The Lord's Supper

"For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:" ~1 Corinthians 11:23


So, the other day I was tasked with making the unleavened bread for partaking in the Lord's Supper.  As I was prepping the area I'd be working in, I began to think of the process that the scribes went through when they were preparing to write the name of God onto a manuscript.  Whenever they came to God's name in their copying down of the scriptures they had, they would completely cleanse themselves and change clothes so they would be as pure as possible.  The name of God, even written, to them was so holy and precious that they dared not defile it in any way.

The name of our precious Father, however, is not reverenced quite as much today unfortunately.  His name is used in vain and sometimes we, as Christians, don't even flinch anymore because we have become so accustomed to its abuse.  Are we become so callous that it doesn't matter to us?  Do we use His name, maybe not abusively, but flippantly nonetheless?

As I stood there before the ingredients to go into the bread which was to represent Christ's body that night to others, I asked myself why I was doing this?  Was I doing it simply because it needed to be done?  Was I going to do my best?  This is a solemn observance that I will be a part of, is my heart really in the right place?  Though the real importance is what the finished product would represent that night,  each ingredient that went into the bread was important, just as each of God's children is important.

What we say and do matters.  Our attitude behind actions, the thought patterns behind motivations.  God needs to, and wants to be part of, each and every movement throughout our lives.  Will we include Him in our lives?  Is each step dictated to follow His will, or ours?

With everything we have been given, both material and spiritual, are we living our life for God?  Am I living for God?

How about you friend?  Where is your walk taking you?

Saturday Songs

This next song is usually a favorite for Altar Calls/Invitations or whatever your church may call them.  Honestly though?  I have always viewed this as a reminder of what my prayers should be.  Everyday I should be giving my all to God.  Paul tells us at one point that he dies daily, yet he lives through Christ's blood.  When I was visiting my friend this last time, we sang a song similar to this, same tune, different lyrics, but still as stunning as this one.  I believe this song is a good reminder to us of what our lives should entail, not just on the day that we accept Christ as our Saviour, but every day after that.  So without further ado...
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I Surrender All
By Judson W. Van DeVenter

1. All to Jesus I surrender,
   All to Him I freely give;
   I will ever love and trust Him,
   In His presence daily live.
   • Refrain:
     I surrender all,
     I surrender all;
     All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
     I surrender all.
2. All to Jesus I surrender,
   Humbly at His feet I bow;
   Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
   Take me, Jesus, take me now.
3. All to Jesus I surrender,
   Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
   Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
   Truly know that Thou art mine.
4. All to Jesus I surrender,
   Lord, I give myself to Thee;
   Fill me with Thy love and power,
   Let Thy blessing fall on me.
5. All to Jesus I surrender,
   Now I feel the sacred flame;
   Oh, the joy of full salvation!
   Glory, glory, to His Name!
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So where do you stand today dear friend?  Are you giving God everything and walking with Him?  Or are you keeping things to yourself because you think you can do better.

My God is Strong

"I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness."
~Psalms 145:5-7


God is so good.  I sit here tonight...while technically being this morning...as two of my friend's babies sleep away in the NICU. So many thoughts to run through a person's mind, but the biggest one is God is in control.  He knew these events would happen and helped these strong ladies grow in Him so that they would be prepared for whatever happens in their lives. Granted, while one friend may not be as close a friend as some, the other is the friend I had just visited a couple weeks ago.  Both had their babies a couple months earlier than their due dates, and both are so full of joy that their little ones are still growing and are a part of this world now.

While we still would have preferred that they had been full term babies, God has been so good and is watching over these two families.  I am so blessed to be able to watch them and pray for them as each faces different trials throughout this new experience.  And my best friend, well she has proven to be stronger than some who are close to her expected.

The world may expect us to crumble and fail beneath the weight of adversity that is thrown at us, but is we are truly reliant upon God and His word, there is nothing that can stop us.  My God is so great and powerful that my friend was beginning to prepare for her little one's arrival while I was down there.  She didn't need to, but there was a desire instilled in her for some reason, and now there is that much less that she needs to think about.  God has given her and her husband such strength that I thank Him everyday that I get to be a participant in their life.

