WONDERFUL

I just HAD to add this link! How Great Thou Art is one of my favorite hymns and I think Carrie Underwood knocked out of the ballpark! I hope that you enjoy the song as I have.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLMzr3PFgk

*You might have to cut and paste the link, or just cruise on over to www.youtube.com and search "Carrie Underwood how great thou art and click on the first video, it is 5:12 (in length) and very worth the time! Sorry, I'm having trouble linking straight to the video*

May God bless all that hear this song, and may He use it to increase His kingdom!

-JLP-

Shameful Sin

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life though Jesus Christ, our LORD. (Romans 6:23)


One of the downfalls of being human is that we sin. We all do it. No one is immune to this disease we call sin. Sin has many names, and more faces than we can count, but at the crux it is all sin. It is all misbehavior, bad choices, doing wrong. It is yuck.

We don't all struggle with the same sins (though many sins affect a multitude of people). The top 3 struggles I have, may not necessarily be your top 3 or even your top 100.

Many people deal cavalierly with sin, they figure- we all do it, it is no big deal. But it IS a big deal. Sin is what keeps us out of Heaven, it is what separates us from God. Sin causes pain, hurt, confusion, fear, misunderstanding, etc. Sin is humanity at its worst.

Christ had to come, live a perfect life, sacrifice himself on the cross and resurrect, all so that there would be a bridge for sinful humanity to cross, so that we could enter Heaven. All because we humans screw up, daily.

God loves us, and wants to help us overcome this problem we have with sin. God hates sin, but He dearly loves each sinner. No matter what your sin problems, be they sexual (reading or viewing pornographic materials, adultery, homosexuality, lust, etc), spiritual (idolatry, or not giving God the time, honor, and position He deserves, making something else (anything else) more important in your life), action sins (gluttony, dishonesty, greed, worry, pride, etc) or something else, God loves you and God will forgive you EVERY time you confess your sins (with a repentant heart).

This does not mean that you can go live it up, and go to confession on Saturday and be forgiven. Oh no! God doesn't work like that. He isn't a vending machine where you can punch 135 for lust forgiveness. God forgives the repentant heart.

This means that you have to sincerely be sorry that you sinned, sincerely ready to quit it, to work with God to not repeat the same sin. Repentance means a turning away. Satan and his minions will do their best to get you back into it, and when you do falter you confess, and God will forgive again. But true forgiveness comes to true repentant hearts, to believers that REALLY want to do better, not just people that are muttering words.

Salvation comes to those that believe Jesus is the Christ, the savior of humanity. If you believe that (truly believe it) you are written in His book), after salvation the Christian life is worked out, lived out, and seen through men, women and children that are so thankful for their salvation that they yearn to live God's way. To follow His rules, to share His love, and seek His forgiveness.

Sin is shameful, but it is ALL forgivable through Christ. Confess and move on, grow, learn, and become the person that God sees you as, the prince or princess of His kingdom!!!

-JLP-

HE IS RISEN!!!

The pain, the sacrifice and the sorrow of Friday is over, the silence and the waiting of Saturday has past. Now it is Sunday. It is Resurrection Day, Easter! The tomb is empty, for He is risen! Satan and death have once and for all be defeated, and the penalty for sin has been paid.

He is risen! Hosanna and hallelujah! It is time to rejoice, to celebrate the victory of our Lord. The outcome was never in doubt, God knew that He would win, but Jesus still had to go through the process. He did His part, now it is up to us to do our part.

Our part is to accept His gift, to cling to Him, to believe in Him, to give our lives to Him. We need to Him come into our lives. He is a loving God. He doesn't want anyone to go to Hell. This weekend shows that, shows the lengths to which God goes for each of us. Yet, we choose whether or not to accept His gift, or to send ourselves to Hell.

Be one of the smart ones. Chose to accept His gift, and have your name written in His book. It is the truth, so believe it! You will not regret it. Hosanna, He is risen! God is among us. God is here, not in a tomb, but here in the world, very much alive! GOD IS RISEN!!!

