Diesel's Home!!

Earlier this week I received a forwarded e-mail from a neighbor that read as follows - We are calling out for your help.  Our dog, Diesel, got out today around 1:00 p.m. and we have not been able to find him.  He is a yellow/orange Labrador retriever and has a red collar (his tags may have fallen off at some point today). He was last seen at the blue park in Deer Creek on Morgan Drive and Prairie. He is up to date on all his vaccinations.  Please call us if you have any information about Diesel we are offering a REWARD to whoever finds/has him. Please pass this e-mail along to anyone you can. PLEASE PLEASE HELP OUR FAMILY FIND DIESEL!!! Thank you so much for your help.  Then the next day this update on Diesel.
Diesel has been seen yesterday and just this morning at 7:50 a.m. at the blue park in Deer Creek at Morgan Drive and Prairie.  He has been running the cornfields and prairie behind the houses along Morgan Drive/Sud Circle and Prairie that travel along to Arbor up to Route #.  He has been seen as far as Route # and Mink and back to Club.  Please pass this update along to anyone you can.Please keep an eye out for him and call me if you see him.Thanks again for your help. 
Later that night when I was at the Walgreens I saw a mini-van with "DIESEL IS HOME!" written on the windows. A big smile came to my face. 
You think that family loved their dog? They would have done just about anything to get him home. 
God is like that with us. He calls us and waits for us to come home. He searches us out. Do we listen? Some of us do - some of us don't. Some of us hear but ignore. But He doesn't give up. Think about it, if you're a Christian how many times did He have to search you out before you came home? Or maybe you ran away for awhile - how long were you gone before you came back? Maybe you are not a Christian, how many times have you felt that there's got to be more - you've felt a "knocking" but just don't want to answer? God wants you home! 
It is God's will that none should perish (that means be apart from Him in Eternity) (2 Peter 3:9.) But He gives us free will on whether or not we will choose the Salvation he offers. That Salvation is found in His son, Jesus Christ. (John 3:16) It's our gift from Him. (Romans 6:23) It's free! The amazing thing is that He paid the REWARD for us before we ever came home! While we were still sinners Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8) When we "come home" or in other words surrender our lives to Jesus, there's a party in heaven! God writes your name in "the book of life" and rejoices!
Because once you were lost but now you're found! 
Because

(YOUR NAME) IS HOME!

overcomer

Today I saw great strength.
The kind of strength that only comes when the Lord is Lord of your life. 
The kind of strength that isn't human.
The kind of strength I pray I will never need but will be there if I ever do. 
Today I saw someone look directly into the devil's eyes and tell him to go to hell. 
Today I saw an overcomer!

Revelation 3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

roller coaster of Love

My sister-in-law Kristie loves roller coasters. It's almost as if she lives for the thrill. Me on the other hand, let's just say I'm okay with the kiddie coaster. I've never asked Kristie why she loves them so much or why she likes the thrill of them but since my first blogs have been relating my faith journey to a roller coaster this is my analogy. I may be aging myself here but do you remember the song "Roller Coaster of Love" by the Ohio Players? The only words to the song were "Roller coaster of love, woo hoo hoo hoo. Roller coaster of love. Woo hoo hoo hoo. Your love is like a roller coaster I wanna ride". That's it over and over and over. Well, I can tell you that once I got a taste of the love of my Savior it was like I started singing - "Your love is like a roller coaster Jesus, I wanna ride!". One second in His Presence and I knew I'd never get enough! Since I've given my heart to Jesus and have started reading and meditating on His word, I know that I now have access to that Presence through the blood of Jesus Christ. (Hebrew 10:19) Even when I don't feel His Presence, His word tells me otherwise. That's a lot of my problem, feeling! Feeling like I'm condemned when God's word says that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Did you know that when you confess your sins God is faithful and just to forgive and purify you from all unrighteousness? (1 John  1:9) It also says that He removes our sins from us as far as the east is to the west. (Psalm 103:12). So there is no reason for guilt. Jesus Christ died on the cross. He shed His blood. He took my sin, your sin upon His sinless body so that you and I wouldn't have to pay a penalty. Then on the 3rd day God raised Him from the dead. There is an empty grave. He defeated death. He brought me and you back into right standing with God. When you make Jesus the Lord of your life you are made righteous, not because of what you did but because of what He did. The Bible, God's word, is like His owner's manual. It teaches us how to live. This book is alive. There are a lot of excuses on not wanting to believe what's in the Bible. I probably used most of them. I know that this Holy book is true because it has transformed my life. I have seen it transform the lives of many. Before I was saved I didn't want to believe it to be true because I didn't feel like changing - until I was at my lowest point - then Love showed up. Oh, Love was always there, I just wasn't feeling it!

