The Present – A Gift from God

I wish more people knew about God’s love for them! It would make such a huge difference in our existence here on Earth.

If more people knew Jesus, I am sure there would be fewer arguments, fewer accidents, no reason for jails to exist, and no starving people!

This is because people would be willing to listen, willing to yield, willing to love, and willing to give,  and joyfully with each effort!

During the celebration of Christ’s birth, I pray that you might spend time communicating with Him, especially to say Thank you to the One who created everything for our benefit! He loves people that much! Make a great effort to get to know Him as He wants no one to perish. When you take that step, God responds. He will help you daily with your journey!

Below is verbiage from a postcard that I purchased from that same swell Thrift Store in a little town nearby. At one time the card was offered complimentary at the Biblical Seminary in New York City.

SOME SENTENCES FOR TESTING TIMES

   It is by no means enough to set out cheerfully with your God on any venture of faith. Tear into smallest pieces any itinerary for the journey which your imagination may have drawn up.

   Nothing will fall out as you expect.

   Your guide will keep no beaten path. He will lead you by a way such as you never dreamed your eyes would open upon.

   He knows no fear, and He expects you to fear nothing while He is with you.

   The clinging hand of His child makes a desperate situation a delight to Him.

   A true walk with God will do more to awaken awe, wonder and amazement in your soul than would a century of travel through the sights of earth.

   It is your business to learn to be peaceful and safe in God in every situation.

   To take you to His end, by the way you know, would profit you little; He chooses for you a way you know not, that you may be compelled into a thousand intercourses with Himself, which will make the journey forever memorable to Him and to you.

   Difficulty is the very atmosphere of miracle – it is miracle in its first stage. If it is to do a great miracle, the condition is not difficulty but impossibility.

   Whatever His questions or his reticences, we may be absolutely sure of an unperplexed and undismayed Saviour.

Selected from a Christmas Message, which originally appeared in “The Life of Faith,” London.

(Then the postcard says – see other side…)

A KINDLY SUGGESTION

CONSIDER HIM, who put Christmas, Good Friday and Easter in the Calendar.

He is central in Christianity and by Him it should be judged. He is central also in the Bible, and by Him it is to be estimated.

HEAR HIM, when He says: “I am the light of the world. He that followeth Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

“I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.” Gospel by John 8:12; 10:9.

READ FURTHER ABOUT HIM, and test the great sentence of Dante: “In His will is our peace.”

Wishing you a wonderful adventure and relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from now and into the New Year and beyond!

Love, Laura <><

http://latestlinesfromlaura.blogspot.com

Blessed Faith

Do you believe in God? Yes? Great!

Do you believe that John 3:16 of the Bible is true? Yes? Fantastic!

(If you are on the fence, I highly recommend the text by Lee Strobel called – The Case for Christ. Its author used the Course of Law to prove that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. http://www.amazon.com/The-Case-Christ-Journalists-Investigation/dp/0310209307

Do you believe that once you are a follower of Christ that the Holy Spirit is deposited in you and will lead you where God wishes you to go for your remaining days? Yes? Awesome!

Then logic dictates that if you believe in all these things, then you are quite sure that God is omnipotent and able to do all things, right?

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26

I have had a few conversations lately with friends whom God has allowed me to remind how amazing and loving He is. Hallelujah!

What is striking however is that several of them have not realized that as Christians, they are absolutely, positively in God’s hands. God made them, loves them and has every intention of taking care of their every need and yet there is doubt. Why?

My friends know intellectually that God made the entire universe and knows the exact number of how many hairs are on their head, but in the midst of their daily struggles, they have neglected to tell God their concerns, their desires and have not requested knowing His will for their lives.

I am confident God wants so much to hear from them. Not because he doesn’t already know what is going on, but because He wants confirmation that He is first in their lives.

The First Commandment after all is that there shall be no other gods before Him.

You shall have no other gods before^[a] me.  - Exodus 20:3

As Christians we must follow these instructions:

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ - Matthew 22:37

God wants and deserves to be at the forefront of our thoughts. He has so many blessings to share with us and so many wonderful things that He wishes us to learn, know and comprehend but if an individual is not invested fully in a relationship with God, then their life will not be as full as it could be otherwise!

It will probably include more stress than necessary which in turn causes health issues as a person tries to solve their problems in their own strength, generally impossible, especially if God is working on fine tuning their walk and perfecting their faith and trust in Him!

Our humanness (or human sin) so often gets in the way of having a consistent two way communication with God. Here is a list of the most common sins -

• 3.1 Lust
• 3.2 Gluttony
• 3.3 Greed
• 3.4 Sloth
• 3.5 Wrath
• 3.6 Envy
• 3.7 Pride

As earthly Christians, we will never be perfect but our Lord wants us to work really hard at including Him in every aspect of our life – our job (or lack thereof), our relations with family, friends, spouses and significant others (or lack thereof), our hobbies, our dreams and future plans.

We should be asking Him daily for guidance, for His permission to take certain actions and ask God to reveal His Will to us. We should be alert for opportunities that present themselves and always share the Good News of Christ.

