Hannah Grace Black, March 31- April 3, 2003

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Considering this is suppose to be a blog to encourage and make people smile, I hope you won't allow these post to dampen your spirits.
These are pictures showing where our daughter,
Hannah Grace Black is buried. It will be 7 years ago April 3rd(Saturday), when she was delivered stillborn. It was 7 years ago today, I was almost
24 weeks pregnant with her and up to that point we had not had any reason to believe anything was wrong. Monday, March 30th, I noticed she was not as active as she had been. I waited until the next day and was still not really feeling any movement. I suspected something was not right
considering she had been kicking and very active just the day before. Tuesday, March 31st, I called my doctor. He had me to come for an ultra sound and it was confirmed. The heart of my baby girl would never beat again and her soul was in Heaven with Jesus(you can see what we had written at the top of her tombstone) She was due in July. To this day we still don't know why she died. All we believe is God had His reasons and He doesn't make mistakes.

One thing I have gained from this: I know for many who think they are not aborting a real live fully formed baby up to the third trimester, "I have news for you". Before a woman goes in for her first check up, usually as early as 6 weeks pregnant, the tiny heart is already beating(it began beating at 21 days from conception). Furthermore, at almost 6 months from conception, she "was" fully formed(they all are). I know because I chose to see her and hold her. She was not just a blob of tissue waiting to form into a baby. She was a perfectly formed tiny human being that I will see again when the Lord calls me home to Heaven.
I am not angry while posting this. I am just stating facts that I observed with the loss of our little one and thought someone might gain from my own personal insight.
Allow me to also add, if it is too late for someone to learn this because of a decision you've made, God does forgive if forgiving is necessary. All you must do is "seek" His forgiveness.
We chose to post these pictures because we are sharing our life through this blog and our daughter, even though she is in Heaven, is still apart of our life. We visit and place new flowers on her grave about twice a year. Today was one of those times. When we are talking with our other children, we will occasionally mention their sister, Hannah at different times for different reasons. She would have been our fifth born. We always speak of her in a light hearted pleasant attitude. We do not regret God allowing me to conceive and carry her only to lose her. God had His reasons and we trust Him.
We know He is the reason we have the peace over her loss. We will always love her and will never forget her.

Stephanie

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Gal. 5:1


As we enjoy the fun activities that come with
celebrating Easter, may we remember the how and why we have the freedom , right, and privilege to
celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ

Some Gave All So We May Live Free,

Jesus Gave All That We Might Live Eternally!

5 Days Until Easter Sunday! Are We Excited?

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

"And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
Blessed [be] the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. " Mark 11:9

I was not able to do a post for Palm Sunday or Monday like I wanted to so here it is today.
Palm Sunday marked the day Jesus made what was His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem before he was to be crucified the following
Friday, a k a Good Friday. When we read our scripture for this post, we read the word "Hosanna" which is what they were saying as they were laying palm branches down before Him as He entered Jerusalem.
This post may sound familiar to some. I am borrowing a few words from my pastor that appeared in our Sundays bulletin. I don't think He will mind.
"Hosanna" means "save we pray". This was what they were actually saying and of course through His crucifixion and resurrection, this was what He was about to do for those who believe on His name. As we are in this week before Easter, if there are any who read this that do not know the Lord as their Savior, we pray you will speak out ans say, "Hosanna", "Lord save me".

Country Kids

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

We had a beautiful day(one of many here
lately) Friday after the clouds moved away. The boys got out and played on our tire swing. I thought this made for a pretty picture. I only wish you could see
my Yellow Bell bush better. At least I got a nice shot with my flag blowing in the wind. I am proud and thankful for my flag.

Joe on the Job 3-27-10

After we went to the mall Saturday, I took this picture of Joseph in his produce room. As you can see, he is smiling in this shot. He was more pleased with this more than the last picture considering he was not about to stick a screw driver into the breaker box. I am still laughing at that one and he is still not laughing.

The Entertainment

Our favorite gospel band, "Eagles Wings"was also there Saturday. They were great as usual.

As mentioned before from left to right,
Darryle Wilson- pastor of our church, Central
Baptist located on Airport rd. in Jasper. He plays and sings bass.

Matthew Wilson-son of Darryle and Debbie Wilson and the youth minister of our church. He is
lead guitarist and singer. He also plays banjo and Dolbro.

Debbie Wilson-wife of bro. Darryle, mother of Matthew and sings alto.

