Julie's Jewels

I've Created A Facebook Fan Page

2012-01-24T14:14:00.003-05:00

Thank you to all who continue to follow me on my blog. I have found it too time consuming with the posting and the adding of pics which takes forever as well. So I have created a facebook fan page for those of you who would like to come and read the posts I put up. I'm sorry I haven't updated my blog like I have wanted to. I have many grandbabies now and have been busy helping with them. Here is the link: Julie's Jewels

I hope to see many of you over there.

Another Family Update

2011-09-19T22:23:00.002-05:00

I know it has been a while since I last updated. Life is very busy and hectic these days.

We are expecting 3 grandbabies and they should be here anytime now. Ronnie and Jessica's baby girl MaryEllen will make her entrance into the world very soon. Jessica is already dilating and having good contractions...just nothing consistent from what I'm told. Candyce is growing and learning day by day. She is a very smart little girl.

Kristina and Josh's twins (Brayden and Raegan) are due anytime as well. Kristina is very uncomfortable but is doing well considering how big she has gotten. But she still looks great!!! Last ultrasound she had to measure them was 3 weeks ago and they each weighed about 3 1/2 lbs. She will find out this Friday how much they weigh now. They both are constantly fighting one another in her womb. It is very interesting watching her belly when they do :o)

Michelle and her husband and Michael are doing great as well. God has truly blessed our family with who God put in our daughter's lives.

My husband and I are currently living with Kristina, Josh and Kloe so I can be here to help with Kloe since Kristina can't be up and chasing her around. Kloe is on the verge of walking everywhere. And when the twins get here she will need help while Josh works in caring for the twins and Kloe. So I thank God for the opportunity to be of help to her.

Thank you to all who stop by and check on us and leave comments. It is a blessing to know that some of you still stop by. You are the reason I keep my blog going at all. I just pray one day I can get back to posting devotionals again to encourage and help as I once had the opportunity to do.

Please pray for our family as we have faced many trials and situations in the past few months that have been very difficult to deal with. But through it all....God has remained faithful!!!

It's Been A Bittersweet Time

2011-06-02T19:09:00.002-05:00

I pray this finds all my readers doing well. Our family has been through some bittersweet things since my last post.

Currently our son Ronnie and his wife are expecting another girl (MaryEllen Makenzie) due on October 12th. Also our daughter Kristina and her husband Josh are expecting twins (boy-Brayden Bryce and girl-Raegan Rileigh) due October 29th. The drs don't expect Kristina to make it to her due date though since twins are usually born early. We are praying she makes it to at least 36 weeks. So far both Jessica and Kristina are doing well.

Also our daughter Michelle married a wonderful man named Aaron. We love him!!! He is keeping her in church and treats her like a queen. She deserves and needs a man like Aaron in her life. He loves Michael as if he were his own son too. That is a HUGE plus for Michelle and for us too!!! Since getting married on March 11th they have been expecting twice and both resulted in miscarriages. We are praying that the next pregnancy will take and be okay when she gets pregnant again. She is very happy and although she has miscarried twice she is trusting the Lord for another baby when the Lord allows.

Also....on May 9th my dad passed away and we made a trip to Kansas (18 hrs one way) there and back in 3 days. I got to spend time with my mom and my sister. It breaks my heart that I no longer can call and talk to my dad when I want to but I still enjoy talking to my mom. She is doing quite well. Of course we have our days that are difficult but God is helping me through it.

The grandbabies are growing like crazy. They are my life. I enjoy spending time with them SO much!!! Candyce and Michael are talking more and more and doing things new every day. Kloe is beginning to talk and is clapping her hands now. She is into everything too!! So precious!!

That is the update and I hope to post some updated pics soon. Take care and enjoy the time you get with your family because you never know when one of them may be gone and you not get that chance again.

Michelle and Aaron's Wedding Pics

2011-04-13T07:31:00.007-05:00

The ceremony was so sweet and we are so thankful to our loving Lord for sending Aaron to our Michelle. He is an amazing man!!! And to see him with Michael is such a blessing. Michael loves his Papa very much and his Papa loves him very much. We are praying for them as they begin their new life together that God would abundantly bless them as a family.

Michelle and Aaron

2011-04-13T07:31:00.001-05:00

God Is SO Good!!!!

2011-03-26T09:42:00.003-05:00

Psalm 103:1 "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name."

Since my last post God has blessed our family even more. We now have a new son-in-law. Our daughter Michelle has married the young man she was seeing and they are VERY happy!!! We are so thankful to the Lord for sending her someone to love her and her son Michael and who is keeping them in church. We welcome our new son-in-law with open arms are are VERY happy for them all.

In the past week we have also found out that our daughter Kristina and her husband Josh are not only expecting a baby but they are having twins!!! Yes....we are quite shocked as were they too. But we know that God has done this since twins do not run on either side of their family. We rejoice at this news and are very anxiously awaiting their arrival. Please pray for her through this pregnancy. She is currently VERY sick as is expected but with not being sure what to expect she is a bit nervous too. She does know it will not be like it was with Kloe's pregnancy and delivery.

Our grandson Michael has also just celebrated his 1st birthday. What a grand day that was. He is growing so fast and talking up a storm even though it is his own little language. He currently says "Momma, Da-da, Papa, Nana, PawPaw and I love you". Kloe is growing as well and is now scooting all over the floor and should soon be crawling. Candyce is growing into such a precious girl. They grow so fast!!

Great news!!!!

2011-02-26T13:29:00.004-05:00

Psalm 127:3 "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward."

We have some very exciting things going on in our lives at the present time. I know that some will be judgmental since we have already caught flack from certain members of family and from some friends. But I want to say that I am very proud of the choices our children are making.

Our son Ronnie and his wife Jessica are expecting a baby due October 14th. We rejoice with them and are praying for a safe and healthy pregnancy. They have had 4 miscarriages and so this is a bit scary for them. Help us pray for them that the Lord would allow all to go well.

Also...our daughter Kristina and her husband Josh are expecting and the approximate due date is October 29th. Yes...that means we have two grandbabies due within two weeks of one another. We are VERY excited!!!

The grandbabies we have now are such a joy and to know that God is adding more is such a blessing!!! We are thankful that our children have chosen to trust God with their children. God is adding to their families....and we rejoice with them about that.

Also....after all that Michelle has been through with her ex-boyfriend and father of our grandson kicking her out of their apartment with no warning...she is back home with us and God has placed someone in her life that loves her and loves her son as much as if he were his own. And Michael even looks like him which is amazing to us all. Michelle is very happy and they plan to be married in a few months. God is working in their lives and for that we are VERY thankful. Michelle has been through more than anyone can ever know....so don't judge her for how things have happened in her life. Be happy for her because she deserves it!!! We love Aaron (her current boyfriend) and know that God sent him to her. He is saved and faithful to church!!! And that is a HUGE plus!!!

God has been SO good to our family and I can't praise Him enough for all He has done and is doing.

Christmas Family Pictures

2011-01-05T19:16:00.014-05:00

My hubby and me.

Kristina, Kloe and Josh

Michael and Michelle

Nanna's little blue-eyed boy.

Candyce, Jessica and Ronnie

Nanna and PawPaw with the grandbabies

Nanna's sweet baby girl :o)

Nanna's precious baby girl

The whole family.

Daddy, Momma and the kids.

Our kids...Michelle, Ronnie and Kristina

Our grandbabies...Candyce, Kloe and Michael

Ronnie and Jessica paid for a photo shoot for our family as a Christmas gift to us. This is a precious gift to me. I thank them so much for the time we got to spend together and having our pictures taken together and as individual families. They turned out great!!! I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I do.

Update on the Family

2010-11-08T15:34:00.001-05:00

I know I have been absent for a while. For that I apologize. Much has happened since last posting. We have a new granddaughter. Kloe Nikole Carter arrived on September 22nd (her mommy's bday) and weighed in at 8 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20 inches long. She is a gorgeous baby!!!

John Michael is now 7 months old and is absolutely adorable. He is getting so big and is crawling everywhere and is pulling himself up to EVERYTHING!!! He keeps bumping his head on the wall, the tables and the tv stand. His mommy keeps saying he will destroy all his brain cells from bumping into everything with his head.

Our oldest grandbaby Candyce will be 15 months old in a few days and is growing so much!!! She has been walking for a while now. She is also going potty a good bit now. She is a BIG girl :o) She is absolutely adorable!!!

We are very anxious for Christmas this year. It is going to be so much fun with the two older grandbabies. Kloe won't be able to do much of course....but that's okay.

All of our kids are doing well. Ronnie is now a police officer like his daddy and is loving his job. Michelle and Kristina are doing well too and have started their own business and are doing VERY well with it.

Pictures are to follow in the next post....hope you enjoy them!!!

Sorry I've Been Absent But Here Is An Update

2010-11-08T13:45:00.005-05:00

Kloe Nikole

Hospital Pic

Adorable!!!

Sleeping princess :o)

All smiles

Our Little Tiger

He is such a ham!!!

This is how Mommy works...LOL!!!

Our Lil' Deputy

What a cutie!!!

Poor baby doesn't feel good :o(

"My Daddy's A Police Officer"

She has her own cell phone

Candyce

My Previous Coupon Shopping Trips

2010-08-18T10:14:00.004-05:00

Total Before Coupons = $110.12
Total With Coupons = $32.32
Total Savings $77.80

Percentage Saved = 71%

Lady Speed Stick Deoderant = FREE
Gillette Men's Body SWash = FREE
Crest Toothpaste = 75 cents for two

Total Before Coupons = $63.03
Total With Coupons = $21.77
Total Saved $41.26

Percentage Saved = 65%

Total Before Coupons = $172.09
Total With Coupons = $71.76
Total Saved = $100.33

Percentage Saved = 58%

Update On John Michael

2010-08-18T09:19:00.004-05:00

He went to the dr. and found out he has an ear infection :o(

He is typing to Nanna on the computer while we are talking via webcam...LOL

What a look!!!

He loves his bouncer.

Quite the big boy!!

Love that smile!!!

He'll give his puppy kisses....and of course mommy too!!

Our little man!!

John Michael has been doing great. He has been sick for the past couple of weeks but he is beginning to improve. He is such a sweet boy and we miss him dearly!!!

He is cutting teeth and has just recently learned to sit up on his own with little to no help from his mommy. He loves to talk to his Nanna on the phone and the computer. He gets on the computer by webcam and "types" to me which is so sweet. He also has been giving his mommy kisses.

Michelle is a terrific mommy!!! She is very patient with him even though he still isn't sleeping through the night. She enjoys spending time with her baby boy. I'm so proud of her!!

My Son And His Family

2010-08-18T09:17:00.003-05:00

This is an absolutely beautiful picture of our son Ronnie, his wife Jessica and our granddaughter Candcye :o)

Update On The Granddaughter

2010-08-18T09:07:00.004-05:00

This one was taken for Nanna and PawPaw (notice the deputy badge)

Isn't she just adorable???

Awwwww!!!

Candyce is now one year old and is walking!!! She is a delight and a job to be around. She has been cutting teeth and even going potty on the potty....can you believe that. Jessica thought she would try it and see how she would do and Candyce went....so that was quite a surprise to her mommy.

She is a blessing to be around and we look forward to seeing her grow even more in the days and months to come.

The Will Of God

2010-07-03T20:37:00.003-05:00

A preacher once said it is easy to find the will of God. Do you know where to find it? It is right smack dab in the middle of God's Word.

Psalm 118:8 "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man."

And boy is that ever true!! So many times we will find ourselves putting our trust and confidence in man and it leads us astray. Have you ever found yourself doing that. I know I have. I'm so thankful that I have the Lord to lean on and trust in to guide my steps. The important thing is to stay yielded to Him and listen when He directs us to go a certain way and do a certain thing. If we will do that then we will be in His will.

Something Fun To Do....And Win Too!!!

2010-06-14T11:31:00.002-05:00

You may have noticed something new at the top of my blog. It is a Swagbucks Swidget. I joined Swagbucks a little over a month ago and am getting rewarded already and am having fun doing it.

If you go to click on the "Sign Up" portion of the swidget it will take you to a page where you will sign up for Swagbucks. What it is is you use the swagbucks search engine to search the web and you will get "wins" where you are rewarded for your searches. You don't get rewarded on every search....but when you do you can get up to 50 swagbucks. You can go to the swag store on the home page and see the things you can redeem your rewards for. I've only been with it for a little over a month and I've gotten my 7th amazon.com gift card and almost have enough for my 8th. I have several that have signed up under me and they are winning. It is fun and others are having fun too!!!

Usually on a daily basis there are codes that come out as well that will allow you to get even more swagbucks. There are also daily polls and daily surveys you can do to get even more swagbucks. Have I convinced you to sign up yet? If not....then I don't know what else to say...except just give it a try and if you don't like it....simply stop and you won't have to do anything else. But I hope you'll join!!! Let's go swagging!!!

The Life That Glorifies God

2010-06-01T08:48:00.004-05:00

I Corinthians 6:19-20 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price : therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

Is Jesus pleased with your life? Have you given Him your WHOLE life? When we give ourselves to God completely then God will get everything and you'll have no problem giving all to Him and for Him.

(vss. 9-11) "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." It is necessary to be saved in order to glorify God. If a person is not saved they are at enmity with God. A person who is an enemy of God cannot glorify Him at all. James 4:4 "....know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

(vss. 12-18) "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." To glorify God we need to live a separated life. Anything that controls us more than God...we need to get out from under it. A life controlled by God is free. It is not popular to live a separated life. We should live a separated life in how we dress....the places we go to....the music we listen to....the people we hang around with....the programs we watch on tv....how we project ourselves in our attitude....etc. II Corinthians 3:2 "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:" Only God can see our hearts...but man looks on the outward appearance and how we present ourselves in the things we say and/or do. We need to be mindful if we say we are a child of God that our lives portray that truth. If there is anything in your life that says otherwise....we should examine ourselves and see if we are of God. A way to know if what you do or say glorifies God is to ask yourself "Would Jesus be doing this or saying this?" Or "Would I be ashamed if Jesus were here with me?" Afterall....our bodies are the temple of God and He lives within us....so He is there with you...right?

