ThinMint

-3 of 5- At the beginning of my marriage I began praying for God to increase my love for Him and for Felix. After each child, I asked God to increase my love for my children. Finally, I asked God to increase my love for others as well. This isn’t an overnight transformation. It has not been sudden, startling or stunning. It’s been subtle, steady and significant. What I have come to understand is I should be working on my relationship with the Lord foremost. When this is my primary objective, His wisdom, His love, His joy will begin to naturally flow and emanate from me. This is what others will see in us. They will see Him even if they cannot put a name to it. We are not called to brag, bore or bludgeon others with our own personal opinions. We are not called to condemn or enlighten others with what we *think* God wants them to hear; nor are we to knead others into what we *think* God wants them to be. If we are faithfully, consistently living for Him, others will see His joy, His love in us, and we will be called to share this joy and hope when the Holy Spirit prompts us. I believe this is what 1 Peter 3:15 is telling us. We are called to live Romans 15:13 so that we are ready to share Who it is that gives and fills us with [His] goodness, joy, peace and hope. I contend if we strive for this enduring, imperishable connectedness with the Lord then we will know when and what to speak to others. We will lessen the chances of acting on our own, walking in disobedience, hurting others unnecessarily, grieving the Holy Spirit.

-2 of 5- I feel strongly that we ought to strive improving our skill for recognizing and obeying the Holy Spirit’s prompts. Should we not keep the door open between us and the Lord; as opposed to neatly closing it after we prayed or read the bible? Yes, we ought to have specific times set aside for being alone with the Lord. But, shouldn’t we have a continuous (not necessarily an uninterrupted) flow of some sort of communication with God? If we worked on maintaining this continuous flow, we would be more receptive to hearing the Lord’s voice, correct? Imagine walking around with your dearest friend. You may not constantly chat, but either one of you could speak at any moment, and the message would be heard in real time, in an unadulterated way. Is this impossible to have with the Lord? Can we not ask Him for this? I am guilty of blurting out my thoughts without consulting God before speaking. I am also guilty of conflating my opinions with I think the Lord wants me to share. Later, the Holy Spirit convicts me for being thoughtless. I have learned over the years that God doesn’t need me to defend Him. I am His vessel and I am to bring Him glory.

-1 of 5- Many, many years ago my brother told me that he stopped arguing with people who believed two plus two equals five. His perspective impacted me, and I loosely use this idea as a measuring stick. Using this example, let’s go down this path! When do we correct someone’s belief that two plus two equals five? For the most part, can we let it go? Or do we speak up when they’re trying to balance their checkbook? Do we correct them only if they are a teacher or an accountant or a chef? If we overhear two strangers state this while passing us on the street, do we stop them in order to correct them? Would we only intervene if their life or someone else’s life depended on the correct answer? Are there bigger fish to fry than debating two plus two? Can we ignore their belief as long as it doesn’t impact our lives? What if trying to convince them that two plus two equals four leads to a broken relationship? At what point, in what scenario, and with whom would you intervene? There could be some flaws with this particular example, but I think you get the gist of it. As Believers, when do we speak up when others don’t share our beliefs? When should we remain silent? Is there a difference between beliefs and opinions?

Good morning! I am working on a part two from the question posted at the beginning of the month -one I think dovetails into another worthy discussion. Perhaps it would be better for us to have a real live chat about it. I'll work on the writing and we'll see where the Lord leads us! Have a beautiful day, friends! Get out there and find something to make you love God even more 🌸

Hi friends! Would love to have you join us over at Shannon's Gaining Ground. This CS Lewis classic, part of the Narnia series, will be enjoyed by reading two chapters a week.

Heavenly Father, this world is a mess. I am a mess. Anger, jealousy, unrepentance, unfaithfulness, unkindness, harshness, judgment, all of the sins... they abound in me and even more-so around me. The more interconnected our world has gotten, the more disconnected from you we have become. But I sense a revival. We have seen peeks and snippets in various locations, but I beg you Lord, with all of my soul, make beauty from these ashes. It seems that the world is burning down around us. There is bad news at every turn and no shortage of ashes. Redeem all of this pain, hurt, evil, and sin for your glory and for the good of those who love you. Help us to work one another up to love and good works rather than anger and malice. Protect our children from the sinful influences that are lurking behind every corner to destroy and twist their minds. Give us courage as we face an uncertain and intimidating future. And may the power of your love, joy, and holiness wash across this land, Father. May our children, who are hurt, confused, suffering, and trapped in chaos be redeemed, restored, and rescued from the lure and lies of this world. May our loves ones be saved, not just in eternity, but for your good purposes while right here on earth. May you restore the broken, uplift the downtrodden, and give hope to us in our hopelessness. Father, please make it on earth as it is in heaven. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen. - Offered by Erin Cox

Just in case you needed a smile. Happy Sunday!

