FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU...

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for [your] welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me and come and pray to Me and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you....." Jeremiah 29:11-13


When God tenderly formed us in our mother's womb, He had a plan. Each life has God's fingerprints upon it. Each of us is a unique creation, fashioned by the Master's hand to accomplish the purpose for which we were designed.


Along the journey we call LIFE, God brings many circumstances to bear upon our life that will chart the course of our direction. IF we are cooperating with Him, He will lead us and show us HIS way. And, even when we are NOT listening, He still has His hand upon us, often pulling us out of messes we have gotten ourselves into or rescuing us from poor decisions and giving us second, third, and fourth chances to get it right.


From the time I was a child, God has been a very real part of my life. How I thank Him for that! Not that I have always done everything He wanted me to. Not by a long shot! But...at the center of my heart has been a desire to please Him, to serve Him and to obey Him.


When I read through the PUROSE DRIVE LIFE by Rick Warren the first time, one of the things that struck me was one of the last chapters entitled SHARING YOUR LIFE MESSAGE. In this chapter Warren writes, "You have a storehouse of experiences that God wants to use to bring others into His family." He further stated that those experiences included four specific areas:

* Your Testimony
* Your Life Lessons
* Your Godly Passions
*The Good News of Jesus Christ


He encouraged the reader to think back over their life at the experiences that they had had and see how God had brought them to this particular moment. As I did that, I was suddenly awestruck to see how God had used one experience to build upon another throughout my entire life. Two things stood out....writing and speaking!


Looking back I can see how God has put me in different situations that required me to both write and speak or teach. I had never seen them all together, but as I looked down the corridors of my life I began to see that God was teaching me, molding me, expanding my horizons and stretching me with each new experience. I was amazed at how each experience along this journey had equipped me for the next.

When my "nest" became empty a few years ago, I began to seek the Lord about how He would choose to use me during this last quarter of my life. That was just the time I read Warren’s book. I began to get a vision for writing and speaking. Slowly it seems, God is opening doors and shedding light upon His way for me along this path. Do I know the final destination? No, but I seem to hear Him constantly whisper to me "Just take the next step, Beloved", and so I do.


Now the next step could POSSIBLY be a trip to North Carolina to the Proverbs 31 Ministries She Speaks Conference to be held in June of this year!! Only I will HAVE to have a scholarship to go! The exciting part is that one is being offered by Lysa Terkeurst and Proverbs 31 Ministries and I am certainly hoping to win it! Please check out the link under Don’t Miss the Blessing on the side column of this blog to read more about this amazing conference. Not only is this year’s conference for writers and speakers, it is also for BLOGGERS!!! So even if you do not see yourself pursuing a writing or speaking career, God can use you through a blog!


I think one of the reasons I have never seriously pursued a writing career is because it seemed egotistical to me to think that anyone would want to read what I wrote! However, I do recognize that whatever talent or abilities I have are God’s. He has lit this passion in me for a reason and I believe that reason is to glorify Him and to "write His answer". (Habakkkuk 2:2)


In her wonderful devotional for writers, WRITE HIS ANSWER, Marlene Bagnull made a statement that reverberated through my heart and soul "We are literature missionaries! While we me may never go more than a few hundred miles from our homes, our written words can go around the world and make a great difference for all eternity." If one word that I write or one lesson that I teach can bring someone to know the all encompassing love of Jesus Christ then my purpose on this earth will have been fulfilled.


My desire is to write His answer in a way that will please Him and draw others to Him.

PUT ON JESUS

"...and put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness..." Ephesians 4:24

My son loves football!! As much as he loves watching it, he loved PLAYING even more! He started playing football when he was just 8 years old and played all the way through high school. His freshman year, his team was undefeated. Man...what a thrill! In high school, because their team was the DRAGONS, they would run through a tunnel and burst onto the field in a cloud of smoke....VERY dramatic!!!! He lived for that moment every week when he would don that #40 jersey and run out on to the field with his team. What wonderful memories!

I thought of that yesterday as our pastor was preaching. No, I wasn't daydreaming. Our pastor is a former football player himself and loves to use football analogies. He talked about putting on his jersey and how his coach reminded them that as a football player for that particular team, they represented their school every day of the week...on and off the field.