(vss. 19-20) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." To glorify God we also need to live a Spirit-filled life. This is a command of God. It is not impossible as some may think. When God commands something....He will equip us with what it takes to do it. Afterall....it is the will of God!!!

I pray this post helps you all as it helped me. So often we forget what God expects of us on a daily basis. These things are not some things that are to be a sporadic or once-in-a-while thing. They are to be part of our daily lives.

Update on Jessica

2010-05-16T20:55:00.003-05:00

I wanted to thank all who prayed for Jessica and Ronnie during their difficult time with the miscarriage. She miscarried the babies at approximately 11:30am this morning (Sunday). She is relieved that it is over. God answered many prayers concerning this miscarriage. And for that we praise the Lord!! We serve an amazing God!!! He never ceases to amaze me in the prayers that He answers and how He chooses to answer them.

Thank you again for your prayers for them and please continue. The physical part of this miscarriage may be over but the emotional healing continues.

I love you all and appreciate you all VERY much!!!

Kristina's New Website

2010-05-06T14:11:00.003-05:00

My daughter Kristina has created a new website. She is trying to earn some extra money and has chosen to use her talent for crocheting to do so. Please go to her site to see what she has to offer. If you are looking for a blanket for a baby, child or some other special someone in your life. She does beautiful work and I would recommend her blankets to anyone....not just because she is my daughter....but because I know you would be pleased with the product.

To see her site please go to Kristina's Creations by clicking here.

Update On Our Grandbabies

2010-04-26T19:56:00.002-05:00

I wanted to update everyone on our grandbabies and on Jessica with the miscarriage.

First....Candyce is growing more and more all the time. Jessica let us know today that she is getting on her hands and knees and then pushing herself up to a standing position without holding onto anything. She is growing more and more each day!!! It is so great to see!!!

John Michael is growing and growing. He is now up to over 9 lbs. He is 5 weeks old now which is so hard to believe!! They are coming for a visit this weekend so be sure to check back for pics from their time with us.

Kristina is doing well with her pregnancy. She is growing and feeling the baby move more and more. And by the way....they found out they are having a girl. Kloe Nikole is her name!!! We are very excited to be having another granddaughter.

Jessica is in the process of still miscarrying the twins. The dr is giving her till May 5th to pass the babies before they will require to have a d&c. We are praying her body does what it needs to so she doesn't have to have that done. Please help us pray!!!

A Bittersweet Day

2010-04-16T20:14:00.004-05:00

Today our son Ronnie graduated from the police academy. He hasn't been sworn in yet but he will be on Monday morning. His daddy and I couldn't be more proud of him.

Where this day was a joyous occasion for Ronnie it was also a very sad day for him and his wife Jessica. Jessica went for an emergency ultrasound to make sure the babies are okay since she hadn't been experiencing morning sickness for a couple of days. She went through that with her other two miscarriages so it concerned her. She called her dr and they had her come in for an ultrasound to check and make sure everything was okay. Unfortunately upon doing the ultrasound they discovered there were no heartbeats and that she is in the process of miscarrying. Our hearts are broken as you can well imagine. Ronnie and Jessica are taking this pretty hard but are trusting the Lord with this....just as they have the others.

I am asking that all my faithful readers please lift them up in prayer. I appreciate it very much.

More Wonderful Yet Shocking News!!!!

2010-04-14T15:31:00.002-05:00

First of all I would like to update on Michelle and John Michael...they are doing great!!! Michelle is a GREAT mommy to her baby boy. I'm so proud of her!! Right now John Michael has his nights and days switched around so Michelle isn't getting much sleep. Please help me pray that John Michael will get on a "normal" schedule for his mommy so she can rest like she needs to.

Second of all an update on Kristina's pregnancy...things are going great!! Kristina is beginning to look pregnant and she is feeling their little one move around and kick. An ultrasound will be done on April 30th to check and make sure the baby is measuring right on track with the projected due date and if baby cooperates they will find out the gender of the baby. They would like to know what they are having so they can begin buying for him/her. So help us pray that he/she cooperates with the ultrasound technician.

Now for the shocking yet wonderful news. Ronnie and Jessica are expecting again...which we already knew. On Friday they came out to visit with us so we could spend time with Candyce and so they could share some very exciting news with us. Jessica showed me ultrasound pictures from the ultrasound she had done earlier that day. I told her she would have to point out to me what I was looking at since I can't ever make out what I'm looking for. She asked me if I could read what was printed on the picture and of course my eyes are terrible so I couldn't read it. She then proceeded to show me that one arrow was pointing to "Baby A" and another arrow was pointing to "Baby B". Yes...that's right!!! They are having twins!!! Jessica is a twin but her mom miscarried her twin so no one even knew she had a twin. I've always heard that the chance of having twins usually skips generations....but not in their case. Please pray for Jessica that her pregnancy will go well. She has been very sick but no more sick than she was with her previous pregnancy. God is faithful and I know He will take care of her and the babies (still can't get used to saying that in the plural...LOL!!).

Our family is growing more and more and I couldn't be more happy about it!! Thank You Lord for Your blessings on us!!!

Introducing John Michael Blessing Jr.

2010-03-29T09:51:00.004-05:00

My sweet grandson!!!

He has had to be on a billi-light for jaundice. He glows like our little glow baby.

He is such a little sweetheart!!!

He was very alert in the hospital.

Mommy was overcome with emotion :o)

7 lbs. 9 oz. and 20 1/2 in. long
Born at 10:47am on March 19, 2010

John Michael Has Arrived

2010-03-25T16:31:00.002-05:00

It was Thursday evening March 18th. Michelle, her best friend Samantha and I were out to her dr appointment then went by Samantha's apartment so Michelle and I could hang out there while Samantha went to clean her dad's office. Michelle saw the neighbor outside with his little boy and went over to say hi and to play with the little boy. After about 15 minutes of playing with him she came back to the apartment and sat down complaining that she had a really bad stomach ache. I asked her if it was her stomach or if it was contractions. She said she didn't know. About that time she doubled over on the couch in pain and began crying. It only took a few minutes of that until I decided I better start timing them. So I did. They were contractions and they were coming every 2-4 minutes. Samantha arrived back at the apartment at 6:30pm and watched Michelle be in pain for about 10 minutes before she said we ought to go to the hospital. We weren't sure they would keep her but weren't taking any chances. By the time we got to the hospital she couldn't walk she was in so much pain.

We got her checked in and they put her on the monitors and they observed her for a short time and said she was in labor and would be keeping her. About an hour later she was given stadol for pain to help her cope a little better. It wasn't long after that and Michelle was having a reaction to the meds. They then ordered the epidural. Once she got that she was able to rest some. She was dilated to 2cm when she got to the hospital and had progressed to 3cm later that night. They had started pitocin at about 3:45am to help things along but she wasn't progressing much at all. At 10:15am she began to complain of A LOT of pressure. The nurse said she would check her to see if there was any progress but wasn't expecting her to have progressed much. The nurse checked her and discovered that she was just short of fully dilated. There was only a little lip left. So they ordered for the dr to be called. The nurse let her start pushing and Michelle did GREAT!! At about 10:40 she was told not to push any more and John Michael's head was already showing. The dr was in the building and would be there shortly. Michelle said she couldn't hold back from pushing. She kept saying she had to push. The midwife came in the room and planned to deliver John Michael....about that time Michelle's dr came in. He began dressing in his delivering clothes and told Michelle she could go ahead and push. She pushed three more times and John Michael was here.

He was born at 10:47am on Friday March 19th. He is a perfect little boy and is so beautiful. He has jaundice right now which is requiring him to be on a billi-light almost 24 hours a day.

Michelle is a great mommy and adores her little boy. And her baby boy adores her from the way he looks at her.

I will share pictures of him soon!!! So check back!!!

Our First Grandson Is Coming Soon!!!

2010-03-16T09:39:00.002-05:00

It is about that time!! Our grandson will be coming very soon. Could be any day. Michelle's due date is April 14th but due to the baby's size being big and her frame being so small they are not letting her go past next Tuesday (March 23rd). She has been measuring ahead of her due date for weeks now. They guess John Michael to weigh 6 lbs. as of three weeks ago. We are praying that she goes into labor on her own as opposed to being induced but of course it is in the hands of the Lord. Only God knows at this point what is ahead for Michelle.

She also learned this morning that John won't be leaving Afghanistan until Saturday, March 27th. He was supposed to leave out on the 25th. Either way he is going to miss the birth of his son. That is very sad news to Michelle and John. I will be staying with Michelle for one week after John Michael's birth to help out. I will then need to get home to my hubby.

I have missed the rest of the family but have enjoyed being in NC to spend time with my daughter and preparing for the birth of John Michael.

Please help me pray for her and John and for the birth. She already plans to have an epidural. So that part is determined. Her cervix is still posterior so it needs to come forward and down. God is in control of it all though!! Thank you for all the concerns and questions I have received for her and about her. Y'all have been such a blessing to me. I love you all!!

Update On Hubby And Michelle

2010-03-09T12:27:00.002-05:00

I have had some ask for an update on my hubby and on my daughter Michelle.

My hubby is doing very well. We went to the dr yesterday and was told that he didn't have to come back for three weeks but he is in the brace and on the crutches for that time. After that time the dr may take him out of the brace for two weeks but keep him on the crutches for that span of time then see about taking the crutches. He is back at work today for the first time since the wreck....but he is only on desk duty. He says he won't like it but it will pay more than WC.

Michelle is hurting all the time now. She was at the dr yesterday having lost part of her mucous plug and her cervix now being mushy. Her blood pressure was also at 152/102. So they sent her to the hospital to see if they could get her bp down. They did and also did a test to see if she is in pre-term labor....that test was negative. They sent her home and told her to take it easy and that it won't be long. We are very anxious and very excited about the arrival of John Michael but very sad that his daddy will probably not make it either. Please pray for him as his heart is broken that he can't be.

Thank you for all the prayers and for all who have asked about them.

Kristina is also 11 weeks pregnant this week and we are watching her grow weekly now. We are also very excited about that grandbaby coming too.

Praise And Prayer For My Hubby

2010-02-13T09:40:00.005-05:00

First of all I would like to thank the Lord for His protection with my hubby. For the second time I got a call about my hubby being in a wreck at work. I got the call this time from my hubby though. He knew how it freaked me out the last time I got a call about him being in a wreck. So this time he called right after he wrecked so I wouldn't have to get a call from his supervisor. Last time it was his police chief that called me which scared me to death.

The first time involved him hitting a tree by running into it going 45 mph without hitting the brakes. This time also involved a tree. We got about 4 inches of snow yesterday which was quite dangerous. Here in Georgia we don't have the capability to handle the work load of the icy roads.

He was at work and responding to an overturned vehicle and when he took a curve on his way there he lost control of his patrol car and slid off the road and down an embankment and hit a tree on the driver's side back door. The tree came into his car 2 feet. This is where I know God protected. The paramedics said had it hit his front driver's side door he would have been busted up really bad. So we are thankful it is just his leg. His left leg hit his door with such force that it fractured his shin bone at the top of the bone. It is a vertical fracture just below his knee. It will require surgery to put screws in the bone so that it will heal properly. The surgery cannot be done until the swelling goes down. His knee is swollen the same size as his thigh.

He is not getting much pain relief at all. We will probably be back in the ER before the weekend is out. So please pray for him concerning his pain.

But through it all GOD IS GOOD!!! Thank you for your prayers!!

God Has Been So Good To Me!!!!

2010-02-05T08:08:00.002-05:00

Psalm 34:1b "...I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth."

Do I deserve God's goodness toward me? Absolutely not!! I fail Him every single day and most days....not just once but many times. Yet He remains faithful to forgive when I ask Him and He comes right back and blesses me again and again.

He knows my frame and He knows I'm capable of messing up. The key is to my realizing when I mess up (and if you are right with Him and walking close to Him you will know when you do) and confessing it to Him and making it right. He will certainly let us know when we don't...life will be come a bit more difficult when we don't confess it and make it right. And the longer we go without doing that the more difficult things will become.

So WHEN you mess up (and we all do!!!)....confess it immediately and make it right and you will see God's blessings continue to pour out upon your life!!!

Updated Pics Of Candyce

2010-01-28T18:36:00.005-05:00

Many of you have asked for updated pictures of Candyce....so here they are.

My precious grandbaby is now 5 1/2 months old. She is growing so fast!!! We are anxiously awaiting the birth of our first grandson who is due to be born April 14th. Kristina's baby is due on September 20th. We are so thankful for all the Lord is doing in our children's lives.

Hope you enjoy these precious pictures. She is certainly adorable!!!

Big News!!!!!

2010-01-15T13:44:00.009-05:00

Psalm 127:3 "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward."

I realize I'm a bit slow in posting this. And for that I apologize. For several days I suffered with body pain from head to toe. No other symptoms but just soreness like I had severe arthritis but I know that isn't what it was. It has since passed (Thank the Lord!!!!) and I am back to my old self.

This last Tuesday I got a call from our daughter Kristina that she needed me to take her to the doctor. She had been experiencing some pain in her abdomen and since having been sick not long ago her husband thought maybe something else might be going on to be concerned with. I took her to her PCP and he did a pelvic exam and checked the normal things they usually check and found nothing out of the ordinary wrong. So he put in orders for blood work and an ultrasound. We went to the hospital to get the bloodwork done and then to the imaging center to have the ultrasound. We waited at the imaging place to hear back from her PCP and he said the ultrasound showed a little fluid on one of her ovaries but that could be a cyst. He said he was still waiting on the bloodwork results and that she could go home and he would call her when he got those.

I got a call from her not too much later that she got the results from her bloodwork. The blood tests showed that all was normal. He said that all was normal except that......