Kevin Chambers- brother in law to the Wilsons and director of music in our church. He sings
tenor and plays guitar, banjo and mandolin.

The group is a ministry of our church.

The group had their kids with them and a few church members in the audience brought their kids. We were in a room where a business was no longer there. Together, the kids just sort of made the front right corner of the store into a temporary makeshift daycare. They are use to playing together at church so they felt right at home with each other here. Surprising as it may be, none of mine were their to join in the fun.

If anyone is interested, Eagles Wings will be singing at the Bull Pen Steak House in Oakman, Al.
this coming Saturday, April 3rd, at 6 p.m. You do not have to eat if you choose not to.

A Break From Country Life

Me and Josh went to our local mall Saturday for some attractions a local home and garden show would be bringing in. It was going on Friday and Saturday but we only made it Saturday. Friday was when James Spann and Eli Gold were making an appearance. Here is Josh posing with Freddie Milons, a former ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE wide receiver. Mr. Milons was a very nice and
respectful man. It was a pleasure to meet him.

Palm Sunday

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

"Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed [is] the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord".
John 12:13

It has been a busy busy week and we are overdue with a post. We have finally wrapped up our April devotions and they are their way to those who are to receive them.
As our title implies, today is Palm Sunday. A week from today is Easter Sunday, a k a Resurrection Sunday.
We pray if you are not already, your heart will be in a state of joyous and victorious celebration
as we begin this week that leads up to the day we as Christians celebrate our Savior claiming defeat over sin, death, and the grave. Because of this glorious event, we can inherit an eternal home in Heaven. PRAISE THE LORD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

I have taken these pictures to show you what our house looks like now. I mentioned in one of our first blogs that we live in a humble abode on our five acres. I wasn't joking. About two weeks ago our red banisters were white(you'll have to get your imagination wheels rolling on this) and for a certain purpose we decided to paint our porch
red. Wednesday, before all the rain hit, I was able to put a fresh new coat of white paint on my swing. As you can see in the picture of the whole house, we had a good bit of wind to come through before the rain and it was taking our flag for a ride.
After having to wait for so long, we are finally in the beginning stages of giving our home a much needed makeover. I can't give it away now, but
for a particular reason(no, we do not have another baby on the way), we are doing some painting, repairing, and preparing to make some much needed home improvements/upgrades. I am excited with what and why we are doing what we are doing. I am just praying that God will continue to guide us as we progress forward.
Have I mentioned I can be impatient when I am excited for something to happen?
As we continue to move forward with this project, we are having to wait for God to open some doors to see our plans completely through. It is something that should take months(although less
than a year)although and it would be okay with me if it could be complete in a month. Realty is, it ain't gonna happen. I plan to try and stay much in prayer with our situation. I assure you the simple fact that we are finally in the beginning stages of the needed repairs is itself an answer to many prayers. With out hesitation, Joseph and I know prayer works and it will be my only
way to survive each slow step of progress. The Lord has been faithful to answer many of our prayers in the past and we know He's not going to stop now.
I will be sure to keep you posted.
In Christ,
Stephanie

Five Barley Loaves and Two Small Fishes. What Are They Among So Many?

Tuesday, March 23, 2010


For the first time in a few years, I decided to start making my homemade yeast bread again. So Joseph and Joshua
thought we should take pictures of my first loaves. These were made about a week ago. My husband and boys loooove
it. Joseph he wanted to use it for a devotion. It is below.



"There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many"? John 6:9

Jesus took the five loaves and the two small and fed over five thousand people. What if the lad had said no, you can't have my loaves and fishes. Jesus would have probably have performed a great miracle and fed the five thousand. But because of the lads availability to us, Jesus performed a great miracle with what he had. God is not interested in our ability, but in our availability.
He can perform great miracles using us if we will make ourselves available to Him to be used!
Pray and read Gods Holy Bible so we can through His Holy Spirit be read, willing and available
to serve Him.
Our Prayer-
Heavenly Father, change our hearts today and make in us a new heart of service.
Help us to be available for you to use, where ever and when ever you want to.
Bless us and help us to be strong and ready for our daily battles. Use us for your honor and glory! In Jesus precious name we do pray, Amen

In Christ,
Joe

Country Kids for 3/19/10

"This is a beautiful day that the Lord hath made, we rejoice and be glad in it"







































































John Paul trying to catch that chicken. He
had already effortlessly caught one and
put it back in the pen. This one was
determined to not get caught. John Paul
finally gave up although he did not give up easily.
If you look in the background, you can see our house and our new deck that Matt and Josh were building to go at our back door. They finished it and then me and John Paul, Benjamin painted it.
I was once again proud of my boys.

