audience statistics ThinMint

Since the beginning of the war, more than 2000 civilians have been killed by Russian missiles, according to official data. Help us protect Ukrainians from missiles - provide max military assisstance to Ukraine #Ukraine. #StandWithUkraine

Good morning! Thank you, friends, for the kind birthday wishes for our kiddos 😊 The Lord woke me up very early this morning to spend some time with Him. I asked the Holy Spirit to lead me in what to read from my Bible. I started in Esther, went to Ezra then finished with Nehemiah. Am I the only one who thinks that reading the Bible is fascinating? Even fun?! The following verse gave me the chills -the kind that gets you all pumped up and excited for what the Lord will do. Not by our might, but by His! Be utterly and completely blessed today!

Hymn to The Fallen

Hello dearest of friends! I worked hard before we left for Florida knowing how slammed I would be after our return home. The busyness (I hope!) should be waning soon. Until I can sit before my favorite keyboard at length, I have been jotting down notes here and there with what the Holy Spirit inspires. Can't wait to see where the Lord leads! Child #3's birthday is tomorrow. It's kinda a big deal. He's officially joining us two-digit folks. We use his birthday as a kick-off for summer so we do all kinds of fun summer-y stuff. Eleven days later it's the twin's birthday 😊 For all those who have had loved ones pass away while serving our country, I am sorry for this loss. Please know that there are many of us America-loving Patriots who hurt over their departure. We love their dedication, we appreciate their service, and we honor their sacrifice. Lord, forgive us. Heal this land. Fight the evil so our country is not lost. Lead us. Be our sole Provider, Champion and Preserver. You alone are worthy. You alone are our King. We follow You, we trust You, we love You.

Lord, I Need You...

Oh Lord of lords, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! We praise and magnify Your name! The heavens declare Your beauty, Your genius! We love Your perfection! We know Your goodness! You are holy and just. You have put in our hearts desire for justice. How we long to see Your intervention, Lord! You are faithful to the faithful. Keep us steady on the course You have set before us. Until You move on our behalf, until You bring reconciliation, until You bring judgement upon the earth, give us patience and renew our weary hearts. Infuse us with grace, patience, humility. Help us, Father, to implement the plans You have, and to do so with an energy You provide. Help us avoid the pitfalls and wiles of man, to remember it is You we need. You are our breath and bread. You sustain. You provide. You cover. You forgive. You offer. You guide. You love. You are our harbor. Our refuge. Our hope. Our salvation. Hear the strain in our voices, the ache in our bones, the pain in our heart. Answer us, Father! Give comfort to the lonely, to those afraid, overwhelmed, frustrated. Protect us from the sin crouching at our door and the evil that surrounds. Guide us away from temptation, from walking outside Your boundaries. Help us to give up the albatrosses! Help us to give up the notions and plans that go against Your will. Make us meek. Make us servants. Make us more like Your Son! Give us boldness in sharing Your Goodness! Give us testimony! It’s the pure love of Jesus that allows me to approach Your throne. It’s because of Jesus I can pray for all this for me, for my family, for my friends. You are a good, good, Father!

Daily Devotional from EP (courtesy of Ben D) May 25, 2023 Prayer is the air we breathe, filled with Your Spirit, Your Words be mine. Prayer is our food and drink, growing daily in richer fellowship with our God and I wonder LORD, if there were no blessings from You, would we still love and worship, have complete faith in who You are, would we pray? Teach us, teach us Holy Spirit to pray in Spirit - Words of glory to honor Father, Jesus and You, always the three in One. Praise You that we may come, are called to come to You Father by the Spirit’s help and guidance just to worship. Would we come if there was no gain? Teach us to pray because we love You, because of what Christ has done that we might have life and eternity. Pray through us Holy Spirit with power that surpasses words. Accomplish the will of our God who knows our hearts, our fears, our sins, our deepest needs and loves us still. We long to pray Holy Spirit, in harmony with Your will always. May we lift our open hands and hearts and say with surrender and celebration, Your will be done God of Glory, Majesty... Thy will ever be done. We worship and praise for the very air we breathe and thanksgiving that we are Yours. The love of Christ was proven in the Garden, on the Cross. The love of God showed the world and eternity what You would do to save us. We come to You and ask because You have said we could, but LORD, You have already given the best and the most. Sin forgiven, eternity in glory ahead… Life Giver, Gift Giver, it is to be Your people who long to give worship and honor to You. Rise up Church! Arise to praise, arise to worship our God! Prayer from Jude 20; Eph. 2:18; Romans 8:26; 1 John 5:14

