A Living Hope, A Sure Salvation Because of Grace

It's almost Thanksgiving. And then its almost Christmas.  I sat reflecting over the last year and all the changes there have been . Not just in my life but in my families, Church family, friends, and coworkers lives. Some for the better and some for what seems to be the worst.  As I watch the world revolve in its ever changing pattern I am reminded just how much I have to be grateful for. And how little I say thank you for the small things.  I once said I wanted to find 10,000 things to be thankful for. So this post is a small start on that list.  I am thankful for Jesus God's Son. I am thankful for the family He gave me. I am thankful that I still have the blessing of both my parents on this earth with me. I am thankful that God gave me Godly parents. I am thankful for my Godly brother and the Godly woman he chose to share his life with. I am thankful for my five nieces and nephews. I am thankful for my grandparents and the legacy they lef...

Disclaimer: I have become a passionately emotional person where my family and friends are concerned. The following will most likely be all over the place, filled with passion, emotion and could also be heartbreaking to some. Read at your own risk of tears and possibly even conviction. Today makes over a month since I decided I needed some time away from all the social media , texting, fb etc. I have shared post on fb some , texted some, but mostly have enjoyed getting to know my family and friends smiling faces once again. Several conversations with friends over the weekend and through text have been heart wrenching and today's was no different. Coupled with a very long interesting day at work and as per usual short handed and overworked my emotional level is just shot. More than one friend feels like they are lacking direction and purpose. More than one friend is struggling with adult life growing pains (myself included). The past few weeks have become very precious memori...

"If you want to know the true level of your integrity, measure it at a time when things are not going well. What you are really like can only be measured when your life is falling apart." Dr Tony Evans What is the first thing I do when life falls apart? Do I run to the feet of Jesus and ask for His help? Do I open my Bible and search for His Words? No. None of those are the first things I do when I feel like my life is falling apart, but they should be. Instead they are second and third down my list. So when I read my fb memories today and saw the quote I shared from Dr Tony Evans at the beginning of this post I had to stop and think. Today my heart has broken over and over again for so many different reasons. Tonight my plan is to dive into the Word of God because Jesus is who I need. Jesus is who I need. I need to leave every thing at the feet of Jesus. I need to be in His Words learning all I can I need to fall more and more in Love ...

So for  those of you who stumble upon my ramblings here I feel I should let you know that I play the violin. I also share what I know about playing the violin with a few shining students. They sought to learn to play and they do an excellent job. One such student arrived at my church this morning,  as I had let them know that I was playing special music, to listen. I was very happy to see them(my students mother came as well). As I was texting with my student this afternoon I made the comment that I was nervous, but that God got me through. My students reply was "You get nervous?" to which I said yes. From my students perspective they probably have a hard time believing that I get nervous as I have played for 30 yrs (which is 99% of my lifetime) and to all my students I sound pretty phenomenal. All I can say to that is I have a God given talent and Perfect Practice Makes Perfect. So here is the reason behind my nerves. My mother played the piano for me and when I calle...