"Prayer"

Remember as a child always reciting the same prayer at meal times? “God is great, God is good…” Though we always said the same thing, we were learning how to pray. As we grew older and more mature in our spiritual lives, our prayers became more intimate, personal. That is because we learned that prayer is our communication with our Creator. It is an intimate and glorious time!

As a parent, I love to hear my children pray. In the beginning, each of their prayers were the same. I could almost quote Ben and Callie’s bedtime prayers because they said the same thing every night. It really was monotonous, but at least they knew the importance of prayer. It is so sweet to see them grow in their relationships with the Lord. Their prayer times are really becoming a personal experience between them and their God. I remember a time when we had just been home with Caleb for about a month and he was helping me in the grocery store. He loved to help me check off the items on my list and looked forward to that fun time in the grocery cart. Well, this one particular day, we had a lot of groceries and had been there for quite a while when he asked if we could go. I told him in just a minute that we had to "PAY" first. He immediately bowed his head, folded his hands, and began to "PRAY" just as loud as he could (of course, at the time, it was mostly in Chinese so I didn’t understand it). He thought I said that we had to pray first and he didn’t care who was watching or listening, he was praying! That made me laugh but at the same time was a reminder that no matter where or when, we can lift our prayers and praises to our Father. I joined him in prayer right in the middle of the grocery store and then we proceeded to PAY as well!

God’s Word tells us in Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and request. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

Our lives should be in a constant attitude of prayer. How many opportunities pass us by where we could have lifted up a request or praise? The people we pass on the street, the friend that is burdened, our fellow brothers & sisters, our families, our pastors, the church, the blessings we see day in and day out, all these and many more are opportunities that we have to talk to our Heavenly Father. We don’t have to pray just at meal times or bedtime; we GET to engage in a one-on-one conversation with our Creator any time, any place! Okay, now I’m overwhelmed! WOW! We, who don’t deserve it, get the honor and privilege of presenting our requests and offering our praise to the One and Only God of the universe!

I Thessalonians 5:17-18 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Take advantage this week of the wonderful blessing we have been given to talk to our God. Sweet, sweet fellowship!

Have a blessed week!

Allison

"Our Special Christmas Present 2006"

I sit here this morning just reveling in all the blessings around me and I am so humbled and amazed at my God! He is everything we need but he gives us so much more! I have a wonderful husband who is my best friend and love of my life, and 3 beautiful children that bring so much joy to our home and me!

For the past few days I have been reminiscing on a wonderful Christmas present that God surprised Matt and I with just 4 years ago today! That precious gift forever changed our marriage and our family and taught us to appreciate, so much more, every blessing God bestows on us. That Christmas surprise was our sweet, little Caleb!

Four years ago today, December 15, 2006, we received a phone call that we had a son! I will never forget the words on the other end of the phone from my adoption agency as she said, “I have a little boy for you.” With Matt working in Virginia at the time, we were just a couple of hours away from heading up the road to be with him. I rushed home and Matt and I together, me in Wilmington and him in Virginia, opened the email and saw, for the first time, our little Caleb! What an amazing moment! I remember looking at the picture of him with his hands on his hips thinking, “He will fit right in to our family!” Lol! We were actually still in shock, because just a day before, we thought we were going to adopt a girl. But our God has a beautiful way of changing our paths to line up with his! I printed all three pictures of our “little Christmas present” off the computer and put them right beside me on the drive to Virginia. I cried and prayed the whole 6 hours and just was amazed at my Lord! I spent that week with my family, almost in seclusion, just praising my God! Our family back home wasn’t aware of our gift yet, but we needed time to process all of what the Lord was doing.

I spent a majority of that week sitting by the creek behind the house Matt was renting praying and reading my Bible as God dug deep in my heart! My God is so good! The kids and I even took a 2-hour drive to our adoption agency, which is close to DC, and spent time with our family coordinator, who for over a year had just been a voice on the other end of the phone. This day, she became my prayer partner and laughed and cried with me as we spoke about our wonderful God and how everything happens in his time and his ways are perfect! Sweet fellowship!

When we came home for Christmas, we were able to share with our family what precious gift we had been given! Our focus was on bringing Caleb home! We spent the next 4½ months finalizing every detail to bring our son home!

On December 15, 2006, our family was changed! I was in love with this beautiful miracle from God that was waiting for us in a Chinese orphanage. No more to be known as Guang Yue Chuan, orphan, but forever as Caleb Yuechuan Jordan, our son and precious miracle of God!

To God be the Glory!

