Focus, Faith & Blessings

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."   Isaiah 40:31 


I try to stay focused on God.  Sometimes when things get so busy and problems keep coming, it is easy to lose focus... just when we need it most.  God promised to take care of us if we just have faith and let Him take control.  The promise is to take care of us... not make everything easy or perfect for us.  I heard something this weekend that shocked me... that just over 2-1/2%  of Christians tithe (give God back 10% of everything we make).   I figured it was a low percentage, but never dreamed it was that low.  Tithing is simply giving back to God what was His in the first place.  He provides the job for us, the source of our income... He is the source of our income.  When  you know you need all of that money to pay bills, it takes a lot of faith to tithe.  You have to have faith that God will keep His promise and provide for our needs.  We don't know where it will come from or how, but we know God can do anything!  When we are faithful, God is faithful to keep His promise and bless us. So, Have Faith!


Have a great week!  Blessings!


JaAnna

Resting in His Hands!

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:4-10

It is so comforting to know that we are in God's hands! No matter what our circumstances are, we can have peace knowing He is in control and will take care of us. We may not always get what we want, but He will provide what we need... sometimes right when we need it and not before. Sometimes I think He waits until the last minute to teach us to have faith in Him, that He will provide.

Have a blessed weekend!

Everyone is Welcome Here!

"My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." James 2:1-20

We had such a wonderful sermon at church this morning talking about not judging others in or out of church... not being hypocritical of the sins others commit... and accepting all of God's children as equal regardless of their finances, their job, their past or anything else. If we truly did this, anyone would feel welcome in church. And isn't that what we want... to bring new people into the church? That is what God wants...

Just something to think about!

Have a blessed day!

Oh Christmas Tree!

It's December 10th and I still don't have my tree. Everything else is decorated. Just waiting on a time when the whole family can get together and take the time to go pick out our tree. This seems to get harder every year. I have been looking at craft and diy design websites all day getting lots of great ideas. I just never seem to have time to do all that I would like. It appears that I need to slow down and slow everybody else around here down as well. It sounds like such a great idea, but when I start figuring what we can cut out... it just doesn't look like there is anything anybody is willing to cut from the list. This is hard. When I look at it, none of us do that much individually, but when you add it all together it is overwhelming! At least driver's ed will be over soon for Collin, but his soccer is just starting back up. We have a few months of cheerleading competitions coming up for Karsan. At least Cassie isn't too busy right now except for traveling all over the county with the rest of us!

The plan is to go get my Christmas tree tomorrow somewhere in between church, soccer practice and Christmas play practice. Maybe I will get it decorated by Dec. 23! Oh well. Until next time... relax and take a break!

Blessings!

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:13-14

Let Go... Give God control!

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." I Peter 5:6-11

Just let go! We've heard that before. It's easier said than done, right? It requires a ton of faith. Once you can let go, and turn everything over to God, it is the most amzing, freeing feeling. We have such a need to be in control of our lives. The reality of it is, we are not in control... even when we think we are. God is always in control. When we try to take control, we are fighting against Him. He knows what is best for us. Sometimes, things seem bad to us, like everything is going wrong, but God has a plan. We just have to release control to Him and let Him carry out His plan without our interference. We often make our own lives more difficult by interfering. So, as the saying goes...."Let go and Let God!"

Blessings!

Taking Time for God and Putting Things in Perspective!

It's been a while since I've posted. I really miss writing. It's such a shame when we let our lives get too busy to do the things we love. It's even worse when we don't take time for God. When I don't have my daily devotion, my day just doesn't go smoothly. Generally, I'm in a rush, so I'm short tempered and it is just down hill from there. I've never been a "morning person", so getting up early is a challenge for me. I have to make it a priority! It is amazing how much better my day is if I do get started early and have my devotion before anyone else gets up. My kids and my husband reap the benefits of it!

I suffer that syndrome of wanting to do it all. I work full time, have 3 kids who play sports, I enjoy making crafts and want to help everyone with everything. I just can't do it all. At least not and give the right amount of attention to it all. Sometime, I also have to find time for my husband, keep the house in some kind of order, and they all enjoy eating occasionally too. It's easy to feel overwhelmed! That is when I just stop, sit down with my Bible and a journal, read, write and listen! Whew! What relief! It is amazing what 10-15 minutes of quiet time with God can do for us. I can get things back in perspective and focus on my priorities. My goal this year is to simplify my life. That means getting rid of "stuff"... extra junk around the house that clutters up my life and extra things we do that clutters our lives. Go with me on this journey as I attempt to clean out my life! I'm sure there will be ups and downs along the way and plenty of obstacles in between. Let me know if you are in this same boat and we'll do it together! There is motivation in sharing the journey with someone else.

Have a blessed day! I'll see you on our journey!

JaAnna

Miracles, Faith & Blessings!

"In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth: At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song: And Mary said, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is His name.
Luke 1:26-49

I just love this passage of scripture. There are miracles, amazing faith, blessings! Can you imagine being in either of these two women's places and having this happen to you? Can you imagine being 15 years old as Mary was and handling this the way she did? It is the beginning of the most amazing event! I am really trying to focus on these miracles instead of the hustle and bustle of this season. It is a difficult task to transform what has been over commercialized and centers around what gifts we will receive into focusing on the greatest gift we have already received!

I hope everyone is enjoying December so far. Blessings!