-JLP-

Somber, Silent Saturday

Huddled in an upper room, confused, dejected, embarrassed, the 11 remaining disciples hid out, wondering what had just happened. Their leader, the man they believed to be God, to be Messiah, to be the Savior, had just been horribly crucified and was left dead, in a tomb.

The disciples didn't really know where to go from there. Did they stay in hiding, for fear that the powers that be decide to come after them as well? Did they stay together and try to piece together what Christ said? Or, should they disband and go home?

Saturday was a somber day. They felt discouraged, in their rabbi, and in themselves for so easily being swayed to abandon Him when times got rough. It was a quiet day, made for reflections and hushed conversations. It was a day that they just had to get through.

For Jesus, it was a day of waiting. He knew the outcome, He had just made it through the hard part. Jesus, the Spirit and the Father were just waiting for when Christ would appear again to the world. Christ had died, but the sacrifice, the road to humanity's salvation would not be complete till Christ came out of the tomb, alive. That would be the great defeat of death, of Satan.

Satan was rejoicing in Hell. Satan had Saturday to believe that he had won, that God was defeated. He hooped and hollered, He did his victory dance! God wasn't all that powerful after all! It only took Satan working in the hearts of the Jewish leaders, greasing a few palms, and chopping down some timbers to fashion a cross. Evil had its day.

Somber Saturday, the players were in their spots, emotions were high for all parties, and the countdown to Sunday morning was on. Sunday would be a day that would literally change the world forever. It would be the most important day in all time. It would be the day the prophets foretold, the day that Christ told his disciples to prepare for. Somber Saturday, would lead to Easter Sunday!

-JLP-

God Will Get Your Attention

1:34 am and I am awake because earlier this evening I was in the bath tub taking a bubbly bath and having myself a pity party. Nothing like a good pity party to wake you up. As I got out, get dressed for bed and gave my husband a hug I began to hear God's voice.

There are times when we are down, when we are sad because it is a time for mourning. There are other times when we have pity parties that are worthless, pity parties that we shouldn't have. I was having one of those.

We have to go back a little bit more to 9:00 tonight. I had my 90 day performance eval. at work tonight, and lo and behold I am doing well. Most people would be excited. Yes, it is nice to know that my hard work and good attitude are noticed by my superiors. But, Satan and his minions were nudging me. The un-godly thoughts were invading my mind.

I came home tired and quite achy, so I got into the bath tub and turned on some praise music. Sometimes, not even praise music is enough to drown out the evil minions, and my own dark thoughts. I didn't do what I should have. I should have recognized what was happening and stopped to pray and seek the Spirit's help to turn my mood and thoughts around.

I was thinking "Oh joy! I can scan groceries! Woo Hoo! (full of sarcasm) Any yahoo can do that!" and "Has my life REALLY come to this? I have a Master's degree and here I am spending hours a day scanning groceries and making a smidge above minimum wage. I deserve better!"

I was feeling sorry for myself. Not godly. Any honest job is a good job to have (especially in this economy), and there is a reason that I am where I am. Finally, I stopped feeling sorry for myself long enough to hear God say "Child, be quiet for a minute."

I listened as His still small voice reminded me of the truths that I know, but was ignoring. I HAVE a job, it is very important that I do my best at said job. It is a good job because it helps people. I work with some great people. He puts a plethora of people in my path each day to pray for. No honest job is below or above me. I am here for a reason, doing this for a reason, and He has a plan.

When I look at things from HIS perspective, it is hard to have a pity party. I confessed my sin, and began to let the truth of the lyrics of the songs begin to permeate to my soul.

The truth about God that I learned tonight. God will get your attention. God will speak to you, to me, to each of us in the way that we need Him to. God wants to help us learn, grow and mature. It is sometimes embarrassing to have to confess my sins and say, "God, I did THIS again, and once again I'm so sorry. I know I should be over this struggle by now, be well, guess I messed up, AGAIN."

