Redeemed for a Purpose

My husband and I spent the past weekend with wonderful friends of ours in Las Vegas. We had not seem them in over twenty years and spent a day with them at a local car show while displaying their beautiful Mustang and meeting new friends. We'd never been to Nevada and found it to be quite flat besides mountains here and there. No cacti and foliage growing where it had been precisely planted. As we crossed the border from Arizona into Nevada, we crossed Hoover Dam and found it was breathtaking and so beautiful at night. It simply took your breath away. The towers were lit up like individual lighthouses and crossing the dam was like entering into another world. I loved it!

One evening our friends took us on a tour into downtown Las Vegas where the buildings were so magnificent and beautifully constructed. What workmanship went into planning walls of such intellect. I was in awe as we drove by one after another. They were casino's and large hotels carefully displaying such detail and forethought that was put into each building. Much madness and greed revolves around and within these towers of beauty but when I see them standing in all their beauty, I understand their worth beyond the money they embrace. They are priceless works of art constructed by specially chosen contractors, just as we are masterpieces for good works in our Father's hands.

It reminded me of how God so delicately and purposefully carves our structures, instills His beauty and power within us and proudly displays his work of art for all to see. Often we may feel ugly, unworthy and of no use, but the Master Creator well purposed each moment of our lives and created us with such majestic beauty in Him.

Jeremiah 29:11 say, "For I know the plans of the Lord, plans for my good and not to harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future." This scripture gives me reason to go on when storms are engulfing me and I feel like giving up and swallowing waters of my own death. Knowing God has carefully designed of my mind, heart and emotions gives me strength to persevere when things get tough. As I age and see a woman in her forties in the mirror before me, I notice lines intricately engraved into my slightly tanned skin forming a map upon my face that clearly shows joy over sorrow.
Thankfulness floods me heart and I quickly taken away to times of redemption from the things of the world, from others, from myself.

We were redeemed for a purpose and it is this realization that strengthens us for the journey and equips us with every tool we need to worship our God, to bless others and to leave a mark upon the hearts of those yet to understand their own purpose in this life. Let God's sovereign redemption take you away to places you'd never imagined and to live life to the fullest as you embark on a journey specifically designed for you.

A Prayer Model for Living a Victorious Life

I attend one of the most on fire, radical life-changing, uplifting the spirit and soothing the soul churches anyone could ever hope to go to and yesterday was one of the MOST endearing services I have been to.

The topic was a prayer model to follow, the chosen lead scripture was Matthew 11:28, ironically the same exact one that a sweet adopted daughter of mine gave me just this past week. The concept, A.C.T.S.

Pastor Dan was explaining how we all find ways to escape our greatest struggles, failures and obsessions. God instructs us to come to Him because only He can give us rest, true rest. And what do we do, we go to everything else for a fake calm before the next storm of life blindsides us. We turn to other people to make us happy, shopping to anesthetize us to the realization we don't have it all, to substances for numbing against the pain, to busy-ness so that we don't have to face rejection, to job security so we don't have to trust a Being we cannot grasp a hold of with our human hands, and even to denial so we won't believe we need God.

What's up with us frail humans? We think we have it altogether when our lives are falling apart. When we become desperate, it is then we might finally turn to our loving Father and beg for His help. Pastor Dan likened this to his daughter who calls out to Him for a hug and eventual popsicle, being perfectly content with the popsicle. I liken it to partying our lives away and when we get caught up in our troubles it is then we need bailed out; now God is there to help us with open arms and a smile on His face. In a way this may be true as He says He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), but what God desires of His children and those who have not yet accepted Him, is for us to come to Him anytime, every time, all the time. With whatever spoils we have to lay at his feet, He can turn them into precious gems of infinite value, if we will only come....as we are.

The model of A.C.T.S. is a wonderful foundation we should all adopt on a daily basis. One in which will bring glory to God, support for our overburdened souls, strength in our spirits and rest for our weary bodies and minds. God expanded on this concept with me and made it quite simple.

A- adoration; adoration for our God, adoring Him above everything and everyone else in our life

C- confession; confession to our Lord; confessing those things we say, do and think that are displeasing to God

T- thanksgiving; thanksgiving for Jesus Christ; always being thankful for the One Who gave us eternal life

S- supplication; supplication from on high; receiving our daily supply of what we need from almighty God, precious Jesus and the ever comforting Holy Spirit

Wow! Concepts to change my life, give me strength, draw me closer to Jesus, provide rest for my body, mind and soul, help me grow in the ways of the Lord, give me hope, support others, pray with power, share the love of Jesus with all who cross my path, be humble before my Lord, loosen all power the enemy could have over me, and to give me abundant life on this earth.

Okay, am I missing something here. Hmmmm, turn to imperfect people for help or trust a most perfect God; spend money on things that will perish one day or savor time with someone Who can provide me with what I truly need not want; use and abuse substances that will alter my thought processes or remember God says I have a sound mind and He can heal my pain; remain too busy to hear from God or seek His plans and purposes for me to further His kingdom and glorify Him; find my security in a job that I can lose at any given moment or have my security in the Creator of all heaven and earth; believe in myself and deny I even have issues at all or know Jesus is worth believing in and trusting for every detail of my life, let's see which do I chose to live by?

HA! Who are we actually kidding?! When the world says, "Look to yourself", know that God says He is always near and waiting with open arms for you to rest in His care, His love, His peace, His salvation, His support, His protection, His comfort, His knowledge, His grace and mercy.



* Supporting scriptures are listed below to look up and concentrate on, contemplate their meanings and apply to your life. Believe and be blessed!


Adoration: I Chronicles 29:10-13, 29:20
Confession: I John 1:9, Psalm 32:1-5, James 5:16
Thanksgiving: Psalm 13:5-6, 69:30, 95:2, Philippians 4:6-7
Supplication: Philippians 4:6, Matthew 6:8, 7:7-11, I John 5:14-15, Ephesians 3:20-21

* To take part online in the wonderful service I commented on, go to
www.pureheart.org and listen to Sunday August 1st service under the column Items of Interest, Sermon downloads and sit back with a cup of coffee, tea or bottled water and enter into rest, rest that will change your life.

Beauty and the Beast - Life's 'lil Lessons

I received this from my sweet niece, Kelly Jarvis, and knew the lessons found within would be like valuable treasure to all who read on. Kelly is a missionary in Africa and is one of the most beautiful godly women I know.

"I was watching Beauty and the Beast tonight and in one of the songs they said something so profound I just had to share it with you all. It was the scene where Gaston learns that there is a beast and he wants to kill him and hang him on his wall. During the song they say, 'We don’t like what we don’t understand. In fact it scares us and this monster is mysterious at least.' These people didn’t understand anything about the beast. They saw the looks of him and were immediately scared by the appearance of him. Because they did not understand him, they didn’t like him and immediately grabbed up their pitch forks and guns to take down this beast. These people were missing out on the truth; this beast was kind and gentle (at this part in the story). This beast was special and Belle could see something in him that others could not, or perhaps were too afraid to see.

Many times in our lives God brings in a 'beast' for us to face. This beast could be in any form. For me right now, I’m facing the beast of change. There are so many changes that are going to be taking place in my life in the coming months it scares me. Am I going to fight the changes and the mysterious 'unknown' or am I going to allow God to work in my life as I experience these changes? Am I going to listen to my selfish desires and emotions and fight these changes or am I going to listen to God’s still quiet voice telling me that He will never leave me nor forsake me, and that He has plans to prosper and not to harm me? Am I going to get mad at the world because I’m not having my way or am I going to trust that all things work together for good to those that trust in the Lord?

Trust and faithfulness are two huge things God wants o develop in our lives. He does things in our lives that require us to trust Him even when we don’t agree or know what is going on. A beautiful Dutch missionary lady just died of cancer leaving behind two young children and a husband. The Lord said the harvest is great but the workers are few. So why would he allow this disease to take away one of His dedicated workers? She was a very intelligent linguist missionary who deeply loved the people she was working with. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I have to trust God. I choose to trust God because His plans are perfect. Life on Earth is not perfect, but God’s plans for our lives are perfect as long as we allow Him to work and not stubbornly cross our arms over our chest protesting against the God almighty telling Him he’s not doing it right! So I could throw a fit and grab my pitch fork in protest against the unknown, against the why's, but that wouldn’t do any good. All things work together for good…trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall make your paths straight.

