A Christmas message for you :)

Merry Christmas, dear hearts!

I hope, for those of you who celebrate this joyous day, that you will have a wonderful-blessed-and-beautiful holiday!

As I have my own celebration to attend in a few minutes, I will keep this post short and to the point.

Jesus Christ is the true reason for this special season. A writer by the name of Hamilton Wright Mabie once said, "Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." Agreed! It is beautiful to me that once-a-year, people take time to reflect on the goodness in the world. Yes, we live in a sin-stricken planet and face many trials, tragedies and issues but in the midst of it all, God is here. He's never left our side. He will provide in our time of need and be there for us eternally. And despite the damage the consequences of sin have done to this world, there is still beauty to be found and celebrated.

I would like to share two media messages with you today--one in song and one in the direct link to my Growing Up column for this December:

"God With Us" - http://www.cqbiblestudy.org/article.php?id=304

"The Promise" (song by Michael W. Smith):



"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." -- Matthew 1:23 (New International Version).

God bless you! :)

Love,

Alexis

Music from Sara's heart to yours :)

GOD sees your HEART, Not your SIZE

GOD is faithful

"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." -- Lamentations 3:22-24 (New International Version).

Testimony time: the power of prayer

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."-- James 5:16 (King James Bible, Cambridge Ed.)

God's workmanship

Dear friends,

Does not the music resonate with your soul?

A friend of mine who is a pastor once reminded the church congregation during her sermon on this very topic, that "We are God's workmanship...When you want to see a work of art, you go to an art gallery. When I want to see a masterpiece, I'm coming to your house because you are God's workmanship!"

Sung-bong Choi may have been homeless and suffered a hard life situation, but God has proven that He is still with Sung-bong because through the trials, God triumphs-- in this case, by working through His vessel Sung-bong's voice to inspire the world. :)

God bless you, dear hearts!

Love,

Alexis

*For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. --Ephesians 2:10 (New International Version). 

The World is The Mission Field

JESUS CHRIST commands His disciples, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 
-- Matthew 28:19-20.

God forgives and restores

HOPE in a broken world

Do you ever find yourself on a spiritual high when life is all sunshine and roses (perfect as can be), only to crash into the pits of despair?

I found myself in a pit recently and had to think, "How did I get here?"

So as I often due when upset, I went surfing (not in the ocean, online ;) only to find myself looking up old songs I used to hear on the Christian radio station I grew up with and the song "Home Free" by Wayne Watson resonated with my soul.

It was then that I realized that indeed, I had fallen prey to an attack by the enemy. You know that when you're thinking turns negative and you don't see hope or how God's helping you in troubling situations, that it can be an attack from the devil. He works hard to take our minds off of God and the promise of eternity for God's faithful followers and today he had me held captive by thinking about the negatives in life.

But through study of God's Word (The Holy Bible) and listening to this beautiful song by Wayne Watson, I realized that what happened was a distraction and a lie woven from the temporary trappings of this world.

Life here on Earth is not the final chapter to our life stories-- heaven and eternity await for those who are faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

Now I say "faithful followers" because the Bible says in the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 11, verse 6, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." The reward, dear friends, is Heaven. The Bible tells us, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).

God has great plans for our future (Jeremiah 29:11) so let us not forget that HE is in control and may we not be distracted by the temporary trappings of this world. These trappings that have the power to consume our minds are just tactics to keep us bound to worries and our connections to this world which is not our home. While we are to live in this world and occupy until Jesus comes, the hope in the midst of our troubles is God's promise that He will return and take the people He finds to have been faithful to Him, to heaven. As the song by Wayne Watson says, "We will be home free."

Before I share the song "Home Free" with you, I would like to direct you to the current post on (in)courage ministry co-founder Holley Gerth's blog where you can take a "Thoughts Quiz" to help you determine if the thoughts you are having are truth from God or lies from the devil. Here's the link to the quiz and article by Holley- http://www.holleygerth.com/heart-to-heart-with-holley/2011/10/23/thoughts-quiz.html

In closing, I would like to share this Bible verse with you: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." -- Psalm 19:14.

Be blessed!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the song:

An Invitation :)

Dear friends,

I would like to pray for you.

If you have any prayer requests, make a comment below this post and I will respond. You can either ask me to pray for you on my website in a written note or ask that I keep your request personal during my quiet prayer time without publishing my written prayer response to you for the world to see on my blog.

Either way, I promise to pray for you. :)

Here's a song for the prayer ministry:



"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." -- James 5:16 (New International Version)

Be blessed!

Love,

Alexis

Introducing Kari Jobe

God pursues you!

PURSUED - Book Promo Video (Final Version) from Shawn Brace on Vimeo.
For more about Pastor Shawn Brace, visit his official blog-
http://newenglandpastor.blogspot.com/

Sabbath is Saturday

Dear friends,

I've been hearing a lot in the past few months about the need for us as humans to have a "Sabbath" rest and how it doesn't matter what day you choose to have your "Sabbath" rest, as long as you have it sometime during the week. Apparently, there are even books you can buy in the bookstore about the need for Sabbath rest that's up to your choosing and designation. 

