Faith small as a musterseed

When the world seems at its worst, Christians must be at their best.
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Our faith needs to be strong for the days to come. God brings troubles into our lives to grow our faith in Him. A faith that is never tested and strengthened soon becomes a shrinking one .One of the chief characteristics of spiritual maturity is the ability to persevere-even in the face of adversity


Evan tune
words by William H. Havergal

O, for a faith that will not shrink,
Though pressed by every foe,
That will not tremble on the brink
Of any earthly woe!

That will not murmur nor complain
Beneath the chastening rod,
But, in the hour of grief or pain,
Will lean upon its God.

A faith that shines more bright and clear
When tempests rage without;
That when in danger knows no fear,
In darkness feels no doubt.

That bears, unmoved, the world’s dread frown
Nor heeds its scornful smile;
That seas of trouble cannot drown,
Nor Satan’s arts beguile.

A faith that keeps the narrow way
Till life’s last hour is fled,
And with a pure and heavenly ray
Lights up a dying bed.

Lord, give me such a faith as this,
And then, whate’er may come,
I’ll taste, e’en here, the hallowed bliss
Of an eternal home.

Romans 1:17
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Luke 17:5-6
And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

Galatians 6:9
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Eph.6:16
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Ponder this question- Could I stand to lose everything and still have an implicit faith in God and know with certainty that He is in absolute control?

context for this blog came from the Inspiring Hymn Stories Daily Devotions book Amazing Grace. ( Kenneth W. Osbeck)

Disciplining your Children

No, I am not telling you how to discipline your kids but the government is.I read this article about how one state is banning spanking.

"Bill 234, sponsored by Delaware's Senate Majority Leader Patricia Blevins, asserts that when a "person recklessly or intentionally causes physical injury to a child through an act of abuse and/or neglect of such child" it is considered third degree child abuse and a class A misdemeanor."

No, it isn't right to punish in anger or abuse the child because he/she isn't doing what you want them to do. If you are mad with the child take time to cool down before disciplining them. The child does need to know there is a consequence in doing something wrong. My parents didn't love to spank me but I knew that if I did something that I was told not to do I would get punished. My parents were obeying the Bible.

Proverbs 22:15
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13-14
Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell.

Another way to say is:
Don't fail to discipline your children. They won't die if you spank them.

Beat might be a too strong word for spanking. The Bible isn't saying to spank your child and hurt them. How I see it is a few swats isn't going to kill them. With disciplining your children comes explaining to the child why they are getting punished. After the disciplining is finished you love and pray for your child.

Disciplining is between you, your child and God. Not everyone at the grocery store.
Explain to your child that the action that he is going is wrong and will be disciplined at a later time,at home or in private. But don't put it off.

Disciplining isn't always spanking. It could be taking away a toy they really like or not letting me go some where. I would do that for lesser punishment.

"A parent correcting his child. A tender parent can scarcely find in his heart to do this; it goes much against the grain. But he finds it is necessary; it is his duty, and therefore he dares not withhold correction when there is occasion for it (spare the rod and spoil the child); he beats him with the rod, gives him a gentle correction, the stripes of the sons of men, not such as we give to beasts. Beat him with the rod and he shall not die. The rod will not kill him; nay, it will prevent his killing himself by those vicious courses which the rod will be necessary to restrain him from. For the present it is not joyous, but grievous, both to the parent and to the child; but when it is given with wisdom, designed for good, accompanied with prayer, and blessed of God, it may prove a happy means of preventing his utter destruction and delivering his soul from hell." Matthew Henry

I am totally against school leaders, teachers or principles spanking the kids. Detention is one thing but spanking your child is a punishment parents should do.

I don't have children of my own but I am a child that was spanked and learned from it. My parents do love me and that is why they did it when I was little. I stand on what the Bible says. I know the Bible is true because God doesn't lie. This is my thoughts on this subject. I am not telling what you should do.

Galveston & Kids Vision Ministries

Back at the end of July I had a week off of work since Stevie went to camp. So I took my two younger sisters and we went to Galveston for a one night vacation.

When we first got down there we went to La King Confectionery. A candy and ice cream shop. They make taffy with an old taffy machine.

Next we went to the Bishop's Palace which is an old historic home in Galveston. We went to an old time photography place got dressed up in Victorian dresses. That was really fun. Then we checked into our room for the night. Got a bite to eat then later that night we went walking on the beach. Beth and Joy went to Pleasure Pier to ride a few rides. The next morning after sleeping in and getting a bite to eat we went to Moody Mansion another historic house. We packed our bags and headed home. So glad I have sisters to have fun with!

That same week August 2-4 I taught for Kids Vision Ministries at the home school conference in The Woodlands,TX. Thursday was training then Friday and Saturday all day I taught a group of 13 kids. Which wasn't really a lot. Some groups had over 17 kids. It was a lot of fun but also a lot of work. It took a day or two to recover from that weekend. The theme of the kids conference was the armor of the Lord. I have taught on the armor before so teaching was ok. Had some great kids on my team. I had a Hannah on my team she was so cute.

4th of July

Since this past Wednesday was the 4th of July I want to say how thankful I am for the freedom we have in America but most of all I am thankful for our freedom in Christ which is everlasting. With Christ we are free from sin since Jesus paid the price for our salvation. Salvation is free to us since Jesus took the penalty for our sins. I could never thank Jesus enough for giving me the freedom that He gave me. Jesus is coming back soon and I can't wait to see him face to face.

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

I was able to be home with my family for the 4th and I didn't have to work. My Aunt Helen from Missouri was here visiting. Beth and I made a big breakfast for every one.

I am thankful for all my sisters. Beth is the one who likes to cook in our family. So with her around we seem to always have food. Whether it be something sweet or a very good meal. She made lunch on the 4th which was these shish kabobs.

Joy, Beth and I went down town Houston. We ate supper, listened to the Houston Symphony and watched fireworks. It turned out to be a wonderful day.

Taking Jesus' Yoke

Mat 11:28- 30 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.

The third Sunday of every month I participate with the Nursing home ministry our church has. We mainly just sing and talk with who ever shows up and one of the men will give a little talk. So I was on the way to the nursing home listening to Alistair Begg on KHCB radio and he was was talking about taking Jesus' yoke and resting in Him. Finding peace and strength in Jesus. Giving our cares to him. Then the man who spoke at the nursing home spoke on the same thing and used the same verses. It was so amazing to hear them both the same day. Almost like God telling me take his yoke and rest in him. We might get caught up in our lives and don't take the time to rest in God. So as you go through your day step back and be still. Find the peace of God and take his yoke.

My sisters are graduating! Joy, my baby sister is graduating high school and Beth is graduating from Houston Baptist University. I blink and they are grown.
Joy and Beth has become wonderful sweet ladies. I am so proud of both of them. We have so many great memories of growing up together. We laughed, cried and then laughed some more. my prayer to my sisters.

Eph. 3:14-21

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen

God's love should want to make us sing! To proclaim his love from the house tops and to tell every one we know what the Lord has done for us. Those around us see Christ in us by his love that shines through us. Love God Love others! "Love one another because Christ first loved us and gave himself for us."

Your love is amazing, steady and unchanging
Your love is a mountain, firm beneath my feet
Your love is a mystery, how You gently lift me
When I am surrounded, Your love carries me

Chorus
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Your love makes me sing
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Your love makes me sing

v2
Your love is surprising, I can feel it rising
All the joy that's growing deep inside of me
Every time I see You, all Your goodness shines through
And I can feel this God song, rising up in me