So I learned, thanks to Beauty and the Beast, when a mysterious beast is staring you in the face, your reaction should not be to instantly want to battle it, but to try and understand it so that it won’t scare you anymore. We need not to look at the appearance of something, but at the heart. I should not miss out on opportunities because I am too busy fighting a mysterious “beast” instead of joining the Lord in battle for the hearts of His people. The Lord is doing mighty things all over the world and no matter what changes, no matter what “beasts” He brings my way, I pray that my heart, my thoughts and my actions will be to submit to and glorify Him!"

Easter!!! A Time to Remember - A Time to Reflect - A Time to Be So Thankful

What do we think of when we let the words of 'Easter' gently roll off our lips?
Decorating eggs? Family reunions? The Easter bunny? Perhaps it's just another over-commercialized holiday like so many others.

What should it be?
A day to remember. The day Jesus rose from death after 3 days of a journey like no other man has ever or will ever experience.

A time to reflect. Jesus chose to take upon Himself your sin, my sin, and our children's sin's of the past, the present and the future.

A time to be so thankful. Had Jesus Christ, (the Son of almighty God and Creator of everything) decided not to be punished and whipped for our sins, wearing a crown of thorns and carrying our burdens amongst His entire body, being nailed to the cross and scorned, ridiculed and beaten, what hope would there would have been no hope for you, me, our children or our future generations to receive eternal life.

So what does this mean to you?
I don't know, but it means the world to me.

Today, take a moment to remember...to reflect...the be so thankful for the blood Jesus shed for YOU, to know that God loves YOU so much He gave up His one and only Son Jesus for YOU so that if you believe on Jesus Christ died for YOUR sins, you can be saved and have eternal life.

If you realize you are a sinful being in need of a Savior, pray these words from your heart.
"Lord Jesus, I confess my sins to you and ask for Your forgiveness. I repent, turn away from desiring the things in my life not pleasing to You. I believe You sent Your Son Jesus to die for me. I accept Your forgiveness and free gift of salvation. Come into my life and make me new. Give me the strength to let go of past sins, the wisdom to walk in Your path now, hope for a better future and change my heart as I grow closer to You each day. Thank You for saving me. I am now Yours and surrender my life to Your will. Guide me in Your ways and truth, from this day forward.In Jesus name, Amen."

Congratulations! You've just made the most decision of your life!

Wait! It doesn't doesn't stop there!
To help you learn about your new life in Jesus you need to begin reading the Bible. If you don't already have one, email me at created2blessothers@yahoo.com and I will send you one, FREE of charge.
To help you grow as a new believer, begin attending a church that supports your belief in Jesus Christ ans Lord and Savior. If you need help finding a church family in your area, email me and I can help get you connected with those on the same journey as you.
To get prayer, receive words of wisdom from those going through similar events as you perhaps, and to deepen your relationship with others in the faith look into home groups that may be offered through your church.

Most of all, enjoy your new found journey of purpose, hope and peace!
Some of my favorite scriptures in the Bible - John 3:16, Philippians 4:13, John 1:9, Jeremiah 29:11-13, Philippians 4:4, Psalms 150:6, Romans 8:28.

The Joy of the Lord is My Strength - Nehemiah 8:10

Nehemiah penned these exact words long ago and we would be wise to embed these words into every crevice of our hearts. God's joy is what makes us strong when we are so spent and weak. It is He in us Who is greater than he that us in the world.

As we look upon the Lord to fill us with His strength to make it through the day, to encourage others in their own ways, to serve our families, uplift our friends, pray for relatives and give what we have to the poor, keep in mind our own strength in this life is just not enough. If you haven't already figured that out, you will soon enough.