This idea, if not movement, of Sabbath rest on any day of the week is a nice thought but it's not correct according to God's Word (The Holy Bible). 

God designed Sabbath to take place on the 7th day of the week. How do I know? Because The Bible says so. Here's the key verse: 

Exodus 20:8-11 (www.biblegateway.com)
New International Version (NIV) 

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

Sabbath is not meant to be a mere concept that people toss around to any day or time of the week, creating a time when they decide to be in communion with God. God made holy the 7th day of the week after creating the world in 6 days. Our calendars have not changed. The 7th day is Saturday which is as the Bible indicated, the true Sabbath.

If you don't believe me or are curious to know more, you may want to research the history behind Sabbath. Jesus Christ's disciples and followers who lived in Bible story times kept the seventh-day Sabbath and it wasn't until Constantine (A Roman Emperor) changed the day of worship from Sabbath to Sunday that people started keeping Sunday holy instead of Saturday. The problem with that is that Sabbath on Sunday is man-made law under the authority of the Catholic Church (officiated by Constantine). God never said that Sabbath is Sunday nor did he give a human the permission to change it.

Here's a great presentation about the history behind how Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday--http://studies.itiswritten.com/new_beginnings/video/myth_12.html

Growing up, I was always told that we are to "Study the Word of God to show yourself approved." God doesn't want us to take what anyone- parents, teachers, preachers, friends and family- says about Him and His Laws to heart without checking what our fellow humans say with what God says to us in His Word (The Holy Bible).

So dear friends, don't believe anything and everything you hear. Study God's Word to show yourself approved.

Sincerely,

Alexis

Testimony time: Stefani's story

Testimony time: Why Jesus?

Heaven is like...

God is kind :)

Earth is our Temporary Home

Reaching hearts for Jesus Christ

GOD is Wonderful :)

Dear friends,

Have you ever felt like you've got to praise God's name?

He is wonderful! I love Him with all my heart and after spending some time in His Word (The Holy Bible) earlier today, I started singing this song that I first heard on a missions video in church. My brother had told me the name of the song when I first heard it and funny thing is, I had forgotten it until today! So I looked it up on  YouTube and found a version with perfect harmony!

I knew I had to share it with you! :)

May this song bless your heart as much it has mine! :)

Love,

Alexis

P.S._Here's the song:

Produced by Faith (book promo)

God's Heart for you :)

10 years later, a life changed by faith in God

Testimony time: God will make a way

Dear friends,

I simply had to share some good news with you! As a grown adult, I am reminded of the fact that God doesn't bless us to make us keep the blessings hidden in our hearts as we offer silent praises to Him of thanksgiving! No, He blesses us so we can bless others by sharing the miracles He's wrought in our lives.

So this is my first "Testimony Time" post about how God provided me with exactly what I needed and wanted in such a timely fashion to the point where I am convinced firsthand of this Bible-based truth, "God will make a way."

Here's the story:

My teaching position which I had for 2 years was terminated in June 2011 so I haven't had a full-time job since then, only freelance work. However, the good news is that the benefits and insurance coverage from my previous employer extended until August 31, 2011. Since learning of my termination, I've been searching for another full-time job that includes benefits and applying for short-term insurance with various companies, all the while praying to God about the situation.

The underwriting department within each insurance company continually denied coverage for me due to medical reasons. If it wasn't medical reasons causing me denial of coverage, it was the high-cost of coverage that defeated me such as with one company that was going to charge me $700.00/month and another that was going to charge me $500.00/month and I couldn't afford either and still be able to pay my bills with those kind of required expenses when I didn't have a full-time, paying job.

During this time, I was frustrated and in a bit of despair because I needed insurance coverage and couldn't find one that would accept me at an affordable price. I spoke with my mom about this situation and one day last week she told me, "Wait, I've seen God work like this before when He keeps closing one door after another! It must mean that He has something better for you!" After these words of encouragement, she dropped the subject and we didn't talk about it for several days...until yesterday (September 7, 2011).

Yesterday, I got a call from an insurance broker whose company partners with one of the insurance companies who denied me coverage. The insurance broker told me, "I think I can help you with getting insurance coverage." These were good words to hear but I knew that there was a chance of being denied again so I brought up the reason for my denial in the past (medical reasons) and he said that wouldn't be a problem. He went through the interview and approval process over the phone with me and the company's secure website and in less than 20 minutes later, I had been approved!

My insurance coverage will start soon and I am so grateful to God for this blessing!

My mom reminded me that when God works wonders in your life, it's not for you to keep to yourself and enjoy the blessing alone! No! You're meant to share it! Which is why I'm telling you!

God is love and He loves you! He promises to never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) and He will be by your side, protecting you, guiding you, correcting you and blessing you until the end of time.

The New Living Translation of the Bible verse Isaiah 65:24 holds one of God's promises to us. God says, "I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!"

God heard and answered my prayer! My grandma would often repeat to me prior to this recent answered prayer the old saying, "God may not come when you want Him to, but He's always on time."

So in a world of uncertainty, I advise you dear friends to hold onto the unshakable truth that is certain- Jesus Christ for He is "The Way, The Truth, and The Life" (John 14:6).

