December 27, 2008
John 15:18
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
Greetings My Friend,
Well, the end of 2008 is near. For me the end of the year is a time of reflection. I think about the past year and I begin to hope for the next year. We had a Sunday School Teacher who taught us as we reflected to ask ourselves, “Is my walk closer to the Lord than it was at the start of the year.” I have taken on this reflection and have stopped trying to do New Year’s resolutions.
Prior to marrying Junior, I had never really read the Bible. I never really understood it and thought that it was way above my head. I had always believed there was a God, even that Jesus had lived. That was the extent of my faith journey. As I look back on my “old” life, I see there was extreme sadness and pain. I never could get out of the pain I felt. Counseling helped for a little while, but I never could overcome the immense pain.
Whenever I would ask Junior questions about life, about faith, he asked me, “What does the Bible say?” I got iterated and started reading the Bible. The first time I read it through, I was amazed that I could get through all the “begat’s.” I got through all the laws. Next I found that sometimes I started “hearing” God speak to me. It wasn’t in words but I knew God was talking to me. Sometimes the passage comforted me, like the 23rd Psalm. Sometimes I learned how to be a woman as in Proverbs 31 or in Titus 2.
Each year, I have found that my pain was not as intense as well. God began to teach me that He has been trying to comfort me for many years. I started to see that God’s hand had been on me many times. When my son was in high school, he was very troubled. I did not know how to reach him at times. At that point I started praying for him. I had learned a prayer, “Let go, let God.” Even though my faith was not very strong at that point, I did find God helping me cope.
In my new life, I have also found how to live in peace. On the other side of my struggles, I find joy at looking back. I am amazed that I got through it. I am grateful that God helped me and that I was able to see it through.
My prayer for the New Year is that your faith journey is with Jesus and that you grow in Him.
May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.
Love
Janet
Friday, December 26, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
December 20, 2008
December 20, 2008
Isaiah 9: 6-7
A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,” Prince of Peace.” His royal power will continue to grow; his kingdom will always be at peace.
Matthew 16:24-25
“If anyone wants to come with me, he must forget himself, carry his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his own life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Greetings My Friend,
Well, in a short few days, it will be Christmas! It has come once more. For Christians, it is a time of wonderment, of awe and we celebrate God in the flesh.
As the years have come and gone, I have begun to truly be excited about Christmas. Long gone are the days where I wanted everything to be perfect. Gone is the need for baked goods. Gone is the need for a Christmas tree. My whole being wants to rejoice in the gift we have been given – Jesus – our Savior – our Redeemer!
For the last many years, I’ve started remembering that Jesus was born as a baby. Wow! We all get excited about babies. They are precious. We have adopted a kitten, I know we didn’t need another cat, but we adopted her anyway. Babies are precious. They are curious. They find EVERYTHING interesting. I like to think about baby Jesus. He needed his diapers changed. He needed to be nursed. He needed to be potty trained at some point.
As I go along in my thoughts about Jesus’ being a baby, a child, a teenager… I eventually remember that he grew up. He was our Savior. He went to a cross…for us. That’s when I get real sober in my thinking process. If I am to celebrate his being born, then I need to remember…he grew up and then died for me. Okay, that is when I get sad.
For a while now, God has been pointing me to look at the cross. I usually fuss when I have to review what Jesus went through. At the cross… I find how ugly sin is. Looking at Jesus’ broken body points that out real quick. I hear God saying…”Go on,” a whole lot. So, I walk through the last hours of Jesus’ life. Often I want to cry I am so sad. At the cross, I learn how ugly sin is to God. I learn, even my little sins are a horror to God. Still I hear, “Go on.” So I move along the last hours. He is abandoned by his friends. He is beaten horribly. He is nailed to the cross. I can’t even imagine all that pain. Back then, they hung them up naked. Not only was Jesus hurting physically, he was humiliated as well. I hear God say, “Go on.” So I move along. There is Jesus again. He gives his mother to John. He ministers in his pain – he provides for his mother’s care. He asks God to forgive us. I marvel at this. The pain, oh the pain he felt. God tells me to move along again. I find myself slowing down and looking more now. Jesus says, “It is finished.” He then dies. The world is dark. I cry. God says, “go on.” There he is again, risen! My heart jumps for joy. Jesus paid my debt. He was in hell for three days and now he is risen. Hell, he paid my debt in hell… A horror I cannot even imagine. Now he is risen. My heart begins to pound faster. Wow! There is hope.
