It was a normal Saturday. Our teens were out doing their thing as my husband and I focused on house stuff – well and Netflix too. A great relaxing day. Then I texted one of my kids. Just checking in, mom stuff – you know. No answer. I brushed it off, no big deal.
Four hours later, I texted again. Still no answer. Another hour later – still no answer. That’s it – that was all my imagination needed to get off to the races. My anxiety started to rise. My heartbeat increased. My mind was going a thousand miles an hour.
What it they were kidnapped?
What if someone did something to them?
What if they are hurt and can’t call me?
What if they don’t want to talk to me?
What if they got a ticket and are in jail?
What if they are dead somewhere on the side of the road and can’t call?
Yeah, you know.
“Mom-xiety – when you don’t know what is going on and you panic.” – Diana Rasmussen
I busied myself most of the day. Then went to try to go to sleep. Texted again, still no answer. Well that was it – I was off to the races again. I couldn’t fall asleep. The pictures in my mind kept getting worse and worse.
Why do we always think the worst?
I was up every 2 hours last night, checking my phone. Not wanting to make a big deal, I didn’t call them or their friends. I thought about it though.
I could have hunted them down like an animal. I could have gotten in my car and went and made a fool of myself, I didn’t. I stayed home and worried. Yeah I prayed – “God you take care of them, so I don’t kill them for not getting back to me.”
I woke up early Sunday morning, 5:00 am. By 5:30 am I couldn’t take it anymore. I texted their friend. Still no answer. I was pacing the floor by this point. This Mom-xiety is awful! I hate that feeling of being out of control and not knowing what is going on. That’s the truth.
It was about 7 when I got a text from my child. All was well. They had gone boating and had not brought their phone. I didn’t know wheter to laugh or cry from releif! I didn’t lose it and bite their head off. They were out living life and having fun, and being responsible. I was the nutcase yesterday.
Some days I have it together, and other days I just lose it. I wish I wasn’t so up and down. Anxiety sucks. Yeah, I take meds. Yeah, I pray. But when your heart is pounding out of your chest and your brian is a tornado and you can’t breath – then what?
Do I have faith. Yes I do. Somedays, I guess I just forget to use it.
Its Easter weekend, Passover week, Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday. Quite the celebration in the Christian world, that’s for sure. Easter – it’s way more than peeps and chocolate bunnies!
Those three days – when Jesus was hung on that cross and buried in that tomb, and the Resurrection. Quite the turn of events thats for sure!
I mean no disresect. I wasn’t born in the church. But the question comes to mind, why did Jesus have to die anyway?
Why would God come down here to planet Earth, robe Himself in flesh, and hang on a cross to die for us?
There is this thing called SIN. You don’t hear about it at school, or work, or out and about. These days people don’t like to talk about it. It’s the culture of “do whatever you want with whoever you want and make a public show of it”. Anyway, that’s another topic.
1. The voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God’s commands or law. 1 John 3. Matt. 15. James 4. Sinner neither enjoy the pleasures of nor the peace of piety. Among divines, sin is original or actual. Actual sin, above defined, is the act of a moral agent in violating a known rule of duty. Original sin, as generally understood, is native depravity of heart to the divine will, that corruption of nature of deterioration of the moral character of man, which is supposed to be the effect of Adam’s apostasy; and which manifests itself in moral agents by positive act of disobedience to the divine will, or by the voluntary neglect to comply with the express commands of God, which require that we should love God with all the heart and soul and strength and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves. This native depravity or alienation of affections from God and his law, is supposed to be what the apostle calls the carnal mind or mindedness, which is enmity against God, and is therefore denominated sin or sinfulness. Unpardonable sin, or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, is supposed to be a malicious and obstinate rejection of Christ and the gospel plan of salvation, or a contemptuous resistance made to the influences and convictions of the Holy Spirit. Matt.12.
2. A sin-offering; an offering made to atone for sin. He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin. 2 Cor 5.