I love them, and I love My God, the one who died for me.  He not only watches over them, but He watches over me, even though I am far from worthy of His love and grace.  I can never cease to praise His name and I never want to.  He has done so much for me and led me to so many great people that I would have NEVER met otherwise.  He is so great and powerful above all things.

Will you tell others about what He has done in your life?

Fun Times Continued

So, now that I have my charger back and a bit more time to spare, I shall finish the task I set about last night...well, kinda this morning...

I honestly can't believe it, but I forgot my main Go-To song!!!  This one is actually a pretty special song to me as it is a friend's favorite and it's actually pretty straightforward in the child-like simplicity of it all.  Lord I Need You is one of the most beautiful songs I know...and it's a plea that I remember when times are hard, and when times are good.

Also, I figure I'll leave some questions for those who want to answer them, even if it's just to think about the questions and write them down for yourself. :-)

1)  Who is your favorite Bible Character?

2)  Hoodies or Jackets?

3)  If you could go anywhere free of charge for a month, where would it be?

4)  What would the "perfect day" consist of?

5)  Of all the people you've ever met, is there one person you miss the most?

6)  Would you rather eat pancakes everyday for breakfast, or waffles?

7)  Do you have a favorite Bible verse or chapter?  If so, which one?

8)  What is your favorite movie?

9)  What is one thing (moment, mammal, object) that has affected your life the most?

10)  If you could have any vehicle, what would it be?

Anywho, just random thoughts that actually took a bit longer than I would have liked to come up with.  However, the questions are down and thoughts are to be had.  :-)  Happy Monday!!!

Fun Times

WOW!  I can't believe it's already over half way through January...where has time gone?  Just last week I was in Palmer spoiling my niece and best friend (hence the lack of posts ;-).  This month is just getting busier, specially with new prospects on the horizon for me as I begin on the journey towards actually getting a job.

However, as I was getting ready to get back on the ball of posting something, I decided to check my dear friend Mykaela's blog. Obviously with focusing on my friend and niece, I had fallen behind, and missed a vital post!  I have been tagged in a questionnaire of sorts.  Unfortunately, the only blogger I know personally is the person who tagged me!  Nobody said I couldn't just answer the questions placed to me though. :-)

This first little bit is about the reasoning behind this type of questioning.

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"Liebster. 

No, it's not English. 

'Lieb' means 'Love' in German. The suffix '-ster' is very similar to an English superlative. 'Liebster', then, means something along the lines of 'Beloved', or 'Most Loved'. 

As far as I can tell, the Liebster Tag (previously, "Liebster Award") began as a way to recognize and promote your favorite and/or new bloggers."

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So without further ado, Mykaela's questions and my answers to them. :-)

1. What are some of your favorite Christian artists or groups?

I love quartets!!!  So Greater Vision and Legacy Five are some of the top.  I also love a lot of Ron Hamilton music.  I'm kind of a basic gal with simple pleasures.

2. What genre do you enjoy reading most?

Ummmm, other than the Bible and things associated with it, I have a few "Young Adult" series that I like such as The Ranger's Apprentice and The Inheritance Series.

3. What person has been the biggest influence or made the biggest impact on your life?

Other than God?  I would have to say my Dad.  Honestly, a lot of who I am today is because I've always looked up to him.  He's hard working and likes to hunt. ;-)

4. What is your most important goal in life right now?

Well, waking up on the right side of the dirt is always a top priority.  Right now I think remembering to spend time with God like I do my other friends is definitely an important goal for me.   Sometimes I forget that He's not just someone I associate, but He's my friend and Abba Father...I need to spend time with Him as such.

5. What's one of your favorite childhood memories? 

Reading.  I have always loved reading.  I also remember playing Lord of the Rings during recess at the church academy.  That's where I get my awesome social skills from...and maybe part of the reason I don't get intimidated easily...