God is beside us, guiding us, loving us, correcting us, and patiently waiting for us to tune into His voice, to give Him our attention. I could have saved myself half an hour of pain if I had obeyed in the first place and not given into the lies that were causing my pity party. Yet, God was there to speak to me, and to help me turn back to His light.

Praise the Lord that God goes to whatever lengths we need, so that we turn and give Him our attention!

-JLP-

God has no Bounds

Hosanna! Glory! The King is Coming! Hallelujah! Jesus! Hosanna! Jesus entered Jerusalem on [what became] Palm Sunday to the crowds praising him, worshiping him, and declaring His identity to the world! I bet the angels were thinking "finally, the people recognize Christ for who He is!" Heaven must have been a party that day.

Yet, what followed brought silence to the halls of Heaven. The angels probably sat and cried. They had to hate seeing King Jesus suffer so. Jesus rode in to Jerusalem in a wave of glory, but it was a prelude to more suffering than the world had ever, or has ever seen. Heaven must have been silent.

As the time drew near for Christ to be crucified the angels were holding themselves back from the urge to go to Jesus and whisk Him away. Finally the time approached. The angels did what they could, but the Father spoke.

"Dear servants, this is what has to be done. Jesus volunteered, He will do it. This must be done, for you see those people? They are my creation. I love them. I want them to know, what you already know. I want them to see that I love them, and that I will do anything for them."

God has no bounds. He went all the way to the cross, tomb and even Hell to prove His love. But love isn't the only way that God is boundless. God's grace and mercy are boundless, as is His forgiveness. No matter how many times, or how big the sin, He will forgive if we repent. God's presence is boundless, He is everywhere at all times. God's knowledge is boundless.

It is comforting to know that I serve, that I am a child of such an amazing and boundless God. Have you met God? Have you come face to face with God's boundless-ness???

-JLP-

God is willing to do whaterver it takes

Weather is an amazing thing. Weather causes plants to grow (or not), it dictates what we can (or should) do, and it affects our moods. Weather can affect our moods differently. Some people love the moodiness of a cloudy day. I don't. No matter how hard I try, cloudy days just seem gloomy to me. I guess I'm a bit like Eeyore.

Today is different for me. Today I have been pondering Christ and His sacrifice. I've been thinking about all that He endured for each of us. Christ was mocked, He was turned into a laughing stock. Christ was abandoned by His friends and family members, Christ was condemned for crimes He didn't commit. Christ was scourged.

Christ didn't just endure a beating, a whipping. The scouring the Romans practiced has been documented to kill. Many people died from the scourging, yet that wasn't the plan for Jesus. He had more to endure than just a deadly beating.

After the beating Christ had to carry His own cross (and it wasn't light, it was a huge timber) through the streets of Jerusalem, His beloved city, as people lined the streets to mock Him, spit at Him, degrade Him.

Then, when He finally made it up the hill, He was nailed (through his wrists, not the palms--the palms wouldn't be strong enough to hold Him to the cross) hands and feet to the cross. The cross was pulled upright and then sunk into the ground. Christ had ALL His bones out of joint. He was hot, He was thirsty, His body was in more pain than any of us could imagine.

All this, and one of the first things He prays is, "Father, forgive them." That is the part that causes me to weep. To think of all that Jesus was going through (and He was about the age my husband is now) and knowing that more important to Him than His pain, was ME (and you). WOW! Sends chills throughout my body.

The humanity in Christ prayed for His Father to find another way. This prayer shows us that it is ok to be confused, to cry out for help, for relief. But, like Christ, if God says, "this my child is your path. It isn't easy, but I'll be there for you, and in the end, will be glory." we need to embrace and endure.

