Wordless Wednesday

My precious grandson!

The deception of bitterness

In churches all over the world people become disgruntled with the church, pastor, or people in the congregation weekly. Choosing not to confront the issues they elect to leave the church. Unfortunately they usually don't leave quietly and even after they leave often times they continue to sow seeds of discontent because they are harboring a bitter and contrite spirit. Oh yes, they tell everyone that life is grand and they could not be happier but the discernment of God clearly reveals the opposite. Because they did not resolve the issue that caused them anger, bitterness will overpower their life. You can lie to yourself repeatedly but a bitter person does not attract friends or grow God's Kingdom.

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)

God commands each of us to get along with one another. The Bible also instructs us to go to the person who has offended us and discuss the offense. Anger turns to bitterness and bitterness grows like a cancer causing hearts to become very cold and callous. Bitterness is sin and if the devil has convinced you otherwise you have certainly been deceived. Sin always blocks our vision of God.

See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15 (NIV)

Bitterness is clearly described as a root. Most of the time you cannot see a root because it is buried deep within the ground. If the root of a tree is damaged the tree will perish. If we harbor bitterness in our hearts it will most definitely affect every area of our lives. When we bury bitterness and anger deep within our hearts we can never live in victory. We will never be happy. We will not experience peace and joy is totally out of the question. Our walk with Christ will be tainted. If things are not resolved with the person who hurt you, bitterness will contaminate everything about your life. Your personality, your attitude, and most importantly your walk with Christ. When bitterness shows up in our hearts it overshadows even our deepest Christian relationships. Bitterness brings with it jealousy, dissension, and immorality. When the Holy Spirit fills our lives, however, he leaves no room for bitterness.

Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you'll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God's generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God's blessing - but by then it was too late, tears or no tears. Hebrews 12:14-17 (The Message)

If we are sincere about chasing God and fulfilling His will for our lives, holiness and God's character must permeate our lives. There is no place in a Christian's life for bitterness. If you have elected to leave your church and have recently started to attend another church don't criticize and destroy the work of the former pastor and church. You are living in a very dangerous place if you are constantly gossiping. No sin will enter heaven. The Bible doesn't say some sin or a little sin will enter heaven. The Bible clearly states that sin separates us from God and no sin will enter heaven.

We are truly living in the last days and people who served the Lord all their lives are being deceived and have turned away from God. Seek God daily by reading your Bible and praying. Grow a close relationship with Christ. Walk so close to God that you will know without a shadow of a doubt that when that trumpet sounds you will be gone! Life is too short to carry bitterness and anger in your heart. Make things right today. No one is worth missing heaven. And besides that ....... God has a great plan for your life!

Blessings to you today!

Wordless Wednesday

The Community Blog Award

Denise at Shortysbearplace presented me with the Community Blogger Award this week. I am honored to even be considered for such an award. The Community Blogger Award celebrates people who reach out and makes the blogger community a better one. I would like to present this award to several deserving ladies today.

Lori at allyouhavetogive for her encouraging words to all who read her blog.

Sue at praiseandcoffee for an uplifting site reaching ladies in a remarkable way.

Sharon at Sit With Me Awhile always offers encouraging words to women.

Kim at Seasons of My Heart is another great lady who inspires women by her encouraging blog.

Kudos to each of you ladies! You are making a difference in women's lives.

Blessings to you!

Awesome day!

Yesterday was one of the most incredible days of our lives! This is Minister Appreciation Month and October 14 was the official day in the Assemblies of God to honor your pastors. Many churches choose to focus on that particular day but some choose another Sunday in October. Our church honored my hubby and I and our youth pastor and his wife yesterday. It was an awesome day!

Before I fill you in on all the details of the day let me say this. If your church is planning an event this month for your pastor please make sure that you don't forget about your pastoral wives. Even though many pastor's wives do not speak weekly and are in front of the church on a weekly basis they are still a vital part of the ministry team. Unless you are a pastor's wife you have no idea what this position entails. Loneliness, frustration, discouragement are all part of what encompasses the wife of a pastor. Many times a pastor's wife feels so isolated because there is no one to talk too when she is hurting or upset. Unfortunately she is not able to confide in another lady in the church. I don't mean to be callous and cold but obviously there is a certain amount of confidentiality and privacy that must be protected as a pastor's wife. Another pastor's wife would be an excellent confidant but many times we hesitate to travel that road for various reasons.

Pray for your pastor's wife and her family daily. A note of encouragement or an encouraging email to her is a great way to express your appreciation. Meeting her for a cup of coffee at Starbucks once a month or taking her to lunch occasionally would also be a great way to express your support. Did you ever notice how the pastor is always invited to lunch with different men in the church but rarely are the pastor's wives given the same invitation by other women? What's with that? I encourage you to pamper your pastor's wife once a month. There are many things she has to deal with that you will never know about. Her and her hubby carry the burdens of the church daily. They are expected to encourage and love others in the midst of crisis and turmoil. That love and appreciation also needs to be reciprocated to the pastor's families.

Now for more about our incredible day................ WOW! Bobby and I have co-pastored in ministry for twenty-seven years and this Pastor Appreciation Day topped them all. Kudos to every person who worked so diligently to make it all happen. I don't know what else could have possibly been done that would have made it any better.

We were given flowers as we arrived to the church. Immediately following praise and worship we were asked to sit on the front pew of the church along with our youth pastor and family. Our daughter and her family were seated behind us. One of the young men from our congregation dedicated a song to Pastor Bobby and our youth pastor. It was awesome! Following that special our daughter sang a beautiful song called "My Father's Day" to her dad. Oh my gosh! Bobby had to place his face in his hankie because he was bawling like a baby. After her special they presented a video from Brandon and Casey that had been recorded from their dorm apartment at Evangel University in Springfield, MO. They told us how much they wanted to be with us and wished us a wonderful day and then instructed us to go to the side door of the church because there was something waiting for us on the other side of the door.

When Bobby opened the door guess who was waiting on the other side? SURPRISE!!! Brandon and Casey along with Bobby's mom and sister from Maryland and our youth pastor's parents from North Carolina. My mom and step-dad were planning to come but had to change their plans at the last minute when my step-dad landed in the hospital with kidney stones. After the hugging and kissing they presented a video highlighting the lives of both pastors and their families. It was awesome. My hubby then proceeded to put Brandon on the spot and invites him to preach the morning service. After all ..... he is an evangelist and that is what they do..... hahaha! And the Bible tells us that as pastors we are to be prepared in season and out of season right??? Actually, Brandon it had been decided weeks ago that Brandon would speak but Bobby mentioned to a few people the past several weeks that God had given him this incredible message for Pastor Appreciation Day and no one wanted to mess with God's stuff. Anyway........Brandon did speak and he did an awesome job.

Following the service we were escorted to the fellowship hall where a fantastic meal had been prepared. During lunch there was an open microphone and many folks offered wonderful words of encouragement and thanks to the leadership team at the church. We were also presented with wonderful cards and gifts.

God is amazing and His people are incredible. We are so thankful for the wonderful church God has entrusted to us in this particular season of our ministry.

It was an awesome day!

Blessings!

You lift me up

Carolyn at Talk to Grams gave me this award and I am so honored and feel so undeserving. She is an incredible lady and encourages me weekly. I give God all the glory today for using this vessel to touch lives through this blog. I don't want anything I do to ever be about me. Serving Christ is not about us. It is all about HIM.

I would like to pass this award to a few other women who encourage others through their blogs. Check out their sites.

Laurel at Laurel Wreath Reflections is such an encouragement to women. God is truly using her to speak into the lives of women in blog world.

Kim at Seasons of My Heart is an incredible lady and writes such encouraging words through her blog. She is truly a blessing to me.

Sharon at Sit With Me Awhile is another great lady that God is using in a powerful way. She inspires me every week.

Sue at Praise and Coffee is a new site I have recently visited and what a great blogger. She will truly touch your heart. Her transparency is amazing.

Donetta at A Life Restored is also a new site I have recently become acquainted with. God is also using her to touch lives of women in an amazing way.

There are so many wonderful ladies in blog world that are truly doing an incredible job for Jesus Christ. Hats off to each of you today! Thank you for your obedience and commitment to the calling God has placed on your lives.

Blessings to each of you today!

Peaks or Valleys

"We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and is where we have to prove our mettle."
~Oswald Chambers~

Life is filled with peaks and valleys. A peak is defined as reaching your highest point, crest or maxed out. A peak is something incredible that occurs in your life, something fantastic, something to celebrate and remember. The day you get married - that is a peak. The birth of your child - that is a high point in your life. The day you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior - you were maxed out. During those moments, it's easy to be a Christian. "God is so awesome," you think to yourself. There's no doubt in your mind that God is blessing you.

But we all know that life isn't one continual peak after another. Actually there are times in your life when you probably think the peaks are scarce. There are many valleys. Those difficult moments. The troubles and sorrows of life. When you have been diagnosed with cancer - that is a huge valley. When a loved one dies - that's another huge valley. It is difficult to say, "God is good." Sometimes your faith is shaken. There's some doubt lurking there, when you're in a valley, that God is blessing you and those around you.

