SALT

It seems as if  I am always burning something in the kitchen, including but not limited to: soup, toast, pizza, eggs, quesadillas, my hands, and my arms.  A couple of years ago, I burned my arm while I was cooking Zach a pizza for lunch.  I had put my hot pad mitt on and opened up the door.  As I proceeded to pull the wire rack out, my arm BUMPED the higher wire rack above.  I am not kidding when I say bumped!  As I felt the heat, I promptly pulled my arm away.  However,  immediately a small burn "line" formed on my arm.  I was surprised because my arm might have touched the hot rack for about one second. However, within 5 minutes a large oblong clear blister formed on my skin.  As I marveled how fast I had received a burn, I couldn't help but relate the hot oven to sin in my life.  Sin is not pretty.  Sin is not harmless.  Sin burns!  Even when you "bump" into sin, it can leave damage. When I was a young teenager I had a different view of sin.  Sin was all th

Grace. What love He has for us. Grace is simply God's free, unmerited favor to undeserving sinners. We are all sinners, born in sin from birth, but through the unselfish act of dying on the cross for you and me, through Jesus' bloodshed on the cross, we to, can receive His unconditional grace, love and the bestowal of His blessings.  What a mighty act of love and a beautiful gift God gives freely to the ones who don't deserve it, but who trust in Him, follow Him fully and love Him with all their heart. Grace is not a one time act or gift from our Savior.  The Lord gives it continuously throughout our entire lifetime.  God desires and wants us to have His unceasing, immeasurable grace; not necessarily because of anything we have done to earn it, but because He loves us that much. Wow! I'm so amazed at what a wonderful gift Jesus gives us...for free! Aren't you?  Why would anyone not want His grace?  Many people these days are without hope; hope in Jesus Christ. 

Are you resting today?  Oh, I know most of us are very busy on a Monday morning.   We may be busy working, taking care of our home, schooling our children, preparing our taxes and much more! However, are you resting? The rest I am talking about is much more than a great nap or a good night's sleep.  The rest I am talking about is much more than a day off to shop or to watch movies.  I am talking about true rest; rest that only comes through Christ.  When we "rest" in Christ, we rest in His finished work of the cross, His deep and redeeming love for us and the fact that He won't let us go.  When our true identity is found in Christ, then we can find rest and peace in the middle of the storms of life.  We can know that in Christ we are enough.  We don't have to strive for importance or value, we already have it as a daughter of the King. I want to encourage you to take a minute today to let God refresh and remind you that only IN Christ you can find true rest . 

As I sit here praying and thinking about all that I have to do today, I ask myself these two questions...first, "what do you want me to do today God?" and second, "can you show me how to accomplish that?"  Where do I start?....in prayer! I'm sure we all wake up in the mornings with a list of things we have to do: take kids to school, go to work, run errands, after school activities, chores, cook dinner and more, just the everyday grind that sometimes can weigh us down.  How you start your day and completing those things, though, makes a big difference. I always start with prayer, many times even before my feet hit the floor.  Other times, it is with the stillness of the morning in my chair; coffee in one hand, bible in the other asking God to show me His way today.  Sometimes, we get in a hurry and don't ask God at all or spend any time with Him.  Can anyone relate to waking up like this in any way?  As women, we usually have a myriad of things on our

Do you ever wake up and feel like a ton of bricks is on your heart?  Do you ever wake up and feel sad and you are not sure why? Do you ever wake up and feel so anxious that you can't move?  I am convinced that most women today struggle with some level of  either anxiety or depression.  If that is you, I want to encourage you today! We are emotional beings, that's for sure.   As women, our minds are constantly being filled with thoughts about our families, concerns for the future and much more.  We are complicated and complex, however, the Bible tells us that we are wonderfully and fearfully made! We are God's Masterpiece! (Psalms 139:14, Ephesians 2:10) Feelings are a part of this life and can be a blessing unless they began to control us. I want to be real and share some of my story.   From as far back as I can remember, I have struggled with times of anxiety and depression.  I can remember when I was very young and my parents divorced.  I would go back and for

Happy New Year and Welcome 2018! What do you think about at the beginning of a new year? What are some things that you have on your "must do" list? Do you  have a list or a vision board? Are you a resolution person or are you a person that continues on without making any new "goals" or "resolutions?" Are you the type that just fluffs off the old and continues on like nothing ever changes? A new year, another day, so what?....... I'm sure you have said yes to one or more of these questions at some point in your life.  I have as well. Be honest: How many of your new years resolutions did you keep? One, two, three, none? I've made resolutions just like you and at some point gave up to quickly, said it was too hard, or just lacked the motivation to keep going and stay the course. I'm proud to say that I have conquered a few of my goals in the past, but I have not conquered them all.  Every year I make a plan, a list, and get after more of my go

Happy Monday! I hope you are having a great day so far!  Most people don't cheer for Monday.  I seldom hear:  Thank God it's Monday!  However, Mondays are not all bad.   They can be the beginning of a brand new week; new opportunities, new Divine appointments and more! I just want to encourage you today to remember that no matter what day it is:  God loves you so very much and that same God is in control.  He has a plan even if we can't see the plan unfolding as we would like.  This life is filled with trials and obstacles but as a Christian we do not face those trials alone, nor in our own power. Today you may be very discouraged and the fact that it is Monday is the least of your worries.   Today you may have just found out that someone you thought you could trust let you down in a big way.  Today you may feel left out and unimportant.  No matter what pain you might feel in your heart, let God's love cover that pain.    As a daughter of the Most High King Jesus, we c