SHE'S GONNA HAVE A BABY!!!!!

So I'm going to be a Nanna for the fifth time!!! Yes I said fifth time!!! Ronnie and Jessica had two miscarriages and then gave birth to our first granddaughter on August 12, 2009. Our youngest daughter Michelle is due to give birth to our first grandson in April and now Josh and Kristina have given us our fifth grandchild. Wow!!! It blows my mind to say that!!!! I never thought I'd see the day!!! I praise God for it that is for sure!!

I ask that you all pray for Kristina as she carries this baby and that all will go well with the pregnancy. Also please pray for Michelle as she completes her pregnancy and delivers our grandson John Michael in a couple of months.

Thank you also to all those of you who continue to follow my blog although I have not kept up with it as well as I would like. You all are the only reason I even keep posting at all!! I love you all!!

People Are Watching

2010-01-04T08:39:00.003-05:00

PEOPLE ARE WATCHING THE WAY YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE,
IF YOUR TESTIMONY BRINGS GLORY AND HONOR TO CHRIST;
WHEN HARD TIMES COME ALONG YOUR WAY,
PEOPLE WILL BE LISTENING TO WHAT YOU SAY.

PEOPLE ARE WATCHING THE WALK YOU WALK,
THEY ARE LISTENING TO THE TALK THAT YOU TALK;
IF YOU BECOME DISHEARTENED, WEARY, OR WEAK,
THEY STILL TAKE NOTE OF EVERY WORD YOU SPEAK.

PEOPLE ARE WATCHING TO SEE THE STAND YOU TAKE,
SOME ARE EVEN WAITING FOR YOU TO MAKE A MISTAKE;
SO STAY FAITHFUL TO THE TASK THE LORD GIVES YOU TO DO,
FOR FAITHFULNESS IS SOMETHING PEOPLE NOTICE, TOO.

YES, PEOPLE ARE WATCHING, AND ALWAYS WILL BE,
YOUR LIFE SHOULD BE A LIGHT THAT OTHERS MIGHT ALWAYS SEE;
SO KEEP YOUR LIGHT SHINING BY STAYING ON YOUR KNEES,
FOR THERE YOU'LL FIND STRENGTH FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED.

There is always someone watching your life, so stay on your knees, and the Lord will give you the strength you need.

(This poem was written with the help of the Lord by a dear friend of mine who has written many wonderful, touching and encouraging poems. This poem spoke to my heart and I wanted to share it with you all.)

The Discipline of Darkness

2009-10-15T12:04:00.003-05:00

Isaiah 50: (vs. 3) "I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering. (vs. 4) The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. (vs. 9) Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. (vs. 10) Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. (vs. 11) Behold, all ye that kindle a fire that compass yourselves about the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow."

We all go through dark times in our life. Sometimes we ask why we are going through it. Only God can lead the way through that darkness. Sometimes nothing seems to make sense.

We need to be asking God "how" not "why". We need to ask Him how to use the time of darkness in our life. He has a purpose for us and something for us to learn as we go through it. Unfortunately we usually find ourselves asking "why" looking for answers to that instead of asking "how" we can be used in that time and what He wants us to learn in the midst of it.

If you are not in a dark time right now you need to enjoy it and praise God for it but be assured that there is a time of darkness ahead for you at some point. The Christian life is an ever learning experience. God does not desire for us to stay in the same place in our Christian walk. One of the key ways He uses for us to grow is to allow us to go through dark times.

Those of greatest devotion to God may know the darkest of times. In verse 10 we are told that when going through dark times we must keep our trust and focus on the God.

The faith that is born in the light is often developed in the dark. The test of our character is what we do in the dark and how we respond to it. God develops our faith when we look to and lean on Him. Isaiah 45:3 "And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel." He will also give us many blessings (treasures and hidden riches) that we may not recognize when we are going through that darkness. When my brother was murdered I didn't recognize the grace God was giving me until someone pointed it out to me when I requested prayer for the man that killed him. I wanted him to be saved. He has a soul just like any of us do. And in reality I was no better than him before I got saved. God had mercy on me and saved me and I wanted Jaime to have that same opportunity. I do thank God for the grace that He gave me and continues to give me. But that grace is a treasure and a hidden riches that I did not recognize in the midst of that dark time.

God is the Author of that darkness when we are afraid to obey God in the light. One of the dangers of being in darkness is trying to light our own fire. God will let us do it too and make a mess of it. Man-made fire is deceptive. We need to have a teachable spirit in those dark times. God has someone He wants us to help as a result of our dark times.

If things are dark for you now....have the right spirit about it and know this....that things may be dark now but the light will come again.

"Thank You Lord for the dark times in my life. They are not pleasant when going through them but I know they make me more like You in the end if I let them."

Audioministries Blog

2009-10-06T13:27:00.004-05:00

My son-in-law Josh has started a blog for the ministry that God has him and my daughter Kristina in called Audioministries. The ministry shares preaching messages that he has either recorded himself or has had sent to him in order to share with anyone who has an interest in listening to them and sharing them with others. It is a wonderful ministry and no doubt God has used it mightily. I know that he has a couple of my husband's messages on his website and I have received feedback of how God has used those messages to help someone in one way or another. God has led him to start a blog also.

Please go by and check out his blog and listen to the messages that he posts and read the articles that he will be sharing. I know he will appreciate you visiting his blog.

Updated Pics of Candyce

2009-10-06T06:53:00.002-05:00

Nanna and Candyce

How precious!!!

Mommy, Daddy and Candyce

Our beautiful granddaughter!!!

I Promise I'm Still Around

2009-10-05T14:30:00.003-05:00

Hello all!! I'm still here. I know....I said once I got moved that I'd be back to blogging. It has been one thing after another it seems. I am still unpacking and trying to find places for things and giving away other things. We down-sized to a three bedroom townhouse from a four bedroom two story house. I didn't realize how much stuff we had till we tried to fit into our smaller place. It is sad that I haven't gotten everything put away and unpacked yet. We have been in our new home for over a month now.

Now we are facing my husband having surgery. Nothing serious....just what is called a lipoma. It is a fatty mass on the left side of his back. It is the size of a baseball and goes deep into the muscle tissue. He will have surgery (as of right now) on November 5th to have it removed. That will take about a week of recuperation time and me caring for him during that time.

All is well other than that though. Candyce is growing so fast and is just adorable!!! Ronnie and Jessica are doing well. Kristina and Josh are doing great as well. God is blessing both their families and answering many prayers for which we are very thankful. Michelle is expecting a baby due in March. Her boyfriend is in Afghanistan and should be back in time for the baby to be born. We are very excited about this newest grandbaby. Michelle knows we are not happy about how this all came about...and she is very disappointed in herself and her boyfriend is disappointed in himself....but we count each pregnancy a blessing from God and know God has a purpose and a reason for allowing this. Please pray for Michelle and the baby who we call Baby Blessing since the daddy's last name is Blessing. Michelle and John plan to be married once he gets back from Afghanistan.

Life has been busy but has also been a joy. God has been so good to me and I praise Him and thank Him for everything He is doing in all of our lives. Thank you all for checking in and I really do hope to be back to regular blogging soon. Just please be patient with me and don't forget about me.

In the meantime please feel free to go back and read my past posts in my Topics of Interest section of my blog. There is much good reading there. Love you all and I still pray for each of you that come by!!!

Pictures of Candyce

2009-08-17T13:04:00.003-05:00

Candyce and her great grandma

She looks like a doll.

She is adorable.

Candyce with her great grandma again.

Candyce with her Aunt Kristina and Uncle Josh.

Pictures of Candyce

2009-08-17T12:50:00.002-05:00

PawPaw and Candyce

Nanna and Candyce

Eyes open and just precious!!!

I love her sooooo much!!!

She is wearing the dress that her mommy wore
home from the hospital when she was born.

Pictures of Candyce

2009-08-17T12:31:00.002-05:00

Daddy looking at his baby girl.

Mommy looking at her baby girl.

One of the pics the hospital was taking with Candyce in her daddy's hand.

Ronnie is SO exhausted!!

Our precious gift from God!!

Candyce Is Here!!!

2009-08-14T17:18:00.002-05:00

I am so sorry I have not posted. We got the call from Ronnie on Tuesday evening (August 11th...her due date) that Jessica was having contractions 10 minutes apart. He was saying they may end up at the hospital before the night was over because her contractions were becoming quite painful and he wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to tolerate them. The next call I got was at about 9:00 that evening saying they were on their way to the hospital. We waited to hear from him that they were keeping her because we had gone the week before and they ended up sending her home. It was about 30 minutes later that I couldn't stand it any longer....I called him to find out what was going on and he said they were checking here at that moment. I held on the line and he told me she was dilated to a three and that they were keeping her. So my husband and I got in the car and headed to the hospital. I called Kristina and Josh and told them and they too left to head to the hospital.

Long story short....after a long night at the hospital and my husband having to leave at 7:30am so he could go home and get some sleep since he had to work that night....Candyce was born at 10:49am. She weighed 7 pounds and was 20 inches long. Jessica did great and God blessed us with a very healthy and beautiful baby. Jessica and Candyce are doing wonderful and are now Ronnie, Jessica and Candyce are home starting their new lives together as a family of three.

I will post pictures when I have time. I have been up for 35 hours this time and was up for 39 hours the night of the hospital stay. I have enjoyed getting to hold our granddaughter and watch Jessica and Ronnie love on her and care for her. She already has them both wrapped around her little finger.

Please pray for Jessica's recuperation from the delivery as of course she is quite sore. Check back for pictures soon.

Update On Jessica and Candyce

2009-08-11T16:22:00.002-05:00

I have gotten comments asking about Jessica and the baby so I thought I would post to update you. First of all she made her blog private due to some anonymous comments being left that were upsetting her. I've had some too which is why I have had to eliminate anonymous comments altogether. I know that will prevent my sister and others from visiting but the devil has been on the attack of my beliefs and standards and convictions. So I have had to change my settings of who can view my blog.

Now...as for what is going on with Jessica and the baby. Jessica is in true labor as of this afternoon. She has been having irregular contractions for over two weeks now. She went to the dr this morning and her midwife said she has not started to dilate yet. She has been having VERY strong contractions all afternoon that have been consistently 10 minutes apart and are lasting 2 minutes with each one. We believe this is the real deal now. She is having to stop in her tracks and breathe with each one. She cannot lay down for them hurting so much worse.

Please pray for her and for Candyce...and Ronnie too!! Jessica is weary from lack of sleep due to her contractions keeping her from sleeping lately. She is thinking she may not be able to do this when it gets worse with the pain. She needs all of our prayers right now. Thank you so much. I will post more as I know more. And of course there will be pictures when Candyce gets here.

Pictures of Kristina and Josh's Wedding

2009-07-21T14:54:00.003-05:00

If you would like to see a slideshow of some of the pictures from the wedding you can go to the photographer's blog here to see them. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I did. Kayla did an awesome job on the pictures!!!

Mr. & Mrs. Joshua C_________

2009-07-13T14:48:00.004-05:00

It's me!! Have you forgotten who I am by now? I know....it has been a crazy last few months. But I have good news....I shall soon return to blogging....I hope!!

The sentencing is over for the man that murdered my brother. He is currently serving 30 years in prison. It was a long process to see him put behind bars for what he did...but that chapter is over.

Another chapter is over as well and a new one has begun. The chapter of Kristina's single life and the wedding that we were planning has come and gone. She is now married to the love of her life and is on her honeymoon. They are having a terrific time. It is a real adjustment for me and my husband. I have cried tears and asked the Lord to help me adjust. When you have had children with you your entire marriage (over 23 years of your life) it is very different to no longer have them with you at home. Even my husband is finding it strange and difficult to adjust. But a new chapter is beginning....that chapter is of her being a wife and sometime in the future a mother. I am looking forward to this next chapter of being a Nana in my life.

Jessica is doing great. She is blossoming and glowing. Her and Ronnie are doing well. She told me today she is having contractions....sporadic ones but contractions nonetheless. That is our next big event.

My husband and I are also currently looking for a house to move to closer to his job. He currently drives an hour and a half one way to work and that is difficult for anyone under any circumstances but he works the overnight shift and that shift is a more difficult shift to work since God intended for man to sleep when it is dark not be awake and working.

I hope to be back to blogging regularly again soon. I am still needing to work in order to help keep us afloat. Once we move I should not have to work any longer. I am very excited about that since I miss keeping up with my blog. I will post more pictures of the wedding once Kristina gets her posted. I do not want to take away from her the opportunity to share with everyone about her special day. So check back....I'll either have pictures or a link for you to go to so you can see hers.

Busy Weekend

2009-06-06T06:12:00.002-05:00

I work this morning and this afternoon then I'll be off to go to Kristina's wedding shower that her aunt is throwing for her and Josh. That should be so fun and such a blessing to see and meet all those that will be there from Josh's family and to see what they get for their house. Then tomorrow the church is having a bridal shower for her in the afternoon. Time is going by so quickly and there is still SO much left to do. We painted at her house yesterday and the house looks soooooo good!! Josh has done an awesome job with it fixing it up.

Also this morning is the first annual memorial bike ride in memory of my brother. He was a Marine and all donations from entering the bike ride are going to the Toys 4 Tots organization that the Marine Corps contributes to. My sister told me there were going to be at last report as many as 200 bikes taking part in the ride. I'm not able to be there due to not being able to get off work and both of Kristina's showers. My heart and my thoughts are going to be with my family as they take part in that bike ride but maybe I can make it next year. I hope to post pictures when my sister is able to send me some from the day.

Have a great weekend!!

I Know...I Know....

