Note Pad

The Power of a Note

I don’t know about you, but I am a NOTE TAKER!!!! My desk at work is covered with little notes to remind me of the most important things that need to be taken care of. I have notes at home for groceries, things to be done around the house, when and where the family needs to be through the week….oh yea I am a NOTE TAKER!!!!

I was in a bible study a few years back, and the lady who was leading the study, challenged us to write down the things that we wanted God to work out most in our lives. I remember thinking, how silly….why would God react to a list I wrote in the back of my study book? I remember writing that I would like to get the courage to pray in public, that I wanted to be still long enough to feel the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life and ease my anxiety long enough to focus on what God wanted me to do in my life. Well months went by, and do you know I started slowly seeing the things I wrote down start to happen. I was asked to help be a part of VBS at our church, and was asked by our director to lead prayer for our volunteers and I was soooooooo scared!! But I did it, I prayed and remember the first person I saw when I looked up was my pastor, and I looked straight at him and said I have never prayed in public before, and he just hugged me and said, you did GREAT!! WOW the power of a note, on a piece of paper, from my bible study months ago!!

I want to challenge you to do the same thing I did so many years ago, use this notepad that you received from our precious VBS children and use it to write down the things you want God to do most in your life. Maybe you want him to speak to you about work, family, your children, your marriage…or just to be still long enough to hear him speak to you. Whatever it is write it down, pray about it and lift it up to the Holy Spirit who can hear you whether you say it, feel it in your heart or write it down on a notepad. I hope you feel the Power of a Note very soon in your life.

Thank you for reading our blog, we love you but God loves you so very much more than us. I pray that you hear him speak to you and that the things you do write down are lifted up to the Holy Spirit and that you slowly start to see and realize the things you wrote down are being done by the Power of the Note that you wrote to our Almighty God!!

Necklace

This week is very special because it contains a very special day...Valentines Day! You are welcome for the reminder! I used to work at a Hallmark Cards store many years ago. It was humorous to see the people who would come the day before or even the day of Valentines, desperate for just the right card or gift, and then they would ask, "Is this all you have left?" Well we can't have an endless supply just for you is what I would think in my head but I would just nod politely and apologize. Many things run out in life....for example, toilet paper- someone has to change the roll, the ink in your favorite pen- needs to be refilled, even an endless buffet will eventually run out of food. There is only one thing that I can think of that needs no refilling, when I received this I was given everything I would,could and should ever need....that is the fullness of Christ!

"For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority." (Colossians 2:9-10)

I am in union with Christ and He has placed the Holy Spirit in me with all His fullness. When I am low on patience, I don't need to pray to be refilled, I need to ask God to restore me to the place where I feel His fullness! When my life seems empty and powerless, I need to pray and ask God to renew my mind to understand He has already given me all the fullness of Christ!! If I am in Christ there is no refilling needed, it's my end that has a little static and it's my phone that keeps dropping the call.

I don't know what your Valentine's Day will look like, maybe you will need to run out for a last minute card or gift. The Good News is that you can receive the most amazing gift ever offered, you can receive the fullness of Christ today. The second good news is that you now have received the gift of this necklace that you can give away on Valentines Day, just in case you find yourself in a store asking, "Is this all you have left?"

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within "(Ephesians 3:16-20). AMEN 

Heart Card

Hearts!!!!  I love hearts!  I love seeing them all over my house.  I have small children and that is their favorite thing to draw.  On their spelling tests, they draw hearts, on their math sheets, they draw hearts, on their workbook pages, they draw hearts - there are hearts EVERYWHERE!  I love how misshapen they are and how they are various sizes.  I love all the colors they put on them as well as designs.  I love them so much, because of what they represent.  My children love me.  I used to teach second grade and I had one little boy that would always write me heart shaped notes that would say:  You are love to me.  It feels good to be loved.  It feels good to see the love and affection my children have towards me.  I think of how I love God.  Do I want to express it all the time?  Do I want to lather Him with hearts and tokens of my affection?  How do I show Him that He is love to me?  Love has no limits and I pray that I shower my Lord and Savior with limitless love.  Take time to praise and worship our God - He is Great and worthy of praise!
Psalm 13:6 - I will sing the Lord's praise, for he has been good to me.

Someone Held the Door for You

Being kind to someone is a wonderful thing, don’t you think!!!! I hope you had the privilege of having the door held for you today! A couple weeks ago, a lady held the door for me while leaving the restroom with my son. Now imagine this…..I had him and the stroller, about 3 bags and the diaper bag trying to open the door to the restroom so I could get out of the germ infested area all while strategically holding the paper towel on the door handle so I wouldn’t get this crazy flu bug going around, and out of nowhere this wonderful lady came and saved the day!!! She held the door open for me so I could leave the restroom in a not so embarrassing way! I just looked at her and said THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I told her going to the restroom in public was so much more enjoyable when someone held the door open for me…..the little things in life are ones that bring the most smiles and happiness sometimes!!!