Now testimony time isn't meant to stop with one praise report! After you've read this post, if you're inspired to share how God worked and continues to work in your life, leave a comment! Share your testimony! :)


Meanwhile, here's a video by Janet Paschal that speaks to my experience and my prayer is that it will speak to your heart and encourage your spirit:

GOD will make a way! You can count on it! :)


Love,

Alexis

Promo for a GREAT book! :)

At your weakest, God is strongest

God's Grace

A powerful message wrapped within a beautiful song:

For more information about Selah, visit their official website http://selahonline.com/ and check out their latest album, Hope of the Broken World.

A beautiful album by worship leader/singer Tricia Brock

Your value in God's eyes

Dear friends,

Do you know that you are someone worth dying for?

The Holy Bible, inspired Word of God, says, “For it is rare for anyone to die for a righteous person, though somebody might be brave enough to die for a good person. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:7-8

While we were yet sinners, JESUS Christ died for us!

Why?

Because to HIM, YOU are SOMEONE WORTH DYING FOR.

May God bless you through this music video by Christian recording artist(s) Mikeschair.

God's Presence can change your perspective

The Light of the World

Dear friends,

Happy Sabbath! :)

When I think Christian music, I think Crystal Lewis and I simply had to share this gospel-bearing truth singer with you!

Crystal Lewis is my all-time favorite Christian singer/songwriter due to how you can feel God working through her music to lead people to His heart. I love her voice! It's a hallmark of Christian music, if you ask me.

Here's the Bible verse that matches her musical testimony to God's glory in the song "Shine Jesus Shine" as performed at the 1996 Harvest Crusade: "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”-- John 8:12 (New International Version, www.biblegateway.com).

Walk in the Light, dear hearts. Who is the light? JESUS is the Light of the World. Why walk in darkness when you can have Jesus Christ as your guide? He knows all the twists and turns and is beyond qualified to be your Navigator through this journey called Life.

Love,

Alexis

A hard-hitting, UPlifting sermon by Bianca Juarez

Marked By Love Week 3: Women's Summer Series 2011 from Calvary Chapel Montebello on Vimeo.
Bianca Juarez

Need to be encouraged? Introducing (in)courage ministry

Bloom Book Club presents...The Fitting Room

The Fitting Room - Chapter 4 from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

The Creation

Dear friends,

Ever wonder where you came from and how the Earth was created?

Pastor Wintley Phipps explains:




Read Psalm 139.

Happy Sabbath!

Love,

Alexis

Waiting on God

Dear friends,

Happy Sabbath dear hearts! :)

Have you ever read a Bible verse or heard a song many times but all of a sudden one day, it makes perfect sense to you? 

A song by Vicki Yohe, "In the Waiting" speaks to me and the message is becoming crystal clear these days because it speaks to where I am in my relationship with Jesus Christ.

I've been upset with God. Admittedly, I've been mad because I have all these questions concerning issues in my life-- past and present-- which I've taken to God's throne repeatedly in prayer but have not thought that God has addressed my concerns. God has been silent. 

Earlier this week, I could not sleep at night and in the back of my mind were the lyrics to one of my favorite songs that I have not heard in a while. The song was, you guessed it, "In the Waiting" and it's performed by Christian artist Vicki Yohe.

Now I've heard this song countless of times since I bought the album on which the song is listed but I never paid special attention to the lyrics because I simply loved the melody. At first, I didn't believe I would find the CD buried amongst my countless collection of Christian albums. But God led me right to where I had placed it. So I recovered it and placed it into my CD player which is on the desk by my bed. I found the song (track 4 on Vicki's album "I Just Want You") and slipped into bed as I began to listen to the beautiful melody. 

Suddenly, I began to listen to the lyrics of the song and I heard God's heart. He wants me to know that it's OK to feel pain, it's OK to have doubts, it's OK to be mad at Him. Another song I listen to says "God isn't afraid of honest prayers" but back to "In the Waiting"...Ultimately, God let me know that being "in the waiting" between where I was and currently am to where God wants me to be is trying of my faith. But I need to take refuge in knowing that God wants me to know that I can rest in being still and knowing that HE is GOD (Psalm 46:10) and to know that just because all I hear is silence does NOT mean that I am alone. Contrary to the lies the enemy (the devil) constantly attacks me with, God is still here and He's right by my side. Even when I feel that I am distant from God or that I'm mad because I'm mad at Him, God smiles and wraps His healing arms of compassion around me and lets me know that it's okay to be here, in the waiting because He's still here with me and He will take me to where I need to be not only throughout my journey here on this earth, but in my spiritual walk (faith journey) with His Son Jesus Christ.

God doesn't give up on any of His children. He's the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep. There's a story in the Bible about how when even just one of the Good Shepherd's sheep goes astray, the shepherd leaves the rest safely tucked away at home and searches for the one lost sheep until He finds them and then He restores the lost sheep to the fold. Read Matthew 18:10-14.

Dear friends, are any of you lost? 

