The gift.

Have you ever given someone a gift and in the back of your mind said, "I hope I get a good present back?" OK, so you dont have to admit out loud, but we are human so the answer is, of course we have. Me included. So how does the Lord want us to give? "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have recieved, freely give." Matthew 10:8 I believe that when you give with an open heart the gift means that much more to the person who is recieving it.. Its not the quality or quanity of the gift, it is the thought and the love you put in it. It is easy to give someone what they tell you they want but the gift that you put your heart and soul into is the one that will forever hold a place in their heart. Believe me I know..... So give with a good heart and expect nothing in return and you will feel the blessings that come with it. "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9 I hope you dont think that I am preaching to you here but I came across a scripture that opened my eyes to the way I give and recieve gifts, nice words, etc.. It comes from Luke 6:38 "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." I hope you got the same message from that scripture as I did. Give and recieve with an open, loving and caring heart and it will be given back to you... I am going to leave you with a quote from Helen Pearson, " Jesus' words are as jewels, treasures worth giving up all life's ambitions to find. The Lord can do great things through those who dont care who gets the credit." I am going to start giving like I don't care if I get the credit. The Lord deserves the credit. I want the the Lord to be present when I give and recieve with my whole heart. Is your whole heart in it?
Love in Christ,
Des

Two edged sword.

Has your mom ever told you, "If you don't have anything nice to day then don't say anything at all?" Well that is the same thing the Lord wants you to do. We need to think about what we say before we say it. "He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction." Proverbs 13:3 The Lord wants our words to reflect Him and when our words are hateful or hurtful that is not Christ like. "He who guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles." Proverbs 21:23 OK so in my confession to you, that is something I have to work on everyday. I have blogged about the respond not react. These two blogs go hand in hand. When you respond you are giving yourself time to think of a Christ like answer. Well even when you are just conversing with someone. We need to think of what we are going to say before we let the words escape from our mouths. It says in the word, "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones." Proverbs 16:24 The way you speak to people has a huge impact on the way they respond to you. My biggest problem is the tone I use with people. I have to keep myself in check on a daily basis. If I am having a stressful day it shows in the tone of my voice and the way I become short with people. I pray for the Lord to help me with my everyday struggle. I know that the Lord wants me to witness to people but no one will listen if I don't speak with the love and compassion that the Lord wants me to. "Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!" 1 Chronicles 16:9 I know that the Lord is good, kind, and soft spoken to the ones who follow Him. So I am going to keep praying , asking the Lord for His hand of wisdom and kindness to be with me when I am talking to my children, my friends, my family and especially to strangers. You never know who is listening to you trying to learn about the Lord. "As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God is in my nostrils, My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit." Job 27:3-4
"I have more faith in God's ability to speak to me, than in my own ability to hear Him." quote from Jeanna Tomlinson... So if you wont listen to your mama, listen to what the Lord says in His word!! Think before you speak, your tongue can be a two edged sword. Make sure that you use the "Godly" edge!! God Bless.
Des

Little ways.

Have you ever met someone and felt like you have done something good for them? I had that experience just a couple days ago. I'm not going to go into detail because I met these wonderful people through my job and most of you probably don't want to hear about what I do for a living but what I will tell you, I walked into these peoples home on the worst day of their lives. They knew why I was there, I knew why I was there but I walked in with the mission to give them a sense of security, that their husband, their father and their grandfather was being taken away by someone who had loved and lost just like them. I wanted them to know that he would be taken care of as if I was taking care of my own father or grandfather. And I saw in their eyes that they knew that that was what I was going to do. There were a few of us that could've went to that house but it was Tosha and I. I know that the Lord sent me there to meet these people. I believe that I made an impact on their lives and I know that they made one in mine. The Lord puts people in our paths for a reason. There is no coincidence or chance. Its the Lord divine plan. I try to show people that I am a Christian by the way I do my job, the things I say to the families and by the way I treat their loved one. I meet a lot of people through my job. Like I said before I walk into homes, hospital rooms, or wherever on the worst day of peoples lives. Before I walk in, I say a prayer that the Lord will give me the wisdom and the compassion to know what to say to the people I'm about to meet. If I can give them a piece of the Lords word to comfort them in their time of sorrow, then I feel like I have done something right.

