Please lift up the families, teachers,
staff, and students from Sandy Hook Elementary in CT.
No one can answer why
something like this happens.
No one can truly know how someone can be so far
gone to do this to another human let alone a child.
Please pray for peace,
forgiveness, empathy, love, and mercy to abound in this community as they
struggle through this tragedy!!!
Psalm 46 v 1 ~ "The Lord is [our] refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble."
1 Peter 5 v 7-11 ~ "7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."
"1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only
a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can
fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move
mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the
poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I
gain nothing. 4 Love is patient,
love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does
not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps
no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the
truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres. 8 Love never fails.
But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they
will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in
part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part
disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a
child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood
behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see
face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully
known. 13 And now these
three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1
Corinthians 13 v 1-13 In our first two studies,
we spoke very generally of love being the foundation to our Fortress of Faith.
However, what does that mean? As a woman in the military, as a Christian woman,
are we truly living a life of love, or are we merely doing and saying what we think we should as a Christian?
Music has always had an impact on our lives. It enhances our moods. It sometimes shapes our moods. It causes us to pour out our thoughts and feelings in singing along with a song that means something to us. Sometimes it causes our feet to move, our hands to clap, our bodies to sway in time with the rhythm that really does cut through our walls and touches our emotions.
Matthew 25 v 34-40 says:
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"
With Thanksgiving over and Christmas in our near future, we get caught up in making sure we show our families and friends how much we love and appreciate them with the little things we do for them and the special thought we put into choosing the perfect gift for them. Yet, how much thought do we put into those men, women, and children in our communities and around the world, that we do not know? We have no tangible ties to them. Still, He calls us to LOVE them! He calls us to CREATE tangible ties! Who would ever give to a stranger and then forget about that person? When we love "the least of these," we are opening our hearts to them, we are showing them His love through us, and we are changing OUR own life!
The following song was with a specific purpose in mind- to support a particular ministry. If you are interested in supporting that ministry, follow the links through the youtube account the video is attached to. However, do not be afraid to look at your base, at your chapel, at your community, at your church, or anywhere---if you become WILLING to create a tangible tie with a complete stranger to share His love, He will show you where He wants you to help.
Remember, giving to the 'least of these' is not always in the form of money. You creative gals can give a creation; you baking beauties can give a cake or cookies; you chef extraordinaires can make a casserole or your favorite dish; you book worms can read to children or seniors at the library! The opportunities to give are endless!
I pray each of you has an amazing Monday and a blessed week gathered in His Arms!
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peacethere will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." ~Isaiah 9 v 6-7 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with
child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
" ~Isaiah 7:14
"1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will
bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom
and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the LORD-- 3 and he will delight in the fear of
the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what
he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the
needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He
will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips
he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and
faithfulness the sash around his waist."
~Isaiah 11:1-5
December 7, 1941 is a day that will never be forgotten by our Nation and especially by our Service Men and Women. Today, we recall the shock of war. We remember the men and women who lost thier lives in the attack on Pearl Harbor and elsewhere across the Pacific as the Japan of that era took its leap forward to dominate. We remember the heroic sacrifices as men and women rose up to fight back, to help others, to sacrifice themselves in the slaughter of that morning.
Today, our Service Men and Women often find themselves in the midst of terror and war. They still choose to join. They still choose to stand up for what they believe in. They still choose to put our USA first and their own lives, their own families, their own dreams second. They still choose to sacrifice.
Today, we remember Pearl Harbor and our Armed Services for the sacrifices made and the sacrifices that are still being made.
“1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13 v 1-13 In our first study, I spoke very generally of love being the foundation to our Fortress of Faith. However, what does that mean? As a woman in the military, as a Christian woman, am I truly living a life of love, or am I merely doing and saying what I think I should as a Christian?
This week we are going to discuss verses one through three: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Cor 13 v 1
We all know what it is like to be around someone playing a role, being insincere, saying what they think we want to hear. We can see them sucking up to their NCOIC, or to the Commander’s wife. We feel the strain on a conversation as they overplay their exuberance or abhorrence for whatever the topic may be. Yet, sometimes, Ladies, we do the very same thing in the name of our Faith. Sunday mornings in Chapel, or Sunday School, or in Bible Study, we all want to be “good Christians.” We recite our various memorized prayers for the sake of saying them, but pay no attention to the words we are lifting up to Him. We praise Him with songs not taking the time to understand what we are saying to Him. We greet each other with hugs and kisses while secretly wishing we hadn’t come today because we have so much waiting at home. These are just examples- the way I have felt during my days of struggle in Active Duty, where I felt the fakeness rolling off of my fellow Christians when I attended Chapel or visited a local Church, and turned that inward and saw that fakeness in myself.
