My Birthday Present

I remarked to Clint that I'd like to see all of our children together. 
He did this for my birthday. 
I love it!

What Does Unforgiveness Look Like (repost)

It is God-honoring when relationships are reconciled , and that doesn't just refer to marriages.  Shouldn't THAT be our main goal...to bring honor and glory to God? If you have reached out in an effort to reconcile, but the other party has neglected to reciprocate, God will still bless you for desiring to honor Him. God will deal with them, and their spiritual lives will be hampered because of their hardened heart.

At the end of the day, honoring God leads to good things. Anything else leads to confusion, emotional exhaustion, and a lack of good things. Lisa TerKeurst.

Ephesians 4:26-32 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Unforgiveness is rebellion against God. It is the deliberate choice to refuse to
give up one’s resentment and the right to seek retribution based on the attitude that someone has to pay for something they did to us or someone else. It is a prideful attitude that elevates self above the offender. The more pride we hold onto, the longer it takes us to forgive and work towards reconciliation.

When we harbor unforgiveness in our hearts, it manifests itself in our thoughts, words, and actions. When we think about that person, we have negative feelings instead of feelings of compassion. We will speak ill of them or speak unkindly to them. We will either avoid them when we see them coming or look for an opportunity to unleash our fury on them. We may have an inappropriate response to a different person or situation that reminds us of the hurt we have gone through previously. Unforgiveness may also lead us to give ungodly counsel to others. Unforgiveness is ugly. See what else is lumped together with unforgiveness in 2 Timothy 3:2-5.

Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

God may keep bringing it up in our hearts to urge us to obey Him so we can be right with Him. However, we can ignore the Holy Spirit by hardening our hearts to the point He stops trying. Rebelling against His gentle, quiet voice can put us in the way of more consequences. He will still extend grace to the believer, but our spiritual walk will be hampered.

God tells us He will handle the situation for us. He knows how to speak to their heart and deal with their sin, and we do not want to interfere with God's work. Our acts of revenge, bitterness, and hostility only reap us more negativity.  

If Christ came to forgive us our sins and extend grace on all of the bad things we have done, then to example Him means we have to forgive others. Most of the things we hold in our hearts against others are meaningless when measured with an eternal view. (She stole your car, drove while drunk, crashed it, and put other's lives in danger for the few minutes she was driving. That's bad! Your anger and unforgiveness is putting spiritual lives in danger for eternity. That's even worse!)

“Do not let the sun gone down while you are still angry” does not mean “don’t go to bed angry.” It means we are to deal with sin quickly and without delay to prevent “giving the devil a foothold.” We are to make haste to take action! When we allow ourselves to hold on to anger, resentment, bitterness, we give satan power in our lives. It is so easy to allow those things to sprout and take root deep in our hearts and so hard to get rid of them.

Sometimes the person that committed the offense acts as if the reaction they received to the hurt they caused is worse than their offense. What we have to realize is that when we made the choice to rebel against God's way, part of the consequences of that sin is that person's reaction. We resent the reaction to our sin until we fully acknowledge our willful and deliberate choice to sin caused pain which triggered a response. Once we focus on our sin, their reaction shrinks in comparison. Then, we are able to find forgiveness for the reaction. Forgiveness requires humility.

Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin" Proverbs 20:9

When God clearly puts something on your heart to do, He doesn't want you to wait until circumstances are in your favor. Pride makes us think we know a better time than He does. He doesn't want you to hesitate while you build your confidence. Doubt makes us question. Your doubts, hesitations, and delay tactics are nothing more than sin. Once you know what God's will is, anything less than action is disobedience.

Merry Christmas 2016

We can barely see the tree this year!! Don't worry about Caleb. 

He hates having his picture taken.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!!

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29

If God hears Christian’s prayers, why aren’t they answered? (repost)

1John 5:14-15 "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us; and if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him."

If God hears Christian’s prayers, why aren’t they answered?

1.)   James 1:6-8 “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” We don’t believe.

