Our Little Miracle

When my dear sweet son was born I was ecstatic. Deeply in love with this tiny little baby. Albeit, exhausted and grumpy from lack of sleep but completely and utterly filled with joy! It was not long after that my heart began to desire another of those little crying balls of joy. I thought it would be easy, after all my first little guy was a surprise! If you ever read my blog you know my story and you know it was not an easy time after all. In fact, this blog has chronicled some of my many ups and downs, my struggles with keeping faith and keeping hold of my emotions when it seemed like there was no end to this difficult journey. Today, I am so thrilled to write this post to say we have finally received our miracle from our Heavenly Father!! It has taken just about eight years to get to this point. The day I found out I was just shocked and really filled with unbelief that this could be true. It still feels like a dream! Let me share a brief summary of the story with you (you are more than welcome to go back and read prior posts to really get the full emotions of it all).
As I said, I began to desire a baby soon after our little one was born but it wasn't until 2008 that I realized something was wrong and we just were not getting pregnant. After going to a Reproductive Endocrinologist, I found out I had PCOS and that I would likely not conceive without some kind of medical intervention. Soon after I switched to a regular OB-GYN because I did not care for the RE I had met. My new doctor prescribed me Metformin, Progesterone and Clomid to start trying to become pregnant. After the first cycle of Clomid I really felt a strong call from God that this was not what He wanted us to do. At that point, I decided no more Clomid and just Metformin and Progesterone. A couple of years went by and still nothing was happening. At this point we decided to try and do foster care but that plan fell through as it apparently was not God's plan for us either (side note: I still feel very much called to do foster care but I am trusting in God's timing to open up those doors). It was a very depressing time for me as we decided to put those plans on hold and at my next yearly check-up with the ob-gyn I decided to go back on Clomid again. This time we made it two cycles before I chose to listen to God calling us away from this path. This was in August 2012 and at this time a recurrent message kept appearing in my life: "Be still." I would open my bible to a passage that would contain that message, a song would come on the radio, someone would post on Facebook. It was just so clear to me that God was calling me to be still and wait upon Him. I stopped all my fertility medication and thanks to a dear friend changed my eating habits drastically. Then, only two weeks after changing my eating habits I ovulated! I was so excited because no medication had ever done that for me! So ten days later I decided to take a pregnancy test because of the urging from this same friend and that afternoon I stood in the bathroom staring at 2 lines. It brings tears to my eyes just to think about that day.
All of this to say, that God is so faithful. He will always care for His children and has a plan for each one of us. I don't know why I had to wait so long but I know that God knew better than me. I've learned so much through this trial and strengthened in many areas of my life. I know that God also has a plan and a purpose for this little baby and the timing for this child to enter the world could not have been more perfect according to His plan. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us and continues to pray for us!

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.

I Will Not Be Silent--I Will Stand Firm

All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. -Matthew 10:22

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. -1 Cor. 16:13

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place... -Ephesians 6:14

What images do these verses provoke? Is it the image of fear or of courage. The image of a mouse or a lion? A shout or a whisper?

Let me preface my post by saying that I know there are times when God calls us to be quiet, to be still, to whisper, to be mild as a lamb. I know that we are to approach all situations with love, compassion and understanding. With that being said let me continue.

I have noticed a trend among Christians today. It seems to be a passive  response to all the ails of today's society. If the Holy Spirit convicts us of something, telling us that it is a sin, that it grieves the Father, should we not try to reach others? Should we not try to share our message with children of our God or with those who are lost? I don't understand the attitude of not wanting to step on anyone's toes or offend anyone. True, as I said above, we have to do it with a spirit of love and gentleness but we still need to do it, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us or with those who we share the message. When Jesus threw of the tables in temple, was that wrong because it offended those who had made a mockery of His holy place? No, of course not! Our Savior constantly tested the waters, stirred the pot, ruffled feathers.