Yes, we will make mistakes, but we have a loving Father in Heaven who is waiting for us to cry out and rescue us when we are in trouble and need help. He is always there. Guaranteed! His ways are not our ways (thankfully!) and as He is perfect and in control.

God has the best plan waiting just for you!

⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.^[a]

- Proverbs 3:4-6 - New International Version (NIV)

So the question becomes, if you have a saving knowledge of Christ, why wouldn’t you trust the Lord implicitly? He is God – all powerful and all-knowing. Is there anything you could do to rival His abilities?

God wants you to know how much he loves you and to have a positive impact on others for His Glory and all it takes is being his faithful friend, trusting in Him for absolutely everything.

Why not be His friend today?

Wishing you much love, peace and joy! Laura

http://latestlinesfromlaura.blogspot.com

Life is a Journey, Not a Destination

 

Heard it before? I know, but it seemed to ring truer this weekend than other times past. As I was finally unwinding and mentally preparing to head back to my corporate job, it occurred to me that I fret way too much. Again, not that this is news, it’s just that my recent past included way too many minutes of checking things off the “to do” list because they had to be done and getting mostly zero enjoyment out of all the effort. Monday through Friday I am paid to hurry. This idea spilled right over into my home life. I have been fighting it for a while now. The point is that life takes time. So why not take pleasure in it on a more routine basis?

Appreciate the menial tasks and the blessings of being a property owner, car owner and job holder. As best you can, forget the hustle bustle. Don’t even join in!

The “to do” list is never ending. It will always be around and guaranteed you will never accomplish it all in one day, or heck, one week or even a year. Tasks take time. Some projects take longer than 2 minutes. Recognize this and be a peace. Don’t let all those rushing around disturb your journey. Stress does more harm than good and that is a fact!

Know that God is teaching you with every event that occurs. He loves you and desires you to be in right mind and good health so you can hear, see and understand what He wants you to know. Enjoy the current task at hand with joy and know that Our Creator is always near, waiting to bless you and provide for you at life’s every turn.

Enjoy! Laura

Did you know? You are a Miracle!

The unique traits that make every human body a work of art is extraordinary!

There are tons of facts to support each individual’s complexity and that alone is a testament to how magnificent, wonderful and intelligent our Creator is!

He has blessed people so much by giving them an opportunity to exist… each person is God’s possession. We are His and His alone. That should not only make us happy but surely content and thankful.

God has a will for each of our lives… there is something that each of us was meant to accomplish as a part of God’s plan.

He loves us so dearly that he wants to have a relationship with each person so He can show us first hand his incredible love and give us a glimpse of the amazing things that are in store for us for those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ.

Do you believe that God sent His Son to Earth to share the news of Salvation with those present at that time? Do you know that the Good News is just as true then as it is today?

I encourage you to keep asking questions about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the words that are written in the Holy Bible. Your spiritual health, after all, is very important.

Along the way, I also want to encourage you to take care of the amazing body that God has shared with you. Keep it in optimum shape by learning to eat the most nutritious foods and consuming beneficial liquids. Remember to exercise several times a week and you will not only feel better, but will be able to learn and understand more of the facts and ideas that God wants to share with you!

Here are two books that I have been reading lately. Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/Eat-This-And-Live-choices/dp/1599795191

http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Self-Healing-Natural-Potential/dp/1401936210/ref=la_B005N2X1JC_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344878990&sr=1-1

I wish for you many days of good health, even more days of extraordinary peace and for you to be filled to the brim with the heartfelt joy that grows exponentially as you seek to know your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

~ * ~ Laura ~ * ~

http://latestlinesfromlaura.blogspot.com/

http://www.lamocreations.com

Celebrate and Rejoice!

The grace of God means something like:

Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you.

Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen.

Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us.

It’s for you I created the universe. I love you.

- Frederick Buechner - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Buechner  

[Photo above taken by Laura Moody - copyright 2011 - It is an image of a balloon weight.]

Spirit Fire Kindling - Light Your Fire with Love™

 

So I had an idea… and came up with a little product called Spirit Fire Kindling™.

A perfect start for campfires, bonfires and wood-burning fireplaces!

It is a great addition for your upcoming camping trips that include a fire for gazing or cooking! It is also a great purchase for those chilly evenings in front of a wood-burning fireplace.

Each heart is made of recycled brown paper bags and raffia straw.

I created a separate web site for this item. Check it out when you have a chance!
http://lightyourfirewithlove.blogspot.com/

Spirit Fire Kindling™ was previously sold at my friend's shop, Weathered Elegance. Check out Donna's Weathered Elegance items in person when you are in Leesburg, Virginia’s Historic District or visit her site on the web: http://weatheredelegance.org/

Interested in a bulk purchase of Spirit Fire Kindling™ for all the fun events this year? Contact me.

Thanks for supporting your local artists! :) Laura

http://latestlinesfromlaura.blogspot.com
http://lightyourfirewithlove.blogspot.com/

True Peace

To be glad of life, because it gives you

the chance to love and to work and to play

and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied

with your possessions, but not contented

with yourself until you have made

the best of them...to think seldom

of your enemies, often of your friends,

and every day of Christ; and to spend

as much time as you can, with body

and with spirit in God's out-of-doors- these

are little guideposts on the footpath to peace.

- Henry Van Dyke