Prayer Needed

Would you say a prayer for my son, Ryan. He's in a very dark place right now.The battle for his soul is growing stronger.
Thank you for your prayers.

Morning Has Broken

At the sound of the bell...well, not literally.

Dad pretended to be the bell that would sound off..."Ding, ding" for the wrestling match that was about to take place. My sister and I would shuffle to left, then to the right, pause for a moment to size each other up before we made our next move. Within seconds, we'd go round and round in circle until one of us got the perfect hold to bring our opponent to the ground. At that moment, dad would declare the winner...my sister!

Oh....this last month, I've been in a wrestling match and my sister was not the opponent. I've been going back and forth, round and round with doubt. My prayers felt like they were falling to the floor. I was searching His Word daily and coming up dry. I was telling God that I want more of Him yet I felt no connection. I started to compare myself with other bible teachers, bloggers and it seemed that every time I spoke, I was saying NOTHING! Satan was using some great moves. He almost had that perfect hold to bring me down. I was ready to throw in the towel. To step away from the abortion recovery ministry, to stop teaching our womens bible study at church and not be so vocal about my story (God's story)... but then GOD stepped in.

 Jeremiah 17:7-8 But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
       whose confidence is in him.  ⁸ He will be like a tree planted by the water
       that sends out its roots by the stream.
       It does not fear when heat comes;
       its leaves are always green.
       It has no worries in a year of drought
       and never fails to bear fruit."

 I had become relaxed in my walk with Him. Even though I was meeting with Him everyday, my roots were just laying on the surface. I wasn't trusting God with my whole heart. I started to believe that if I wasn't getting something amazing out of His word, that He was done using me. I had stepped into the enemy's arena and doubt had it's grip on me.

James 1:5-8 ( Amplified Bible) If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.
    ⁶Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.
    ⁷For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,
    ⁸[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].

I started listening to the lies, then I  believed them and came very close to stepping over the line. Then God placed this on my heart...My  Word is amazing every time you read it.

It was God who placed these ministries in my life, to serve Him and the enemy wanted nothing more then to destroy His plans. I confess that this isn't the first time I've been doubled-minded but it was the darkest. 

I think there was two reasons God asked me to write with "no comments." First, was I going to be obedient. Second, the emails I've received, I was shown that this blog has always been about Him and I've just been the vessel. Receiving comments is His way of showing us that we are on the right path.

So, give Him the glory and leave a comment.

Thank you all for your prayers!

Lies Women Believe...

Let's talk about Priorities in Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Set Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.


All quotes are in blue from the author Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

1. I don't have time to do everything I'm supposed to do.

2. I can make it without consistent time in the Word and prayer.

3. A career outside the home is more valuable and fulfilling than being a wife and mother.

For the longest time, my priorities were completely out of order. First came my career, the dance studio, and  everything else took a backseat. My marriage suffered with one ending in divorce and another about too. There was more times, then I would like to admit, of being out of town because of a dance competition. My career so important to me that I was willing to miss my son's birthdays. It's pretty sad wishing your son "Happy Birthday" on the phone and telling him you wish that you could be there, while on the other end he's crying " Its okay, Mommy." I had no time for my family and no time for God.

Satan knows that if he succeeds in getting us to live independently of the Word of God, we become more vulnerable to deception in every area of our lives.

Instead of the normal layout, God lead me in a different direction. He brought me to Luke 10:38-42  the famous sisters, Mary and Martha. As I was reading, I thought what if Martha had taken a few minutes at the feet of Jesus. Things might have gone smoother and Mary, most likely would've been by her side helping with the meal.
Martha could have removed the pots from the fire, they would've stayed warm. She could have covered the rolls with a piece of cloth to keep in the heat, then joined her sister at the feet of Jesus. But instead, she worried about getting every thing done, with no help from Mary, of course. She became so agitated, she even came to Jesus saying "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work?" Was she as implying that what Mary was doing was unimportant?  Maybe she was asking for permission to put "her" priorities before Him.

I love what Jesus says to her " My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it — and I won't take it away from her."

What are the priorities in your life?

Are you consumed by the things of this world? Are you serving the Lord but have become  more focused on the details?

The things that consume us will only cause frustration, and worry when we put our priorities before His. True peace comes when your heart has been prepared by your Maker.

