We wanted to send so many a Christmas card, so we decided to send our love in a video....may the message inspire you to give and the outtakes at the end inspire you to laugh.....we need more of both in our world.

As we continue our discussion on hope, we wanted to share this video snip-it of our testimony. We shared this as part of our Let's Get Real Conference at Northbrook Baptist Church in Cullman, Alabama this past February.

This week is the Advent week of hope. Jesus coming to the world and dying for our sin was our only hope for abundant, eternal life. Jesus returning to gather His Bride is now the hope we have. And our hope is not a wish, but a confident expectancy that God will do what He says He will do...in His time....in His way.....for our benefit and good.

This week of the Advent season where we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ our Savior and anticipate His return, we celebrate the week with hope. So many people are living hopeless lives. Yet it is because they are defining hope by the world's terms and not by God's definition of hope. Here's a clip about the true definition of hope.

This week, I finished wrapping all of our presents. Now, I don't know about you, but I have so much fun wrapping presents! I really enjoy it! Don't you? Hot chocolate, Christmas music, the sights and smells of Christmas, and wrapping presents for loved ones....I love it!

Now, don't get me wrong. There are some presents that I HAVE to buy, but the majority are ones that I WANT to buy and I can hardly wait until the recipient opens it! As a matter of fact, our son, Cole, made his chosen purchase for his girlfriend and gave it to her that very night! He couldn't stand to wait for her to have the gift he picked out especially for her!

Think about being in the giver position: you get to enjoy picking out just the perfect gift for that special someone. You think about what they like, their favorite colors, etc. and then seek out just the right thing that you think they will like. Then, when you finally get to give it to them, you wait with baited breath to see their reaction. Then, you say, "I got this just for you!". How special that person must feel to know that you cared and loved them so much that you would sacrifice time, energy, and money to give them something straight from your heart to theirs.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave......"

When was the last time you took a minute to watch the sun set or rise? The majestic trees reaching up into the heavens in splendor. Breathtaking, huh? Or what about watching the birds play in a puddle of water or the chipmunks and squirrels chasing each other? Or sneaking into your child's rooms while they sleep and look at the peaceful beauty found in each one of them? Or watching your husband take a nap on the couch and his snoring making you laugh.

Can you just picture for just a minute the Father thinking ahead about you and me and creating this beautiful world we live in for us to enjoy? Can you imagine the joy it brings Him when we acknowledge His gift and are grateful? Do you think the joy that you experience giving your gifts is the same joy that our Father experiences when we recognize the gifts that he has so freely given us? He did all of this just for us!

"For God so loved the world, that He gave......"

Can you just picture for just a minute the Father watching His Son, born to the virgin Mary, knowing the pain He would face to save you from your sin? And yet for the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross for you and for me. Scripture says that it pleased the Lord that Jesus be smitten for you and for me. Why? Because He was offering you and me a gift made just for us. The ONLY gift.....the PERFECT gift,  that would give us life.... real, abundant, fulfilling life.....

God has been waiting for you to take His freely given gift. He gave it especially for you. How special you must feel to know that He cared and loved you so much that He would sacrifice His One and Only Son to give you something straight from His heart to yours.

So, as you open this gift this Christmas with joy, whether through remembering your salvation through Christ, or your acceptance of Him for the very first time, may you hear the still small voice of  your Father, Savior, and Lord say, "I did this just for you."


Jena

Traditions...they sometimes seem cheesy or unimportant to some, but over time they become a priceless and precious memory of endearment for all.

My Mother has always tried to make every holiday full of it's spiritual significance to our family. Some have made fun of her over the years, but for me, it has meant the world....because I know that she loves us enough to want to make each time together so incredibly special. I love the fact that she doesn't really care if others like it or not because she is being obedient to what she believes the Lord wants her to do. She has burned a trail in my heart that I seek to follow for my family and hopefully the generations that follow.

One of our traditions at Christmas is called Pajama Express. We all get on our pj's (we usually get a new pair each Christmas), load up in the car, and drive to Starbuck's. It is a rule that you have to go into Starbuck's with your pj's on. If you are too cool to go in, you forfeit your coffee of choice (Cole's junior year of high school?  no hot chocolate for the fashion statement). Then, we ride around singing and listening to Christmas music (this year: Travis Cottrell's new CD, Hillsongs Christmas, and the good ole must: The Carpenter's Christmas) and looking at Christmas lights.

We also in the past have always purchased a new Christmas book and read it together.....I think I might pull out an old one this year.....either "The Crippled Lamb" or "Alabaster' Song" by Max Lucado or something like that.

How about you? Does your family have some Christmas traditions? If not, I encourage you to come up with a few of your own and make this a time to remember the Savior's birth and His promise to return......CELEBRATE IT!

Love in Christ,
Jena

Whether you like or dislike Ben Stein, his comments are worthy 

of our attention and thoughts... 

Ben Stein Remarks on CBS Sunday Morning
 

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. 

And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, 

bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. 

I don't feel discriminated against.That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I
don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. 

In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters 

celebrating this happy time of year. 

It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display 

at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . 

If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me 

as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, 

and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. 

I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around,
period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an
explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution 

and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from 

that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God 

as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. 

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from 

and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is
a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny,
it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 

'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina). 

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound
and insightful response.She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, 

just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, 

to getout of our government and to get out of our lives. 

And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. 