2.)   James 4:3 "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”  Many times I have had to pray God would help me to get to the place where I could let go of my will (way). Not only does He helps me get on board with His will for my life, but He makes me happy with His will! We can also let someone else's desires (putting them before God), get in the way of God's will for our lives.

3.)   Isaiah 59:1-2 “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities (sins) have separated you from God; your sins have hidden his face from you so that He will not hear.”  We have to stop doing what is wrong and live the way God wants. Anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, selfishness, any habitual sin will all affect how God hears our prayers and how He works in our lives. I like a close fellowship with the Holy Spirit and find it a strong motivator to stay close to Him.

4.)   Proverbs 21:13 “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”  We have to live generously in a way that reflects His love. Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last=JOY!

5.)   John 15:7 “If you remain in me and my word remains in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you.”  We have to live according to His Word with truth, humbleness, love, generosity, forgiveness, kindness, peace, self-control, etc.

6.)   Ezekiel 14:3 “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?” We have idols (things more important than God and His will) in the way. We will not receive His blessing or fellowship unless we are willing to humble (letting go of "self" aka pride) ourselves and do as He leads.

James 3:17 “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield.”

Jeremiah 29:11 “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.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 “All of us are looking with unveiled faces at the glory of the Lord as if we were looking in a mirror. We are being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to the next degree of glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

God wants you to be more Christ-like, not more self-like. That means you have to let go of some things and become something/someone else. This can be both a painful and joyful process. It can be especially painful when we hold on to our pride (self) and resist Him. Pride, especially spiritual pride, is very dangerous:  I Timothy 3:6 "...he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil."

I Peter 5:5, Proverbs 30:32, Luke 14:7-11, Proverbs 11:2

Two more days!!

"Two more days and I'm eight! Two more days and I'm eight!! Two more days and I'm eight!!!" Hannah's very happy song this morning.

"Good! Mom started teaching me how to use the stove at eight. You can start making your own eggs in two days." Emily

The Truth is.... (repost)

I shared this thought on Facebook a few months ago.

The truth is..

...that the other person isn't affected very much by our unforgiveness. We can punish them with our silence or other ways, but we are limiting our fellowship with God. They may be seeing the difficulty in the relationship as an opportunity to grow stronger in faith while we are growing weaker. Their testimony will grow louder while ours stops speaking. They will be basking in His glory while we wallow in the filth of our rebellion against God's way of doing things. We will blame them for our misery, but our unforgiveness is self bondage. Choose this day whom you will serve.

Age of Entitlement (repost)

Proverbs 14:23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

It seems like working hard and enjoying your own earnings has fell away in our society. We live in an age where people feel they have a right to certain things without having earned them or rightfully been given to them.There are videos online telling others how to scheme to get the most out of welfare. The people who star in these videos are quite proud of themselves for their ability to manipulate the system. Even many middle aged and senior adults still have not learned to enjoy what is theirs without coveting what does not rightfully belong to them which is why this way of thinking is being multiplied in today's young minds. 

If you have not worked for it, you have not earned it. If God has not allowed you to possess it, it does not belong to you. If He wants you to have it, He will put it into your hand. Believing you are entitled to something that is not yours is coveting. Being angry because someone else received something you felt you were entitled to is a form of rebellion against God. Self control isn't just something you have over your actions. You have the ability to control the mindset you choose to have. Controlling our will to line up with God's brings us joy and thanksgiving. The other way brings anger, greed, resentment, and division which are not fitting qualities for children of the Lord.

"Have you bought into the world's lie that you deserve what you want, when you want it? Dear one, don't go down that path of destruction! Although there may be joy for the moment, pain and suffering will meet you at the end. "An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him" (Proverbs 17:11). Jesus loves you too much to let your pouting spoil things. Trust Him to meet every need you have, and you'll never get burned again by the world's empty promises. "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (1 John 2:16-17)." read the rest of the AOP Daily Devotional entitled Pouting Pains here.

the Ball Brothers - It's About the Cross (OFFICIAL video)

This is worth the time to listen. This is why my family and I celebrate Christmas.

Thank you!