Allison

"SHOOFLY"

Isn’t it very annoying when you sit down to eat and there is a fly just buzzing all around your food? After I went to the grocery store one night, I left the front door opened a little too long unloading groceries and I let a fly in. Now, flies are one of the nastiest varmints alive, and when seen in my home; don’t have a very long life span. Flies love to land on your food and I don’t want to even think of where that fly had its last meal. All I know is that they are disgusting and carry filth that is transferred right onto our dinner. Last summer, Ben and Callie had a lot of fun trying to get a fly that had entered our home. He was very pesky and they got a work out trying to swat him. It took so long in fact, that they named him, “Peter”. Why “Peter”, you ask? I have no idea! Leave it to my children to come up with that! Ha-Ha! Well, “Peter” eventually lost the battle to the wonderful “fly swatter” but many of “Peter’s” friends and relatives have come and gone. Such a nuisance! We now have 2 fly swatters in the house to doubly attack those pesky, little creatures.

I started thinking about the verses in I Peter 5:8-9. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…”

We have to be alert at all times! Satan is looking for our vulnerability to attack! He reminds me of that little pest that buzzes around but we have to stand firm in our faith. If we lose our focus on Christ, Satan can land right on us with all that filth and disease that he carries and make us “sick”. SHOOFLY!!!! As we stay self-controlled, alert, and firm in our faith; we can use our giant “swatter” and wipe him out. God has given us everything we need to swat him out. He has given us direct access to him 24/7 (Eph. 6:18 “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.”) and his Word that is alive and active (Heb. 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword…”). Both of these are great weapons in the godly arsenal that we have been armed with!

My prayer this week is to be alert and focused on my Heavenly Father! That is where peace abounds and where we can flee the devil!

Have a blessed and “varmint-free” week!

Allison

"Basket of Blessings"

I love to hear stories of how God has blessed people! I’m sure you have experienced that in your own life as well. I can’t tell you all the times I have been totally amazed at my God and how he blessed me just at a moment when I didn’t expect it. Those are special times! I’m not just talking about monetarily, but in any way; an unexpected note of encouragement, a kind word from someone, a prayer answered, seeing your children do for others without being prompted, etc. I could go on and on about the different ways God has encouraged my soul through a person, his creation, his Word, or many other avenues. The bottom line is, he is the Master Encourager and blesses us far beyond what we could ever deserve! But let me ask you, how many times have you missed it? You may be saying, “Miss it? I don’t get many blessings.” Well, that my dear friend is where you are wrong. Please forgive me for being utterly upfront and blunt here. But the fact is; if you don’t feel as though you are as blessed as someone else, then you are just missing it. God blesses each of us differently and in ways that bring him glory and honor.

There was a time in our family, just a few years ago, when there was a lot of negative things, valleys, if you will, that we were facing. As Matt & I spent much time in prayer together seeking God’s face in dealing with these trials, we felt God telling us to focus on all the blessings in our lives and give him the burdens.

I Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

So, that is exactly what we did. We put a “Basket of Blessings” in our living room and encouraged each other, and our kids, to write a blessing that we experienced from God in the basket and to celebrate God and all the ways he loved on us that day. We would read them aloud and give God the praise for what he had done. Ben & Callie (before Caleb made his entrance to our family) were younger then and the sweet things they would write truly touched my soul! What we came to realize is that our attention to the trials began to diminish. Not the trials themselves, but the attention and anxiety to it. You see, just the smallest of “good” things, started to turn into the biggest of blessings! I remember my sweet Ben putting a note in our “Basket of Blessings” one day when he thought I wasn’t looking. That precious note read that he was glad that his mommy didn’t have a headache that day and that God made her feel better. What a blessing? My sweet son recognizing God’s blessing on his mom! It really became something special and we started taking to heart the many things God was doing, that once before we had, so selfishly, been too consumed with the negative to notice them. Our verse of prayer during that time was:

Phil. 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Wow! How life changing when you allow the Word of God to be your prayer! The Word transformed our family and we began to see our situations turning around. As we took each and every opportunity to give God the thanksgiving he deserved, we began to love God in a deeper more meaningful way. God didn’t turn every one of our negative situations around the way we thought they needed to go, but he transformed them into the way he intended them to be and we found ourselves completely and totally at peace!

So what do you do with this devotion? Well, I encourage you to begin to put the negative talk, thoughts, and actions away and begin to transform your thoughts to our Wonderful Lord and all the ways he DOES bless you! If the words or thoughts that consume you are “I don’t have enough of…., I need more of…,I wish I could…” then it’s time to STOP!

God’s Word plainly says,

Phil. 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Not according to “my glory” but “his glory”! What a difference a pronoun makes, huh? It really is all about him! There are so many things in our lives that can discourage us and bring us down, but it’s time to give God our burdens and entrust him to take care of them in his time! I encourage you all to have your own “Basket of Blessings” and see how life changing it is when our attention becomes focused on our Lord and his glory!