I read a passage today from Charlene Jehle, it says "Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence." That is a pretty neat line. What you do is noticed by a lot of people whether you know it or not. I am very thankful that I went to that particular house and met that particular family. They made me realize that I truely love my job, I love the families that I serve, and I love seeing the Lords work even in a time of sorrow and grief. I am going to leave you with few more quotes from some wonderful woman.
"What lies within us is far greater than what lies before us or lies behind us." Virginia Otis

"If you can't sleep, don't count sheep- talk to the Shepard" Jo Ann Sutton

"The task ahead of you is not as great as the power behind you" Bunny Constantino

This is my favorite one and SO true. "People and the world can fail you, but God is ever faithful and will never fail you." Mrs. Lucas Halim
I will leave you with that. God is wonderful, God is good, and God loves you. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
Love in Christ,
Des

Life.

Life can be so unfair sometimes. We have all lived through heartache, heartbreak and dark times. At that moment we think that we will never get over it, never get through it, or never see the light. But we were wrong weren't we. We all got over, got through it and the light did shine again. So I guess my question is, "Do you know how you got over it, got through it, and found that light in the darkness?" Well, I cant answer that for you but I can answer that for me.. I turned it over to the Lord!! I asked the Lord for a lot of things to happen, for it to go this way or that, but in the end, He was my answer. He knew what I needed and when I needed it. He will give us the tools to get through anything. Those tools can be in the form of your Bible, a direct answer from Him, or friends that you find where you lease expect them. Those are gifts from God. Those are the answers to prayers. Those were the answers to my prayers. "In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. I called for help and you listened to my cry." Jonah 2:2 So here is my testimony...

I found myself in a dark place. I was down, out and broken hearted. I needed the light of my Lord to shine on me and bring me out of the darkness. I found this scripture and I prayed and I prayed. This is in 2 Samuel 22:29 "You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light." What a power verse. I know that my broken heart is real and believe me it hurts but with scriptures like that and a Lord that I have complete faith in. I know that He will help me through it. I will never walk alone, as long I continue to walk with Him. "Jesus replied, Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20 I still have a broken heart but as for the darkness, His eternal light will forever guide me out. " I have come into this world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John 12:46
So remember that NO matter what you are going through the Lord is with you, He is ready to help you get over it, get through it, and lead you out of the darkness. In John 8:12 Jesus spoke to them saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." The glorious light of the Lord is only a question away. Pray to Him, ask Him to shine His light of Love, His light of Hope and His light of Everlasting Life upon you. We all find ourselves in some kind of darkness at some point or another in our lives. But with the Lord in our hearts, we never have to stay in the dark. I praise and thank Him everyday for shining His light on me in my time of darkness. If you are in the dark open your heart and let Him fill you with His Light!!!!
Love in Christ,
Des

What About Tomorrow??

