Submit or Obey Our Husbands?

What's the difference? I heard a preacher say on the radio that the Bible never says for wives to obey their husbands. It says children obey your parents, slaves obey your masters, but it says wives submit to your husbands. Just thought I would throw this out there in case anyone wanted to join my son-in-law and my conversation on what the difference is. I know this is a very loaded question requiring a detailed answer, but thought it would be interesting to hear some others thoughts.

We've Been Married 25 Years Today!

It's hard to believe, but today is our 25th wedding anniversary! For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, believe me, we've been through it all. I surely don't want my children or anyone else to follow the example of everything we've done, but I do hope that they've learned that divorce is not an option when the going gets tough (neither is murder). My husband has told me that I should write my story. I don't know that I ever will, but I'll tell you it hasn't been any easier than anyone elses. When my children were small we separated for 3 yrs., but God was gracious to restore our marriage. Let me say, we probably would have divorced, if it had not been for the encouragement of brothers and sisters in the Lord(very few) encouraging us and telling us we didn't have to. I am so grateful that we didn't and that our family is still intact. I am also grateful that through all we've been through the Lord has given me a testimony to share with others who are struggling, that gives them hope.


Matthew 19:6 "...What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."


Let me show you a picture of my husband who not only adores me, but also our children and grandson:

He is a great man who works hard to show his love for his wife. I thank God for him. And God has blessed us with 3 wonderful children and 1 really great son-in-law and 1 perfect grandson. And, this morning they surprised us with a Caribbean Cruise for our anniversary present. Yes, I cried, just as much from the sweet notes as from the gift, although I am so excited I can't wait for Aug. 31 to come. Here we all are:

Thanks kids! You're the best!

Thank God for His Mercy

I serve a risen Saviour, He's in the world today;

I know that He is living, whatever men may say

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him He's always near.

This is the first verse of the hymn, "He Lives". I was cleaning house this morning and heard a preacher on the radio read the words of this verse. The lines, "I see His hand of mercy" and "And just the time I need Him He's always near" really stood out to me. I must admit I've had a pretty rotten attitude lately concerning some frustrations in my world. One day last week I made myself drop to my knees and ask God for help. I know God is always in control, but it wasn't really feeling like it. And I must say, even in prayer, I wasn't feeling too prayerful or trusting. Well, guess what, just at the moment I needed wisdom dealing with a situation, a verse came to mind that showed me just what I should do, and it worked. The amazing thing to me though, was not that it worked, but that God even heard me and answered my prayer in spite of my nasty attitude. He really is a God of mercy, and always near!

How Effective Do You Want To Be?

"The greater the proportion of your day-of your life-spent hidden in quiet, in reflection, in prayer, in study, in scheduling, in preparation, the greater will be the effectiveness, the impact, the power, of the part of your life that shows. You cannot be with people all of the time and have a ministry to people. The impact of your ministry to people will be in direct proportion to the time you spend away from people and with God."

These notes were taken from the book, A Woman After God's Own Heart, by Elizabeth George. Great book!

What is Sin?

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and when you first sit down, the desserts on the menu looked sooo good, but, by the time you finished your meal you couldn't stand the thought of dessert? If you find a good book to read or hobby to do, you'll find you don't have time to sit and mindlessly watch TV for hours. I was thinking about this idea yesterday, that starting good habits often crowd out the bad ones. The scripture came to me, James 4:17 "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." So, I was thinking, is it the wrong things that we are doing that are sin, or is it the failure to do good? It seems that when people are not being obedient to doing what is good or right, they just naturally seem to fall into sinful habits. On the other hand, if we are out feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, leading the lost to Christ, reading the Bible, praying, taking care of our families, etc. how would we have time to sit around gossiping, overeating, partying, watching things we shouldn't, etc. The scripture plainly says that if we are not doing what we know to be good, we are sinning. Maybe, we should quit focusing on the sins the enemy is condemning us with, start doing good, and soon we won't have the time or desire for the things that hinder us. So what do you think, what is sin? Is it the bad things that we do, or the good that we don't do?

Not Enough Time?

Here's an idea!...
Do you find yourself getting so busy and rushed at times that you're not taking time to read your Bible? Don't forsake the Word of God just because you don't have a lot of time all at once to sit and read. Often, when I've had just a few minutes here and there to read a scripture, that one scripture has stood out to me as never before. It made me want to find time later to study it in length and in context. Here's an idea! Lay your Bible open somewhere accessible, so while you're waiting for a pot to boil or timer to go off, you can grab a little piece of the Bread of Life to nibble on. Maybe, it will make you hunger for more.