Peaks and valleys - so where are you right now? Are you on the mountain top today? Or are you in a valley? Maybe you're somewhere in between - maybe there's a peak or valley for you right around the corner, and you don't even know it. The disciples of Jesus Christ had no idea that they were about to enter a valley - they were about to go through a low-point with Christ. Things with Jesus seemed to be going so well - He had performed miracles - walking on the water, feeding the 5000. He had been surrounded by crowds of people, listening to His parables. It was easy to be a disciple of Jesus at that time. There was no doubt that this was the Son of God, the Savior of the world. The disciples were experiencing one high-point after another with Jesus.

But right around the corner loomed the valley of the shadow of death. The crowds would soon turn against Jesus. He'd be betrayed, and arrested, and tortured, and publicly condemned, and executed in the most shameful way known to man at that time. The valley was right around the corner. The disciples would be filled with fear and doubt that Jesus was the Son of God. Soon, it would be very difficult to be a disciple of Christ.

Jesus takes three disciples to a high mountain top. He lets them experience something amazing - with their own eyes, they catch a glimpse of His glory. Right before the valley, Jesus takes them to a mountain, to a high point, and He does this to strengthen them for the difficult road ahead. Then it was all over. Jesus told them not to tell anyone and they were to go back down the mountain. There was no time to stay there and worship as Peter wanted. There was no time to stay isolated from the cares of the world below. No, they had to go back down the mountain. Jesus did not want to stay on top of the mountain. He said no to the mountain top experience. He is saying that it was good while it lasted, but we must not stay.

We all love mountain top experiences, these are joyful, victorious times of our faith. These are the places we want to be spiritually, but our faith is a journey not a stopping place. We must take what we learn on the mountain top into the valley. A true God experience will change you. If you have had a mountain top experience with God then you should be closer to God than ever before. It is that mountain top experience that will carry you through the valleys in your life.

We had an awesome altar service Sunday evening and the presence of God was amazing! It truly was one of those mountain top experiences that you didn't want to depart from. I am thankful for those times because that experience takes me to a new level in my relationship with Christ. I know that I am better equipped to deal with the valley experiences after I have been refueled spiritually and have been in the presence of God on the mountain top.

I don't know if you are on the mountain top or in the valley today in your life. I do not know if you are experiencing a high moment or a low moment in your walk with the Lord. And I don't know where you will be two years from now - what high moments or low moments you will be going through. In reality, neither do you. God's Word is your mountain to climb. Each time you read your Bible or attend church and hear the Word of God, you have climbed the mountain. You see Christ, who has taken your sins away on the cross and has risen from the dead. You catch a glimpse of His glory, even if it's just for a moment. From these experiences you will be strengthened for the days ahead, for all the peaks and valleys that are around the corner.

Thanks to Laurel today for hosting "In Other Words". Visit her site for additional blogs on this subject.

Blessings to you today

Thank you for your encouragement

It is getting late and I am working on final details for praise and worship tomorrow morning but I wanted to take a few minutes to say thank-you to all the ladies in blog world who read my blog weekly. Your encouraging words are priceless. I know that God has given me this opportunity to minister to women through my blog at this particular season of my life. Even when good things are taking place in our lives the devil sometimes has a way of trying to convince us that we really have no clue what we are doing. It never fails. When I come to that place of discouragement in my own life I receive the sweetest and most encouraging words from some of you very dear ladies out there. It is amazing! Thank you so much for being obedient to the voice of God when He prompts you to write comments. I am so thankful that we have become friends and can encourage one another in the Lord each day.

I pray that you have an incredible Sunday.

Blessings to you!

Holiness 101

I am using the book The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges as a teaching series for my adult Sunday School class. This study is incredible! What is holiness and can a Christian truly demonstrate holiness in their life?

God despises sin and the Bible tells us that sin separates us from God. The scripture says, "So be holy in all you do" (1 Peter 1:15). So what part of that do we not understand? God commands each of us to be holy in ALL, which means EVERYTHING that we do. WOW! That scripture immediately calls each of us to a higher level in our walk with Christ.

God is holy. He sets the standards for morality. Unlike the Roman gods, He is not warlike, adulterous, or spiteful. Unlike the gods of the pagan cults popular in the first century, He is not bloodthirsty or promiscuous. He is a God of mercy and justice who cares personally for each of His followers. Our holy God expects us to imitate Him by having high moral standards for ourselves. Like Him, we should be both merciful and just, like Him, we should sacrifice ourselves for others.

