My Thoughts - My Journey

It’s never too late to turn to God….and the reason is because He still loves us, no matter who we are or what we’ve done. And because He still loves us, He wants to welcome us home….and He will, if we’ll only repent of our sins and turn to Him for the forgiveness and new life we need. The Bible says, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).  God stands ready to receive us, even at the last moment; however, if we delay, our hearts can grow harder and more resistant toward God, until we no longer hear His voice calling us. The Bible warns, “A man (or woman) who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed — without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1). It is we who might turn from God. In Galatians 5:4, we read, “ For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace. ” It is not God who removes His grace from u

Depression and Anxiety “But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” Psalm 3:3 Depression and anxiety are two different disorders; however, one can cause the other or can cause the disorder to heighten in intensity. There are no verses that will point to quick and/or easy solutions to either of these disorders. Philippians 4:6-7 reads, "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Sounds so simple and easy, but those words are difficult to live up to. It takes a deep faith and a re-telling to ourselves daily of this Scripture. Hopefully, in time, a releasing of what causes the anxiety will come and it will be followed by peace. For some.....it truly is a day-by-day walk and burden that continues to plague.

Love Is the Greatest - 1 Corinthians 13 "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I  didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! N

God promises believers "I will be a Father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to Me." (2 Corinthians 5:18) And because of the "great love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God." (1 John 3:1) Romans 8:15 reads, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father’."  Abba, Father denotes a very personal, intimate rel ationship with our Holy Creator….He is our Daddy, our Papa. It is through the work of Christ that God invites us to call Him "Abba, Father." It is through Christ that grace and peace have resulted and we have become God's children.  Some may not feel comfortable or might even feel that calling God by such names as Daddy or Papa as belittling or that they show a lack of respect. For me, they express my deep, abiding love and devotion for Him; however, His love for me

HAPPY PENTECOST! The Christian Pentecost refers to the occasion of the descent of the Holy Spirit as described in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1–31. According to Luke 22, the Descent of the Holy Spirit took place while the Apostles were celebrating the Jewish day of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks….a prominent feast in the calendar of ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law to Moses at Sinai. Subsequently, the term Pentecost can refer to the Pentecost of the New Testament  and Shavuot of the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost - Acts 2:1-4 "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them." Amen! †

It is shameful that we have people in America who are hungry. There are over 9 1/2 million families that will go to bed tonight not knowing how they will feed their families tomorrow. How can there be so many hungry people in a country that has so much? They feel embarrassed, ashamed, and are often treated as outcast. We should never make needing help shameful! The shame and embarrassment should be on those who are not doing their part to make this situation better.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 25:35-40 that if we take care of the needs of those who are hungry, thirsty, those in need of shelter, those who need clothing etc.… It will be is if we have done it for Him. Don't just pray for them, don't just feel sorry for them….Make a difference for them. We are, after all, His hands and His feet on this Earth. Amen!  ✝️

“Church”….what is it? The word is used to describe an institutionalized setting, a building where religious groups meet, etc. However, we, the church, are a special people, His people…disciples, followers of the Christ. He is the firm foundation upon which all of our faith, hope, and trust relies. His Truth does not shift with the moving of time. There is so much being taught today….and has always been….that just cannot be found in t he Bible. In Act 17:11 we are told that the Berean Jews were more noble. Why? Because they studied the Scriptures to see if what Paul was teaching was actually Truth. If the great apostle Paul was being double-checked….how much more are we to check those teaching from pulpits and classrooms today?  Often, the more noted the speaker, the greater the following…..comes assumptions that they are speaking Truth. Sometimes we just allow small infractions to slide…..so what if 95 percent of the lesson was Truth, but the last 5 percent wasn’t? Is it ok to contin