Enjoy the rest of your blessing–filled week and prepare to be amazed!

For HIS glory~

Allison

"What's My Plan?"

I love to have a plan! I have found that if I don’t have a plan, then life gets a little chaotic. So, with 3 kids, 2 jobs, a husband, cheerleading, ministries, and many other wonderful responsibilities, I have to be very organized and have a plan. Webster’s dictionary defines “plan” as this: “a method for achieving an end”. Pretty simple and exactly correct. We plan and organize in an attempt to achieve our goal. In the morning and again on our way home, we all go over our “game plan” as far as doing our school work, activities, & chores in an effort to make sure we don’t miss anything. We had returned home from school one day and everyone went about working their plans and Caleb came to me in the kitchen with a bewildered look on his face and said, “What’s my plan, mommy?” He was ready to complete the task but couldn’t quite remember the plan of action.

Well, there is nothing like “life” to get in there and reorganize our “plans”. Have you ever had one of those weeks where things were going along pretty smoothly and then there is a “bump” in the road? Well, you make it over the bump, and then there is a pot hole around the corner, so you make it through that, and then there is a sink hole straight ahead? Oh, yes, I have had those weeks and by the grace of God, I missed the sink hole! You know, nothing major, just plans thwarted. But for me, it threw me off my master plan. My very organized scheduling was thrown completely out of whack, but praise God that in my time of “reorganizing” he reminded me that he is the Master Planner of my life.

Jeremiah 29:11 “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.”

In the midst of my trials, God so sweetly whispered encouraging words in my ear and led me to cling to his Word. As organized as I try to be, God holds my plan and it is a plan that gives me hope and a future. It is good to have a plan and be organized in our daily lives, but we also need to realize that God is in control and he holds the future. We need to be grounded daily in his Word so that when plans get thwarted we can trust in him who holds the world in his hands. Pondering on this verse of Scripture has made me appreciate so many things this week. Through my little “adventure” down a wobbly path, God showed me how blessed I am to have such a wonderful, godly mother, how honored I am to have a husband that loves me and works so hard to provide for our family, children that bless my soul, jobs that don't feel like work, and most of all, a Savior who gave his life for me and loves me more than anything! Thank you sweet Lord!

Have a blessed week and remember to rely on God and ask him “What’s my plan, daddy?”

Allison

"What Do You Want For Christmas?"

Well, it’s no secret that I love to shop! One of my favorite shopping times of the year of course is “Black Friday”! Just saying that gives me chill bumps! Now, shopping on “Black Friday”, for me, is not just about being the first to get the “goods”, I love it for the sport of it! Yes, it is true! I love the crowds, the bargains, and the craziness that it brings, but most of all because it is the big kickoff for the holiday shopping season! Ahhh! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Just makes you want to break out into song, huh?

This “Black Friday” shopping was probably the most fun I have had! What began as just an evening stop on Thanksgiving night to Toys R Us with Matt & my sister to pick up some good bargains for Christmas, turned into an all night shopping adventure around Wilmington meeting lots of “interesting” people and laughing till my sides hurt! My poor husband hung in there with us all night and was such a trooper! If you are one of those brave souls who ventures out on “Black Friday”, you know the chaos that is all around. People frantic to get the perfect gift at the perfect price for their loved one for Christmas. Some people camp out with tents & sleeping bags for hours on end just to guarantee their first spot in line to get their prized possession. In many of the lines we stood in, you would catch people’s conversations asking each other what they wanted for Christmas. Even upon our return, our kids were asking each other what they wanted for Christmas. That is a very popular question right now.

So, I’m asking you, “What do you want for Christmas?”

Here we are on December 1, 2010, officially beginning the Christmas season. Christmas decorations are up, or are in the process of going up, and all the holiday parties are underway. The countdown has begun and the shopping frenzy has already commenced, but I found myself, many times over this past weekend, asking myself, “What do I want for Christmas?”

It could be very easy to get materialistic in this society and find all kinds of things that would fill up my Christmas list, but as I ponder the desires of my heart, there is only one gift that could satisfy and bring such contentment. That gift came in the form of a baby, born in a lowly manger. His name is Jesus!

Luke 2:10-12 “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

My gift is the Messiah! Any gift that I will receive on this earth, although can be very special to me, can never compare to the gift that was born over 2000 years ago in a humble stable. That precious gift was the gift of LIFE! I accepted his gift of salvation many years ago, but the gift continues to bring such peace and overwhelming humility that just makes me fall deeper in love with my Savior! You see, when you accept him as your gift, this is the gift that keeps giving. On a daily basis, the gifts I receive from my Lord produce so much gratitude. His gifts include; grace, peace, provision, love, mercy, compassion and many more that I could go on and on. You see, he tells me in his word that he wants me to live a full and abundant life.

