This study is based completely on the expositional study of The Beatitudes; which are found in Matthew 5:1-12.

I can't wait to share some really exciting information about this entire passage.
But let's begin by praying.  Please stop in the quietness of your home and pray that God would show you "great & mighty things that you do not know".  Now let's read through the entire passage one time.

Did you stop and read it?  Good!  It's super important to read more of God's Word than to read to what other people say about God's Word.

Answer this for yourself... was this your first time to read The Beatitudes?  _______

In today's Introduction we're going to be focussing on the opening verses:  Matthew 5:1-2.

Read them again.  Today we're going to be answering the questions Who, What, When, Where, and How.  Then we'll conclude our time today with an amazing message of hope!


Yes, we're going to get to the Beatitudes - but there is so much "good stuff' right here in these first 2 verses that I just have to pause before diving into the meat of the sermon.  There are some beautiful life lessons to be mined out... and I can't wait to share them with you!

We often have a great respect for the work, and usually listen more when we know the speaker or the author.  Find the WHO in this passage.

These verses are actually a sermon that Christ preached to a multitude of people.  The WHO in this passage is Jesus Christ.  Here He states exactly who are blessed by the Father Almighty.  If there was ever a person to have this kind of authority - it would be Jesus!

Now find the WHAT.  What is Christ saying here?  In these verses he is giving us the marks, the evidence, of those who show a work of grace in their lives.

A work of grace.  Does your life reflect a work of grace?  Do your actions and passions illustrate this work of grace?  What can you do today that would show others that you are a work of grace?

For if we truly are a work of grace - shouldn't we then be... at our very core - HAPPY?

WHEN:  Look at the occasion for this sermon.  Verse 1 says, He saw the multitudes and began to speak about happiness, about being blessed.  What do you think Christ saw in the faces of the people that led Him to start talking about the marks of a blessed and happy life?

Do you think He saw their sadness?  I think He saw the hurt of the people, the burdens they were carrying, the emptiness inside of them and He had an eagerness to show them hope.  I believe His very soul was stirred at what He saw and He wanted to rescue them with this message!

Do you need to be rescued from YOUR burdens today?  Do you need to hear a message of hope?  Hang with me as we study these Beatitudes and I promise you will begin to see joy where there was once sadness!

WHERE:  Verse 1 says He went up on a mountain.  Much of the reason for this was because the people could sit where they could see & hear Him.  This was a very logical place for Christ to go to get the greatest impact for His sermon.  But I want you to notice something else.


Most of the time in those days, teachers would sit and learners would gather around and stand.  So for Christ to stand and teach was an "out of the ordinary thing."  However, He had something to say that should not be hidden.  Notice this message was not given in secret, but rather on a large open space - available for all to hear and to likewise spread to others.  If it was important enough to be spoken from a mountainside then, I should probably give it my attention today as well.

Also, great things happened on mountains. Name a few important things that happened on a mountain.

The law was given to Moses on a mountain.  Christ died on a mount to offer us redemption.  Jesus expounded on the law on this mountain and at the same time offered the people - us - hope!

HOW:  How did He deliver His message?

He opened His mouth and began to teach them.  I know this sounds overly simple and you may be wondering why I'm even bringing this one to the surface to discuss.

Christ taught the disciples all the time without ever opening His mouth - through the actions and words of others and through His miracles.  In the Old Testament, God's Word was taught through the mouths of the prophets and priests.  It was God who put the words into Moses' mouth - it was God who gave David a song - but on this particular day - it was God - Christ Himself who opened His own mouth and taught the people directly.

This is not a point to be taken lightly!  I for one can't wait for the day to hear my Lord open His mouth and speak to me directly - audibly!!

Whenever we see Christ open His mouth  - we should in in turn open our hearts!  He opens His mouth with a blessing, we should open our hearts with desire.  Just think for a moment the kind of results that could occur!

I want to show you one last thing before I give you homework for next week...

Turn in your Bible to the last verse in the Old Testament.

What word do you read in the very last verse?


The first words Christ speaks to the people at large is found in Matthew 5:3 - what word do you read here?