How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection 

if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events....Terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.
 

I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her

body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our  schools, 

and we said OK. 

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. 

The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not
steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they
misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped 

and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide.) 

We said an expert should know what he's talking about. 

And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, 

why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them 

to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. 

I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the
world's going to hell.  Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, 

but question what the Bible says. 

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, 

but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice 

about sharing. 

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through
cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school
and workplace.Are you laughing yet? 

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many 

on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, 

or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us 

than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.If not, then just discard it.... 

No one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, 

don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. 

My Best Regards, Honestly and Respectfully,

Ben Stein

As we celebrate Advent, the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we take this week to look at His Love.....amazing, pure, and perfect.



We have some understanding as parents what manner of love Mary and Joseph had as they protected the Christ-child from King Herod. We deeply love our children. But this love was nothing to be compared with the perfect love of God that sent His Son from the perfect glories of Heaven, all He had ever known, to come for one sole purpose: death for our sin. Wow, what a love!

We cannot begin to fathom this depth of love because we seldom see it in those around us that we come into contact with. We may even find ourselves frustrated because people are so unloving sometimes. But the Scripture above says that the world does not know that love and thus we don't need to expect that love from them. What we must do is ask the Holy Spirit to give us that love, HIS LOVE, to give away to others, instead of expecting it from others.


May you recognize the deep love of our Savior and offer yourselves as vessels of that love to others this Christmas season.

Jena

Advent (from the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming") is a season of the Western Christian churches, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus; in other words, the period immediately before Christmas.

Latin adventus is the translation of the Greek word parousia, commonly used in reference to the Second Coming. Christians believe that the season of Advent serves a dual reminder of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting that Christians today endure for the second coming of Christ.

Advent is important for you and your family to observe as it makes the birth of Jesus and His return the focal point and center of your Christmas, instead of toys and gifts and trees and lights. There are several advents devotional books as well as online advent calendars and devotions to choose from. You can find them at any Christian Bookstore as well.

May you begin this month of celebrating our Lord and Savior's birth today, and daily be reminded of the deep love for you that sent Jesus to you for your salvation.

Several years back, I was invited to speak at a woman's fellowship in a small country town. The service was something to behold! Older women led the whole service....even the drummer, yes you heard me, the drummer, was a 60 year old woman! At one point in the service, a lady got up from her place in the choir and came to the microphone. She proceeded to tell us that she was singing a song that she had just written called "Be Grateful". I think she was actually writing the song as she went, but if she said "Be Grateful" once, she said it a million times! Though not the best song I had ever heard, she got her point across!

I saw her at the end of the service and wanted to say something nice about her song. What came out was this: "My son is sometimes one of the most ungrateful human beings; do you think you could come over to my house and stand over him in his bed one morning and wake him up singing 'Be Grateful'?!!!!"

Ever met an ungrateful person and wished someone would tell them to be grateful? Are YOU ungrateful?

The very quality of your life depends on how grateful you are. And it all depends on your perspective.You can be one who always sees the glass half empty or half full. You can be one who can only see the ashes or one that sees the beauty that comes from the ashes.You can be one who only sees the thorns and never sees the beauty of the roses that emerge from amidst the thorns. It's all about the way you look at it.

Grateful people, offer thanks continually from their mouths. 

 ²² Let them sacrifice thank offerings
       and tell of His works with songs of joy.
Ungrateful people are complainers, do not reflect the Lord, and are usually very unhappy.

Grateful people live in the presence of God.



Ungrateful people open the door to destruction.


Grateful people are generous people.

¹¹ the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD, saying,
       "Give thanks to the LORD Almighty,
       for the LORD is good;
       his love endures forever."
      For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,' says the LORD. 



Matthew 25
¹⁰Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.Ungrateful people are selfish people.


 ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
SO the question becomes, who do you want to be? Grateful or ungrateful? A selfish complainer on the road to destruction? Or, a generous giver of thanks who enjoys deep fellowship with God?

Growing up there was an old hymn called "Count Your Blessings":

Count your blessings, name them one by one
Count your blessings see what God has done
Count your blessings, name them one by one
Count your many blessings see what God has done.

May you count your blessings this Thanksgiving season. May you have the perspective of gratitude even in the midst of difficult times. May the Lord sing "Be Grateful" over you a millions times. And may we sing of the greatness and blessings God has given us.

Happy Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for.

It seems that I find myself having different circumstances come my way, but housing the same struggles I've had for quite a while in my life. It may involve different faces, different people, but the same problem. (The old song "she'll be coming round the mountain when she comes", rings pretty loud in my ear right now!!!) But with each passing situation, I have learned a little bit more.....I've grown a little bit more.....and find the confidence that next go round, I'll conquer this thing with the Lord's help.

When we've found ourselves in dry, barren places, the last thing we want to do is go back to where we came from and face what we have just recently left behind. Reality is, that when we have been drawn away into seclusion and God has spoken to us and seen us, He many times sends us back from whence we came. Sometimes He sends us back to very miserable place.

It reminds me as a kid when I would fall off my bicycle. The first thing that I would do is run to my parents and want to quit and run away. My parents, however, always sent me back to get on that bike. They would tell me to get back on it and try again and not let it beat me. They would hold on to the back end of that bicycle and encourage me to try it one more time, letting me help them.

