A Wakeup Call

Disturb us, Lord, when 
We are too well pleased with ourselves 
When our dreams have come true 
Because we dreamed too little, 
When we arrived safely 
Because we sailed too close to the shore. 

Disturb us, Lord, when 
With the abundance of things we possess 
We have lost our thirst 
For the Waters of Life; 
Having fallen in love with life, 
We have ceased to dream of eternity 
And in our efforts to build a new earth, 
We have allowed our vision 
Of the new Heaven to dim. 

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, 
To venture on wider seas 
Where storms will show your mastery: 
Where losing sight of land 
We shall find the stars. 

We ask you to push back 
The horizons of our hopes; 
And to push us in the future 
In strength, courage, hope, and love. 

- Poem written by Sir Francis Drake

Reaching hearts with God's love

"To invest in a child is to invest in a better future for everyone."-- ADRA People of Promise. "Present in 125 countries, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency is a non-governmental humanitarian aid agency that provides sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity." 


ADRA is an organization that's close to my heart. 


Consider ADRA when you're giving to those in need during this holiday season and always.


God bless you,


Alexis

The Heart of Christianity

Dear blog readers,

At the heart of Christianity is an altar call.

The Holy Spirit of God calls you to come just as you are to Jesus Christ. Don't try to "have it all together" or be completely pure and spotless. God meets you where you're at and can take you to where you've never been. He LOVES you and wants what's best for you. All He asks is that you accept HIM and have faith in His Word.

Best described by an altar call song by a hallmark of Christian music Crystal Lewis in her song suitably titled, "Come Just As You Are," here's the video:

In the words of Jesus Christ, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." -- Revelation 3:20 (NIV) www.biblegateway.com

Preaching through singing =)

When the ordinary meets extraordinary, beautiful things happen. :)

When celebrating the holiday season, nothing makes your soul smile like "The Hallelujah Chorus".

It was an ordinary day in the food court, until something extraordinary happened:

The Nativity Story

My Grown-Up Christmas List

Dear blog readers,

Merry Christmas!

I love this time of year as it truly is the most wonderful!

A great writer by the name of Hamilton Wright Mable once penned, "Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love."

Right on Mable! :)

This holiday season tends to bring out the best in humanity with classic, heart-stirring movies like It's A Wonderful Life, people being nicer to each other in the stores and on the street, kitchens filled with sweet scents of cooking and baking of holiday dinner favorites, school children happily giving gifts of cards and candy to each other and their favorite teacher, not to mention all the engagements, births and marriages which take place on Christmas Day! :)

Unfortunately, we don't always stay in these good spirits after December 25th. Most of us go back to our old routines and the gift of kindness is forgotten.

Enter, "My Grown-Up Christmas List," a song by a woman whom I believe is a kindred spirit :), Amy Grant! Amy's been making music for decades but this song of hers is by far, one of the very best.

Why? Because it engages the audience in a conspiracy of love. :)

Don't take my word for it, see for yourself:

A Season of Thanksgiving

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."  
~Melody Beattie

Dear blog readers,

Happy Thanksgiving!

My grandma always says, "Gratitude will change your attitude."

On this Thanksgiving Day, I hope and pray that we will celebrate those whom we are thankful for and embrace the daily blessings God bestows upon our lives.

As you're feasting around the banquet table today, remember to ask God for an opportunity to share your faith in HIM! :)

Love,

Alexis

God made you beautiful

“I Made Her” 
(Poetry written by Author Unknown)

I made her…she is different, she is unique.

With love I formed her in her mother’s womb.

I fashioned her with great joy.

I remember with great pleasure the day I created her… (Psalm 139:17).

I love her smile. I love her ways. I love to hear her laugh and the silly things she says and does. She brings me great pleasure.

This is how I made her… (Psalm 139:17)…I made her pretty but not beautiful, because I know her heart, and knew she would be vain. I wanted her to search out her heart, and learn that it would be me in her that would make her beautiful, and it would be me in her that would draw friends to her…(1 Peter 3:3-5)…

I made her in such a way that she would need me. I made her a little more lonesome than she would like to be…only because I need for her to learn to depend on Me. I knew she would go her own chosen way and forget me…her Creator… (Psalm 62:5-8)…

I have given her many good and happy things because I love her (Psalm 84:11, Romans 8:24)…Because I love her, I have seen her broken heart and the tears she cried alone. I have cried with her and had a broken heart.

Too many times, she has stumbled and fallen alone only because she would not hold my hand… (Psalm 56:8)…So many lessons she’s learned the hard way because she would not listen to my voice… (Isaiah 53:6)…So many times I have sat back and sadly watched her go her merry way alone only to watch her return to my open arms, sad and broken… (Isaiah 62:2)…and now she is mine again...

I made her…and then I bought her because I loved her (Romans 5:8)…I have to reshape her and remold her, to renew her to what I had planned for her to be. It has not been easy for her or me… (Jeremiah 29:11)…I want her to be conformed to my image. This high goal I have set for her, because I love her (Jeremiah 2:9).

~*~

Dear blog readers,

I hope you enjoyed the poetry above this message. I found it online a while ago and thought I'd share it with you.

This one goes out to all the girls...It's important to remember who you are and whose you are. You are a Child of God and you are His uniquely and wonderfully made princess! God loves you with all His heart and He wants what's best for you.

It's not easy to remember this when you're caught up in the standards society sets and how peers pressure you to be a certain way, to live a certain lifestyle here on Earth. When you're being pressured to conform, you need to remember again, who you are and whose you are. You are royalty, one of God's own! Live it!

Don't be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ! He's the one that keeps all of us-- girls and guys, women and men-- breathing, speaking, talking, living! Jesus loves you just the way you are and He wants you to live for Him. He's your Best Friend and Truest Friend, Savior, Redeemer and Creator all in one! And you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13)-- including going against the crowd and countering the mainstream of popular ideas and beliefs!

Know God for yourself--read your Bible, keep a prayer journal, truly delve into God's Word and the more you do, the more you'll see that God's way is perfect and He has the BEST plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11)...and the happier and more content you'll be!

Nothing like a song to drive a point home...Here's the official music video for the song, "Headphones," by Christian artist Britt Nicole: