Sabbath Praise

Just in case you needed reminding of how VERY much YOU are loved! :O)

Earthquakes..... Yes, Really

In the wee hours of this morning- while we were all asleep- an earthquake rattled our house and woke us up! This is the 3rd earthquake that we have felt. All have been under 4.0 magnitude -but for us Texas folks - earthquakes are scary things. The first one - hit back in June - it was another of those way early in the am and woke my son and I up from a good sleep. My son wondered if a car had hit our house. That a highly unlikely due to the fact that there is a good sized bar ditch in front of our house. Anyway we quickly realized that it was an earthquake. Just one of them happened during the day. It is a scary occurrence during the day as well. Trust me - this is not something that we are used to dealing with. And truthfully - would rather not deal with. We have enough other problems to deal with like....tornado's and such.

It wasn't but in the last 6 months that a tornado touched down with in a couple of miles of my home. And many more hit this area. That is no fun either.

Some people say that our earthquakes are due to a lot of drilling going on - but I say that they are just another sign of the times we live in. Jesus is coming....SOON! We need to be ready!

"For nation shall riseagainst nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall befamines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." Matthew 24:7

Identity in Christ

Just a little something floating around in Facebook land. It has some great reminders of the new identity that we can have in Christ! Enjoy! :O) 

Meanwhile....

Just a short post to check in and say Hi! I don't have much time to post this morning. I had to mow this morning and then ended up running out of gas and so it took up more time than I thought it would and I still have to get to work. So I wanted to leave you with a funny, but true photo going around Facebook right now:  

Oh so true... and what is sad it will be like this for at least about 2 more months. But there are things to keep us busy inside and we just work around the heat by doing outside things in the mornings while it is still somewhat pleasant. It is barely getting into the upper 70's at night as our lows but that is something to be thankful for because it won't be to much longer before 80's are as low as we go. 

Anyway I hope you all are finding ways to stay cool. Just remember - this too shall pass. :O) 

When We Find Ourselves Stuck

At SS this week - we noticed a little frog in a container on the teachers desk(our SS class is in one of the classrooms of the school at our church.) Anyway one of the ladies brought him over to the table that we were sitting around, so we could watch him as he swam around. 

He seemed to keep swimming towards the edges of the container as if he was asking himself how he got stuck. What wrong choice had he made to get himself in this predicament?. 

As I watched him, I realized that sometimes we find ourselves in this same situation- stuck. We find ourselves in difficult situations and wonder why we are there. And sometimes it is because of a choice we have made, but sometimes it has nothing to do with what we have done. 

    "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."  Job 23:10

"Be sober , be vigilant ; because your adversary the devil, as a roaringlion, walketh about , seekingwhom he may devour :" 1 Peter 5:8

But we do know that no matter what situation that we find ourselves in  - God is there and able to help us! Praise God!! 

Choose You THIS Day

    "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve ; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell : but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15

Choosing who we will follow is not a singular event, years ago- when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. It is a choice for us to make every day. Every morning we have the choice of who we want to serve. It is our choice. Freedom of choice is something that God offers. Even when we choose the wrong things - the hurtful things - He still allows us to have the freedom of choice. This makes me love Him even more. There is no force - just freedom to choose. May we choose Him who created us, who died on the cross for our sins so He could give us the gift of salvation. Who will you choose to serve today? 

Works Because of Faith

This is something that I found in my "Great Controversy" book that I have been reading. If you have ever wondered about the connection of works and faith - please keep reading. 


"Through long years of wearisome and comfortless striving-- years of rigorous self-denial, of reproach and humiliation-- Wesley had steadfastly adhered to his one purpose of seeking God. Now he had found Him; and he found that the grace which he had toiled to win by prayers and fasts, by almsdeeds and self-abnegation, was a gift, "without money and without price." 

Once established in the faith of Christ, his whole soul burned with the desire to spread everywhere a knowledge of the glorious gospel of God's free grace. "I look upon all the world as my parish," he said; "in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty, to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation."-- Ibid., page 74.

He continued his strict and self-denying life, not now as the ground, but the result of faith; not the root, but the fruit of holiness. The grace of God in Christ is the foundation of the Christian's hope, and that grace will be manifested in obedience. Wesley's life was devoted to the preaching of the great truths which he had received--justification through faith in the atoning blood of Christ, and the renewing power of the Holy Spirit upon the heart, bringing forth fruit in a life conformed to the example of Christ." GC 256 

What a great explanation of the relationship of faith and works.