6. What are a couple of hobbies or talents of yours?

Well, I hold down couches pretty well, Lol.  I love to sing and cook, and sometimes sing while I'm cooking.  I recently learned I'm good at making tortillas!!!  Unfortunately, I like to eat the food I cook too.  ;-)  I can also speak whale...

7. Is there one song that you always go back to for encouragement or just because you love it? :)

Ummm, kind of difficult because there are actually three that I usually go for.  You Are My Refuge by Meghan Hamilton. Till The Storm Passes Over, which is a hymn.  You Are Loved by Josh Groban. 

8. What is a food that you really don't like?

Eggplant...only had it taste good once...barely. Lol

9. Favorite instrument? (To listen to or play)

Um, I have to say I'm quite partial to the trombone and love a good trombone piece, mostly because I play it myself.  As a stringed instrument though, Viola's are beautiful and have a marvelously rich tone to them.

10. Early bird or night owl? ;)

Well...Seems how I'm doing this at midnight my time, I'd have to say a night owl with early bird tendencies!  XD

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Well folks, my battery is dying and I want to be able to post this, so I shall save more adventures for the next post.  :-)

A Way of Speaking

"But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." ~ Matthew 5:37


One of my pet peeves is when someone has a problem, but decides to beat around the bush instead of talking about it and then getting upset when the person they have a problem with doesn't fix what's wrong.  God says that our communications should be straightforward.  When we say yes, we should mean yes.  There is no beating around the bush when it comes to God.

Look at when Jesus is confronting the Pharisees and Sadducees!  He flat out calls them the hypocrites that they were.  These people would wander around, boasting of what they did outwardly while inside their hearts was sinful pride continually.  Even when we look at Romans 3:23 and verses surrounding that one.  Nothing is left for guessing when God speaks.

God doesn't mince words and try to keep people guessing. Satan, on the other hand, does.  As we saw in the post Our Defense, Satan knows the Bible and will use it against us if he can.  He'll take verses out of context and turn them around on us, kind of like the name it and claim it messages that the TV preachers are always telling us about.  Which name it and claim it only works if we are following Jesus closely and have a relationship with Him, because then we will name and claim God's will for our lives.

God has such blessing in store for us throughout our lives if we follow Him, but how can we be close to Him when we are full of sin?  Many people may not see partial truths being lies and sinning against God, but really, how is that our Yes being Yes and No being No?  Can we live for God while keeping others guessing at our communications?

I believe that God wants us to be honest always.  Now sometimes we may need to think about wording before that honesty comes out of our mouths.  Much damage can be done with this unruly tongue of ours, sometimes ESPECIALLY if it's the truth that is being spoken.  People can be built up or torn down with a single honest word.

If we follow God closely, He will guide our words as we walk along with Him.

Saturday Songs

1. My Pastor mentioned this last song in his sermon on Wednesday. The history behind it is moderately surprising, but so full of blessing once you think of the impact God had on this man's life.  I'll leave a link to the history here.  It's such a beautiful song and one that I don't mind singing over and over again.  :-)
2. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. He Keeps Me Singing
4. By Luther B. Bridges
5. 
   
6. There’s within my heart a melody
   Jesus whispers sweet and low,
   Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,
   In all of life’s ebb and flow.
   • Refrain:
     Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
     Sweetest Name I know,
     Fills my every longing,
     Keeps me singing as I go.
7. All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,
   Discord filled my heart with pain,
   Jesus swept across the broken strings,
   Stirred the slumb’ring chords again.
8. Feasting on the riches of His grace,
   Resting ’neath His shelt’ring wing,
   Always looking on His smiling face,
   That is why I shout and sing.
9. Though sometimes He leads through waters deep,
   Trials fall across the way,
   Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,
   See His footprints all the way.
10. Soon He’s coming back to welcome me,
    Far beyond the starry sky;
    I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown,
    I shall reign with Him on high.