Know that God is searching for you as I write this devotional. Even as you read these words, God has already found you and He's waiting. Yes, God is waiting for you. He's waiting for you to return to Him and is ready and willing to restore you not to what you have been but to what He wants you to be and it's a beautiful picture of God's grace that waits to not only bring a smile to your face with his unlimited blessings which He's eager to pour over your life, but salvation to your soul. Know that Earth in all of its beauty and tragedy is not our home, it's training grounds for heaven.

Someone once told me, "God cares more about our character than our comfort."

God will let us go through trials and tribulations and yes, silence so that He can refine our characters and get us ready for heaven. Remember, we cannot take anything to heaven but our characters. When Jesus comes again, the mortal bodies of His children will take on immortality and we will start the best part of our faith journey with Jesus-- eternity starting in Heaven. God will put a permanent end to sin and all of its cruel effects and the devil and his agents will no longer exist. He will restore this Earth to what it was meant to be and harmony in the universe and between all the worlds will be restored as will God's character. The whole idea behind The Great Controversy is the devil's claim that God's law is unjust, that God Himself is unkind and that the devil's way is better than God's plan. 

Beware dear friends, because God's plan leads to eternal life, the devil's plans lead to eternal death of not only the devil but all who follow him. So as attractive and promising as sin looks, stay away because while you may enjoy the pleasures of sin it will only be for a season and you will pay a price if you do not repent and turn to Jesus. That price is loss of the promise of eternal life.

A Bible character named Joshua (who once lived on this Earth) famously said, "Choose this day whom ye shall serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). 

I choose JESUS and I choose to know His peace that comes with being in the waiting.

My prayers are with you. Choose wisely and trust that if you choose JESUS, He will never leave nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) and when our waiting here on Earth is over, Jesus Christ will be there to usher you and all of His faithful followers into eternity free of sorrow, free of pain, filled with joy and perfect peace and discovery! Yes, God has great plans (Jeremiah 29:11) in store for us beyond this world!

Praying for you,

Alexis 

A beautiful message

Dear friends,

I found this great video on Christian speaker/teacher/writer Bianca Juarez's blog and knew I had to share it with you! :)

This one goes out to food lovers, single ladies (and men) and all who desire to know what God's cooking up for you! :)

Enjoy!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the video "Manicotti," from Bianca's Songs of Solomon series:

de

Happy Easter! Raise your "Banner of Love" for Jesus! :)

Dear friends,

Happy Easter!

I would like to share a beautiful, call-to-action song by Christian recording artists, Luminate!

"Banner of Love" is the name of this memorable song and it is available on the official CD for the bestselling book, Jesus Calling, written by Sarah Young.

Such a beautiful song that I simply had to share it with you!

God bless you on Easter and every day!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the song:

The Presence of the Lord

Heartache Meets Hope

God Restores Broken Hearts

"God takes the broken pieces that Satan leaves behind and makes MASTERPIECES."

-- Kitty Pilli

Are you broken? Visit http://brokengirl.org/

Deliverance is Available to you!

Dear friends,

Deliverance is available to you!

Take God at His Word.

HE is faithful and true.

Happy Sabbath, dear hearts! <3

May God bless you and keep you close in His care.

Love,

Alexis

A Song to the Savior

Celebrating the True Meaning of Easter

A beautiful message

Happy Sabbath! :)

Dear friends,

Happy Sabbath!

I love these holy hours...time to spend time with God, to worship HIM and give thanks.

Please note, you can spend time with God anytime of the day, week, month, or year but Sabbath hours are especially sacred because God made it to be! :)

The Holy Bible, the Word of God tells us about these sacred hours, "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:9-11).

Amen. :)

Before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve (God's first human creations whom He made Man and Wife) were able to commune with God face-to-face. Imagine getting to walk and talk with God in person, to explore the Garden of Eden (Adam and Eve's first home), to have real, live conversations with our Creator? Awesome! Unfortunately, when Adam and Eve sinned against God, they were banned from the Garden of Eden and the problems that we all face today began. Despite their disobedience, God did not leave Adam and Eve to fend for themselves. He stayed very involved in their lives but they were no longer able to see Him face-to-face and live in that beautiful garden. Since then, life has been hard, but God has not left His children without hope! He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die and be resurrected, to serve as our High Priest in Heaven, our Mediator between God and mankind...and He promises that those who accept the gift of salvation offered through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, will live again, forever.

Now eternity does not begin until Jesus Christ comes again (returns to Earth). It will not be a secret event! The Bible says that "every eye shall see Him (Revelation 1:7)". This is an event that no one on this Earth will miss! God will put an end to sin and eternity with Him, starting in Heaven will begin. :)

Isn't that Good News?

I certainly think so! And all of these life-changing truths are found in God's love letter to humanity-- The Holy Bible, which people often refer to as Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. :)

If you don't own a Bible, you can begin reading online via www.biblegateway.com which has great resources and the entire Bible in many different languages and versions!

It's important to know God and read His Word for yourself because the Bible cautions that we must beware of false prophets! Don't believe everything you hear-- check people's words with God's Word (The Holy Bible). Before you read, it's important to ask God to reveal to you His Truth because many have read the Bible and misinterpreted the meaning of texts. But if you ask God's Holy Spirit to be with you as you read and open your eyes and heart to what He has to tell you, then The Holy Spirit will lead you into all Truth.