2009-05-25T07:22:00.004-05:00

I know...I know. It's been FOREVER since I've posted anything. I have to be honest. I've not had much to post on in the devotional area of late. Well...that isn't entirely true either. I have but just haven't taken the time to sit down and do it. There has been so much going on that I've just been consumed with. Not so much physically but moreso emotionally and spiritually. I've been in a lull of sorts and have been trying to deal with it in my own way. My own way is to basically withdraw and deal with it on my own. Just me and the Lord. I have been posting on my Facebook but that has been the extent of it lately.

Kristina is now 47 days away from being married to her sweetheart. So we are quite busy planning for that special day. There is much to do before that day arrives. July 11th is that day and it will be here before we know it. I was telling her the other day it seems like just last week it was going to be 108 more days till the wedding. Now we are at 47 days.

I've also been dealing with the whole thing of my brother's murder. That has been quite a thing to go through lately. The man that murdered him signed a plea deal and we had the first sentencing on March 23rd. The second sentencing for the second charge of arson was to be on May 19th but that didn't happen. My parents, my sister and I all drove to Mississippi for that sentencing only to find out after arriving there that the sentencing had been continued. So that trip was a wasted trip. We did get the estate settled (which was quite emotional as well) but no sentencing took place. So now we are headed back to Mississippi on Monday (my parents) and Tuesday for me to HOPEFULLY see this all be finalized and hopefully get SOME closure on this. The sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday at 2:30 CST. I thought I was doing well with all of this until we settled the estate and found out that we'd have to wait another week for the sentencing. I have cried and cried and cried every day since last Monday. I found that I'm not handling it all as well as I had thought. Other things are going on in my life that are having an effect on me as well.

It also broke my heart that Michelle came down a couple of weekends ago to get the rest of her things to take them to NC with her. That pretty much told me that she does not plan to come back home. That also tore my heart out. She is dating a young man in the Army by the name of John. From what we can tell he is a wonderful person and we hope to meet him when he comes back from his deployment for R&R. He truly seems to love Michelle and for that I'm very thankful.

The better news is that Jessica and Ronnie are expecting their little girl Candyce to make her arrival sometime after the first of August. Jessica says they are not real sure of her specific due date now because Jessica is measuring a week ahead of the original due date. So they are hoping to know more at the next ultrasound appointment. We are very excited about getting to meet our granddaughter very soon. We praise the Lord that all is going well!!!

So that is what has been going on. Please continue to pray for my family and me. Pray the sentencing happens this time with no more continuances. We need this to be over!! Thank you all so much for you blogging friendship and your continued support and visits to Julie's Jewels. I love you all more than you will ever know.

Youth Today....

2009-04-28T09:06:00.002-05:00

"Many youth today are reaching out for thrills and kicks, only to clutch the spider's web of sin and plunge in their ruin."

How many of us know young people who are doing just what that quote says? I know several. In fact...I'm sure we can all say that we know at least one young person who is indulging in sinful activity or activity that is not pleasing to God and are headed for destruction. They don't see that they are....but they are. The devil is a sly being who works subtly in people's lives. He has a plan to accomplish and he won't stop until he accomplishes that goal. The only one that can keep him from accomplishing that goal is the individual that he is working on.

We have the privilege and opportunity to pray for each young person we know that they would not give in to the wiles of the devil. God desires to use each one to further His plan to reach others with the gospel of Christ. We as parents need to be praying and seeking God in His Word for how to train up our children so as not to give the devil ammunition to use against us and our children. He has enough ammunition on his own without help from us parents. My desire for each of my children is that my children walk in the truth of God's Word and live according to His ways.

What is your desire for your children and/or the young people that you know in your life?

3 John 1:4 "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."

What Is Grace??

2009-04-16T19:14:00.003-05:00

Titus 2: (11) "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men," (12) "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;" (13) "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;" (14) "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (15) "These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let now man despise thee."

A person cannot adequately describe the grace of God. There are different definitions that people will give. But however you define it....it is a favor freely bestowed without anything asked for in return. It is an act beyond normal behavior.

It is awesome...amazing and mind-boggling.

(Verse 11) It is emancipating grace. Man tried everything and it failed him. God does not love us and did not die because we deserved it or are worthy of it. He loves us and died for us because He can't help it and wants to do it.

(Verse 12) It is educating grace. It schools us and teaches us. We need to live like we have God's grace. His grace gave us victory over our past and it can give us victory over our present. Soberly is our inward relationship-righteous is our outward relationship and godly is our upward relationship. But to live in His grace we must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. We are all lured and enticed by ungodliness and worldly lusts. If you say you aren't then you are fooling yourself.

I've been convicted and given up some things in my Christian life...and it's God's grace that helped me to do that and helps me stick to it.

(Verse 13) It is expecting grace. Verse eleven takes care of our past. Verse 12 takes care of our present. This verse takes care of our future. We can expect the Blessed Hope. Before we were saved we possessed no hope. The grace of God found me when I had no hope and gave me an everlasting hope. AMEN!!

2009-04-09T09:30:00.003-05:00

You Should Do What You Can Do

Jesus once said of Mary, "She hath done what she could." Most of us can do but a few things. Our talents are limited, but in serving Christ there is a place for whatever gift we may have. God does not hold us responsible for gifts we do not possess, but we are accountable to Him for the use of whatever gifts we do possess.

A Busy Week

2009-04-07T09:47:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone!! I know you came by looking for a devotional post. I'm sorry to say that I don't have one prepared for this week yet. I've been quite busy with work and church. I worked Thursday through Saturday and then had church on Sunday. We also are having the Georgia statewide Preachers Fellowship at our church that goes until tonight. Today the services are all day but I wasn't able to go due to having to get laundry done. There hasn't been much opportunity to get that done for my husband the past couple of days. So today is devoted to that.

I hope to have a post put up later this week. The preachers fellowship last night was wonderful. We heard great preaching and it was great to see some preachers that we had not seen in a while. The church was full!! What a blessing!! We also got to have a visiting choir to come sing for us. One of my blogging friends was there since it was her choir (and she is a member of it) was singing last night. Sis. Leah...it was a true joy and blessing to get to see you again!!

I pray all of you are doing well. Please pray for the meeting tonight (Tuesday night) that those pastors and preachers that are going through tough times right now would get help and encouraged by fellowshipping with other pastors and preachers and also by the preaching and the singing. I think many got help last night!! Praise the Lord!!!

Grief + Grace = Glory

2009-03-30T09:14:00.003-05:00

II Corinthians 12:7-10 "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Grief + Griping = Gloom...this tends to be the equation that fits in most people's lives. It has been in my life before. But I'm happy to say that grief + grace DOES = glory. I've let God's grace enter into my life in the last year and I can say "GLORY!!!". I have experienced the glory in the midst of my grief. Praise the Lord!!!

II Corinthians 11:23-30 These are too many verses for me to quote here but I encourage you to go and read these passages of Scripture. If we had gone through even a little of what Paul had gone through...some of us would turn our backs on God. But God's grace got him through. Many of us reject God's grace and stay home from church when they have a headache or sore throat...yet they will go to work with the same ailment. It takes God's grace to get through such things as what Paul experienced. Nothing BUT God's grace.

II Corinthians 12:7-8 "...a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me." Paul had a thorn in his flesh and he asked God three times to take it from him. But God chose not to remove it but rather to give him the grace to endure. God's grace is MORE than sufficient. We need to remember that "no" is still an answer. He will not always say "yes". If God says "no" then He has something better ahead because of that "no".

God's grace is unlimited. It is not only enough but it is more than enough. God's grace cannot be found in a bottle, a pill or a psychiatrist. God's grace ONLY comes from God. It is a greater and more perfect fix than any of the fixes that this world tries to get. At the end of Paul's life he did not say he quit the race or that he gave up the fight. He said he finished his course. He knew the Source of his comfort.

God's grace IS sufficient. It's not was...it's not gonna be...it's not might be...IT IS!!! God IS!!! Verse 9 "...My grace is sufficient..." That means has been...is now...and is going to be in the future. If you have a thorn...God may choose to leave it in our life but God will give grace to us as we see God leave it there.

Jesus--The Ultimate Sacrifice

2009-03-21T09:38:00.002-05:00

Hebrews 10:12 "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;"

Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice for sin. No other sacrifice has been needed. The Old Testament sacrifices covered sins but it was only good for a little while and then another sacrifice would be needed. That is no longer the case. Jesus is the COMPLETE sacrifice!!!

No other sacrifice for sin is needed!! Hallelujah!!! Praise His holy name!!! Does that excite you like it does me? I hope so!!

I know this is a short post....but it is on my heart this morning and I'm rejoicing in this fact today. If you have trusted the Jesus Christ and His atonement for sin....then you should be rejoicing as well. I think I'll take a moment and shout..... WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!

Have a great day and a great weekend!!

One + One = You

2009-03-16T14:20:00.004-05:00

Romans 5:17 "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ."

One man got us into trouble...the first Adam. Only one man could get us out of trouble...the last Adam. Satan attacked both but only the last Adam could conquer him.

In the first Adam we all died. In the last Adam we were made alive. One man was a sinner and one man was the Savior. Because of the first we are all sinners...but because of the last we can be saints.

One sinner plus one Savior equals a child of God. One sinner plus church membership does not equal that. One sinner plus baptism does not equal that. Just as only one added to one equals two...only one sinner plus one Savior can equal a child of God. He is the missing element in a sinner's life.. Where sin distorted our past...the grace of God settled our present and our future.

Christ does for us what we CANNOT do for ourselves. We cannot make ourselves righteous. Isaiah 64:6a "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;..." Christ is the only One Who can.

In Genesis chapter 3 sin abounded in the family. It took a blood sacrifice to cover them in their sin and it took the ultimate and final blood sacrifice of the precious Lamb of God to cover the sins of all mankind.

In Genesis chapter 6 sin abounded in the flood. In Numbers chapter 21 sin abounded in the fiery serpents. Sin also abounded in the final assault that was given on Calvary. But Christ conquered forever that enemy of the assault.

Just as the first Adam stepped down to his bride to be condemned with her and stayed down....Jesus stepped down from Heaven to identify with us and raised us up.

One sin PLUS one Savior = You!!!

It'll Have To Wait

2009-03-09T10:58:00.003-05:00

I was going to post today but it will have to wait till my next opportunity. Um...well...I should say I was going to post a devotional post that is. I guess you could say I am posting huh? LOL!! Kristina is not feeling well at all today and needs me to babysit my niece for her since she can't. So I won't be able to put the time into posting that I planned. It depends how she feels tomorrow that will determine if I get to post then. If not then I'll post it possibly Thursday.

I will go ahead and update you all really quick on the latest news. I hadn't posted it yet for whatever reason. It has been said that I didn't care enough about the latest event to post about it. That is simply not true. The news is (and most of you already know this) that Kristina is now engaged to her sweetheart Josh. They are planning a July 11, 2009 (yes...that is this July!!!) wedding. I have been having to work and then just hadn't posted it yet. The date was not officially set until Friday night. They wanted to make sure that our pastor (Bro. Joe Arthur...who is VERY busy!!) would be able to take part in it. So it has been set. They got engaged on January 31st. Kristina, her daddy and I went out to eat with Josh and his parents after the singing we had at our church with the Inspirations. We went to the place where Kristina and Josh first sat down and talked face to face....Arby's!! It happens to be both of their favorite restaurant...so how fitting that the proposal should be there. Kristina was totally surprised!! We are very excited and happy for Kristina and Josh. Josh will be (Lord-willing) closing on their house this week and then he can begin to fix it up for them to move into when they are married.

It has been a joy watching these two get to know one another. I have never seen Kristina like she is with Josh. They are soooooo in love!!

Jessica and the baby are doing great!! Well..the baby is anyway. Jessica still stays sick a lot of the time....just not AS sick. They did find out they are having a girl. The name is Candyce LeeAnn. Jessica is beginning to show really well for which we are very excited about. She is also feeling Candyce kick alot. We are anxious for when Ronnie can actually feel her kick. So far Jessica gets to experience everything. Thank you for praying for them and please continue to.

Michelle is doing well NOW!! She just got over a bout with Scarlet Fever. She had me VERY concerned for her. But she is well again and past that. Praise the Lord!!!

I pray you all have a great day and please check back for my next post. I hope to have it posted sometime this week.

Are You Blessing The Lord?

2009-03-02T18:26:00.003-05:00

Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth."

I love this verse!! It is one of my favorite verses. Whenever I think of this verse I am reminded that no matter what comes into my life....I should bless the Lord at ALL times. Not just when things are going well...but when things are not going so well. His praise shall CONTINUALLY be in our mouths. Maybe things aren't going too well for you today and you don't feel like you have anything to bless the Lord for. You are wrong!! If you are saved and belong to Him...you have much to bless Him for.

Let's all take time out right now to bless His name and thank Him for His MANY blessings!! Count your MANY blessings...name them one by one!!

The School Of Opportunity

2009-02-20T08:19:00.003-05:00

Philippians 4:11 "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

Paul rejoiced in the things that the church at Philipi had done. But he also rejoiced in those things that they wanted to do but didn't have the opportunity to do. They didn't always have the resources to do so. But God did and He always met the need that Paul had. We may not have opportunity to meet someone's need...but God is pleased with us just wanting to meet the need. God will have someone else that He will use to meet that need. So don't be upset that you can't meet that need for someone...just pray for that one that God desires to use to meet it. (vs. 10) "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity."

Just as the key verse says...Paul had learned no matter the situation or the need to be content. We need to learn this too. We won't always understand it all...but we are to be content. No matter how bad things are or how deep the valley...we are to be content. Jesus didn't always have it easy...but He was no doubt content.

(vs. 8-10a) "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly,...." Paul's attitude was that he rejoiced. He did not come to this attitude overnight. It was a process of learning. We will not learn to be content overnight either. We will need to learn it over time.

Paul was not a spiritual super-human. He experienced trials and testings that taught him to learn to be content. God used each one to teach him....not just some of them and then let him go through the others for nothing. Each one was a test.

