HOPE

First of all, I give my apologies to my regular readers for my absent the past few months.

This blog belongs to the Holy Spirit and I always want the words that I write to be His words.

To be completely honest…I have not felt the urgency to write, therefore it has not been my priority. This has bothered me, so in trying to analyze it and praying for the Holy Spirit to help me understand…this is my conclusion.

I have been looking at circumstances and situations. I have not kept my focus on Jesus. God, please forgive me, because this is a trap of the enemy and I fell into it.

I absolutely believe that God is faithful and every member of my family will be saved! But…(there should never be a “but” after that statement)…but, it has been years and years of interceding and I can see no change.

Getting my eyes off of Jesus and His promises is when I lose hope.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”
Proverbs 13:12. That is so true.

The Holy Spirit is telling us to not give up, but we are to continue…

“Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.” Romans 12:12

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn

Spooky Road or Peaceful?

This road reminds me of Nebraska, where I lived for 15 years. Driving it by yourself can be a nice drive of solitude…when you know where you are going.

You feel comfort…if you know that there is a town up over the hill, or you know that your farmhouse is behind that large windbreak of trees up ahead.

However, if the road is not familiar to you and you are alone, it can be a little spooky.

The road seems endless and everything looks the same, mile after mile. You feel uneasy and you need directions, but you see no one to ask.

How about the direction and the paths we take in our spiritual lives?

God will sometimes ask you to take a path that is totally unfamiliar to you.

Sometimes…you may be on a road that God isn’t leading, because you have taken a side path of your own desire…not keeping your eyes on Him.

If you find yourself on a path that feels strange or scary, remember…the Holy Spirit is your leader and if you walk close to Him, keeping your eyes on Him, you can trust Him to direct your path every time!

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6

“Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways.”
Psalm 128:1

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:11

Thank God! He will always be a light to our path and give us peace about our decisions, when we fully trust Him!

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn

About Mothers

Inexperience is permitted,
No special skills required,
Must love kids and pets,
Eager attitude desired.

A loving heart's essential,
Soft, gentleness, a plus,
A kindly, warm demeanor,
Combined with tenderness.

Add agility of body,
And dexterity of hands,
Both can be instinctive,
But be ready on demand.

Have good ears, with which to hear,
Sharp eyes, with which to see,
Arms strong enough for hugging,
And a spirit, fancy-free.

Can speak to God in heaven,
Have folded hands to pray.
Have ability to guide and teach,
And ability to play.

Can cook, and bake, and clean, and sew,
Can nurture little souls,
Know how to hold on tightly
And how to hold, when letting go.

Mothers some day return to God,
Yet, never do depart,
A mother's love, eternal love,
Forever in one's heart.

© Virginia (Ginny) Ellis




God's most precious work of art
is the warmth and love of a mother's heart.

Happy Mother's Day to each of you.

This holiday is one that brings so many memories.

Memories of my own children, when they were small.

Memories of my beautiful mom. I can still hear her praying and singing, even though she has been gone for 19 years.

I'm sure that you have special memories too of wonderful times spent with your moms.

Cherish your mother if she is still with you.

God's blessings to all of you as you celebrate your mom and being a mom.

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn

They Should Have Cried, "Holy"!

When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

“Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.”
John 19:6 NLT

They should have cried, “Holy”, but instead they cried, “Crucify!”

These are the words in a song that our choir is practicing for the Easter Musical. It is a beautiful song with a powerful message.

It’s new to me, but since we began singing it, the words keep running in my head. I wake up in the morning hearing the words in my mind and spirit.

Are we, today, still crying, “Crucify him”, or do we recognize Jesus as “Holy, the Son of God”?

I know… We don’t hear the words, “Crucify him”, but do the actions of many indicate that He is dead to them?

If Jesus were on trial today, standing before us, would you be one crying, “Crucify him… let him die.”

Or would you be falling before Him crying, “Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!”

Please take the time to listen to this video and let its message speak to you.



I pray that you have a beautiful Easter as you remember the sacrifice Jesus became for us, giving us the gift of eternal life!