Towards the end of Elijah's journey to the Mountain of God, Horeb, and his incredible meeting with God, Elijah receives this command:


Why? Why does God choose to send us back into hurtful, miserable situations? Because no one comes into the presence of God without receiving a new-found purpose and new-found power, because of a new-found perspective. Everything changes in the Presence of God. And it is that change in you that was needed all along for that miserable place you were in.

Think about it: Moses is sent back to Egypt, the one place he would have chosen never to return to, to reclaim God's chosen people, and he does so with incredible purpose, power, and perspective. Hagar is sent back to face Sarai but now has a new purpose, power, and perspective. Elijah is sent back with new purpose, power and perspective.

And what was the new perspective?
 ³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Have you ever heard your children say this to you? Or anybody else for that matter? That statement means that they want something out of you, and quite honestly, sometimes I have nothing to give; and yet when someone asks for a favor, it seems so wrong to say "no"!!!

When the Bible speaks of God's favor, the good news is that it does not mean that God is wanting us to do more for Him. As a matter of fact, it is quite the opposite!

The word "favor" in the Bible actually means "to turn one's face towards". It reminds me of times when there has been a crowded room and I have heard my child or husband's voice. I turn towards the sound of their voice because they are so important to me that I would turn to them above any other voices that might be amplified around me. I have showed them "favor".....because they are my favorite.

So it is with God. He shows us His favor when we are in the midst of our lowest place in life.

 ¹¹ The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
      Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Elijah has been secluded so he can get alone with God. He has heard the voice of God speak to him to get him to admit where he was spiritually apart from God. And now as Elijah shares where he is, God lets Elijah know that He sees.

When you are in the midst of your struggles and feel alone and barren, so often we feel that god has forgotten us and that He does not see nor care what we are going through. And yet, in our most desolate place, the Lord comes near to let us know that He does see, whispering His love and His presence to us.
¹⁸ The LORD is near to all who call on him,
       to all who call on him in truth.
Reminds me of Hagar in the book of Genesis. God has told Abraham and Sarah that they will have a child and yet Sarah does not believe and gets ahead of God and gives her handmaiden, Hagar to Abraham. Hagar conceives and Sarah gets so mad about it. She sends Hagar out into the desert to fend for herself or die. Hagar is alone and in desperate need of help.


Notice that in Hagar's desolate state, she was not only secluded, but she was spoken to in the form of a question, just as Elijah. Hagar names the Lord, El Roi, which means "the God who sees" because He had seen her plight and had come to her aid. And the angel of the Lord told her to name the baby Ishmael, which means "God hears".

When you are in a stale, dry place, know that God secludes you, speaks to you, and sees you. He hears your plea for help; He sees your pain and struggle, and He draws near, if we would but be still and hear His still small voice speak His Presence and His Peace over our lives and situations, that appear hopeless.

Growing up, I was the middle of three girls. One day, I found each one of us girls baby books. My mother had written a note in the front of each of them and they were each addressed by name with the first sentence being, "You were my favorite because.....". I was a bit miffed and felt cheated until my mother shared the truth was that we were all her favorites for different special reasons!!!

If you are in need of God's kind of favor....if you need to know that He is near, that He sees, that He has turned His face toward you, you simply call out to Him and ask for His help. Based on the truth and the authority of God's Word, He will come and save you. He will turn His face towards His favored one. And He will whisper His Peace and His Presence over you.

After all, you're His favorite!

As Elijah reaches Mount Horeb, the "barren desolate" place that mirrors his very own soul, God takes him on a great journey with Him. First, God secludes Elijah in order to get him alone so he could know the Presence of God. So often the roars of life are so loud that we just simply cannot hear God and we forget His Presence in our lives.

After God secluded Elijah, He spoke to him.


Sometimes when we get in the pit or dry place in our lives, we want God to speak to us as to how to fix things. A friend of mine the other day said that if God would be like Charlie the Tuna commercial and just send a little note on a hook down to her, things would be much better for her! And yet, instead of giving us the "quick-fix" answer we desire, God gives us a question. "What are you doing in this barren and dry place?"

Now, do we follow a clueless God who did not know the answer? Absolutely not! So, if the question was not for Him to get the answer, then who was the question for? Us! God gets us alone with Him and He asks us where we are, what we are doing and why. And He asks this so that we can evaluate our spiritual condition. He wants us to admit that we have strayed away from his Presence and tried to do things on our own. He wants us to admit that we have forgotten what He is able to do. He wants us to admit that we are in desperate need of Him.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit"....fortunate are those who recognize that apart from God, they are toast. God wants us to come humbly before Him and admit that we are bankrupt apart from His grace, and are in need of His help.

Isn't this questioning familiar to us, going all the way back to the beginning?


The first question God asked Adam and Eve as well as Elijah is the very same question He asks you and I today in our days of emptiness, in our dry and desolate places. Why? Because desolation compels desperation and desperation drives us to dependence.....it drives us back into the Presence of God: the Only One we can depend on to work all things for our good.

So, where are you?

As we continue this thought of finding ourselves in a barren and desolate place like Mount Horeb, I wanted to take a look at this journey that God takes us on. Read the two previous blogs to catch you up!

When we hit a desolate place, God invites us on a journey that begins with Him secluding us. God takes us into seclusion. He gets us alone with Him so that we can get into His presence and not have any distractions.

God takes us on this journey back into His heart, His Presence to get us to cease all of the activity for Him and return to intimacy with Him.

