The Most Important Love Story

Whether you celebrate Valentines Day or not, don't forget the most important love story of all! Jesus loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. No matter what your past relationships have been like, he will always love you and welcome you back into His arms. The best part is, you don't have to explain anything. 

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;

    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a]

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b]neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:31-40

This is a love humans are almost incapable of understanding because by nature we allow the past to dictate our feelings. But Jesus wipes the slate clean and loves us unconditionally. Smile and know that you are loved, even if you don't know Jesus yet!

-Jessica

A Moment

I took these pictures a few days ago right as the sun came up and the trees and ground were still covered in glistening diamonds. I looked out the window, saw the beauty coming and ran outside, clad in pajamas, winter boots and a big hat. It was chilly and I looked ridiculous but it was worth it to capture such a beautiful sight. Had I waited 5 more minutes or took the time to put on all of my winter clothes and I may have missed a wonderful opportunity. 

God provides us with opportunities every day to act immediately on showing His love to others. Never wait to tell someone you love them, never wait to forgive one another and never wait tell others what God has shown you. Be a light in the darkness and put your faith to work. James 2:14-17 says, What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

-Jessica

Let Go

Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you- for you know in your heart that many times you have cursed others. Ecclesiastes 7:1-22  Its about this time of year that I start counting down the days until spring. I have more feelings of irritation than joy. I don't want to have to scrape the snow off my walkway. I don't want to have to put a bunch of layers and coats on me or my kids. I don't want to park far away at the grocery store and have to walk through the snow and slush. My feelings may not be too far off of most peoples. We are quick to get angry about things out of our control. Our displeasure of these things can make us quick to place blame, yell and speak things we wish to take back.

Let's let go of the things we can't control and make sure the things we can control are kept in check. Our minds, our mouths and our actions. Let's use the passion we feel for a situation and make sure it gets put into helping others. Whether that be through kind deeds, warm thoughts or gracious words. In the same token, let's be quick to forgive others for things that have said or done, for we have all had our moments of chagrin.

When faced with the choice, try to forgive someone immediately. It will bring joy to your heart and to theirs!

-Jessica

Planning Your Garden

I love planning my vegetable garden. In the middle of winter I can dream about all the fresh and tasty foods that will be prepared and eaten by my family. It takes more than just some open soil to have a garden. You have to plan how big you want it, what vegetables you will have, if you are growing them from seed or buying plants. Which plants compliment each other and which need to be on opposite sides of the plot. Then after you plant them you have to care for them. Water and compost have to be added to make sure your garden flourishes. If you are like me it grows well but weeds eventually take over because I get busy with other summer activities. It takes research, time and energy to grow a successful garden. Just like it does to be successful at anything we do research and plan for our future. We need to take the same approach about having a relationship with Christ. Reading the Bible daily to research what God expects from us, planning the words we will say to others so that we can be made to look more like His image and growing through our strengths and weaknesses, learning from our mistakes. Once we know what God wants us to do in every area of our lives, we must strive to be the best for Him and for each other.

Read the Parable of the Sower and why it is important to hold God's word close to our hearts- Matthew 13:1-18

Are you planning a garden this year? What are your favorite vegetables and flowers?

Heart- A Vital Organ

Put your hand over your heart and close your eyes. I mean it, just stop reading and do it right now. Feel it beating life into your body. This small but mighty organ gets little praise from us. We don't typically stop and thank our heart for keeping us alive and yet it continues on, pulsing blood through our veins. Our hearts are a made for much more than keeping us alive though. In the bible it says our hearts show our intentions and thoughts (Hebrews 4:12), they can trust (Proverbs 3:5), they believe (Romans 10:10) and our hearts need to be pure (Matthew 5:8).

In the King James version, the word love is only mentioned a little over 300 times, compared to the word heart, which is printed over 900 times. (1) In my opinion means that our hearts have more responsibility than just loving. God intended for our hearts to help guide us through our life and make the right decisions. We may be compared to other people by our outward appearance but God has made it clear that He will be judging us by our hearts. But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

-Jessica

1. The Holy Bible, King James Version. Cambridge Edition: 1769; King James Bible Online, 2015. http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Popular-Bible-Words.php

Linking up at christianmommyblogger.com

Close To Your Heart

What do you hold nearest to your heart? Your loving home you have built and everything in it? Your beautiful family? Your relationship with Jesus? Probably all of those thing rank close to the top if you are being honest. When disaster strikes it is devastating to lose your belongings because it can feel like you have lost everything. The same goes for family members, the world stops when someone is taken away from us through death. But having faith in Jesus, and knowing that no matter what happens there is a glorious place where He will meet you, is something to celebrate! That is what we need to hold closest to our hearts. Because in the end God owns everything and He gives and takes away.

Read this quick story of Job who Satan thought would turn away from God if God took everything from him: possessions and family. Job 1:1-22

Job held God closest to his heart and no matter what he lost, he still did not blame God.

Some inspiring stories have circled our media of people who showed robbers and thieves the love of Jesus because that was on the forefront of their mind. Challenge yourself to see what you hold nearest to your heart and pray that God will give you a loving heart willing to give up anything for Him.

-Jessica

Trials & Struggles

Trials & struggles. We all have them. Often times I feel as if that's all my life consists of. But recently I started realizing I need to turn those struggles into blessings.God puts hard things in our lives to test us,to make us better people for him. You see God desperately wants purity in our hearts,that is the reason for the hard things in our lives. He is testing the reigns to see how we handle our struggles,He wants to bless us! But if we constantly complain about them he will not. We need to embrace our trials and struggles because they are all part of Gods work in us.

