Lullaby CD winner......and thought for the day.

Congrats to Jeanette....I hope your friend enjoys the CD.

Thought for the day:

The path of least resistance isn't always the best way. It's resistance that builds muscle, holds the earth in place (gravity), and keeps us walking upright.

Blessings.

Don't Get Ahead of God

Here's what I learned today:

1.  Do not be afraid.

2.  Take your station.

3.  The Lord shall do battle for you.

4.  You shall keep still.

This is what Moses told his desert wanderers when they were ready to revolt. Waiting for God's plan for our lives can be frustrating. We want to jump ahead and make things happen. But our actions just might delay our dreams and God's call on our life even further.

I'm learning to wait...have a ways to go. How about you?

The four points were taken from a DVD by Joseph Bentz titled "When God Takes Too Long"

Lullaby CD GIVEAWAY

In 2008 I wrote, performed and professionally recorded a lullaby CD. My daughter had been suggesting it for several years and I finally did it.

It was a labor of love and I enjoyed every minute of the process. I especially liked it when my little grandchildren showed their approval.

God gives us all certain gifts. We may only use them for a season, or we may make a life journey of them. But they are meant to be used. My heart's desire has always been to have my gifts glorify the One who gave them to me. Even when I'm unsure of my abilities, I listen to my heart and am once again reminded of the mission He has given me. Singing is only one of the things He has for me to do, but I will be faithful to it as long as He requires it of me.

What about you? Do you have a gift lying dormant? Have to let God encourage you to use it?

If you would like to win a copy of this CD, leave a comment with your email address and I'll contact you. I will choose the winner by next Wednesday (28th). You may listen to a sample of the CD on my website: http://www.jancline.net/.

Sweet dreams & blessings.

Plant the Right Seeds

And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed.
I Corinthians 15:37-38





I have often marveled at the amount of parables and teaching that comes out of the principle of sowing a seed. The object of the seed is used by Jesus to make many different points of great meaning. It’s a word picture that is easy for us to understand and relate to our lives.




Today, as I read scriptures about the parables of seeding, I thought about my husband and the way he farms his wheat land. He is a good farmer, and always does a great job at doing all the proper things in the proper order. It’s imperative for us to reap a good crop every year. But I wonder what would happen if by some careless mistake my husband planted all the wrong seeds?



What would he do? Would he tear up the entire field to start all over with the planting process? Cost prohibitive. Would he just take whatever plant happened to grow and make something out of it? Most unlikely. Would he have a nervous breakdown? Probably.




Seriously, I think my own parable tells us that we should be careful what seeds we are planting. They will grow, they can’t help it. But what will they produce? I want only the best and most productive seeds planted in my life. I never want my farming efforts to be in vain, producing a product that will offend, mislead, or damage someone else. I want to help feed the world with good fruit. I know you do too. Be mindful of your seeds – before you plant them.


Dear Lord, bless my seeds and make them into fruit You can use. Forgive me when I am careless.

A Very Present Help

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. That is, in Christ, he chose us before the world was made so that we would be his holy people—people without blame before him. Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him, and it brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in Christ, the One he loves. In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God's grace.

 Ephesians 1:3-7

What does crisis do to your faith? Does it shake it to the core, or does it reveal to you how big your God is? If God is who He says He is, then He’s the same in crisis or in calm.

Our level of security plays a big part in how we manage our faith in difficult times. If we are secure in God and his promises, we will stand firm in the midst of the storm. When we know who hold our lives in balance, we need not run scared from a battle.

When we are insecure about who we are in God, our relationship with Him won’t be deep enough to learn to trust Him above anything else. The Bible tells us that we are loved, chosen, redeemed and blessed. He has adopted us by his choice and takes his parenthood seriously—but do we?

When a child is secure in knowing his daddy will protect him, feed him, forgive and prefer him, there is strength to take on the world. The bond that trusting brings to a relationship is a valuable thing, and God gives us every opportunity to share in that trust. Our daddy is faithful and gracious in good times and crisis. That’s enough to rest in for a lifetime.

Lord, I am grateful for the chance to be your child. Thank you for choosing me.

Watch Out for the Sneaker

" So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded."
I Thessalonians 5:6

The Bible tells us that Satan comes as a roaring lion seeking to destroy and steal. But he also comes as silent darkness, trying to deceive us and cover us with doubt, fear and turmoil. It would be nice to have a roar to warn us of his impending doom, but the truth is he knows when to slither into our thoughts and turn them away from the positive.

You may have heard the expression "sneaker waves" when hearing about certain beaches around the world. They are waves that sneak up on you and either knock you down or sweep you back into the ocean. If you aren't on your guard these silent sweeping waters can be scary.

It can be the little things we aren't paying attention to that grow behind our backs. Then when we finally turn around, it's very large--hanging like a huge wave about to crash down on us. But we have our personal alarm to sound the danger. The Holy Spirit watches even when we don't and gives us that gentle nudge when Satan is sneaking up on us. All we have to do is turn into the right frequency.

It's like the severe weather alerts on the radio. They can save your life, but you must have the radio on and your ear tuned in to listen.

Let's be watching for those sneakers in our midst. We might save ourselves some danger.

Our Nation Under God Quotes

"I now make it my earnest prayer that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection; that he would incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another....and finally that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation."
George Washington

"Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God....What a Utopia, what a Paradise would this region be."
John Adams

God Bless our nation UNDER GOD. Happy Birthday America.