We believe our strength can be multiplies, extended, built up and exercised without limits, but even Jesus had times He knelt before His Father in weariness to get refueled, energized and recharged Himself. Now if the Son of God had times He plugged into God's strength to continue what was called of Him, do we not think ourselves to be in need of almighty God's strength as well?

Living this life on our own, without tapping into the awesome strength provided by God and through Jesus, is like running a marathon on one leg, dehydrated to the hilt, weak and without hope. Jesus equips us to do all we are called to accomplish, He is our living water, strengthens us beyond good measure and fills us with hope when the finish line has not yet appeared.

Take a moment today to kneel before Father God, humbling ourselves at His feet as we come boldly to the throne of grace. God is able to do exceedingly more than we could ever imagine, Ephesians 3:20, if we let Him. What are you waiting for? Be strengthened today!

God is able to do far more than we have ever imagined! To Him be the glory forever!
Ephesians 3:20

I believe satan had an aggressive assignment on Branden yesterday. I woke in a cold sweat and felt Branden had died. I ran in to check Branden and he was fine. I went back to bed and still felt disturbed so I woke my hubby and we prayed for Branden. Then about 9 am, my hubby let Branden's dog, Boomer out, his favorite buddy in all the world, to go potty. My hubby came in just for a minute while Boomer was on the side of the house and the next thing my hubby and I heard from inside the house was a hit and a yelp. We ran to the door and Boomer ran in the door with his butt tucked under his body looking scared to death. Sure enough the neighbor boy and his wife who were walking their dog down the street and came up and told us a truck going about 60 had just hit Boomer and spun him around a couple of times. They wondered if he was okay. We checked Boomer out and he laid around the rest of the day but seemed to not be hurting anywhere. Maybe sore, nothing seemed broke, no internal bleeding, nothing.

We know beyond a shadow of a doubt it was meant for Boomer to get hit and die. This would have devastated Branden. But what the enemy meant for bad God stepped in and said "No!" We are so very thankful. God truly watches over His elect....and their canine buddies. :-)

The Hidden Language of Feet

I am not a foot person by any means, so for me to rub a family member’s feet is a sacrifice like no other, but as I woke this morning, I realized feet have an important place in this world. They speak and have a language of their own. They tire and hurt, curl up to get warm when they are cold, withdraw themselves from anther's feet when hurt, anger or frustration are present, and they are created to walk a journey of faith in God-like fashion.

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace; who bring glad tidings of good things”, Romans 10:15. God says my feet are beautiful when they preach peace and bring joyful news of peace to others. Well, He obviously is a foot person and therefore my observation of feet must change to be like His. Beautiful feet preach peace and share joy! Now this is a statement to live by. What am I seeking each day? Is it God? Is it peace? Is it to share the love of Jesus, His peace and joy with others? What are my reasons for living? What is my purpose for drawing one more breath today?

As I ponder these questions many thoughts come to mind, but those I want to meditate on are Matthew 6:33 which states, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be given to you.” What things? Needs, such as what we eat, drink and wear. Psalm 34:14 says to “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Romans 10:15 tells us to preach the gospel of peace and to share joyful events with others. My reason for living should be to worship Jesus as told to us in Luke 4:8, “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only” as well as to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and the Holy Spirit” as said in Matthew 28:19. Exodus 9:16 and Jeremiah 29:11-13 shows us God has a purpose for our lives. In Exodus he says, “I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” and God tells us in Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

The answers to these questions show us not only the importance of using our feet to spread the gospel, preach peace and share joyful tidings, but to seek God and His righteousness, thank Him for supplying our needs, to turn from evil and do good, to seek after peace, to worship and serve God only and make disciples of others. Knowing God’s plans for us are good and not meant to harm us, plans to give us a future and a hope, we can take a breath of relief and rest in the knowledge of how much God loves us. Trodding the journey of faith may take our feet on unknown paths, but praise God Who will never leave us or forsake us and wants us to be content with such things as we have. (Hebrews 13:5) So during the next foot rub I give to a family member, what better revelations for me to ponder on than the beauty of even the one’s feet I am rubbing .