You want me to give up what?

Do you ever feel that you might never be happy? 

Do you feel that if you could just get that one thing, person, whatever - you’d finally be happy? Well, that’s how I used to feel. Searching back as far as I can remember there was always something I needed and then I’d be happy. First it was my own car. Then if I just had a husband. Then if I could just get pregnant. Then when that didn’t happen - if I could just be single.Then when I was single, oh, I don’t even want to go there. For those of you that don’t know me I married my 1st husband, divorced him, got pregnant with his child and remarried him only to get divorced again.Talk about a roller coaster ride! This is when I truly gave up my way of finding happiness. My way wasn’t working. So, I raised my hands up and said, “Okay Lord, I give up! I know my life is a mess and it’s because of all the stupid (sinful) things I’ve done. I’m gonna do it your way now! Please help me.” Without ever hearing the sinner’s prayer, in short that’s what I prayed. I had always been a church-goer. I had always thought I was a “believer” BUT I was so deceived. I had never given my heart to Him. You see, sitting in church doesn’t make you a Christian, just like sitting in a garage doesn’t make you a car (statemtent of Joyce Meyer's). This means that there is nothing we can do to get to heaven. Good works are not a requirement. No matter how good our works are they are like filthy rags before a Holy God. (Isaiah 64:6)  However, good works are evidence of our faith. (James 2:26) The Bible tells us we are to make Jesus the Lord of our life. (Romans 10:9) So that is when I went from Satan’s roller coaster and strapped onto the Jesus roller coaster (starts out bumpy but after a while it smooths out). Trust me when I tell you this, becoming a Christian was the best thing I ever did - it was also the hardest thing I ever did. What I was learning went against what the world accepts.  That any sex outside of marriage was wrong. Whoa! Wait a minute, Lord. You mean you want me to give up having sex until I’m married again (if of course that is your plan for my life)? “YES! TRUST ME.” Oh boy! A 40 year old “born again” virgin in the time when “Sex and the City” and “Desperate Housewives” are the top t.v. shows. My friends thought I was crazy and quite frankly, at first, so did I. Remembering that things hadn’t gone so well my way, I decided to obey. Have you ever told a 40 something of the opposite sex that you weren’t having sex until you got married? Then having them ask what defines sex (they are totally all like Bill Clinton). Most of them run away. The one I'm married to now did for a short time but fortunately wised up when he realized what a catch I was! :) Do you think it was easy? I can tell you that every part of my being was screaming and throwing a temper tantrum but I still obeyed. I can tell you this, when you do things God’s way and obey - He will bless you! (Read Deuteronomy 28). I have been blessed beyond what I ever could have imagined!  The moral of this story is that the Lord will never ask you to give up something without replacing it with something way better!! So, if you haven't hopped on the Jesus ride yet - what are you waiting for? What don't you want to give up? Please don't wait too long to hop on or you might stay on the Satan ride and never get off!

To take the ride or not? - that is the question

Have you ever searched your soul? I mean really searched your soul. Sometimes what we find isn't very pleasant. Sometimes it's downright shameful - at least it is if you have any conscience! Since I became a Christian 6 years ago, my real soul searching started. It has been one amazing, scary, thrilling, hard, exhilarating roller coaster ride! God has shown me things that needed reshaping, refining and even recycling. He has taken things away and even added some. (Lots actually).  He is making changes in me everyday. (2 Cor 3:18) But heck, if He would have shown me all that needed changing at once I don't think I would have wanted to take the ride. Now, I am so glad that I did!  Joyce Meyer, a fantastic bible teacher, often says, "I may not be where I need to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be"! I ditto that. This blog is my faith journey - my walk with Jesus shared with you to hopefully help you search your soul and maybe get a little closer to the One who died so you could go to heaven. Please know that He is the only way you can get there - Jesus said  "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". (John 14:6). So, after waiting in that long line, hop in your seat, put the bar across your lap and start the ride! If you're not quite ready, if it seems a little scary, it's okay, you can watch from a distance and hopefully decide to take the ride the next time!