~ Be Strong and Courageous ~

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

Joshua 1:9 (NIV84)

This passage of scripture jumps off the pages into my core this morning! You see, when you get to that place of total abandon in your life to do the will of the Father, every day is a walk of faith and requires strength and courage. That is where I am, that is where I've been for some time now. Walking with God can sometimes take us to places that are out of our comfort zones, places that go against what our flesh wants to do. But he promises to be with us every step of the way. It is a time to be strong and courageous.

I woke up this morning feeling as though God was drawing me to this passage. As a little history, Moses has just passed away and now God is calling Joshua to take over and lead the Israelites on to the Promised Land. First up, crossing the Jordan River.  Now, I have to just ponder here for a minute on what Joshua was probably mulling around in his head. I mean, these were pretty big shoes to fill. I imagine there was some fear he was battling and probably some feelings of unworthiness, but I love what God says to him here in verse 5,

"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Joshua 1:5 (NIV84)

What assurance from our Lord! He called Joshua to this huge task but also promised that he would never leave him and also protect him. That is just like our God! No matter what the task he calls us to, he will be there every step of the way and protect us through it all. The next four verses really grabbed my attention this morning.

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:6-9 (NIV84)

In these four verses, God tells Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. The first time, "be strong and courageous", then he says "be strong and VERY courageous", and finally, "have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous."

Ok, it's just my opinion here, but I have found that if God repeats something in scripture, He REALLY wants us to get it. Here, he repeats himself three times. Joshua, are you getting this? He is commanding you to be strong and courageous! Now, here is where I come in. When God is calling me to go, wherever it is he leads, he commands me to do the same thing. "Be strong and courageous, Allison." Wow!

You know, he doesn't just leave Joshua there. He tells him to follow his guide map that he has given to him.  Verses 7 & 8 he tells Joshua to obey the Law and not turn from it. Do not let it depart from his mouth. Meditate on it day and night. If he does that, then he will be prosperous and successful.


He has given me the same guide map. Do I just go blindly? No! He has given me his Book and I am to obey it, meditate on it day and night, and not turn from it. That is the only way I will be prosperous and successful. If I follow the  "gospel according to Allison Jordan", I am going to fall flat on my face. But if I go with strength and courage armed with God's Word that I have immersed myself in, then I can be successful for the glory of God!

Oh, what I need today! Strength and courage for the journey! Am I still willing to go where He calls me to go? I have to stay in the Word and trust my God, even when that journey is alone...me and God.  I have to daily remember that if He calls me to it, He will see me through it. And, YES, I will go where He wants me to go! 
So, I grab hold of his hand and go...wherever he leads! 

This journey is yours, Lord. Wherever you lead, I will follow. I will meditate on your Word. I will be strong and courageous and I will find comfort that you will never leave me nor forsake me! It's all about YOU!

More Than Just a Doughnut!

Callie and I went into town for a couple errands yesterday and decided to surprise the boys before heading home with a stop by Dunkin Donuts. We had our BOGO coupon and were picking out favorites for the boys. As we were about to pay, the manager comes out and says, "I hope you enjoy these. They were just baked fresh!" Well, who doesn't like a fresh-made doughnut? What really struck me was the amount of pride he had for this product he just finished for his customers. He was the epitome of what a good worker is to me. He was passionate and stood behind his product to give the absolute best to his customers. He also took time to talk to us and let us know why this product was great. Let me say, that really impressed me! It also rubbed off on his employee because she too had a bubbly personality and showed great customer service. I expressed to him my gratitude for such wonderful customer service and Callie and I both left with smiles and excitement to support them and enjoy these freshly baked doughnuts!

Shouldn't that be how we all are with our jobs? Shouldn't we all display that kind of excitement and passion about what we do? As a child of God, my ultimate responsibility is to work for the Lord. All I do should honor and glorify him so I should give it my all....with a good attitude.

This passage of scripture from Colossians addresses just how we are to work:

"Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work."

Colossians 3:22-25 (MSG)

No matter what our jobs are, whether out in the work force or right at home, we are to honor God first in all we do!

What a beautiful testimony yesterday by that sweet man in Dunkin Donuts! He blessed my heart with his passion! And he was right...that doughnut was AMAZING! ;)

Life is Hard, BUT GOD is Good!

Saturday morning! The day my family gets to sleep in and my time on the front porch with Jesus lasts a little longer. Oh, how needed it is this morning! You know those days that are just hard? And then you have those days that are even harder than that?

Yep, that was my week.

Life is hard, BUT GOD is good! ALWAYS!

BUT GOD!! Hallelujah!

This morning I picked up my Bible to head outside and it was like my soul felt so content as soon as my hands wrapped around that precious book. Feeling the weight of all those pages infused with the breath of my Father and holding his love note to me was, in itself, so healing and comforting. And as soon as I walked outside, this verse of scripture came to my mind:

"The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

Isaiah 40:8 (NKJV)

This life on earth is temporary. Flowers will fade, grass withers up, discouragement will come, people will disappoint, sickness happens, death is mourned....Yes, life is hard! But I have to remember that this is not my home. I'm just passing through until I spend eternity with my Father in heaven. So when things on this earth disappoint and I feel discouraged, as I have so much this week, I have to continually immerse myself in truths of God's Word and depend on him to see me through. So many times I look through the lens of my own eyes and I see the hurt and evil in this world but when I look through the lens of my Father, I see a whole different view. I see the beauty of his creation, I see the blessings shining brighter than any pain, and I see the hope of glory! We are here for His glory and to fulfill His purpose for our lives and though it may be hard, the reward of eternal life with Him will be so worth it!

"You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever."

Psalms 16:11 (NLT)

So, today, I will look through the lens of my Father. I want to see others the way he does. I want to see his glory all around me and look for ways to be the blessing to others. I will wait patiently on him during these seasons of "wait" and trust his heart. I will praise HIM because he is so worthy! Because the same God I praise on the mountaintops is the same God who carries me through each valley!

I'm HIS child. Redeemed by HIS blood. Walking in HIS grace. Living for HIS glory! Hallelujah!

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:28-31 (NKJV)

The Longest Day of the Year

Well, today is the longest day of the year....summer solstice. The day when the sun stays up longer and nighttime is the shortest. It, of course, is also the first day of SUMMER!

That word invokes a lot of feelings in people. Haha! From happiness that school is out to dread when those electric bills of non-stop A/C start rolling in. Here in the southern NC area, these temps have already reached the 100 mark and the humidity has been so thick that just walking through it takes extra effort. Lol! But, this is summer in ILM and we get used to it.

As I'm sitting on my front porch this morning, I'm enjoying all the sounds of nature during my quiet time. The frogs singing the birds chirping and, of course, Louie panting at my feet. Ha! I see the raindrops drip off the house from the huge downpours we had throughout the night and I'm thankful they brought in the cooler temperature this morning!

As I rock in my rocking chair, I love to imagine my Jesus sitting beside me in the other and I just talk. I love to share my heart with him and tell him all about the day. It brings comfort to tell him my hurts and share with him my joys. I imagine him speaking to me and then through His Word, I sit in silence as I hear His voice in my spirit. I hear His promises from those beautiful pages of scripture. Promises of comfort, provision, grace and mercy. Promises that He will never leave me and of His incredible love. And it's in these moments that I could rock forever!! O, how I love my Jesus!

Today, I as I begin this longest day of the year, I lay it at His beautiful feet. I ask him to show me how to use this day for HIS glory. It really is all about him and His will for my life so, today, I will choose HIM!

What about YOU?

Let's go forward in HIS will and see amazing things happen! Happy summer to YOU!

"But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!"

Romans 13:11-14 (MSG)

And the winner is.....

Congratulations Angie Edwards!!!

You are the winner of the first Summer Bible Study giveaway!

I will give you your book when you come to study on Monday night!! Woohoo!!

Summer Bible Study…Giveaway!

We are only 1 week away from beginning our Summer Bible Study!

I am so excited and praying that God will do a mighty work in the hearts of each and every attendee. We have a great group signed up and ready to go but it is not too late to join us! There is still time to register and join us for an amazing summer study of God's Word. We will be doing Beth Moore's newest Bible study, "Children of the Day". This is a in-depth study of 1 & 2 Thessalonians. You do NOT want to miss this! To register, you can email your name and phone number to womensministry@scottshill.org

So, for those of you who have been in Bible studies with me before, know how I LOVE to do giveaways!! Of course, I will be doing that each and every week of our summer study but I thought I would do a little giveaway before the study even begins! Woohoo!

If you could see how happy I am right now!!! I LOVE TO GIVE STUFF AWAY!!!!!!

Okay, are you ready to see what I am giving away?

Here  it is……..

Yes!!! I am giving away a FREE copy of the workbook for the Summer Bible Study! Woohoo!!!

So how do you get it?

Well, I am glad you asked! ;)

All you have to do is leave me a comment here on my blog, on my Facebook post or email it to me at ajordan10@ec.rr.com and tell my why summer Bible study is important to you (make sure to include your name)! I will announce the winner on Thursday and deliver it to you myself!

If you are not signed up for the study, you are still eligible to win, but I would love for you to join us! If you live out of town I hope that you can find a group to do it with in your town or download the videos online. And, well, I won't be able to deliver it to you myself, but I can mail it to you! :)

If you are registered and already have your book, this will be a great way to invite a special friend to join you for the study and gift her with the book!

ARE YOU EXCITED YET?

I AM!!!! 

So, let's get the comments going……NOW!

Last Day of Vacation

Well, today is our last full day of vacation. Tomorrow we will pack up the car and head back to our homestead in NC with hearts full and refreshed. As everyone on the last day of vacation, I am sad to see it end. It has been a wonderful time of God and family, which is just what I had hoped for. I know Ben will be glad to get back to his sweet girlfriend and Callie back to being silly with her cousin Sharon but I’m thankful they have had a great time here and didn’t even complain when the Wi-Fi signals would crash. Lol! O, what a different age we live in. Matt and I pained them through stories of our vacations growing up when there were no smart phones, only dumb phones that you actually had to pay for a long-distance call. There was also no FaceTime or texting. Yes, we lived in the “dark ages” or so they think. Ha! But we survived to tell about it and it didn’t kill us.

This wasn’t a fancy vacation. It was just getting away from the fast-paced routine of our lives for 8 days and slowing down in the beauty of God’s creation. We cooked every meal, except one, and did laundry just as we would at home. It has been the simplest and cheapest vacation we’ve taken. Ha! Which was a blessing because just like everyone else, money doesn’t flow freely (especially this year! Lol!). We are definitely thankful for this timeshare we invested in 16 years ago! J

Today’s agenda consists of cooking my family a big breakfast and lounging around until our time on the lake. Then we will head to the pool for our last afternoon and  grill out one last time tonight on our back deck overlooking the woods as we watch the deer run by and our cute little bunny we have seen almost everyday. We will do some laundry so we can arrive home without the dreaded piles of “vacation laundry”. And of course, I will visit my little chapel again tonight and spend some time at the feet of my Jesus and in prayer and thank him again for the blessing of family, the power of prayer, this time of rest, and praise him for ALL He is to me!

So, today is the last day…and it is going to be GREAT!

"This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24