I'd like to remind you that reading is wonderful, but when it comes to The Bible, reading is not enough-- you must apply what you've learned to your everyday living. Don't worry if you don't get it all at once-- most of us don't. Know that God is patient and true and He will help you in your walk of faith with Jesus Christ!

God loves you and He wants us all to be saved! So take time to know Him for yourself. :)

May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Love,

Alexis

the beauty of trusting God

Dear friends,

Wow, you just don't know, this song "You Get Me," by ZOEgirl speaks to me on so many levels!

I hope it will speak to you too in a positive, life-changing, outlook renewing way! :)

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the video:

The Reason for the World

Learning to trust God

Dear friends,

I've been thinking, "Why is it so hard to trust God?"

I mean, I trust in so many simple things in life daily...I trust that when I flip the switch, the light will come on...I trust that when I walk into a building, it will not crumble (due to my confidence in its structure and the expertise of the architect)...I trust that when I sit in a chair, it will not break...I trust that the floor I stand on will not suddenly give way...and I trust that when I turn on the water, it will flow out into the sink effortlessly.

So why then, is it so hard to put my faith into practice and trust God on the bigger things in life?

God has promised that if He takes care of the sparrow (which He does, faithfully), surely He will take care of you!

So here's a song by Pastor Donnie McClurkin on this very subject of trust. May it inspire your hearts to draw close to God as He will draw close to You and help us all to learn how to trust Him for everything (simple or complex) in this life.

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the video:

There's Nobody Like Jesus

Dear friends,

Truly, there is nobody like JESUS!

My prayer for you is that if you do not know HIM already, you will come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord, Savior, Redeemer and Friend for life.

God bless you!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._Here's the beautiful gospel song to testify of our Faithful Friend (Jesus Christ):

A note to you

Dear friends,

Growing up, I remember singing a song on in Sabbath School at my church called, "Jesus Loves the Little Children."

The lyrics are simple and sweet:

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world,
Brown and yellow,
Black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world!

We have a responsibility to help each other as we journey through life.

Please keep Japan, its people and its land in your prayers, thoughts and if you can donate to organizations like ADRA who are currently on the ground in Japan providing aide to the Japanese people, please do. For those of you who do not know, Japan suffered a massive earthquake a few days ago and they're not out of the dark yet. You can read the update on the crisis situation on here (article from CNN).

Meanwhile let's look at the bright side of the situation, these events point to the Truth-- JESUS is coming soon! Read about it in The Holy Bible. See the book of Mark, Chapter 13. You also may want to read a short article by Evangelist Shawn Boonstra on this very issue called "Stirred, But Not Shaken: A Reflection on the Japan Earthquake."

Praying for God's peace to live in your hearts and shine through your lives,

Alexis

Stronger

Forgiveness

Dear friends,

The Word of God (The Holy Bible) tells us to forgive one another "seventy-times seven".

And you thought that three times was more than enough! Well, don't worry, we've all been there. But God doesn't want for us to respond with our sinful nature. Our natural instinct when wronged is to "get even" or "payback." But JESUS tells us to forgive...not just once, not twice, not thrice, but 70 x 7.

I know, it's not easy. Trust me, I've been there.

Now, for the clever ones out there, I'm sure you're waiting to ask, "Well what happens after I've forgiven someone seventy-times seven? I mean I've met the Lord's requirements, now I can do what I want- right?"

Wrong.

More than doing the math and keeping score, it's important to see the purpose in forgiving someone of so many offenses...somewhere along the lines of you forgiving the person repeatedly, a heart change can take place. The forgiven offender will eventually wonder why you're being so patient and forgiving. They will want to know more about what's causing you to be so gracious. And then, a witnessing opportunity is born. A chance for you to tell them about the God who commands us to live by The Golden Rule which is to "do unto others as you would want done unto you" (Luke 6:31) is yours for the taking. Most beautiful is the fact that as you share God's love and mercy with humanity, it can cause a ripple effect because the person you forgave now wants to experience the joy and peace you have from knowing Jesus Christ! So they are motivated to be like Jesus and forgive others of their offenses seventy-times-seven and like a stone skipping on the surface of a lake, the ripple effect is endless!

All of a sudden, it's not about "paying it back," it's about paying it forward. :)

Here's a song, appropriately titled "7x70" by Christian artist Chris August to illustrate and the story-behind the song, in his words:

beautiful song, rock solid truth

Jeremiah 29:11

Dear friends,

A quote written by Holley Gerth really made me think and I'd like to share it with you:

"God had good plans for His Son-- but they still included a cross."

After reading this quote, I've realized the value of Jeremiah 29:11...Yes God loves us, Yes He has good plans for us but he's not promising that it's always going to be sunshine and roses. Sometimes, life throws you curveballs, sometimes you may have the rug pulled out from under you, sometimes you may wonder why God is allowing (name it) in your life. It's then, that you've got to remember the sacrifice of His Son. Jesus Christ is One with God the Father and Holy Spirit. Yet even He took serious mental, physical and spiritual hits (worse than curveballs or having the rug pulled out from under you) all throughout His time and ministry on this planet Earth. Now, most (if not all) of us mere mortals want to call it quits after enduring a trial-by-fire once. Imagine enduring trials-by-fire for all of your life and having the people you're trying to save (the reason for enduring the trials by fire) hate and do all sorts of cruel things to you-- that's only a little of what Jesus went through during His time on this Earth. 