John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Will I exchange gifts with friends and loved ones this year? Of course, and those will be fun times with gifts chosen specifically for that special person and done with much love. But in response to question laid on my own heart this weekend, “What do I want for Christmas?” Well, I want more of my Jesus! Sweet Lord, Almighty God, the Great I Am, Everlasting Father, Jehovah! That is what I want, that is what I need!

There is a song that has been dear to my heart and says exactly what my desire is this Christmas, it is my Christmas prayer…

I've touched the hem of your garments

And I have felt the leading of your hand

But today, my eyes look much higher to see the face of the great "I am"

So more of You Jesus, more of your face, more of your glory in this place!

What a glorious Christmas this will be! More of my Jesus! Imagine what this world would be if everyone desired this same precious gift for Christmas. My prayer, this December, is that this joy he gives me will spread to those around me and his glory will SHINE!

What do you want for Christmas?

Blessings~

Allison

"I See Stars"

I am constantly amazed at God’s great creation! Just looking at trees, flowers, mountains, the beach, or anything in nature takes my breath away. God’s majestic earth leaves me utterly speechless (and I am not one to be at a loss for words, just ask my family!) One night, several months ago, after we got home from church, we were so in awe of the moon and stars. After the days of rain we had endured, seeing the moon brighten the sky and the many stars brought us all a lot of joy. As we pulled into the driveway and were making our ways out of the van, we were still marveling at the heavens. I told everyone to stop a minute and lie down on the ground so we could get a better look. So there we were lying on the warm concrete of our driveway with thousands of stars shining so brightly that we felt as though we were floating in the heavens! It was glorious! We shared together what a wonderful Creator we have and how only he knew how many stars there were. (The kids tried to count them but were not very successful.) He placed each star in the heavens and holds them there! We all know the story of creation very well and that on the 4^th day is when God made the stars. But to bring myself to scripture again to go over the creation story made me love him even more!

Genesis 1:16 “God made two great lights - the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.”

WOW! He is so awesome! But what struck me was in verse 31:

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

God made us! You see, “it was very good”! God loves us so much and has such pride in his creation!

Praise God this week for his wonderful creation! As we wrap up the Thanksgiving weekend may we continually stay in an attitude of thankfulness. Take time to enjoy and marvel in all that he made and remember that we are his creation too! Celebrate your life in him!

Have a blessed week!

Allison

Thanksgiving Renewed

My Lord never ceases to amaze me! He took, what I thought, was just a fun birthday trip for my daughter and turned it in to such lesson on learning to be thankful for things I have taken for granted. We took our family to DC just a couple weeks ago for a surprise birthday trip for Callie and the Lord turned that into a time to grow me and nudge me deeper into an appreciation of him and our country. Before we left for DC, I have to be honest when I say that I had grown a little disheartened in our country. But as a parent, I wanted my kids to see our nation’s capital and all the history. Never did I imagine that the Lord would prick my heart in such a way that would make me enter into this thanksgiving season with a heart so overflowing with gratitude and love for our awesome God!

As we walked around our nation’s capital, we did all the “touristy” stuff; the White House tour, the Capitol tour, Lincoln Memorial, Ford’s Theatre, Smithsonian, Washington Monument, National Archives, etc. But what struck me the most was walking into each and every building and hearing the security guards and tour guides give us instruction and the history behind these buildings and documents. Wow! They took such great pride in telling us the history of our country and I found that I hung on every word! It was amazing! My “aha moment” of the trip was being in the room where our Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights were displayed with such reverence. I imagined myself there as our founding fathers, deep in discussion and prayer, were writing these documents that would forever be ingrained in our very foundation. And it hit me…no matter where our country is now or where it is headed, no one can EVER take away what our country was founded upon and that is our God! I think sometimes, I removed myself mentally from those foundations because I would see what was taking place now, but God whispered in my ear, right there in the National Archives building, that he is here and he is in control. What peace he gave me and what an emotional moment that was for me.

I left DC with a deeper love for my Savior! First because he took my sins and died on a rugged old cross for me, and then because he reminded me that he is still here and still rules the world!

I Cor. 15:3-4 “ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”

Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;”

Upon our return, we entered the thanksgiving season and started preparing for the great events of school parties & family dinners and I hungered to know more. I wanted to go back to the first thanksgiving and see what happened and how thanksgiving continued to grow into the event it is today. What I came across was our first president’s “Thanksgiving Proclamation”. I had never read it before and I again was humbled at our nation’s history. I want to share it with you:

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation 


Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. 


Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

NOTE:

Shortly after the Thanksgiving Proclamation was written, it was lost for 130 years. The original document was written in long hand by William Jackson, secretary to the President, and was then signed by George Washington. It was probably misplaced or mixed in with some private papers when the US capitol moved from New York to Washington, D.C. The original manuscript was not placed in the National Archives until 1921 when Dr. J. C. Fitzpatrick, assistant chief of the manuscripts division of the Library of Congress found the proclamation at an auction sale being held at an art gallery in New York. Dr Fitzpatrick purchased the document for $300.00 for the Library of Congress, in which it now resides. It was the first official presidential proclamation issued in the United States. 


That is proof of what our country was founded on!

Thank you sweet Lord for showing me that you are here, and that no matter what happens, no one can EVER take you out of our country’s foundation. You are forever etched in history as the basis of this nation and the Lord of all!

I enter this thanksgiving with such gratitude for my Lord’s never ending love, provision, and grace, and a heart overflowing with blessings of family, friends, and a country that I have a renewed love for.

I know this post has been lengthy, and for that, I apologize. I can tend to ramble on and on when I talk about my Lord and the wonderful things he has shown me. I pray that you all have a blessed thanksgiving and also experience a renewed sense of his blessings, which are all around (sometimes in unsuspecting places)!

Psalm 100:4 “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise, Give thanks to him and praise his name.”

Blessings to you~

Allison

"Onward Christian Soldiers"

Caleb is really enjoying 1^st grade! In just this short amount of time he has learned so much and come such a long way. He loves to go to school! Every morning he wakes up and asks if he gets to go to school. Yes, yes I know, give him a few more years, and he will be asking if he HAS to go to school, but for now we are glad he enjoys it! One morning I was helping him brush his hair as we were heading out the door and he was singing the song “Onward Christian Soldiers.” He learned this at school as they sing it every day after they say the pledge to the Christian flag. When he sang it, I could not get that tune out of my head and I found myself singing it in the car or washing dishes. Intrigued, I looked up the story behind this classic hymn and found out that it was written in the late 1800’s by a pastor who wrote it in a very short amount of time. During that time, there was a festival called Whit Monday where the children would walk from village to village with crosses and banners. Well, Pastor Sabine Baring-Gould wanted the children to have a song, or hymn, to sing as they walked to encourage them. He sat down the night before and wrote this hymn in about 15 minutes. He later apologized saying that he wrote the hymn in great haste and that he thought some of the rhymes were “faulty”. Can you believe that? Of course, this song has become such a classic Christian hymn today. Here are the words to the song:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before:
Christ the royal Master leads against the foe;
Forward into battle, see, His banner go.

At the sign of triumph Satan’s host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.

Like a mighty army moves the Church of God;
Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.
We are not divided, all one body we-
One in hope and doctrine, one in charity.

Onward, then ye people, join our happy throng;
Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song.
Glory, laud and honor unto Christ the King -
This thru countless ages men and angels sing.

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus going on before!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Powerful words! I thought about Paul’s first letter to Timothy as he encouraged him and gave him instruction. What a great friendship they had and Paul gave him such godly advice that is so valuable to us as well. He reminds him to keep fighting the fight for Christ.

I Timothy 6:11-12 “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…”

We are Christian soldiers and in this day and age marching in “war”. We do have the cross of Jesus before us as the Royal Master leads us against the foe. As Paul encourages Timothy to fight the good fight of the faith, we too should continue fighting. We are in the “battlefield” but Christ is on our side! As begin our weekend, may we be encouraged in God’s Word when struggles abound. May we go into “battle” armed with his Word and a strong prayer life so that the enemy will be defeated! Our lives are to pursue righteousness and godliness in all we do!

I am so thankful to be a child of God! I am amazed every second at his love for me and I count it an honor to go into battle for him because he is the reason I live! So my prayer for you this weekend is to move onward all you Christian soldiers and fight the good fight of faith! Blessings will be eternal!

Enjoy your weekend!

Allison

"A Smile for Weary Shoes"

I love shoes! (I know you all find that hard to believe! HA!HA!) Shoes are such a fun accessory to an outfit! You can take a plain old outfit and put a “sassy” pair of shoes with it and it really changes the whole look. For you men, pardon the word “sassy” and let me change it to “cool”! Shoes can really tell a lot about your personality as well. They are just FUN! Well, last summer I had taken Callie out for back-to-school shopping and we were trying to find her some new tennis shoes for school. The store was extremely busy as many people were out doing the same thing we were and because of the shelves, all I could see of the next aisle were people’s feet. I began to notice their shoes. Some were really cute, some were not so cute, and some were in desperate need of the nearest trashcan. You know what I’m talking about; those shoes that are so worn, that they would probably walk over and throw themselves in the trashcan if they could just to put themselves out of their own misery!

