My friends and I were talking about my youngest daughter who just celebrated her sweet 16. We were at the party and the subject came up about Stephie wanting her way, and not allowing us to play "our music" at her party. One of them said, "She is not the boss, you are." Which is true, however the other one said, "I think Ann is trying to keep the peace." This is certainly what I try to do when it comes to balancing four children, a husband, and my own desires as well. We did get "our music", and the DJ was very gracious in playing music from my husband's era, the 60's, and christian music which I love. Sometimes it is all in how you approach matters.

I'm not saying that I am a great peacemaker, because I'm not. I say and do things that could be said in a nicer way, or with more finesse. I am better at waiting on the Lord for the right words and attitudes than I was in the past. I am a work in progress, and will be until the day I die. God doesn't have an expiration date, where He will cut me off after a certain amount of tries. He is long suffering with all of us, and will wait for a bountiful harvest. What I know about Him is better today than yesterday, and then other times, I feel as if I don't know Him that well. Especially when I notice the enormity of who God is, I remember that He said He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. In our dailyness, we can forget the vast resources of all that He possesses and how He works in our lives.

He works in a quiet way, and if we don't look carefully, we can miss what He is doing. Our society is caught up in busyness, for the sake of being busy, and not really doing what is best for us or our families. As His children, we need to watch out for the busyness that leads to nothing. I can say for myself, I can spend too much time on Facebook, doing nothing, but 2 hours have slide by, and all I have for it is screen shock. What I refer to as screen shock is the memorized feeling we can have after looking at a computer screen for too long, without anything to show for it.

We need down time for sure, but I can do a lot better at making my down time progressive, and not blank. I want to engage in meaning time like reading good literature that will enhance my walk with God. Let's make our down time effective so that we can experience more of God's peace, and become the peacemakers that our world is longing for. We were bought with a price, and we are here on earth, because God ordained this as our time to influence those around us, and even the world, through the internet. Peacemakers are very important to God, and to us, because we need to see how it is done through those who go before us, in obeying God, and His principles.

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."   { 2 Corinthians 2:14}

If you are anything like me, you love fragrances. This time of year, what I smell in the air can make me hungry. I go to a local Farmer's Market and everytime I walk past the apples, the sweetest, deep aroma beckons me to come closer. When I get the apples home, there isn't the same deep smell, and when I take one to eat, it only has a slight fragrance. I wonder if this is the same when Christians are together? Do we give off a deeper scent when we are all together, or are we just a group of people gathering under the same beliefs? Does our worship lift up a sweet aroma to God's presence, or are we just like any other group that sings together?

I choose to believe that our praise is a sweeter aroma when we worship together. This has to do with faith, because we know that faith builds our ability to believe God and His word. As believers gather in one accord, we rub off on one another, because our hearts come with expectation when we meet at church or other events when christians gather. Certain aromas can trigger memories, and feelings from our past. I was at a special event recently and I wore my favorite perfume, that I have had for many years. A very close friend said to me, "Oh I love that fragrance, and they don't make it anymore."She had given it to me, and it brought back memories about our friendship. We shared a special moment of how precious we are to each other.

"For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."{ 2 Corinthians 2:15} Do we smell different? Not really in the fragrance sense, but there is something about us, that others want. We have a spiritual way about us, that draws other people to us, and many want what we have. Have you ever been told by a person that there is something different about you, but they are not quite sure what it is? This is what the Apostle Paul is referencing to in this verse. It is a sense of well-being , not a scent that we delight in with our nose. It can also be referred to as a confidence, a completeness that beckons others to wonder about what do we have, that I don't have.

When I got saved, I immediately had a sense of being different. I couldn't really say why, except that I felt joy like never before. I thought to myself, "this is awesome, but will it last? It did, although through many ups and downs it wanned a bit. I'm not saying that emotions have to be present when we dedicate ourselves to Christ, but I am saying that we do change, maybe a little quicker at first, and then over time, our fragrance becomes stronger, like the many apples in the box. I have to end here, and eat one of those apples.

God knows our needs even before we ask Him, but He requires us to ask, so that we know that He answers prayer.  He wants us to know that we are part of how prayer works. He invites us in, as my picture displays, because He desires relationship with us. What an incredible thought. He invites me in. I don't deserve to be invited into His presence, I can't earn being in His presence, It is only by the finished work on Calvary, the work of the cross where Jesus died, that I can enter in.