Back to the quote-- when I read that the good Lord our God had good plans for his Son but did not leave out the years of pain and heartache that His Son would endure in order to save the world (quite literally) I am inspired and gain a healthier, more positive perspective on my own trails because it's then that I am reminded of the bigger picture, one that spans worldwide, one of which you and I are each an important detail, each needed to make the picture complete. God had a purpose for the cross in Jesus Christ's life-- to save the world from their sins and eternal death. God knew that with the sacrifice of His Son JESUS on the Cross of Calvary, the story of salvation would begin and the stage would be set for every human being to have a chance at eternity. 

I know, it's not easy to thank God for trials...but remember, God has a higher purpose for everything He allows to happen to us and His plans for us go past our lives on this Earth...The Bible says, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him"(1 Corinthians 2:9, King James Version). God has great things in store for all who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. Remember, God loves us with His life and He wants us all to be saved, that's why His good plans for His Son included a cross. :)

Be blessed!

Love,

Alexis

God is for you

Dear friends,

Thank God it's Friday! :)

Are you ready for the weekend?

Today, I'd like to share this beautiful message from Christian singer/songwriter Kari Jobe. It's called, "You Are for Me" and it's about how when you're at your loneliest, lowest point in life, look up to God because HE is still for you.

Enjoy!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the video:

The Holy Bible says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Read more about it in Romans 8:28-31.

GOD's Love reaches out to YOU

Dear friends,

The song, "Your Love" by Christian artist Brandon Heath speaks volumes to my mind!

I know I've often sought love from everyone else before I realized that it's GOD's love that I need most! It's HIS approval that I seek. HE is the only One in the entire universe whose love is enough...to light up my life, to help me realize my true worth, to make me complete.

The proof is in God's Word! Read John 3:16. :)

As for the beautiful video to drive my point home:

One Thousand Gifts: The Gratitude List

Dear friends,

I'd like to share this awesome idea with you: Buy a journal and make a list of what you're grateful for with the aim of seeing if you can think of 1,000 gifts you're grateful for in your life and you will find out that the items on the list are actually revelations of God's love for you!

It's an amazing adventure! Listen to the video on Vimeo of One Thousand Gifts book author Ann Voskamp being interviewed by Angie Smith and Jessica Turner (of The Bloom Book Club), speaking on this very topic:


One Thousand Gifts- Chapter Three from Bloom (in)courage on Vimeo.

Be blessed!

Love,

Alexis

The value of today

Dear friends,

Tomorrow is not promised (Proverbs 27:1).

If there's anything in your life that's keeping you from God, let it go, today.

I would like to share this throwback video of The Winans singing "Tomorrow"-- a perfect musical illustration on this very point.

May God bless you and keep you.

Sincerely,

Alexis

A beautiful thought by singer/songwriter Laura Story

To learn more about Laura Story's music and ministry, visit http://www.laurastorymusic.com/

Sharing God's love

Happy Sabbath!

For those of you who may be wondering, I am a writer and I'd like to share my column online with you.

It's called Growing Up and it's new on the first of every month on the official website for Collegiate Quarterly otherwise known as "CQ."

This month's column is called, "Unfailing Love from the Heart of God."

And for those of you who are wondering what I'm talking about when I say "Happy Sabbath" on Friday evenings and Saturdays before sunset, check out an explanation in my column "Sabbath Rest".

Simply double-click the (underlined) links in the text above to visit the CQ website and read my column.

May you bask in the warmth of God's love for you...today, tomorrow, and always.

Love,

Alexis

P.S._For those of you who have not already, you may want to check out a Sabbath sermon by Adventist Pastor David Asscherick! His sermon was called, "Why Not Tomorrow?" Enjoy! :)

Happy Valentine's Day! God Loves You!

Time to Believe God

~*~
Dear friends,

Have you ever found yourself doubting the Word of God?

If you've been there, this song "Time to Believe," by Forever Jones is for you!

I've been thinking lately, God's Word (The Holy Bible) tells me, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). So why not put this promise into practice? It's so easy, I've found, to talk about all the great things having faith in God can do but when you're faced with a challenging situation, it's equally as easy to shrink back and resort to using your own strength and resources to solve the issue at hand. And usually when we rely on "number one" (yourself) to solve a problem or situation that's bigger than ourselves, we fail miserably!

So one of my "life resolutions" is to speak faith into situations! My grandparents used to say, "To receive, you must believe." The Bible supports their statement (read Matthew 21:22). If I want to lose weight and be in the best shape, I must believe that I can do so with faith that God will get me where to I need to be. If I want to run a marathon and cross the finish line in the top 10, I must believe that I can, with God's help, do it! If I want to land my dream job and make a positive, lasting impact on this world, then I must believe that if that's God's plan for me, it will happen. If I want to marry the man of my dreams, I must believe that he actually exists (ladies, we've all been there).