True Beauty

No botox, but she was beautiful...
Yesterday, I went to the nursing home to play the piano and sing for the first time in a really long time. I used to go more often when the kids were home. We would go pretty regular to sing and visit. Lately, every time I have been to visit, there is this one man who kept asking me when I was going to come and play the piano. I don't know why I've waited so long, but yesterday I finally went. And, as it always goes, I go to bless them and I leave feeling blessed. The man who asked me to come could not sing, but he would nod his head, tap his foot and look at me and smile every once in a while. He let everyone know he's the reason I came. As I looked around there were some really big smiles, some were singing, and some you weren't sure if they were really aware of what was going on or not. I looked at these and wondered if these old songs were at least awakening some good memory from their past. One man was suggesting a lot of old songs that brought back some really good memories from my past. This man with all the songs was sitting next to his wife, who had the sweetest smile and disposition. He told me several times, with a very proud look on his face, that this was his wife. He made it a point to get up, come to me and tell me he wanted me to meet his wife. I told him that we had already introduced ourselves and that I thought he had a very beautiful wife. He beamed. True beauty truly does come from the inside. This woman was obviously enjoying singing and talking about her Lord. I don't think this woman had a bit of makeup on, her hair was not especially well done, and no plastic surgery to remove all of her wrinkles. But, this woman was truly beautiful.
Prov. 31:30 "Favor is deceitful,and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised."

Follow Closely

Sunday evening my son,Jonathan flew in from Albuquerque. He had an appointment here Sunday evening and had to fly back out Monday afternoon. My daughter & grandbaby came up Monday morning to see him. He needed to go to a store in North Dallas before he went to the airport so, I followed them in his rental car to a place close to the airport where we left my car, and rode with him to where we were going. Let me tell you, following him all through downtown Dallas was fun! First let me say, he drives like a mad man. He was going down streets and through areas I was not familiar with and had no idea what direction we were headed. Believe me, I kept me eyes glued to that little silver car in front of me. I made it a point to not let anything distract me for fear he would take a quick turn and I would miss it. I stayed as close as I safely could to him so that nothing could get between us and make it hard for me to see him and end up getting lost. As I was focusing on his car, the thought came to me, this is how we should follow Jesus. To get to where He wants us to be and ultimately our home in heaven, we must keep our eyes focused on Him at all times. We can't look to the right or the left, we can't let anything or anyone come between us. Our goal must be to follow as closely to Him as we can whether we understand the twists and turns in the road or not. We must put our faith totally in Him and trust that He is leading us where we need to go. Keep your eyes glued on Him today!

Input=Output

I've started being very conscious of what is on my mind when I wake up in the mornings. I started thinking about this on Tuesday morning. On Tuesday morning I woke up with the words to this song going over and over in my mind, "I will worship You, I will praise your name forever!". On Wednesday it was, "I go to the Rock of my salvation, I go to the Stone that the builders rejected, ...When the earth all around me is sinking sand, on Christ the solid Rock I stand. When I need a shelter, when I need a friend, I go to the Rock." On Thursday it was the old song "What will it be when we get over yonder, and join the throng upon the glassy sea. We'll see our loved ones and crown Christ forever. This is just what heaven means to me" (I haven't heard this song in forever). On Friday: "Jesus, When I speak His name mountains move, chains are loosed. When I speak His name darkness flees death has no hold on me...". I find myself singing these songs, that I wake up with, all throughout the day. It's not always a song. Often, like this morning, I wake up with just the name of Jesus on my mind. What a wonderful way to start the day. I'm reminded of the kids song that says input=output. It is very important what we feed our minds with. What is allowed in is what feeds us through the night and through the day. As difficult circumstances arose through the week, the words to these songs were there to strengthen me. At other times, they are there to encourage others with. Colossians 3:16-17 says"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. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." Romans 12:2 says"And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Another word for prove is demonstrate. If we are to demonstrate for this world what God really wants the Christian life to look like, we must let the things that go into our minds make us different(transform us) than the world. Music is such a powerful tool. Let it, especially, be used to transform and edify you and those around you. Psalms 42:8 "...in the night His song shall be with me." Psalm 149:5 "Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their bed."