I have a question. Have you heard the phrase, " if tomorrow never comes."? Doesn't that sound like a cheesy Garth Brooks song? Anyway!! Have you ever really thought about it? I have been thinking about those 4 word? I'm not trying to be morbid but the Lord is the only One who knows when we are going to be called home. We all are actually living on borrowed time if you think about it. The lord gives us to our parents and He gives our children to us. He can also choose to take anyone of us at any time. OK so that the reality but we cant dwell on that fact. What I have come to realize is that tomorrow might not come, and if it doesn't come for me, will I be okay with that. Have I lived my life according to the Lord?Am I pleased with what I've done in my 26 years? Have I loved my kids enough to last them the rest of their lives? Have I wrapped my arms around them enough so that they will remember what my hugs feel like? Did I teach them enough about the Lord to ensure their place in heaven ? Have I told all the people in my life what I wanted them to know? Will my family and friends remember me for the good I've done? Does Vern know that I love him and have loved him since the moment I saw him? But in all those questions, the question I ask the most is , Will I go to heaven?I asked the Lord in to my heart, to be my Lord and Savior, and was baptised when I was 15. I am 26 and I remember that day like it was yesterday. That day saved my life!!! I pray often and I ask for forgiveness often. I serve such a forgiving and loving God that when I mess up all I need to do is ask for His forgiveness, and He hears me!! Psalm 3:4 "I cried to the Lord with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill." No matter where you are take a moment and talk to Him, He can hear you. With forgiveness in mind, I go one to my next verse. 1 Corinthians 5:6 " Therefore we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord." That means to me that if we are saved and repent and try to live according to His perfect will. Then when we leave these worldly bodies we are going to be in the presence of the Lord... That in itself gives me all the comfort I need. So I am going to keep telling people what I want them to know, teaching my kids about Jesus, hug them every chance I get, tell Vern I love him, live for the Lord, ask for His forgiveness and live every tomorrow He gives me, to the fullest.. What are you going to do with your tomorrows? Make them count.
Love in Christ,
Des

Happiness.

So as you know from reading my last blog I was going to take Cutter fishing. Well, we went fishing and Cutter caught fish, 5 of them to be exact. The reason I'm bringing this up is because when I told him it was time to go fishing that boy couldn't sit still, was talking a mile a minute, and couldn't even think straight. He was so happy to be going fishing. So we finally get there, which only took us 13 minutes but I think he asked 15 times if we were there yet... We unload the Lightning McQueen tackle box and fishing pole and head to the pond. He casts his line time after time after time. Nothing.... We move to the next pond and I say a quiet prayer, "Please Lord let him catch at least one fish." He casts his line time after time and BAM!!!!! His first fish was on the end of that Lightning McQueen pole and you would've thought that he had caught Mobe Dick himself!!!! I whispered to myself, Thank you Lord!! The look on my sons face when he realized that he had caught his very first fish all by himself, from cast out to the slipper lil sucker flopping on the bank... Now that right there was true happiness.

We all have something that makes us happy even if just for that moment. My happiness is blogging. I love to share the wonderful things the Lord does and can do for all of us. It makes me feel very close to Him when I blog about His love for us. My husband happiness comes when he is on his Kawasaki Katana (crotch rocket). My little girls love to make presents for people. Anything from potholders they weave on their looms, to friendship braclets, to homemade cards. They are so happy to give anything they can to people. Needless to say, Cutter's happiness is fishing!! He feels like a big "little" man when he can do it all by himself.

Have you found your happiness? I believe that to find true happiness you need to have the Lord in your heart and in your life. It has scriptures in the Bible on Happiness, of course it does it has scripture for everything in there!! "He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he." Proverbs 16:20 Have you heard people say, "You can't love anyone until you love yourself?" In my opinion the same concept applies, only to me it's "You can't have true happiness until you have the Lord!" Of course that is only my opinion but I do believe in my heart that Jesus is the source of true happiness. I have one more scripture for you, I hope it will help you find Jesus so you can in turn find your true happiness. It is in Psalm 144:15 it says, " Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is Lord!" Now I'm not saying that every moment of every day is all smiles and sunshine. I have moments that to this day make tears come to my eyes with sadness, but I can easily say that my happy moments out number my bad ones a million to one and I can only thank the Lord for all those happy moments. I know that without Him in my heart my happy moments wouldn't be so- truly happy. So remember that the Lord is where your happiness will come from and then like Cutter you can enjoy a moment of true happiness when you reel in that big fish!! May your heart be full of Happiness that only the Lord our God Himself can provide. tou.

Love in Christ,

Des

What to do?