When was the last time you just got alone in the Presence of your Maker and silenced the roars of life around you? When was the last time you got so wrapped up in the busyness of life, even good Christian-y things, only to realize that in your busyness, you missed God?

Many times, God allows us these moments of desolation and dry, barrenness in order to take us on a journey with Him....to reignite the basics of our faith and the source of our faith that can many times get lost in the activity.

If you are a fellow Horebite who finds yourself in a desolate place, let that "alone-ness" be an opportunity for God's Presence to be rediscovered in your life. He has not gone anywhere; maybe you've just gotten too busy and have forgotten. Let God seclude you so He can speak to you. More on that Monday.

To continue this thought about being side-swiped, when something hits you out of nowhere, or you are rockin along and then find yourself in a dry, barren place, I want us to continue looking at the life of Elijah. He flees to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. Mount Horeb is the same place where Moses had his burning bush experience. Mount Horeb. Horeb means "barren; desolate". The mountain in which Elijah was lead to implied the state of his own soul, barren and desolate.

Felt like that before, and wondered what it was about, and what to do about it?

 ⁷ The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." ⁸ So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. ⁹ There he went into a cave and spent the night. 

Have you ever looked at these moments of being sideswiped as a journey? In the past, I have viewed the side-swiping as the journey and the goal was just trying to get past it and move on!!! I have agreed with Elijah "I've had enough!". In our microwave mentality, we want to fix things quickly and move on. Anybody?

But notice that Elijah left his servant and journeyed for a day alone into the desert. There, he was instructed to eat because the journey ahead of him was too much for him. You see, the side-swiping of life is only the invitation to a greater journey: a journey that will be too much for you to handle on your own. A journey less traveled in our "quick-fix" society. This journey is Divinely designed just for you, to drive you back to the Only One who can mend, heal, grow, and transform your heart.

At salvation, God was inviting you into an intimate relationship with Him.

1 Corinthians 1:9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

1 Corinthians 1:26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called.



Just as we are called to our initial salvation, God continues to call and invite us back into intimacy with Him when the storms of life hit us and knock us off course. God is inviting you in the midst of your barren place to go on a journey with Him....to return to His Presence and His Peace. Will you join Him? 

This past Halloween was new for our family. In the past, we have always been at a Fall Festival or some kind of gathering and have missed being home. This year, Jorja wanted to stay home and hand out goodies to the trick-or-treaters, and so we did. One little guy came to the door dressed as Spiderman, and I squatted down to let him choose a goodie. When I stood up, closed the door and turned around, I was sideswiped by a green-icing cupcake in the face!

Ever had moments in your life where you are sideswiped by something? A sudden job loss, sickness, rebellious child, etc.? Or how about those seasons in life where you are just emotionally and spiritually dry? Maybe life, marriage, and your walk with God are mundane and empty. What do you do about it?

In 1 Kings 18-19, we see Elijah, the only prophet left to Israel, because the King's wife, Jezebel is killing off all of the prophets who worship the One True God and not Baal. God had used Elijah in powerful ways: no rain for 3 years, and the altar battle between God and the gods of Baal only to have the One True God prevail. I mean, Elijah had seen some mighty works of God; he had to know that there was nothing God could not do! And yet he finds himself depressed because even after all of his hard work, the people do not turn back to God, and he finds himself afraid because Jezebel is after him to kill him.

When life is going well, we get so comfortable in our life, our marriage, and our walk with God. And many times, when we get comfortable, we also become complacent. In our complacency, we begin to forget the things that God has brought us through, or the mighty things that we have seen God do. We simply get too caught up in life that we forget. We forget what He has done and what He is capable of doing and become depressed and afraid when the proverbial cupcake hits us. Anybody?

There was a song years ago that sang:
In everything give Him thanks, give Him thanks
In the good times, praise His name
In the bad times, do the same
In everything, give the King of Kings, all the thanks

Psalm 42:4-6 (NIV)

 ⁴ These things I remember
       as I pour out my soul:
       how I used to go with the multitude,
       leading the procession to the house of God,
       with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
       among the festive throng.
 ⁵ Why are you downcast, O my soul?
       Why so disturbed within me?
       Put your hope in God,
       for I will yet praise him,
       my Savior and ⁶ my God.

 If you find yourself at a place where you have been sideswiped by life or are just so empty, and if you need God's presence to enter in and breath life into your situation or marriage, would you choose to praise Him? His presence comes to those who praise Him. His peace comes to those who praise Him; those who choose to praise Him even when there may appear to be no reason to praise.

With Halloween and green-icing cupcakes behind us, we enter into a season of Thanksgiving....even in the midst of a struggle or dry place, we encourage you to take the time to praise the Lord and give Him thanks for what He has done in the past and what He is able to do in your future. Guard against getting comfortable and complacent. Remember your great God. He is able.

You are loved,
Dale and Jena

As many of you know, we recorded a DVD series this past summer. As part of the production process, we started a focus group this past week to help us download the "homeruns" in the teaching.  We have a wide variety of couples in our group which range from a dating couple to empty nesters and grandparents.  This past week was our first week and it was awesome.  We discussed our teaching on being SAFE MATES.

As we talked about being available as the first element of being a SAFE MATE, we listened to the focus group and were reminded of how easy it is to let so many other things take us away from our marriages (you know this is true of our relationship with God too!)  Our days run together with so much to do and so little time.  Then these days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months and before you know it, you have not spent any meaningful time with your spouse (or your Savior).

