Be Thankful to God The third priority in putting God first in one’s life is to show appreciation and be thankful to God, because it is of his fullness of grace we have all received grace upon grace, and since we are receiving what we were destined to receive, which is a kingdom that cannot be [...]

Making friends can be hard, especially in a new school or area. Here are some tips, as well as how to know the best Friend you could ever have.

Shining Perspective I had just finished my shower. I dried off and was getting ready to brush my teeth and then I hear, “Mommy?” The soft seeking voice of my son breaks the sound of the bathroom fan whirring. The door slowly opens. Then silence. “What are you doing honey?” I ask standing in front of [...]

God gives us children to teach us lessons! I have learned from watching, listening, supervising, and trying to teach little children.  Sometimes what I learn is that I am not the smart person in the room. I believe God sends us little children who will challenge us.  They bring us back down from our pedestals, put [...]

An Introduction to our FREE 15 lesson course on “How To Find Happiness“. Webster Definition For Happiness: A state of well-being and contentment; a pleasurable satisfaction. Wikipedia Definition For Happiness: Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.    A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify [...]

Yesterday, the United States celebrated its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. John Adams had written to his wife Abigail,”It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty”.  The first historical Independence Day occurred in the bible as Adam and Eve [...]

My Lord, my God... no one can ever tell me that prayer does not work! Not after what I've seen, no, Lord, no...

A Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there!  May God bless you and give you wisdom and knowledge to bring your children up in His righteousness. I know the gifts have probably already been bought but just wanted to guide each of you to this book – “52 Things Kids Need From a Dad” [...]

The Gulf Oil Spill, which may become the largest man-made disaster in human history, is getting worse, as the news shows it’s now full of methane. Pictures show things which appear to be out of the Book of Revelation, as the oily mess appears blood-like in color and texture. (It looks close enough to blood, [...]

Shining Perspective When the sink is full of dishes, when the socks are by the door When there’s pee on the rug, and even more on the floor God doesn’t change. When there’s laundry to be done, but the soap’s all gone When the quarters are few and the toilet paper’s through God doesn’t change. When the bills are piling up and [...]

Someone once said, “I wish I could be as good a person as my dog thinks I am.” I had always thought that was merely a cute saying until I became the owner of Rob Roy, my Scottish Border Collie. Now, not only do I wish I were as good as he thinks I am, [...]

Step out on faith and let God do a "New Thing" in your life! "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" Isaiah 43:18-19a (NIV)

The incredible oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to draw attention, as people struggle to find fixes . Warnings of a massive hurricane season, even if they prove to be wrong, make it seem even worse. Pollution now is bad enough that some fear that the whole planet – the oceans, air, land, [...]

What comes to mind when you think about worship? Do you think of a particular place or time, or way to do it? Two thoughts come to mind when I think about worship. First of all, God’s Word tells us to do it, so I should be obedient, but secondly, I admit I need to do [...]

New Experiences will always feel a little scary. They're supposed to. But every time you face a fear and do it anyway, you build up that much more confidence in your abilities.

Memorial day is one of the most precious days of the year. It is the day to remember all the fallen soldiers that paid the ultimate price defending our country. They paid the price no matter how they felt about the war…whether it was a war worth fighting for…they just did anyway. To you and your [...]

My husband built me a bird feeder from a welding rod can.  It was painted a beautiful red color with a white cap (made from a stove element cover).  I thought it was sure to withstand anything. That is, until my nightly bird coon came along.  The pretty raccoon in the picture gave me a joyful [...]

Shining Perspective Success! We’re moved.  We are now living each day sifting through a sea of boxes.  My daily motto has become: “adopt a spirit of adventure and go on a treasure hunt!”  Seven years is long enough to collect more stuff than I ever imagined I would own.  I’ve been surprised to discover the things [...]

I hadn’t thought about my grammar school days for a long time, but one day they boldly invaded my thoughts.  I remembered the friends I played with and even recalled the names of my favorite teachers.  My classroom, with the big clock on the wall and the old-fashioned desk I sat in, were as visible [...]

Jesus once said that we are to “render unto Caesar what is due Caesar and render unto God what is due God.” The meaning behind this parable is easy to understand. We must pay our taxes and follow the laws the government lays out for us, while at the same time tithing and obeying God's word in our lives. It was the ideal way to live then, and it is the way we are called as Christians to live today.