So I used to start my day out with the alarm, a cup of coffee, a cigarette, get 3 kids ready for school and on the drive to the school I would say a prayer and rebuke Satan from my kiddos and myself for that day. That was my routine and I felt good about it. But one day I was asked if giving the devil that much credit was the way to go. "The devil doesn't deserve even one ounce of energy especially in the prayer that you are praying to the Heavenly Father." OK good point! But my routine is flawless! So i thought. Of course I did what I do best, I went to concordance of my Bible and did some research.. I found lots of scriptures on rebuking but they also had scripture on not giving him space in your thoughts. I carried on a debate with myself for a few hours and I came to the conclusion that it was a good time to change my routine. Since I don't smoke anymore, this gives me a perfect opportunity to change everything up.
So let me let you in on the dilemma during my debate. The Lord rebuked Satan in Luke 4:8 "And Jesus answered and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve." So with that I felt it necessary to rebuke him on a daily basis. But there are 2 really compelling scriptures that make me think that rebuking on a daily basis might not be necessary. They are both in Ephesians. Ephesians 4: 27 "Nor give place to the devil" Wow OK, so if I rebuke then I am giving him a place in my mind and I am giving him acknowledgment that he doesn't deserve. The other Is Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." So I am going to admit, that scripture is the one that changed my mind. If I pray for the Lords armor to be around me and my children then there is no need to rebuke on a daily basis. The armor of the Lord can not be penetrated. Now that is comforting to know that we are all walking around this world with the Armor of the Lord to protect us from all evil and hatred this world or people can through at us. Thank you Jesus! The Lord will not let him near us. Like I always say, ask Him and He will answer prayers. So my new routine is to ask for His armor and give Him all my energy and spare none. So if you have a debate within yourself. Turn to the Word of God and I promise you that all your questions will be answered. God Bless and I pray that the Armor of God be upon you all.
Des

The Challenge.

I took the challenge. I quit smoking. As on Feb.2, 2009. I smoked my last cancer stick. I took this challenge with the want to quit, the drive to be here longer for my kids, and the power of the Lord behind me.
I had a hard day today and I wanted that cigarette so bad. I got home and thought to myself what is just one cigarette? What is that gonna hurt, just one. Then Cutter came up to me and asked me to fix his Lightning McQueen fishing pole so that we can go fishing this weekend. I fixed it with out a thought and I handed it him. He said ," Thanks mommy." and looked at me with sheer excitement. He runs off flinging his fishing pole all over the place. He had no idea that he just made my day and made it worth my while to pass up that cigarette today. Those 2 words are the reason that that one cigarette would hurt. I cant bear to think of not being here for the joyous looks on my kids' faces or the "Thanks mommy." My 3 kids are the only motivation I truly need. But an addiction is an addiction and to shake it you need strength. And to me there is only one way you can get that kind of strength.. Call upon the King of Kings, Lord of Lords and ask Him to help you and ask I did. I got on my knees and prayed, I prayed hard. I knew that this was going to be the hardest thing I have done so far in my life. I called upon the Lord to help me beat my cigarette habit. I know it wont be easy but that He will be with me every step of the way.
I pray for the strength to get through the day without having to turn to a cigarette and for the past 2 days that has worked thanks to the strength that the Lord has given me. There are lots of scripture on strength but I will only share a few. Now it doesn't matter if you are trying to quit smoking, loose a couple of extra pounds, or if you just need the strength to face that day. The strength of the Lord will help you through the smallest things or the largest things. The Lord is almighty and all knowing, even if you don't know what you need strength for just pray for his strength to be with you and He will know when you need it. I'm sure your thinking by now that I am just a Holy roller with scripture for everything, but in all seriousness I just know a few scriptures by heart and those few I know will help me in certain situations. But all you need to know is one and if that one scripture makes you feel better and makes you feel closer to the Lord. Then that is the one you need to memorize and when times are tough and you feel like you need the Lords hand on you at that very moment. Say that scripture and say a quick prayer. That is better than any cigarette I have ever smoked. He leaves me with a calm feeling that no cigarette could ever give me. So this is the one scripture I was telling you about that helps me through tough times. "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." Philippians 4:13
"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." Psalm 18:2
I love this one because this is the one that truly tells you that when you call to Him He does answer you (it might not be the answer you want, but He does hear you). "In the day when I cried thou answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul." Psalm 138:3 On Feb.2, 2009 I cried to Him and told Him I was done with the cigarettes they had such a hold on my life and I wanted my life back. The Lord heard me cry and I am thankful to have His strength helping me through this. If you need His strength just ask Him. Don't be to proud to ask for help.. So if there is a challenge out there with your name on it- don't be afraid to take it. The Lord will help you and give you strength, all you have to do is ask Him. He hears your prayers..... May the Lords hands of strength be upon you in your daily challenges.
Love in Christ,
Des

Destiny!!