Too many couples today are exhausted, over committed, and stressed.  Many days, they have very little to give one another because they have given to every one else (their employer, their kids, their friends, their church, etc.)  No wonder so many marriages are emotionally bankrupt.  I am sure this is why Dr. James Dobson says that "over-commitment and exhaustion are the most insidious marriage killers a couple will ever face!"

A "Marriage Must" in this fast-paced, highly demanding world is to be a SAFE MATE.  Safe Mates are couples who have figured out how to stay emotionally connected even in a busy, you do your role, I do mine world.  SAFE MATES hold each others hearts well.  They are intentional about spending time together.  They sit down with a cup of coffee, no TV and have an awesome conversation about where they are in life. They are AVAILABLE and emotionally present in their marriage.

Listen gang...life is flying by...it is changing every day.  You better slow down, enjoy the moment, let all that other stuff go for a while and spend some time together as a couple.  It is a marriage must.  So why not right now pick up the phone, call your spouse, get a baby sitter, go for a walk or to dinner and really be available for one another!  We believe you will be blessed when you do!

Dale and Jena


 

We love watching the Biggest Loser.  We love it because down deep, the show offers so much more than the grueling work-outs with Bob and Jillian, the mega-drama with all of the game playing between the contestants, the excitement of the final weigh in and the suspense of finding out who is getting voted off.  Biggest Loser for us is really about the power of a transformed life.  The show reminds us:  there really is a chance for someone to change their life.  People really can be set free from their past, their failures, their disappointments and pain. 

Spiritually, this is EXACTLY why Christ came and what Christ offers.  He offers us the unbelievable opportunity to become transformed.  Remember what he said when he started his public ministry?  His mission statement if you will, was to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoner, to recover sight for the blind, and to release the oppressed (Luke 4: 18-21). 

Yesterday afternoon was absolutely beautiful in the Birmingham, Alabama! The leaves are in bright, vivid fall-like colors, only the craftiness of our great God! As Dale and I were walking 9 holes of golf and enjoying the beauty of the fall leaves, I was gripped again with the thought of change: that just as these leaves are changing color, our lives also are to be changing into more and more of the image of Christ.

Paul puts it like this: "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18

We all reflect the Lord's glory: the essence of who God is; an accurate representation of who God is. And, we are being changed into more and more of the essence of who God is; the representation of who God is. We are and we are being made into the glory of God. That goes right along with Hebrews 10:14, "by one sacrifice He has made holy, those who are being made holy." We are and we will be all at the same time.

So what needs to change in order for me to be transformed into the full representation of God in His glory? My soul: my mind, which changes my emotions and my will. How do we change our mind? We seek truth, we are revealed truth through the Word, and then we believe that truth enough to act upon it no matter how we feel because we have faith in the God of this truth. As we walk in that truth by faith, it becomes a part of who we are and we see it changing us from the inside out.

This season, as you see the changed leaves, may you be encouraged to allow God to change you into more and more of His likeness.

Dale and Jena

Yep, the whole family drove over to the Apple Store and purchased our MAC-Daddy, straight from the Father! We have never felt so blessed, so encouraged, and so loved. Thank you to all who had a part in helping us further the message of Christ about relationships.....our relationship with Him and each other. We have been asking God to show us how to multiply our ministry and we certainly believe this is one way. Here's a picture of Dale and I with Amber, our Apple Care Assistant. She is a worship leader at her church and was so helpful with what we needed.

As we got packed to leave this past weekend for Ridgecrest, NC, I pulled out my black velvet coat to pack for the cool weather. I noticed that the button was loose but figured it would be okay. As Dale and I got ready for the Friday night opening session, I could tell that the button on my black coat was literally hanging on by a thread,  but I thought it would make it through me speaking and went on to the auditorium. Well, all I could think of was the button....it consumed me! I was afraid in the middle of me speaking that it would pop off and there I would be speaking with my coat all a gaping!!! Well, before I knew it, I was hugging someone and "POP" went the button.....off and to the ground. Now what am I to do? I am about to go on stage and speak! So immediately, I began asking for help....."anybody got a safety pin?".... "anybody got a sewing kit?". Well, before I knew it, I had several friends walking throughout the place searching for something to hold my button on! With little time to spare, a friend rushes up and says "to the bathroom, I have found a needle and thread!". I fly inot the bathroom and we quickly sew the button back on, just in time for the night to begin! Whew!

Now how does that apply to our spiritual life? Two things:

1) When temptation or sinful struggles or satan attacks you, don't let it go and think that it will take care of itself. Deal with it. Pluck it from you. Root it out. Face it (this is the temptation, sin or attack of satan of ________).  Trace it ("what is this about, Lord?" , "where is this temptation coming from?",  "what lie is trying to wedge in my mind and heart?"). Erase it (walk away from the sin, ask the Lord for His help, find the truth about it in the Word of God and meditate on it as truth) .
 ¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. ¹⁸You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.  ¹³Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. ¹⁴Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

So, next time your button gets popped off, don't let it go, and ask for help! It will save you from a lot of heartache and struggle. Oh, and you may want to carry your spiritual sewing kit (the Word) with you at all times for when these emergencies pop up!!! or should I say pop off?!!!

Jena

Dale and I have been overwhelmed and reeling from the incredible weekend we had in Ridgecrest, NC. Not only did God show up in amazing ways, but all of our lives were changed and transformed in ways that we will never forget.

