Faith of a Child

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV) Imaigine being a poor, peasant, teenage girl living in a faith-based community. In the middle of the night an angel comes to you and says, "God wants to know if it's okay with you that you be pregnant, and give birth to His son." Now, I think that would be a little freaky to have happen in the first place.
Second, the implications of doing this would be HUGE. She could lose her family, her fiancee, her friends, she could be scorned and even get kicked out of the community...or worse. It would take an incredible amount of faith, trust, and courage to do that...but that is what she did. She told the angel, "Yes, if that is God's will for me then I will do it." She had no idea what she was getting herself into, or what was ahead, but despite the fears and anxiety she must have had, she was strong in her faith, trusted in God, and was at peace with her decision. How often do we fall short of having that kind of faith, trust, and courage in God. We need to have courage and strength for the unknown journey ahead, and we feel ourselves start to falter, think of Mary, mother of Jesus. Love, Beau

Praise and Thanksgiving

"Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." (Psalm 106:1) What things have God blessed you with lately..a warm home, clothes, having a job, a loving family, non tangilbes such as forgiveness, joy, strength, compassion, sensitivity, faith,
endurance, or His unshakable love? Whatever God has given you it is good, and important, to give thanks to God for these things. Life happens so fast, and we should not take any gift of any kind for granted...no matter how big OR small! We need to take time every day, not just once a year, to thank God, and praise Him, for His many blessings, His gifts, and for His eternal love and forgiveness. Love, Beau

Forks in the Road

"For we all stumble in many things." (James 3:2a) One of mom's present, favorite, Christian songs is Slow Fade by Casting Crowns. It speaks of stumbling and going down the wrong path. It states that a "slow fade" doesn't happen in a day, and that it happens with second glances (or thoughts), when one allows things to go into gray areas, choices are made, and the person gives onesself away. One can give onesself away in many ways...in any value, virtue, or belief one has where one allows it to be compromised you give yourself away. By not standing up for what you believe in, and or not speaking up when you see a wrong done, you give yourself away. It speaks of not letting flattery sway you in the wrong direction and also be careful with your own words that you don't speak empty, misleading, hurtful words to others. It also mentions there is a short distance between your mind/heart and head, to your hands. In other words, thoughts can quickly turn into actions, so you must be careful to continually guard your heart, mind and actions. The song also says people, daddies (or mommies), and families never crumble in a day. It's not one stumble or mistake that causes an avalance, it's the little day by day, ongoing minor stumbles that eventually build up into bigger things. And yes, it does state there are consequences for the choices we make. One of the last lines in the lyrics states be careful for our loving Heavenly Father is looking down. That's where the good news also comes in. Our Father loves and cares for us. He wants to help us get back on the right path. He's there to pick us up and hold onto us when we stumble...if we choose to let Him...and choose to get back on His path. Even though we are responsible for the choices we make and those consequences, stumbling doesn't have to lead to a "fade out" or dead end. God loves us and forgives us, and we can choose to let Him lift us and take hold of us...forever." Amen!! Love, Beau

Salt of the Earth

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." (Matthew 5:13 NKJV) God says you are the salt of the earth, but what does that mean? Well, salt is a preservative, it shines things, it's a cleaner, flavor enhancer, weed killer, and prevents wilting...just to name a few things salt does. What God is telling us is that not only are we to be do-ers of the word, but also we are to have good character. It is not enough to go out there and show our faith by works. If we do not have the Christian character to back it up, others will see right through us and it will be bland like worthless salt. Or, another way of putting it is our "salt" will be "thrown out and trampled" on. When we go out on behalf of God, He wants us to present the whole package and not just the pretty wrappings and or the peanut stuffings. So, go out into the world as and be the spice of life! Love, Beau

Do-ers of the Word

"My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." (John 3:18 NKJV) God wants us to be doers of The Word, just not readers of it. As this verse states, we are to do more than just say we love someone, and or speak of our passions in life, we are to act on them. A favorite Christian hymn states, "And they will know we are Christians by our love." Love isn't just a warm fuzzy feeling, it's an action word. I don't know about you, but it doesn't mean as much to me if someone says something, but then doesn't put the actions behind it. God wants us to do more than testify to others about Him. He wants us to be living, DOing examples of what God can do, and of His love and compassion. God gave us the greatest example of all of this..He didn't just talk about how much He loves us, He backed it up by dying in our place. Let us all be mindful this week, and always, of how we present ourselves to others, and if we're truly living every second showing by our deeds of God's prescence in our lives. Love, Beau