God gave me a prayer. “Lord Jesus, you are the light in my heart and the hope in my soul. Wow! I have hope. I am saved (as long as I believe in Jesus and I accept him and let him change me.) With that, I find that I can walk out the front door. I can face the day. So what if my friends leave me, my children don’t want much to do with me! Jesus loves me.
As we celebrate Christmas…let us remember Jesus. He is the reason for the season after all. Not only let us remember him, let us let him transform our lives. Now, that would be awesome!
May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.
Love
Janet
Isaiah 9: 6-7
A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,” Prince of Peace.” His royal power will continue to grow; his kingdom will always be at peace.
Matthew 16:24-25
“If anyone wants to come with me, he must forget himself, carry his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his own life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Greetings My Friend,
Well, in a short few days, it will be Christmas! It has come once more. For Christians, it is a time of wonderment, of awe and we celebrate God in the flesh.
As the years have come and gone, I have begun to truly be excited about Christmas. Long gone are the days where I wanted everything to be perfect. Gone is the need for baked goods. Gone is the need for a Christmas tree. My whole being wants to rejoice in the gift we have been given – Jesus – our Savior – our Redeemer!
For the last many years, I’ve started remembering that Jesus was born as a baby. Wow! We all get excited about babies. They are precious. We have adopted a kitten, I know we didn’t need another cat, but we adopted her anyway. Babies are precious. They are curious. They find EVERYTHING interesting. I like to think about baby Jesus. He needed his diapers changed. He needed to be nursed. He needed to be potty trained at some point.
As I go along in my thoughts about Jesus’ being a baby, a child, a teenager… I eventually remember that he grew up. He was our Savior. He went to a cross…for us. That’s when I get real sober in my thinking process. If I am to celebrate his being born, then I need to remember…he grew up and then died for me. Okay, that is when I get sad.
For a while now, God has been pointing me to look at the cross. I usually fuss when I have to review what Jesus went through. At the cross… I find how ugly sin is. Looking at Jesus’ broken body points that out real quick. I hear God saying…”Go on,” a whole lot. So, I walk through the last hours of Jesus’ life. Often I want to cry I am so sad. At the cross, I learn how ugly sin is to God. I learn, even my little sins are a horror to God. Still I hear, “Go on.” So I move along the last hours. He is abandoned by his friends. He is beaten horribly. He is nailed to the cross. I can’t even imagine all that pain. Back then, they hung them up naked. Not only was Jesus hurting physically, he was humiliated as well. I hear God say, “Go on.” So I move along. There is Jesus again. He gives his mother to John. He ministers in his pain – he provides for his mother’s care. He asks God to forgive us. I marvel at this. The pain, oh the pain he felt. God tells me to move along again. I find myself slowing down and looking more now. Jesus says, “It is finished.” He then dies. The world is dark. I cry. God says, “go on.” There he is again, risen! My heart jumps for joy. Jesus paid my debt. He was in hell for three days and now he is risen. Hell, he paid my debt in hell… A horror I cannot even imagine. Now he is risen. My heart begins to pound faster. Wow! There is hope.
God gave me a prayer. “Lord Jesus, you are the light in my heart and the hope in my soul. Wow! I have hope. I am saved (as long as I believe in Jesus and I accept him and let him change me.) With that, I find that I can walk out the front door. I can face the day. So what if my friends leave me, my children don’t want much to do with me! Jesus loves me.
As we celebrate Christmas…let us remember Jesus. He is the reason for the season after all. Not only let us remember him, let us let him transform our lives. Now, that would be awesome!
May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.
Love
Janet
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Jan 10, 2009
Greetings Friend,
Ephesians 4:30
And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee tha t the Day will come when God will set you free.
Greetings My Friend,
I remember the first time I read the above Scripture. I got stuck on "God's mark of ownership on you." I felt for the first time that I belonged. I have felt different for most of my life. I was an over active child. That irritated the people in my life a whole lot. I was different from my sister and brother. As I entered into high school, I noticed I was different as well. I think most teeangers feel different, I felt like I was always in two worlds - I was the "goody two shoes, " wanting to try to be bad. I was afraid to be bad.
When I met my first husband in high school, well, I was fasinated by him. He broke the rules. He smoked. He drank. He even did drugs. It was exhiliarating to watch him, to break rules I never had the nerve to break. He would cuss his mother out. He called her bad words to her face - an unheard of thing in my home. If I cussed one parent out, when they got done with me, the other one would start on me.
Our life together was always a storm. For a while it was exciting. As the children came along though, I found that I wanted to be the rule abiding parent. I wanted to be involved in their lives, to set a good example for them. I was much more comfortable in that role - a role I had as a child. I was the oldest child. I was to set the example and I was to live right. The fun of acting out became a night mare to me.
