Life seems to go from one type of busy to another.  I've had my 14 mo. old grandson for a few days and that's busy!  It's also wonderful.  Someone that adores you unconditionally with no expectations.

Thinking about that little life, and the recent Sanctity of Life Sunday, I have to wonder at all those little ones that never get the chance to bring joy to the world.  Who knows what people miss when they decide abortion as an option.  My little one could have been a statistic, but I'm so glad he's not!

Another wonderful thing about children is their joy of life and their innocence. It won't take long for them to learn fear and reservation, but they come out of the womb full of joy at every new thing and an innocence that keeps them from fear.  As a Christian, I understand that this is what I need to become in order to serve my God.

He has told me often not to fear, and he's always there like he said he would be.  My fears are not of God, but the taint of man's betrayal.  Finding that joy the new babe enjoys means battling against the sorrows that accompany them, reframing my view of sorrow so that I can experience the joy God gives me every day in every circumstance.  When I understand fully who God is, I can trust him in the same way that small one trusts me. 

Many would never consider abortion if they realized that even the best laid plans don't always bring happiness.  If we consider this baby an unexpected blessing and give it a chance to live, we'll find that the interruption, while it may have changed our plans and view of our future to some degree, brings more happiness than staying on the path we had chosen.  Abortion kills babies and it brings untold heartache to many of those who choose it.   You cannot wipe away the memory of that child growing inside you as easily as you can wipe out the child him/herself.

But man has always been able to justify his own way, starting with Adam and Eve in the garden.  The only way to change is to determine to seek God's way and obey it no matter what.  When we fall, and we will, we must seek God again and not add more bad choices to our original sin.  I know whereof I speak, and I will close with this.   My oldest son and his son, my grandson, could have become abortion statistics, but I'm so glad they didn't.  What a sad, empty life I'd have without them!

My church is in revival this week and it's amazing.  John Franklin speaks with eloquence, but that's not the amazing part.  God is working to revive his saints so we can do His work and make a difference.  I'm so glad to be a part of this.

In reading some articles about persecution, I came across a sermon given many years ago when the Nazis were in power and persecuting the Jews and many more.  I'll have to go look for the guys name later, but he had some very interesting things to say.

Point one:  We are the "salt of the earth"...    I've always thought that meant Christians were to go out and "salt" the earth.  Not so! If you read the verse carefully, you see that the responsibility of the Christian is to see that the salt remains salty or doesn't lose it's savor so that it's no good and doesn't do the job it was created to do.  God is the one who uses the salt, we remain salty by not difting along with the world,  seeking the face of our Savior, and staying in right relationship with Him.  What a concept and one that will take many hours of meditating upon to become fully understood by this Christian.

Point two:  We are the light...    Our responsibility is to keep the candle lit and not hide it.  God will use the light where he will, but He cannot use a light that is hidden or a light that has gone out.

My point:  All of us that claim the name Christian have one main responsibility:  To get and stay so close to Jesus that we are a savory salt and a bright light, ready when the hand of the Master decides to use us to bring flavor and light to a lost world.  How awesome is that!!!??  We're so busy and worried about "doing" for the Lord that we lose what makes that work productive: our relationship with Christ.

Don't think I'm saying here that we are not to work and work hard.  What I'm saying is that that will come when we, like the moth, fly ever closer to the flame of God and work 100% on our relationship with God.  We will be transformed and God will use us to transform others.  Stay salty!

My church is in revival this week and it's amazing.  John Franklin speaks with eloquence, but that's not the amazing part.  God is working to revive his saints so we can do His work and make a difference.  I'm so glad to be a part of this.

In reading some articles about persecution, I came across a sermon given many years ago when the Nazis were in power and persecuting the Jews and many more.  I'll have to go look for the guys name later, but he had some very interesting things to say.