I remembered that our son was told the same thing by his coach. Our daughter was a cheerleader, and she was reminded that in or out of uniform, she was a representative of that school so it mattered how she acted all week long.

As believers, we are to PUT ON Jesus Christ each day, just as my son put on his #40 jersey. He was a representative of his high school. We are "ambassadors" for Christ! We may not wear JC on our chest....but we represent Him nonetheless. What does that mean exactly?

Ephesians 4: 26-32 tells us: "put away lying, speak the truth....be angry and sin not...don't let the sun go down on your anger and don't give the Devil and opportunity. The thief should steal no more, he must do honest work with his own hands so he will have something to share with those in need. No corrupt talk should ever come out of your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need in order to give grace to those who hear....all bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you along with all wickedness. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you".

Today as you dress for work or for school or for whatever is on your TO DO list today....remember to PUT ON JESUS! You are his ambassador today in the workplace, in the grocery store, in the post office, in the restaurant, in the classroom, in the board room, on the air plane and on the highway. You are his representative. Others will judge HIM by how you act. May we be mindful of that in all we do today.

THE POWER OF ONE

Election year. I HATE election years. If it were up to me, candidates would have 1 month to campaign and that would be it. Enough already of 2 years of campaigning, backbiting, signs, debates, caucuses....yada, yada, yada!!! I think just such as that is the reason so many people just quit going to the polls altogether. That, and the fact that so many think that their one little vote would not matter. But hear me....YOUR VOTE DOES MATTER!!! ONE person CAN make a difference!

Not only does ONE vote matter, but ONE person can turn the tide. How often do we oppose something and do nothing, thinking that as ONE our opinion could not change a thing? That is probably the norm, rather than the exception. But one little 11 year old girl has proven that theory is pure BUNK!

In 2004 Ella Gunderson went shopping with her 16 year old sister, Robin and her mom. As Robin tried on one pair of jeans after another, little Ella watched and listened. Robin was frustrated because all of the low slung jeans exposed her belly button and were way too tight. The sales clerk tried to help by assuring her that buying them one size smaller so they WOULD be tight was appropriate, because that was the popular "look".

No one even realized that Ella was taking all this in until she showed her mother a letter she had penned to Nordstrom expressing that it seemed unfair to her that an unacceptable style was presented as the only choice available. She very politely told them that she saw girls "walk around with pants that show their bellybutton and underwear" and "even at my age,I know that this is immodest". Ella told the corporation "I'm hoping to get the message across that you can be modest and still be fashionable, cool and comfy."

Her letter made it all the way to Pete Nordstrum, executive vice president of Nordstrum. He then read "With a pair of clothes from your store, I would walk around showing half of my body and not fully dressed it seems. Your clerks suggest there is only one look. If that is true, then girls are supposed to walk around half-naked. I think you should change that look."

Did anyone listen? Yes! Corporate responses assured Ella that she had been heard. A lot more people responded as well in agreement with Ella's plea for more modest attire. Her letter also brought her a platform on which to take her stand. She was featured on CNN and NBC's Today Show.

Ella is a quiet young lady and this publicity was NOT what she was seeking. It was really outside her comfort zone. But, according to her mother, she had a relationship with Jesus Christ and a prayer life of her own. So when God presented her with an opportunity to speak out, she obeyed Him.

One little girl. One voice. Yet when God commanded, she obeyed and a giant corporation listened. What is God is asking YOU to do today? Are you willing to be obedient like Ella?
"And a little child shall lead them..." Is 11:6

LIFE'S INTERRUPTIONS

Just a few short days ago, I wrote about the new year, wondering what it would bring. We are now 25 days into this new year and in just the last week I've heard about the following:

A young missionary couple returned to the States due to unrest in Ethiopia, but the husband/father had to return briefly to tend to some business there. While he was gone, his wife and 2 children, ages 6 months and 4 years, were in a car accident. The mother was killed, but thankfully the children are OK. However, the husband was unable to be reached. He did not receive the news until he landed at the airport in Memphis Wednesday night.

Two neighbors were out for a walk through their neighborhood. Suddenly one of them began to complain that she had a severe headache. Then she went into seizure. She has been hospitalized and is waiting for results.

