Bubbles!!

Yay!  You found the bubbles that someone left just for you! Bubbles are always
fun and they produce lots of giggles at my house, but only if we actually open
the bottle and blow through the wand.  The bubble solution in this bottle will
not and can not become a bubble unless it becomes subjected to a force, gets
stretched and then gets filled with air!  That's a lot like me when I became a
Christian.  God revealed to me His authority, then I took a step of faith to
believe and once I did, He filled me with the power and presence of the Holy
Spirit.  Wow!  Had I not become a believer in Christ I would have never reached
my full potential. Ephesians 4:1 says it like this "I, a prisoner for serving
the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been
called by God."  You can stay in the bottle like the rest of the solution or you
can surrender yourself to God calling you today!
    We pray that this gift and the message of Christ has touched you in some
way. If you have a story of how God is working in your life, please share that
with us.

Smile Card

Today you have received a smile!  Some days, you just need one!  There are lots of things that make me smile.  I was taking pictures of my daughters and their friends this weekend and I noticed that as I was taking the pictures I was smiling uncontrollably!  Their little smiles were just beaming from ear to ear and I couldn't help but smile back.  Today at Walmart, we saw a man in a wheelchair.  He was slow, but when he saw my kids, he just lite up and smiled....this made me smile.  Smiles are contagious.  Smiles remind us of happy times and happy feelings.  Smiles are so uplifting and can change your whole attitude.  Have you ever been around someone who complains and you smile and they all of the sudden stop and smile back?  In Job 9:27 says:

If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression, and smile,’

Forget your complaints.  Forget those saddening feelings.  Hand those feelings over to an almighty God that can take those frowns and turn them into smiles.  Keep this card to help you remember that a smile is contagious.  That a smile can change a persons whole day!  You were made with a beautiful face and smile.......Use it!!



POPCORN

I’m so glad you have found the popcorn we left for you!! Don’t you just love RedBox…one of the greatest inventions EVER!!! And what better to go with a good movie than popcorn!! One of my favorite things to do is snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie with some yummy buttery popcorn! I was making popcorn the other day and for some reason my 19 month old thought it was the funniest thing he had seen all day I think. He giggled and giggled….it got me thinking about how I can totally relate to popcorn right now!! You see I am surrounded by the most wonderful ladies at my church. We have just come alive with the energy of Jesus in the past couple months and I love it!! My insides feel like a bunch of popcorn is just popping and popping!!! Between the bible studies, our awesome worship time on Sundays and the encouragement I get from the ladies I am surrounded by, my life is just popping with the Holy Spirit! I am constantly reminded every day how much Jesus loves me and wants to use me for His service. With recent experiences in my life, I have decided that I am no longer going to sit around and let this popping inside of me go to waste, I am going to GO AND DO the things Jesus lays on my heart. When the Holy Spirit “pops” something into my mind and I know it is lead by my Lord and Savior I am going to put that popping to good use! It will only bless me and others around me.

As silly as it may sound, you can experience this popping inside of you too!! When we sit still long enough and ask God to speak to us, HE WILL. One of the most important things is knowing how to discern the voice of God and know when he is speaking to you. I encourage you to read Gods word daily, learn how He teaches and how much He personally loved everyone. My pastor has mentioned a lot recently how we should love love love the people in our life and the people we come in contact with. What better way to express Gods endless, faithful, gracious, forgiving love than to do the same thing to everybody that we meet.

Thank you for reading our blog and I hope you experience the “popping” of the Holy Spirit in your life soon!!!

This blog entry is dedicated to the lovely ladies at Sardis Baptist Church and the endless encouragement you give me to be like Jesus! Thank you for the wise leadership and understanding you always show everyone!

Sharpie Pen

Happy Teachers week!  The school year is almost over and supplies are probably
running low so here is a little boost to get you through. I love sharpies, I
always need a few around. They are bold and can write on anything. I was just
looking through my sons weekend folder for his tests.  I love that I can very
quickly see the corrections that need to be made because his teacher has used a
sharpie to circle those things. That reminds me of  Hebrews 12:1-2
       
          Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on
Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he
endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God.

If you are a believer in Christ, then there is a race marked out for you. 
Continue to run it with perseverance. Jesus is the author of our faith and he
has the authority to do some editing in our lives. Can you see where He is at
work in you?  Circling some things that need to be changed? 

Father, I thank you for these teachers. I pray that you bless them in a special
way and they feel your power and presence in their lives. I ask that if anyone
reading this can not say they are in Christ, that you will reveal yourself to
them and call them to believe.  Then they will begin a new life in the race you
have set before them. Father thank you for the conviction that the Holy Spirit
brings, help us to see you boldly through your word, continue to walk in your
ways, and run this race......

Seed Packet

I love spring time!  I love seeing flowers getting their beautiful petals on them and all signs of life awakening after winter.  We have left you a seed packet so that you can go out and till up some dirt and plant pretty flowers.  And then you will get to see them grow!  Growth is such an important process.  The kids that passed these seed packets are children that attended our Vaction Bible School at our church.  They were given the verse from Ephesians 3:17b-18 ~ And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ ~ and they were taught what this verse means.  They were challenged to let Love Come to Life inside of them.  We planted a seed in them.  A seed to show others the love of Christ.  We wanted them to grasp how wide, long, high and deep Christ's love is for them.  They were given the challenge to pass out all 52 items in their reach one box to the community.  You were one of the special people that was reached.  We wanted these children to grow in Christ.  How does one grow?  To continually be in God's word, reading and living it out, and through prayer.  So, we challenge you to grow.  Whether you used to go to church and just stopped, we challenge you to find a church.  Sardis Baptist (the link is to the right) is always open with loving arms for visitors.  If you don't live near us, then find one that fits you and that can help you GROW!  Getting plugged in somewhere will help water you as you grow.  Saturate yourself in God's word!  We are getting geared up for this upcoming year's Vacation Bible School called the Switch.  You won't want to miss this!!  We are going to be pouring God's word into the hearts and homes to all the children that come.  We want to show them that they need to TRANSFORM themselves by renewing  their minds - by GROWING!  

Poncho

A poncho is a protective garment that can protect you from all the elements. A poncho is defined as a blanket with a slit in the middle so that it can be slipped over the head and worn as a sleeveless garment or a waterproof garment with a hood.

A poncho can protect you from the rain, wind, or other elements. The Love of Jesus is similar to a poncho, it will protect you from all the elements of life. Some ponchos are long and cover the majority of your body, the love of Jesus will also cover you and your life. All you need to do is ask Jesus for his protection and you will be protected.

Psalm 138 7 says, If I walk in the thick of danger You will preserve my life from the anger of enemies. You will extend Your hand Your right hand will save me.

Wooden Cross

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 NIV
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
You found the gift that was left for you. It is a little wooden cross! Many people wear crosses on a necklace or as a symbol on their shirt. Does wearing a cross mean you are a follower of Christ? The cross to a Christian is a symbol of salvation, meaning that Jesus died on a cross to be the final sacrifice for all our sins. Those who believe in Jesus have forgiveness because of what He did for us. It really is an amazing gift that God gave us if you stop to think about it!! God tells us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength....that's everything we've got! Some people have the knowledge of what Jesus did in their minds but they don't believe in their hearts and lack the faith in their soul.

Maybe today will be the day that you will see that God is calling you to salvation and you will use your heart, mind,soul and strength to love Him and follow Him. If that is the case, then wear this cross as a reminder to walk in all His ways, and be obedient to His word. If you made that decision today, please notify us so we can help you grow in your new life!