Happy Thanksgiving!

There are Christmas trees shining through windows...already.
There are Christmas sales being advertised...already.
There are Christmas invitations being mailed...already.
There is Christmas music and Christmas Parades...already.

I get excited about Christmas! Really, I do! I enjoy all the things listed above and so much more.
I am ready to sing the songs of praise to the Newborn King.
I am ready to read the story of Jesus birth with my family.
I am ready to trim the tree and remember the One who hung on a tree for me.

But in the haste to get to Christmas let us not overlook a time of thanksgiving.
For the giving of thanks creates a spirit of JOY and the spirit of JOY is just what Christmas desires for our hearts!
Jesus and Joy.
Give thanks today for the One who came to give life, life abundant, life with JOY.
Have a thankful heart for the One who gave His Son that we could have life, life eternal, life full.
With thanksgiving lift a song of praise to God the Father who sent His son, Jesus.
May a heart of thanksgiving be what prepares your heart for the celebration of Christmas.

 

Happy Thanksgiving~ Jodie

Faithfully Thankful

Psalm 100:1-5

Shout for JOY to the Lord, all the earth.

worship the Lord with gladness

come before him with JOYFUL SONGS

KNOW that the Lord is GOOD

It is He who made us, and WE ARE HIS

we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with THANKSGIVING

and His courts with praise

give THANKS to Him and praise His name.

For the Lord is GOOD and His love endures FOREVER

His faithfulness continues through ALL generations.

Today, I am thankful. Today, I am certain.

Today, I am loved. Today, I am blessed.

Today, I AM HIS.

But the even better news?

I can be all these things tomorrow too.

Our God is the SAME yesterday, today and FOREVER.

Hebrews 13:8

Wishing you and yours a wonderful, faith-filled Thanksgiving!

~Donna

God Speaks~ Just listen!

God speaks.
Really.
Last night I spent time walking and running with a friend. Conversation always leads to the Lord with this friend; it's a great bonus to our time together! We spoke on a topic that is typically one of controversy. We threw around thoughts and scriptures in between trying to catch a breath while running up a hill.

God speaks.
Really.

This morning I opened my Bible and my devotion guide. BAM!  Right there in black and white are verses and thoughts being poured out on the very thing I was breathlessly discussing the night before. Coincidence? Not by my account. You see I often wondered why God did not speak to me the way I heard others say He spoke to them. The truth of the matter was I was not listening. It's a bad habit that I have. One I have worked diligently to work out so that I can reap the rewards of hearing what others, especially God, have to say.
You see the more I spend time in my bible the more I honestly see God speaking to me through His Word. And the really great thing is that the response is typically very timely! I believe it has always been God's perfect timing. I was just missing it while I was NOT LISTENING.
God also speaks to my spirit when I am in prayer, in thought and in conversation. Any doubt that I have as to whether that is God's voice and prompting is always confirmed from time in the Word. You see, the Word of God is truth. And therefore, anything that you feel is from the Lord will not be contradicted by the Bible. It will be affirmed. Confirmed. God's Word, the Bible, is the truth being spoken in love to all.
Are you listening today for God's voice and direction?

God speaks.
He speaks to our hearts through His Word.
He waits for us to listen.
Are you listening?
Open the Word today and hear what God has to say!
~Jodie

Just Right

Bringing back a past devotion because there are a lot of coffee loving  Jesus girls out there!

 

I never was a coffee kinda gal...

not until I discovered all the ways there were to have coffee! Now I look forward to a cup of coffee, especially on a cold, rainy day. It warms my insides and puts a smile on my face. It satisfies me completely.

When I found out that Starbucks was opening a store in Roanoke Rapids I laughed. I could not conceive a store known for $5 coffee drinks making it in my small hometown. Since Starbucks has opened I have often had to place a limit on the number of trips I make in a week to fill up on their yummy treats. They make my coffee just the way I like! I not only get to pick my size and flavor, I can pick all kinds of things. And at the end of the order when they hand me my cup, if it is not just the right flavor and temperature they will make it again.

A friend accompanied me one day on my coffee outing. And after I placed my order for a Grande White Chocolate mocha, skinny, no-whip, half café latte she said, “I am surprised you didn’t tell them what temperature to make it!” We had a good laugh. (AND I now know you actually can tell them what temperature you want it!) And guess what girls? I don’t know if God is up in heaven drinking lattes, but He does tell us what temperature He wants us to be. Or rather what temperature he doesn’t want us to be. Revelation 3:15-6:

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other! So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.”

God wants us to on fire for Him. He would rather us be cold toward Him than to be lukewarm.

It’s an all or nothing type of thing.

Love me completely,

serve me with passion,

and get excited about our relationship.

When we are lukewarm, undecided, just moving through the motions it is so unappetizing to Him that He wants to vomit us out!