The widowed aunt of a good friend was honored with a huge birthday party on Sunday, celebrating her 80th birthday. Over 100 friends and family gathered to honor this former Rockette and she had a ball!! Today she is in ICU with severe pneumonia. Having just gone through multiple heart bypass surgery a few months ago, this is extremely serious.

For each of these, one minute everything was fine; the next their world has turned upside down. These are life's "interruptions". We are never prepared for them, yet they come to each of us at one time or another. Jesus told us they would. " These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

But how does one get through such horrible tragedies? When I think of that poor young husband and father returning to the airport to learn that his bride was no longer alive, it just breaks my heart. He had no idea when he kissed her goodbye and boarded that plane for Ethiopia that he would never see her alive again. If anything, he was probably in greater danger returning to Ethiopia than she was here at home, or so it seemed. But...life takes turns and twists that we are not expecting. Then what?

First of all, knowing that this young man is a believer is paramount. He will find comfort first and foremost in Jesus Christ. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He has given us the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter and He will hold this young man in the palm of His hand. He will experience "treasures of darkness" he had never known and would not have known had he not had to walk through this dark valley. (Isaiah 45: 3)

Second, he has the love of his family and friends. They will surround him and be there for him, I'm sure.

Finally, he has his church family. They have already demonstrated their love by meeting him at the airport and breaking the news to him. He has a family in them who will love him, support him, encourage him and seek to meet the needs that he will have in the days to come.

What do people do without a church family? I believe that is one of the reasons God established the church so that we would have a "family" of believers who God would use to minister to us in time of need. I have been the recipient of that love many times and wondered then as I do now, how do people make it without that family?!

Some often argue that they don't need church, that they can commune with God anywhere. That is true. You CAN commune with God anywhere. Others argue that they can listen to good sermons on TV or the radio. That is also true. Some of the best preachers around can be heard on TV and one can learn a lot from them. But sitting alone in the woods or in front of the TV does not unite one to a "family".

God knew that we would need that family and that they would need us. He gave each of us gifts to use within that family to help it function and thrive. Some are gifted with the gift of administration. They know how to organize and get everything going. They will be the ones on the phone, organizing the preparation of meals and childcare for this young husband. Others have the gift of mercy. They will be the ones who know just what to say to him, how to comfort him and this young woman's family. They will be the ones to go to the hospital to visit those who are critically ill and minister to their families. Others have the gift of helps. They will know what to do to help these families in practical ways in the days ahead.

Therefore, it is crucial that we align ourselves with a Bible believing church. No, you won't find a perfect church. And....if you DID....and you joined it, it would no longer be perfect! But it is still imperative that you find a body of believers that you can become a part of and allow God to use you there. He is not looking for pew warmers. He is not looking for "secret shoppers" to come and critique every aspect of the church and those who are in leadership there. He is looking for a believer who will get heart deep in the ministry of that Body and make themselves available to Him as He uses their particular gift (and EVERY believer has at least ONE!) to build up and encourage the Body.

So if you are not in a church today, I encourage you to find one. Begin to pray now and ask God to direct you to the place where He would have you to serve. If you are in a church, but not actively involved, ask God to show you how you can get involved. You may not like every little thing about it, it's highly unlikely that you ever will; but remember to keep the MAIN THING THE MAIN THING! You are there #1 to worship the Lord, the God of the Universe. With that in mind, everything else should pale in comparison. And, you are there to be part of a whole, so get involved...plug in....get connected. Some day in the near future someone in that body is going to need you and you are going to need them! Life's interruptions guarantee it!!!!!!!!!!!

BEING CHANGED INTO HIS LIKENESS

Being Changed Into His Likeness

by Max Lucado


The reward of Christianity is Christ.

Do you journey to the Grand Canyon for the souvenir T-shirt or the snow globe with the snowflakes that fall when you shake it? No. The reward of the Grand Canyon is the Grand Canyon. The wide-eyed realization that you are part of something ancient, splendid, powerful, and greater than you.

The cache of Christianity is Christ. Not money in the bank or a car in the garage or a healthy body or a better self-image. Secondary and tertiary fruits perhaps. But the Fort Knox of faith is Christ. Fellowship with him. Walking with him. Pondering him. Exploring him. The heart-stopping reali-zation that in him you are part of something ancient, endless, unstoppable, and unfathomable. And that he, who can dig the Grand Canyon with his pinkie, thinks you’re worth his death on Roman timber. Christ is the reward of Christianity. Why else would Paul make him his supreme desire? “I want to know Christ” (Phil. 3:10).