Christ's suffering was only beginning. For you see, none of what I've described is the worst of what He experienced. Christ was ABANDONED, FORSAKEN by God, totally left alone. God can't abide sin, and Christ was covered in the sin of all humanity. That is why, as His time one the cross was winding down, Christ SHOUTED, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"

Christ was forsaken, so we would never be alone. Christ took on our sin, so we could enjoy His glory. Christ paid our penalty, so we could inherit His birthright. It was after Christ endured being abandoned by God, that He gave up. Christ couldn't live without God.

It wasn't nails that kept Christ on the cross, it was His love, His determination to show humanity just how much we each mean to our Creator. Christ endured it all, so we wouldn't have to.

Yes, we go through hardships, yes life can be really hard and the valleys will seem dark, but Christ paved the way. Nothing we experience will ever come close to what Christ experienced. Christ wants to be our guide. Christ wants to say, "Child, I've been there. I know pain, I took it on that Friday, to buy your way to Heaven. Now let me take it from you again, to make your load easier. If I could endure Friday, I can endure today. The Father and the Spirit will also help."

As amazing as the events of Friday are, and as horrifying, the best part, the part that makes me shout HOSANNA! Friday was not the end. Friday was only the beginning. What seemed like a period was only just a comma.

Sunday came, and the tomb that Jesus was buried in, the tomb that was shut and guarded, was opened and Jesus rose. Jesus died, but Jesus came back, the victor over death, no longer the suffering servant. Jesus came back as the conquering Savior. Not even death could defeat Jesus! Oh boy! Hallelujah!!!

Out of the grave Jesus came, and Jesus invites each of us to partake in life everlasting, in peace, in joy, in Him. The weekend began like today, gloomy, moody and with a sense of defeat, but the weekend ended in victory, in sunshine, and in beauty.

God is willing to do whatever it takes to work in our hearts, to draw up to Him. God went to the cross, God rested in the grave, and God left and is the conquering, victorious Savior. Yet, it is up to each of us to say, "Yes Lord I believer. Write my name in Your book. I want to claim my title as Your child. I'm on Your side." We have to say and believe those words.

Christ did the hard part, we just have to say thanks! So, on this gloomy day I'm going to do just that. As I ponder all the Christ did, and all the Christ continues to do for me, I am going to enjoy this cloudy, gloomy day.

HOSANNA!!

Marriage, day 100 Something!

There is nothing quite as exquisite as the love between a husband and a wife. It is the special bond that people are yearning for. It is the second most intimate relationship in the world (our relationship with God should be more intimate). Our spouses see us at our best, at our worst, and in between, and somehow the love grows.

Yet, marriage is not without its ups and downs. Marriage is the molding of two lives. There are bound to be misunderstandings, quarrels and hurt feelings. He will get upset with her, and she will be annoyed by him. It is just natural.

My husband and I don't quarrel very often, but we don't always see eye to eye either. I am neat, clean and organized. He is...well, not. I am trying to learn just how to put up with his untidy ways, and he is trying to learn how to deal with not being able to find his shoes because they are not in the middle of the living room where he left them (they were in the shoe closet in the entryway, but why would he want to look there!?!).

As a newlywed I am learning that marriage is about picking our battles. Do I get frustrated over his untidy ways? Yes, but instead of blowing it out of proportion, I just do my thing, clean up, and move on. Does he get frustrated over not being able to find his things because I put them where they belong? You bet he does! Yet, in the end he still loves me and still kisses me good-bye. Because it isn't worth arguing over.

God is teaching me patience, He is teaching me to be more flexible. God is teaching me that marriage is not easy, but it is interesting. It is a crazy ride. It really is one of the toughest jobs, but I love it. It is exhausting being the wife and taking care of the household. But, it helps knowing I have a partner in D, and when I am weary, Jesus invites me to come rest in Him.

-JP-

God is our Guide

A watched phone doesn't ring is just as true as the idea that a watched pot doesn't boil. For the past few days I've been anxiously awaiting my phone to ring and hear that I've secured the job I interviewed for.