Let me approach this from a slightly different angle. Christ has called us to love others as we love ourselves. As a mom, I love my child deeply. Just because I simply love my child does not give him the direction he needs. The love exuding from my heart does not teach him right from wrong. I teach him these things because I love him. Does he always like them? Ok, rhetorical question there. Even though he doesn't like discipline, doesn't like to hear he is wrong, cries, gets angry, pouts and more when I have to show him the truth, it is worth it! It is worth it because I know that I am showing him the right way. It makes me uncomfortable, it makes him uncomfortable but I disciple and speak truth to my son out of genuine love for him.

Sisters in Christ, what I am simply trying to say here is that regardless of what society tells us, it is OKAY to make waves. It is OKAY to upset people sometimes by speaking your convictions. Furthermore, I am convinced that if you remain silent on your convictions you are not only hurting the people you do not share with, you are hurting our Father by not doing His will.

Lastly, let me just reiterate that I do believe there are times that we need to be silent because it is not the time or the place, because the Spirit has not moved us to speak. Yet, we cannot always remain silent because we don't want to make others uncomfortable, we must speak truth! Let me leave you with a few other verses.

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. -Matthew 24:12-13

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. -Colossians 3:16

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. -2 Cor. 10:5

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. -John 4:23

 Please feel free to leave some feedback on this topic.
What are some examples of time you have remained silent, either with believers or unbelievers? What are some examples of times you have spoken up, even if it made every other person in the room (including yourself) uncomfortable?

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessing be upon you and yours.

Be still my child. Be still.

Earlier this week a page in my Facebook newsfeed posted, "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14. I felt like like God was piercing my very soul with that verse. In that moment Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" became so real for me! Since that time I feel like my life is revolving around this message from Him. On my walk the other night I had my iPod on random play and Be Still by Selah came on. If you haven't heard it, check it out on YouTube. Here are the lyrics:

It's so loud
I just can't seem to slow this down
I need you more than ever now
Let the silence be the only sound

Your glory
becomes the only thing I see
Your beauty brings me to my knees
the awe that you inspire in me

CHORUS
Makes me wanna be still
so still you can hear breathing in
so still you can hear me breathing out
let your calm descend upon me now

So now
I stand before you broken down
my feet upon this holy ground
I can feel your presence all around

(CHORUS)

Bridge
I hear you whisper softly
I hear you speaking to me
i hear you, in the silence you call my name

I wanna be still
so still you can hear me breathing in
so still you can hear me breathing out
let your calm descend upon me now
(x3)

I wanna be still
I wanna be still
I wanna be still
be still

It was, once again, as if God was sending me a personal message. It was such a beautiful moment. Ever since seeing that first verse, every time I start to get anxious about my fertility issues, it's like God is once again whispering to me, "Be still and know that I am God..." -Psalm 46:10

What's to come, I honestly have no idea but for now I know my Father is saying, "Be still my child. Be still"
 

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.

LIfe is good...

It's been quite a while since I last wrote. Not much has changed in our lives. We are still facing the same challenges and still embracing the same blessings.
Our homeschool year is going smoothly and we joined a co-op this year! We are currently using My Father's World curriculum and have (to this point) found it to be the perfect fit for Austin's learning style and my teaching style. Joining a co-op has been so great for our school year. It has been a wonderful supplement to his education. Not to mention it is just plain fun!
 We are still working to sell our house but have not had many hits thus far. We trust that it is entirely in God's hands.
As for family life we are continuing to grow and learn about our Hebraic roots and how that is reflected in our daily relationship with our Lord. It has been such a strengthening time as we explore a world entirely unknown to us before this year.
I have no news as far as fertility is concerned. I am deepening in my faith that the Lord will soon bring us another child. We have settled on a name for what I feel will be a little girl (when God sends her to us). The fertility meds thus far have done nothing for us and so we have decided to once again stop outside treatment and just focus on healthy eating, exercise and total trust in the Father.
This is just a short update on our lives. I hope all of you are well and if you are in need of prayer please feel free to post in a comment so I can meet that need for you!
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.

Following where HE leads!

