Inspirations

As we look at the book of Acts, perhaps the first question we need to ask is why is Acts even in the Bible and why is it important to know the book of Acts? Why we can't be sure why Luke wrote the book of Acts what we do know is that he wrote the book of Acts to tell about what happened after Jesus went back to heaven.  Perhaps he wanted his friend to be sure that Jesus really existed and that the power that Jesus had when he was on earth was alive in his followers.  He wanted his friend to know that when Jesus went back to heaven, that was not the end; it was only the beginning and greater things were yet to come.  As we read Acts, we can be sure that God was still working in and through those who were committed to following him.  We will see God actively working to bring to himself those who will believe. We see that God can take a handful of people and turn the world upside down.  He didn't need an army.  He only needed a few willing obedient men an...

About two weeks ago I recreated our counter-top (I gave it a face lift) in a faux granite look.  I love it.  Over the weekend, I was given five baskets of tomatoes.  What a blessing!! So I made spaghetti sauce.  Do you know it’s very hard to make spaghetti sauce without making a mess? It is, trust me on this.  This morning as I was making coffee I decided to wipe off the counter-top.  It didn't look too dirty, so it wouldn't take too long, right?  Wrong!!! As I started cleaning, I noticed that the counter-top was filthy even though it didn't look dirty at all.  I was congratulating myself on choosing colors that would hide the dirt well, then suddenly I stopped and laughed at myself.  Did I really want the dirt to be hidden?  Of course not!! I want The counter-top to BE clean mot just appear to be clean.  I thought of when Jesus called the Pharisees whitewashed tombs.   What he was saying is that, although they lo...

I’d like to tell you about a lady I visited yesterday.   She is ninety-five years young.  She recently moved into nursing home.  She asked one of the workers how many times she would have to walk around the outside of the building in order to walk a mile.  She said the person told her about ten.   Then she leaned in really close and whispered, “I walked around twelve just to be sure I walked a mile.”  Hahahaha! What a lady!  She loves to keep active, even in a nursing home.  As we talked, I saw no anger or bitterness in her speech or actions. There was only a love for God, a heart of compassion, and a sense of humor. She has befriended the one "prickly pear" at the home because as she said, “I have to love her, so she knows Jesus loves her too.”  Wow!!! I need to live like that!  I want to show that much compassion for those around me that need Jesus.  She loved to talk about God and what he was teaching her. ...

Every once in a while, as I’m talking with a friend they will something like this, “I’ trying to make myself better”, or “I need to make myself better.”  When I hear this my heart breaks and I want to say, “STOP” (insert the zipper sound here) do you hear what you’re saying?   I want to remind them that, not one of us can “make ourselves better”.   It’s not possible, if it were possible, would we have needed a savior?  Ummmm no, (just in case you were not sure of the answer I was going for).  But we do need a savior because it’s impossible to make ourselves better.  Only one person can do that, you guessed it, God. I want to remind them that, we are all human and even as a Christian we are not free from sin. By that I mean we are not perfect.  We may fall into a mud pit, we just don’t have to stay there.   Praise God for that!!!  We can ask God to lift us out of the pit and set us on solid ground.  The aw...

Every day the situations we are put in define what we really believe.  Sometimes how I respond to the irritations that life throws at me, sometimes daily, is critical.   I work in food service.  I love it.  It puts me in a position to see a variety of different in a day. One thing I especially love is watching their reactions and responses to little things. I have seen people upset because there was .01 more than they asked for. I have seen little children holding out their hands for popcorn chicken as their parent walks by.  I have been yelled at and made to feel less than human because an order was missed.  I have also watched a nicely dressed lady show a ton of class when soda shot all over her.  She just laughed and declared, “Guess I need a shower now.”  She could have been angry and upset but instead she chose to laugh and “let it go, let it go” as the song says. Most of the time it serves a great reminder for me to watch my attitude...

I am giving one young man's response to the same article that I just discussed.  I believe what he has to say is right on target and it is a refreshing answer, So recently I saw this posted by a friend... I'd like to take a few things and just drop a huge bomb shell on them. Firstly; just because one little girl made her identity "sexually abstinent" doesn't mean that sexual immorality is an optio n Christians have. Secondly, it's not anyone's duty to make anyone else happy or, for that matter, sexually pleased. This girl was super legal, and now thinks that because no one worshiped her for it that somehow she's entitled to say it didn't work. Nobody promises a choir of angels or lights from heaven on your wedding night. 99.999% of anybody should know your wedding night will be as amazing as you are willing to make it.  In the end you cannot control anyone but yourself and as was explained all throughout high school by Mrs. H., you are responsi...

Recently, I read this article "I Waited Until My Wedding Night and I Wish I Hadn't."  As I read it, my heart broke.  This young lady obviously did not get the whole message as she was growing up about WHY sex is saved for marriage.  She has some misconceptions. First, she is putting all sex in the same bag and calling it all "sinful and dirty."  Nothing is farther from the truth.  While we are encouraged to "abstain from sexual immorality", I would like to add that applies to unfaithfulness in a marriage as well as promiscuity.  Sex in a marriage is beautiful and encouraged.  It was instituted before Adam and Eve sinned that means it was good not bad as this young lady believes. Secondly, she says she was taught she would "go to hell" if she had premarital sex.  There is absolutely no place in the scriptures that says "you are doomed and condemned if you have sex before you are married."  When Jesus talked with the woma...