3. A man enormously wicked.Not in use.
4. Sin differs from crime, not in nature, but in application. That which is a crime against society, is sin against God
So, SIN is when little old me ignores God and His ways. SIN is me thinking I can do whatever I want just because it “feels good” and ignoring the consequences, or pretending there aren’t any. SIN is not loving God or my neighbor.
So why did Jesus have to die?
I don’t think He had to, I think He chose to.
Jesus chose to take all that ugly SIN and carry it to the cross so we could be part of the family again. He chose to BE the SIN sacrifice and fulfilled the law, so we could live under GRACE. He was the Passover Lamb that took away the sins of the world.
Now that’s love…
“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. ” – 1 Peter 2:24-25 NKJV
“The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost. We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way. And GOD has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him, on him.” – Isaiah 53:5-6 MSG
My friend Pastor Bonnie said something this past week that struck a chord in my heart. She asked, “Why would you want to buy something that is already paid for?” Good question girl. You made me think.
How many times have I tried to earn God’s love and approval by doing church stuff? Guilty. Yeah I thought if I did this or that God would love me more. Not true. He already loves us despite what we do or don’t do. It’s radical love, agape love. Love that makes absolutely no logical sense. That’s what is so beautiful about it!
I work in Customer Service and when a shipping company loses a package we send out a free of charge. Isn’t that like salvation? I mean we didn’t earn it. There is nothing we can do to earn it. We just RECEIVE it by faith in what Jesus already did for us. It’s kind of like a free of charge if you dare to believe it. There is nothing we can do to earn it or buy it. It has already been paid for – paid in full, by what Jesus did at the Cross. We are saved by His grace, not by our works.
My prayer is that this Easter you meet Jesus, at the Cross and at the Empty Tomb. He died and rose again to make a way for you to be close to God. He paid the price, you are free and forgiven! Rejoice!
God’s Word for Us:
“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” – Ephesians 2:7-10 MSG
“But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus,” – Romans 6:22-23 MSG
My Prayer for You:
Dear Lord,
Thank You for what you did at Calvary. Thank You for the cross. Thank You for the resurrection. Thank You for paying for my sins because you already knew I never could. Thank You Lord for your promises, your goodness, and your mercy. Thank You for the GIFT of salvation. I believe it and receive it now in Jesus Name!
Why does forgiveness matter? We have all been hurt and betrayed by someone. You can’t make it through life on planet Earth without a few scars.
But what do you do with that pain? In my experience you can live there and become bitter or you can use it as a life lesson and forgive. Real freedom comes when you choose to forgive even when someone doesn’t even say they are sorry.
Forgiveness does not mean that what they did was right. Forgiveness means that you trust God to deal with them.
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(All pictures from Pinterest)
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Every November 11th we remember the sacrifices of our Veterans, both living and dead. Thank you, for standing in the gap and protecting us. Thank you for your service, your courage, your sacrifice, and and your honor. We salute you today!
Top 5 Veterans Day Facts:
Veterans Day Quotes to Honor Our Soldiers
“We remember those who were called upon to give all a person can give, and we remember those who were prepared to make that sacrifice if it were demanded of them in the line of duty, though it never was. Most of all, we remember the devotion and gallantry with which all of them ennobled their nation as they became champions of a noble cause.” — Ronald Reagan
“The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.” — Patrick Henry
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” — John F. Kennedy
“Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it… it flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.” –Unkown
“It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.” –H. Norman Schwarzkopf
“The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” — Abraham Lincoln
“War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children.” — Jimmy Carter
“And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier’s tomb, and beauty weeps the brave.” –Joseph Rodman Drake
“This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” — Elmer Davis
“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.” — President George Washington
“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.” – Billy Graham
Never was so much owed by so many to so few” — Winston Churchill
I turned on the news this morning and the broadcasters are still searching for the “why”. Why did that man shoot all this people in Las Vegas? We may never know. They are interviewing the brother, the girlfriend, etc. We hear stories of how his dad was a bank robber and stuff.