I grew up a small town girl and when I first moved down to Corpus Christi, Texas it was a hard adjustment! Finally my husband and I were blessed to move just outside of Corpus to a smaller town and I vowed that I would never return to the "big city" life. We have lived just outside of Corpus for about five years now. Approximately three months ago, my husband casually mentioned that he thought we should move back to Corpus. I replied, "I think we should too!" <---WHAT!!? I couldn't even believe the words were coming out of my mouth. This was so unlike me, what business would I have living in a town that I previously despised. Now aside from some obvious reasons like drive time, gas money etc. I cannot understand why in the world we would suddenly decide to move. This has to be a God thing! There is no other explanation. I am not going to say I'm not sad to leave our home and our church family but I feel very positive that God is leading us on to the next chapter in our lives. This is the first time I have had a really profound sense that God is changing the direction of our lives and I am totally at peace with it. It's really a neat feeling, being wholly surrendered to God's direction. Of course as the book of Ruth has been fresh on my mind lately I have to say Ruth 1:16 is so fitting: "But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or return from following you. For where you go I will go and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God."
So where ever He leads me, I will surely follow!! Even if it is to a place I said I would never live! He knows much more than I ever will.

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and your.s

Book of Ruth, Naomi, and the woman with the issue of blood.

On this Sabbath day I intended to get in some much needed time with God! I had prayed last night and this morning that He would just speak to me and allow me to be in communion with Him today. I decided to read Ruth, a book that I have read a few times, talked about many times and even watched a movie about. I had always looked at it very superficially, a love story about a kind, unselfish woman and kind landowner. I hadn't found that deeper meaning that all bible stories hold. After reading the book today I was left with  some questions and decided to search the internet for answers. First, page I found was some racist church organization that was disturbing (ha!) the second link was exactly what I was looking for, a great article by Chuck Missler. Here is the link because it talks about way more than I plan to address in this post: http://www.toddtyszka.com/kinsmanredeemer.html. It really gives a deeper understanding of the book of Ruth.

This is what I learned today:

Naomi- Now, I know the book of Ruth is mostly about, well, RUTH but I noticed something incredible about Naomi, she was a humble and compassionate person. In Ruth 1:13 (after both her husband and her two sons had died) Naomi says to Ruth and Orpah, "No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me." (emphasis mine) Can you imagine, losing your husband and two children and really being more concerned about others pain over your own. I think we should all take note of how humble Naomi was here.

The woman with the issue of blood- Now, if  you haven't read the link I posted above you may not know what she has to do with the book of Ruth so here it is straight from Chuck Missler's explanation
 "Ruth approaches Boaz while he is sleeping and requests him to “spread his skirt over her as he is a near kinsman.” This is not the kind of proposition many people assume it to be.
The shul (“skirt”), or hem, was the emblem of rank or authority in Israel, much like the stripes on the sleeve of a naval officer or airline pilot in our culture. (This insight is essential to really understand David’s cutting Saul’s hem,⁷ or why the woman with the issue of blood touched Christ’s hem,⁸ etc.)
Ruth was asking Boaz to put the authority of his house over her. She is invoking her right under the laws of Israel for him to take her to wife. Boaz was delighted to accommodate her, but there remained an obstacle to be overcome."

Wow, doesn't that bring a whole new meaning to this story found in Matthew, Mark and Luke?


The woman was just seeking healing and because of the crows the only thing she could touch was the hem of Jesus (which is how I previously viewed the story) She was asking the Lord to spread His authority over her. She was humbling herself, wanting God to be the head and in this she knew she would find healing. I've often looked to this woman as a model of deep faith and now I realize it's not just about "faith" it's about allowing the authority of our Creator to reign in your life. It's about being broken in front of our Heavenly Father so that He will rule your life. It's about 2 Corinthians 12:10, ...For when I am weak than I am strong.

So God really took something I have read many times and turned it into a brand new lesson. Love when He does that!

On side note, if you haven't watched The Book of Ruth (the newer version, it's on Netflix) it is a must see.

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.

Seeking.