The Truth is, it is impossible for me to be the woman He wants me to be apart from my spending consistent time cultivating a relationship with Him, in the Word and prayer.

Lies Women Believe...

Let's talk About Sin, I know, its not high on the conversation list. As Christians pointing out sin, some will say you are judging, you've offended them, or that certain sins aren't so bad. Nancy Leigh DeMoss, the author of Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free, gives us great insight and speaks some hard Truth.

All quotes are in blue from the author Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

1. I can sin and get away with it.

2. My sin isn't really that bad.

3. God can't forgive what I have done.

4. I am not fully responsible for my actions and reactions.

5. I cannot walk in consistent victory over sin.

All deception is deadly. But no lies are more deadly than those Satan tells us about God and about sin. He tries to convince us that God is not who He says He is and that sin is not what He says it is.

Deciding on what to watch, read or listen, I would ask my daughter to check to see if it has a little dog poop in it. If you have never heard that phrase, take a moment, and click on Brownies...I'll wait. Now do you understand?  That little bit of dog poop is the first brush with sin that eventually leads us down the wrong path.

Its not easy talking about what is right or wrong, moral or immoral because the simple fact is; it taste sweet and the first touch is very pleasing...for a short time. But here's how Nancy puts it:

The Truth is that sin is dangerous, deadly and destructive.

The Truth is that we will reap what we sow.

The Truth is that every choice we make today will have consequences.

The Truth is that if we play with fire, we will get burned.

The Truth is that "sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (James 1:15).

I think at times we put sin into categories. Meaning, your disobedience isn't as bad as your neighbors but God says that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 8:23). Yes, we are all sinners but once Christ comes into our lives we are not to stand shoulder to shoulder with sin.  

Ephesians 5:3-7 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.  Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.  You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.  Don’t participate in the things these people do.

How do you feel about going to a baby shower for a unwed mother? In today society, no one blinks a eye when invited to a bridal shower for those who live together or a baby shower for an unwed mother. A few years ago, I struggled with this decision when someone I love, and care about found herself pregnant with her second child and no husband, claiming to be a christian. Now, before you get too upset with me, please hear me out. First, I'm so grateful that she didn't aborted either child and  made the right choice, to give these children life.
Some said "It's not the baby's fault." They're right. But when you think about it, the baby has no idea whats going on in the first place. This was also said to me, " We need to show this woman that we love her, support her and help her with the necessitates in raising a child."
I responded with, "I do love her, support her and will help her in raising this child but I cannot participate in the celebration when there was no lifestyle change." This is always a difficult decision for me whenever I'm invite to a shower but its one that I must stand by. After the baby was born I went for a visit, along with  bearing gifts.

I have to admit  this has not been a easy subject to write about, so I will leave you with this:
If only we could see that every single sin is a big deal, that every sin is an act of rebellion and cosmic treason, that every time we choose our way instead of God's way, we are revolting against the God and King of the universe.

Every time we choose to give in to the flesh, rather than yielding to the Spirit of God, we allow sin to gain mastery over us. On the other hand, every time we say yes to the Spirit, we give Him greater control of our lives.

Sin has been around for a long time, in fact, from the first moment Eve decide to put her feelings ahead of the Truth. God was not surprised by her rebellion and He's not surprise by mine. That's why He has made a way through His Son, Jesus Christ, to be forgiven and live eternally.


Walk and Live in Victory:
1. Seek the power of the Holy Spirit and read daily the Word of God.
2. Stay away from tempting situations
3. Seek help from the body of Christ to make you accountable and to pray for you.

This is the reason you will not find a place to leave "your comments." Can I be honest, this time the no comments might be a good thing. :)

No Comments

I've been restless in my walk with God in the last few months. My prayers have felt like they were going nowhere and my time in His Word was just "going through the motions."  I couldn't seem to put my finger on it or maybe I was just refusing to listen. Either way, He got my attention today. You see, I've been seeking the praises of men (women) when it comes to my blogging. I can't even begin to tell you how many times in one day I check to see if a new comment has been left. Comments on ones' blog may not be an issue for you, but for me, it is. I've put my self worth in how many comments I've been receiving. I've been more eager to run to the computer then grabbing my bible and spend quality time with the Lord.