Our marriage was always a roller coaster. Anger ruled it. Eventually we were divorced. After the divorce I found myself seeking peace - an internal peace. I no longer thought I wanted to buck the system I started reading the Bible. I never thought I was able to read the Bible - I thought I wasn't bright enough. Anyway, I made my way through it and have read it through pretty much each year since then. As I read year after year, I found a quiet peace entering in my heart. One time, I read the above Scripture and for the first time, I felt like I was special, I belonged.
As a woman, I love being Junior's wife. I love belonging to him. I feel complete and whole being Junior's wife. He does not try to be a cruel man. He tries to love me for who I am. He seeks my best. The more he seeks my best, well, the more I want his best. I have finally come to believe that God loves me - something I struggled with for years. You see, I was afraid to let God love me. The men in my life have been mean, cruel and God is male and well you get my point. With Junior though, he is always watching out for me. In that I have found that God is watching out for me and that His rules are really for my good.
If you haven't met Jesus, I pray that you will. He is a wonderful comfort and a great friend.
May God Bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.
love
Janet
Ephesians 4:30
And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee tha t the Day will come when God will set you free.
Greetings My Friend,
I remember the first time I read the above Scripture. I got stuck on "God's mark of ownership on you." I felt for the first time that I belonged. I have felt different for most of my life. I was an over active child. That irritated the people in my life a whole lot. I was different from my sister and brother. As I entered into high school, I noticed I was different as well. I think most teeangers feel different, I felt like I was always in two worlds - I was the "goody two shoes, " wanting to try to be bad. I was afraid to be bad.
When I met my first husband in high school, well, I was fasinated by him. He broke the rules. He smoked. He drank. He even did drugs. It was exhiliarating to watch him, to break rules I never had the nerve to break. He would cuss his mother out. He called her bad words to her face - an unheard of thing in my home. If I cussed one parent out, when they got done with me, the other one would start on me.
Our life together was always a storm. For a while it was exciting. As the children came along though, I found that I wanted to be the rule abiding parent. I wanted to be involved in their lives, to set a good example for them. I was much more comfortable in that role - a role I had as a child. I was the oldest child. I was to set the example and I was to live right. The fun of acting out became a night mare to me.
Our marriage was always a roller coaster. Anger ruled it. Eventually we were divorced. After the divorce I found myself seeking peace - an internal peace. I no longer thought I wanted to buck the system I started reading the Bible. I never thought I was able to read the Bible - I thought I wasn't bright enough. Anyway, I made my way through it and have read it through pretty much each year since then. As I read year after year, I found a quiet peace entering in my heart. One time, I read the above Scripture and for the first time, I felt like I was special, I belonged.
As a woman, I love being Junior's wife. I love belonging to him. I feel complete and whole being Junior's wife. He does not try to be a cruel man. He tries to love me for who I am. He seeks my best. The more he seeks my best, well, the more I want his best. I have finally come to believe that God loves me - something I struggled with for years. You see, I was afraid to let God love me. The men in my life have been mean, cruel and God is male and well you get my point. With Junior though, he is always watching out for me. In that I have found that God is watching out for me and that His rules are really for my good.
If you haven't met Jesus, I pray that you will. He is a wonderful comfort and a great friend.
May God Bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.
love
Janet
December 13, 2008
Proverbs 13: 24
If you don’t punish your son, you don’t love him. If you do love him, you will correct him.
Proverbs 19: 18
Discipline your children while they are young enough to learn. If you don’t, you are helping them destroy themselves.
Proverbs 22: 6
Teach a child how he should live, and he will remember it all his life.
Greetings My Friend,
We have a garage cat named Gar. He is a neutered cat that has taken up residence in our garage. Sometimes we see another cat in the garage as well. Her name is Floozy. She has given birth to two sets of babies in our garage this past year. Junior and I have had great fun watching these babies go from little tiny kittens whose eyes are closed to playful kittens in a matter of weeks.
I have marveled watching Floozy with her babies. She nurtures them, she feeds them, teaches them to find their own food and then she leaves them. One day they are left to fend for themselves and Mom is done with them.
As I raised my children, I often kept in mind that one day they would be grown up. One day they would have to fend for themselves. I have always marveled at the animal world and it’s young. They train them, and then they let them go. My main desire was that my children would be able to function as adults.
One time I heard a story about an animal being born. It needed to break out of its shell. A person was watching the animal break out of the shell and tried to help it by breaking the shell for it. When the animal came out, it died. It needed to break the shell; the breaking of the shell helped it grow strong so it would be able to survive.