This is the first message that Christ gave to the people as He started His ministry.  Isn't this amazing!  The last thing the people heard from God in the Old Testament was a message of pain - a curse.  But the first message we hear from Christ is a message of hope and blessing!

He also doesn't just say it just once either!  I want you to count just how many times He uses this word BLESSED in the Matthew 5:1-12.

I count 9 times!  And in rapid succession too!!  I wonder if he was enumerating them by holding up his fingers as He preached.

Okay if He started His ministry talking about being blessed - how does He end it?

Look up Luke 24:51

Do you think a BLESSED life is important to Christ?  It was the very first thing He preached and He was doing it (blessing) until the very moment He was taken up into heaven.

The Beatitudes are instructions on how to have a blessed life and He wanted that message instilled in the people continuously!  Jesus is all about giving blessings - not curses.  He wants us to know we can have a good life in Him, not one riddled with guilt, sadnesses or depression.  He offers freedom from those chains!

The Beatitudes are also about character.  There are 8 Beatitudes.  For your homework for next Friday - I want you to find them and write them in your notebook.  No where else in scripture do we find a more concentrated place of instruction - a step-by-step (if you will) regarding living a blessed and happy life.

There are many many books, seminars, and quick fixes that try to instill the root of happiness and how to acquire it for your life.  Christ does so in just 8 small statements.  He's not redundant nor does he leave anything out!

Next week we will dive right into the first Beatitude - Blessed are the Poor in Spirit.

I want you to read Matthew 5:3 before next Friday.  It's very short... I know.

I promise you we're going to cover some great truths here that you're not going to want to miss!!!

See you next week!

I just want to take a brief moment to say thank you to everyone who have been praying for me over the past month and a half.  Your prayers have been as precious gems to me!

Prior to December 30th, I wrote every Tuesday under the title of "Daily Life."  I love finding God in my every day regular life stuff... and learning how to walk with Him better through the normal situations we all face.

Obviously I've been having to walk a very rough - not normal - not every day- road lately.  But today, I wanted to go back to my normal Seeds of Faith category!

Very soon I will be taking a test to enter into an Alternate Certification program for teaching school.  I have  a BS in Chemistry and have decided that the best thing for me and my children at this point in time is to teach High School.

I would love to teach Chemistry!  However, I am keenly aware that there may not be a Chemistry class (very specific) available; and I want to make myself as marketable as possible.

Therefore instead of taking a Chemistry specific content exam, I'm taking a Science Composite Exam.  This test includes all the sciences - chemistry, physics, biology, geology, etc.

Oh my!  It's overwhelming at first to think that I will need to study all of these different areas and remember formulas from all of these specific disciplines.  But just think.... once I pass it, I will be able to teach a variety of different subjects and be much more valuable as a teacher.

I thought about how our time with the Lord is very similar.  I think too often we only want to read parts of the Bible that are familiar to us.  I've heard people say, "I only enjoy reading the New Testament", or they only read devotionals written by other people - because it's easier to read and understand.



Notice words like "all"  - we are to declare, know, study "all the rules" of the Lord.


Whether we prepare for something specific or easy or familiar we will all experience a composite exam at some point in our lives.  I want to be ready when the hard part of the test comes.  I want to have at least looked over the material once or twice!


I certainly want to be a much more valuable servant of the Lord because I have studied His word with my whole heart!


My study guide for the Science composite is really thick compared to the specific areas of study.  But I can't let the size of the book intimidate me - I must just dive right in and begin reviewing and learning.


Do the same with God's word!  Don't be intimidated by the size of the book!  Be prepared for the composite test of life by jumping right into His whole word!

Would you say something like this, "My kids are my life!"?

Or something like this, "My life would be nothing without my _____" (you fill in the blank)?

It's easy as we live our normal, every day, routine & over-scheduled lives to think that our "life" is consumed and controlled by the things and the people here on earth.  It's a very natural thing to do.  I used to do it, that's for sure!

However, these temporal things infuse their way to a level of importance where they cloud our view of what truly is "our life".