Harnessing Holiday Lonliness

Christmas is a time of year that many people feel lonely, sad, depressed and stressed. This may be you, or someone you love. There are several reasons why this may happen such as the loss of a loved one, financial troubles that won't allow for the purchasing of gifts or holiday treats for family, job layoffs or heavier than normal work loads, loss of homes and separated families. All of these events may cause numerous feelings of sorrow, anger, depression and overall loss and grief.

Experiencing such feelings as these can influence our beliefs, ideas, goals and dreams. While focusing on ourselves it is easy to be overcome and totally carried away, overwhelmed and sucked into life's traps. But this is not the answer to life's issues nor is it the way of escape.

God offers a much more reliable, steady and secure resolution to life's troubles.
As long as we are consumed with our own lives, we will not be as concerned with those around us as we should. We re told in II Timothy 4:17, "But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it." Our purpose on earth is not to care for ourselves alone, but to attend to the affairs of others, thinking of others as more important than ourselves. Our purpose should be to share the love of Jesus with those in our circle of life.

Through our own pain, brokenness, grief and sorrow we can reach out to others who are also experiencing the same depressive emotions we are, yet we can offer them hope. Hope in Jesus, since all things are possible through Him, Philippians 4:13 there is hope beyond the pain. The love of Jesus which brings peace like a river is ours for the taking and once we look outward, rather than inward, life as we know it will begin to change and we will be able to count it all joy when we go through tribulation because the testing of our faith produces perseverance which in turn strengthens us for future affliction.

So basically we have two choices. We can remain in our present calamity and wish to survive the hopelessness or we can rise above our current situations and shift our concerns to those around us. Being eternally minded does have its advantages so the choice is ours.

The holiday season can motivate us to isolate ourselves and pretend no one else exists. Or it can cause us to face our fears, purge our pain and distinguish our depression so that we may be a blessing to others. Through Jesus Christ and with His strength, we can do all things. We can harness this holiday loneliness and create a more encouraging, less stressful life of purpose. Loneliness need not have its way in our lives anymore.

Not my own.........

Kenny called me and told me he had another job offer from the Christian owner of the tire shop we visited while there last March. Now going from $25 per hour to $15 I hourly is a significant reduction, but as I began to think about it, I heard God whispering to me that He was giving me the desires of my heart. I said, “What? How?” He brought to memory the past several years I have been asking Him to draw me closer to Him and to help me trust Him to a greater degree. Wow! This is it? Figures it has to involved finances, one of the hardest areas to totally surrender. I have not had trouble cheerfully giving 20% of my income when I made good money, but was I ready for us to live on almost half of what Ken made here in Oregon to grow closer to God, to trust him more fully? If not, whoa! I have a bigger issue on my hands than my distance from God or lack of trusting Him fully.

Am I trusting in money through Ken’s job or want to avoid stressing about money? That’s not trusting God for my finances. Do I want Ken to make more money so we can help our kids and others? That’s not trusting God to financially care for or provide for them. Would I rather have more money to give to God? I know God doesn’t need my money and can multiply any amount we give to increase the kingdom for Him.

Surrendering means giving up what I think I have a right to. In all actuality, when I gave my life to the Lord, did I mean for a time, only if certain requirements were met or just specific areas of my life? I don’t recall making a deal with him such as this but somehow when it comes to asking more from me than I had expected to give, conditions fill my head and fear seems to grasp my heart.

Have I not built enough monuments reminding me of God’s faithfulness, protection, goodness and sovereignty? Why would I think he would stop supplying our needs when that is basically what we are going out to Arizona with and not much else? Why is it hard for me to trust Him yet again, when I have peace about this decision of Kenny’s even though it was NOT my first choice? Could I be engineering my own peace over this massive pay deduction? Uh, I would think not.

So I have a choice . . . will I surrender or grasp tightly that which doesn’t belong to me in the first place? Hmmm, let me think, or rather pray about this. What is there really to think about? What is there really to pray about? Do I love God or not? Have I totally given Him my life or have I not? Do I trust Him or don’t I? I believe a surrender that brings me closer to sweet Jesus and causes me to trust in Him more is the only choice for me. Awww, a sweet surrender it is. Arizona, here we come!