Stepping Out in Faith

Finding Inspiration in the Daily Things

webmasteryates — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:08:12 +0000

One of my favorite places to find inspiration is on church signs that I see as I’m driving along. On my daily journey from home to work I pass 3 of these signs. It’s a simple way for churches to minister to the public. One of the signs has this on it lately: “Give Satan an inch and he’ll be a ruler.” How true is that? If we give in to the little lies that Satan puts in our head, he can wiggle his way right into our lives. One little lie or discrepancy can lead to another and Satan soon can have us too ashamed to ask God for forgiveness. As Christians, we know how the story ends. Let us not forget that Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer and may we always remember that no matter what sins we may have committed we belong to Him.

The next time you pass one of these church signs, think about the message being communicated. It just may be the thing God wants you to hear today. One simple way that the church can reach out to the community around it is by using these signs to share God’s message! What does your church sign say? Will it make a difference in someone’s life today?

I Love Sundays!

webmasteryates — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:02:48 +0000

Why do I love Sundays? I enjoy seeing my church family on Sunday mornings and I feel so fulfilled when I walk out the door after the service. There was a time when I couldn’t drag myself out of bed on Sunday mornings, but now I really look forward to the service. Our praise band plays such uplifting music. I enjoy the traditional hymns as well and that’s why the church I attend is so perfect. We have a praise band and a pianist that plays two weeks out of the month. I have the best of both worlds! We have so many talented musicians and vocalists right here in our small town congregation. It is so cool to see the young people who are willing to share their talents with us as we all praise our Lord and Savior!

The sermons enlighten me on Biblical principles that I have studied in the past, but not quite understood. I have grown so much in my faith in the past few years. Many people who serve the congregation have jobs outside of the church, but still are able to find the time to devote to the Lord. The people are so friendly and giving of their time and gifts. I’m glad that I am constantly challenged to live my life to be more like Jesus. I know I’m not perfect-far from it, in fact. But I have the hope of the sacrifice that was made on my and your behalf. I hope you enjoy Sundays as much as I do!

Stepping Out in Faith,

Pam

Do You Believe in Miracles?

webmasteryates — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:53:05 +0000

I’m amazed when I read in Mark chapter 6 about Jesus visiting his hometown. The people there didn’t believe in him. It’s like they were jealous of him and didn’t know why he was so special. After all, he was one of them, wasn’t he?

Jesus said to them, “only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” (Mark 6:4)

To think that Jesus Christ, the Lord, our Savior, came from among them! You would think they would be honored to have the Son of God to have come from their hometown. But, they lacked faith so much that wasn’t able to do miracles there except for healing a few sick people. You see, for miracles to happen, we must believe! If we have the faith of a mustard seed which is the smallest seed of all, miracles can happen! The mustard seed, you see, grows into the largest of all the garden plants. So, even the smallest amount of faith can help Jesus perform the greatest of miracles.

Many think that miracles are things of the past. They think they only happened in biblical times, but they happen every day. Some of them are small, some are huge! The small miracles could be something as simple as being delayed for a short amount of time so that we aren’t in an accident with the drunk on the road, or we meet just the person we needed to meet that was able to offer just what we needed. The big miracles are the tumor that was there when the doctor had the tests done, but is gone when it’s time to undergo surgery. I remember when my dad was in ICU and the doctor held no hope that he would survive. He was only able to breathe with the help of a respirator and he had little brain activity. Each day when I would go to visit him, the nurse would tell me not to get my hopes us. But, God was telling me something else. I felt deep in me, that he was going to pull out of it. He was in the hospital for 2 1/2 months, but he finally walked out of the hospital on his own power. We were able to share another year and a half with Daddy. Those times are precious as it gave me some time to really talk to him about matters that we had never discussed. I consider that time I got to spend with him a miracle. The cards were stacked against him, but God sent him back to finish his purpose here on Earth. You see, it’s important to believe, so that God can work his miracles!