The scriptures can make my point WAY better than I can.



Seconds after hearing about John, I screamed, "NO!" about what seemed like 50 million times.  Then I whispered, "My life is over...."

I couldn't have been more wrong!  I'm so glad my God knew that John was not my life - but rather His love and His wisdom are my life.  He knew this would soon play out and become evident to me in the days, weeks, months, years to come.

God's love IS better than life.  I'm a living testimony of this very truth!

God's instruction over us is our very life!  I know this because it is His wisdom that is sustaining, guarding and protecting me.

I've heard it said many times, "Make the main thing... the main thing."

Friends... the main thing is Jesus!  It's so easy to slip into making the main thing our possessions (what would I do without my iPhone!) or people.  I beg of you to learn from me!  You're not promised those things or people forever.

Proverbs says that His love is steadfast - this means constant and faithful!  His faithful love endures forever and sustains us!

Are you making the main thing the main thing?  If you are... then no matter what happens in your life - you will be able to say & do as the Psalmist

We hear the phrase, "It's like riding a bike" all the time.  Usually it refers to remembering.  No matter how long it's been since you've rode your bike, more than likely you can pick it back up with no problems.

But how many of us remember the very first day the training wheels came off?  For some reason I remember that day very clearly.  For some reason, (this part I don't remember), my training wheels were already off and the bike had spent more time on the kick stand than on the road.  We were having a garage sale and someone asked if the green bike with the banana seat (remember those!) was for sale.  Boy!  I remember this as if it was yesterday!

My Mom took one look at me and said, "I'm not sure, is it?"  I knew then, if I wanted to keep my bike, I needed to learn how to ride it without the training wheels!

Think about it for a moment.  We as grown-ups know that riding a bike will take some time and may even come with a few falls and scrapes, but it will come.  And on the other side of this life lesson will be hours and hours of fun and adventure.  Every child must go through this learning experience and we know that once they do, they will be a much more productive kid!

But think about it from the kid's perspective....
You're taking away their security!  Up to now, they've been able to hop on that bike without having to think about balance and all the other things that make you stay up on the bike.  After you take off the training wheels, they are now responsible for holding themselves up.


All of these, to a child, can be very scary!  It can even make them not want to learn or experience the freedom of no training wheels.  We know as adults, if they fall and skin their knee...


We have a grown-up perspective.  We know what the other side of training wheels looks like.  So we can confidently & compassionately guide our children through the perils of learning to ride a bike.


Now.... am I comparing losing my husband to a skinned knee? Absolutely not!!!  However, if I think about all my life's experiences from my Heavenly Father's perspective... if I adopt a Kingdom mindset on my current trials - it at the very least might be a similar scenario.

Listen to what James says about our life:


Did you catch that?  We're only here for just a little while!  So what seems HUGE to us, from His perspective is not huge at all.  Perhaps it's like a skinned knee.  Something He's definitely going to kiss & make better... Something He's going to comfort me through... But also something that will definitely heal.  He knows that with His help we can get back up.  And that we will learn to ride without those elements of security... if only we would adopt His perspective.




What has been your training wheels?  Does it feel like God took them off prematurely?  That you weren't quite ready and now you're living life wobbly and always on the brink of falling?

Why do you think we like this question so much?  I've often told God if I knew the answer to the "Why" question I could affect change better & faster.  Would you agree?

If I just knew that this happened so that certain people would come to faith in Christ, I would go seek them out... right?  If I knew that this happened so I could learn certain lessons, I would get on the fast track to get that lesson learned... right?

I'm sure we've all wondered "why" bad things happen to "good" people.  Everywhere I look, I've been looking for the "why" in my recent tragedy. (If you're new to Seeds of Faith, or haven't heard about my situation, feel free to click here to hear about my husband's homecoming).

However, just in the paragraph above, look how many times the word "I" appears.  "If I knew why then I could affect change."  It sounds good at first, but the more I think about this, the more I leave out God and insert myself.