Testimony We've been quiet because life has been messy. I'm a mess of grief from stepping into the role of grandparent when our hearts still struggle to see our daughter becoming a mother herself… years before we would have planned. I'm a mess of worry as my husband struggles against debilitating back pain, and I don't know how things are going to really work out with a new baby in the home and all the relational complications that will bring and hold. I'm a mess of overwhelm and fatigue as I struggle to do all the physical work my husband normally shoulders. I'm a mess of frantic rushing as I find moments to work with ever-pressing deadlines in the midst of the busyness of family life and baby showers and homestead chores and increasing shipments. But life is always… messy. And while we are being stretched in some of the unattractive and uncomfortable messiness that living as humans brings, we are also held in God's love. The messier we are and the more we wrestle (and my hip feels most certainly touched), the closer He draws near to remind us to TRUST HIM. He is the One Who Provides. He brought a messy newborn into the mess of a stable. Christ entered into messy relationships with a possessed prostitute, a tax collector, and sabbath-breaking fishermen. He was covered in the mess of his own sweat, blood, and ripped flesh as he hung on a tree on Calvary - a hill awash with the mess of death and stench of sin. God never shrinks from our messes. And through Christ, no matter the picture of messiness we see, we are still white as snow... being made new… two steps forward for every one step back. I prefer a bow. A nice package of repentance and order and peace and proper behavior. That's much easier for me. It makes me look and feel better. But when you are a God who sees and knows the wretched messiness of humanity, you don't care about the bows because they don't get anyone to heaven. You care about digging into the ashes to reveal your beautiful purposes. You care about bringing sin to light so repentance can be at hand. You care about bringing a man up a mountain with his only son, bound for sacrifice, just so you can show him the ram in the thicket and earn that place the name: The Lord Provides. When things are easy and smooth, we can back-pocket God. But it's during those easy days we must draw near and gird our loins because we face an adversary who prowls like a lion, bent on stealing, killing, destroying. But when life is messy and it messes us up, we must remember that if we can trust that His broken body resulted in an empty grave and that this isn't story, but the realest, truest Truth ever in existence, then we can also trust that He works everything together for the good of those who love Him, that He fights for us, that He restores all that is stolen and broken, and that there is no mess outside of His complete sovereignty and goodness. Everything messy is beautiful ... if we just let it be. - E.

The below was written by a homeschooling mom. This is one of those, "I Didn't Even Know I Needed To Read This Until I Read It" kind of posts. I got the Holy Spirit chills when I saw the name of her piece! I pray the Holy Spirit speaks to you as well. Love y'all! 👇🏻

Good morning! May you see God's majesty today... along with some happy little trees.

-5- Join me? Pray for God’s truth. Pray for God’s joy to be manifested in our lives. Pray for God to deepen our love for Him. Pray for God to expand our love for others. These are blessings God will increase for us. When we seek Him, above all else, He sees our devotion and honors our faith. His joy will be ours. His peace will overflow in our life. He will grant us His wisdom: we will know what to speak, when and to whom. He will give us testimony. Less of us, more of Jesus.

-4 of 5- What is your testimony? Do you have more than one? How did God gift it to you? What exactly does the Lord want you to share? When? And with whom? Do we need to share every thought we have? When is it okay to be silent? Are we spiritually obligated to correct every little opinion that is different from ours? What are insignificant, irrelevant issues? How do we avoid being smug, haughty, prideful? What Matters Most?