As I watched, I not only noticed their shoes, but the way those people walked and carried their feet. It may sound strange, so please don’t hold this against me, but I really started to think about the people that those shoes belonged to. By watching their feet, I could tell some were weary, (maybe from too much shopping), some were excited, (new shoes are always fun to buy), and some were hurried and frustrated. But by looking at their feet, I had to stop and pray for those that really captured my attention. I felt as though those shoes had a story behind them. Where had those shoes walked, what had they been through? For some, many burdens are carried around on those shoes, which in turn makes for weary feet. In my interest of looking at cute little shoes, the Lord pricked my heart for those wearing the shoes and I am so glad he did.

Proverbs 12:25 “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”

As we finished our shoe shopping excursion, we walked down the aisles and I began looking for the faces that belonged to those shoes. I wanted in some way for them know that they were cared and prayed for that day. I began to offer a smile and a kind word to some of those that I could easily spot. Yes, some of those faces matched their worn out shoes and a smile did manage to crack on a few of them. But I was taught another valuable lesson that day from my wonderful Lord! He never ceases to amaze me with such teachable moments in very unsuspecting places.

There are many that cross our paths everyday that are burdened and weary. We cannot always solve their problems but we can lift them up to the Father and offer the love and encouragement that they may need at that very moment. I pray that we all look for ways this week to offer a smile and a kind word that can cheer an anxious heart and weary feet!

Love & prayers to you for a beautiful week!

Blessings~

Allison

A Parent's Love

This weekend my little girl will be turning double digits! That’s right…the big ”10”! It seems just like yesterday that Matt & I were waiting to go into the operating room for the birth of our second child, nervous and excited all at the same time as my doctor knelt beside my bed and said the sweetest prayer. As I lay on the operating room table, Matt held my hand and together we anxiously awaited the first cry of our newborn child. Then we heard the doctor say, “It’s a girl!” and there it was, the most precious little cry I had ever heard. It’s a girl! We have a daughter! Tears of joy flowed down our faces as we began to take it all in. Many things started rushing through my head after that. Ben was 4 years old at the time and I wondered, “would I be able to love another child like I do Ben?” It was hard for me to fathom that I could love another one as much as my firstborn. Then I thought about raising a little girl, what a responsibility. Could I possibly be the godly mother to her that I had in my mom? Could I show my daughter what it is to be a woman of God? But then the nurse brought our daughter over and the second I laid eyes on her, I was in love! God gave us a precious miracle on November 13, 2000, by the name Callie Elizabeth Jordan and we were ready for the glorious journey ahead in raising our beautiful little angel.

Over the last 10 years, we have just fallen deeper in love with Callie! God truly blessed the world the day that she was born! Her enthusiasm for life and love of people is certainly contagious. We like to call her our little “encourager”. She is quick to write an encouraging letter or sweet picture to someone to cheer them up and she certainly has put in many requests for prayer for others through our C.A.R.E ministry. She has such a nurturing spirit as we have seen with her younger brother and we know that God has great plans for her life. We can’t wait to see her continue to blossom into a young woman of God.

As parents, we delight in seeing our children grow and mature. It is so special when the values and biblical foundations you teach your children begin to take root in their life and you see that fruit bloom. A verse that is such a prayer of ours and has recently been used in a letter to me by my own mother is,

3 John 1:4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

That is our desire! Whatever God plans for my children, is what we want for them. We want our children so sold out for Christ that it just flows out of every fiber of their being. Those 3 children we have belong to God first and foremost. We are the honored ones that have been chosen by our God to parent and raise them in his ways.

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

I smile when they smile, hurt when they hurt, laugh when they laugh, and cry when they cry. I hurt when I have to discipline them, but know that in order for them to grow and become responsible adults, that discipline is necessary and is done because I love them. Their mistakes don’t change how much I love them though. The same is true of our relationship to our Father. He hurts when we hurt & rejoices when we rejoice. His discipline of us is also because he loves us so much and is necessary for us to grow in him. His love for each of his children is the same. He loves us all and desires for us to grow deeper in love with him every day. Just as I love to see my children happy, our Father desires for us to be full of joy! But when I think about the love I have for my children (which is A LOT!), it doesn’t even compare to the love of my Heavenly Father.

God’s word says,

I John 4:9 “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.”

So, this weekend we will celebrate our daughter and the special day that marks her birth and may you celebrate the love of your Father. His love for you is deeper than anything you can ever imagine. He sent his Son to die to prove his love for you! When life seems hard to bear and difficult circumstances arise this week, may you find comfort in the promise of his love for you….his child!

Have a blessed week!