So rather than dread trials that are coming our way, we need to take courage in the fact that God is faithful, His strength is sufficient for any trial you and I face or will face.Whenever I feel like life is to much I just can't make it through something I turn to these verses and remember God will not put me through something I can't handle.

1 Peter 5:10 "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast."

James 1:12 "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those that love him."

Romans 5:3-4 "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;perseverance,character, and character, hope."

-Stefanie

A Season For Everything- Part Three of Organizing Your Heart

I have experienced many different seasons of my life over the past few years. I went from single to wife to mother and each change brought less independence. My skill list may have changed too but my spiritual gift(s) have stayed the same. God has blessed each of us with spiritual gifts that we are to use during every season of our lives. 1 Peter 4:10. Even though I have less time to use what God has given me, it hasn't deterred me from figuring out how I can serve others in that area. My purpose right now is to raise my children and I will try and use my gift accordingly. Figure out your spiritual gift and then find your purpose or mission.

1 Corinthians 12 talks about the gifts God has blessed each one of us with. A wonderful resource for figuring out your gift is found here: In Touch Ministries- About Spiritual Gifts


Try looking over these three simple steps to get your heart on the right track this new year:
1. Clear your heart
2. Pray about it
3. Find your spiritual gift and purpose (read above)

It All Takes Practice -Part Two of Organizing Your Heart

When was the last time you have a really deep conversation with a total stranger? Maybe once or twice I am guessing, but most people would probably be uncomfortable letting someone in on their most personal thoughts. Why then do we expect to just be good at prayer if we don't really know God or talk to Him on a regular basis? Do we expect to be great at anything without practice? I think some people give up on prayer or go through cycles of prayer for many reasons. We pray for a while when we need something like relief from illness or really want that new job. We make a resolution to start praying more and think our prayer has to last at least 10 minutes or use big words for God to hear it. But in all reality, God just wants to hear from us, period. Making it a habit takes practice and effort.

His instructions tell us to be faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12. He wants us to pray without ceasing. Colossians 4:2 Even when we don't know what to pray for or how, the Spirit guides us. Romans 8:26

Just like any good relationship, one with God takes time and it doesn't usually begin with the longest chat. A quick "hello" or "how has your day been?"  Make today the first of 365 days of prayer. You will quickly develop a lasting relationship and a wonderful prayer life!

-Jessica

Are You A Cat Or A Dog? -Part One of Organizing Your Heart

Everyone knows the differences between cats and dogs. Cats are solitary. They are somewhat selfish, manipulative and hide when they are frightened. They are more attached to their environment than other cats....or people. Dogs on the other hand are pack animals. They are loyal, trusting and reliant. They crave attention and know that their actions dictate their own happiness as well as their masters. They will still do their best even when they don't get a reward each time.

A dog and a cat have completely different mindsets. One is looking for a life of luxury while the other is hoping to serve the best they can. If God could choose a mindset for us to have, I think it would relate more to that of a dog. We need to always be waiting for a sign from Him. Psalm 33:20-22 Always be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve His will. Luke 18:22-24 We need to completely rely on Him for all of our needs and not only run to Him when we are frightened but when we are happy. Proverbs 3:5-6 Sometimes my mindset is wrong and I have to shift from self-focused to serving. God designed us to think on our own and we need to make sure we have the right mindset. Ephesians 2:10

So let's clear our minds and hearts and listen to what God's plans and resolutions are for us this year!

-Jessica

Everything begins with the Heart

Can I tell you this has been a long time coming? A few months to be exact but I am finally here. I am so excited to be able to share what God is doing in my everyday life with all of you. I am not a profound writer by any means and in part I am writing this for my kids. Yes, I know they can't read, but I realized if I am going to be raising my children to rely on God and they start asking me questions about Him or why we should read the Bible, I need to have the answers for them. Or at least tell them where to find them. God says we need to teach our children His commands in Deuteronomy 4:9. Writing this will help me to be accountable for how I spend my time and energy. I am also doing this because the internet and social media are so popular right now and if I can inject the name of the Lord into those in any way and lead even one person to Christ, then this has been a success.

So why should you read this? For those of you who are super organized (not me exactly) I made a list of some of the things I will probably touch on throughout this next year:
1. Prayer
2. Importance of reading the Bible
3. Fellowship
4. Scripture Memorization
5. Highlighting some awesome people in the bible and living today

I promise to keep it entertaining so just stay with me for a while! Shortly my awesome sister Stef will be joining me on here as well, she is full of wisdom and has a kind heart. We hope you will follow us and gain some knowledge and inspiration.

Sometime in the last 20 years of my life I made the choice to follow God. I didn't have that profound moment that some have where one day they opened up their Bible and made the decision that day to walk with Jesus. But that's ok because I know my story is just at important to Him as the person who has risked it all to proclaim Jesus as our Savior. His love is unending and never failing and I want to have a heart that shows that love and compassion towards others. It's true, we think and make decisions with our minds but our actions come from our hearts. Look at the Bible verses Luke 6:45 and Proverbs 23:19. Let's make sure our hearts are full of love and compassion and whatever we speak and do will be good.

Take a moment today, on this first day of the new year, and turn on or open your Bible. Whether its been a few hours or days or years since you last had, God doesn't care, he wants a relationship with you now! When in doubt, a good place to start is always the beginning of the book ;-)

-Jessica