We will go through tough times as well. We can come through them being a better Christian. Paul came through everything he faced being a stronger and better Christian...but only because of Christ and His strength. It was not Paul that got him through. It was Christ and His strength. (vs. 13) "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

I am not anything special. I am what I am by God's amazing grace. I'm still learning much. Have I learned to be content. No...I'm still learning. God has been and continues to be merciful with me.

The opportunities to learn this thing of being content are endless. We need to pass each test in order to get to this point of being content. Are you passing each test? As you pass one test (just like with school) the tests will get more and more difficult. But eventually you will have learned it if you pass each test. When you fail a test...you must go back and take the test again until you pass that particular test. Let's be like Paul and learn to be content.

Just An Update

2009-02-18T09:41:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone!! I just wanted to let you know I'm still alive. My work schedule has changed and so with that and helping Kristina babysit my niece Hannah when I am at home then catching up on household things while I have the chance....it has made me have to put my blogging on the back burner so-to-speak. I do have several posts that I have on my heart and prepared to put up...it is just a matter of getting the time to post them. Please know that I am still visiting blogs and seeing what you all are up to and of course I pray for all of you when I pray. God allowed our paths to cross for whatever reason. Some of you I know come by and others I don't. But I know that God knows who does and you are who I am praying for.

God has a purpose in everything that He does and allows.

Ronnie and Jessica are doing well. The pregnancy is going very well. Jessica has been quite sick...but she is beginning to look pregnant and that is very exciting to us all. Kristina and Josh's courtship is going well too. They have a house and will begin fixing it up soon and preparing their new home for living in. We still have no wedding date but know that it won't be a long time from now. I'll keep you all updated. I guess I forgot to tell you that they officially got engaged three weeks ago. Michelle is still in NC and is doing pretty well. She is working and babysitting and has a boyfriend now who seems to be really good to her. I'm just praying for God's will. My husband is working his twelve hour shifts for the sheriff department and loves his job. The only thing he hates is that it doesn't allow him the time he would like to devote to the ministry. But we know that in time God will let us get to the place where he can devote all his time to that. For now he is still preaching in the prisons at least once a month and sometimes twice. Souls are being saved and that is such a blessing!!

Well...it is about that time....time for me to head out to work. Thank you to all who continue to come by and visit. It is truly a blessing that you do!! Just know that I am praying for YOU!!! I love you all!!

Deal Or No Deal

2009-02-09T11:18:00.004-05:00

Mark 13:5-6 "And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."

I'm sure you've all heard of or seen the game show "Deal Or No Deal". On the show the contestant has a case that he or she has chosen. In that case is a dollar amount between $.01 and $1,000,000. They do not know what is in that case. They begin choosing other cases one by one to eliminate dollar amounts to try to determine what is in their case and if they want to stay with their case for the duration of the game or take offers that the banker would offer at the end of each round. Most of the offers were nothing but dollar amounts...but sometimes he would throw in other things that the contestant really wanted or had a passion for.

Our pastor had mentioned working on a message by the same title as my post. When he mentioned that the Lord gave me a thought.....

We are each given a case. God has chosen our case. The devil is the banker in our life. He is constantly offering us a deal to try to keep us from keeping the case God has given us. In our case is God's will (whatever that is for our life). The devil wants to buy our case from us. He will offer the best looking and sounding offer. But it is our choice to take the deal or turn it down. No matter what it is the devil is offering....no matter how good it sounds...it is not as good as what God has for us in the case He has given us.

God is sovereign. He makes no mistakes and will never lead us astray. The devil's desire is to do just that. Don't take the deal he is offering you. Stick with the case God has given you no matter how good the offer sounds that the devil is offering you. If you do...you'll win the jackpot of His blessings.

So my question to you is this my Friend.....Deal or no deal?

We Are Commanded To Be Separate

2009-02-06T12:42:00.002-05:00

II Corinthians 6:14, 17 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate."

Separation of light from darkness is a command of God from the very beginning of Scripture. God divided the light from the darkness. The very word "separate" in II Corinthians 6:17 is the Greek word "aphorize", from which we get our word horizon. That's where darkness and light are divided. It means literally to be marked off by boundaries.

The very word "church" means a called out body. We are called to be separate, marked off as different from the world.

We are commanded to separate from unbelievers to come out from among them. We are not to be unequally yoked together with them. We must not marry an unbeliever....to do so is to be unequally yoked. We must not link up in spiritual endeavors with those who are not saved. To do so sends a mixed signal of what we stand for and what we believe.

Matthew 10:34 "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." It is not popular to take a stand for separation but I can tell you that God's Word is full of warnings about it. Are you living a separated Christian life or do you live daily leaving people to wonder who you are serving and what you believe?

The Road From Jesus

2009-02-03T10:43:00.002-05:00

Luke 2:44-45 "But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him."

How far are people willing to travel without the Lord?

Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem every year after the feast of the passover. The trip was about 89 miles to go from Nazareth to Jerusalem one way. They walked the entire way. You can imagine it took quite a bit of time to make that trip.

Verse 43 "And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it." They had fulfilled or completed their journey. In other words they had returned back to Nazareth. The problem was that they had left Jesus behind in Jerusalem. They had forgotten to take Jesus with them.

Many people are doing that today. They go to church...are in His presence in the service...yet they don't even realize it and when they leave the church. They leave Him behind. They forget about Him and have no regard or concern for Him to be with them.

We are critical of Joseph and Mary and wonder how they could do such a thing. But wait...we are no better than they are. Some of us are going to church and forgetting Him and leaving Him behind. You say "shame on them"...I say "shame on us."

Verse 44 "But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance." They supposed Him to be "in the company". Are we supposing Him to be "in the company"? Are you thinking Him to be with you...but you have forgotten Him? Let's go a step further. Do you suppose Him to be in the company of your heart...but you have left Him behind? You profess that He is with you....but in reality He isn't. Are you clinging to your church membership or your baptism? Or are you clinging to Him? Salvation is in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ...not in church membership or baptism.

Some are saved. You know He is in the company of your heart but you've forgotten Him in your daily life. Do you recognize Him and acknowledge Him in your daily life? We cannot walk down our daily road of life and forget Him. Maybe I should say we can...but we shouldn't.

Joseph and Mary found Him in the temple. Where have you left Him? Did you leave Him at church? Have you gotten out of church? Did you leave Him in your Bible reading? Have you not been reading your Bible like you should? Did you leave Him in your prayer time? Are you neglecting your prayer time? Search your heart and determine where you left Him at then go back to it to find Him.

The sad thing about Joseph and Mary is that they had gotten far away from God and didn't even know it. Don't get so far away from God that you don't even realize it.

I Say Amen!!!

2009-01-27T09:29:00.003-05:00

*** "The reason some folks don't believe in missions is that the brand of religion they have isn't worth propagating."

*** "As you walk through your house, how many things can be found that would give evidence to a stranger that it is a Christian home."

*** "Give Satan an inch and he'll try to be a ruler."

*** "The only limits to prayer are the promises of God and His ability to fulfill those promises."

*** "Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself but because it contradicts them."

*** "There are aids to Bible reading but no substitutes for Bible reading."

*** "Don't put a question mark where God puts a period!!"

*** "Love and holiness belong together, but love must be holy even as holiness must be loving."

Can you say "AMEN" to any or all of these? I certainly can say "AMEN" to ALL of them. I found these in the January issue of the Sword of the Lord.

I am feeling really bad that I have not been posting more lately. Those of you who are long-time followers and readers of Julie's Jewels know that I've always been pretty good at posting most every day or at least several times a week. We have had many trials in our family lately and with working on top of that....it has made it somewhat difficult to sit down and post. I keep saying that I will get back to it more faithfully but then something else comes up and I don't end up doing it. Please forgive me and please don't give up on me. I'm still here and hoping to be able to have more time to do more posting. Thank you to those who are still with me.

I also don't get around to reading other blogs like I would like to. But that is something else I hope to get back to being more regular in doing. Thank you to those who have not given up on me or on this blog. I love you all!!!

The "Must" Mandates

2009-01-23T05:18:00.003-05:00

The "must" about God. (Hebrews 11:6) "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The "must" of the Saviour. (Acts 4:12) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

The "must" of salvation. (John 3:7) "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."

The "must" of tough times. (Acts 14:22) "Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."

The "must" of world evangelism. (John 10:16) "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."

The "must" of the judgment seat. (Ii Corinthians 5:10) "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."

The "must" of our glorification. (I Corinthians 15:53) "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."

Taken from the January issue of The Sword of the Lord.

A One-Sided Conversation

2009-01-15T19:34:00.003-05:00

Job 22:27 "Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee,..."

Psalm 119:15 "I will meditate in thy precepts,..."

Have you ever had a conversation that was one-sided? Do you like having those type of conversations? Do you enjoy doing all the talking and the other person having nothing to say? Or do you like the other person doing all the talking and you not getting to say anything. Well...our Heavenly Father doesn't like it either.

So many times we will do all the talking and not give Him opportunity to speak to us. Some will only pray (us talking to Him) and not read their Bible (God's way of talking to us). Others will read and not pray. When we skip out on one of these things...we are having a one-sided conversation.

He loves to hear from us...but He also loves to talk to us. Let's not have one-sided conversations with our Father. Let's talk to Him in prayer and let's also let Him talk to us. Have you talked to Him today? Have you given Him opportunity to speak to you? I pray you've done both. If not....take time to do whatever you've not given opportunity for whether it be you talking to Him or letting Him talk to you.

Don't Quit

2009-01-12T12:51:00.003-05:00

Galatians 6:9 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Are you going through a trial? Is it a difficult time for you? Are you hurting (whether it be physically or emotionally)?

DON'T QUIT!!!

We are all running a race. The beginning of the race is fairly easy. We have a lot of strength at the beginning of the race. But as we get into the race we begin to become weary...even in well doing. We are nearing the end of the race with each step we take. God intends for us to finish the race...and He wants us to finish it well...knowing that we did all He wanted us to do and doing it well. But we fall short in an area of our life in this race...don't quit!! He does not want us to give up and quit. He is right there with you encouraging you to press on. He is telling you "You can do it...keep going...forget the pain and weariness you are feeling...I will give you strength to finish."

So if you are to the point where you think you just can't go on or that you can't take even one more step...remember His words in Hebrews 13:5 "...I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" and in Matthew 28:20 "...lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

He will give you strength to finish this race.

Psalm 18:2 "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."

Psalm 28:7 "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him."

Psalm 118:3 "In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul."

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

So when you think you cannot go another step...lean on Jesus and let Him give you the strength to finish the race. He is with you and He is telling you that with Him and His strength....you CAN finish!!

Keeping The Word

2009-01-07T10:08:00.002-05:00

Psalm 119:2 "Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart."

In Psalm 119 there are 176 verses. This is the longest chapter in the Bible. Eight different words are used for the Scriptures. "Law", "testimonies", "precepts", "statutes", "commandments", "judgments", "word" and "words". This psalm also contains 28 references to keeping the Word. The first one is the verse used for this post.

(verse 4) "Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently."
(verse 5) "O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!"
(verse 17) "Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word."
(verse 34) "Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart."
(verse 60) "I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments."
(verse 106) "I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments."
(verse 67) "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word."

These are a few of them.

This means more than just obeying His commands although this is definitely included. The words keep or kept basically mean guard or preserve as in Psalm 41:2 where both words are used. "The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies."

In these verses and many others throughout the Bible we are commanded not only to obey and proclaim God's Word but also to guard and preserve as well as defend it against all its many enemies. May we never be found guilty of not doing any of these things in our daily walk with the Lord.

Update On The Courtship

2009-01-06T07:51:00.003-05:00

I know you are all probably wondering what has happened to me. Well...I'm still here. Since the new year things have been a bit crazy. We had a lot of family and friends over on New Year's Eve to play pictionary (this has become an annual event it seems). We ate and laughed and had a blast until a few seconds before midnight. Then we prayed in the new year together. That is always the highlight of the night for me.

Kristina's sweetie (Josh) got to be with us New Year's night and got to know a few of our family members and how crazy they are...LOL!! It was a blessing getting to have him with the family for the new year.

The courtship is going well. God still seems to amaze us as to how wonderful His perfect will is. When something is right...it is right. And when God is in it...it can't help but be right. They are already goo-goo over each other. They sit and stare at one another and they take picture after picture of one another. They are taking much time to get to know one another. It amazes me at how much those two have in common. Not only in their beliefs but also in the things that are their favorites. I've never seen two people with so much in common. It really is amazing to me. Josh comes over quite a bit right now to spend time with Kristina since his place of employment is on shut-down until next Monday. Also the past few days I have not felt well so I haven't felt up to blogging.

Please continue to pray for them. They are seeking God's will on some things and do not want to let themselves interfere in those things. We all know how we can tend to let ourselves and what WE want get in the way. And when we do that...things get messed up and we end up having to learn to seek His will and follow His will.

Jessica's pregnancy is going really well. She is already showing and that excites me to no end. She is so sick though. The progesterone that they have her on to help with the development of the baby is what is making her so sick. That is normal. She has been sick to the point of vomiting on a regular basis for a week or so now. Please continue to pray for her. She tries not to complain because she is thankful that things are going along so well...but she is tired in body from the pregnancy and from the being so sick. Ronnie is also having to look for a job since the company he was working for through a temp agency let all the temporary employees go. Please pray that the Lord give him wisdom of where to go for a job and that God's will be done in this situation. It's tough for any of us to go through but when you are a newly married couple expecting a baby....it is even tougher.

I will be back to posting more regularly soon I hope. I pray all of you had a wonderful New Year and that you are looking for great things to happen in 2009. I know I am!!!

Good-Bye 2008...Hello 2009!!

2008-12-30T11:49:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 26:3-4 "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength."

