Female in Motion

             Psalm 116:15 (KJV) Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.  A beautiful rose has faded away. She was too rare a creature to live on this earth, and now she will take her place in Heaven's glorious garden. Quiet and humble are the characteristics most often attributed to our former pastor's wife. She was a gentle soul, a wonderful listener, incredibly thoughtful. Although she probably never knew, I studied her life and watched how she carried herself with such grace and dignity. Her remarkable strength, under the pressure of the leadership of a small congregation, was epic. Never a doormat, she demonstrated a servant's heart, and led by example. While her husband shepherded our church, this Rose managed the family, made a comfortable and hospitable home and supported the man of God. No matter what stresses the day held, she spoke no harsh words. Her patience and even temper with...

Psalm 103:11-12 (KJV) For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. God is all-knowing. This means that we keep no secrets from our Heavenly Father, even the ones we don't tell ourselves. His memory is perfectly clear, yet he can wipe out any of our repented sins. What's really cool is that our Savior separates our sins from us. We are no longer tainted by that mistake. God is omniscient. He has total recall. God is merciful. He cannot remember our repented sins. All we have to do is ask. *** Notable Quote: "God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination."--Augustine

Ephesians 1:10 (KJV) That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: When I was a kid, one of my favorite late summer activities was going to the peach orchard near Haysville, KS. The peaches were warm and perfectly ripe for picking.  As we filled our baskets, I couldn't resist taking a big bite of that juicy fruit. It wouldn't have done much good to go peach picking in January. They don't ripen until August. When our pastor brought a lesson this Sunday on "the fulness of time," I just knew I had to cherry-pick. *ahem* The fullness of time is a Biblical phrase that relates to God's perfect timing. When you pray, have you noticed that the Father says yes, no, or not now? While Christ walked this planet, He was sometimes questioned as to His timing. When Jesus was summoned to heal a dying Lazarus, he delayed two days, until his friend ...

Labor Day 2015...a well-deserved holiday for those who keep America running. We all put in long, hard hours at work daily, so a three-day weekend to rest, relax and enjoy is something we deserve, right? Um, not so much. Exactly what is it that we deserve? Some would have you believe that Christians should have rainbows and puppies every day, and if you don't, you're not doing it right. We work and save and buy a nice place, a few cars, some nice vacations. But do we deserve the blessings we receive? How about the hard times? What warrants those? Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. God asks that His children conform to His moral code, and when we fail to meet that standard and confess our sin, our Heavenly Father dispenses His mercy with abundance. Since He's the one that meets our needs and dispenses our blessings, wh...