I love my Garmin!  I don't even have to ask for directions anymore... I just ask for the address.  My Garmin is faithful and true to get me where I need to go.  However... the Garmin needs a starting address and and ending address.  Can Garmin get me to where I need to be if I have NO idea where I'm going?

Absolutely not!!
I would get an error message - a blank address will not compute.

My friends... my God is greater than my Garmin!  Praise God!  My God can still send me data, even if I don't know where I'm going... even if I don't know the whys!  I'm not going to get any ERROR MESSAGES from the Lord.

My job through all of this is not always to know the "why" - but rather to trust Him.


This is such a famous and well memorized passage.  But do you know verse 8?


Knowing the whys is not going to make me feel better, it's not even going to make my path straight - only trusting totally & completely in God is going accomplish the end game that I desire.


I'm desperate for the healing and for the refreshment.  I will trust Him.  It doesn't mean that days will be easy and carefree.  I am trusting Him amidst my tears and my pain.  To be honest I'm trusting Him, but still wanting to know the whys!  But I know that the whys are not going to bring the comfort I desire.  Answers cannot provide the peace that only Jesus gives.  I know this in my head, so I trust.  And one day I know my heart will follow.

Over the past 20 days, people from 3 different cities and 4 different churches and several friends and neighbors have fed me.  I have experienced some AWESOME cooking lately!!!

Have you ever noticed how fast a "food list" gets developed for a family when there's a great need in their life?  Whether it's a birth, a death, or a hospital visit of any kind... immediately Christian brothers and sisters are more than likely already on their way to your house with food!

It's just what we do.  It's our way to show just how much we're praying and want to help in any way possible.

I never thought this was strange until 20 days ago.  I watched dish after dish enter the homes I've been staying in - thankful for their love - but not hungry for one single bite.  Food was the last thing on my mind.  In fact, I was pretty sure if food went in - it would soon come out!  Of course everyone around me kept asking, "Can I make you a plate?"  As I politely said, "No thanks," they would respond with, "eventually you've got to eat."

I think I went days with only drinking water - I drank a TON of water!!!

But you know what eventually happened?  Quite frankly it caught me by surprise - and I enjoyed it's return.... I woke up one morning... HUNGRY!

As I ate, I felt my strength return, I think I might have even smiled a little more that day.  It was good to sit around the table with my loved ones and share a meal together.

Although I was enjoying the numbers on the scale going down in those early days of hearing about John - I welcomed even the slightest renewed health.

I thought about this and how our spiritual lives are so much like this very thing.  When tragedy strikes our life so often we abandon the very thing that brings us strength and health - the Lord.

The Bible says that He is our portion.  For once, in this very area, we don't have to have "portion control!"  Too often we walk away from the table of the Lord.  Mainly because our despair is so great and we feel we are not ready or hungry enough to receive what He has for us - teaching, wisdom, instructions, and even comfort, strength, and healing.  We so identify with our grief, that we cling to it too tightly and don't receive nourishment from the Lord.

He wants desperately for us to sit at His table and taste & see that He is good.


I'm not sure where you are on your faith walk today.


If so, take it from me, "eventually... you've got to eat!"  You can't continue this life without Him.  The food He has to offer will bring you comfort, healing, energy and strength.  I would imagine that as you feast at His table, His Word - perhaps even a smile might return too!







I would love to get to know you better! You can find me almost every day sharing what God is teaching me personally over at my blog, Living Above Ministries. I also am totally addicted to Facebook &  Twitter! So grab a cup of coffee and let's chat!

Ahh.... It feels so good to be back in a familiar place.  I think it's beginning to feel like I'm in 2011, little by little.

For those of you who do not know me, I've been writing for Seeds of Faith for quite some time now, and on Thursday, December 30th, 2010 around 5pm the absolute love of my life, my husband, stepped into a deer stand and then moments later stepped into heaven.  In an instant my life was changed.

I can't thank everyone enough for your messages, prayers, tears, hugs, smiles... the list could go on and on. But that's not what my post is about today.

Over the past 13 days, I have attended not just one, but two memorial services for my husband.  I actually spoke at both of them, and I have heard multiple people say, "John always used to say ______."  Oh the things that have been recounted over this time!