Every Christian is to pursue holiness. Every Christian is called to live a holy life. Every Christian is to strive to stay away from sin. Holiness is not an option. As Christians there is no exception to this call. This call is not only to pastors, Sunday School teachers or board members. This call is to every Christian no matter what your age, gender, educational or economic level. Every Christian is called to be holy. Because God is holy, He can never excuse or overlook any sin we commit, however small it may be.

Sometimes we try to justify to God some action which our own conscience calls into question. But if we truly grasp the significance of God's perfect holiness, we will readily see we can never justify before Him even the slightest deviation from His perfect will. God does not accept the excuse, "Well, that's just the way I am," or even the more hopeful statement, "Well, I'm still growing in that area of my life." God's holiness does not make allowance for minor flaws or shortcomings in our personal character. "Make every effort..... to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14).


After people commit their lives to Christ, they still feel a pull back to their old ways. Peter tells us to be like our heavenly Father - holy in everything we do. Holiness means being totally devoted or dedicated to God, set aside for his special use, and set apart from sin and its influence. We're to be set apart and different, not blending in with the crowd, yet not being different just for the sake of being different. What makes us different are God's qualities in our lives. Our focus and priorities must be His. All this is in direct contrast to our old ways. We cannot become holy on our own, but God gives us His Holy Spirit to help us obey and to give us power to overcome sin. Don't use the excuse that you can't help slipping into sin. Call on God's power to free you from sin's grip.


Blessings to you today as you pursue holiness in all areas of your life. God is truly calling each of us to a higher level in our walk with Him.

Thankful Thursday

This has been an incredible week! The Ministers' Retreat was absolutely awesome and very successful. We were blessed with incredible and anointed speakers and the presence of God was overwhelming. God is so good!

Blessed are those who dwell in Your house and Your presence; they will be singing Your praises all the day long. Selah!

Psalm 84:4

I am thankful for the incredible response in attendance for the Chick-Chat breakfast fellowship at Ministers' Retreat for the pastor's wives and credentialed women in our district. It was wonderful and I am so excited about this new ministry venture. We had approximately 100 ladies at the event! Praise God!

I am thankful that God is always by our side when discouragement creeps into our lives in bold colors. He is always there to encourage us and offer peace when the storm seems overwhelming.

I am thankful for my incredible hubby and family. They are such a blessing to me.

The beauty of Rocky Gap Golf Resort and Lodge was absolutely breath-taking. I am so thankful for the ability to see all of God's creation.

I am thankful for the many women I have met in blog world. It is amazing and exciting what God continues to do through my blog.

I am thankful today for all the things God has allowed me to be involved in. My life is very full and I am loving it!

Visit Iris for more TT. Blessings to you today!

Wordless Wednesday

The lake at Rocky Gap as the fog lifted this morning. Breathtaking!

Visit here for more Wordless Wednesday photos.

In "Other" Words

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in HIS wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, by the light of His glory and grace."

~ Helen Lemmel ~

I have had little opportunity to blog since last week due to my hectic schedule. I am coordinating Ministers' Retreat for our District and won't return to Virginia until Wednesday evening. There are 500 pastors and spouses attending this retreat in the western Maryland mountains at Rocky Gap Golf Resort and Lodge. We had an incredible service last night. We were truly in a wonderful place and our eyes were upon Jesus! The presence of God was powerful.

We are introducing a new ministry to the pastor's wives of our District this morning. The wives and credentialed women have been invited to a Chick-Chat breakfast fellowship. I am so excited! We have been talking about this for a long time and finally have placed legs on our prayers. Our District Women's Ministries Director has asked me to coordinate this ministry and I am elated! Loneliness and isolation are just two things that lurk in many lives of pastor's wives. This ministry is being birthed to cultivate friendships and relationships, to create a safe place for our pastor's wives so we can be a strong support for one another.

God's plans are so awesome! We could never orchestrate things in our lives as He does. He is so amazing. Look full in His face today. The things of this world grow dim and unimportant when we focus on God and His plans for us. Those nagging pressures of life seem less significant when we allow God to work and speak through our lives. His glory and grace makes the troubles of this world seem small. Surrender your worries and cares to Him today. Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Check out other blogs In "Other" Words today with Lori. I have to run and meet our committee to prepare for our Chick-Chat. Have a blessed day

This amazing award was given to me by Shannon at Christian Moms Alliance and I am so honored. It is exciting to know that God is using my blog to touch the lives of other women.

I will pass this award to five ladies who encourage others each week. I love reading their blogs. Kim, Grams, Sharon, Angie and Denise. Bless you ladies!

Check out Management by God to learn more about this award.