~ Time to "Dress Up" ~

I used to love playing dress up when I was a child. Oh, the imaginations we had! We could find just about anything to make ourselves into super heroes. We would use a pillowcase & a clothespin to make a super hero’s cape and aluminum foil to make the very cool and powerful bracelets like “Wonder Woman”. It was so much fun! Now I get to see my kids play dress up. Let me just say for the record, that Ben no longer plays dress up, only Callie and Caleb! But there was a time when Ben was little, that he had some very cool super hero costumes! Lol! Just the other day, Caleb came downstairs with a blanket tied around him for a cape, his blue laundry basket over his head for his helmet, and of course, let’s not forget the neon light up sword that he got in Disney World. He was a super hero armed and ready to fight the “bad guys”.

It really got me thinking about how I go through my day. When we wake up in the morning we usually have our “to-do” list in full steam ahead and are planning for a busy and productive day. We know that in order to be ready for the day, we have to get our shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush our teeth, and head out for the day. Not a lot of thought about those things, they are the normal activities that are ingrained in us. But are we armed and ready for what lies ahead? In a super hero movie, you have the brave super hero trying to fight off the evil villain that causes so much harm and they do so using the special powers they were given. In all movies I have seen, good defeats evil every time! Same is true with our Christian lives. Satan is a very real presence and can cause much chaos and turmoil. He is real and he is active, but the great news is we have everything we need to fight him off. We have the power of God and he has given us clear direction in fighting the battle.

Ephesians 6:10-18 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

I just love my Jesus! During difficult times, and trust me I have had some in the last several months, his word provides my list of armor to help me through. How can I go about my day without putting on the full armor of God? If I want to fight the battle that Satan dishes out I have to be prepared. Notice how it says in verse 13 “when the day of evil comes”, not “if”. So my dear friends those days will come and we have to be prepared. Reading this passage and feasting on it lately has made my perspective so different. I have heard this passage many times in my life, but how urgent it has become. Just look around and see what is going on in the world and it is time to be strong in the Lord and HIS mighty power!

So before my feet hit the floor in the morning, I am arming myself with the full armor of God; belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, footgear to spread the good news, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and using the sword of the Spirit all day long. Prayer and God’s word are what we need more of! I am so grateful for my God and how he equips us to fight this battle. We don’t have to go it alone. I challenge you all to read and feast on this passage as well and see the urgency to be always in the full armor of God. Awesome things will be witnessed as we see God’s people fully armed and ready to stand against the devil’s schemes!

Blessings~

Allison

Friends & Family Have Your Back!

This was written by my 10 year old daughter, Callie! I love the way she is having her own "teachable moments" with her Savior. She inspires me!

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Friends and family will always have your back when you’re in tough times. A few years ago I broke my arm carrying my little brother Caleb, I tripped on the concrete and Caleb’s head fell on my arm. His head hit the concrete but he didn’t get a concussion. I had to put ice on my arm while tears were running down my face. It felt so bad.

The next day I went to Medac with my mom and brothers. I got a sling for my arm and it was terrible because school was starting soon. I was going in the 1^st grade and my teacher was Mrs. Ramsey. She was so nice! My best friend Mia was also in my class. Mia gave be a stuffed bear that had a sling on its right arm like it and mine had BROWNIES taped to it!!! My first day of school with a broken arm was pretty good because I was with my best friends in the whole wide world GOD and Mia! God took care of me, Mia made me feel better the whole entire day! A few weeks later I had to have surgery to correct my arm. I was so nervous I couldn’t stop shaking.

Before I went into surgery, Pastor Jimmie and my family prayed with me that God would keep me safe. My mom wrote Psalm 23 on a piece of paper and I took that with me into surgery. My surgery lasted 2 full hours and everyone in my family was in the waiting room. But when I got out of surgery I was so, so tired because I took that sleeping medicine that I had to take. They had to wheel me out to the car in a wheelchair. That was my very first time in a wheelchair! I had 10 or 15 stitches and a pin in my arm.

When I got home my dad carried me upstairs and I went straight to sleep with my mom! A week later I got my stitches out and it hurt so bad. The pin didn’t hurt at all but the stitches hurt. I had to go to a place where they had to help me stretch my arm so I could get it to go straight. It worked after about a month. Then my arm got better but I felt happy because lots of people prayed for me!!!

After that whole experience I learned that friends and family always have your back and that God is always with me!

Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

By:

Callie E. Jordan

~ Happy Labor Day ~

Happy Labor Day everyone! We all look forward to this day because it means a day off work and school! Of course is also means the last official days of summer so it has kind of a bittersweet meaning. All I really knew about Labor Day was that it was a day off so I looked into it further. This day was founded in the late 1800s to celebrate the American worker and their hard efforts and achievements. Back in the 1800s workers had to work 12-hour days 7 days a week just to earn the basic necessities. Well, here we are in 2011 and it sounds a little familiar doesn’t it? I think most American families are suffering “labor pains” and we should take this day and celebrate it to the fullest. Give God the praise for the abilities he has given us to work hard to support our families. Well, it took Congress 12 years after Labor Day was founded to actually make it a federal holiday and more than a century later, we still celebrate!

Though I have never really given much thought about this day other than being a “day off”, I am grateful to my God for the blessings he has given our family. I thank him for the ability to work, I thank him for my hard working husband and the job he has provided for him, I thank him for the blessing of my job at the preschool, I thank him that with every paycheck we have food on the table and a roof over our heads, I thank him for being our Jehovah-Jireh. He is our PROVIDER!

There are days that we all wish we didn’t have to work. There are days we find ourselves grumbling and complaining that we have to get up early and go in and work all day. I am guilty of that myself. But today, I praise him for these jobs. Matt works so hard and his job takes him out of town many times but I praise God for the opportunities he has given him. I appreciate my hard-working husband so much. He sacrifices a lot to provide for our family but he does it in love and praise to God for his provision for us. I know that as I type this there are many that are looking for jobs. Many that desire that opportunity to work hard for their families and my prayer is that God bless them. That today would be a day to give them hope that God is their help. When we put our hope in worldly things, we get disappointed, but when we put our hope in God, he makes all things new.

Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Psalm 33:20-22 “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”

So today, celebrate your hard work and give thanks to God for his blessings and the beautiful hope we have in him! When you wake up tomorrow to go back to work, give him praise for the opportunities he has given us to provide for our families and be content in him and him alone.

Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Have a beautiful day!

Allison

Turbulent Times

I think there is only one word that can describe the last few weeks….TURBULENT! lol! Let me recap. In the last few weeks, the kids started school, I started back full swing into work, we had a couple of tornados blow through town, experienced an earthquake, and went through a hurricane. Whew! I am tired just from typing it all out! Just the start of school is crazy enough trying to get everyone back on a normal routine but throw some turbulent weather in the form of tornados, earthquakes, and hurricanes into the mix and it tends to shake things up a bit (literally! Haha!). Well, needless to say we are all doing good and ready for things to get back to normal, whatever that may be.

Looking back on these last few weeks, I just have to give praise to God for seeing us through! There are times we question what is God’s plan through it all, but I know that I know that he has the whole world in his hands! We are definitely in uncertain times but our God is faithful and his promises are right there in his Word for us to dwell on. Last weekend during the hurricane we had some time as a family to share from God’s Word together. Callie prepared a little service for us and even wrote out sermon notes with 5 blanks (she takes good notes during church from Pastor Phil), she had Caleb read Psalm 23 and we all shared some things that the Lord was doing in our own lives. What a special time that was. Here we were experiencing this hurricane and had just come off of a very turbulent weather week and to hear my 7-year-old son stand before us and read the 23^rd Psalm blessed my heart. Most of us can quote that Psalm because we learned it as children but to stop and dwell on those very words, just comforted my soul. I want you to take some time to stop and read this Psalm now:

Psalm 23 (KJV)

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

What comfort there is in God’s Word! I am so thankful that my children are living their lives knowing that God’s Word is their “go-to” book! I am thankful that they remind me to continually find my comfort there as well. As we had a time of worship together that day, we talked about how God is with us all the time and that there is nothing to fear because God is in control. The verse that I chose to focus on for the week was,

Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. 
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Wow! Thank you Lord Jesus for your promises! We stood, as a family, hand in hand, and prayed together that God would protect us and keep our hearts in line with his. We celebrated our God and his beautiful promises! He is our Shepherd!

As you go about your week, may you dwell on the promises in his Word! Gather your family and pray together, praising God for being the Great Shepherd who brings comfort. He will give us the strength to make it through the turbulent times and he will uphold us by his righteous right hand!

Blessings~

Allison