However, this morning as I pondered on what I wanted to share with you today, one of the things he used to say all the time rose to the surface above the others.  It's something that  has given me profound comfort since hearing about his accident.

He used to say to the people of our church and to the many whom he counseled in his office,

Don't ask, "What's my spiritual gift?" - ask, "What's my assignment?" - and the Lord will give you the spiritual gifts you need to complete His assignment.

John's earthly assignment is complete.  However, mine just radically changed!  Of course it's very daunting!

I'm learning user id's and passwords for accounts I've never even worried about before.  I'm thinking about what job this SAHM Mom is going to now have to find.  It can all be very overwhelming.

But over the past 13 days, I've thought of other women in the Bible whom God gave daunting assignments to - Mary, Sarah, Ruth, and what if any one of those women had said, "I'm not up for this assignment.  I don't think I'm going to obey this one!  It's just too hard!"

The Lord said to Mary, "Fear not!"  I truly believe the Lord has given me this assignment and has said, "Fear not, Penny.  I know you don't understand, but My grace is sufficient for even this!  Trust me with your whole heart, lean on Me, and I will show you how to get through this."

Do you remember "Honors Classes" in high school.  I was always in Honors everything - English, Math, & Science.  I loved how those classes elevated my GPA (the rewards were great), but rarely did I enjoy the extra work it required.  Most of the time we had the same assignment as the regular classes - but always with an added twist (which required more time and effort on my part)!

In some strange way, I feel that God is making go through the honors class of life with this experience.  It's extremely difficult, it's going require way more time than I ever imagined, but I have the hope that the reward is going to be proportionately great!

The question and challenge I have for you today is this...


If not, ask the Lord and He will surely tell you.  If you do know your assignment, go and do it with the confidence He has made available to you - and FEAR NOT!

I love you all dearly!

I would love to get to know you better! You can find me almost every day sharing what God is teaching me personally over at my blog, Living Above Ministries. I also am totally addicted to Facebook &  Twitter! So grab a cup of coffee and let's chat!

As I type this, I'm not at home.  We're visiting family in Texas.  We left New Orleans the day after Christmas and I think we had been on the road about 20 minutes... not even completely out of town yet, and our children were asking, "how much longer?"

After each bridge we crossed, they would ask that infamous question, "are we there yet?"

Which was then quickly followed up with, "how many more minutes until we're there?"

Personally I was enjoying the drive.  We had wonderful weather and John & I were able to finally have real face-to-face talk time.  So in the midst of these questions, I wanted to scream, "just sit back & enjoy the ride!"

Honestly I kept hoping they would fall asleep... so peace would fall over the entire minivan.  Why couldn't they just relax?  Why couldn't they enjoy the books, crayons, and movies we brought with us for this 6 hour drive?


As much as I wish they would "enjoy the ride" more, I wonder if God sometimes feels the same way about me.  I wonder if He too wishes I would relax and enjoy the journey.  If He wonders why I don't enjoy more of His current provisions instead of whining about how long it's taking to get to a certain point.

I think I have my own way of asking, "are we there yet" and "how much farther" and "when will we be there".  I know that I too, much like my children, am anxious about what is to come.

I'm reminded of a Psalm I read over this holiday week...


How long is it going to take?  I think God's answer is much like the one I give my children.

The Lord provides for us in His due time and it definitely satisfies.  I just need to sit back and enjoy the ride a little more, knowing it's all in His hands.







I would love to get to know you better! You can find me almost every day sharing what God is teaching me personally over at my blog, Living Above Ministries. I also am totally addicted to Facebook & Twitter! So grab a cup of coffee and let's chat!

These are only a few received messages I've already seen by those around me this Christmas season.

Don't you just love it when the Lord reveals something to you - over and over again - until you say, "Aha! I get it now!"

The Lord has been communicating a simple message to me in many small and connected ways and I wanted to pass it along to you.  The message is simple.