These verses have always meant so much to me in my Christian life...but they took on a whole new meaning in 2008. This past year has been a year of many heartaches for our family. There was the miscarriages of our two precious grandchildren...Michelle leaving our home against the will of God...my brother being murdered...and another tragic situation that I can't go into but can only say that it devastated our family and caused much damage to one of our family members. These verses of Scripture have been the two that I have quoted to myself over and over and over again!! They brought me much strength and comfort just knowing that as long as I stayed focused on Christ that He would give me the strength and grace I needed. I also did a lot of quoting Psalm 34:1 "... I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth." I tried my best to bless Him at all times. Did I succeed? To my shame no I didn't. With what we faced I questioned the Lord and did a bit of murmuring about it all. I'm so thankful for His mercy and His forgiveness though. He saw me through all those times and more. I can't thank Him enough and praise Him enough for how He saw me through it all. I heard the other day a quote and I loved it...."If God will see you to it....He will see you through it." And He has!!

We also had several wonderful things to take place in 2008. Ronnie married his sweetheart on January 26th and gave us two precious grandbabies (who are in Heaven awaiting our arrival) and a third one that is growing in the womb at this very moment...PRAISE THE LORD!! We saw God's hand of protection over our lives as we have traveled to different churches. We have seen God provide for our needs and put on the hearts of pastors and churches to take our family and our ministry on for support. We have seen needs met that we saw no way that they would be. And now we have seen God send our daughter Kristina a godly...separated...kind...considerate...loving...and humble man. So even with all the tragedy that has struck our family this year....we have had some VERY wonderful things to happen as well.

In 2009 there will be other difficulties to come. That is to be expected. The devil is not happy when God's children remain faithful and strive to serve Him with their whole heart and stay in the center of His will. I already know that we will be facing two court trials this coming year. But I am fully confident that God will help me through those times and will give me yet again the strength and grace to praise Him in the midst of it all. Lord-willing we will be able to hold one of our grandbabies in our arms this coming year. And who knows what else the Lord has in store for our lives. I do not know what the future holds for me or my family...but I do know Who holds that future!!!

I pray each of you can reflect and see how God has led your through this past year and be encouraged that He will not be faithful concerning His promise to do it again. So I pray you are not dreading the coming year but are excited about what awaits in it. My prayer is that Jesus come back to take us out of this old sin-sick world to be with Him forever. But if He chooses not to do that in 2009...He has a work for us all to do!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!!

Our Kristina Is Courting!!!

2008-12-27T08:22:00.003-05:00

Yes!! That's right!! To read her story you can go to her blog and read it. We are very excited for her and Josh. God is soooooo good!! Even when we don't realize He is working....He is!! While God was working on Josh's side of things with his parents and his heart...God was working on our side of things as well. I had already been praying for Josh when the comment was made to his mom on December 6th...and it wasn't until I made that comment that I even realized that God had already placed Kristina on his mom's heart. And then to find out that Josh had been praying since this past June is just so exciting. Even his pastor's wife (who we are very close with) had been praying for them both for God's will to be done concerning them for months. I found this out shortly after December 6th. How exciting!!

My husband and I are very excited for them both and are looking forward to the courtship process with them. All I can say is I thank God for answering prayer. He answered prayer for me but He answered prayer for these two young people!!! And it excites me to see it happen. These are two people who thought that they would be much older before God sent them someone just because of their beliefs in courtship and other things that they stand for. And here they are at the ages of 20 (Kris) and 24 (Josh) and courting!! God has met what Kristina has been praying for in a mate in every detail!! That too is very exciting!! And her prayer had been that she would be courting by Christmas and although she had said just days before that she didn't think that was going to happen...I had told her and believed strongly that anything is possible with God and that He promises to grant us the desires of our hearts ACCORDING TO HIS WILL!! And He did that for my daughter!! Praise the Lord!!!

Let this stand as a testimony that God can and will grant us the desires of our hearts as long as we do right and remain faithful to Him. Please go by her blog and read their story of how this all came about. I know you will be blessed!!

Also...an update on Jessica's pregnancy is it is going great!! She has had pretty bad morning sickness...but she is thankful for that. They had the ultrasound and got to hear Lil Peanut's heartbeat Monday. That was a total thrill for them both. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

A Question To Ponder And To Comment On

2008-12-23T06:54:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday in Sunday School we had our Christmas breakfast with our families and then everyone scattered to their respective SS classes. We had an "informal" Sunday School hour and was meditating on it last night. So I thought I would pose the same question to my readers that our Sunday School teacher posed to us.

He asked us to think for a few minutes on what Christmas means to us and what we think Christ would like for us to get out of Christmas this year spiritually. We all get gifts each year at Christmas time. We should also get something from our Saviour each year at Christmas time as well. Is there something that you believe He wants you to get out of Christmas this year?

Some were reflecting on the peace of God. Some spoke of time with family. Some spoke of the gift of giving being something they want to reflect on and what a blessing it is to give.

When I was thinking on this thought Sunday morning it came to mind how so many people forsake Jesus every other day of the year except on Easter and Christmas. Some even consider Him on Thanksgiving. And I'm referring to saved folk....not the lost. I know that there have been times in my Christian life that I have not considered Him every other day of the year. So what I would like to reflect on and consider this Christmas holiday is the importance of considering Him every other day of the year. So many will not be doing that. They will consider Him on Christmas Day....but before then they are considering all the gifts they "need" to buy and all the food they need to cook or make for family coming in. Then they will consider Christ on the day we celebrate His birthday but then be right back to the busy-ness of life the day after Christmas. That my friends is a shame.

So tell me in a comment....what is it you would like to receive or reflect on spiritually this Christmas time? I look forward to seeing your thoughts on this.

Merry Christmas To Each Of You And Your Families

2008-12-22T16:24:00.004-05:00

I know I haven't posted much lately. I've been pretty busy with working and then my usual responsibilities at home. Kristina has been a great blessing with helping out with things around the house. I'm finding that I'm a lot older than I was the last time I worked a job outside the home. I stand on my feet the entire time I'm at work on a concrete floor and it kills my feet and legs. So when I get home I tend to relax if I work in the late afternoon or evening.

God is blessing in our lives lately and we are excited to see what God has in store for us in the coming days.

Ronnie and Jessica went to the doctor today and got to see lil Peanut (that is what I'll call the baby just to give him/her a name for the time being) and got to hear the heartbeat. They are so excited. I also got to see a picture of Peanut. They did find a pocket of blood in Jessica's uterus but they say it is nothing to be concerned about. They told her the pocket could burst and then she would pass a little bit of blood or her body might absorb the blood. Either way they told her it won't affect the baby and in no way means there is any reason for concern. That was a relief since Jessica has been through so much. Please continue to pray for Peanut's growth and Jessica's health.

I pray each of you have a wonderful Christmas holiday with your family and do not forget why we celebrate this holiday. Jeason is truly the reason for the season!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! I love you all!!

A Glance At Modesty

2008-12-15T12:29:00.002-05:00

I was just over at The Baptist Muse and reading the latest posts that have been put on there and found a two part study that was done by Sis. Deborah that Bro. Nicholas posted on his blog. As some of my readers know I put an importance on how we should dress as children of the King. Not it isn't what saves us and/or keeps us saved. God tells us that He looks on the heart of His children. But the outward appearance is very important as well. The world must see a difference in us. For some....we are the only Bible this world will ever see or "read". So our conduct...our conversation and our dress should speak of Christ and of being different from this world.

I would like to give the links to these two posts that were put on The Baptist Muse for further reminders and teaching of how our Saviour expects us to dress and the type of clothing we should and should not wear. I hope you will read these two posts and let the Holy Spirit instruct you and teach you something that maybe you didn't already know.

A Glance At Modesty Part I
A Glance At Modesty Part II

Thank you Sis. Deborah for your study and thank you Bro. Nicholas for posting these posts.

Calvary

2008-12-15T12:15:00.002-05:00

Calvary!
In awe I stand beneath that cross
And gaze upon the One;
Full well I know that suff'ring form
In God's own precious Son.

Calvary!
In fear I stand beneath that cross;
It's not mere man I see,
But God! Creator! King and Lord
Is dying there for me!

Calvary!
In shame I stand beneath that cross,
In shame I hide my face,
For it's my sin which hung Him there;
He died there in my place.

Calvary!
In love I stand beneath that cross
While tears unbidden flow,
To think that He, the sinless One,
Could love a sinner so.

Calvary!
In peace I stand beneath that cross;
Sin's burdens roll away.
The cleansing blood has been applied.
God's peace has come to stay.

~Geneva Showerman~

To this poem I say AMEN, AMEN and AMEN!! I read this and wanted to cry and shout!! Oh that Christ would love me so much that He would be willing to suffer and die for me such as He did. And you know what? He did that for you too!! If this poem doesn't touch your heart then something is wrong. May we NEVER forget what Christ did for us and how much He loved us and still loves us today!!

His Return

2008-12-11T09:25:00.002-05:00

He is coming! He is coming!
We can almost hear the sound
Of His footsteps at the threshold,
And our hearts with gladness bound.

All around us men are seeking,
Turning blind eyes to the light,
Longing, fearing, not yet daring
To escape from sin's dark night.

Yet the message is so simple,
'I will surely come again.'
'Tis the glad news of the Gospel
Ringing sweetly through earth's pain.

When He comes, may I be ready,
Watching, praying, working still,
Though He tarry, may I daily
Learn more perfectly His will.

~Author Unknown~

It Takes So Little......

2008-12-05T07:25:00.002-05:00

Three rules should be observed before one speaks:
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
It takes so little to make us sad--
Just a slighting word or a doubting sneer,
Just a scornful smile on some lips held dear
And our footsteps lag, though the goal seemed near,
And we lose the courage and hope we had--
So little it takes to make us sad.

It takes so little to make us glad--
Just a cheering clasp of a friendly hand,
Just a word from one who can understand,
And we finish the task we long had planned,
And we lose the doubt and the fear we had--
So little it takes to make us glad.

Author: Ida G. Morris

Proverbs 25:11 "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."

I have had to get a job due to my husband not being able to find a job and his health being an issue as to what he can do. I now work at Garden Ridge where I am a cashier. I really do like the job. I love interacting with the customers and getting to be a testimony for the Lord to them and those I work with.

This poem spoke to me as being so true. I have customers that I see standing in line to check out and they appear tired, stressed and even grumpy. When they walk up to my register I try to remember that I don't know what they are facing to make them appear that way. I ask the Lord each day and throughout my time at work to help me to put a smile on the customers faces and somehow brighten their day. I believe the Lord has let me do just that. I try to be cheerful and put a smile on my face when I greet them. Almost every time the customer will smile back and be cheerful in response to my greeting them. I've even gotten the opportunity to share my testimony with a couple of them. That has proven to be a real blessing as well. It almost caused one woman to just about shout right there at my register. That blessed my heart tremendously!!!

So the next time you see someone who seems to have had a rough time and seems to be down...just smile and cheerfully say hello. Just that little bit can make a world of difference.

Update On The Prison Ministry

2008-12-04T08:27:00.003-05:00

I would like to thank the Lord for the year He has given us this year. He moved us in a different direction in the ministry and has directed our steps all along the way. He has blessed us in ways we had not been blessed before. I praise Him for that!!

My husband has been in Florida preaching meetings in the men's state prison there on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and will be having his last service during this trip tonight. When I spoke to him last night he was so excited. Tuesday night he preached two services and one man said he got born-again. Woohoo!! Then last night he said they had over 100 inmates in the service and seven men came forward and said they got saved. What a blessing!!

Before he left for this trip the other day he got a phone call from a pastor that we had been to his church a few months back...he let my husband know that the church had voted to take us on for support. We rejoice at the opportunities God is giving us to share the burden God has given us for the prisoners of America with the churches we have been in so far. We will be in a meeting this Saturday at one of our supporting churches and are looking forward to seeing the people there again. My husband will be preaching in their Jubilee there. We currently have no more meetings scheduled this year. It is always difficult to get meetings during the Christmas season. We look forward to God giving us more opportunities in the coming year.

It truly is a joy to serve the Lord!! Please continue to pray for us as we do what God has called us to do. In fact...pray for all your missionaries that you know and/or support. These are tough times for everyone but even moreso for missionaries and their families.

To God be the glory great things He hath done!!

A Great Site For Preaching CD's

2008-12-03T10:15:00.003-05:00

I would like to take this time to tell you about a ministry that a friend of ours has established with the help of the Lord. It is AudioMinistries.org where you can order preaching cd's to listen to and get help and encouragement from. The young man that has set this up is a godly young man by the name of Bro. Josh. He will not put any preaching messages on his site that are not gun barrel straight doctrinely and biblically. There are many great men of God that have messages on the site being offered. Some of them are as follows: Bro. Jim Veitch, Bro. John Morgan, Bro. Bobby Barnes, Bro. Adam Humphries, Bro. Wayne Henderson and even my husband has a couple of messages being offered on the site.

If you would like to go to the site and see what you'd like to order just click here. The instructions of how to order are on the page you'll be taken to. He asks for donations for the cd's but he does not require one. Please take the time to go by and see what messages are offered. You will not go wrong with ordering any of the messages he has on there. You can tell him you heard of his ministry from my blog.

Exciting News!!!!

2008-12-03T08:19:00.002-05:00

I wanted to wait until my daughter-in-law Jessica said something before I said anything. But I saw on her blog this morning that she has posted about it so I thought I would too.

My son Ronnie and his wife Jessica are expecting another baby. This is the third pregnancy for them. The other two did not make it and are in Heaven today. Jessica called me yesterday morning to let me know the wonderful news of another pregnancy. I'm so excited for them!! They are of course a little apprehensive about it since Jessica has miscarried the past two times. We are praying this pregnancy will go full-term. Her doctor put her on progesterone in hopes that this will help the baby to implant in the uterine wall as it should. That is what didn't happen the last two times. Please pray that God's will be done in this pregnancy and that He allow this pregnancy to go full-term. Ronnie and Jessica have been very patient and are fully trusting God for each pregnancy.

As you pray for the baby please pray for them as well. I'm so proud of them and how they have handled the two prior pregnancies and miscarriages. God has truly blessed them and helped them in ways that only He could.