The Harvest is Plentiful

webmasteryates — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:24:32 +0000

He told them “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Luke 10:2 NIV

There are many people who don’t know about the gospel of Jesus Christ. People living right in our midst. Maybe some have heard the story and rejected it, but others haven’t heard the story at all. This is what Jesus is asking of us-go out and share his story! Some are led to go to far away lands and share the love of Christ and the gift of eternal life. But those of us who choose not to travel abroad can still serve in this capacity for the kingdom of God. And we don’t even have to look far to find the harvest. We don’t have to push our views on anyone, but we can live as Jesus commanded. Others will notice the kind of people we are and when the opportunity arises we can answer questions. Maybe even invite them to visit our church. We need to let others know that we may not have all the answers and that Christians aren’t perfect. We are all striving to learn about God’s plans for us and how he wants us to live. We are all sinners looking for a savior!

Stepping Out in Faith,

Pam

What Did We Do Before Cell Phones?

webmasteryates — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:48:53 +0000

How did we ever survive without cell phone? In the “good ole days” we planned ahead and communicated with each other ahead of times about our plans. When we had stuff going on after school, our parents knew what time we’d be done so they could pick us up. Going out with friends? Our parents knew where we were going and what time we’d be home.

I realize I’m revealing my age here, but I can remember when we had a party line! When the phone rang it wasn’t necessarily ringing for our household. You had to listen to how it rang. Was it two longs and a short or two shorts and a long? I don’t really remember how to make a phone call, guess I was too young to be on the phone much. I do remember though if someone else on our line was talking and you picked up the phone, you heard their conversation. And you couldn’t use the phone until they were done talking. I guess I don’t miss those days!

I do like the convenience of being able to touch base with my family so easily with cell phones. If one of us is running late or plans have changed, we can easily contact the rest of the family. As long as we aren’t in our home town. Unfortunately even in this day and age, we live in a dead zone! Even Verizon Wireless doesn’t provide service in our area. That can be frustrating! But as long as we’re away from home, if we have car trouble or something, we can call to get help.

I don’t want to go back to the days before cell phones. This is one change in my lifetime that I have welcomed. The technology has made a cell phone be much more than just a phone. There are probably many things I could use my phone for that I haven’t figured out yet. But I’ll figure out what I need. Honestly, I know it’s possible to survive without cell phones, but I don’t really care to go back to those days!

Do Not Worry About Tomorrow

webmasteryates — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:47:42 +0000

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:33-34 NKJV

I’m a worrier. Just ask my children. It’s the way I’m put together, I guess. I think it goes back to feeling like I have to be in control. When my oldest daughter first started going out with friends it was tough. I couldn’t get to sleep until I knew she was safe and sound at home. We agreed upon a system where she would keep me informed as to where she was. If I knew she wasn’t on the roads, then I wouldn’t worry. So, she got to be pretty good about keeping me up to speed on her whereabouts. I’ve gotten much better over the last few years. All I ask when she is on the road going from home back to her dorm at college is to send me a text to let me know she got back safely. I think that’s reasonable. But, I have learned to put her safety and the safety of my other daughter into God’s hands. Someone once said it’s a waste of time to worry and that’s true.

One day I got that dreaded call that every parent never wants to get. A friend that lives a few miles from us called to let me know the girls were in an accident. She led me to believe it wasn’t too bad so that I wouldn’t have an accident getting there. Well, I wasn’t too worried. I got there quickly, but safely. But when I arrived at the scene and saw all the fire trucks and ambulances, my stomach was all in knots. When I was finally able to get to the other side of the highway, I saw my youngest and her friend talking to a police officer. Asking where Ashley was, Dani said she was still in the car. Well, I hadn’t even seen the car yet! They had to cut her out of the car because she had a head injury. My heart sank when I saw the car surrounded by firemen and EMTs. That was one of those days that I was so thankful to know that God was with them. Ashley had to be air cared to the hospital, but Dani and her friend just had scratches and bruises. They were all very blessed to have survived that accident at all. They all had their seatbelts on and an angel with them.

