I just know it's true! (for lack of a better title)

**I feel like before I begin this Post I need to add a disclaimer, like at the beginning of Law & Order. - No specific situation or person is the reason or main topic of this post. It is a composite of situations from my life**

Presume - to undertake without leave or clear justification

2 : to expect or assume especially with confidence

3 : to suppose to be true without proof

4 : to take for granted



Presumption - 2 a: an attitude or belief dictated by probability

b: the ground, reason, or evidence lending probability to a belief

3: a legal inference as to the existence or truth of a fact not certainly known that is drawn from the known or proved existence of some other fact


Do any of you presume things that you don't know are true? You belief them to be true based on feelings or emotions, but you do not have any hard evidence to support your theory, only feelings. I have to admit I have and do this alot, and lately God has been convicting me of what I should do about it. This happens in may different relationships; whether in your own home, say with your spouse, or extended family or in your church family, etc....


Scripture tells us to love one another, to forgive one another. It says this in

Colossians 3: 12-14:

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

So why is it that we do not go to each other with things that we may think, but are not sure is true? Isn't this where alot of issues become bigger then they really are? People are hurt by misunderstandings that were never fully investigated. Friendships are lost! Siblings never speak! Opportunities missed! All because we are afraid of that initial confrontation seeking truth! Isn't that what we should be searching for: TRUTH!

1 John 3:18-19

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence

I love these verses in Proverbs:

Proverbs 12:16-18

A fool shows his annoyance at once,

but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
A truthful witness gives honest testimony,

but a false witness tells lies.
Reckless words pierce like a sword,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

and in 1 Corninthians 1:8-10

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

Where am I going with all this? I'm trying to understand what my role is in reconciliation. Whether perceived or real! I need to use the power of the risen Christ that is within me to restore broken relationships! Maybe they're not even broken at all, but there is some misunderstanding that is keeping a wall up between me and someone! I don't want walls! I know that! Whether with my husband or with anyone else! So God is challenging me to be a restorer of my relationships, not anyone elses! I need to practice Matthew 18 and go to the person who I have offended or I feel has offended me. Hard, OH YEAH! This so does not come naturally for me! I am an avoider to the inth degree! But again I want to be obedient. If God is calling me into the hard task of lovingly asking the question, then I must do it!

Proverbs 15:4

The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life,

but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

I pray that my tongue will always bring healing to whomever I am in relationship with!

Our Pippa turns "10"!!!!!!

This day 10 years ago a little ray of sunshine was born into our family! This little chick is her father in a girl's body! Her daddy always said "give her a stick and a box and she's happy!" That is so true! Bekah is willing to give just about anything a try "except for food of course". She doesn't give up and has a wonderful attitude (most of the time) when she doesn't do as well as she expected! She loves Jesus, dogs and stuffed animals! When she grows up she wants to be a veterinarian. She has a heart for service, and desires to go on a missions trip, which we are praying about! I thank God for my sweet little Pippa!!!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Fphoto Friday

Some pictures from our little Spring Break outting to the beach on Wednesday.

Check out the other awesome pictures at Married to the Preacher

Self reflection through the lense of God

Psalms 66:10

For you, O God, tested us;

you refined us like silver.

lens - something that facilitates and influences perception, comprehension, or evaluation

reflection - consideration of some subject matter, idea, or purpose

Looking at oneself through the lens of God is a hard thing to do! Necessary, but oh so hard!! This is where I am and have been the lasts couple of weeks! God is showing me just what my heart really looks like, and it's not pretty!

Luke 16: 14 & 15

The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.

It all started a couple of weeks ago. There has been so much going on lately that are so outside of my control, and that tends to put me in a state of upheaval. We are, like most people in Michigan and the US have had to make many adjustments, and will continue to have to do so as Steve's job is just not stable. At home there are many stresses mostly involving pre-teen angst, and just the stress of raising a family to love and honor God. Work (which is where I worship) has it's own set of stresses. I have felt that in every facet of my life I am at a stand still! This has caused ugliness to come up and out of me, that have surprised me and have also given me pause, as I see that I am not as far along in my journey of sanctification as I desire to be.

Just a couple of Sunday's ago I was up at 3:30am, got my Bible and laid down on the couch. Discussing with the Lord how frustrated I was with everything! This is what I said "I am going to flip open my Bible and read where it flips too, and I want to be spoken too!!!" (BTW - I am so glad he allows that without lightning striking us - CAN I GET AN AMEN TO THAT!!!!) So where does my Bible flip too? Romans 2. If your not familiar with Romans 2, this is how it starts:

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
5But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

O.K. then, that was certainly not meant for me, right?!!!! Ah yea, it was! Of course at the time I was pretty upset he brought me there, but later on that morning I realized that is exactly where I needed to be taken. I really have an issue here, that needs the refiners fire!

He has also shown me since then my selfishness. Last week our Pastor asked: "what are you willing to die for?", and he also mentioned that the dieing is not just physical death, but ARE YOU WILLING TO DIE TO SELF? O.K. there's #2! I am selfish! So often this past week that has come to mind - you are not willing to die to self are you! You want what you want, when you want it, and don't ask me to sacrifice! (I told you people this isn't pretty - now you see!)

So you see God is currently peeling away my layers (just like the video above is talking about). It is most definately not a pretty process, but I submit to his control (again) because I so want to be like Him! I so want to be used by Him! I confess this today to you to ask for prayers that just like in Ezekiel - God will change my heart of stone to a heart of flesh! Some of the verses I will be memorizing this year are these:

Hebrews 13: 5 & 6

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."So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Now I know these verses discuss the "love of money", and this is about so much more then that. It's the word Content that I focused on! Be Content! Don't worry! Why? Because God will never leave me or forsake me! He is my helper! I will not be afraid! What can man do to me?!!

Thanks for listening and for the prayers!

fPhoto Friday

A picture of a surfer, Morro Bay, CA at Sunset.

This is my first time here at fPhoto Friday. I love to take pictures and would love to learn more about taking them. Every once in awhile I get a picture that I really like. This is one from our trip to California this year.

Check out other neat pictures at Married to the Preacher.

Laminin - What holds us together?

I used to work at our area's township offices. In my role there I proofread the monthly "Seniors" Newsletter. When I quit to start my position at church I asked if I could be kept on the mailing list because I enjoy the newsletter so much. Who knows I even might sign up for one of their trips! Anyway this morning I was reading it came upon this article:

The Story of Laminin

Laminins are a family of proteins that are vital to making sure overall body structures hold together. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our body to the next cell. Pictured above is what Laminin looks like. The glue that holds us together is in the shape of the cross.

Look what it says in Colossians 1:15-17. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created; things in Heaven and Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER."

Isn't it amazing that a few thousand years before the world knew anything about Laminin, Paul wrote those words. We can see from a very literal standpoint that we are held together one cell to another by the cross.

Isn't it amazing that our Creator knew exactly what Laminin would look like long before Adam even breathed his first breath!

Psalm 139:13 & 14

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

(The above is from an excerpt from a sermon by Louie Giglio)

I want to take this a little farther yet. I was amazed at the wonderful truth that is written above, but I also thought of the body of Christ (the Church, His Church). What does scripture say about that?:

1 Corinthians 12: 12 & 13

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Ephesians 4:11-13

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

So not only is our physical body held together by a family of proteins in the shape of a cross, but the church itself is held together by Christ and what he did on a cross!

Boy I love Him!!!!

Who are you? Who is in you?

I've heard this song before, but never really listened to it until this morning. I have a good friend that is always saying "remember who you are"! So this morning this song is dedicated to Amy for her constant reminder to me of "who I am in Christ"! Thanks Amy!