When we do too much for our children– we may not be helping them, but actually hurting them. They need to learn how to be grown up and to make a life outside the home. If we cater to them, we may be hindering their ability to fend for themselves.
It is often a balancing act of giving to our children and making them accountable for their actions. They need to have consequences for what they do. If they don’t, they will grow up expecting a handout all the time. One day you will be gone and then what? It is also hard on them if you are too rough. They will be afraid to make mistakes and then they won’t be able to function either. Thomas Edison tried a thousand times - he failed until the final time when he discovered the light bulb. Sometimes we help our children when we let them fail.
In Jesus’ day, parents taught their children how to be adults. Boys often learned in a group setting – hands on setting. Girls would help their mothers around the house. When we take time to teach our children how to cook, how to iron, how to take out the trash etc, we are preparing them for being an adult. Our children’s spouse may thank you as well, because one of them won’t be doing all the “work” around the house either.
.
It is easier to do things yourself. It gets done the way you like it. It looks the way you like it. Letting your child learn to do it, letting your child help really is preparing them for handling life on their own.
May I suggest that you let your child make their bed, clean their room, help with dinner, let them help change the oil in the car. You are giving them more than money could buy them. I would also suggest that you read the Bible…there are so many gems to be found in there on how to raise your child, how to be a spouse, a child of God.
May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.
Love
Janet.
Proverbs 13: 24
If you don’t punish your son, you don’t love him. If you do love him, you will correct him.
Proverbs 19: 18
Discipline your children while they are young enough to learn. If you don’t, you are helping them destroy themselves.
Proverbs 22: 6
Teach a child how he should live, and he will remember it all his life.
Greetings My Friend,
We have a garage cat named Gar. He is a neutered cat that has taken up residence in our garage. Sometimes we see another cat in the garage as well. Her name is Floozy. She has given birth to two sets of babies in our garage this past year. Junior and I have had great fun watching these babies go from little tiny kittens whose eyes are closed to playful kittens in a matter of weeks.
I have marveled watching Floozy with her babies. She nurtures them, she feeds them, teaches them to find their own food and then she leaves them. One day they are left to fend for themselves and Mom is done with them.
As I raised my children, I often kept in mind that one day they would be grown up. One day they would have to fend for themselves. I have always marveled at the animal world and it’s young. They train them, and then they let them go. My main desire was that my children would be able to function as adults.
One time I heard a story about an animal being born. It needed to break out of its shell. A person was watching the animal break out of the shell and tried to help it by breaking the shell for it. When the animal came out, it died. It needed to break the shell; the breaking of the shell helped it grow strong so it would be able to survive.
When we do too much for our children– we may not be helping them, but actually hurting them. They need to learn how to be grown up and to make a life outside the home. If we cater to them, we may be hindering their ability to fend for themselves.
It is often a balancing act of giving to our children and making them accountable for their actions. They need to have consequences for what they do. If they don’t, they will grow up expecting a handout all the time. One day you will be gone and then what? It is also hard on them if you are too rough. They will be afraid to make mistakes and then they won’t be able to function either. Thomas Edison tried a thousand times - he failed until the final time when he discovered the light bulb. Sometimes we help our children when we let them fail.
In Jesus’ day, parents taught their children how to be adults. Boys often learned in a group setting – hands on setting. Girls would help their mothers around the house. When we take time to teach our children how to cook, how to iron, how to take out the trash etc, we are preparing them for being an adult. Our children’s spouse may thank you as well, because one of them won’t be doing all the “work” around the house either.
.
It is easier to do things yourself. It gets done the way you like it. It looks the way you like it. Letting your child learn to do it, letting your child help really is preparing them for handling life on their own.
May I suggest that you let your child make their bed, clean their room, help with dinner, let them help change the oil in the car. You are giving them more than money could buy them. I would also suggest that you read the Bible…there are so many gems to be found in there on how to raise your child, how to be a spouse, a child of God.
May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.
Love
Janet.
Friday, December 5, 2008
December 6, 2008
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water. He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths, as he has promised. Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me. You prepare a banquet for me, where all my enemies can see me; you welcome me as an honored guest and fill my cup to the brim. I know that your goodness and love will be with me all my life; and your house will be my home as long as I live.
Greetings My Friend,
It is now the Christmas season. I remember being overwhelmed as I struggled to “do Christmas,” for my family. I wanted to have the smell of fresh baked breads and cookies to welcome them. I wanted to make this time of year to be very special. I was not very good at this. Our home was not a very “safe” home for them to grow up in. There were always fights – violent ones, loud fights.