Destiny:(N)- A predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control. I have one word for you "GOD".
God knows your whole life from beginning to end. He already knows if you will choose Him or not. But your faith in Him will help secure your eternal destiny. Live everyday for that day. Live it so that when you lay your head down to go to sleep you are pleased with what you have accomplished, how you helped someone, or how you handled a difficult situation.
In my opinion the Lord already knows our destiny. He knows what we are going to say and do before we say it or do it. He knows our future, He knows our destiny. So what we have to do is live everyday with the Lord in our hearts- so that we will know what our destiny is. I try to live my life according to Gods word and believe me its a daily struggle. Being a Christian isn't easy. Its hard work but that is why the reward is so amazing...
Don't let the past determine your destiny. The past is the past, leave it there. We all sin in one way or another, little or big and that is why I am so thankful that I serve a loving and forgiving God. If I mess up that day with a hateful comment, I know that forgiveness is only a prayer away. So don't beat yourself up for a bad day and don't turn your back on Him. Talk to Him about it- He is the best friend you will ever have. Ask for forgiveness ( if you need to) or just ask for His guidance. Make sure your destiny is to be with the Lord in Heaven. He already knows your destiny but it is a truly peaceful feeling to know that if tomorrow never comes- you wouldn't have to worry, because you lived today for Him. Are you living with the Lord in your heart? Are you destined to Heaven? Remember, He is just a prayer away.. Talk to Him about your destiny.
"The Lord is good, a strong hold on the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust Him." Nahum 1:7
"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eyes." Psalm 32:8
"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." Psalm 118:8
This is my favorite scripture when I am feeling like the world is stacked on my shoulders. I give myself a pep talk, say a prayer and say this out loud.... "Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:9
Thanks for reading and I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you all the days of your live.
Love in Christ, Des

Respond or React?

I got to thinking the other day, yes I do think sometimes... Has someone said something so rude or hateful that you just blurted out something hateful right back. You know what just happened, you sank to their level.(I hate when that happens). Someone told me that you need to respond NOT react. When you react its on impulse and it is all adrenaline and no thought. So if you respond you will end up getting the upper hand in the discussion and you will look like a million bucks while they end up looking like an idiot... And believe me I need all the help I can get in that department. As most of my friends know I am all impulse and no thought but those few wise words helped me to start thinking about what I'm going to say before i (have diarrhea of the mouth and) make myself look like the idiot. So in true Des blogging form I have some scriptures to help with the fight between responding and reacting!! "But shun profane and vain babbling, for they will increase to more ungodliness" Timothy 2:16 OK now tell me that one doesn't make you want to watch what you say.. "Listen, for I will speak of excellent things, And from the opening of my lips will come right things; For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips." Proverbs 8:6-7 I have one more and this is the one we need to write on a little paper and put it in our pocket so every time you plunge your hand in to get your chap stick or some change at the gas station you will feel this piece of paper and remember "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue-Keeps his soul from troubles." Proverbs 21:23
I love the fact that no matter what we are going through you can find scripture in the Bible to help you. Its amazing that the Lord knew what we would have to experience ,even though all experiences are different, we can find comfort for all things in the Word of God... Thank you Jesus for being all knowing and giving us ONE book that holds the answers, the support and the comfort that we all will need in our lives..
That is MY goal, to do more responding and less reacting- to mean, lazy or hateful people. So I guess this is the true question. Are you going to respond or react? Be the better person, think of the Lords' words and.......... Respond.
Love in Christ,
Des