SALT

As I am sitting here pondering this past week and the wonderful revival we had at church, I can’t help but feel overwhelmingly grateful for Jesus and His love for us. I’m rejuvenated, excited, and so incredibly thankful that I have a Savior who loves unconditionally. I want to shout from the mountain tops to the ends of the earth that Jesus is ALIVE and that He LOVES you and me! But what does REVIVAL truly mean? What do you think of when you hear the word “revival?” Do you think of a temporary state of being, a certain way to feel emotionally after a jump start to yourself or others, or do you feel an elated state of happiness? While all these maybe true, the dictionary defines “revive” as returning to consciousness or life: becoming active or flourishing again. Just like a flower after a hard winter buds and blooms again, it shows that it becomes alive again with the newness of the welcoming, warm weather and the fresh Spring season. The flower becomes a beautiful creation of...

 Does your stomach get in knots when someone is upset with you?  Do you feel a little rain cloud over your head when someone you love is unhappy?   For many years I have been a people-pleaser.  When I was younger, I would say and do things to make people happy even if I felt they were wrong.  Also, I would keep quiet when I should of spoken up.  I felt it was my personal duty to make sure everyone was pleased with me and my performance.  Exhausting! Not only is being a people-pleaser exhausting, it is not healthy nor Godly.  I can just hear someone saying, "but are we not suppose to love and care for others?"  Of course we are.  However, being a "people-pleaser" often has nothing to do with love and everything to do with fear.   We fear losing a friendship or love relationship.  We fear of losing status or position.  We fear failure and loss of approval.  We are called to love.  Love is a free gift ...

Do you ever feel like you open you bible and think where in the world do I start? Have you felt so overwhelmed in the task of understanding God's Word that you feel like giving up? What about setting aside time daily to read the Word of God and then at times falling behind and struggling to keep that commitment? I'm sure we have all felt this way a some point, if not, often. We yearn for the knowledge, but feel so inadequate. It's time that we step up and conquer our biblical illiteracy. But how? What do we do? How can we conquer the mountain of biblical illiteracy? I can tell you it's not easy, but with "one spoonful at a time" you can. Studying the Bible doesn't come easy for many and for some it's a grind. But God tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that His Word is for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. His Word is available to us all and we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help in revealing understanding to us. We shoul...

Dear Sister in Christ, Do you ever feel you are in a hole and can't get out?  Do you ever get tired of feeling bad?  Do you ever wonder if things will ever be better?  On this earth we all go through tough times.  Sometimes we face hardships due to sin that we have embraced.  Other times we face hardships that weren't brought on by sin at all.   Why does God let us suffer? I want to say right now that I do not have all the answers.  God is infinitely wiser and more powerful than I can ever imagine.   He understands things that I may never understand.  While we don't have all the answers we can trust God's heart towards us. Sometimes in order to get us back on the right track, God allows us to experience pain.  Through this pain we often turn back to the True Source of our life and contentment. 1 John 1:9 says if you confess your sins the Lord is faithful to forgive you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.   Othe...