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May this song be a blessed reminder that no matter what, God is with us and always there to help us along our way.

Our Defense

"Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone."
~Matthew 4:5-6


For it is written.  Jesus says this three times as a defense against Satan's attacks in Matthew 4:1-11.  Not only was He thwarting Satan's attacks though, He was also reinforcing their reality in His life.  How often do we do this in our own lives?  In Psalm 119 it says, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee."  Do we really remember this verse and live by it?  In Ephesians we are told that within the Armour of God is the Buckler of Faith and the Sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God).

The buckler is all well and good for defense, and sometimes we can knock off some pretty heavy blows when we fall back on our faith and rest assured in the Rock that we stand upon.  However, it's not the only instrument we've been given.  The sword is used to attack and also defend.  The buckler and sword can be used interchangeably to defend ourselves, but only the sword can wound our enemy.

It is said that our enemy (the Devil) wanders about like a roaring lion, seeking out whom He may devour.  How can we defend ourselves though, if we do not know the Bible and hide it in our hearts? ?Not havnig verses to help ground ourselves makes us weak, especially in the enemy's eyes.  It says that the fool says in his heart there is no God for even the devils know and tremble.  Satan knows the Bible too.  Within the passages above Satan says himself, "For it is written".  How else would he be able to bring this up unless he knows what God has written within His word?  

Ever since the beginning of time Satan has been watching, waiting for breaks in every human's armour so that he can attack.  Satan knows us almost better than we ourselves do.  Do we wrap our hearts in God's word to protect ourselves from Satan's attacks?

Where Are The Fruits?

"And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." ~Matthew 3:10


Even though at this time John the Baptist was talking to the Pharisees and Sadducees, who's to say this verse cannot apply to our lives as well?  Where ARE we in our walk with Christ. God wants us to be walking in His will and spreading His word so that all might be saved.  If we're not spreading His word though, what are we really doing with our life?

As mentioned in the post This One Life, we are to be using our lives wisely and filling them with useful things and things that bless and glorify God.  How often do we go without talking to SOMEONE about God, or do we even go without reading our Bible?  There was a devotional I read one time that really made me think about how much time I really give (or don't give) to God.

Everyone knows about tithing and how we are supposed to give 10% (or whatever we feel lead to), but do we really give 10%, also known as the first fruits, of everything?  My family grows a garden during the summer, so when we start harvesting we'll bring some to our church either to share with everyone or to give to our Pastor.  However, this devotional really got down to, do we give God 10% of our time?  As we move throughout our day, are we continuously pray like we're told to?  Do we think on these things as Philippians 4:8 says to?

10% of a day comes out to 2 hours and 40 minutes, while sometimes we don't even spend 5 minutes reading our Bible because we "just don't have the time."  Is that really an excuse though?  God gave His ONLY Son for our lives.  Jesus lived and DIED for US, and we can't even find the time to get to know Him more?  Is that really how we should live?

Our fruits are shown through our life while we live for God.  If we're not living for Him, there will be no fruits to be shown and we are useless to God.  We don't have to be useless to Him though and face the consequences.

Choose you this day whom ye will serve.  Yourself, or God.

The Sun and The Moon

"And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also." ~Genesis 1:16


As I was reading this chapter last night, I was reminded of God's great mercy.  Sometimes when we are moving throughout our day, we tend to focus on the here and now verses on things above.  That's just a fact that us humans represent.  However, there is so much more to our lives than just looking at what is around us and reacting to what is going on.

I love this verse because first of all, it reminds me to look up.  Granted, it's not advised to look directly into the sun, but when the sun is rising or setting, the sky can turn into the most beautiful colors, and God made it that way, just for us.  He didn't have to make all the different colors we have today, let alone all that the sky imparts, but He created it so that we may be reminded that He is in control.

Secondly, it's a good reminder of just who God is.  He perfectly made our universe and solar system so that we get the sunlight we need during the day and the rest we need during the night.  He knew exactly what we would need before we were even created and made everything so that we could survive.