Point one:  We are the "salt of the earth"...    I've always thought that meant Christians were to go out and "salt" the earth.  Not so! If you read the verse carefully, you see that the responsibility of the Christian is to see that the salt remains salty or doesn't lose it's savor so that it's no good and doesn't do the job it was created to do.  God is the one who uses the salt, we remain salty by not difting along with the world,  seeking the face of our Savior, and staying in right relationship with Him.  What a concept and one that will take many hours of meditating upon to become fully understood by this Christian.

Point two:  We are the light...    Our responsibility is to keep the candle lit and not hide it.  God will use the light where he will, but He cannot use a light that is hidden or a light that has gone out.

My point:  All of us that claim the name Christian have one main responsibility:  To get and stay so close to Jesus that we are a savory salt and a bright light, ready when the hand of the Master decides to use us to bring flavor and light to a lost world.  How awesome is that!!!??  We're so busy and worried about "doing" for the Lord that we lose what makes that work productive: our relationship with Christ.

Don't think I'm saying here that we are not to work and work hard.  What I'm saying is that that will come when we, like the moth, fly ever closer to the flame of God and work 100% on our relationship with God.  We will be transformed and God will use us to transform others.  Stay salty!

Am I the only one who sits down at the computer to "check the mail" and realizes I'm still on 3 hours later???   I'm sure I'm not.   Maybe we should all form a group for computer addicts????

Today my church is planting crosses in a field next door for Sanctity of Life Sunday.  It's amazing to see and only represents a fraction of the lives lost to abortion in the US.  It's a good reminder that we must stay vigilant and seek God over this issue and others in our country today. 

Speaking of that, I have been teaching on Nehemiah in my Sunday School Class (7th-9th graders). Nehemiah was called of God for an impossible task that only God could perform.  Then he was persecuted by those who did not want this task completed.  We too face what may seem like insurmountable odds in our country/world today as we seek to serve God in a godless environment.

The Bible tells us that persecution will come.  We need to prepare for that moment when we face enemies just as Nehemiah did.   He had prepared well and spent much time in prayer, fasting and seeking God's face. Then he prepared physically by having everything on hand he would need to complete his mission.  When the trials came, he was ready!

The decision we need to make today is this:  Will I serve God no matter what and leave the consequences to Him?   Am I willing to take a stand even though I may face persecution or death because of it? 

Some other questions to ask yourself:  Do I believe in what I'm standing up for enough to risk it all?   What do I believe and why do I believe it?  Do I have an answer for any person who asks me of the hope that is in me?  Can I tell others why certain things are called sin according to the Bible?  Have I bought into the prevailing thoughts of my world over the truth of the Bible?

In the end, if it's not worth standing up and fighting for, why are you in it?  Faith requires an all or nothing mentality when it comes to Biblical truth.  We cannot "play church" and expect to be ready when life happens. 

My zone was "lost" for a while, but I'm back.  I've gone from having little to do to being so busy I meet mysel coming and going.  I have begun teaching children in Good News Club at my church on Wednesday nights and I love it!  I have two classes and we are learning about Corrie Ten Boom.

I also started teaching 7th, 8th, 9th graders in Sunday School.  Challenging, but so rewarding.  It keeps me on my toes and forces me to make sure I'm prepared.  

Otherwise, fighting health problems but hopeful.  I have been sick a lot since I was a small child and sometimes it gets old.  Recently, however, God reminded me that He has a purpose in all this.  All the experiences I've had in my lifetime have gone together to create this unique person.  My most recent meditation verse is II Corinthians 4:7-8.  It reads, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us....."

This verse reminds me that my human weaknesses make a great showcase for the power of God. If my life were problem free, I would have no need of God.  He has allowed me to have these weaknesses so that I will depend wholly on Him in all things.  I may be a cracked pot, but I have a treasure inside me in my Lord Jesus Christ who shines His glorious light out of all those holes and cracks in my earthen vessel.   How great is that!?!

God also reminds me that my "God Story" is far from over.  He's filling the pages of my life with story after story about how He works in my life.  Some day I will have to write a book about all the "God Stories" in my life.  I love to hear other people's God stories too.