I’ll never forget the helplessness I felt or the calm that overcame me when they told me Ashley was going to be okay. The minister got to the hospital the same time I did. Our church family was great. This happened during VBS and the girls were teaching a class of preschoolers. One of the other teenagers took their class for the last night and the phone rang off the hook that night with concerned friends. Do I still worry? Well, I’m not perfect, but I have gotten better at putting those feelings aside, trusting that they are in God’s care.

Stepping out in Faith,

Pam

Answered Prayer

webmasteryates — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:54:39 +0000

In the fall of 1999, my father suddenly became ill and was rushed to the hospital. When I was notified, they didn’t know if he would even make it to the hospital. I had a 3 hour drive ahead of me, it was pouring down rain, and I was frantic to get there before he passed. Traffic was slow on the 2 lane highway I had to take to get to I-74 and I was very impatient to pass the car in front of me. I couldn’t however, because every time I got to a passing lane, there was a car coming toward me. I kind of calmed down and said a prayer as I drove.

It wasn’t too long until the rain stopped falling, but the lightning continued. It was beautiful as it streaked across the sky lighting up the darkness. All of a sudden, a calm came over me. Right then I knew everything was going to be okay. I decided to slow down and enjoy the fireworks that God was providing. It was a long haul, but my dad did finally pull through and get to come home. He had another year and a half on this earth for us to share time with him until the Father finally called him to his final resting place. This is one of several times that after prayer, I was able to feel an undeniable peace come over me that could only have come from God!

Filling the Void

webmasteryates — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:31:04 +0000

There is an emptiness inside us all that must be filled in order to feel whole. Many try to fill that void with material things like cars, clothes, or expensive toys. Others may fill the empty feeling with lots of friends, drugs or even gangs. See, we all have a need to belong-to be loved by someone, anyone. If we don’t feel that love from our family, we’ll find it somewhere. If our basic needs of shelter, food and safety are met by a gang, that is mistaken as love. When one finally realizes none of those material things can make us feel better and we hit rock bottom, we may open our hearts to God. For many, it takes this extreme before they will open up to the possibility of a heavenly Father who loves everything about us. It’s hard to imagine that after all we’ve done wrong, God still loves us.

“God has put into each of our lives a void that cannot be filled by the world. We may leave God or put Him on hold, but He is always there, patiently waiting for us…to turn back to Him.” -Emilie Barnes

He is still there waiting for you to make that move toward Him. The gift is there for the taking. It’s free. All you have to do is accept it. How do you do that? Accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, for it is through him we receive eternal life. Grow your faith by studying the word and find a good church to surround yourself with others who try to be like Jesus. Trust me. You will find that hole that you thought couldn’t be filled, will be overflowing with God’s love.

Stepping out in Faith,

Pam

Giving control to God

webmasteryates — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:00:07 +0000

For most of my life I have been one who needs to be in control. But sometimes, I haven’t made the best decisions. Oh, I’ve tried to do the right thing. Tried to treat others as I would like to be treated. I’ve tried to do my best to be the best wife, the best mother, the best friend, the best teacher. But, I have fallen short of all that I could be when I haven’t been willing to let God take control of my life. I think I was afraid to let go because I was afraid that God’s plan for my life would not be my plan. It has taken me a long time to realize that God’s plan is perfect. Mine is not. I still struggle with the need to feel in control, but I’m working on letting God take the reigns. I have given control to him and asked him to use me as an instrument to reach others. I may not always understand why he leads me in a certain direction. But, I continue to try to trust that his will is best and let him take control.

Stepping out in faith,

Pam

Spiritual Growth

webmasteryates — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:30:59 +0000

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever.” 2 Peter 3:18 -NKJV

We must never feel comfortable in our understanding or in our relationship with our Lord, but continually strive to grow. Through prayer and service to others we can come closer to God. Every time I read scripture it seems that something clicks and I understand something new. I have read passages over many times, but maybe the 10th time I read it, suddenly God makes the meaning clear to me. Never stop in your quest to grow closer.

Stepping out in Faith,
Pam