Yes, that's it!  I know many of you will be sitting down at a table this week with people who do not know the Lord like you do.  You may be the very person God wants to use to deliver the message of Restoration.  Hope.  Joy.

These are the simple ways He reminded me of this simple & yet important message.  Perhaps you can even use these as conversation starters!

Last week I read, "The 12 Days of Christmas," to my children at bedtime.  The book we have is actually about the history of this famous story.  The one "day" that really stood out to me this year was "4 Calling Birds."  The 4 Calling Birds represent Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.  Just as birds call out, the disciples called out or shared with all of us who Jesus is and what He has done for us.


Then, last Sunday night, our church took 30 people caroling to the homes right around our church.   Most people received us very well.  They stood on their porch, listened with a smile and then waved and thanked us as we moved on to the next house.  However, one house really moved me.  A mother and son, and perhaps a grandmother, came to the door.  About half-way through our song the mother reached over and hugged her son.  It was really a beautiful thing to watch!


Yesterday I invited a few little girls and their mothers over for a Christmas playdate.  We're out from school and I know these Christmas vacation days can seem like forever - waiting for Christmas.  So while the girls played dolls and Lightbright, the mothers & I shared a cup of coffee & Baked Brie (Yum!!).  One of the mothers began to share what the Lord is teaching her lately. (now... keep in mind this was the 1st time the three of us had spent 1-on-1 time together!)  What a special time!  She touched both of hearts and gave us both hope & wisdom for the days of mothering to come!


Last night I read, "The Legend of the Candy Cane," to my kids at bedtime.  I love the part of the story where the candy store owner asked little Lucy if she will help him spread the word about the real meaning of the Candy Cane.  As a result an entire town came out of their dark places and found joy in a candy store!


The message is simple.  Spread the word.  It may seem strange and out of place (like old fashioned caroling or sharing your heart at a playdate)... but God can and wants to use you to share His good news!  He wants to use your surroundings, your stories, your life for His glory!  It doesn't have to sound like the preacher on Sunday morning to be effective.  Just tell about the God of your every day life!

So this week - be brave, do the unordinary thing, talk about the Lord who has changed you!  You just might find them experiencing restoration, hope, joy, and salvation.







I would love to get to know you better! You can find me almost every day sharing what God is teaching me personally over at my blog, Living Above Ministries. I also am totally addicted to Facebook &  Twitter! So grab a cup of coffee and let's chat!!

I'm talking about the ornaments that adorn our tree.

There are as many different decorated trees as there are homes to fill them.  I have one friend who decorates according to a color theme each year.  I have another friend who has a complete tree dedicated to her college alma mater - complete with orange only lights & everything!

I love the many different personalities of decorated Christmas trees.  They tell quite the story of the owners' lives.

Last week, the ladies of our church shared our annual Ornament Exchange.  I led a devotional about the history of Christmas ornaments.  You can read about this devotional here.  Originally ornaments were fruits & nuts to symbolize the hope of Spring.  Winter was such a harsh & dark time, the people needed a reminder that hope would indeed return!

I think God knew that we would experience harsh & dark times, so He sent His Son as the ultimate "exchange" to bring us Hope to last a lifetime.

At the end of my devotional - I read a poem about Christmas Ornaments & friendship.  My wonderful husband, John Franklin wrote this for me and the ladies of our church.  I wanted to share it with you today.  When my husband is not leading our wonderful church he's writing books and penning incredible songs!

From dead things to live things and up on the tree

From apples to oranges and gum-drops we be

The trappings of Christmas through tinsel we sing

and cater the mem'ries of family and things

We journey from lands where the elves know the snow

Where candy-cane forests and workshops are old

With care we're inspired and coming to life

with shinings and glitter reflections to light.

From old country, new country, and your home we've come

Now here to be traded, where sisterhood's born.

What more could we ask for than now in your hands

To bring to you memories of love, joy, and friends.

I would love to get to know you better! You can find me almost every day sharing what God is teaching me personally over at my blog, Living Above Ministries. I also am totally addicted to Facebook & Twitter! So grab a cup of coffee and let's chat!!