Benjamin riding piggy back on Josh

The boys watching Matt till our garden spot again

Matt tilling. Matt enjoys tilling this garden for a few reasons. He likes working outside, he enjoys
working with the tractor and this particular garden spot holds sentimental value for Matt.
It is same garden spot Matt's pa pa, Mr. Black,
used for many years to help feed his wife and ten kids. Joseph was # 8 in the bunch.

Josh helping Matt with a tilling implement
connected to the tractor.

My "Country Boy's"(Matt) truck

My country boy on his tractor.

Matt removing what was left of a dead tree in
our yard. You can see some trees in the far
background and a pile a brush just behind him
and the tractor.

The family pup looking in anticipation at
our chickens.

A chicken running from John Paul.

Matt working to remove the dead tree.

Sara was inside taking care of the house and preparing supper for me. Have I mentioned she is a great blessing? She really isn't big on being outside anyway, but she does do a great job helping
to take care of the chickens. There are times she has even impressed me with how well she can handle helping with their care.

Friday, March 19, 2o10


"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths". Proverbs 3:6

Our we keeping our eyes on Him so we do not lose sight of our
path?

Friday, March 19, 2010

Please excuse us while we take a short break from our normal devotions we have been posting. We are putting our time and energy into our upcoming Easter devotion.
Considering our Easter devotion is of course dealing with the crucifixion and resurrection
of our Lord and Savior, our whole reason for our monthly devotion and our blog, we are taking
great time and care for what we feel is a very special Easter devotion.
We pray you are blessed with what we are able to post until our work on the devotion is done.

My Last Few Pictures

Some of our church kids playing in the nursery while the ladies were eating and fellow shipping.

Some of our men practicing their music while the ladies were fellow shipping.
On the left- my Pastor, brother Darryle Wilson.
A fine man God has used to greatly influence my life. The two little ladies playing in the nursery in the picture here are his granddaughters.
In the middle- Matthew Wilson. He is the son of my
pastor. Matthew is also a fine musician and singer. He and his wife Jennifer are over our youth(7-12)

And on the right-brother Kevin Chambers.
He is our music director, and adult Sunday School teacher.
He is the husband to Rhonda Chambers and a bro-in-law to the pastor.
He is also a fine singer and musician.

These three guys along with the pastors wife, Mrs Debbi, make up the gospel music group
"Eagles Wings" and they are gooooooooood! The group is on facebook if you care to check them
out.

More pics of the SIS meeting

Okay, let me see if I can match the description with the right picture.

From the top, we have me with Mrs. Debbi, our pastors wife. She wears many hats. Like some others, I don't have room to say all I could say,
so I'll just leave it at this. Our church is very blessed to have her by our pastors side, as he strives to do his job as our pastor.

Next, here I am with Mrs. Ronda Chambers,
the sister of Mrs Debbi, and another one who wear many hats. Once again we are blessed beyond measure to have her as the wife of our music director.


The ladies eating and fellow shipping.

Mrs. Debbie with Mrs. Claudette, a sweet humble lady, and a blessing to many.

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."



I just recently heard a story of how a pastor had a preaching engagement in a certain city that was several miles from his home. A friend of his who was a pilot and owned his own plane, offered to fly this pastor to and from
this city to make his trip a little shorter. He had never been fond of small planes, but decided to take his friends offer. Once they were in the plan they were soon taking off, in the air, and on their way.
The pastor, not having any, "how to fly a plane knowledge", ask his friend, "how do you know
how to get to our destination from up here in the air"?
His friend responded, "Now, Pastor, these things right here are the vectors. We've got to stay right here. If I line up the lines properly on the instrument panel, that means I'm staying right in this vector. In fact, Pastor, I've got my instrument rating; that means if it was cloudy and foggy and I couldn't see a thing, just from this little instrument right here, I should be able to guide us right in close enough so we can see the blue runway lights and be able to land".
After some time in the air, there they were, blue runway lights, and they arrived at their destination just as planned. They had a successful flight, because his friend kept the plane in the right vectors until the lights could guide them safely to the ground.
In the same way God's Word provides the "vectors," the guidance, that we need in our life.
His Word will light our path in this world "if " we seek Him for His guidance. His word will light the way for us to approach Him and enter into His presence as we enter His presence for intercession with Him.
If we truly desire to approach God and to know more about Him, we must approach His Word.
I have been recently reading and studying some particular scripture relating to the crucifixion and resurrection in getting ready for our April devotion. I have been amazed at how, through His scripture, has confirmed great truth in the fact that faith in His Son Jesus and His shed IS the only way to Heaven. I already had no doubt, but by reading and studying His word for myself, He revealed Himself to me like never before. I would love to share more with you, but, I am choosing to wait until we are closer to Easter.
I encourage you to approach His Word. Enter His presence and Ask God to reveal Him self to you. I assure you He would love nothing better.