Holding the door for others is not just polite it is so very KIND to do for someone else!!! You know God teaches us and has shown us in so many different ways how being kind to others will continuously not only bless you but the ones you are being kind to. Just imagine how polite the world would be if everyone held the door for each other!

Proverbs 11:17 says that “those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.”

Hope you all have a great week and thank you for reading our blog!!!

   I once heard someone say that the same sun that melts the ice also hardens 
the clay....think about that for a moment.  Now think about your heart and the 
condition you are in...it could be critical.  Does your heart melt every time you 
encounter the "Son" or have you found yourself in the cardiac ICU suffering from 
arteriosclerosis.  That's just a big long word that means hardening of the 
arteries.  This refers to a process that usually occurs with aging.  As we get 
older, plaque builds up in our arteries from the fat and cholesterol we eat and 
eventually it narrows or sometimes even blocks blood flow. Left unchecked, this 
hardening leads to major problems like stroke, a heart attack and death.  
>    You have found the gift left for you!  It's a crayon heart.  These hearts 
were made from broken and unused pieces, they were placed in a heart mold and 
exposed to a heat source.  The crayon pieces had no choice but to melt and be 
molded into something new.  That's what happens to us when we meet Jesus!  He 
takes our brokenness and remolds us to become something beautiful...nothing gets 
wasted!!  2 Corinthians 5:17 says  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new 
creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!"  
>    You can become new, Praise God!  Open your hardened hearts to God's Love 
and mercy today before it's too late.  Unlike the cardiac patient in the ICU 
hoping that the doctors can fix their arteriosclerosis heart, You don't have to 
wonder anymore if your broken and hardened heart can be fixed!  Jesus is 
calling, answer him back....

Father I pray for those who feel broken and used up.  I ask that you draw them 
unto yourself and pour out your mercy and grace into their lives. Continue to 
make us new little by little. And I ask that you check my heart every day, my 
motives, my desires, and fill me with your compassion....
                              Amen 

Bracelet

You have found a bracelet!  They all say different things, but the message is still the same..........you are loved!  Put this bracelet on and every time you wear it, remember that message!  When sitting down to write this blog entry, I kept looking at the bracelet and thinking about those good ole friendship bracelets I used to make when I was little.  Oh how I loved to sit and tie knots all day in order to construct a beautiful masterpiece to give to one of my friends.  That led me to Jesus.  That sparked my thoughts of Jesus' friends.  His disciples.  His boys.  When Jesus called these men to be his disciples, he did not go to the church and pick out the most prestigious men with the best resume to be his followers.  Instead, he picked a tax collector, fishermen, a zealot, etc. to drop everything and follow Him.  There is no stipulations to Jesus' friend list, but He wanted to make it perfectly clear that no matter what, no matter your background, no matter your flaws, you are Jesus' friend!  He has called you to follow Him!  (Luke 5:1-11)  Becoming a believer means starting a relationship, a friendship, with Jesus Christ and to drop all your baggage, your insecurities, your hang ups and to FOLLOW Him!!  I have great news for you......Jesus Christ wants to be your friend.  He loves you without any restraint and made sure that you were the one that picked up the bracelet that some child left for you!!  The message is loud and clear that Jesus wants to be your friend.....all you have to do is FOLLOW!  If you would like to ask any questions or get any more personal information, please don't hesitate to send us an email!!!  lovecometolife@gmail.com
Luke 9:23
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 

Tissue Pack

Oh how I love the sick season.......NOT!!!!  This year the dreaded FLU took hold of my family and squeezed them all ever so tightly!  The only time I left my house in almost 2 weeks was to go to CVS and get MORE medicine to relieve the pain of my shaking, achy, and absolutely pitiful 5 children and husband.  The whiny word "MOM" was said so much that I wanted to run and go hide in a closet somewhere.  It got to the point where I had to make a spread sheet on the computer so I could remember who got what medicine and when.  I knew there was going to be an end to this horrible sickness that overtook them all so bad.  I am so thankful for medicine.  I am thankful that as soon as my child spikes a fever, I can give them a Tylenol and they will feel better.  I am thankful that their doctor is just a phone call away.  I can't help but think of when Jesus walked on this earth and how Mommies and Daddies felt when their babies were sick.  The extremes they would go to get some type of relief and healing for their children.  In Mark 5:21-43, Jesus had come to a city and when Jarius saw Jesus "he fell at his feet."  What relief it must have been to see the savior's face.  Jarius had faith.  Jarius knew that no one could heal his dying daughter, but Jesus Christ.  As Jesus was walking with Jarius back to his place, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years (who by the way had spent all her money and seen many doctors) knew that her only chance for ever getting healed would be to just TOUCH Jesus Christ.  What faith!  When no one else could help, when no medical attempt could be made to heal her, she knew the only healing she could get would be through Jesus Christ.  There are many stories in the Bible of people with so much faith that received healing through Jesus and so can you when you have FAITH in him.  I'm not saying that if you believe in Jesus anytime you are sick you will automatically get healed.  No, it doesn't work like that.  I am saying that when you put your trust and faith in Jesus Christ, you are saying that you know and believe that He can help you through any situation as long as you let Him.