"He brought me to his banquet hall, and raised the banner of love over me."{Song of Solomon 2:4}  HCSB  This is what God declares over those who will walk with him. It says in the book of Revelation, that we will have a banquet with our God when the earth is no more, but this verse from the Song of Solomon was written with a different idea in mind. This is a reference to the King, loving the beloved. Jesus is the bridegroom, and we are the bride. The people of God are referred to in the Bible as His bride, and she is making herself ready.This is funny to me, since this picture is from a big banqueting hall.

The opened gates inspire our thoughts about being welcomed in. The Father welcomes home His children, through the gates of heaven. The floodgates of heaven can mean God is pouring down a blessing, or judgement. For our purposes today, we want to remember how awesome our God is, in blessing His children. He longs to bless us, but I know I can sometimes get in His way. I try to fix relationships because I want to have someone else do things my way, in my time frame.

God has promised that if we allow Him to work, He will do a good job. He has said He would leave the 99 sheep to go after one that is lost. He will hear our prayers. He will take us to be with Him, after our natural bodies cease. He will wipe away our tears, and He will hold them.  He will give us" the peace that passes all understanding."He will give us "Grace to help in our time of need." He has said that "He will never leave us or forsake us." I can't possibly list all of His attributes here, but you understand what I am saying , I think. He promises that if we trust in Him, that He will be our everything, and He means it. Give Him praise today, because He is worthy!

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?"    {Psalm 27:1}

This picture was taken in front of an Inn in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. I like the quaintness of places like this. It reminds me of days gone by. My grandmother took me to these kind of places, and she's been gone for more than 30 years. It's good to have happy memories; the memories that are not so happy, we need to deal with those too. Fear had ruled my life for too long, and now I choose to take on situations that I usually would run from.

A few weeks ago I went to a local Film Festival, and as one of the speakers was talking about his film, I raised my hand during questions, and asked if we could pray for him. He said yes, and the woman in charge said I should come to the front. As I walked down, I said to myself, "I am out of my comfort zone!" I could sense the Lord saying, "Yes, that's where I want you."It ended well, but this is just an example of what I need to do to overcome fear. I'm sure you have your own set of fears that you can overcome, but God's grace.

The Bible says,"The fear of man is a snare, but those who trust in the Lord shall be safe."      {Proverbs 29:25} The victory only comes when we hide ourselves "in Christ. { Ephesians 1} This entire chapter written by the Apostle Paul tells us who we are, as believers. When we are "In Him,"we are chosen, redeemed, beloved, forgiven, adopted,  and given grace. We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, who is a guarantee of our inheritance. This one chapter is so full of who He has made us to be. It's a lot to take in, but you will be blessed and overcome with thankfulness if you study it. It is well worth it.

We learn fear from others, but mostly from our parents. There is a spirit of fear, but God has not given it to us. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind."    {2 timothy 1:7} At this time of year, let's remember that "Fear has torment, and God is not the author of that.

"Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."      2 Corinthians 1:3-4

As I was listening to a message this morning about our "Why do we do what we do"in regard to our writing, I couldn't help but think of you. I write because of you. I write because God put in my heart many years ago, to encourage women, with the same comfort I have been comforted with. It is a passion of mine, because I know so many women need encouragement. Jesus said,"In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."     {John 16:33} This verse brings me a lot of comfort because I don't know anyone else who can do what Jesus has done for me. When I allow Jesus to rule and reign in my life, I have good cheer, or in today's translation, lots of joy.

My fears and troubles are in the background, they do not lead me, He does. Do I understand all that there is to know about God's leading, no, but what I do know is that He is faithful, and He loves me, and with this, I can move ahead. This is what He has been making me aware of, that we keep moving ahead. Don't get caught in a dispute, or someone's else's opinion, do what you know to do because God says it in His word. He doesn't want us to be moved by every idea that comes our way, and He wants our hearts free from debates or arguments that will weigh us down. Let go of the little entanglement as well as the big ones, so you can be free to move ahead. I say this to myself more than to anyone else. What good is it, if I hold on to little spats or misunderstandings, and can't hear God? If I do this I can't be of any good to anyone.