Thank you all so very much!!

Memorial Service For Bro. J.B. Arthur

2008-12-01T08:13:00.003-05:00

Thank you for all of your prayers for Bro. Joe Arthur's family in this time of mourning over the death of his father Bro. J.B. Arthur.

The family is doing quite well. They are a very close-knit family and although they are sorrowful about their husband and father not being with them here any longer...they rejoice that he is with Jesus and other old-time preacher men who have gone on before. Yesterday was a time of tears and praise for the family and our church. Bro. J.B. would always sit on the front pew and root on his son Bro. Joe. He is very much missed on that pew. One of Bro. J.B.'s bibles is not sitting in the spot where Bro. J.B. used to sit. Both services yesterday consisted of Bro. Joe recalling memories of his daddy and he also preached two of his daddy's messages that he found in one of his daddy's many bibles.

We laughed...we cried...we praised the Lord and we remembered Bro. J.B. as the tremendous man of God that he was. He will be missed very much but we are so thankful that he isn't hurting anymore and he has his full vision back now and can walk without his walker now.

Tonight at Harvest Baptist Tabernacle in Jonesboro, GA there will be a viewing of the body and receiving of friends from the family at 6:00pm and a memorial service will be held beginning at 7:30pm. The Rochesters will be singing and Bro. Joe Arthur will be preaching. If you are in the area and would like to come and pay tribute to this great man of God that has gone on to be with Jesus....please feel free to do so. It would be such a blessing to the family to see the church packed out. They desire to give Bro. J.B. a send-off like the family feels he deserves. If you cannot come...and I know that most of you live too far to do so....please pray for the family. I know that would mean just as much!!

Prayer Request For Our Pastor's Family

2008-11-28T18:34:00.002-05:00

Please remember our pastor and his family (Bro. Joe Arthur) in the passing of his father. I do not know when the service will be but I know that Bro. Joe really needs y'alls prayers. He has been having a hard time with his daddy being so near death but I know he is glad that his daddy is no longer suffering and is in the arms of His Savior now.

Thank you!!

Happy Thanksgiving To You

2008-11-26T09:18:00.001-05:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!!

I wanted to take time to post this today since tomorrow many will be busy with their families and with cooking to prepare for the big meal of the day. I want you all to know how much I appreciate you and the time you take to stop by at Julie's Jewels and to read my posts and to leave your comments. I have been amazed at how God has used this blog to help and encourage so many. I'm sure we are all so thankful for so much this time of year. But why do we have to just take Thanksgiving to express our thanks to the Lord and to others in our lives? We should be thankful each and every day that we live. We ALL have many things to be thankful for. I will not even begin to list those things I'm thankful for. But I would like to encourage each of you to get alone with the Lord and tell Him what you are thankful for. Count your many blessings...name them one by one. If we will all just do that...not only does our Heavenly Father take pleasure in our praise but we will find that it will take quite some time to thank Him for it all. It is because of Him that we have anything at all to be thankful for.

God has been so good to me and my family through this year of one tragedy and trial after another. He has given much grace through it all. There have been moments when I have found myself losing sight of His grace and mercy....but thanks to the Holy Spirit of God Who lives inside of me for keeping me on track. He is faithful that way!!

Also....take time on Thanksgiving Day to not only thank the Lord for all you are thankful for...but thank your family as well. I like to take opportunity to tell my family how much I love them and appreciate them and thank them for being my family and for how they have been a blessing to me. I've always wanted to take a praise and thanks time at the dinner table to give testimony. Do any of you take a time of thanksgiving and praise with your family for each one to give a testimony if they would like to? It is a great time to express our love and thanks for the Lord and for our family.

Have a great day together with your family and don't forget to thank the Lord for them!! I love you all!!

With all my love....

Sis. Julie

2008-11-26T09:05:00.004-05:00

His Return

2008-11-24T07:57:00.005-05:00

Angry Words

2008-11-20T08:29:00.005-05:00

Angry words, oh, let them never
From your lips unthoughtful fall.
They may weaken a younger brother
Who has heeded Jesus' call.
If you are tried and tempted and
You've used the strength you've got,
Seal your lips and hear the words:
"Be ye angry, and sin not."

Angry words are, oh, so ugly,
Piercing like a dagger sharp,
Leaving sores and bleeding wounds
In a soul and saddened heart.
Don't be careless or be hasty;
There's a battle to be fought.
Just slip closer up to Jesus:
"Be ye angry, and sin not."

Author: Unknown

I think we have all been angry at some time in our life or had someone be angry with us. I'm also sure that we have all seen what anger can do when not handled in the correct way. There are times we have a right to be angry...but it is never okay to be angry and be ugly to hurt someone. We need to bridle that tongue of ours and be careful of our attitude and the words we choose to use when we are angry. To handle our anger in a certain way is to do damage to the cause of Christ and to not only hurt our testimony...but also to potentially destroy another human being.

James 3:2-6 "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."

God Knows...Part II

2008-11-19T08:21:00.003-05:00

God knows....

What we say (Psalm 139:4) "For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether."

Where we go (Psalm 139:7-12) "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light upon me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee."

Our hypocrisy (Mark 12:15) "Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it."

The proud (Psalm 138:6) "Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off."

Our foolishness (Psalm 69:5) "O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee."

Our abode, our going out, our coming in, our rage against Him (II Kings 19:27) "But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me."

Our works and thoughts (Isaiah 66:18) "For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory."

(Psalm 94:11) "The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity."

(Revelation 2:2, 9, 13, 19) "I know thy works, and they labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and has found them liars: (9) I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, but thou art rich and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. (13) I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. (19) I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first."

Our transgressions and our sins (Amos 5:12) "For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right."

When we do not have the love of God in us (John 5:42) "But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you."

All things (Acts 15:18) "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world."

(I John 3:20) "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things."

I'm so thankful that God knows. No matter what you might think...God knows everything!! He knows what will happen in our lives in the minutes and days to come. He knows the condition of our hearts even when we don't know. He knows if we truly love Him no matter what our outward actions might say to others. There is just one thing any of us can say....GOD KNOWS!!

God Knows....Part I

2008-11-17T09:11:00.004-05:00

Many people (including myself) have said "God knows" from time to time. Indeed...the Bible reveals that God is omniscient (all-knowing).

God knows....

His sheep (John 10:14, 27) "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:"

Them that trust Him (Nahum 1:7) "The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust him."

Them that are His (II Timothy 2:19) "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

The way that we take (Job 23:10) "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." (Psalm 1:6) "For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

What things we need (Matthew 6:8, 32) Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

Our frame (Psalm 103:14) "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust."

The days of the upright (Psalm 37:18) "The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever."

What we are (Psalm 139:1) "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me."

What we do (Psalm 139:2) "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off."

What we think (Psalm 139:2) "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off."

All our ways (Psalm 139:3) "Thou comapssest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways."

There are more things that God knows. This is taken from the November issue of the Sword of the Lord. The rest of these will be put in my next post.

I Was Given An Award

2008-11-12T12:10:00.005-05:00

This award was given to me by Sis. Rhonda who is a missionary's wife to Chile. I was checking her latest post this morning and saw she had been awarded an award. It was a fitting award for her to receive. But at the end of the post I saw that she had given the award to me. I was both shocked and brought to tears. From day one I have wanted my blog to be one of purpose. A purpose to encourage other Christians in this race we are in and also to teach and inform them as I have been taught and learned the things I have.

It is important to be faithful to serve our Lord and Savior and that is my goal each and every day. Do I succeed each day...no I don't. But God knows my heart....that is my desire. Thank you Sis. Rhonda for giving me this award. I love you and thank God so much for the friendship that has grown between us.

Now I would like to give this award to another Christian lady who has helped me much with her posts and her studies from the Word of God. I'd like to give this award to Sis. Kate. This lady has helped me more than she will ever know with her posts and I'm sure she has helped so many others as well. Thank you Sis. Kate for the time you put into your studies of God's Word and what you share with us.

What A Time!!

2008-11-12T08:40:00.002-05:00

We had a great time at the Sword of the Lord Conference. God moved in our midst and touched the men of God who preached. We rejoiced and praised the Lord but we also sat and were still as He did a little digging in our hearts. Our hearts also broke as our pastor (Bro. Joe Arthur) told us that his daddy is somewhere between here and Heaven. He is still in ICU and is still not responding much to what is said to him.

He told us how when he was up at the hospital last weekend that he told his daddy he loved him and then his daddy said "Love you too boy" and Bro. Joe asked him how much he loved him and his daddy responded "Bunches". That was just before he slipped into a coma. He said those may be the last words he gets to hear his daddy speak to him. Then yesterday he called him and his momma put the phone to his ear so he could tell his daddy he loved him again and his daddy let out a grunt. Bro. Joe's heart is so heavy and broken. His daddy was a tremendous man of God and he will be greatly missed by our church and all that know him. He would sit on the front pew as Bro. Joe would preach and when he would hear something that he wanted to "amen" to or something he would raise up his cane in the air and wave it around. It was said last night that it was to the equivalent of one of us running laps around the sanctuary several times. Bro. J.B. Arthur is a sweet godly man and has such a sweet spirit.

Please continue to pray for Bro. J.B. as he makes his crossing (if that is what happens) and for his sweet little wife Mrs. Janet. Also pray for Bro. Joe, his wife Mrs. Julie, their son Joseph and their daughter Joanna. Also please pray for the rest of Bro. Joe's siblings and their families. This is a very difficult time for them all as some of you already know having been through this yourself. Those who have experienced this know the hurt associated with such a thing and can pray in a different way than those of us who have not experienced the death of a parent.

Come Join Us

2008-11-11T09:10:00.003-05:00

The Sword of the Lord Conference began on Sunday morning with Bro. Hamlin preaching for us. God moved in the service and a great work was done in the hearts and lives of many who moved to the altar. We are rejoicing at how God has been blessing in the services. It has been shouting time at the House of God in each service. We had a packed house last night with around 80 of those who were there being men of God. What a blessing to see so many preachers stand and say where they are from. Some of those preachers are in need of encouragement to keep going in the work of God. It is tough in the churches today with the devil working overtime in the families of our churches. And the pastor's family is no exception.

God touched our choir and the special singing that we had. It was a real joy to be in the House of God these past two days. And we get to go back and do it again tonight. God is so good to help His children to stay in the fight against sin and Satan.

If you live in the Atlanta area and can come....please do. I can tell you that you will not be sorry if you do.

It was so good to see Courtney (The Contemplations of Courtney...a keeper at home) with her new husband at the meeting. She is just glowing with love and joy in her heart.

I hope to get to see others of you there as well. If you do make it to the meeting please be sure to find me and say hello.

How Are You Serving God?

2008-11-07T06:47:00.003-05:00

God wants us to serve Him with our heart. When we serve God with our head we become weary. When we serve Him with our heart we receive strength.

H - helpful
E - enthusiastic
A - attentive
R - reactive
T - tenacious

When our heart is in something....

...we will be HELPFUL to the cause we're trying to accomplish. Acts 15:36-38 "And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul though not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to work. II Timothy 4:11 "Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry."

...we are ENTHUSIASTIC about what we are doing. Joshua 24:14-15,31 "Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel." Joshua was enthusiastic and his heart was in what he was doing.

...we will be ATTENTIVE to the cry. Moses asked God to spare the people even though He was angry with them. Numbers 21:7 "Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people." We will listen to the cries of others and be sincere and intent in listening when we are serving God with our heart and not our head. Matthew 12:34 "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Our heart does care at times...but God's heart ALWAYS cares!!

...we will be REACTIVE to the call. Acts 9:10-18 "And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said. Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized." Ananias went to Paul but did not want to. When God wants us to do something we won't do it until we surrender to it. God used Ananias. God uses those who have a surrendered and a willing heart.

...we will be TENACIOUS to the crisis. Matthew 15:21-28 "Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. but he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is they faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." Jesus healed the Canaanite woman's daughter. Her heart was into seeing her daughter healed.

It is important to have our whole heart in what we do. God doesn't want part of our heart...He wants it all. He will bless when we give Him our whole heart in everything we do.

At times we let the smallest little things keep us from putting our whole heart into things. Shame on us!!!

Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Are you serving God with your heart or your head? Are you praying with your heart or your head? God expects both our service and our prayers to be from the heart.

Why I Am NOT A Jehovah's Witness Part XIII

2008-11-06T10:12:00.002-05:00

**The Jehovah's Witnesses are being misled by their own organization.

This will be my final post in this series. I'm combining my last two posts into one. I hope you have enjoyed and learned much from these posts.

It is established in Scripture that a true prophet of God will ALWAYS be infallible in his prophecies.

Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (KJB) "But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."
(NWT) "However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet much die. And in case you should say in your heart: How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken ? when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him."

The Jehovah's Witnesses have claimed the Watchtower to be God's inspired prophet who gives prophecies under angelic direction (Refer to the Watchtower, April 1, 1972, page 197).

In 100 years of giving prophecies the Watchtower has had a 100% failure rate. According to Scripture it is therefore a false prophet and does not speak truth. Do not be deceived by claims of making a mistake. God does not make mistakes and neither did the prophets who spoke by God's authority.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The truth is that Christ Jesus is Who He says He is. John 17:21 (KJB) "...as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent me." John 1:1 (KJB) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Christ Jesus was sent into this world to die on the cross. It is through our faith and our faith alone in the finished work of Christ Jesus that we are saved.

Have you repented of your sins and asked Jesus to be your Saviour? The Bible says in Romans 10:13 (KJB) "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." If you will call on Him with a sincere heart and ask Him to come into your heart and save you...He will!! Won't you do that right now? He loves you!!

Why I Am NOT A Jehovah's Witness Part XII

2008-11-05T11:21:00.002-05:00

**The Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrinal system is based upon the interpretation of Charles Taze Russell.