Well, my phone did ring, but the person on the other end had to tell me that due to an oversight, and due to the type of degree I have, I actually am not qualified for the job, according to our government. So, I am not about to embark upon the beginning of my counseling career.

Once again I am left to wonder why God shut another door that seemed to be wide open. Why is God letting me walk into the candy store, but not take home any treats? What is His purpose in all of this? He has given me all these dreams, passions and skills and I am trying to pursue them. Trying to use them for His glory, and to increase His kingdom, yet it seems that the doors are slamming right as I get to them.

It is hard to remain upbeat to continue to tap into the joy when I am left wondering where to go from here? The only option I have to take a time out, to dig into the Word, for the Bible is the lamp for my path. I pray, for talking to God is how I tell Him that I need some direction, and then I listen for His direction. I know that in time it will come.

Yes, it is hard to deal with disappointment, and it is ok to be sad and confused. What matters is how we handle it. Do we wallow in the confusion, in the pain, or do we get up and seek God's advice, God's leading to take our next step? Part of this Christian life is learning how to deal with setbacks. They can help us grow, mature and gain wisdom. Setbacks can give us sympathy for others.

I don't know where God wants me to go from here. I don't know why He closed the door on a job I REALLY wanted, one that I thought I'd be great at, but I do know that God has a plan, and God will show me the steps He wants me take. I do know that I am His child, that He has good things in store for me. I have hope.

Life goes on and new doors will open, I just have to keep my lamp before me, stay in communication with my Guide and be ready to listen when He speaks and jump at the next opportunity. I can be disappointed, but I won't wallow in discouragement.

-JLP-

God is Change-less

Today has been an achy, curl up in my blanket and just try to get through the day sort of a day. I work tonight from 5:30-11:00pm and that time is quickly approaching.

As I sit on my chaise I can't help but think about about where my life is. 9 years ago I couldn't imagine crawling out of the ashes. I felt like I was drowning in the evil. I was sure that God had stolen my child and abandoned me. I was a better reflection of Edvard Munch's " The Scream"

than I was of a Kinkade painting.

Yet, here I am. Yes I am incredibly achy. Yes, I am tired of this schedule we have where I basically only see my husband late night as we are getting ready for bed. I know though that this is just momentary.

As I look over the last 9 years I see that time marches on and circumstances change. I turn on the news and that fact is shoved in my face. No matter where we are in this life, no matter what circumstances we encounter today, or what may happen tomorrow we can rest assured that while change is inevitable, God won't change. God is the only constant, the only thing that never changes.

While God doesn't change, He does change us, if we let Him. God will help us grow, and will give us what we need for the day. If we need love, God will give us love. If we need comfort, God will give us comfort. If we need a swift kick in the pants, God can do that too.

God is so amazing. His constant-ness is one of the things that most amazes me. It is comforting to know that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I can't wait to get to Heaven and be in His presence. To spend eternity with Him. When circumstances have me down I just remember, "when I get to Heaven this will all be over!" When circumstances are good I just remember, "when I get to Heaven there will be even more joy!"

But for now I rest in the fact that while my circumstances change all the time, God doesn't. God is always the same, and He is always right beside me to give me just what I need for today. He is here with my daily bread.

God is Personal

Facebook, Twitter, Skype, E-mail, Cell phones, Texting, and quick transportation from point A to point B. Seems like the 21st century should be a century where people are surrounded by friends. We may be surrounded, and we may have 100's even thousands of "friends" and "followers" online, but that doesn't mean that we are not alone. In fact, we live in a more dis-personal (not sure that word is in the dictionary!) world.

It is easy to hide behind the exposure, to present onside online, yet, when we log off, when our phones are silent, and our beds just house us, we realize how alone we actually feel.

Modern technology fakes us into thinking we have all this contact, yet it is all through technology. We don't have to work to talk to each other, so we don't make the effort to see each other, to touch and be in the same room. Physical contact is huge, and we have stolen that from ourselves. We may be more exposed, be we are less connected in the ways that matter. We are no longer intimate with people.