I have felt very convicted...or maybe it's called? Either way, God has spoken. He has made it clear to me that I need to focus on "seeking" Him. The problem is I was having a hard time visualizing what exactly that meant for me. I asked the hubs and a few friends what that meant to them but none of the answers I received satisfied me. Last night I prayed earnestly to the Lord to show me what it meant. I began to look in the bible for uses of the word seek. Finally I came across Psalm 119 and then I knew this is what God meant by leading me to "seek" Him. In case you are not familiar with Psalm 119 it is an acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet. Twenty-two "sections" based on the 22 letters. Believed to be written by King David it focuses on praising God for His Word, for His law, commandments and rules. This is so beautiful to me as the hubs and I have just begin to learn about keeping the festivals and following the Law while living under grace. I don't want to get too far into that here  because that is enough to fill a completely different post.

Basically, what I feel God is trying to tell me is to focus on fulfilling His call to me, living a life where HE is truly first, where I follow His outline for a Christian life and not the outline man has made for a Christian life. Actually living out many of the "catch phrase" and over-used verses heard amongst Christians. It's one thing to throw these sayings out there for a quick "pick-me-up, or to say that we do them and it's a whole other thing to actually LIVE them.

Let me leave you with a few verses from Psalm 119:
v. 2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart...

v. 9-10 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander fro myour commandments!

v. 65-66  You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word. Teach me good judgement and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.

v. 89 Forever, O Lord your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.

v. 103 How sweet are your words to my tasted, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

v . 132 Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.

v. 175 Let my soul live and praise you...

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.

Mountains and Valleys

Today is a valley kind of day. I wanted to appreciate the beauty of this valley. The beauty that comes from suffering. But today it feels like there is no beauty that will come from this. I have been strong for several months now. Focusing on other things. Enjoying life for what it is. Today, I broke again. I don't like the person I become when these moments hit me and I don't feel like faith can keep me afloat any longer. Four years have passed and still I have not received comfort from my Father. I have prayed for it, sought it out and yet nothing. This valley is dark and empty and even though I know there are others here, they are hidden. I was okay with our decision to post-pone/not do foster care. I thought that maybe God had something more fitting for us in store but yet here we are still. I try to remain thankful for the many, many blessings I have received but sometimes dwelling on these things is just not enough. I don't know how to overcome this. I have seen/heard testimonies of many women who have suffered through PCOS and came out triumphant, child in their arms. I want to believe that God will open my womb, bless me with something so beautiful, I really do want to believe it. I don't. I blame myself, maybe God is punishing me. I know it sounds so unrealistic but in times of distress reality doesn't matter. I don't know why I am writing this on such a public forum. Why I write these posts for everyone to see. I think maybe because I want others to know they are not alone, although knowing what I know, I don't think it matters. Maybe it's because I am hoping someone will say just the right thing that makes me realize it really will all turn out for good. I am waiting desperately on God to give some kind of verbal or visual affirmation that things are going to be okay. You know that moment when someone says something so profound and penetrating to your heart you know it was the Holy Spirit using them. I need that kind of revelation. I hope that someday soon I will rise once again out of the valley if only for a little while. Until then I will try to find some beauty, any beauty in the suffering.

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

...You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am LORD. -Leviticus 19:18
...You shall love your neighbor as yourself. -Matthew 22:39

This verse is mentioned several times in both the bible (old and new testament). Clearly God honored this commandment, wishing for us as Christians to uphold it with great importance. In fact, Jesus mention it second only to loving God.

Recently, my husband and I have been doing some deep studying and allowing ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit rather than by man's views or doctrines. Tonight as I was researching things on the internet I found many forums of Christians bashing Christians. I was so saddened and disheartened that I had to stop looking around and felt led to come here and type up a little something about this. This is the first time I have noticed something like this, as I see it frequently in the Christian community. However, this is the first time I've seen it in such a concentrated volume. It was so sickening to me. Why do we spend so much time bashing others for their beliefs instead of working to reach the lost for God's kingdom. Does it really matter to which doctrine you subscribe, if  you truly believe that Christ died and rose again to save you from your sins and live that out in your daily life. If you have denied yourself and taken up your cross to follow *OUR* Savior (Matt. 16:24) and I have done likewise what do we we have to argue about? We will never see eye to eye on every single issue because we are imperfect, flawed. We each read and interpret scripture according to the way we have been molded in life. Let me be clear: Sadly,  I don't believe everyone is going to heaven. I don't believe that truth is relative.  I believe there is ONE truth and we must trust in that Truth if we are to live eternally with our Lord.  I believe there is such thing as righteous judgement and I believe that we are called to hold each accountable. However, if a brother or sister in Christ is clearly practicing scripture out of the Bible, I don't believe they ought to be judged. I think there are far more important matters at hand!
How about we reach out in love to our unsaved family, our neighbors and our community and represent Christ's teachings so that others may join us in the His kingdom! Imagine how much more we could do for Him if we set aside our self-righteous works of the flesh and replace them with  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). 


I leave you with one final thought from Galatians 5:25-26- If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours. 

Time4Learning Review

Austin really enjoyed using time4learning. It took a little bit for us to figure out how everything worked. One aspect I liked was you can set a timer for how long they are required to work before they can use the "playground." The playground is an area where they can play educational games. Austin really enjoyed doing the work on time4learning. Proof of this showed when one morning he came to me and said, "It's time to do school, isn't it?" That was a first in our house! He usually tries to find excuses as to why we can't start school yet.  The only downside to time4learning is that I don't feel like it could be a stand alone curriculum.

I believe we are going to pay for a subscription and continue doing time4learning in addition to what we already do.
If you decided to sign up for Time4Learning don't forget to tell them that Jennifer Cenname referred you!

Begin with the ending.

This Tuesday I am leading our ladies bible class on a study of the Proverbs 31 woman. Funny thing, I had this 'assignment' given to me by someone who doesn't know I write this blog. Oh, the irony. Anyway, tonight I am preparing for what I will say at the study. Do you feel like you could never measure up to the the woman mention in Proverbs 31? Do you avoid this chapter like the plague because you are so disheartened when you compare yourself to her? I hope not. This divine scripture is is so much more than the literal words written on the pages of the Bible. Let's look behind the words, what are the words describing?

The words talk about a woman who is loyal, respectful and supportive of her husband.
A woman who works hard to provide for her family.
She reaps the reward of hard work with her strength.
She provides food for her family.
She is a woman who cares for the needy.
A woman who is prepared for times ahead.
A woman who uses her skills.
She is wise.
She is kind.
She's not lazy.
Her husband and her children praise her for all that she does.
Finally and the part that is the foundation of all that she is: She fears the Lord.

Are any of these things unattainable? Call me naive if you must but I don't think there is a single Christian woman (married, single, children or no children) out there who cannot achieve all of these things. Look how this woman bears the Fruits of the Spirit mention in Galations 5: She is faithful and loving to her husband and family. She has goodness toward the needy. She has self-control over idleness. She speaks with kindness.  And these are just  few of the most obvious ones.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that any one woman could be 'perfect' but the characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman are in fact attainable if we begin with the very thing mentioned in v. 30, "fear the Lord."

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.

More than what it has been

 This blog is supposed to be about "seeking" to be all the things in Proverbs 31. I feel like my infertility struggle is definitely a part of that BUT there is so much more in my daily life. So I was going to share my recent endeavors in domesticity. I have been working on getting our house cleaner and more organized. Recently I organized all (except one) of my kitchen cabinets/drawers. I also made homemade handsoap and laundry soap. It has been fun and hardwork! Here are some pictures of the things I have been trying
my hand at:

Organized Junk Drawer

Misc. Kitchen Supplies: BEFORE

Misc. Kitchen Supplies: AFTER

Spice Cupboard: AFTER

Spice Cupboard: BEFORE

Homemade Hand Soap (.70c)

We have the power...

to choose! God has granted us this very thing. I don't like it. Seriously! I want to relinquish power to God, so He can choose the path that follows His will for my life. I am simply afraid I don't know how to recognize that answer. Rob and I decided (once again but more seriously this time) to put the brakes on our foster care licensing and to really truly think/pray/talk about whether or not this is the path for us. I desperately desire to serve God and I thought that foster care was an answer to not only that but also for my desire to have more children. However, maybe God doesn't see that as a fitting path for our lives. Maybe He sees us serving in a different way. If that is the case, I will accept it. Although, if this is true than should we seek fertility treatments again? I. just. don't. know. I cannot see a clear answer and I am afraid that my wishes are clouding my judgment. Patience has never been my strong suit and I struggle with this daily. I am waiting upon God but I just wish that He would give me an answer before I go crazy!!