Also, I'm partially one to look for symbolism in verses sometimes when there isn't too much of a stretch to make.  This verse reminds me that though I may be small and insignificant in my own mind, my job is not to shine my own light, but to reflect God's light through my life so that others may see Him.  When the sun shines, many people take for granted that it is there lighting the way, but sometimes it takes to moon for people to realize that the sun really is a bigger part of our life than we realize sometimes and it's strength is beautiful.

I love the simple reminders that are in this verse about God creating the sun and the moon.  Just as the moon has cycles it goes through, so do we throughout our lives, and God is always there to help us.  Even in our darkest hours, there is always light in the morning. :-)

To a New Year

For as much as I would love to cop out and copy and paste what someone else has written, I don't believe that's what God has planned tonight.  I will, however, put my friend Mykaela's blog link here.  It is most definitely worth the time to go over and read it.  :-)

This past year has been filled with so many things that are simply blessings from God.  There have been so many different versions of this post running through my head that I had to wait till now to post it.  In the end though, it really is important to focus on things that have gone right rather than that which has gone wrong in my life.

So many times in life we want to show others what has gone wrong in our life, and sometimes, it's things that need to be prayed about such as health problems in the family and big decisions that are being made.  However, sometimes I will catch myself complaining about the small things that really don't matter, such as running late to a class or becoming caught up in a grocery store by someone who wants to talk and THEN running late for something important, or even just really dumb stuff.

In reality, my life is as good as I let God make it.  Though a lot of negative things have happened in the past year, there are so many more things that God has given me!!!

Firstly, I'M ALIVE!  He has given me breathe every day and kept my body functioning the way it's supposed to, even if there really isn't any reason for it to.  He has given me day after day, giving me more and more opportunities to be a blessing to those around me.

Second, He allowed me to meet my best friend almost 2 years ago now.  She is seriously one of the most amazing people I have ever know, and she's even made me an honorary Aunt!!! (I am an only child so I will never have any blood related nieces and nephews.  This is seriously a huge blessing that makes me cry every time I think about it.)  I have an honorary niece and will soon have an honorary nephew come March. Her and her family fill my heart with joy every time I hear from them and hear about what they have been doing.

Thirdly, (after the first one they're in no particular order) I once again got to visit another church family in Wichita for their annual Family Camp.  Their camp is always a blessing and full of fun, singing, and most importantly, God.  One lesson a day, Two services a day, and Three good meals every day, a body can't complain about that, though the clothes complain sometimes. ;-)

Fourthly, God gave me parents, grandparents, and aunt and uncles that love me and support me throughout my life and continued Spiritual walk.  Though I may not always talk to them a lot, I think about them and thank God that they are in my life, and that they are my relatives.  If anything were different I would not be who I am today.

Fifth, He helped me pass all my classes!!!!  I am now, officially, a Certified Medical Assistant with an Associates in Medical Assisting.  It's been a long 2.5 years, but with God's help, I made it. I credit a lot of my passing to Him because if I'm being honest, I should have not passed some of my classes. Thankfully with having a father in the medical field and being interested in it from a young age, I already had some of the knowledge.  But God had to place me in the exact situation I'm in, in order for it to work.

Ugh, I could go on and on, from finally driving to Anchorage on my own to visiting the church Mykaela goes to, to the power not going out during this last snow storm.  There are so many blessing that my tongue, and this blog, could not even begin to name them all!!!  There's a song I love that on the last verse says:

Could we with ink the oceans fill,

And were the skies of parchment made;

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky.

Psalm 107 begins with "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever."  And it doesn't end there! The praises continue on throughout the chapter.  Even in Psalms chapter 136, we are continuously reminded that His mercy endures forever. Not sometimes or when He feels like it, but forever.

God is so good and I pray that I continue to remember that, and grow in that knowledge throughout this new year.  Though I may not know what is ahead, I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.  Praise Ye The Lord!!!!