Can I just say, there is no “why” – because some people are just plain psycho.
Serial killers do not have a logical reason for doing what they do, they are psycho. Their brains are just plain messed up. Things are not working right upstairs. There is no right or wrong in their mind, they are Narcissists. In their mind they are God. They have no moral compass, no sense of regret or remorse, and nothing will make sense to us. There is no logical reason for what they do. Their heats are hard and cold and dark.
How does this happen? All sorts of reasons I am sure. That doesn’t excuse what they do. Wrong is wrong and we have justice for a reason. Our courts and jails are full of many psychos, they are just not right. Normal people do not just kill people. Normal people don’t have that many guns, or sneak them up to a hotel suite. Normal poeple would not kill all those other people like that. God knows, God saw, and God will take care of that killer.
God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. – Romans 1:18-21 NKJV
Here are the traits of what a Psychopath looks like:
Dear Lord, be with the victims, and their families. Give them peace and healing and hope. You know how we hate tragedy. We have evil just like you Lord. You know, fix it Lord, in Jesus name, amen.
Lewis and fellow novelist J. R. R. Tolkien were close friends. They both served on the English faculty at Oxford University, and were active in the informal Oxford literary group known as the Inklings. According to Lewis’s memoir Surprised by Joy, he was baptised in the Church of Ireland, but fell away from his faith during adolescence. Lewis returned to Anglicanism at the age of 32, owing to the influence of Tolkien and other friends, and he became an “ordinary layman of the Church of England”. Lewis’s faith profoundly affected his work, and his wartime radio broadcasts on the subject of Christianity brought him wide acclaim.
Lewis wrote more than 30 books, which have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold millions of copies. The books that make up The Chronicles of Narnia have sold the most and have been popularised on stage, TV, radio, and cinema. His philosophical writings are widely cited by Christian apologetics from many denominations.
So I made a video of some of my favorite quotes by C.S. Lewis:
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Our family has had 3 graduation this year – two from High School and one from College. Yes, we are blessed and so proud of all of our 6 kids. But, can I ask, “Now what?” We still have one son at home, at least for one more semester. My son went to visit family for the next 2 weeks, so here my husband and I sit. We have 2 older kids who are doing amazing and are out on their own.
We have finished 3 Netflix series this week. I am just about caught up on laundry. I haven’t cooked in days. How do you people do this? This changing seasons things is very confusing for this Mama. I feel all flustered!
So I went looking for wisdom. Here are some great quotes about living in the empty nest!
10 Quotes on Living in the Empty Nest
“It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings.” —Ann Landers
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” —Robert Bault
“When mothers talk about the depression of the empty nest, they’re not mourning the passing of all those wet towels on the floor, or the music that numbs your teeth, or even the bottle of capless shampoo dribbling down the shower drain. They’re upset because they’ve gone from supervisor of a child’s life to a spectator. It’s like being the vice president of the United States.” — Erma Bombeck
“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.” — Agatha Christie
“Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back and reasons to stay.” — The Dalai Lama
“The day a child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise.” ― Alden Nowlan
“The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires.” ― Dorothy Parker
“Graduation day is tough for adults. They go to the ceremony as parents. They come home as contemporaries. After twenty-two years of child-rearing, they are unemployed.” ― Erma Bombeck
“I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.” ― Phyllis Diller
“All of us have moments in our lives that test our courage. Taking children into a house with white carpet is one of them. ” ― — Erma Bombeck
I answer phones all day at work as a Customer Service Rep for a large Company here in WI. I like that I get to talk to people all over the US and help them with their needs. It really never is the same day twice. All kinds of people, all kinds of needs.