God made it very clear to me that this new found ministry is for His Glory and not mine. He asked if I would be willing to continue writing but receive no comments. I liked to say that I eagerly said "Yes, Lord whatever you want" but that would be lying. I sat there for awhile trying to think of another way to reason with Him but I knew in my heart your comments have become my god.

I never want anything to come before my precious Lord...its the little foxes that spoil the vine.


I hope that you all understand and will continue to visit. Your comments have encouraged me and I have felt loved by them. You have become my friends.
I'm not sure how long the "no comments" will be posted... I'm leaving that up to Him.

Lies Women Believe...

Chapter Three from the book Lies Women Believe And The Truth that Sets Them Free spoke volume to me, especially the last three.

All quotes are in blue from the author Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

1. I’m not worth anything.

2. I need to learn to love myself.

3. I can’t help the way I am.
4. I have rights.
5. Physical beauty matters more than inner beauty.
6. I should not have to live with unfulfilled longings.

4. I have rights.

Nancy makes this statement “Women have been told that demanding their rights was the ticket to happiness and freedom. After all, “If you don’t stand up for your rights, no one else will!” However, I am convinced that the claiming of rights has produced much, if not most, of the unhappiness women experience today.”

Claiming my rights put me in bondage. I was told that if my husband wasn’t making my life a bed of roses, will then, I had the “right” to find someone who would. The world shouts “it’s your body and if you don’t want to have the baby, you have a right to have an abortion.” I exercised my right…I had an abortion. The lie was I had the right to do whatever made me happy, but the truth...I was miserable!

Then I read this “The fact is, successful relationships and healthy cultures are not built on the claiming of rights but on the yielding of rights” I thought, Nancy, you've hit the nail on the head.

Philippians 2:5-8  Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Our attitude needs to be a servant’s attitude. Jesus displayed a servant’s heart. He laid aside His deity and surrendered His will “rights” to a horrid death for our sins. We often excuse our selfness, pride and evildoings as “our rights.” When we act on our rights we can be sure that death will follow…death to our marriage, death to a child, and death to ourselves.

5. Physical beauty matters more then inner beauty.

This message is one our culture preaches in earnest to girls and women, beginning in earliest childhood. It comes at us from virtually every angle: television, movies, music, magazines, books and advertisements.

Yep, this one was talking to me!
Up until a few years ago, my outward appearance was way too important. I worked so hard on the outside that I ignored the inside and it showed. Life was about me. My hair had to be just right, makeup needed to look prefect, and my clothes screamed..."Look at me!" There were times; I would have 5 or 6 outfits lying in front of me because I couldn’t decide which one looked the best. My god was to be physically beautiful, and it became the lie, but the older I've become the more I’m aware of this truth.

I Peter 3: 3-4  Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. 4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

So, last week as I was preparing for Wednesday night bible class, God told me to present these three lies with no make up. At first I thought I didn't hear right and I told myself it was a prideful thought, no one is going to care one way or another, if I have makeup on. But the closer it got to our bible study, I knew God was calling me to obedience. I tried to negotiate about wearing a touch of mascara and lip gloss but He wasn't going for it.

Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
      but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

Now some of you might think “no big deal” but for me it made my stomach turn. I felt naked, like every flaw was showing, as I stood in front of the class. My heart was pounding, because my church family had ever seen me without my "face" on. At one point, I looked down hoping to find my makeup bag lying at my feet, like when Abraham saw the ram in the bushes, but no makeup bag was to be found.Yes, I did survive the night. You may be wondering if I've given up working on the outside...no, but I've learned that makeup is just the icing on the cake not the foundation to who we really are.

6. I should not have to live with unfulfilled longings.

We are encouraged to identify our longings and do whatever is necessary to get those “needs” met. Therefore…if you’re hungry, eat. If you want something you can’t afford, charge it. If you crave romance, dress or act in a way that will get men to notice you. I you’re lonely, share your heart with that married man at work.

Colossians 3:2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

We will always have unfulfilled longings this side of heaven. Let me just say, no one person or earthly thing will ever bring us to completion. We must learn to surrender our longings to God and allow Him to fill us.

Ben Stein's Confession

Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning - Ben Stein

I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late ! !

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish.. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against.. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?