Winners of the "Comforts from the Cross" Giveaway

Sorry it took me awhile ....didn't realize what a crazy week the 11th would be (my husband's birthday) and followed by a trip out of town. I decided to give away two books because of the overwhelming response to the giveaway. If you layered the reposting it gave you extra layers to the "giveaway"...so drum roll please! BONNIE & GRIG are the two winners of the giveaway!
I really was overwhelmed by the positive comments and responses.  Thank you to everyone who participated. 
 More giveaways coming in the next few weeks and months to come!

"Comforts From the Cross" Giveaway

I am a newbie to blogging, if you couldn't tell, but one thing I've noticed in my own bloggin' endeavors is that there are "giveaways" from time to time for visiting or commenting on your blog.  I've decided to do the same.....so I am giving away a book close to my heart, Comforts from the Cross by Elyse Fitzpatrick.  I've read this book and will continue to read it throughout my life.  It truly is what it says, there are 31 small chapters designated to take you to the foot of the cross in daily increments.  Each chapter,even though only a few pages in length, takes you to the cross in ways you have never contemplated your Saviour and what He has done for His beloved. I have given this book to friends as gifts and they would agree how much it has blessed their soul.

If you become a "follower" of my blog - you will be entered for the giveaway.

If you leave a comment on my blog - you will be entered for the giveaway.

If you repost the giveaway on your Facebook and/or Twitter - you will be entered for the giveaway (Make sure to tag me on your repost).

I will announce the "giveaway" winner on January 11th, 2011.

What Would the Movie Say?

We tend to watch old movies in our home.  AMC or Turner Classics is a channel we watch quite frequently.  A movie we watched this week was, The Comic, with Dick Van Dyke as the main character Billy Bright.  The movie opens up at the funeral of the main character and the main character is the narrator for the movie.  Billy Bright takes you through his life and ends again at his funeral.  It ended up being a very sad movie.   He returns to the end regretting the course of his life and the choices he made.  He was a very selfish man and only lived to gratified himself.  He ended up dying alone and with nothing left after all his selfish ambitions.  I think Billy Bright would agree with King Solomon, "Its all vanity!"

If there was a movie of your life, what would the movie say about who you are? Would it reveal what you love and strive for?  If you were to play it back in your mind, is it regretful or joyful?
There is a movie playing currently that people are watching.  Believers and unbelievers are watching how your story plays out "live".  What do they see? What would they say? What do believers say about you? What are you characterized for?
Apostle Paul commended the Thessalonian church by saying, "constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfast of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father," (1 Thessalonians 1:3). 

Are we known for our work of faith?

Is our labor of love active ingredient in our relationships? 

Are we characterized for our steadfast hope in Christ?

Would believers and unbelievers alike say.....

"how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come."

I Thessalonians 1:9-10



What will the movie critics say about the movie of your life when it comes to an end?

Jonathon Edward's Resolutions

#6 "Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live."

 #7 "Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do,

 if it were the last hour of my life."

May we all live with the Audience of One all to the glory of God!

Fear of the Lord

I am in the middle of reading Edward T. Welch's book, "When People are Big and God is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man."  In Chapter 7, which is called, "Grow in the Lord,"  brings us to the prophet Isaiah.  Welch writes,

" While Job's class in the fear of the Lord was not specifically targeted to the fear of other people, God's instruction to the prophet Isaiah certainly was.  When Isaiah was called by God, he was given a message that guaranteed he would be rejected and physically threatened by others (Isaiah 6:9-14).  There were going to be daily opportunities for him to fear man rather than God.  As a result, it was essential for him to have the fear of the Lord absolutely branded into his heart, because the person who fears God fears nothing else."

Welch takes us to Isaiah 6: 1-8

"In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted,

with the train of His robe filling the temple.  Seraphim stood above him, each having

six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet,

and with two he flew.  And one called out to another and said,

'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,

The whole earth is full of His glory.'

And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him

who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke, Then I said,

"Woe is me, for I am ruined!

Because I am a man of unclean lips,

And I live among a people of unclean lips;

For my eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts.'