In Christ,
Stephanie

More Pictures At The SIS Meeting

I go to church with some sweet Christian ladies and I'm proud, thankful and blessed, to have them in my life.

Here I am with Mrs. Peggy Watson(we are sitting at a table)- She is a dear lady who has been a dear friend and fan, since my family walked in the doors of the church. Her husband bro. Bill, only a few months ago found out he had cancer. Our church sent up many prayers for Him and Mrs. Peggy. Surgery was performed on him and still more prayers were sent up. In our Wednesday night service, March 10th, he was able to announce God had touched him and he is cancer free. Our church is still rejoicing and giving praise to God for this. God does answer prayers. He never ceases to prove this time and time again, at least among our church family.

Next, I am with Miss Mary Beth Musgrove- She is and has been a very special dear friend for
about the last six years of our attending this church. There is soooo much I could tell about our
friendship, but I will keep it brief. Her mom,Mrs. Gertrude Ashmore, also an older sister to Mrs. Peggy, was a very dear friend and fan, and I of her, and our families. Mrs. Gertrude went to Heaven almost a year ago, leaving behind five daughters. Mrs. Margaret, our speaker for the night, was/is her 4th born, and Marybeth was her 5th. Since losing my own grandmother 12 yrs. ago( she had 13 children herself of whom my mother was the baby girl), I had come to love Mrs. Gert as a grandmother. She and my grandmother shared much in common, especially their love for the Lord and their children. With my having five children of whom I adored also, this is where we had our common bond. With both held much honor and respect for each other on each Mother's Day we celebrated.

Our SIS (Sisters In Service) Meeting, Monday, March 15th, 2010

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
Our church, Central Baptist Church, located on Airport rd. South, Jasper Al.,
had it's monthly SIS meeting last night
and I decided to take some pictures.
My family is blessed to be apart of a church with such a sweet spirit.
These ladies are precious . We are in our seventh year of attending this church and Ive been attending these meeting for almost as long. Our meeting last night was one of the best I've
been apart of. The Lord was there and hearts
were blessed.

I am still working on posting pictures with the right descriptions. I hope to get this right.

Mrs. Rhonda Chambers- she wears many hats. She is the wife of our music director, Kevin Chambers. I know she is a tremendous help and blessing to him as his wife. She is also the Sunday school teacher for our 7th-12th graders, and she does our bulletin we get each Sunday. And that's just a few of her jobs. Her big sissy, Mrs. Debbie, our pastor's wife, is behind her close to the pull pit.

Mrs. Louise Wilson- She will be 92 yrs young, this coming May. She is happens to be the mother of our pastor, bro. Darryle, and our sound board for our music and PA system operator, bro Woody.

Mrs. Margaret Otts- She was our speaker for our March meeting. She is showing us some beautiful cross stitch work she has done. She did a good job as our speaker for the month.

On The Job Again !

Tuesday, March 15, 2010

Joseph was working at a breaker box, in the back of "Son's", trying to remove remove an old alarm box (it is the green box almost in the middle of the pic) . I can't help but laugh when I see this picture. I asked him if I could take this picture. He said sure. He didn't know I meant right then. Sooooooooo, I snapped the picture and at the same time, he just happened to stick the screw driver(he's holding it in his right hand) into the breaker box to remove the cable that was connecting the two boxes. In the next second or two, the camera flashed and he didn't know the flash was from the camera. He thought the worst was about to happen. It startled him to say the least. He didn't think it was funny for a second. I did apologize for slight fright.

How Do We Respond ?

Monday, March 15th, 2010

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
How do respond to what we hear or read?