-3 of 5- At the beginning of my marriage I began praying for God to increase my love for Him and for Felix. After each child, I asked God to increase my love for my children. Finally, I asked God to increase my love for others as well. This isn’t an overnight transformation. It has not been sudden, startling or stunning. It’s been subtle, steady and significant. What I have come to understand is I should be working on my relationship with the Lord foremost. When this is my primary objective, His wisdom, His love, His joy will begin to naturally flow and emanate from me. This is what others will see in us. They will see Him even if they cannot put a name to it. We are not called to brag, bore or bludgeon others with our own personal opinions. We are not called to condemn or enlighten others with what we *think* God wants them to hear; nor are we to knead others into what we *think* God wants them to be. If we are faithfully, consistently living for Him, others will see His joy, His love in us, and we will be called to share this joy and hope when the Holy Spirit prompts us. I believe this is what 1 Peter 3:15 is telling us. We are called to live Romans 15:13 so that we are ready to share Who it is that gives and fills us with [His] goodness, joy, peace and hope. I contend if we strive for this enduring, imperishable connectedness with the Lord then we will know when and what to speak to others. We will lessen the chances of acting on our own, walking in disobedience, hurting others unnecessarily, grieving the Holy Spirit.

-2 of 5- I feel strongly that we ought to strive improving our skill for recognizing and obeying the Holy Spirit’s prompts. Should we not keep the door open between us and the Lord; as opposed to neatly closing it after we prayed or read the bible? Yes, we ought to have specific times set aside for being alone with the Lord. But, shouldn’t we have a continuous (not necessarily an uninterrupted) flow of some sort of communication with God? If we worked on maintaining this continuous flow, we would be more receptive to hearing the Lord’s voice, correct? Imagine walking around with your dearest friend. You may not constantly chat, but either one of you could speak at any moment, and the message would be heard in real time, in an unadulterated way. Is this impossible to have with the Lord? Can we not ask Him for this? I am guilty of blurting out my thoughts without consulting God before speaking. I am also guilty of conflating my opinions with I think the Lord wants me to share. Later, the Holy Spirit convicts me for being thoughtless. I have learned over the years that God doesn’t need me to defend Him. I am His vessel and I am to bring Him glory.

-1 of 5- Many, many years ago my brother told me that he stopped arguing with people who believed two plus two equals five. His perspective impacted me, and I loosely use this idea as a measuring stick. Using this example, let’s go down this path! When do we correct someone’s belief that two plus two equals five? For the most part, can we let it go? Or do we speak up when they’re trying to balance their checkbook? Do we correct them only if they are a teacher or an accountant or a chef? If we overhear two strangers state this while passing us on the street, do we stop them in order to correct them? Would we only intervene if their life or someone else’s life depended on the correct answer? Are there bigger fish to fry than debating two plus two? Can we ignore their belief as long as it doesn’t impact our lives? What if trying to convince them that two plus two equals four leads to a broken relationship? At what point, in what scenario, and with whom would you intervene? There could be some flaws with this particular example, but I think you get the gist of it. As Believers, when do we speak up when others don’t share our beliefs? When should we remain silent? Is there a difference between beliefs and opinions?

Good morning! I am working on a part two from the question posted at the beginning of the month -one I think dovetails into another worthy discussion. Perhaps it would be better for us to have a real live chat about it. I'll work on the writing and we'll see where the Lord leads us! Have a beautiful day, friends! Get out there and find something to make you love God even more 🌸

Hi friends! Would love to have you join us over at Shannon's Gaining Ground. This CS Lewis classic, part of the Narnia series, will be enjoyed by reading two chapters a week.