Now here's the key...you have to put work into it! Speaking faith into situations is only part of the process. The Bible says that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). We must speak faith and then trust God to work it out. While we're trusting God, we need to continue to work toward our goal!

We need to let God lead and follow His direction in every area of our lives.

So, if you're trying to achieve total fitness like me, remember it's a lifestyle change. Start a healthy eating plan and make a commitment to go to the gym and work out on a regular basis. If you're trying to run a marathon then start by running for a while in your community...each day, increase your endurance and time that you run...you may even want to have someone experienced in this area to train you for the marathon or practice running with a friend who's been there. If you're looking to land your dream job, then keep sending out your resumes to potential employers, network and pray for God's plan for your life to be revealed. And if you're waiting to meet the man of your dreams, keep praying and believe that God has a script for your true love story and you will not, with faith in what God has said (Jeremiah 29:11), miss it!

It's time to believe in what God said!

Blessings, 

Alexis

God thinks you're *beautiful*! :)

The Voice of Truth

It’s been one of those days.

I got at least 8 hours of sleep but woke up tired.

Mentally drained.

I stretched for at least 5 minutes in effort to rev up my circulation and my mind—I had a lot of important duties ahead of me today.

After 10 minutes of “waking up,” I pulled myself out of bed and placed my two feet flat on the floor.

I looked out my window and smiled, wanting the bright sunshine to heal my hurting head.

My head hurt with all of the negativity…from every harsh word ever spoken to or by me, any criticism hurled at me, every memory that wasn’t exactly beautiful flashed across the movie screen of my mind.

Trying to let go of this unhealthy dose of negativity I was feeling so early in the morning, I pulled myself together and went on about taking care of business.

Five hours later, I’d accomplished half of my laundry list of things-to-do. I took a break to go for a drive and get fresh air.

Two hours and several errands later, I returned home feeling refreshed…but only for a moment.

As I went about completing the remaining items on my laundry list, negative thoughts and memories began to play in my mind. Tired of fighting the negativity, I began to explore this deep mental mire…proving in my head why all the negative memories were exactly right and how I wasn’t being paranoid and that my perspective is on-point, not at all skewed. In the midst of my being “in the dumps,” I started singing a song. At first, I didn’t realize that I had started singing because I was busy taking care of items on my laundry list and dwelling on negative thoughts. About 30 seconds into the singing, it occurred to me what I was singing—the words to the song, Voice of Truth, performed by the Christian music group Casting Crowns. The lyrics speak on the Bible story of David (a shepherd boy) standing up to Goliath (a real-life giant). The song talks about how the giant taunted David without mercy, telling David that he will never win. But the Voice of Truth told David a different story, told him not to be afraid, promised David that the outcome of this great fight would be for God's glory. David chose to ignore Goliath's taunting and to listen to the Voice of Truth and because of that decision, David was able to slay Goliath with simply a sling and a stone. 

An excerpt of the lyrics from about the middle verses of the song were the very ones leaving my lips and soothing my soul through the sound that rested in my ears.

Suddenly, I realized that in the midst of my issues, God was speaking.

He was speaking to me through the lyrics of one of my favorite songs, a song I’d forgotten about and hadn’t sung in at least 2 years.

It brought a smile to my face and happiness to my heart to realize how God can use anything to remind you of His love for you.

While I have not heard God’s voice directly speaking to me, it’s the beauty in cases like today that I hear His heart.

And for the first time today, I listened.

I finally found myself being still and knowing that God is GOD.

And realizing that even when God is silent, He’s still there, right by your side, encouraging your heart, uplifting your spirit and sustaining your soul…ultimately giving you the courage to press on.

Negativity is one of the enemy’s attacks directed to us as humans, a flaming arrow that sears the soul.

The Bible makes it clear that we are in a spiritual warfare. That’s exactly why we are advised by God’s Word to “take up the shield of faith”. Why? Because with a strong faith in God, we can “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:16, NIV).

At the end of the day, I have learned that when negativity assails me, I need to take up my shield of faith and recall the words spoken by the Voice of Truth who says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

JESUS is The Voice of Truth.

~*~

Original song by Casting Crowns, “Voice of Truth”: 

A Journey of Who Jesus is throughout The Holy Bible

Dear friends,

A friend of mine who works as a Youth Pastor often asks her high school students to share what they think about the Bible. She then proceeds to help them to find Jesus Christ in the Old Testament (of the Bible). She believes (and can prove) that Jesus is in all of the stories (in metaphor when not literal). One of her students said, that in the story of Noah's ark, "Jesus was the ark as in the ark being God's mercy and the flood is God's justice."

Today, I'd like to share with you a video in which an 11-year-old boy not only answers this question but takes the audience on an adventure of revealing Jesus throughout the Bible.

Enjoy the journey!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the video:

Bloom Book Club presents...One Thousand Gifts

Dear friends,

I'd like to share with you a great find!