Those of us who grew up in the 60's and 70's may remember the "What, Me Worry?" catch phrase from Alfred E. Newman, the posterboy for Mad Magazine, with his ragedy smile and his boyish-looking face. However, Alfred E. Newman did make a valid point. Anxiety and worry distracts us from worshipping and serving God. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (Matthew 6:27)

The motto of the Boy Scouts is to always be prepared. It is a good creed to live by, as you never know exactly what is going to happen. Boy Scouts always make sure they have everything on hand they could possibly need for any eventuality out in the world. Their whole objective is to never be caught off guard. You should live your life that way, too, in order to provide protection and security to yourself and your family. This is especially important when it comes to faith, as it is said that Jesus will come as a thief in the night, so you must always be prepared for his return.

As Christians, we are called on by God to the role of serving others -- and not only in the area of finances. We are to serve others with every opportunity we can find, and to always be looking for opportunities to do so. And next to witnessing to the testimony of the Gospel, it is a primary function as children of God as well as loving God with all of our hearts and souls and minds.

I recently read an article in “Voice of the Martyrs” that has left me convicted. “Who is First?” In our day to day living are we putting God’s Kingdom first?  As I reflect and read stories of Christians sacrificing themselves and their families for Christ, I feel remorse for not doing more for God’s Kingdom.  I [...]

As Mother’s Day approaches, it’s also time to honor not only biological mothers, but everyone who performs the duties of a mother – grandmothers, aunts, older sisters, and others. It’s also a good time to consider a very important woman in the Bible – Mary. Mary is shown to be a woman of great faith – [...]

The Love of Jesus Lamentations 3:22-23 … Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Psalm 25:4-6 … Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all [...]

A quick lesson on how to continue to be joyful even in the midst of your greatest trials… HEBREWS 12 Hebrews 12:3 “For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” This verse says it all to me.  Consider Him [Jesus]….. lest I be weary [worn and [...]

Shining Perspective “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” ~Ephesians 5:22-24 It’s 7am already? How does that [...]

1 Samuel 17:45-47 (New International Version) David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and [...]

Christ is in our hearts and souls.  Christ is also a part of our bodies.  These bodies about which we complain, abuse, neglect, and despise belong to our Lord and Savior. When someone asks why we should exercise, one of the best answers would be because Christ needs the best of care.  Physical exercise is a [...]

AS a Man Thinketh in His Heart, so is He. From Proverbs: 23:7 We are composed of a body soul and Spirit. Body = anything physical about you. Soul = emotion, ego, id, will, logic mind, subconscious mind….all that is not body. Spirit – anything of you that is not of body and/or soul. The subconscious mind is the way or [...]

"An irony, by focusing on helping others get what they want, and not on our own personal gain, we stand to gain a great deal." -- from The Power of Failure by Charles C. Manz

Who gets into Heaven?  Do you know your Bible?  Get the answer here! Do you really know what it means to be a Christian and what the bible takes to get into heaven? Person A… …has a heart for serving.  She even goes to India and all her life serves the poor.  She heard about Jesus and believes [...]

This should wake us up. One day, a man went to visit a church. He got there early, parked his car and got out. Another car pulled up near the driver got out and said, ‘I always park there!  You took my place!’  The visitor went inside for Sunday school, found an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from [...]

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” -- Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political and spiritual leader

Shining Perspective “Mommmmmyyyyy!!!” That is the unmistakable screeching, panicked voice of my five year old son; accompanied by what sounds like a herd of elephants stampeding toward me as he flies around the corner panting, eyes wide he says, “Why did you leave me?” I responded, “Honey, I’m right here, did I leave you?” His disappointed [...]

We all go through these times in which we wake up and have other things on our mind except that which we should be thinking about. I know just as well as the next person that the first and only thing on my mind should be the Lord. Not just a passing thought of His greatness [...]

Whatever happened in the Ben Roethlisberger case, it shows the importance of having friends who will help, and also the need for that Firend who sticks closer than a brother

“Except by the grace of God, go I.” Many of you have probably heard similar phrases to that before. In the past I’ve heard different preachers talk about it from time to time and I’ve asked a couple friends what that phrase meant to them, and almost every one of them had same kind of response.  [...]