Allison

Each Day

As I got up this morning just soaking in the beautiful day that God has given us, I was reminded again of how wonderful he is. Each day is held in his hands and he gives them to us to do what we choose. My thought was, “What am I going to do with this day that God has blessed me with?” Do I choose to focus on the negative things that will come my way, because just getting 3 kids up and ready, my husband prepared for a long, busy week and myself ready for the many jobs and meetings ahead, is enough to start the frustration, or do I choose to look for the positive in each of those situations? I have the most wonderful church family that I get to worship with today, I have 3 beautiful kids that go to a great school, my husband has a wonderful job and provides for our family, I have a job where I get to see people changing their lifestyles to be more healthy, I have a job where I can freely talk about God, and throw about 180 kids in the mix, how great is that? Well, today, I choose to look for the blessing! Today, I choose to throw off the negative thoughts and complaining spirit that wants to creep up and proclaim that God is so good! That outweighs any and every negative that will come my way. I came across an email that someone sent me a few years ago and I wanted to pass it along to you. It puts things in perspective and really brightened my day. I hope you enjoy it!

Approaching Each Day

By: Author Unknown

I woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.

Today I can feel sad that I don’t have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.

Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new job relationships.

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to go to!

Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with knowledge and adventure.

Today I can dejectedly murmur because I have housework to do or I can feel grateful for shelter for my mind, body, and soul.

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped, and here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping. What today will be like is up to me. And I shall decide what kind of day I shall have!

How will you live THIS DAY?

I hope you all have a wonderful week and remember Who makes each day!

“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Blessings~

Allison

Trip of a Lifetime

A couple of years ago, my sister took me on the most fabulous trip…to the Mall of America! To some of you who don’t know there is such a place (which would totally surprise me), it is a huge mall in Minneapolis, MN where people from all over the world come for 4 stories of shops and to play in the large amusement park right inside the mall. It represents what America is about, big and grand! That is why it was deemed “The Mall of America”. It is spectacular! My sisters & I love to shop, I know you find that difficult to believe, and it was a dream of ours to go to this mecca of shopping malls.

Well, two years ago I was just reaching my goal of losing weight and after 93 pounds lost, needless to say, I needed some new clothes. My sister, Stephanie, so graciously offered to treat me and my other sister on a celebratory trip for a complete make over to this shopping sanctuary! So here we go 3 girls heading to a destination that was before, only in our dreams, but now, becoming reality! On the plane we endured lots of turbulence but we just kept the vision of big red clearance signs and lots of packages in our sights. As the plane safely landed our anticipation was growing! Excitement was all around! We boarded the shuttle to the hotel, which was conveniently located right across the street, dropped our luggage off in the room and headed out the door. We could have taken another shuttle but it was taking too long so we walked across ourselves. The closer we got, the bigger and more inspiring the large “Mall of America” sign got. Before we entered the door for the first time, we had to pause in a moment of silence and take in the reality of the moment!

Inside the door, we almost couldn’t speak! For those of you who love to shop, you know what I’m speaking of here. We rented our “buggy” and headed down the first floor. Oh, the fun we had! Giggling and taking pictures as we made our first purchases and trying not to scare others around with our excitement! We had a blast! For 4 days we shopped open to close and only took quick breaks to rehydrate and get some nourishment! We were serious shoppers! At the end of every day, we hopped on the shuttle with this sweet little old man that chauffeured us back to the hotel and we would get lots of funny looks at all our packages. So much fun! We took our treasures from that day and lay them out on the bed to marvel and then we would scope out the next day’s itinerary! My sister even took us to a wonderful salon to be pampered and get a fresh new look! We truly were in a shopper’s heaven. When I returned home and shared my experience with others, someone made the comment to me, “This was a trip of a lifetime!” and I agreed with that statement! The other day I was talking with my sister as we are planning our next adventure, and we were again reminiscing about that amazing trip. But that statement kept going through my head, and the Lord so sweetly reminded me of the true trip of a lifetime that is available to all….Heaven!

I have always been humbled by my sister’s generosity in treating me to that extravagant trip. She spent so much money in making that trip special for us all and she did it because she loved us. My Savior reminded me of a trip that I will take that he paid the ultimate price for, his life. There is a place that will mark our final destination, one that will be a trip like none other we have taken before. Is so beautifully described in Revelation 21! I can hardly wait to stand in the presence of my Savior! As awe inspiring it was to be at the door of the mall that cannot even remotely compare to one day standing at the pearly gates ready to enter and be with my Creator for all eternity!

What is the cost for this trip…FREE! When my Jesus died on the cross and shed his blood for me, he marked this trip “Paid in Full”. All we have to do is accept his free gift of salvation!

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

My Heavenly Father, I am in awe of you! You paid the price, your life, for me! So unworthy am I, but you have marked me “Paid in Full.” I love you!