One which I've been benefiting from for about one year now-- The Bloom Book Club! It's a great, innovative and interactive place online created by hostesses Angie Smith and Jessica Turner. Angie Smith is the wife of Todd Smith who is the lead singer of the Christian contemporary (music) group SELAH. Jessica Turner is a creative professional and one of Angie's best friends. The official website of The Bloom Book Club is http://thebloombookclub.blogspot.com/

You can also find a link to Bloom through the Christian company (in)courage which supports the club via http://www.incourage.me/category/bloom

The second great find is wrapped within the first-- the book One Thousand Gifts written by Author Ann Voskamp, who is the latest guest on The Bloom Book Club. Angie and Jessica are doing a book study on Ann's book, starting February 7, 2011. Meanwhile, they encourage you to buy the book online or at the bookstore. The book study takes place online via video and you can see it on the official site for Bloom Book Club!

I hope that you will richly benefit from these great finds!

May God bless you!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the intro video by Angie, Jessica and their guest Ann:

Hallelujah

Dear friends,

Happy Sabbath!

I hope you don't mind me calling you "friends"! I feel like addressing you as "blog readers" is a bit impersonal. Afterall, many of you have been reading this blog since it started in late August 2010 and for that I am grateful! I hope and pray that this blog, "God is Love," serves you as a continual source of support in your life journey and direction to The One who loves you with all of His heart (God).

Tonight, I'd like to share with you a beautiful song and story by Heather Williams. She's a new artist and she has a powerful testimony, as you can see in this video (see above this message). I blessed with the opportunity to see Heather in concert and what she said struck me to the core. Heather has been through unspeakable acts of cruelty during her childhood and has struggled with serious issues as a young adult BUT when she allowed God into her life and let Jesus live in her heart and shine through her life, she realized that her life is more than about all the bad things that happened to her in the past. Heather told the audience at the concert how she could sit there at the piano on stage, telling us about all the horrible things that happened to her growing up. But she chooses not to because her story is about redemption and restoration and she chooses to praise the one God who brought her from the darkness into light.

Heather sings from the depths of her soul. You will love her music and learn from her life story.

My prayer for you (and me) today is that God will give you the power to forgive those who have hurt us and that He will reign in our hearts and shine His love for humanity through our lives. May the Maker of the Heavens and Earth give you peace, a peace the passes all understanding. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."-- Philippians 4:7 (New International Version, www.biblegateway.com)

In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 

God bless you!

Love,

Alexis

Blessings Unlimited from God

"It is in the quiet crucible of your personal, private sufferings that your noblest dreams are born and God's greatest gifts are given in compensation for what you've been through."-- Adventist Preacher and Singer Wintley Phipps.

Unconditional Love

Dear blog readers,

I hope that you will enjoy this sweet, tug-at-your-heartstrings devotional which I found online (via Our Daily Journey.org). It speaks for itself so here it is: 

“Love . . . keeps no record of being wronged” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5).

One of my school textbooks had a mother-and-son story that I still remember. The mother was a harassed housewife with so many things to do, and she expected the boy to help her. He had his own priorities in life and resented doing what the mother wanted. One day he decided to ask his mother to pay for the services rendered by him. So he prepared a bill and placed it under her pillow. It was something like this. Drawing two buckets of water from the well: 2 annas; buying groceries from the market: 3 annas; dusting the furniture: 3 annas; going to the neighbour’s home to borrow sugar: 1 anna; and so on. He could easily earn a rupee for just a day’s labour, he thought, or mother may just stop asking for his help. He went to sleep dreaming of a better future for himself either way. 

When he got up he was delighted to find a rupee coin under his pillow, but along with it was a bill. Carrying you for nine months prior to birth: nothing; giving you birth at the peril of my own life: nothing; nursing you for a year: nothing; teaching you to walk and talk: nothing; caring for you when you were sick: nothing; and so on. It was a long list but the total bill was nil. The son rushed to his mother and wept in her arms.

I Corinthians 13:4-5 says that love does not keep an account of other people’s wrongs, nor does it flaunt or boast about one’s own good deeds. But the human brain maintains a detailed log of every event in our life, records every conversation that we have had, retains every image that our eyes have captured. We can recall words that hurt us even many years after they were spoken. Nations go to war over issues that are centuries old. How convenient would it be to selectively erase our memory like that of a computer!

I Corinthians Chapter 13:1-13 talks about the great strength of love, but it also cautions us about its fragility. Resentments, grievances, ill-feelings, complaints, and hurts have no place in the record book of love.

(Note: In the old Indian currency, 16 annas made a rupee. Now one rupee is made of 100 paise.)  — Submitted by R. R., India

God's love reaching hearts through human hands

One of my absolute favorite Christian recording artists, Sheila Walsh writes another book that speaks to the soul. Available in February 2011, see the video trailer for the book here:




GOD says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
-- Matthew 28:19-20 (New International Version, ©2010, www.biblegateway.com)

Giving it ALL to GOD

Dear blog readers,
God does not like lukewarm Christians. He wants believers who are willing to follow Him with their whole heart! May the song, "He Wants it All," performed by the family gospel performing artists foreverJONES inspire your hearts and minister to your souls:




GOD says to us, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
 - Jeremiah 29:13 (http://bible.cc/jeremiah/29-13.htm)


For more about the music and family ministry foreverJONES, visit their official website via http://foreverjones.emigospel.com/biography/.