One of the things that really strikes me about God is that He is personal. God is the supreme ruler of the whole universe. God created and reigns over EVERYTHING. God is holy. God is just. God is righteous. God is all knowing. God is all powerful. God is everything good and beautiful. And God is interested in YOU and ME!!

The God that runs the universe not only says that it is ok to come to Him with all our thoughts, He practically begs us to! God wants to have constant contact! God wants to be involved in all aspects. God not only wants short updates, but he wants the full fledged contact that modern technology fails to bring. God wants to be allowed to probe into us. God wants us to probe into His nature.

The God of the universe. The God that saved your soul, the God that delivered the men from the deadly furnace, the God that dwells within the heart of Billy Graham, wants to have a very intimate relationship with each of us! God is personal, and He wants to get personal with you!

Will you let Him?

-JLP-

God is The Cleanser

It is about 350am and I find myself unable to sleep. So, I logged onto to Facebook, checked the news, and then perused a friend's blog. This friend is 3 years my senior, and a girl whom I've known my whole life. She and my sis are best friends. My friend is a widow and the mother of their young son.

I was catching up on the last few blog entries that I hadn't read, and one thing stood out to me. It was in a blog talking about how Christ called the Pharisees "white washed tombs", and I realized that I needed to do some praying.

A white washed tomb is something that appears to be clean and fresh. It looks good from afar, and even from close inspection it looks good. It isn't until you get inside, to the heart that you smell the stink of decay.

Many of the sins I struggle with are not ones that you will see when you look at me from afar. My sin struggles are mostly internal. While the general public may not see them, and I can even hide them from friends, God and I both know they are there. It is important that I realize there is decay and stink caused by my sin. I need to acknowledge it, confess it, and get it the heck out of my life. Sin should not allowed to stay.

It humbles me and excites me to know that God is the cleanser. If I confess and truly repent (strive to not give into the sin again) God will forgive me. He will take away the decay, and I can transform from being a tomb to being a sanctuary. Sanctuaries are places of worship, a place where God is welcome, they are His home. Sanctuaries represent life. Tombs house the dead. We can all be cleansed and be places where God is at home. Now longer do we have to remain tombs. God wants to cleanse us. God wants to turn us into sanctuaries, places that start out gleaming, and through maintenance are cleaned regularly.

Have you been cleansed? Do you make sure you are staying clean?

-JLP-

God Cares

It amazes me sometimes just how the Lord works. His timing is not our timing. Darby and I have been praying that he would shoot a 300 in bowling. He went through a rather lengthy drought. Last night, God answered that prayer and Darby was able to see rain again. His 36th perfect game. I am so happy for him. It shows that God does care about the little things in our lives. God does care about our hobbies. God wants to give us smile times. Unfortunately I was not able to be with Darby for this exciting time. I had to work. I do wish I had been there, but I can still celebrate with him.



It reminds me of how privilaged I am. I have MANY friends that are military spouses, and they are seperated from their spouse a lot. In some military marriages the spouses spend more time apart than they do together. These couples (and families) make numerous sacrifices in order to serve America. As much as I love the military, and I love our military families, and I want to serve them in every way I can, I know that I am probably not strong enough to be a military spouse. Or maybe it is that I am just selfish. I like having my husband home. I already hate my work schedule because I am home while D is working, and then I go to work about the time he gets home.



Yet, I know that my husband is safe (well as safe as an accident prone person can be on a construction site). Military spouses don't always have that. I think maybe that is part of the reason why I want to serve our military families, why I focus on counseling military families. I am so thankful for what they do, for the sacrifices they make, to do their part to help keep America safe.



Just when I was feeling sorry for myself, that I couldn't be there for Darby's big moment, God reminded me of how blessed I am. I have my husband here, I can hug and kiss him. God really is the giver of little things. God is the master at reminding us of just how blessed we all are. Thank you Lord, for being the God that cares about everything.