For you who do not know, during one of our small group sessions, someone asked how they could pray for us. In the 7 years that we have had the honor to be a part of FOM, we had never been asked that! So we shared about a possible DVD Bible Study Series being looked at by NavPress, and our venture with Focus on the Family. We also asked everyone to pray for us a MAC computer. In order for us to continue what we are doing in ministry and add some DVD clips, audio messages, etc to further our message, we needed a new computer. Now honestly, this was hard for us to ask God for as we felt it a bit selfish; and yet, to multiply our message and ministry, we really were in desperate need, as our old laptop was falling apart and friends had tried to salvage a little more operating length before it absolutely died. We were challenged by a dear friend to ask God for a MAC and trust Him. Thus, we asked everyone to pray for us a MAC.

On the day that followed, God's people came together at that conference and placed money in a bucket to help with the purchasing of us a MAC. It totaled close to $1,400.00. We were blown away! Dale and I have not had a home church in 4 years now as we travel all of the time. To have these precious brothers and sisters in Christ be the body of Christ to us and love us and pray for us meant more to Dale and I than any of them will ever know. Being on the road in ministry can be extremely lonely sometimes, but that day, we felt like we really had a faith family who loved us! It left me speechless.....and most of you know, that is a feat in itself!

Monday, after Dale and I arrived home, we shared the news with the kids and all got dressed up and headed together to the Apple Store, praying for God to show us the right MAC computer.....our MAC-Daddy computer.....one straight from our Daddy, Abba Father. When we arrived, the store was closed to renovate the store and would not reopen until this Friday or Saturday. We were bummed. We wanted to post a picture of it and everything! So we wondered what God was up to, but trusted.

Tuesday, Dale walked into his office and his employer and dear friend asked how the weekend went. Dale shared all that the Lord had done, and he also chose to make a donation. Again, completely blown away. We thought, "No wonder the store was closed! We didn't quite have enough for our needs!"

Wednesday came and with it, an email from Dale saying another donation had been made. Now we were COMPLETELY blown away! We've never had a donation that big come through! We even sent the sweet couple an email to make sure that they didn't put the decimal in the wrong place! Fleshly-unbelievable....God-believable!

It is now Thursday and we are cleaning up our office to get ourselves organized and ready for our new addition that we will use completely to further the Kingdom of God in the hearts and lives of others. We promise to be good stewards of what God has given us through His people. We  promise to use it to multiply His message through this precious gift.


Two things I have to share: 
1. If you have a need, ask God who gives to His children as they walk closely with Him in obedience. 
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Eph. 3:20)
 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matt. 7:9-11)

2. If you took the love of all the best mothers and fathers who have lived in the course of human history - all their goodness, kindness, patience, wisdom, tenderness, strength, and love - and united all those qualities in a single person, that person's love would still be only a faint shadow of the furious love in the heart of God the Father addressed to you.(by Brennan Manning)

 He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be your name (Luke 11:2) [This was the first time God had been referred to as Father to the disciples]
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba,Father." (Romans 8:15)
["Abba" means "Daddy", the first words most of us say at birth]

This MAC is our Daddy's gift, given straight from His hands through His children.


May you know that your Daddy has a furious (passionate, aching longing) love for you. Run to Him and let Him take care of your every need.


Jena
(below are slides from FOM.....send me more if you have any!!! AND, when we get our MAC-Daddy, we will definitely post a picture!!!)

This past weekend, it seemed that the recurring theme that the Lord continued to lay upon my heart was hope. In the world we live in, certainly there is a lack of hope. When sickness comes and won't go away, when children run from God, when finances are in the pit, when jobs come to an end, and when marriages are hanging on by a thread, it would seem that life is hopeless.

How about you? Does life seem hopeless to you?

I began to think about this word "hope" and what the Bible has to say about it and discovered that the hope we have in the world today is cross grain to the hope of the Scriptures. Our hope today is more like a wish. We say things like "I hope ......would happen", but what we are really saying is, "I wish....would happen." and with that wishing comes doubt. "I hope .....happens, it probably won't, but I hope it does."

Yet James 1:5-8 says this,
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.    

If our hope carries doubt along with it, than it is not the hope that God offers us. So if hope is not like a wish, that carries doubt, what is it?


Hope means "an exciting anticipation; a confident expectancy that God will do what He says He will do". Now that's a far cry from what most of us think of as hope!!!!

If you are a mother, you have experienced this kind of hope when you were "expecting" your first child. You were excited, silly, and gitty as you squealed with your friends over the sex of the baby and over all the clothes people gave you that were so cute, and over the decorations of the room that was recently painted bright blue or pink for that new arrival. There was a definite excitement and expectancy!


What if we had that kind of hope about our current circumstances! What if we carried such a confidence in God that He would provide a way through our deepest struggles that we were actually gitty with excitement to see what He would do! How that would change our hearts, our perspective, and our witness to others!

So as you ponder this truth today, let me encourage you with these Scriptures from Hebrews 10:
 ³⁵So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. ³⁶You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. ³⁷For in just a very little while,
   "He who is coming will come and will not delay.
    ³⁸But my righteous one will live by faith.
   And if he shrinks back,
      I will not be pleased with him." ³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Rise up, my friends! We are NOT those who shrink back, but walk forth in hope....with a joyous, confident expectancy that God will come through for us! He loves us and has our best interest at heart. So we walk with exciting expectancy to see what He will do! May God give us that kind of perspective and that kind of hope from this day forward! In Jesus' name!

Okay, so while we spoke at FOM in Osage Beach, Missouri, I spoke about the butterfly and how we are much like them. I spoke about how it is the time in the cocoon that is necessary for us to become all that we are to be, and that we need to be okay being in process in the cocoon, spiritually. God is always preparing us to house more and more of His essence, His glory (2 Cor. 3:18). After the conference, a beautiful young woman came up to me and shared more with me about the butterfly. She said that when they emerge from the cocoon, that they are wet and have to remain still while the blood begins to flow into the wings and other parts of the butterfly's body before it can take off and fly....to try to fly too soon will cause death. I thought that was so good. We need time each day to "be still and know that He is God" and allow His blood to cover us and protect and flow through us as we go into the day displaying His splendor, His glory. SO, I think we can both be in the cocoon while still displaying His glory and as we are in the cocoon, He continues to grow us back into more and more of our original design while we still live in His glory daily. God brought this film across my path this morning.....it is 20 minutes in length but worth every minute. Please take the time to watch this. Let your children watch this. You are special and unique and gifted in special ways to display the glory of God in you. May this change your perspective about yourself and those around you, in the name of Jesus.

For those of us who experienced the presence and power of our great God this past weekend, and fellow believers who desire to walk with God by faith, the question becomes how do I keep my walk going? How do I keep from being distracted by life and all that it throws at me?

If you are like me, I can ride on the "high" for a few days, but then, busy schedules, fussy kids, bad attitudes, road rage-ers, etc. come into the picture and suddenly the "high" is waning and I find myself back in the usual rut of survival mode. Anybody else with me?

Luke 8 is the parable of the sower and the soil. Jesus is telling about the Word of God as it is scattered upon the hearts of people. In verse 11, He says this, "This is the meaning of the parable: the seed is the Word of God. Those along the path are ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the Word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the Word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among throns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the Word, retain it, and by persevering, produce a crop."

There's our answer! Perspective, Purpose, and Praise!

First, we have to have a change of perspective. Satan is going to try to steal the seed of truth scattered on our hearts. Know that as a fact. Be aware. Know it is coming. Welcome it even....because it is teaching your perseverance....how to keep yourself steadfast even in the midst of distractions and struggles. Isaiah 40:31 says "They will soar on wings as eagles". Eagles eyesight is much much stronger than ours. When we gain God's perspective, He raises us up above life's circumstances to see the whole "forest" instead of being overcome with all of the "trees".

Second, purpose in your hearts to "stay in it"! To retain what God has shown you as truth, we must remain in Him. We must marinate in it and meditate on it. Keep it ever before your mind.

Third, praise God for who He is and for the fact that knowing His truth intimately will set us free! Free from getting caught up in the routines of life, in the mundane, in the struggles. Concentrating on His truth and praising Him for it, keeps our minds on Him, keeps us focused on Him, and actually keeps us raised above life's circumstances that tend to weigh us down. When we praise Him, the devil will flee!

The results? A crop! That crop will be the fruit of Christ likeness developing in you. The glory of God developing in you! And as it develops in you, it can't help but overflow from you and then effect those around you! I don't know about you, but that's what I am after!

So, gain the right perspective. Purpose to keep your hearts and minds steadfast on His truth. And praise Him all the time for all things. Let's experience some BIG crops in our lives coming forth in and through our lives! Let's keep the flames burning that God ignited in us! All for His glory!

It was totally worth the 6 hour drive to thank you in person!  

 I can't begin to thank you enough for your powerful message over this weekend.  
It has been an honor being here listening to you and Dale.  God has truly worked 
many wonders through the two of you.  I still play the CD about the "No Way 
Situation" and cry each time.  I realize how close we came to giving it up 
completely.   We are both educators and we see what divorce does to children, 
yet we were doing it to our 3 year old at the time.  Like Cole, he would cry for 
it to stop.  We called it our marriage rut.  We just kept digging and digging 
deeper.  Your CD was given to us at a pivotal moment.  God sent your CD in the 
hands of a friend who believed in us.  He made us sit down together and hold 
hands as we listened. (I did not want to touch him...let alone hold his hand)!  
As we listened, walls began to crumble, tears began to fall, eyes were opened.  I 
have to say that we got back together for our son only!!!  However, we did it.  
Then as the CD stated....we had to "act" like we liked each other and it slowly 
came back.  Throughout the process Bruce gave his life to Christ and the rest is 
history.  Bruce now preaches at a small congregation in the town we live in.  We 
still have problems, but we have the avenue of prayer and grace to get us 
through it.  I want both of you to know that YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!

In HIS service,
Brenda McGrew

This past weekend in Osage Beach, Missouri, God showed up in a powerful way, as over 500 people came together to grow in their marriages! Seven people (that we know of) prayed to received Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives! It was awesome! And what was such an added bonus was the stories that got these people to Osage Beach in the first place. One through the selling of a violin!

A couple wanted their friends to come to the conference and offered to pay their way. However, after offering, the husband lost his job and they were afraid that they could no longer pay to get their friends to the conference. They remembered, though, that they owned a violin that was no longer in use. A buyer came along and they sold it and got enough money to pay their friend's way to the conference. Their friend prayed to receive Christ as Savior and Lord of his life on Sunday morning.