We've left many but have never received one. Thank you to our unknown Secret Santa "Donna" who left a large tin of gifts and goodies at the end of our driveway. It really perked up our day!

Not in a hurricane or a flood or an earthquake:

My late grandfather, Rollis I. Bailey, worked in construction and could do just about anything you can imagine with wood. He gave both of his sons a trade and his natural skill has been inherited by my Caleb. Because my Pop was so proficient with building, he always noticed the quality of construction. One of my favorite memories of him was when we were burying a loved one. He looked around the mausoleum interior and quietly reflected on the poor workmanship in a low voice with great conviction, "I sure wouldn't want to be in here in a hurricane." I could not help myself; I laughed. I am still laughing over it nearly 10 years later. Every time I see shoddy construction, I hear those words in my head ...and sometimes repeat them.

Laziness = Disrespect

This came from a friend's college professor:

"When you become lazy you are disrespecting every person who has ever believed in you. You are disregarding ever single sacrifice your family and loved ones have made for you. Do not get lazy. Always strive to do the best you can at everything that you do, push towards your goals and aspirations. Aspire to be the best person you can possible be. If you do I promise you'll conquer your future and your dreams will become your reality."

What Does Unforgiveness Look Like (repost)

It is God-honoring when relationships are reconciled , and that doesn't just refer to marriages.  Shouldn't THAT be our main goal...to bring honor and glory to God? If you have reached out in an effort to reconcile, but the other party has neglected to reciprocate, God will still bless you for desiring to honor Him. God will deal with them, and their spiritual lives will be hampered because of their hardened heart.

At the end of the day, honoring God leads to good things. Anything else leads to confusion, emotional exhaustion, and a lack of good things. Lisa TerKeurst

Ephesians 4:26-32“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Unforgiveness is rebellion against God. It is the deliberate choice to refuse to give up one’s resentment and the right to seek retribution based on the attitude that someone has to pay for something they did to us or someone else. It is a prideful attitude that elevates self above the offender. The more pride we hold onto, the longer it takes us to forgive and work towards reconciliation. 

When we harbor unforgiveness in our hearts, it manifests itself in our thoughts, words, and actions. When we think about that person, we have negative feelings instead of feelings of compassion. We will speak ill of them or speak unkindly to them. We will either avoid them when we see them coming or look for an opportunity to unleash our fury on them. We may have an inappropriate response to a different person or situation that reminds us of the hurt we have gone through previously. Unforgiveness may also lead us to give ungodly counsel to others. Unforgiveness is ugly. See what else is lumped together with unforgiveness in 2 Timothy 3:2-5.

Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

God may keep bringing it up in our hearts to urge us to obey Him so we can be right with Him. However, we can ignore the Holy Spirit by hardening our hearts to the point He stops trying. Rebelling against His gentle, quiet voice can put us in the way of more consequences. He will still extend grace to the believer, but our spiritual walk will be hampered.

God tells us He will handle the situation for us. He knows how to speak to their heart and deal with their sin, and we do not want to interfere with God's work. Our acts of revenge, bitterness, and hostility only reap us more negativity.  

If Christ came to forgive us our sins and extend grace on all of the bad things we have done, then to example Him means we have to forgive others. Most of the things we hold in our hearts against others are meaningless when measured with an eternal view. (She stole your car, drove while drunk, crashed it, and put other's lives in danger for the few minutes she was driving. That's bad! Your anger and unforgiveness is putting spiritual lives in danger for eternity. That's even worse!)

“Do not let the sun gone down while you are still angry” does not mean “don’t go to bed angry.” It means we are to deal with sin quickly and without delay to prevent “giving the devil a foothold.” We are to make haste to take action! When we allow ourselves to hold on to anger, resentment, bitterness, we give satan power in our lives. It is so easy to allow those things to sprout and take root deep in our hearts and so hard to get rid of them.

Sometimes the person that committed the offense acts as if the reaction they received to the hurt they caused is worse than their offense. What we have to realize is that when we made the choice to rebel against God's way, part of the consequences of that sin is that person's reaction. We resent the reaction to our sin until we fully acknowledge our willful and deliberate choice to sin caused pain which triggered a response. Once we focus on our sin, their reaction shrinks in comparison. Then, we are able to find forgiveness for the reaction. Forgiveness requires humility.

Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin" Proverbs 20:9

When God clearly puts something on your heart to do, He doesn't want you to wait until circumstances are in your favor. Pride makes us think we know a better time than He does. He doesn't want you to hesitate while you build your confidence. Doubt makes us question. Your doubts, hesitations, and delay tactics are nothing more than sin. Once you know what God's will is, anything less than action is disobedience.

Kitchen Knife Sharpener Recommendations

I was asked what I recommended to sharpen kitchen knives.

I purchased and tossed out many knife sharpeners, wasting money, looking for one I liked. I learned about this one from a fabric shop. A clerk was sharpening her scissors on one. I asked her about it, and she told me it was great for scissors and knives. I found one like it on Amazon, and the rest is history. It also works to sharpen our game cutlery. I have three of them total. One is in my sewing kit for my scissors. The other two are in my knife drawer. I have two in that drawer because one was misplaced by a family member for a while. This little tool offers a lot of value for $10, and I highly recommend it. There are instructions with pictures on how to use it lower on the product page.

Please pray...

Route 58 Tractor Trailer Accident

I know this family from way back when I was a little girl. They are well loved and respected. One of their daughters has gone through some very tragic times recently. Please pray for their children and loved ones.

As a side note, I had friends spewing venom because their plans were interrupted by the traffic while I knew this mother of a friend was dead, her husband was struggling to live, and other friends were devastated by the news. It's a good thing to keep in mind that on the other side of the traffic problem, someone else is having a bad day or worse and needs our prayers. It is a time to guard our thoughts and words and not let frustration (pride) rule. It's an opportunity to minister to strangers through prayer.

Temporary Scripture Tattoos

I am putting this here to remind myself of them later.

"We set out to make a way to get scripture into your memory bank by allowing you to take advantage of all the micro moments in life. If you don't have a lot of time (like us), spending 25-30 minutes to memorize scripture isn't something most people can maintain. We wanted to create a way people to take all their wasted micro moments in life (standing in line, at a stop light, in a drive through, in an elevator, riding a bike and even taking a shower) and make them opportunities to memorize scripture.

Armed With Truth was born to give you a ultra convenient (yet dashingly fashionable) way memorize scripture for a few seconds a day --everyday. The temporary tattoos are made for your inner wrists and will last anywhere from 2-5 days and are ready at all times for you to be encouraged and empowered. Each pack contains 10 verses centered around a transformational theme -- from knowing your Identity in Christ to becoming a Change Maker. Over 100 verses in all to transform your mind and equip you with the Word of God."

https://www.armedwithtruth.com/

Health Risks of Unforgiveness (repost)

“Stress exacerbates pain, tightens muscles and interferes with the smooth running of the immune system – all things that have an effect on arthritis,” says Fred Luskin, PhD, director of the Forgiveness Project at Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. “People think they have this unlimited storage of anger, judgment and hostility that will never come home to roost, but it comes home immediately.” (source)

“When you don’t forgive, you release all the chemicals of the stress response,” Luskin says. “Each time you react, adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine enter the body. When it’s a chronic grudge, you could think about it 20 times a day, and those chemicals limit creativity; they limit problem solving. Cortisol and norepinephrine cause your brain to enter what we call ‘the no-thinking zone,’ and over time, they lead you to feel helpless and like a victim. When you forgive, you wipe all of that clean.” (source)

What are the benefits of forgiving someone? (source)

Letting go of grudges and bitterness can make way for compassion, kindness and peace. Forgiveness can lead to:

• Healthier relationships
• Greater spiritual and psychological well-being
• Less anxiety, stress and hostility
• Lower blood pressure
• Fewer symptoms of depression
• Lower risk of alcohol and substance abuse

There is a great deal written about the connection between unforgiveness and health. I encourage you to do your own search and learn more as a motivation to extend forgiveness. 

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1

A man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit. Proverbs 29:23