The Top Ten Things I am Thankful For!

I have been doing a lot of pondering this week. If I were asked what the top ten things I am thankful for, the list would read like this:

1. I am thankful for Jesus Christ who came to this world and took my sin upon the cross so that I can have a life eternal with him.

2. I am thankful for a faithful pastor who taught the Bible when I was a child

and who shared the gospel with me at Vacation Bible School in June of 1971,

the day I accepted Jesus to be my Savior.

3. I am thankful for parents who took me to church every time the church doors were open.

4. I am thankful the Lord gave me a godly man for my husband, Jon.

These past 20 years have been some of the best years of my life.

5. I am thankful for my beautiful daughter Hannah Faith who came our lives

in August of 1991 and is now attending Frontier School of the Bible.

6. After many years of prayer that our family would be enlarged,

I am thankful for how the Lord answered my prayer with the

editions of our adult kids: Esther Grace, Damaris Joy,

Steven Timothy and our newest edition by marriage

Dietrich Paul (Damaris's husband)

7. I am thankful to be called into full time ministry along side of my

pastor husband Jon, and to be a missionary serving with

Village Missions as We preach the Word and Love the people.

8. I am thankful for all of our faithful prayer and financial supporters

who are responsible for us being able to minister to others.

Their sacrifice is a blessed gift to us.

9. I am thankful for a church family who love one another

and are growing spiritually with each passing day.

10. I am thankful to still live in a country where I am free to worship

the King of Kings and Lord Lords.

As I enter this week of Thanksgiving with all its preparations and craziness,

I want to remember just how much I have to be thankful for.

The list could go on and on ...

As you gather around your Thanksgiving Meal this week,

take the time to remember all the Lord has done for you!

Blessings,

Deb

Being Content

Hi!

I normally don't post more than one a week, but today I have a heavy heart for a dear fellow pastor's family in Red Cloud whos home was on fire yesterday. The damage was to one area of the house, but the smoke and water damage was bad throughout the house.

As I stood there helpless watching these dear people try to control their emotions for their kids sake and make decisions of what to do, I saw the Lord's peace in their lives. It really got me thinking about how I would have reacted to the situation.

In our devotions today, Jon and I read about what true contentment truly is and where we can find that source of contentment. We find that contentment in Jesus Christ Alone. He is truly all we need and he desires to give us all He has. He wants our obedient hearts to see Him with passion and He wants us to be satisfied with all he gives whether it be alot or alittle, He knows just what we need.

If you could keep this dear precious family in your prayers that would be great! I know they would appreciate it as it could be up to six months before they can return to their own home.

Praying that you will also find your total contentment in Jesus.

Blessings,

Deb

The Joy of Obedience

Hi!

I am currently reading a book called The Christians Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith. It is truly changing my view of what a Christians life should be like. This book was written in 1870 and still holds great truth for today, so I want to share her thoughts in the chapter entitled The Joy of Obedience.

Long ago I met somewhere with this sentence, "Perfect obedience would be perfect happiness, if only we had perfect confidence in the power we were obeying." I remember being struck with the saying, as the revelation of a possible, although hitherto undreamed of, way of happiness; and often afterwards, even when full of inward rebellion, did that saying recur to me as a vision of rest, and yet of a possible development, that would soothe, and at the same time satisfy all my yearnings.

Need I say that this rest has been revealed to me now, not as a vision, but as a reality; and that I have seen the Lord Jesus the Master to whom we may yield up our implicit obedience, and, taking His yoke upon us, may find our perfect rest?

You little know, dear hesitating soul of the joy you are missing. The Master has revealed Himself to you, and is calling for your complete surrender, and you shrink and hesitate. A measure of surrender you are willing to make, and think indeed it is fit and proper that you should. But an utter abandonment, without any reserves, seems to you too much to be asked for. You are afraid of it. It involves too much, you think, and is too great a risk. To be measurably obedient you desire; to be perfectly obedient appalls you.

Remember that He loves you more than the love of friendship. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so does He rejoice over you, and nothing but the brides surrender will satisfy Him. He has given you all, and He asks for all in return. The slightest reserve will grieve Him to the heart. He spared not Himself, and how can you spare yourself? For your sake He poured out in a lavish abandonment all that He had, and for His sake you must pour out all that you have without stint or measure.

Oh be generous in your self-surrender! Meet His measureless devotion for you with a measureless devotion to Him. Be glad and eager to throw yourself unreservedly into His loving arms, and to hand over the reins of government to Him.Whatever there is of you, let Him have it all. Give up forever everything that is separate from Him. Whatever there is of you, let Him have it all. Consent to resign, from this time forward, all liberty of choice, and glory in the blessed nearness of union which makes this enthusiasm of devotedness not only possible , but necessary. Then the perfect happiness of perfect obedience will dawn upon your soul and you will know something of what Jesus meant when He said, "I delight to do thy will, O my God."

In a thousand ways He makes this offer of union with Himself to every believer. But all do not say "Yes" to Him. Other loves and other interests seem to them too precious to be cast aside. They do not miss the joy of Heaven because of this, but they miss a unspeakable present joy.

Christ himself when he was on the earth, declared the truth that there was no blessedness equal to the blessedness of obedience when he said "Blessed are those who hear the Word and keep it." We are more blessed when we hear the Word of God and obey His will.

May our surrendered hearts reach out with an eager delight to discover and embrace the lovely will of our loving God!

I was taken back about where my happiness should be focused on. Not me, Not the things of this world, but Hearing the Word of God and then obeying it out of love for my heavenly father. How many times I have thought that something wasn't fair, wasn't right... But by being surrendered only to Christ none of that matters. He is only satisfied when I am in full surrender to him. This really makes me think. I know as I pounder through this chapter over the next few days I will draw more and more out of what finding true happiness is all about.

Blessings,

Deb

Trials of various kinds!

Hi!

Does it ever seem like in life everything you encounter are trails.

Well I have had many of those lately! Including yesterday when I was carefully driving down a lane at WalMart in the right direction trying to park my car so I could go pick up a prescription for Jon who has been pretty sick. Suddenly out of now where comes a car driving way to fast who was not in a lane and was whipping around cars in the parking lot who would have hit me head on if I hadn't hit my breaks and the other car swerve. As I sat in my car shaking thinking about what could have happen, my only response was Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord.

Things like that have been happening over and over lately. Side swiping me to the point that the only thing I can do is Thank my Lord for the trial myself and others around me are encountering.

This past week we found out that our board chairman at our church, Jack has Colon Cancer. After having all the round of test run, his prognosis at this point isn't good. Had the Lord been preparing our church flock for this trail? Yes He has! He started this summer by two men in our church reconciling their relationship with one another. Jon and I had prayed a lot that this would happen and then were just amazed by the Lord's answer. Another gal we had been praying for accepted Christ. She had been looking all over for a peace that would settle her and she finally found it in Jesus. These are just a few of the ways that the Lord has been drawing our little flock nearer to Him. Now with Jack's illness it has been amazing to see how our flock has reached out to him and his family. We know they won't have to go through this trial alone because the church family will be right there beside them.

Today I was reading in Romans 5

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. — Romans 5:3-5

These verses were a reminder to me of how the Lord wants me to react to the trials that come along in this journey of faith as a Christian. The Lord doesn't want us to react as the world does but wants us to show the world how to react to Christ.

I am once again reminded that these trials are just temporal. In a short while my Lord will return for his bride the church!

Until then lets respond to the trails that are set before us like Christ responded in Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out before us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Will you join me in this trail of faith that produces godly character? I pray that you will!

Blessings,

Deb