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken

from the altar with tongs.  He touched my mouth with it and said, 'Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.'

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go

for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I.  Send me! He said , 'Go, and tell this people."

Welch continues by saying,

"Then Isaiah did what anybody would do in such a situation.  He forgot about himself and offered

himself as a servant to the living God.  His fear of the Lord expressed by reverential obedience.

This is one of the great blessings of the fear of the Lord.  We think less often about ourselves.

When a heart is being filled with the greatness of God, there is less room for the question,

"What are people going to think of me?"...........

If you have been in the presence of the almighty God, everything that once controlled

both have less power."

Welch ends this section by saying,

"Such awe attracts you to God; it does not repel or leave you feeling shame.  It makes you want to come to him and know him.  When the fear of the Lord matures in you,  Christ becomes irresistible."

I don't know about you but I want to be a fearless person for Christ like Isaiah.  I have said and will continue to say to my King like I told Him back in June 2008, "Here am I.  Send me!"

What Brings You Comfort?

Have you ever been in a cave? We went to the Shasta Caverns several years ago as a family.  It was quite an experience, but yet a little scary.  It's a little scary when you have the tendency to be claustrophobic.  I've toured inside of a mine shaft as well.  The deeper inside the shaft the darker it gets and the light from outside dims and seems farther and farther away.
Have you ever felt as if you're inside an emotional dark cave?  You see the light.  You know the path that leads to the light but no matter what you do, you can't seem to make any progress to the light?  You're in emotional despair.  If one more thing were to happen your cup would runneth over. 
It was one of those days and it felt like I was in an emotional dark cave.  So much was being thrown at me and I had decisions to make that weighed my heart and soul.  Some of the decisions were being made for me but not necessarily the ones that I would of chosen or selected for my life.  You know the truth and you seek the truth but its not giving you the answer YOU want.  In this emotional state I actually told someone, "I wish God would speak to me.  I wish the sky would open up and He would speak to me and tell me what to do."
Hours later at home when I was beginning to get ready for bed I glanced over at my nightstand and started looking at the stack of books that I have there.  I have several stacks.  Each stack has a different level of reading priority.  As I glanced over the books (I read 3-4 books at one time...I am a glutton for punishment) they just didn't seem to fit where I was.  I knew I had to study for that week's Bible study but I was in my cave.  I saw Elyse Fitzpatrick's book, "Steadfast Love" in one of my stacks.  I didn't really know what it was about but I grabbed it only because nothing else in my current reading stack seemed to fit the emotional dark cave I was in.  As I opened the pages and began to read, His grace became so apparent to me.  The words coming off the page were as if I was the one writing them.

Psalm 57

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge;

in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

till the storms of destruction pass by.

I cry out to God Most High,

to God who fulfills His purpose for me.

He will send from heaven and save me;

he will put to shame him who tramples on me.

God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

My soul is in the midst of lions;

I lie down amid fiery beasts-

the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,

whose tongues are sharp words.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

They set a net for my steps;

my soul was bowed down.

They dug a pit in my way,

but they have fallen into it themselves.

My heart is steadfast, O God,

my heart is steadfast!

I will sing and make melody!

Awake, my glory!

Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awake the dawn!

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

David wrote this Psalm Elyse's describes, as 'he was running for his life,

hiding in a wilderness, in a cave.'

His grace came pouring out of the pages and onto my soul.  It was as if this book was written for me and only me.  As I put down the book and opened up my Bible study book, in the opening page was

 Psalm 57:2, "I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me." 

The sky opened up and the light shined right on my me and He spoke to me. I asked for Him to speak and He did, right from His Word.   He knew exactly how to comfort me in the midst of my storm and pour out His grace.  He is in the boat with me in the midst of the storm (Mark 4:35-41).

Elyse takes us to the Heidelberg Catechism -

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?


Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, (a) am not my own, (b) but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; (c) who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, (d) and delivered me from all the power of the devil; (e) and so preserves me (f) that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; (g) yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, (h) and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, (i) and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him. (j)

This is what gives me comfort. This is what sheds light and grace on my soul.
 What brings you comfort?