It feels so good to let go of these things, because even though we may think of them as "not a big deal", they crowd together and can lead us to believe evil about others or groups of people. When these negative feeling go around in our heads it is as if there is a multiplication of ideas. These can distort what is true, and cause us to overreact. I have been there, and I’m guessing that you might have been there too. Stopping the negative at its root will save us embarrassment later on. I almost got myself into a situation like that today actually. Thank God I stopped and reworded my text before I sent it.

Words of grace are better than words of criticism. Ask the person if you misunderstood or have a wrong idea about a matter. I am usually wrong when I assume something that hasn’t been verified.
Give the other person the benefit of explaining to you what the circumstances are that you may not know. I know it is hard. I tend to jump to conclusions without much information, but I want that to change. This is my prayer. I hope this will help you are it has me. Blessings, until tomorrow.

When I look into the sky, it reminds me of heaven. I don't know if everyone thinks that way, but I do. One of the reasons is because it seems to go on forever. I guess it really does do that. Where does it stop, or where do we begin? It is all a mystery, for now. When the time is right, He will sweep us up into his arms, and bring us to His forever Kingdom.

"But of that day and hour no man knows, "Jesus said. {Matthew 24:36} So if someone claims to know "the day and hour" they most likely are wrong. What we do know is this: We know the signs of the times. We know that our culture has pushed God out and tried to block anything that has to do with Jesus. We know that many children don't know who Jesus is, let alone what He has done for them. Adults don't know who he is, or how important he is to a just society. The ten commandments are treated like a relic from the past, and the history books don't even exist in some places. If they are available to students there is no reference to the God who raised up our nation.

How did we get this way? One day at a time. The christians were told to stay out of the public arena. Secular thinkers filled in the gap. But God is on the move, as He always is. If we look at Hollywood recently, people are horrified by the antics of Harvey Weinstein, and are throwing him out of power. All these years he got away with harassment, rape, and all sorts of evil, and now the line has been drawn. Thank God! Although there has been little acceptance when a christian says, "this is wrong," those same people are coming out and saying"This is wrong."Hallelujah.

Science now can prove that life begins at conception, so we need to pray, that the blinders come off of those who still proclaim that abortion is a good thing.Those women who have been damaged by abortion need to be heard. Pray for the voices of God's people to come forth, and open the ears of the deaf, the eyes of the blind, that Good will once again reign over our country. If we had to name one thing that has grieved God's heart about America it is the evil of abortion. Does God still save? Yes, He does. Can He redeem our land from evil, Yes, He can. He is a good good Father!

"Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth." { Proverbs 27:1}

It's true. We don't know what a day may bring. We know that we have certain errands to do, or when we have to do the laundry, but there are things around the corner that are coming our way, and we are not at all aware. This is where are trust in God comes into focus. When we realise that He is good, then everything is fine, or not. Some might say that He is unpredictable, and we can't have peace. I say, that He is unpredictable, in His passionate love and desire to bless us.

I read an prophetic word from a wonderful lady recently.Some of you may have heard about her. Her name is Cindy Jacobs. As she was relating what God put on her heart, she said," You have to give me some faith to work with." This is God, saying to us, declare my word, speak the truth, and don't complain anymore. Isn't this what He has said in his word to us from thousands of years ago? "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."   {Hebrews 11:6}

Does God reward those who earnestly seek Him? Let's look at scripture. The apostle Paul was blessed so much by God, that he could sing while in jail. Joseph was blessed for his many years of faithfulness to God, and became 2nd in command over all of Egypt, which meant He could save Israel from starvation. David, who as a boy was sent out into the fields to watch the sheep, and later penned his great worship songs that he learned while doing so. They are a huge part of our Bible, and teach us so much about God's nature and love for His people. We would be lacking if we didn't have The book of Psalms to guide us.

How about today? Can people in our day believe God and see His rewards? When I was dating my husband for six years, God told me to trust Him. I did, and now we have been married for 28 years. We are still in love. God is good! When my son Matthew was a baby, we had a full house. My father in law lived with us after his wife died, and he was at loose ends. A friend gave my Father in law the money to buy a condo in Florida, which he loved, and Matt got his own bedroom! I would never have imagined that one! God made a way for us. I could go on and tell you many answers to prayer and seeing God's intervention in our personal lives. We may think these things only happen in Bible times, but the truth is, we are loved just as much by God as those we read about. Can we trust God to take care of us in this day in which we live? Absolutely!