How I must have sounded to God? Singing praise that my heart was not in? Reciting a prayer, or bowing my head in prayer, not for an instant considering that in doing so I was supposed to be reciprocating the love He has shown me? I was not a joyful noise in His ear. I was an annoying clanging bell! Yet how wonderful is His love for us that He still pulls us to Him? No matter where our heart is, His love never leaves us!
“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Cor 13 v 2
We, Christian women, have incredible God-given gifts. My gift is the gift of written word. My parents would call it an inherent trait as I have been a writer all my life- I was always better at writing my thoughts than saying them. Only rarely have I used this gift to glorify Him, and even more rarely have I written from love. As my parents can attest, they best saw my writing skills when I was angry at them or hurt. I could write pages and pages of self-centered, egocentric blather based on my anger, on my hurt, on my struggles. I feel a huge insecurity when writing from feelings of happiness, joy, and love. Even now, I struggle with writing this blog, making sure that I write from love, joy, and hope.
What is your God-given gift, your talent? When you use that gift/talent, is it from a basis of love? In what ways can you pull His love into your gift so that others can see that love?
What really speaks to me is the second part of the verse that speaks of faith to move mountains, and yet without love, that faith is meaningless! What?! This means, that you can have faith in Christ, you can KNOW that He loves you, but if you do not also love, that faith is meaningless! Faith without love is a faith with no foundation.
“If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1Cor 13 v 3 In 1999, I was in technical school for the Air Force. One evening a friend and I were taking a walk and discussing various different subjects- among them- faith. Now, this friend was an atheist. This friend was dear to me. We got along well. We confided in each other. We enjoyed each other’s company. There I was a brand new Airman, and a wary Christian, afraid of really sharing my faith with anyone, but still so sure that nothing could rock my faith. This friend did just that with one statement: “So, as a Christian, you believe that I will go to Hell because I do not believe the same as you.” I cried as I was forced to consider that someone I cared about was not someone I would see in Eternity. I cried as I wanted so badly to lie, to choose not to believe that portion of His Word, to pick and choose just the pretty messages so I could not offend my friend.
That moment started a quest to define my faith, to understand what makes up my faith. The result- Love, like our Lord has shown for us, is the foundation to our faith. Love reciprocated to our Lord helps our foundation stay strong. Love shown in our words, shown through our gifts and talents, and shown though our actions is what separates us. As Military Women, we move around a lot. We meet other women from all aspects of life. Those women are of different cultures, different religions, and different places in their faith. We will especially find women of our own faith that differ from us greatly due to upbringing, denominations, varying levels of maturity in faith, different circumstances in their lives. We have unique opportunities to speak love, to show love through our talents, to minister with love through our actions. This does not mean that we cower or hide. Stand tall! Rest in His love, lean on His promises, but in everything you do, do it with His love cementing the basis of your faith!
Music has always had an impact on our lives. It enhances our moods. It sometimes shapes our moods. It causes us to pour out our thoughts and feelings in singing along with a song that means something to us. Sometimes it causes our feet to move, our hands to clap, our bodies to sway in time with the rhythm that really does cut through our walls and touches our emotions.
This week, Psalms 42 v 11 says
"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."
The following song, by Third Day, speaks of the hope we can find "no matter who you are,
And no matter what you've done, There will come a time, When you can't make it on your own, And in your hour of desperation, Know you're not the only one, Prayin' "Lord above, I need a miracle." I need a miracle"
There are periods in our lives, Ladies, where we are faced with struggles due to the Military, and it feels like we are all alone. There are periods where we feel like we are at our wits end, at the end of the rope. In those times, reading the Bible, calling out to God in ernest prayer, seeking fellowship with other Christian women, and, yes, listening to positive music helps us to grasp tighter to the hopes of a fresh day, a coming out of the struggle stronger than when we started, and a closer relationship with Him who loves us more than we can imagine. Take a few minutes to listen to the following song. Maybe you can relate to this song. Maybe you know someone else who can. After listening to the song, please close your eyes in prayer speaking the words that come from your heart.