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn

My Sister's Beautiful Example

(Click below to watch video.)
Life is like Coffee Movie: "Do you know people that just seem to be happier in general? Do you say to yourself, "I want to be more like them"? Often, the happiest people in the world don’t have the best of everything...they just make the best of everything!"

This video makes me think of my precious sister, Velma, who left us on Sunday to go home to Jesus.

She is the oldest of 7 children and I am the youngest. She was an excellent ‘mother’s helper’ for all of her younger brothers and sisters, even taking care of me when I was a baby while our mother was very ill. Our father was a pastor, so we are pk’s, or preacher’s kids.

Velma loved God and had a desire to preach. She became an evangelist while she was still a teenager even before going to college.

While in Bible College she found her preacher-husband and together they pastored churches for many years. They were even missionaries in Cuba, before being forced out by Castro.

She endured more hardships in her lifetime than any person should have too. Perhaps that is the reason I think, she was the strongest person I have ever known.

She certainly knew how to adjust and adapt to any situation. She would tell you though, that it was only by the Grace of God that she continued to find ways to live a full life.

She was widowed before she was 55 with no insurance and very little earthly possessions.

She moved to Oklahoma to take a job in the ORU Prayer Tower. There she ministered daily to numerous people who called in for prayer.

Her health deteriorated due to diabetes. It took her eyesight and both legs, but it did not take her spirit.

Six years ago, after the second amputation, she moved into a nursing home in California close to her daughters.

We felt so bad for her and feared that she would withdraw and isolate herself, but she did not. Again she made the best of a bad situation.

She continued to let the love of Jesus shine through her, and all who got to know her dearly loved her. The Care Center is having a special memorial service for her next week.

She became the President of the Residents, a type of liaison between the owners and the patients. She had a monthly Bible study, which grew from 3 to 22. The staff came to her with their personal and spiritual problems, asking her for prayer.

She hung onto life even when most of us would not, because she would say,
“Maybe I can lead just one more person to the Lord.”

She set a beautiful example for letting the Holy Spirit continue to use her when most people would feel that there were no more opportunities.

She found peace in her situation, because she trusted God to take care of her. Let her be an example for all of us.

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn

He Met Jesus and Was Changed!

A very good friend gave me the DVD “Obsession”. I watched it with my husband a few nights ago and was so alarmed by what I heard and saw. It is a documentary about Radical Islam and their mission to take over the world.

Using images from Arab TV, Obsession reveals an ‘insider's view' of the hatred the Radicals have for America and Israel. They are teaching their children to hate non-muslims in the name of Allah, hate so intense that they would be willing to kill or die for Allah.

My first reaction was fear and a feeling of hopelessness.

Yes, we need to be aware of what is happening in our world, but should we feel hopeless?

No! We serve the one and only God of the universe. He is sovereign and in control, so we do not need to be afraid.

He is the same God today as He was during the days of Moses when He reminded the people of God’s mercy and protection.

“You must not fear them, for the LORD your God Himself fights for you.”
Deuteronomy 3:22

“Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”
Deuteronomy 7:9

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.”
Deuteronomy 10:17

“Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them; for the LORD your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
Deuteronomy 20:3,4

I did not think of these scriptures immediately, but the Holy Spirit tenderly guided my steps to find peace.

I still had a heavy heart as I sat at my computer and logged onto Facebook. Earlier, I had made a new fb friend, who is an old friend of my husband, although we have never met.

As I looked at her ‘wall’, my attention was drawn to a video she had posted,
“Jihad to Jesus, Former Muslim Militia Fighter's Journey”.

Jerry Rassamni was raised to hate Christians and he did. He was a fierce enemy of Christians, fighting with the Lebanese Army. Then he met Jesus.

I had to watch!

I was reminded once again, that it is only God who can change the hearts and minds of men. Changed by the power and blood of Jesus Christ!

I invite you to watch it now.



Love and Prayers,
Carolyn

Expecting Christ's Return!

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first."
1 Thessalonians 4:16

Do you believe this?
Do you believe that our Savior, Jesus Christ is coming back for us?
Do you believe that it is going to happen very soon?
The signs are everywhere, with all that is happening in the world today.
Are we prepared? Or are we too busy to be watching and praying for our loved ones who are not ready?