There are many around us that have not accepted this free gift. So many souls that will make their final trip one day, but it will not be the destination that is waiting for the redeemed. There’s will be a destination of sadness and pain for all eternity. This week may we be the ones that share with those that are lost that there is hope in Christ! That they too can have the “trip of a lifetime”, spending all eternity in glorious splendor with their Creator!

Blessings to you & may you anticipate your “trip of a lifetime” this week!

Allison

Ingredients

I love to cook! It is something Callie and I enjoy doing together. We like to watch cooking shows and try to recreate some of those yummy dishes and also try to make some of those dishes even healthier. I am fascinated by great chefs and their abilities to take just about any ingredient and make a masterpiece that will just melt in your mouth. Last spring I had the awesome opportunity to join my mom & sisters in Atlanta for a Food Network weekend. We had a great time and were able to see some famous chefs and hear some of their cooking secrets. We sampled their cuisines and were blown away by some of the simplicity in those dishes. What we learned was that is wasn’t about making difficult dishes, but taking flavorful ingredients and combining them together to produce a winning combination; a dish that brings comfort, satisfaction and “happy taste buds”. It was a lot of fun!

As I thought about that simple concept, it made me stop and think about our own lives as Christians. What ingredients does it take to make our lives pleasing to our Lord? We all know that what goes in is what will eventually come out right? God’s Word says:

Galatians 6:7-8 “…A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

If we planted potatoes, we would not expect to grow carrots; we would expect to see potatoes. The same is true for our selves. If we put things into our minds and bodies that are not pleasing to our God, then we are not going to produce characters, actions, and ministries that are glorifying to him. But on the other hand; if we ingest those things that are of God such as; his Word, godly conversations, music that praises and edifies, and many others, then we put together a recipe that can produce a soul-satisfying, God-honoring masterpiece that can make a difference in the Kingdom of God. That’s right; it is all about the ingredients! As I have discovered, the ingredients we put in these marvelous temples God has given us is up to us. Do we want to live flavor-filled lives that are honoring to our Creator or do we want to fill our temples with ingredients that are full of bacteria and mold that will not produce something that is edible?

Proverbs 15:14 “The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.”

I want a life that is full of flavor and is pleasing to my God! I want to fill my temple with ingredients that produce a delectable dish at my Master’s table. All that I am is only for him!

I pray that everyone has a flavor-filled week and enjoy a tasty treat of God’s Word!

Blessings~

Allison

"Everybody Drink Water"

As a family of five, dining out can be a little pricey; so on the occasions that we do eat out it is a great treat for the family. With the cost of everything going up, Matt and I made a new rule that when dining out (since I am the master at “penny-pinching”) everyone would drink water. That, in itself, saves us about $10 and you know how I just love a bargain! Well, after one of Ben’s basketball games, we decided to take the family to Wendy’s for dinner. Yes, I know, fine dining, huh? Well, the kids were so excited not to be eating at home so Wendy’s was perfect for them. On the way there, they were going over the menu trying to decide exactly what they were going to eat. During all the buzz in the car, Caleb raised his hands in the air to get our attention and spoke up very seriously and matter-of-factly and said “Everybody drink water”. We all started laughing, but the mom that I am was very proud that he remembered the family rule!

A few days later, the words that my young son so boldly proclaimed that night kept going through my head, “Everybody drink water.” Have you ever been so thirsty that all you could think about was getting just a sip of water? Nothing could satisfy your thirst like a drink of water. It is clear, cool, and refreshing, and it just soothes the body. We all know the benefits of drinking water. It is necessary for keeping the body hydrated, maintaining your body’s metabolism, it is so important for brain function, and of course there are many more benefits.

I then began to think about the “Living Water”. This is what my soul thirsts for! Just as my body needs water to function, my soul longs for the Water that flows freely from the fountain of life.

Psalm 36:9 “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”

I love the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4. Jesus, tired and weary from his journey, asked the woman at the well for a drink of water. She was confused that he, a Jew, would be talking to her. As he began to share with her about the living water, she began to think the water that he was speaking of could make her life easier. But you see, she was missing it. The water that Jesus was speaking of would be the drink that would satisfy the thirst of her soul, the water that would provide eternal life. This was Messiah!

John 4:13-14 “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

This is the water that will change the very foundation of her life! When I think about the times I get thirsty, physically thirsty, water is what I reach for to satisfy, but the times when my soul is dry and longing to be quenched, I go to the Living Water! He replenishes and rehydrates the depths of my soul and is necessary for me to function! What sweet, refreshing times with my Lord!

I encourage you this week to rehydrate your souls and drink from the springs of Living Water! I leave you with one last thought out of the mouth of my precious son, “Everybody drink water!”

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Allison