Philippians 4:6-7

I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1-2)

I’ve been pondering a question posed from a friend in Canada since she first asked. I did my best to keep the response brief. One of the first explanations that comes to mind is fear; a knee-jerk reaction to their world being shaken to its core. We all encounter this gripping fear at some point or another. The difference is we either turn to God for comfort and direction or we act without Him. Another explanation is ignorance. They have no idea what’s happening behind the scenes, who is running world events, who is instigating all the chaos. Not studying history, not studying the Bible, not seeking God's truth is simply foolish, in my humble opinion. Still another explanation is conflating what God calls all of us to do with what they think God wants them to do. Perhaps they feel morally compelled to point out what they believe are planks in the eyes of others while they fail to recognize the planks in their own. There are more possible explanations, and I could point out examples of this legalistic, self-satisfied attitude, but I’m concerned I would be wading into gossipy waters. As I considered and prayed over the question, there was one idea that kept coming to the forefront: the story of Lot. It’s inconceivable to us why Lot, who is supposed to be a godly man, would offer his daughters to the mob of depraved men. Until you consider this possible interpretation: Lot had one foot in the godly world, and one foot in this world. His loyalties were divided. It makes a lot of sense to me. How many people who call themselves Chritians are living in this world, reacting to satanically contrived machinations in a fleshy way? I really appreciate the question and think it springboards into other worthy discussions.

Trump interview on NewsMax 5/16/23

Sometimes the news posted here doesn't seem so good. It comes from sources we don't like. It involves people we don't like. The topic is heavy, the people are corrupt, justice seems out of reach. The good news is that the old, raggedy curtain is being pulled back so the evil is being exposed. Toxic ideas, gross and incompetent people -the stupid, the worthless, the poisonous -all of it is being shown on a worldwide scale like never before. And God sees it all. He's not slow to act. He does not ignore the faithful. He wins. There is still good. Goodness really. Good people, good times, good food, good memories. And God is always good. Keep trusting Jesus. He is the plan.

Sometimes the news posted here doesn't seem so good. It comes from sources we don't like. It involves people we don't like. The topic is heavy, the people are corrupt, justice seems out of reach. The good news is that the old, raggedy curtain is being pulled back so the evil is being exposed. Toxic ideas, gross and incompetent people -the stupid, the worthless, the poisonous -all of it is being shown on a worldwide scale like never before. And God sees it all. He's not slow to act. He does not ignore the faithful. He wins. There is still good. Goodness really. Good people, good times, good food, good memories. And God is always good. Keep trusting Jesus. He is the plan.

Good morning! This is true of us little close-knit group. We help one another by praying, creating laughs and offering encouragement. And sometimes we help a friends navigate through the unpleasantnesses and tough questions. Something I love about y'all is that you do this with grace, dignity, sincere kindness. The below question came through the chat last night and I know we can have a thoughtful discussion about it: Q: I’ve been puzzled as to why/how people, who profess born again Christianity as their faith, are so accepting of one or more of the following: masks, shots, abortion, LGBTQ+, drag queen performances/readings, TDS, MSM, transgenderism, etc. I don’t understand why they are accepting and promoting woke, Marxist garbage. I’ve had heard and seen more ugliness from Christians than those who don’t profess faith in Jesus Christ. Can sincere believers have such a heavy veil/delusion like that? I’m not meaning any specific church or denomination. I’m talking about outwardly confessing Christianity.

Thank you for your prayers of safety while we headed home. I’m still making my way through five hundred pounds of laundry (is it me or does laundry multiply while we sleep?!). This will be a hectic week for us so I appreciate your patience until I can dedicate some time to share our experiences. Which includes… checking out Mar-a-Lago 😃 Y’all are the best and i am grateful for your friendship. You bless me 🤗

A woman by her very nature is maternal — for every woman, whether married or unmarried, is called upon to be a biological, psychological or spiritual mother — she knows intuitively that to give, to nurture, to care for others, to suffer with and for them — for maternity implies suffering — is infinitely more valuable in God’s sight than to conquer nations and fly to the moon. -Alice von Hildebrand

Hello sweet friends! We’ve been out of town for many days -much to share about what we’ve seen across the states. However, it’ll have to wait as we’re getting ready to walk out the hotel room to head home today (long drive!). Miss y’all and praying for God’s blessings to manifest brightly in your lives.