This post will tell you a little about the Jehovah's Witnesses founder. Charles Russell was born to God-fearing parents in 1852. He was also said to have a haunting fear of Hell. In his attempt to quench his fear he succumbed to the teachings of an infidel. William Miller was an apostate from Christianity. It wasn't long that Russell himself began preaching that there was no literal Hell. He made popular his teachings and founded the International Bible Students Association.

Later in 1884 Zion's Watchtower Tract Society became a publishing subsidiary of this association and began publishing Russell's work. In 1886 Russell had published The Divine Plan of the Ages, claiming that in 1914 Armageddon and the dawn of Christ's thousand year rule on earth would begin. He was taught the times started in 1799 and that Christ had returned to the earth in 1874. These dates were later changed when Armageddon failed to commence. Since Russell's death in 1916 Armageddon has been predicted to begin in 1918, 1925 and 1975. of course all these years came and went uneventfully.

Please Pray For My Pastor And His Family

2008-11-04T08:01:00.007-05:00

I'd like to ask you to please pray for Bro. Joe Arthur and his family. They left Saturday morning to go to NC to be with his wife's (her name is Sis. Julie too) family in the passing of her grandfather. They also got a call Saturday that Bro. Joe's father was in the hospital in ICU. Thankfully he is also in NC. They later found out he had a major stroke. This is not his first stroke. He has had several in the past. This one seems to have been the worst one yet.

Bro. Joe preached his wife's grandfather's funeral yesterday and is now back with his daddy to be there for him and his momma. Please remember their entire family in prayer. Bro. Joe has had a heavy heart lately yet he continues to be used of the Lord across this nation. He is definitely God's man....but he is still a man and has real emotions and feelings. His heart is even heavier right now and needs much prayer.

Thank you to all who will be praying for this need!! I love my pastor and his family and have a great burden for them. May God strengthen them with the strength and comfort that on He can give!!

Why I Am NOT A Jehovah's Witness Part XI

2008-11-03T08:16:00.002-05:00

**The Jehovah's Witnesses use a translation of the Bible that contains many errors in its translation.

The New World Translation is a work that is not of sound Bible scholars seeking the truth. It is a result of the Jehovah's Witnesses founders. Charles Taze Russell...who founded the Jehovah's Witnesses...states in the opening pages of his "Studies in the Scriptures" that it would be far better to leave the Bible unread but read his comments on it than to omit his writings and read the Bible.

The New World Translation was published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in 1964. Within the text of the translation are inserted teachings that are not consistent with historic Christianity. For example...the Deity of Christ is denied in John 1:1 by inserting "In the beginning the Word was...and the Word was a god." In Colossians 1:15-17 the word "other" has been inserted four times. (NWT) "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; because by means of him all (other) things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All (other) things have been created through him and for him. Also, he is before all (other) thing and by means of him all (other) things were made to exist,". This changes the Deity of Christ and makes Him equal to other created things. Philippians 2:6 is another attack on God's Word. (NWT) "who, although he was existing in God's form, gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God." It states that Christ is not equal with God.

These and many other changes to the true Word of God were the work of four individuals on the translation committee: Fredrick Franz...Nathan Knorr, Albert Schroeder and George Gangas. Of the four only Franz had any exposure to biblical languages. He spent a whopping two years studying Greek at the University of Cincinnati and self-taught in Hebrew.

He must have misunderstood what God said in Revelation 22:18-19 (KJB) "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Time Change Is Tonight...Fall Back!!!

2008-11-01T07:37:00.003-05:00

It's that time!! Time to set our clocks BACK one hour. This means we will gain an hour of sleep. That is a blessing!! It will mean it will get dark earlier at night though...so that will be a switch.

If you fail to set your clock back tonight before you go to bed you will find that you'll be early for Sunday School and church. Not a bad thing for those who tend to show up late...but it might look a bit strange to be there an hour earlier than need be. The parking lot just might be empty!!

It's also a good time to change those batteries in your clocks and smoke detectors. When we do this at both times of the year that the time changes we are assured that our batteries will not go dead on us. To not change the ones in our smoke detectors could prove deadly.

Have a great weekend!!

Why I Am NOT A Jehovah's Witness Part X

2008-10-30T07:52:00.001-05:00

**The Jehovah's Witnesses are confused about the 144,000.

Through good works and a lot of sincere effort a Jehovah's Witness hopes to become one of the 144,000 who will abide with God in Heaven. However Scripture clearly reveals the 144,000 are the Jews of the ancient tribe.

Revelation 7:4-8 (KJB) "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand."
(NWT) "And I heard the number of those who were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel: Out of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed; out of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed."

No Gentiles are among this number. It is also revealed that they are all males who were virgins.

Revelation 14:4-5 (KJB) "These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God."
(NWT) "These are the ones that did not defile themselves with women; in fact, they are virgins. These are the ones that keep following the Lamb no matter where he goes. These were bought from among mankind at firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, and no falsehood was found in their mouths; they are without blemish."

They will minister during the Great Tribulation and they do not earn it by their works. They are appointed by God.

How then can a Jehovah's Witness claim to be among the 144,000?

Why I Am NOT A Jehovah's Witness Part IX

2008-10-29T07:15:00.002-05:00

**The Jehovah's Witnesses deny the perfect salvation of Christ's cross.

They teach that during the Millennial period of Christ's reign upon the earth that all of mankind will have the opportunity to earn salvation. This is not supported in Scripture anywhere.

The Lord Jesus Christ has purchased our salvation on the cross. The following Scriptures clearly state that this is the work of the Lord apart from any works of man. I will also be showing verses from their own version in comparison.

Romans 3:21-26 (KJB) "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
(NWT) "But now apart from law God's righteousness has been made manifest, as it is borne witness to by the Law and the Prophets; yes, God's righteousness through the faith in Jesus Christ, for all those having faith. For there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus. God set him forth as an offering for propitiation through faith in his blood. This was in order to exhibit his own righteousness, because he was forgiving the sins that occurred in the past while God was exercising forbearance; so as to exhibit his own righteousness in this present season, that he might be righteous even when declaring righteous the man that has faith in Jesus."

Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJB) "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
(NWT) "By this undeserved kindness, indeed, YOU have been saved through faith; and this not owing to YOU, it is God's gift. No, it is not owing to works, in order that no man should have ground for boasting."

Through our faith in Christ we are saved and forever kept in the security of our salvation. However the Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe this to be true. Their salvation is based on their continuance in faith...obedience...endurance...and witnessing. Therefore their salvation is a salvation by works and not by faith.

Posts On Courtship

2008-10-27T06:50:00.004-05:00

My daughter Kristina is starting a series of posts dealing with courtship. If you are interested please go over to her blog and keep up with them.

Many are against courtship for whatever reason. Some are for courtship but have a false idea of what courtship is and how it is done. Some say true biblical courtship does not work and is impossible....but I know it works and I know it can be done. My son Ronnie and his (now) wife Jessica practiced true biblical courtship and are married today and had their first kiss ever and their first touch and holding hands at the marriage altar.

To read Kristina's posts on courtship go here.

Here are some more posts from those who have studied and/or practiced courtship:

Courtney (go to her sidebar and click on the posts under the topic "Courtship")
Jessica (my daughter-in-law)
My posts on Courtship

I pray by reading these posts and with some study on your own that you will see that courtship is God's way of having a relationship with a man before marriage. I only wish I had been saved and known all this before I was married....it would have prevented a lot of heartache and problems.

I Just Want To Make It Known

2008-10-24T10:03:00.002-05:00

I want to be sure and make it known that in the posts I'm doing about my study of the Jehovah's Witnesses where I'm showing comparison between the King James Bible and the version they use the New World Translation that I am not advising or encouraging the use of any other version than the King James Bible. I believe the King James Bible is the only Bible that should be used. It was translated from the original texts and I believe is the only true Word of God for the English speaking people. The Word of God is a spiritually discerned Book that is only to be understood through the interpretation of the Holy Spirit and not with the carnal mind. To simply read it is not to necessarily understand its meaning of what it is saying. It is only to be understood by the born-again believer who possesses the Holy Spirit of God Who is the true author of the Book.

I only want to show in the posts I'm doing that even their writings (although they have changed words and meaning in the verses they have altered) support what the Word of God in the King James Bible says.

Revelation 22:18-19 clearly states what will happen to those that alter the Word of God. "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

I wanted to make this clear so there is no misunderstanding as to where I stand on the King James Bible. I normally would not share what another version says but want to prove a point in these posts.

Why I Am NOT A Jehovah's Witness VIII

2008-10-24T08:29:00.002-05:00

**The Jehovah's Witnesses deny the reality of eternity of the future punishment of the wicked.

According to their doctrine of salvation...salvation is "the deliverance from the destructive power of sin, a redemption from the eternal end of sin which is everlasting death and annihilation." This annihilation is a complete destruction as if they had never existed before. But where does the Word of God support that?

Our Lord Jesus reveals to us that hell is a furnace of fire.

Matthew 13:49-50 (KJB) "So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
(NWT) "That is how it will be in the conclusion of the system of things: the angels will go out and separate the wicked from among the righteous and will cast them into the fiery furnace. There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be."

Hell is an unquenchable fire.

Mark 9: 42-48 (KJB) "And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenced: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
(NWT) "But whoever stumbles one of these little ones that believe, it would be finer for him if a millstone such as is turned by an ass were put around his neck and he were actually pitched into the sea. And if ever your hand makes you stumble, cut it off; it is finer for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go off into Gehenna, into the fire that cannot be put out. And if your foot makes you stumble, cut it off; it is finer for you to enter into life lame than with two feet to be pitched into Gehenna. And if your eye makes you stumble, throw it away; it is finer for you to enter one-eyed into the kingdom of God than with two eyes to be pitched into Gehenna, where their maggot does not die and the fire is not put out."

The Greek word "Aionois" which means without end...is used to describe eternity. It is used in John 3:16 (KJB) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting (Aionois) life." to portray the everlasting life of a believer with Christ. Also in Romans 16:26 (KJB) "But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting (Aionois) God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:" to portray the eternity of God. It is also used by Christ in Matthew 18:8 (KJB) "Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting (Aionois) fire." in describing the eternity of hell. It is also in Revelation 14:11 (KJB) "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever (Aionois): and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."

Just as there is an eternity in Heaven there is an eternity in Hell. Those who do not believe this truth now...if you choose not to trust Christ as your personal Saviour before you die or He returns for His church....you will believe it then.

Why I Am NOT A Jehovah's Witness Part VII

2008-10-23T08:19:00.003-05:00

**The Jehovah's Witnesses deny the believer's hope of Heaven.

They teach that only 144,000 will share in the heavenly glory with Christ. They teach that all others will enjoy a peaceful and blessed life on earth. The truth is that God gives all believers the hope of being with Christ forever. Proof of this is given in the following verses:

John 14:1-3 (KJB) "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
(NWT) Do not let YOUR hearts be troubled. Exercise faith in God, exercise faith also in me. In the house of my Father there are many abodes. Otherwise, I would have told YOU, because I am going my way to prepare a place for YOU. Also, if I go my way and prepare a place for YOU, I am coming again and will receive YOU home to myself, that where I am YOU also may be."

Philippians 3:20 (KJB) "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."
(NWT) "As for us, our citizenship exists in the heavens, from which place also we are eagerly waiting for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

I Peter 1:3-5 (KJB) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
(NWT) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for according to his great mercy he gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance. It is reserved in the heavens for YOU, who are being safeguarded by God's power through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last period of time."

I really do pray that all of these posts with the information of what these people are teaching is helping you. I pray that once we have gone through all of these points that you will be better informed and ready to talk to them when they approach you. You will have the verses of their version to help to show them the error of their doctrine. They need to be told to truth and God wants to use us to help them have their spiritual blinders removed.

2008-10-20T09:09:00.002-05:00

I want to apologize for my absence the past several days. I have been down physically and not able to post during that time. I will try to do better about letting you all know when I'm going to be out of commission for a few days. My sister called me to check on me since I hadn't posted in a few days and pretty much got onto me. She was concerned since I hadn't posted. Thank you Sherri for that!! She said that I probably had more readers than just her that were wondering and possibly concerned. I didn't think it would be a concern. Since it was (even if it was just her) I will try to let you all know when I will be absent for a period of time. I love you all and I am back up and doing again.

Also....Please pray for a dear friend of mine (Sis. Crystal) as she is going in for surgery today to remove cancer from her body. She was diagnosed with uterine cancer a few weeks ago and she will be having a complete hysterectomy today at 3:00pm EST. Pray all goes well and that her recovery time goes as it should. Sis. Crystal is Bro. Tim's wife from Tim's Treasures.

Why I Am NOT A Jehovah's Witness Part VI

2008-10-20T08:46:00.002-05:00

**The Jehovah's Witnesses deny the presence of the believer with Christ upon death. When a believer dies they immediately go to be with the Lord Jesus Christ.

(KJB) II Corinthians 5:8 "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."
(NWT) "But we are of good courage and are well pleased rather to become absent from the body and to make our home with the Lord."

The body is asleep in the ground awaiting the resurrection while the soul and spirit are with Christ.

(The body sleeps) (KJB) John 11:11-14 "These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead."
(NWT) "he said these things, and after this he said to them: Lazarus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep. Therefore the disciples said to him: Lord, if he has gone to rest, he will get well. Jesus had spoken, however, about his death. But they imagined he was speaking about taking rest in sleep. At that time, therefore, Jesus said to them outspokenly: Lazarus has died,"

(The resurrection) (KJB) I Corinthians 15:20-23 "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming."
(NWT) "However, now Christ has been raised up from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in death. For since death is through a man, resurrection of the dead is also through man. For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive. But each one in his own rank: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who belong to the Christ during his presence."

I want to let it be known that I do not support using any other "bible" than the King James Bible. I simply want you to see the comparison between the Word of God and their own writings. I pray for each one that reads these posts that you will be learned about this religion and more able to talk to them to help them see and begin to question what they believe.