A hot shower

A bowl of soup

A cup of cocoa

A warm bed

A cold glass of water

An icepop

A cold soda

We want things just the right temperature. God wants our relationship with Him to be just the right temperature. He wants passion in our worship, heartfelt praise in our prayer, excitement in our service, and joy in our witness. What’s your temperature gauge reading? Are you stone cold toward the Lord; on fire for Him; or lukewarm?

                                                            Be on Fire for Him! Jodie

Let’s take our temperature:

What are your feelings when you get ready for a Sunday service? Do you go because you are supposed to, because you always have or do you look forward to an opportunity to worship and praise your Savior? Do you go expecting to grow closer to Him?

What is your devotion time like? Do you read the Bible looking for the last verse you are “supposed” to read or do you find yourself drawn into the word, wanting more?  Is the Word living nourishment for your mind and soul?

Imagine the perfect cup of coffee that you would serve the Lord. How would you prepare it?

God Provides

I put off my run this morning. Not because I think that I don't need to run anymore (I have a 10 mile race coming up on Saturday) but, because I felt God calling me to my chair in the corner of the room. See this weekend was an emotional roller coaster for me. We spent time on Saturday with dear friends that we have not seen in almost a year which was wonderful; however,  on the way home I received an e-mail from Cailee's dance teacher that she would be closing her studio at the end of this dance year because she is expecting a baby. Joy and sorrow hit me at the same time. While I understand the desire to stay home with your children and raise your family (I, too, quit working so much to do the exact thing), I am also now on the other end of the spectrum. As I held my baby girl last night while she cried over losing not only her dance teacher but, the only dance studio she has ever known, I physically hurt on the inside and shed a few tears myself before going to bed.

I assured Cailee that we would pray about the situation, specifically that God would provide a new owner for Progressions, but deep inside I was struggling with whether or not it could happen. My mind was reeling with how I could fix the problem. How I could make it all better for my little girl. And then I saw this prayer posted by a friend on facebook:

"Dear Lord, I pray You will use every disappointment in my life for good. Show me how to use my struggles to make me better, and not allow my difficulties to make me bitter. I know I have a choice. Help me choose the right one."~ Girlfriends in God 


and God got my attention really quickly. And then this morning, in the quiet of my corner chair with music playing and the fireplace going, I opened my book "The Greatest Gift" by Ann Voscamp to December 7th: God Provides.

"When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Issac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven. "Abraham, Abraham!".......... Abraham looked up and there in the thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the lamb and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide."

Genesis 22:6-14 (paraphrase)

The literal translation of "to provide" means "to see". God always sees - and He will see to it. But Abraham also had to have faith and Issac had to trust that his dad knew what was best. Having faith and trusting that God will provide leads to peace. Peace is belief that exhales. Peace is believing that God's provision is everywhere. Peace is knowing that God will provide a way....even in the little struggles of life. Peace will provide grace for the gaps......when you don't know how they are to be filled. Peace provides more....it provides God. What better gift could God give us than Himself? Romans 8:32 gives us a glimpse of the lamb that God gave us -

"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"

So today, I am thankful that God provides, especially when I cannot. See I cannot fix Cailee's heartache, but I know the One who can. I cannot take away the disappointments that will come in the future, but I can teach her Who to turn to when they come. I can choose the right choice. I can choose joy and I can help others around me to do the same. "God gives God, and we only needs to slow long enough to unwrap the greatest Gift with our time: time in His word, time in His presence, time at His feet." I put off my run this morning.....and I am so glad that I did.

~Donna

I Remember

I remember.
I remember.....
As a little girl I would hug my daddy when he would return from weekend training.
I remember the smell of his uniform so vividly that years later when I was given a military issued sleeping bag on a camping trip I knew that smell was just like daddy.

I remember.

The day daddy came home and unpacked his things and gifted each of us with something special from his trip to Italy. I recall the stories of his long flight on a military plane without the comfort of cushioned seats and meal service.

I remember.

I remember the day my husband came home on a plane after basic training. The way he hugged me and kissed me as if it had been a lifetime ago that he left.
I remember when the phone rang and someone asked if my husband was OK and I stood standing wondering why they asked. A car wreck while traveling during his full time recruitment job with the National Guard.

I remember.

Thumbing through pictures and reading sweet love notes that my grandfather penned to my grandmother while serving during war time.

I remember.

The greatest smile ever seen on my husband's grandfathers face when he received his high-school diploma well into old age. A privilege he gave up to serve as a teenager.
I remember the mothers, wives, children and other loved ones who cling to the hope that their solider will return.

I remember.

I remember the sight of the first building hit on 9-11 and then seeing the second plane collide. With tears, I remember watching the people run from the buildings, ashes covering their shell-shocked faces.
I remember that I live in America and my freedom is at a high cost.
What do you remember?
As I remember, I give thanks. I give thanks to those I know and love, yes. But I also give thanks to every man and women who has served and is serving in our armed forces. No matter the branch, no matter the capacity. I say, thank you.