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.

Time4Learning Review (Coming Soon)

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

It's Been So Long...

Since I've updated our situation as far as kiddos go. So for those who don't know Rob and I are currently working on our Foster Care License. This is so exciting to me! Rob is really nervous/wary of the whole situation but I know he has a generous and loving heart. It's just the change that gets him. I know that the moment we get our first placement he will be so accepting and caring. This is how he is, I have to drag him (kicking and screaming) into a change but once he has experienced the change he is so glad it happened. Anyway, my hope is   (and we are currently on the path) to be licensed no later than the end of April. Rob has to go away for training again at that time and I want everything to be finished before he goes. So we have told our agency that we only want girls, ages 0-3. We will foster and if the opportunity to adopt presents itself, I believe we will. If I may, can I ask y'all to pray for us as we go through this journey? We need all we can get!

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.

Ranting?

I don't know why but this morning I woke up with an incredible urge to scream about the way I see so many Christians (myself included, so this is totally not  unrighteous judgment thing) falling into the schemes of the world and the convoluted "Christian" messages of this day and age. Soooo...I did  little studying and posted to my Facebook status. I'm sure it will irk some people but I kind of have an "I don't care" attitude today. Here's the post: ...but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. Mark 4:19 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. John 1:10 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. John 17:14 ...God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong...1 Cor. 1:27 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? Galatians 4:9 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 2:12
My soapbox for the moment: If we walk in the ways of God, how can we also walk in the ways of the world? We are calledIf the world accepts it as good and truth, it's highly doubtful that God also accepts it as good and truth. If a book is so loved by the world that is on the NYT Bestseller List (or a movie is a top hit at the box office, or #1 on the music list) it's probably not the best place to be seeking spiritual nourishment." In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." -2 Cor. 4:4 ...ok you can remove by soapbox for the rest of the year now. :)
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours. 

...Man shall not live on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. -Matt 4:4

Our fleshly bodies cannot grow, function, or survive without the consumption of food. There are two categories into which we can put our food. First, there are foods like apples, broccoli, or a piece of salmon; these are foods that keep us running at our full potential. Then, there are foods like french fries, fried chicken and chocolate cake, these foods might keep us alive (and tastes amazing) but they certainly hinder us from a fulfilling life.

Drive by Mcdonald's or Whataburger at meal times and you will see that our society has become dependent on these foods that keep us from our full potential. Likewise, visit a vast majority of churches on a Sunday morning and you will see that that not only has our society become dependent on food that holds them back they have become dependent on a false pretense of God that is holding them back from living for Him to their fullest potential.

The Word of God is filled with truths that are hard to digest (much like a piece of broccoli) but the outcome of reading these truths is a spiritual growth that is fulfilling and enriching. However, it is obvious that our leaders have given in to the flow of this world and are offering up only spiritual french fries with a fluffy piece of chocolate cake. Their sermons and other teachings have become so weighed down with feel good notions that they are leaving out the word of God to make it easier for the 'flock' to digest. The big problem with the things that are easier going down is that they are hindering us from gaining all the power and might that the Word of God has to offer.

Romans 12:2 speaks to me in a big way: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. " We are called to be set apart from this world, a world that loves to self-indulge, focuses on sensuality rather than reality, a world that gives into the flesh never realizing the damage being done to the spirit. We are to discern what is PERFECT, what is perfect other than that which is of God? Certainly, not the opinions and prosperity preachings of man.

The Word of God reaches past our fleshly desires and penetrates the deepest portions of our souls. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.-Hebrews 4:12 "Sharper than any two-edged sword" sounds pretty painful and sometimes it is, particularly when we are being convicted of something we don't want to give up.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying the Word of God is not filled with lovely things that can comfort us and bring us great joy but what I am saying is that His Word is real and true and sometimes the truth hurts.

Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.