I FELT SUCH A LOSS BELIEVING, BECAUSE I WAS RAISED WITHOUT FAITH, THAT I WOULD NEVER HAVE FAITH SO I TOOK MY BOYS TO CHURCH WANTING THEM TO HAVE, WHAT I DID NOT. AS I LOOK BACK OVER MY LIFE I SEE GOD HAD A PLAN. HE KNEW MY HEART AND HE USED MY SON TO BRING ME INTO THE CHURCH, THROUGH QUITE A BATTLE. I WENT TO CHURCH, GAVE UP ALCOHOL AND CIGARETTES. AT CHURCH I CONSCENTRATED ON GOD. IT TOOK A WHILE TO CLEAN MY WORLDLY LIFE UP. BUT SOON I SAW A CLEAR PATH. BY FOLLOWING THE WAYS OF THE WORLD WE ARE UNKNOWINGLY FOLLOWING THE WAYS OF SATAN. PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THIS. DENY THIS AND YOU PLAY RIGHT INTO HIS HANDS. DENIAL IS HIS BEST TOOL. WHEN YOU ACCEPT GOD (JESUS) HE WILL SHOW YOU HE IS REAL–THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME. I ALWAYS BELIEVED IN GOD BUT I DID NOT UNDERSTAND JESUS IS GOD. EVEN THOUGH I READ IT IN THE BIBLE, I DIDN’T GET IT. HOW COULD JESUS BE GOD, HE WAS A MAN. JOHN 1:1 MAKES IT PLAIN BUT I NEVER SAW IT TILL I SAID YES TO ACCEPTING JESUS AS MY LORD AND SAVIOR. WHEN I DID, GOD BEGAN TO ANSWER MY PRAYERS, MANY, MANY, SOMETIMES HE JUST GAVE ME WHAT I NEEDED WITHOUT ASKING.

A COUPLE WEEKS AGO A MAN SPOKE AT OUR CHURCH ABOUT HOW THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT TREES. A FEW YEARS AGO I ENJOYED SOAKING UP THE SUN IN MY ADIRONDAK CHAIR IN MY BACK YARD. THE SKY CLEAR BEAUTIFUL BLUE AND THE GORGEOUS GREEN DOUGLAS FIRS COMPLIMENTING EACH OTHER. I THOUGHT GOD PUT BLUE AND GREEN TOGETHER BEAUTIFULLY. WHY WHEN I WAS GROWING UP WERE WE NOT ALLOWED TO WEAR GREEN AND BLUE TOGETHER. I WOULD INHALE THE BEAUTY OF GOD’S BEAUTIFUL GREEN TREES AND HEAR FROM LONG AGO ONLY GOD CAN MAKE A TREE. I FEEL GODS PRESENCE IN HIS CREATION, HIS TREES. I WANTED TO CAPTURE A LITTLE BIT OF GOD SO I TOOK PICTURES OF THE TREES GREEN AGAINST THE BLUE SKY. EVERYDAY I MARVEL AT CREATION AND HIS PRESENCE. I LOVE CREATING. I AM CLOSER TO GOD IN IT–WHILE CREATING JEWELERY OR WRITING AT GOD’S DIRECTION I AM CREATING AND GOD IS WITH ME AND I AM SO LIFTED UP. ALSO WHILE PLANTING AND GROWING TREES. I HAD AN EXPERIENCE ONCE WHILE GROWING A SPECIAL TREE FOR MY DAUGHTER. GOD BEGAN TO SHOW ME HOW THAT RELATIONSHIP WOULD GO THROUGH THE DEATH AND REBIRTH OF THAT TREE. MORE ABOUT THE PROPHETIC, LATER.