It seems like everywhere we go we see Candy Canes.

Our neighbors have large plastic ones lining their porch.  When we go to the bank, they offer them to my children.



We even have them in our Advent Calendar to help us count down the days to December 25th.

You might think they would get tired of them and wish for something a little more exciting than a red and white curvy stick!

However, my 3 year old little boy LOVES THEM!!!  And for the time being he calls them "candy cans" instead of candy canes.  It's just adorable!

The other day he shouted with absolute glee, "Yeah, candy cans!" - and in that moment I thought, "wouldn't it be cool if I could find the energy to say "I can" all from a piece of candy!"

You know, things like this:

Wouldn't that be fantastic if we could find the will, the energy, and the strength to say & do these "can-do" things all from a small piece of candy?!

The more I thought about this - "candy cans" - the more I thought about the history behind the real Candy Cane.

I couldn't have said it better... I found this description of the candy cane here.

Many people have given religious meaning to the shape and form of the candy cane. It is said that its shape is like the letter “J” in Jesus’ name. It is also in the shape of the shepherds’ crook, symbolic of how Jesus, like the “Good Shepherd” watches over his children like little lambs. It is a hard candy, solid like a “rock”, the foundation of the Church. The flavor of peppermint is similar to another member of the mint family, hyssop. In the Old Testament hyssop was used for purification and sacrifice, and this is said to symbolize the purity of Jesus and the sacrifice he made.

Some say the white of the candy cane represents the purity of Jesus and his virgin birth. The bold red stripe represents God’s love. The three fine stripes are said by some to represent the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Others say they represent the blood spilled at the beating Jesus received at the hands of the Roman soldiers.

I've known the history of the candy cane for quite some time and have always thought it was a neat part of Christmas.  But when I was wishing I had a piece of candy that could give me the strength to say, "I can" instead of "I'm not strong enough and therefore I can't" - I realized I do have something that can give me strength - that can help me say "I can" instead of "I can't" - and that something... is Jesus!


I know you will see and probably enjoy many candy canes this CHRISTmas season.  The next time you see one - actually remember what it symbolizes and let it strengthen you so you too can say "I can!"

This morning with coffee in hand, I opened my One Year Bible.  I breathed in deeply and just sat still for a moment before reading.  I shared with the Lord some of the things that were on my heart.


Some were requests, some were admittedly "whys" (I just can't seem to rid myself of those!), and some were praises and thanks.  I asked the Lord to give me a special word.  It didn't have to be an answer for all that I had just laid before Him, but just His still small voice that speaks volumes to my soul!


I read the Old Testament portion.  Right now we're in Daniel and I just LOVE his story.  Then I read the New Testament portion and God started speaking wisdom over a specific question I had just asked Him.  I stopped and wrote in my journal.  Then, I found a real treasure....  I read the passage from Psalms.  Currently in the One Year Bible we are in Psalms 119.  In fact, I've written a couple of blog posts from this chapter in the recent weeks.


The phrase "Are you reading my mail" went without saying!  It was as if I had written the Psalm myself!


I looked away from my Bible for just a moment - just to breathe in the Lord's words.  As I was looking up - I noticed our refrigerator.  Now... before you check out on me thinking I'm chasing a rabbit - stay with me!






It's filled with Leap Frog letters along with many other who-knows-where-they-came-from letters.  Often times I'll come into the kitchen to find all the letters organized by color.  Other times, I'll find them in their respective A-B-C order.  Then sometimes the kids make really neat designs with the them.  One time JP was very protective over his cross.  He put the letters in 2 lines forming a cross and shared with anyone who tried to mess with them that it was "the cross Jesus died on!"











I would love to get to know you better! You can find me almost every day sharing what God is teaching me personally over at my blog, Living Above Ministries. I also am totally addicted to Facebook & Twitter! So grab a cup of coffee and let's chat!!

I would love to get to know you better! You can find me almost every day sharing what God is teaching me personally over at my blog, Living Above Ministries. I also am totally addicted to Facebook & Twitter! So grab a cup of coffee and let's chat!!