God is intimately acquainted with all of our ways (Psalm 139) and cares for us so deeply. He orders our steps (Psalm 37:23) to get us right where we need to be to accept Him. And He does abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine, when we simply listen for His voice and follow in obedience (Ephesians 3:20).

Praise our great God!

So to re-iterate, in part 1 of this blog series on faith we shared a definition of faith from Pastor James McDonald that "Faith is believing the Word of God and acting upon it, no matter how I feel, because God promises a good result." 

Today, let's take this a bit deeper.  We have learned over the years that "whatever you believe will determine your behavior!"  If you believe a stove is hot, you will not touch it!  If you believe a chair will hold you, you will sit down! If you believe your spouse and friends are not trustworthy, you will keep your distance emotionally!  Without a doubt, our belief system determines our behavior. With that said, What do you believe about the Word of God...because whatever you believe about it...will determine how you act upon it!  We know you get this...but here's the rub....your feelings get in the way between what you believe in your head and what you feel in your heart....that is why Pastor James McDonald's definition has so much insight and power for us...we can not let our feelings steal our faith from us...feelings while real and some times good...can also be very fickle and very deceptive.

When we were at the pinnacle of restoring our marriage (if you want to read our story, go to the about us page at www.daleandjena.com) our feelings were very loud and our faith was very weak.  We remember this battle between faith and feelings very well....our feelings told us we were afraid - afraid to hurt and be hurt, but our faith said...God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind..  Our feelings told us we did not understand how to reconcile, but our faith said not to lean on our own understanding, but to trust God...HE would direct our paths.  Our feelings told us to worry about what other's might think, if they would reject us, or think we were nuts...but our faith told us that the approval of man was a snare and that we could not be divided over who we would honor with our faith.  We decided to act on our faith, no matter what our feelings were telling us, because we believed that God's Word was true and could be trusted.Our faith in action led us back to an alter, two different people as we remarried in 1997.  We are living examples of what happens when you believe the Word of God and Act upon it. 

What about you, what do you need to do today to activate your faith?  Remember what James wrote...faith without actions - has no life, it is dead!  Don't let that be your story....today, by faith, seek God's word for some answers for your life, then take God at HIS Word by acting on your faith. When you do, you will have a "living faith"

walking with God by faith,
dale and jena

As we continue this theme of "Walking with God" we had to write about faith.  After all, without faith, there will be no walking with God.  In fact, it is impossible to please Christ without it (Hebrews 11:6)  So then, it makes perfect sense that if you and I were created to "Walk with God" and if we want to please HIM with our lives, it will require us to walk by faith. A "Living Faith" as we daily and continually place our lives in HIS hands as our leader and Lord.

LIVING FAITH - What is it really?

Webster's definition uses words like confidence and trust.  The Word of God defines faith in Hebrews 11:1 as
"being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Both of these are right on (and not that we are adding anything to the Word of God); But the best definition we have heard about faith, one that really stretched our application of faith, came from James McDonald.  He said that "faith is believing the Word of God, and acting upon it, no matter how you feel, because God promises a good result."  Wow, what a power packed definition for "Living Faith"   Over the next several blogs, we are going to flesh this out with you. 

For today, we simply want to ask you to ponder some questions:  Do you really believe the Word of God?  Do you trust God and that HIS heart toward you is good?  Do you believe that the principles and precepts HE offers in HIS word can be trusted?  Do you believe they will work for you, your life, your situation?  Do you have such a "living faith" that in the midst of chaos, confusion, deceptive feelings, unmet needs and unclear circumstances, that you will believe the Word of God and start acting upon it?  See friend, having a confidence and assurance in the "Word of God" and the "Ways of God" is your first step toward developing a "living faith."   This is critical because faith is not just a part of the Christian life, it is the WHOLE THING!  Every step toward freedom, every victory, every moment of growth and transformation will call on you to have a "living faith."

Today, take whatever you might be facing, take it to the Word of God and decide to Walk with God through it by faith...remember, HE sees, HE understands, HE has a plan and HE can be trusted...when you do this, you will have a "living faith." (Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11)

fully surrendered, walking by faith, not by sight
dale and jena

Dale and I flew in yesterday to Denver, Colorado. It's the first time we've been to Colorado and it's beautiful! On the flight out west, Dale made the comment, "I get you all to myself for 3 days!". We got to the Denver airport, and I am sure that we looked like we should have had "not from around here" pasted across our foreheads! We were so lost! We got so turned around!

Have you ever been in a crowd of people and still felt alone? Have you ever been thrust into a new place, a new environment, and become frustrated or confused as to why you are there? Maybe a health issue, a relational battle, a death, a move, or a job loss has thrust you into a new place that you did not expect?

I believe that God allows these things to come to pass in our lives for one main purpose: to have us all to Himself. He loves us so much and He knows that we will try to live life apart from Him, but can't. He has to get us to a place where all we have is Him, before He can show us His love and love us back into the relationship with Him that we were created and destined for.

Hosea 2: 6-7 puts it like this, "Therefore, I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after other lovers but not catch them; she will look to them but not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go back to my Husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.'"

God will thwart all efforts we make to try to find life apart from Him.

If you find yourself in a new place and/or find yourself alone, may you know with confidence that God is jiust wanting you all to Himself, so that He can love you. Rest in that today and sit with Him a while.

Jena