As the years went by, I grew to hate the Christmas season. I dreaded the next fight. I dreaded the unhappiness that would invade our lives. I dreaded the children’s disappointment because there was one more unhappy memory in their lives.
As a young girl I learned the 23rd Psalm. I have always felt great comfort when I read it. It is usually read at funerals – but I find that as I face struggles this Psalm brings me peace and comfort.
My home at Christmas as a child was filled with anger as well. There was always a fight. Mom wanted to put the Christmas tree up on Christmas Eve after us kids went to bed. In my mother’s home at Christmas her mother was at home. Putting up the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve was not as hard. It could be worked into the life routine without a lot of stress. For Mom it was too hard for her. She worked all week then she would rush around to do the shopping – on a limited budget and then getting the tree up was the last straw for her. She spent most Christmas’ wore out and very cranky.
I am starting to believe that each generation may need to make new traditions. What worked in the past does not always work in the present.
Christmas is a wonderful time of year. We remember Jesus’ birth – God sent His son into the world. Through Jesus we are made right with God. I am awed to think that Jesus came as a baby, lived among us and ultimately died for us. Wow!
As we start the Christmas season, I would like to ask you to “slow down, bow down and in that I pray that you hear Jesus – not the world’s view of Christmas. I pray that you not worry about having a picture perfect Christmas – but a Christ perfect one. We do a lot more for our family, if we are kind and patient and loving. If the children help with the tree, don’t get upset because it isn’t like the ones at the mall. They will only help for a little while and then they will be grown up. If Christmas Day gets here and you didn’t get all the baking done – that’s okay! Sing, quietly, lovingly put up the tree and take it easy.
Remember Jesus this Christmas – not how many toys your children got, the big pile of presents or the family member who annoys you. Jesus came for each one of us. He is our comforter, our strength and I believe at times our sanity.
I just thought about Jesus. He was born to a teenage mother. He was born in a stable. He had poor parents and animals were there at his birth. Why do we need to have a Hallmark Christmas – He didn’t get born in one!
May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.
Love
Janet
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water. He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths, as he has promised. Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me. You prepare a banquet for me, where all my enemies can see me; you welcome me as an honored guest and fill my cup to the brim. I know that your goodness and love will be with me all my life; and your house will be my home as long as I live.
Greetings My Friend,
It is now the Christmas season. I remember being overwhelmed as I struggled to “do Christmas,” for my family. I wanted to have the smell of fresh baked breads and cookies to welcome them. I wanted to make this time of year to be very special. I was not very good at this. Our home was not a very “safe” home for them to grow up in. There were always fights – violent ones, loud fights.
As the years went by, I grew to hate the Christmas season. I dreaded the next fight. I dreaded the unhappiness that would invade our lives. I dreaded the children’s disappointment because there was one more unhappy memory in their lives.
As a young girl I learned the 23rd Psalm. I have always felt great comfort when I read it. It is usually read at funerals – but I find that as I face struggles this Psalm brings me peace and comfort.
My home at Christmas as a child was filled with anger as well. There was always a fight. Mom wanted to put the Christmas tree up on Christmas Eve after us kids went to bed. In my mother’s home at Christmas her mother was at home. Putting up the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve was not as hard. It could be worked into the life routine without a lot of stress. For Mom it was too hard for her. She worked all week then she would rush around to do the shopping – on a limited budget and then getting the tree up was the last straw for her. She spent most Christmas’ wore out and very cranky.
I am starting to believe that each generation may need to make new traditions. What worked in the past does not always work in the present.
Christmas is a wonderful time of year. We remember Jesus’ birth – God sent His son into the world. Through Jesus we are made right with God. I am awed to think that Jesus came as a baby, lived among us and ultimately died for us. Wow!
As we start the Christmas season, I would like to ask you to “slow down, bow down and in that I pray that you hear Jesus – not the world’s view of Christmas. I pray that you not worry about having a picture perfect Christmas – but a Christ perfect one. We do a lot more for our family, if we are kind and patient and loving. If the children help with the tree, don’t get upset because it isn’t like the ones at the mall. They will only help for a little while and then they will be grown up. If Christmas Day gets here and you didn’t get all the baking done – that’s okay! Sing, quietly, lovingly put up the tree and take it easy.
Remember Jesus this Christmas – not how many toys your children got, the big pile of presents or the family member who annoys you. Jesus came for each one of us. He is our comforter, our strength and I believe at times our sanity.
I just thought about Jesus. He was born to a teenage mother. He was born in a stable. He had poor parents and animals were there at his birth. Why do we need to have a Hallmark Christmas – He didn’t get born in one!
May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.
Love
Janet
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