Do you desire the same? My idea is simple. Let’s look at some places he went and some people he touched. Join me on a quest for his “God-manness.” You may be amazed.

More important, you may be changed. “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).

As we behold him, we become like him.

I experienced this principle firsthand when an opera singer visited our church. We didn’t know his voice was trained. You couldn’t have known by his corduroy coat and loafers. No tuxedo, cummerbund, or silk tie. His appearance raised no eyebrow, but his voice certainly did. I should know. He was in the pew behind mine.

His vibrato made dentures rattle and rafters shake. He tried to contain himself. But how can a tuba hide in a room of piccolos?

For a moment I was startled. But within a verse, I was inspired. Emboldened by his volume, I lifted mine. Did I sing better? Not even I could hear me. My warbles were lost in his talent. But did I try harder? No doubt. His power brought out the best in me.

Could your world use a little music? If so, invite heaven’s baritone to cut loose. He may look as common as the guy next door, but just wait till you see what he can do. Who knows? A few songs with him might change the way you sing.
Forever.

The Great House of GodFrom Next Door Savior
Available in Hardback or Paperback
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2003) Max Lucado

IS THIS ALL THERE IS?

Tom Brady, renowned quarterback of the undefeated New England Patriots, is a superstar by anyone's definition. He will be leading his team as they go up against the New York Giants in the Super Bowl in 2 weeks. He is a household name to many.

I'm sure there are many young men who would give anything to be him. After all he has it all...........


FAME....

FORTUNE.....

GOOD LOOKS...

CHARM....

GREAT CAREER....

A SUPERMODEL GIRLFRIEND....

THREE SUPERBOWL RINGS....


Yes, it certainly would appear that Tom has it ALL. But appearances can be deceiving. In a recent interview, Tom himself lamented that he had it all and he SHOULD be happy...one of the happiest guys in the world. Yet, he feels there has to be more. He just can't figure out what it is!

Well, Tom, I wish I had your phone number because I could tell you what IT is! It is JESUS! As I heard a woman put it just last week, there is a "GOD HOLE" in each of us and no one and nothing else can fill it but Him! It's like trying to fit a round peg into a square hole....it just won't fit!

Tom has tried to fill his GOD HOLE with success, fame, money and all the toys it can buy, popularity, beautiful women, career, and who knows what else. But those things do not fit the hole. Only God can fill that void within him. Only God can fill that void in each of us!

So as Tom takes the field on February 3rd, please be praying for him. Not that he'll win the super bowl, but that he will find something much more precious than a super bowl ring. Pray that he will find JESUS!!!

YOUR ACCOUNT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

YOUR ACCOUNT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

How would you feel if you opened your INBOX this morning and found a message from God that read "YOUR ACCOUNT [debt] HAS BEEN CANCELLED"? Every sin you have ever committed erased. Every ugly or hateful or vulgar word you ever spoke, deleted. Every immoral thought you ever had, forgotten. How would you feel?

I got that email this morning....not from God, of course, but from a website that I had cancelled. Yet those words just hit me in the face! That is what is written across my life. Not because of my goodness or because of anything I have done. But rather, because of what JESUS has done! He paid a debt He did not owe because I owed a debt I could not pay! And across my account in His books are written the words YOUR ACCOUNT HAS BEEN CANCELLED. And the wonderful thing is, it is cancelled for all eternity!!!

You see Jesus paid the debt that I could not pay at Calvary when He died on the cross. My sin had sentenced me to death. But Jesus took my place. Though perfect and sinless Himself, He took my place. He died the death, paid the price, that I should have paid. And by believing what He did, putting my faith in Him that the debt IS paid, and receiving the life....eternal life....that He has offered to me, I am FREE!!

Today Jesus offers the same to anyone who will receive what He is offering. There is nothing....hear me.....NOTHING that God won't forgive. He offers this free gift of eternal life to anyone who will accept it. He will cleanse you...wipe your slate clean and write across your account PAID IN FULL.

If you want to know more, contact me by clicking on the COMMENT button below or call 1-800-NEEDHIM.