It got me thinking – What would you do if God called? Like what would you say? “Hi this is Diana with XYZ Company, how can I help you?” Then He would say, “This is God.” I can hear that awkward pause right now in my head. I mean this is God calling me. What do you say when God calls? How could I possibly help Him with anything?
Then I would respond, “How can I help you God?” My head is spinning right now.I think to myself,”Oh man, is He mad at me? Did I do something wrong? Is He angry? Is he going to point out all my faults? What am I supposed to do?”
I think He hears my awkwardness and hesitation to answer. I guess He knows I am nervous right now. I really don’t want to screw this up.
He answers, “I have called you by name. I knew you before you were born, and I called you to be covered with grace from your mother’s womb. I have sanctified you and set you apart to show you my love and mercy. I love you with an everlasting love. There is nothing you can do or not do to make you love you any less. This is Grace calling. Lift up you head my child, I am with you. Emmanuel.”
That’s it, I’m crying happy tears already! Rejoice my friends – you have been called by GRACE before you were even born! God is not mad at you – He is calling you by name and He is with you always 😉
Galatians 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,
Isaiah 49:1 “Listen, O coastlands, to Me,And take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
He Is With Us – by Love and the Outcome
Your hope is lost and faith is shaken
Remember when
You wonder if you’re gonna make it
There’s a hand stretched out
Through your deepest doubt
We can’t pretend
To see the ending or what’s coming up ahead
Don’t know the story of tomorrow
But we can stay close
To the One who knows
CHORUS
We can trust our God
He knows what He’s doing
Though it might hurt now
We won’t be ruined
It might seem there’s an ocean in between
But He’s holding onto you and me
And He’s never gonna leave, no
He is with us, He is with us, always, always
He is with us, He is with us, always
We believe
There is purpose, there is meaning
In everything
We surrender to His leading
He wants nothing more
Than to have us close
CHORUS
Our faith is sealed
Our hope is real
Come what may
We’re not afraid
We can trust our God, always, always
We can trust our God, always, always
CHORUS
He is with us, He is with us, always, always
He is with us, He is with us, always
Our God is with us
Hard times reveal true friends. I had a hard day today. I think it was just all the stress of everyday life piling up on me. But I had friends at work who helped me see beyond today. Friends who showed me kindness when I lost it. Friends who gave me hugs and prayed for me in my time of need. Thank you Lord – for good friends!
“Friendship … is born at the moment when one man says to another “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .” ― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves
“Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow
Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead
Walk beside me… just be my friend” ― Albert Camus
“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.” ― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life
“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” ― Elbert Hubbard
“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you…I could walk through my garden forever.” ― Alfred Tennyson
“I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.” ― Helen Keller
“Why did you do all this for me?’ he asked. ‘I don’t deserve it. I’ve never done anything for you.’ ‘You have been my friend,’ replied Charlotte. ‘That in itself is a tremendous thing.” ― E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web
“I think if I’ve learned anything about friendship, it’s to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don’t walk away, don’t be distracted, don’t be too busy or tired, don’t take them for granted. Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. Powerful stuff.” ― Jon Katz
Today every school got a letter from the Department of Justice that allows any transgender student to enter the locker room or bathroom of the gender they “identify with.” And if our schools don’t comply, Obama has threatened to stop their funding.
Now I work at a High School. I know transgender kids. The problem that I have with this new directive is that now any teen boy can say, “hey, I am a girl today,” and enter the girls locker room or bathroom to see every girl there naked. They are teenagers. Or any girl can say, “hey I am a boy today” and go into the boys bathroom or locker room. Again, they are teenagers.
I can tell you I am Christian and I am conservative. This is wrong. This is not Justice. I support Texas and North Carolina. God bless them big Lord, and any other state that stands up for Christian values, in Jesus Name.
DALLAS (AP) — Texas’ lieutenant governor said Friday, May 13, that the state is prepared to forfeit billions of federal dollars in public school funding in defiance of an Obama administration directive requiring schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their chosen gender identity. The new directive is expected […]