The key approaching God Biblically is responding as God would have us to. If we go to church week after week and our heart is stirred but our life is not changed as a result, we are failing to see the importance of God's Word in our lives. We are commanded to hear the Word of God as well as let it settle into our hearts and cause a change in our lives.
Luke 224:32 says, "Did not our heart burn withing us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?" When God's Word speaks to our hearts, many times our hearts will burn. I'm talking about a sense of conviction and a burning desire to make the truth of God's Word real in your life. A lot of times when we feel this burning sensation, it is a very real sense God is speaking to us personally.
Let me say here, one can only have this experience if he/she goes "wanting" to come face-to-face with God. Do we go to get someone off our back? Do we go simply out of spiritual duty? Do we go with an attitude of, "Okay, I'm here, but I dare God to bless me". If these are our attitudes, we will pretty much get what we came expecting to get which is, 'NOTHING'.
Bible preaching should cause us to see things in our lives that need to change.
When we allow this to happen we should then walk away from hearing God's Word with a meaningful worship experience where our hearts have been touched and our lives challenged.
This kind of truly changing experience only comes as we approach God through the reading and preaching of His Word.
Preaching is not aimed at our intellect or how smart we are; it is aimed at our heart and when we listen with our hearts, we are able to understand much. If we ever have any questions, I'm sure there is someone we could seek out who would love to be our guide.
When the Word of God is preached in a local church, it is with the purpose of bring people face-to-face with God. It is up to us, how we respond, that allows this to happen. When we open
our Bibles, whether it be for personal Bible study or in a church service, our fellowship with God begins. When we obey the Word of God in our daily living, our fellowship with God continues to grow.
The foundation of the Christian life is the Word of God. This is one reason why I stress forming a habit of "DAILY" Bible reading. It is the foundation of my Christian life. I know my Bible is a living Book. It is the inspired, preserved Word of God and I am entering into the presence of God every time I read it(or hear it).
May God bless those who seek intimate time with Him and well as those who do not.
In Christ,
Stephanie

Good Bible Preaching Brings Us Face to Face With God !

Saturday, March 13th, 2010


"But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;" Titus 1:3

Are we in a church fellowship that has good Bible preaching? If we are,
we should consider our church(or at least our pastor) a blessing. We are still focusing on prayer, a necessity in communing with God. Then there is taking the time for a one on one time with the Lord for personal Bible study. And now we must add some good old fashioned Bible preaching.
There have been a number of times I have been sitting under the preaching of a God fearing preacher and felt the Lord speak to me. It was not an audible voice, but He did speak to my heart with out doubt, and His presence was so real, I felt it was a face-to-face encounter with God.
Bible preaching lifts up Jesus Christ. Biblical preaching is more than a study of facts and statistics, it is the presentation of God to man. It is a time when we come face-to-face with God.
Today's idea of entering into the presence of God, is too often based on emotions instead of on the word of God. Good Bible preaching causes us to come face-to-face with God, His Word, and His will for our lives. Although sometimes we may not like it, it is a time we see ourselves as we really are, reflected in the mirror of the word of God.
Bible preaching reveals God. Bible preaching uplifts God's work. Bible preaching always glorifies Jesus Christ.
When the Word of God is preached and men and women are coming face to face with God through His Word, then they can truly praise the Lord and sing to Him and give praise to Him.
If you should come in carrying a burden, I encourage you to leave it at home or take it to the alter. If you want a face to face encounter with God, it cannot happen if you are holding something between the two of you. When we approach the Word of God through reading or preaching, we are literally approaching God Himself.
I encourage you to make time today to open God's Word and come into His presence.