"But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly."
Luke 21:34

Unexpectedly?
Yes. He is coming soon and we must be prepared and watching!

My pastor is a great Bible teacher and last Sunday his sermon was, "Living in The Shadow of The Caught Up, or The Catching Away".
It was powerful!

I felt in my spirit, as I listened, that I needed to share it with others. So I asked God to show me how to include it in this blog, so that you can hear his message.

The Lord did help me, because He wants us to all understand that we need to be ready.

Please take the time to watch. You will be blessed.

[You need to pause my Playlist at the bottom of the page first.]

Dr. Ben E. Leonard, Church on The Green

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn

Because Mom Prayed!

We were so blessed by the testimonies of the men from Teen Challenge who came to our church on Wednesday night.

They came as a choir of 32 men from the Phoenix Christian Life Center with Rev. Rick Casto, the Center’s Director, who is also a Teen Challenge graduate.

These are students who sang with joy giving God the praise for their deliverance and salvation.

I could not hold back the tears as I witnessed the evidence of so many, many answered prayers.

Several of them gave their testimony of the life-changing experience that Jesus has given them, being delivered from a life of sin that was destroying them and their families.

Most people had given up on them, believing that they would never change…they were too far-gone. They had even lost hope for themselves.

But prayer does work and it does change the picture!

I heard everyone of them who spoke say, ‘It was because Mom or Grandma was praying. She never gave up and stopped praying.’

Wow! What a witness to my spirit!

I pray that as you are reading this it will also be a witness to your spirit.


May the Holy Spirit never let us forget that He is in control even when we can’t see change.

He does answer prayer and He knows the right time and way to make it happen. It is His desire to save every person who has ever lived.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn

Why, God?

Do you ever ask God, “Why?”

Sure. I think that anyone of us at some time or another has asked God that question, because we do not always understand why certain things happen in our lives.

But, we can quickly become bogged down in depression when we fret and become angry with God about our circumstances.

We can find peace in our heart only when we trust Him, and allow Him to work out His purpose in our lives.

If anyone had a good cause to ask God, “Why”, it would be Nick Vujicic, who was born without limbs. He and his parents struggled with this question for years. “God, why did you make me this way?”

As a teenager, he heard, in his spirit, God ask him, “Do you trust me?”
He answered, “Yes!”

He says, “That’s the question. When you say, “Yes” to that question, nothing else matters!”

I love that answer!

I’m sharing a video of Nick being interviewed recently. I am humbled, blessed and inspired when I watch it. You will be too.

(Pause my Playlist at bottom of page first. Click 2nd button on left.)



Love and Prayers,
Carolyn

Choose To Look For Joy

“Shoulda… Woulda… Coulda…” Is that how you feel too, as you are looking back over 2010?

Why do we see more clearly as we look in our rear-view mirror? Seeing all the mistakes of what we did, or mistakes of not doing what our heart told us to do.

I could dwell on the negative, because there are many places I failed this past year, but I once heard someone say,
“Giving your blessings as much thought as you give your worries will make you happier”.

With God’s help, I choose to count my blessings. They are far more in number than my mistakes anyway.

Do I always recognize a blessing? No, I’m sorry to say that I don’t. There are so many blessings that I take for granted.

Think about it…do we remember to thank Him for the air that we breathe and for the sunshine (or rain)?

…For each new day and the ability to get out of bed to enjoy it.

…For His protection guarding us from danger.

…For a warm house, food to eat and money to pay our bills.

…For friends and family…

Most important of all, to thank Him for His love and mercy making it possible for you and me to be His children.

…and oh what a sweet blessing it is to sit in His presence as we pray and talk with Him, knowing that we have nothing to fear.

God will take care of us for He is in control.

Barbara Johnson wrote, “Deliberately choose to look for joy in every step of your journey through life and to share it with others. When you do, you will be blessed with happiness no matter what your circumstances are.”

I pray that this year brings you into a deeper, more personal relationship with Jesus. My heart’s desire is to be less distracted and to spend more time in prayer and studying His Word.

2011 is a time of new challenges and opportunity. May God direct our paths as we follow Him in obedience.

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn