Shine Today

Today we sang a song that was written out of a time of prayer over a young boy who ended up being healed. I found myself thinking that some people could be questioning why their storm hasn't changed. Some may be questioning their faith, that it must not be strong enough since healing hasn't come, or the storm hasn't passed. Because see, even though we speak of break through, even though some people are healed, even though some relationships are restored, healing doesn't always come the way we want; break through doesn't always happen they way we asked. Relationships aren't always fixed. Finances don't always improve. BUT, it is important to understand that NO MATTER WHAT, we sing praises to God because He is still good and He is still God. AND WHEN we choose to trust Him in the middle of the storm, we find joy, strength, a peace that surpasses all understanding, an unexplainable ability to keep moving forward, to keep singing praise, to keep trusting, to lov...

After watching my parents this last week, I’d have to say a very critical part of staying married is just that, staying married. And, putting up with each others flaws. Not ignoring them like they don’t exist, but learning how to live with differences. We are not created equal. There WILL be things that others do that bother us or we wish were different. When you live day to day with some of those issues, you MUST make the choice to look past a LOT of things. One other thing. My dad is what I like to call an “introvert” romantic. Meaning he doesn’t express things all the time. Its why it became important for my mom to pay attention to the things he did that showed he loved her. One time that really stands out is when my mom was in the hospital. Starting with the time he talked to her right as she was admitted, he told her he loved her. Then, despite his own health issues, he insisted on visiting, bringing flowers the 1 st visit. And last, knowing she would be...

Christmas is upon us once again. The end of 2008 is just around the corner. I am truly convinced that this year has been the fastest year ever! With all of this, I was trying to figure out what to write since I have not blogged for a bit. And I wanted to focus on this time of year. So much of this time of the year gets focused on buying gifts, decorating and cooking that we often forget the most important thing. I mean, sure, we all know that it’s celebrating the birth of Jesus, but how often do we take time to consider the story? The preparation? One of my favorite stories is found in the book of Luke, in fact, the very beginning- In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered wh...