Was it a dream or a nightmare?  Was it a vision of some sort? Did it really happen?  I do not know.  I only know that the event and all the things that I am about to describe to you seem as real to me now in the day light as they did in the [...]

Easter as we know it consists of several things.  One, the honor to the Lord for giving up His son for our sins.  Two, the selflessness of Jesus as He gave up His own life and returned to sit at the right hand of the Father.  Three, family gathering.  Four, commercialism:  Easter candy, baskets, presents, [...]

Christianity isn't just about a man on a cross; it's about God coming to earth in the flesh, and suffering and dying for the sins of all mankind, the rising fromt he dead.

This morning, as my husband and I were heading to the car we heard the beautiful music of a song bird.  The sun was not yet on the horizon and the morning was still cloaked in darkness.  The moon, still mostly full, was shining as brightly as it could fully prepared to give way to [...]

“If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down.”

With the explosion of blogging across  internet today people blog for different reasons, as the trend continues to grow we are seeing more and more Christian blogs and people who classify themselves as Christian bloggers.  Why would one become a Christian blogger or focus just on Christian blogging? Christian blogging or reading a Christian blog can [...]

Easter is coming. For the next 60 seconds, set aside whatever you’re doing and take this opportunity to consider the following: THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty. At the time, crucifixion was the “worst” death.  Only the worst criminals condemned to be crucified.  Yet it was even  [...]

“At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.’ Solomon answered, ‘Give Your servant a discerning heart to govern Your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours.’ [...]

Aliens, SETI, and search for extraterrestrial life: Is there life on other planets, and what should we say to them? Lots of people talk about aliens from other planets. Popular movies from E.T. down to Avatar, numerous TV shows, and of course, the major program called SETI - where there is an active search for extra-terrestrial [...]

the only perfect health care plan is from a perfect God, not imperfect man, as only god knows each of us individually, and cares for us unconditionally, with our best interest always at heart.

Importunity is a new word to my vocabulary. I learned that this word means wearisome persistence or of persistent demand. The word itself sounds like two words combined and I will probably remember it this way. It sounds like the word important and word opportunity combined. To me and through God the word importunity means [...]

When you are feeling lost and alone, come to Jesus. When it feels like none cares and everyone has turned their back towards you come to Jesus. Jesus is there waiting to bring a smile to your face to make feel at home in his arms and safe. When you feel quick to anger and quick to react, [...]

I used to live near to two different gas stations. The closer of the two stations generally always had the best prices per gallon. The other station was only a block down and the gas prices were only slighter higher. Naturally, I would often choose the closest location due to location and price value. I [...]

Running a race requires never giving up no matter how hard the going gets. The following scriptures describe our Christian lives as a race to be run and completed.     And as Longfellow reminds us we need to have perseverance Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough [...]

Have you ever had someone irk your nerves? Is there someone in your life that completely unravels your resolve with a single word or deed? Maybe it is someone you don’t even know very well or even at all? Out of no where, someone zaps you with unmerited meanness, un-thoughtfulness, disrespect, hatefulness and down right evil behavior! [...]

All throughout the bible, from the beginning, of creation, and in creation itself, we are told of many great miracles.  Man made from the dust and clay and given life by the breath of God.  There were miracles in the burning bush, parting of the Red Sea, and Manna from heaven.  There were great miraculous [...]

Don't let anyone convince you that you can't do what God expects of you. A steward has authentic responsiblility and carries it out faithfully. By God's grace, you can do what He has planned for you.

Looking back over the past year I consider it nothing but a miracle that I could handle one of the saddest times in my life so well.  My Dad had been the victim of Parkinson disease for more than 20 years.  It is so sad to see a loved one who is so intelligent be [...]

How to Have Your Debt Paid in Full The current national debt of the Untied States is an amount so staggering, few can grasp it. It’s one of the big reasons why national help with health care is so hotly debated, and people worry so much about Social Security. There is an even bigger debt, though, than [...]

The earthquake in chile is one of many "earthquakes in diverse placs" in recent years, a sign we may be near the end times.

So it is up to us as Christians to act on what we already possess. We should believe, live and act as though we are blessed, because we really already are!