Have a blessed day,
Stephanie

Prayer is great, but, let's not forget personal Bible study

Friday, March 12th, 2010

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord". Colossians 3:16

With our blog, we have done much talk of
prayer, prayer, and more prayer. With this post, we do not wish to take any importance from the routine of prayer, considering the importance of prayer can never be over estimated. Instead, we have come to the point in which we wish to emphasize the importance of studying our Bibles along with prayer. They simply go hand in hand. Before or after or both(I think it's up to each person), approaching God in our prayer closets for intercession with Him, we need not forget to make time with Him in His Precious Word. When we have intercession with the Lord, it is a time of worshiping the Lord for us. The beginning place of worship is the Bible.
The Bible tells us so much about God and as a result, we learn about Him and understand more of what He expects of us we we approach Him in intercession. If we want to know God, we must Read His Word, Period.
I was reading this morning of how a young man in his college years ago, read letters from his sweet heart and found them similar to what a love letter from God might be like.
During his first semester of Bible college, he met his wife. During the summer, she would go to San Jose, California to be with her family. He had to stay in the Los Angeles area to work so he could pay his school bill. He never forgot the letters she would write to him during that time.
Every day he would come back to the college campus after work and go directly to the mail room. His box number was 117. As he entered the mail room, he would start sniffing to see if he could smell perfume! Many times before he even opened the box, he knew whether or not she had written. With great anticipation, he would take those love letters out of the mail box and begin to read them.
If he had one of those letters in his hand, he didn't have time for the president of the United States. He would get somewhere alone and devour every word of the letters. He would smell them, read them, and study them. He had to make sure she still loved him and everything was still right between them. The he would reread them because he wanted to know everything he could about her.
This is exactly the way we need to approach the Bible. God's word should be sweet to us. We should study it closely to make sure everything is right between us and God.
"As we approach God's Word, our prayer should be, "God, I want to know more about You and more about Your love for me. I want to know what You have for me today."

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Have we thrown off those weights that was slowing us down? Are maybe it's something that will take time but, we are trying and that's what matters. So, we are still in this race and hopefully pacing ourselves pretty well.
I have a question. Our we catching ourselves looking at someone else's race and wishing we had what he has, or thinking "his life looks so easy"? Or we may be thinking, "I can't do what others are doing, I can't give what others give, I can't say what others say".
We have got to get our eyes on our own track and concentrate on it. One comment I seem to hear about the devotions Joseph and I put out, is "It's coming from my heart". I will say now, nothing could be more true and I thank the Lord, with His help it does come straight from my heart. I wouldn't want it any other way. Again, this devotion is from my heart. I will admit I am not good at keeping my eyes on my own track. I, too often, find myself looking at what others are doing, and I want to do it also. The problem with this......God gives us our own race and our own
track. He has missions he has costumed designed for us and only us. Have you ever heard the saying, "bloom where you are planted"? I am working on that right now.
I see things others are doing and I want to do them, but, God knows I am not ready for it, "if" it is His will for my future. That's where "blooming where we are planted " comes in.
Someone that has known me for a long time, told me a few weeks ago, they are very proud of how I have grown spiritually over the last few years. This person knew, as far as my past, how I was an insecure person with little self confidence and low self esteem. I quickly told them, it was certainly the Lord in me. I found my confidence and self esteem in God. My insecurities and low self esteem occasionally still stick their ugly heads out. I therefore must keep my eyes on God if I am to be a work in progress. I, personally, never thought I would be where I am now spiritually, and I owe it all to the Lord. A lot who read this will might find it hard to believe, how emotionally insecure I was, way back when.
All I can say, God is good. "IF" we want to bloom where we are planted, God can see to it we
do. That's all there is to it. I have spiritual dreams and goals for myself, and I know what God has me doing right now, is apart of Him teaching and preparing me for other things in the future.
My biggest problem is, I am some times tempted to be impatient, and I want to get ahead of
God. Not meaning to, I will look at someone else in their race and loose sight of my own tract and my own goal.This is a mistake and because of this, I know I am a work in progress. Sometimes it could be things of the world that take our eyes off our track. Does any of this sound like anyone we know? Are we thankful for each new sunrise God gives us? Each new sunrise means another chance for us to hit our refocus button. It's a time for us to get our eyes back on our track and the Lord.
So why have I bothered to explain where I came from with my insecurities? All of our post are dealing with prayer and the power of prayer. The Lord has allowed me to grow and bloom because of lots and lots of prayer. I have done, and still do, a lot of praying for myself.
God has proved Himself in my life over and over again, so I have faith He will continue to be there. I have come along way, but I certainly do have room for improvement. I have also had family to faithfully lift me up in prayer and I know their prayers have helped.
Don't be a Christian couch potato roaming around with out a goal, no direction, or no desire to walk with a greater faith in God. Start each day by entering His presence with purpose and with faith in God's power. We both have needs and we should be encouraged. God can and will provide. He still owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth in every mine. If He's interested in a little sparrow, He's interested in us today too. Don't forget, in James 1:5, God says
if we will just ask for wisdom, He will give it. He is just waiting for us to ask. I don't know about you, but I know I don't have any time to waste. I certainly need wisdom and all I can get. I can assure you, as I enter daily into my prayer closet, I will be requesting wisdom and knowledge every day, and I know He will give it to me.
In Christ,
Stephanie

