am being changed daily, I am being sanctified…. but.. I still sin..
Praise God that I am no longer a slave to sin, the bible tells me I am now a slave to righteousness. I no longer HAVE to sin.. But I still do! The question that Glory’s poop brought to my mind is,” Why, when I see the sin, do I go in bleary eyed, semi-clean it up and go back to bed, then when the same sin pops up later on, why do I wonder why? Why do I still smell the poop?”

When God brings to mind a sin .. First off CONFESS it as sin to God! Admit that you have sinned not only against a person but mostly that you have sinned against GOD, Himself!
Then repent… turn away from that sin! Ask God to help you fight this sin. Fight it by removing yourself from situations that may cause this sin, or ask God to change your heart so when you are in a situation that you might sin in, you can choose not to. It’s not a matter of “making up your mind” so much as it is a matter of surrendering to God and asking him to help you to overcome this sin.

I have an example from my own life….  For years a close friend of mine has accused me of being critical of her… each accusation brought about cries of innocence from me…  this has literally gone on for years! Each time, I would go before God and say something to the effect of, “IF I’m being critical, please forgive me… help “her” to see that I’m not.” Hahaha.. I know I know… how could I be so arrogant? Well, that’s what sin is, isn’t it? Last week, I realized there was still some poop in my room as I was again confronted by my friend of my critical spirit! This time, by the grace of God, I went to Him and said, “Show me where I am being critical.” ….. Ummmm… He showed me. BOY DID HE SHOW ME!  I then confessed my sin to God, repented and went to my friend and asked for forgiveness. I literally feel different now with my interactions with her… to be critical doesn’t even occur  me! How great is our God to show me my sin and then through confession and repentance I am cleansed. How great the grace and mercy of God..  Now, I am so much more aware of how I can be critical and with God I can make sure the poop is cleaned up!

Will I still be critical? I’m sure…I don’t want to be, but I may be. I love this quote from John Newton, the author of the favorite hymn of many people, Amazing Grace. He once said:

"I am not what I ought to be.I am not what I wish to be.I am not even what I hope to be.But, by the Cross of Christ,I am not what I was."

Amen? I encourage each one of us to pay attention when God shows us sin in our life… the Bible says in 1 John 1:8-9 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Thanks to God, and to my friend’s dog Glory for reminding me to take care of the poop!

2005-10-23T22:35:00.000-04:00

God's lessons through my Puppy

So we have a new puppy, we named him Rufus! Rufus is a chihuahua mix... He weighs about 14 pounds ...He's absolutely adorable! I can't take any personal credit for the selection of our pup.. all blame, I mean all credit goes to my husband and youngest son!

One Saturday morning they went to the local Petsmart to their "adoption day." No sooner did they get out of the car when Sam spotted and fell in love with Rufus! As they were going through the process of completing the paperwork the woman who was handling the process said, "now, I have to warn you, this dog has resource guarding issues." In other words Rufus's philosophy in his thus far 4 months of life was this, "EVERYTHING IS MINE! IT ALL BELONGS TO ME." haha! oh boy this was going to be fun! Sure enough once Rufus was home he snapped and growled and protected everything from his food, to his toys, my son's bed, he even started protecting certain rooms, not letting us near those things he decided were his!
I did some quick internet research on chihuahua behavior. Apparently resource guarding is very typical behavior for a chihuahua. I found out the way to fix this behavior is to teach the chihuahua that NOTHING belongs to him and that EVERYTHING comes from his master, you must train the dog that his very life depends on his master. The way it's done is for 2 weeks you only let the dog ear a few nibbles at a time ONLY from your hand. After 2 weeks you let the dog watch you put the food in his bowl and you keep your hand near the bowl... Eventually the dog learns that his sustenance comes from the master and this transfers to other things that the dog regarded as his own.

IT WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In just 2 weeks Rufus learned to stop growling and snapping.. He began to trust me and the other members of the family ... he realized that we have his best interest at heart and we will provide all he needs.

I thought to myself, "wow! in just 2 weeks my Rufus learned what God still tries to teach me!!!!" I think of how peaceful and rest my puppy is now... how much more so are we, as believers, at rest when we trust in our Lord and Master!? How must more at peace I am when I realize that nothing is mine! Not my house, my work, my husband, my children, my car, my ministry, my friends, my health, my LIFE!!! How much more content are we when we realize and live out daily the truth that our God provides for our every need, our very sustenance and to let him have HIS way in our life! God took care of our biggest problem, which was our sin by sending Jesus to live, to die as payment for our sin and then be raised up from the dead! If He took care of our biggest problem won't God take care of our lesser problems? Of course he will! I know that when I walk by grace and trust in the full promises of God I am not "growly and snappy" like Rufus! Most of all , when I walk in trust, satisfied that at all that I have is not my own but from God's hand and when I am satisified in Jesus alone as my highest treasure GOD is glorified!!!

How kind of God to give my a puppy to teach me lessons of His Kingdom!