 

Blessings to all our Veterans~ Jodie 

The Stump

I have a stump in my yard. It has been there since we moved in almost 4 years ago. I have tripped over it and fallen backwards. Justin has tried to chop it up and dig it out but it is still there. Just a dead stump. But you know, that stump was once a tree, full of life and leaves, providing shade in the summer and beautiful foliage in the fall. But now it seemingly has no purpose.

 Isaiah 11 talks about a stump but it is a little different than the stump in my yard. Now, don't get confused -  it is still a stump, which means that at some point it was a flourishing tree but then it was cut down. Let's see what it says: Isaiah 11:1 -

A shoot will come... My mom has given those to me before. She usually finds them in her yard/wooded lot and will give it to me to plant in my yard. Most of the shoots I have been given are from a "fruit-bearing" tree. I plant them, and they grow into another tree. Serving its' purpose.

So, it says that a shoot will come from the stump of Jesse. So my first question was: Who is Jesse? And then my next question was: what happened that his "family tree" was cut down?  1. Jesse is the father of David (Ruth 4:22) who was chosen to be King by the Lord himself (1 Samuel 1: 1, 12-13) 2. In 586 B.C.,  Babylon was taken captive thus ending the "Davidic dynasty" leaving one to believe that this "family" was not longer to reign. A stump. But you see, God can make even something dead come alive if He so chooses.

A Branch shall grow out of his roots..... God laid that foundation when He created the world and all the people in it. He knew and He chose the line from which Jesus would come. He kept the roots nurtured and healthy so that when the world thought that nothing could come of it - out came Life!

Isaiah was telling us here about Jesus - The greatest gift ever given. Jesus began as a small babe in a manger and then grew to become a great teacher. All the while, He was and is the Messiah. But then, Jesus was cut down, He was beaten and ridiculed and then hung on a cross to die - for you and for me.

See, that Shoot grew a Branch and then that Branch became a mighty Tree. That Tree was then cut down again and hung on a cross and once again out of death came Life! Life for you and for me. But what's even better - The TREE is still ALIVE! When we are "cut down" -  because of things in this world, because of broken promises, because of mistakes - we can find life again. Life through Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 15:55

"One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten woodpile. she flinched as she was carried through an angry, jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man's hands to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel. But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God's love had changed everything.......and every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God"

~The Tale of Three Trees

Today, I find JOY in the stump!

~Donna

Clear the Clutter!

Clutter.
It's virtually everywhere.
In my garage, desk drawers, closets, atop my desk, in my purse, the backseat of my car...in my mind!
CLUTTER.
No matter what I try it seems a battle that I am losing. Just minutes ago I spent ten minutes cleaning the clutter out of my email box. Over one hundred emails and only three I was truly interested in reading. They were three important emails but amongst the clutter of the spam they were almost impossible to see. I had to move everything to the trash to get to the good stuff! I had to clear the SPAM from my inbox because it was crowding what I needed to view. Did you know that SPAM is short for "stupid pointless annoying message"? There was a lot of pointless to sift through to get to the point today!

While the clutter in all the nooks and crannies of my home and office do drive me up a wall it is the clutter that resides in my heart and mind that bothers me most. That clutter gets in the way most. It creates a blockage that prevents the flow of God's valuable wisdom from reaching the depths of my mind and soul. When my mind is filled with too much information, especially pointless information, I find it difficult to focus on the things of God. The things that keep me grounded. The things that draw me nearer to the cross.
Months ago I noticed that spending time on the computer was interfering with things that  strengthen my relationship with Christ.
My quiet time.
My prayer time.
My bible study time.
While what I do on the computer is not wrong it did tend to clutter my private time with God. I needed to purge something to make room for the purposeful things. Intentionally a decision was made to stay cyber-free on the weekends. Thus, you rarely find me in my email or on facebook on the weekend. Clearing that cyber-clutter left room for extra time to dwell in my Bible. That extra time in my Bible helped me to disperse the mind-clutter that needed to be moved out of my inbox and into my trash file! It's a small thing, but it helps.
As recent as this weekend God demonstrated how this one small change prepared me for His service. After spending time in the book of Daniel Saturday morning I was able to knowledgeably share God's word and wisdom later that Saturday afternoon when a diet book was spotted in the bookstore. The book used Daniel's name in the title and I was able to share Daniel's commitment to God. I was easily able to pull from the well-stocked, clutter-free Bible knowledge stored neatly in my mind. I was able to freely share God's word and love immediately.
Is there clutter in your mind? Is there something you can take away and replace with time in your Bible? We often take a little time to clear out the closets and the garage to ensure they function optimally. Are we doing the same with our heart and mind?
My mind clutter was coming from cyberspace.
Yours may be from TV.
Magazines.
Gossip.
Books.
Music.
Ask God today to search your heart and mind. He knows what is there, but awaits us to call on Him.

Allow God to clear the clutter and make a path that leads you to Him and allows you to share freely with others.
Clearing the clutter with you~ Jodie