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

"I can do all things through Christ which strengthneth me." "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:13, 19

Paul writing to the Philippians tells them that God is their strength and that God will supply all their need (not wants). Praise God! The same God Paul was writing about then, is still alive and well today. He will fulfill the same promises for us. He does want us to pray and ask Him for the physical strength to make it through each day. We have no power of our own. His Holy Spirit will indwell us and lead us if we ask Him to.
He knows our needs and He will supply our needs each day. He wants us to pray and ask Him for what we need. We are needy people. Gods knows the difference between our wants and our needs, He will supply our needs and sometimes even our wants.
We must pray each day that God will lead us and guide us to us the strength He gives to do the things that will please Him. Our lives should be all about Him.
Our prayer to remember:
"Heavenly Father, let us this day, serve and worship you. Forgive us where we fail you. Help us to praise you for the many blessings you pour out on us each day. We ask you for your strength both physically and spiritually for this day. Lord supply all our needs as you see fit. Lord help us to be a blessing to someone today. Use us for your honor and your glory. Let your Holy Spirit lead us and guide us today! Lord we believe you, Help our unbelief. Help us to draw close to you today. In Jesus Precious name we pray, Amen."

Are We Carring Any Weights Today?

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2


As we are entering our prayer closets for intercession with the Lord, do we approach God with faith that He will hear our petitions we are bringing to Him? How is our faith? Do we live a life that reflects we have faith? If we can't answer this question with a resounding yes, then this may indicate there is a problem somewhere.
This problem may be sin. I know nobody likes to talk about sin, but if we mean business with the Lord, if we want true and honest sweet intercession with Him, and if we want a growing faith, we must be open and honest with ourselves. Any sin in our lives must be acknowledged and properly dealt with. There is no other way.
There may be some things in our lives that aren't necessarily sin, but there are weights and they are slowing us down from growing in our faith. This sin is like a weight on us and as Christians, it can slow us down in our race of life. Most runners don't run a cross country race with weights on their shoulders. They know one of the keys to winning a race is to run a light as possible. They know if they are to have any chance of achieving success in their race, they must
carry as lite a load as possible. It could be a hobby, a friend, an old habit, or an interest we are holding onto. Now I know it is not a sin to have a boat. It is good to have friends. And some habits and interest are okay too. But, if any of this keeps us from serving the Lord as we should, then it is a weight and should be thrown off.
First, let us show faith in God, and turn from our sin in our lives that is hindering us in our race.
Faith in God is the gasoline that runs our spiritual engine, and when we have sin in our life, it's as if we are pouring water into our engine. Every time we attempt to go forward spiritually, we will stall out. Coming to God and confessing our sin to Him keeps our spiritual engine running clean.
If we are to make progress with a growing faith, we must keep our selves as free as possible of sin that is weighing us down.
In Christ,
Stephanie

Sunday, March 7th, 2010
















This was printed in our March devotion that just went out, (below)"Ten Things.....", but, I thought I'd use it as a post for our blog today.


Ten Things God Won't Ask On Judgment Day
(Mostly because He will already Know)

1. He won’t ask what kind of car did you own. He will ask how many people you helped
with the transportation you had.

2. He won’t ask about the clothes you have in your closet. He will ask how many you helped
to clothe.

3. God won’t ask what your highest salary was. He will ask if you compromised your
character to get it.

4. God won’t ask what your job title was. He will ask if you performed the job you had to the
best of your ability.

5. God won’t ask how many friends you had. He will ask how many you were a friend to.

6. God won’t ask what neighborhood you lived in. He’ll ask how you treated your neighbor.

7. God won’t ask about the color of your skin. He’ll ask about the content of your character.

8. God won’t ask why did you wait so long to believe in His son Jesus for your Salvation and
have your name written in the Book of Life
Or (9) how well did you treat others, or (10) how well did you keep the Ten commandments.

He will ask, “Does your name appear in the Book of Life?”
Depending on your answer, you will hear either……….

“WELL DONE THOU GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT,
ENTER THOU INTO THE JOY OF THE LORD” Matt. 5:21,23
OR
“DEPART FROM ME FOR I NEVER KNEW YOU” Rev. 20:11-15

WHICH WILL WE HEAR ?