Heavenly Father, this world is a mess. I am a mess. Anger, jealousy, unrepentance, unfaithfulness, unkindness, harshness, judgment, all of the sins... they abound in me and even more-so around me. The more interconnected our world has gotten, the more disconnected from you we have become. But I sense a revival. We have seen peeks and snippets in various locations, but I beg you Lord, with all of my soul, make beauty from these ashes. It seems that the world is burning down around us. There is bad news at every turn and no shortage of ashes. Redeem all of this pain, hurt, evil, and sin for your glory and for the good of those who love you. Help us to work one another up to love and good works rather than anger and malice. Protect our children from the sinful influences that are lurking behind every corner to destroy and twist their minds. Give us courage as we face an uncertain and intimidating future. And may the power of your love, joy, and holiness wash across this land, Father. May our children, who are hurt, confused, suffering, and trapped in chaos be redeemed, restored, and rescued from the lure and lies of this world. May our loves ones be saved, not just in eternity, but for your good purposes while right here on earth. May you restore the broken, uplift the downtrodden, and give hope to us in our hopelessness. Father, please make it on earth as it is in heaven. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen. - Offered by Erin Cox

Just in case you needed a smile. Happy Sunday!

Philippians 4:6-7

I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1-2)

I’ve been pondering a question posed from a friend in Canada since she first asked. I did my best to keep the response brief. One of the first explanations that comes to mind is fear; a knee-jerk reaction to their world being shaken to its core. We all encounter this gripping fear at some point or another. The difference is we either turn to God for comfort and direction or we act without Him. Another explanation is ignorance. They have no idea what’s happening behind the scenes, who is running world events, who is instigating all the chaos. Not studying history, not studying the Bible, not seeking God's truth is simply foolish, in my humble opinion. Still another explanation is conflating what God calls all of us to do with what they think God wants them to do. Perhaps they feel morally compelled to point out what they believe are planks in the eyes of others while they fail to recognize the planks in their own. There are more possible explanations, and I could point out examples of this legalistic, self-satisfied attitude, but I’m concerned I would be wading into gossipy waters. As I considered and prayed over the question, there was one idea that kept coming to the forefront: the story of Lot. It’s inconceivable to us why Lot, who is supposed to be a godly man, would offer his daughters to the mob of depraved men. Until you consider this possible interpretation: Lot had one foot in the godly world, and one foot in this world. His loyalties were divided. It makes a lot of sense to me. How many people who call themselves Chritians are living in this world, reacting to satanically contrived machinations in a fleshy way? I really appreciate the question and think it springboards into other worthy discussions.

Trump interview on NewsMax 5/16/23

Sometimes the news posted here doesn't seem so good. It comes from sources we don't like. It involves people we don't like. The topic is heavy, the people are corrupt, justice seems out of reach. The good news is that the old, raggedy curtain is being pulled back so the evil is being exposed. Toxic ideas, gross and incompetent people -the stupid, the worthless, the poisonous -all of it is being shown on a worldwide scale like never before. And God sees it all. He's not slow to act. He does not ignore the faithful. He wins. There is still good. Goodness really. Good people, good times, good food, good memories. And God is always good. Keep trusting Jesus. He is the plan.

Sometimes the news posted here doesn't seem so good. It comes from sources we don't like. It involves people we don't like. The topic is heavy, the people are corrupt, justice seems out of reach. The good news is that the old, raggedy curtain is being pulled back so the evil is being exposed. Toxic ideas, gross and incompetent people -the stupid, the worthless, the poisonous -all of it is being shown on a worldwide scale like never before. And God sees it all. He's not slow to act. He does not ignore the faithful. He wins. There is still good. Goodness really. Good people, good times, good food, good memories. And God is always good. Keep trusting Jesus. He is the plan.

Good morning! This is true of us little close-knit group. We help one another by praying, creating laughs and offering encouragement. And sometimes we help a friends navigate through the unpleasantnesses and tough questions. Something I love about y'all is that you do this with grace, dignity, sincere kindness. The below question came through the chat last night and I know we can have a thoughtful discussion about it: Q: I’ve been puzzled as to why/how people, who profess born again Christianity as their faith, are so accepting of one or more of the following: masks, shots, abortion, LGBTQ+, drag queen performances/readings, TDS, MSM, transgenderism, etc. I don’t understand why they are accepting and promoting woke, Marxist garbage. I’ve had heard and seen more ugliness from Christians than those who don’t profess faith in Jesus Christ. Can sincere believers have such a heavy veil/delusion like that? I’m not meaning any specific church or denomination. I’m talking about outwardly confessing Christianity.