I SEE PETER WITH A LOVING HEART TOWARD JESUS. IF JESUS WERE STANDING IN FRONT OF ME AND TOLD ME HE WAS LEAVING AND WOULD BE KILLED, I LIKE, PETER WOULD NOT WANNA LOSE HIM–JESUS. JESUS DID LET HIM KNOW THAT HIS THINKING WAS WRONG THAT IT WAS PART OF GOD’S PLAN FOR HIM TO DIE NO MATTER HOW MUCH IT BREAKS MY HEART OR OTHERS HEARTS. FOR YEARS I CRIED EVERY TIME I READ THE GOSPEL. BECAUSE OH, MY GOSH, HOW COULD THEY. THEY KILLED GOD. WHO COULD DO THAT, I THOUGHT. THEN WHEN PETER DENIED GOD; HE WAS PROTECTING HIS FUTURE MINISTRY BECAUSE THEY MIGHT HAVE KILLED HIM TOO. YES, I LOVE PETER, BECAUSE JESUS CHOSE HIM, AS THE ROCK AND HE MINISTERED IN JESUS NAME.

we are in a spiritual battle: the war is on. Satan is jumping up and down to see us suffer, especially in relationships among Christians and even moreso in families. He pits us against each other than denies it. Denial is satan’s best tool. He will use it against us as well as furthering his own cause. If we remember bad behavior is not the person but satan acting through that person. Once blame is removed we are released to love that person. All good comes from God, He is love and He is peace. We are all under attack, the more usable we are in the kingdom the more satan attacks or at least tries. It’s so important to pray without ceasing. To keep that relationship with the Lord, close and continual. We must ask God to change our behavior, without Him we cannot do it. I believe we are here to encourage each other–to share stories of what God has done in our lives, that is to build others up in faith. This is what God has done in my life. We build each other up in faith. It gives us hope and hope is the best of everything. Because without hope we are dead, spiritually.

PAUL WAS MY FAVORITE PERSON IN THE BIBLE FOR YEARS: WHEN I STARTED WALKING WITH THE LORD. IT’S PRETTY AMAZING GOD CHOSE HIM AFTER HE HAD BEEN KILLING CHRISTIANS FOR SO LONG. AND GOD CHOSE HIM BY BLINDING HIM, OF COURSE THAT GOT HIS ATTENTION WITH SEVERAL EYE DISEASES THREATENING MY SIGHT, I UNDERSTAND. GOD GETS MY ATTENTION. PLUS GOD SPEAKS TO PAUL TELLING HIM WHERE TO GO AND WHO HE IS TO SEE, WHILE ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS, TO GET HIS SIGHT BACK. FROM THEN ON PAUL FOLLOWS JESUS AND IS GIVEN THE NAME PAUL, CHANGED FROM SAUL. PAUL WROTE MANY BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, MOST OF THEM FROM JAIL. HOW DOES HE KEEP HIS FAITH UP FROM BEHIND BARS, MANY TIMES EVEN IN CHAINS, HE DESCRIBES HIS UNDYING LOVE FOR CHRIST. THE ONLY WAY A PERSON COULD, IS BECAUSE HE KNOWS THE TRUTH. WHEN YOU ACCEPT JESUS AND WALK WITH HIM, HE GIVES YOU SPECIAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF, YOUR LIFE AND SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES CALLED KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU WOULD RECOGNIZE AS COMING FROM HIM. GOD DOES THIS TO ASSURE YOU HE IS REAL. ITS THE BEST OF THE BEST WHEN HE SHOWS YOU HE IS REAL. IT IS THE HIGHEST POINT IN MY LIFE. WHEN HE ANSWERS MY PRAYERS I AM THANKFUL. KNOWING HE EXISTS IS BEYOND THAT.

WHY SHOULD I READ THE BIBLE? Should I read it to learn about what happened to the people. There are many interesting stories. I do have my favorites–like Joseph, whose brothers threw him in a pit and many years later, he fed those same brothers, who had lost everything. Another one is David, the youngest in his family of brothers was chosen by God to be king and a man after God’s own heart. Or should I read the bible to learn about God. I once read 22 books of the Bible in 6 days. It really helped me work through being no longer able to drive. And that’s when I learned that God washes me through His word. For years that was the reason I read the Bible to be lifted up spiritually and to answer questions in my Bible studies. Now I read His word to see what God is telling me. Lessons to be learned.