Dear Readers,
My blog has moved! Please join me at Radiant Life Ministries where I will continue to blog and will also be writing my first book LIVE where you can follow along, comment, and become a part of the process! I appreciate every single reader and invite you to come along on this journey with me!
Thank you so much for reading and sharing the blog. To God Be all Glory!
Love,
Crystal Faulkner Johnson
What About Bob?
This is Bob.
If you’ve been to the Stonybrook Target often enough, you’ve most likely been greeted with a smile by Bob. I first met him when he worked security at Target, and always took the time to greet my kids and me with a pleasant smile and “how are you today.” Always ready to help, always paying attention to the needs of those around him, Bob is a difference maker. All of my friends who go to that store are familiar with him, because he treats them all with the same consistent kindness. For a time, the security position was eliminated, BUT, Target was smart….they knew they had a gem in Bob, so they hired him to work in electronics. I caught up with him one day because I was curious about what drove his joy and kindness towards his customers. We talked a bit about his family and his years spent as an attorney, and his enjoyment of boats. Now, Bob is “retired” as an attorney, but chooses to spend his days showing love and kindness to others at Target. The key word is “chooses”. Bob says “it all comes down to a choice we make each day what we’re going to do and how we’re going to treat people. We choose our attitude”. The motivation? Love for others. I for one, am thankful for Bob’s daily choice. It has blessed me regularly for several years now. It may not seem like it matters much when you smile, offer to help, reach out, and extend a kind word to someone, but to the person on the receiving end, it might make their whole day! It might make their week! It might even change their life!
“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophesy and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but I didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrifice my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.”
~I Corinthians 13:1-3
Love is at he heart of why God made us, why He died for us, and why He wants us to be with Him forever. And He loves us enough to let us choose.
Open up your heart and receive His love.
Love Him in return.
Spread His love all around.
That might just be what helps someone else open their own hearts to receive His love.
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important; Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law an all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40
May love be our motivation. If you’re ever in Louisville, KY, I invite you to Lifepointe Church. While you’re here, swing over to the Stonybrook Target in Louisville, KY, and say hi to Bob!
Our Pocket-Sized Joyce Meyer
This is Josie.
Josie came into the world ready to make a statement on October 16, 2008. She brought a whole new dynamic and level of life and fun to our family. She brings energy, strength, and light into every room she enters. Being the 3rd born in our family, Josie has picked things up quickly and seems to have an understanding of things beyond her 4, almost 5 years of life. AND, she is determined not to be left out of any situation. Any. A dear friend of mine has said Josie would be a little Joyce Meyer since she was about 2 years old.
So, I wasn’t all that surprised when Josie came to us about a week and a half ago and said, seemingly out of the blue, “I want to ask Jesus in my heart”. We didn’t approach her, we didn’t sit down with a 100 page curriculum and formally give her lessons……she just knows Jesus is the hub in our family. The center. The focal point….. not just a Sunday gig…..or just Dad’s job. (My husband is the pastor of Lifepointe Church in Louisville, KY). So really, her statement wasn’t out of the blue. We had known God was working in her heart A few months ago after I prayed with each of the kids before bed, Josie started crying her little blue eyes out. She said “that was so good mommy”. She didn’t know how to word it, but she knew her heart was touched. That’s Jesus. That’s Jesus moving in her little heart, tenderizing it to one day respond to His invitation to be her Savior.
We obviously don’t literally want Josie to grow up to be Joyce Meyer (though we love us some Joyce!). We want her to grow up to be the Josie God created her to be; to do whatever He puts in her heart to do. We have prayed almost nightly since we knew of the existence of each of our children that they would accept Christ in their lives at an early age and always walk with Him in a loving relationship. It is the number one prayer of our hearts….Number ONE. It has been beautiful to watch God move in each of our children’s lives uniquely, in the way they are made. Yes, we know there are many years of challenges, growth, and crossroads ahead. BUT, we believe in the God who hears the prayers of children, and blesses them.
“Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them. For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then He took the children in His arms and placed His hands on their heads and blessed them.”
~Mark 10:14-16
I will end with the prayer Josie prayed that night;
“Dear Jesus, I pray to ask you in my heart, and that it would be fun.
I pray you will forgive my sins.
I ask you in my heart because I love you.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen”
I love that she prayed for it to be fun. It was honest, pure, and personal. What we can learn from children and their de-cluttered little hearts. It would be just like God to answer that precious prayer and let her have fun serving Him! Jamey and I prayed that very night for God to seal that moment in her heart and memory forever. We prayed she would always know and remember who she is and who she belongs to. Thank You Jesus for hearing not only our prayers, but the prayers of a 4 year old in pig tails.
Love
Perseverance
Jesus
There are 196 verses in the Bible on perseverance. God knew life wouldn’t always be easy. Nor will it always be hard.
We don’t always know what God will do. We try so hard to forumlate Him. But, He is mysterious-and bigger, MUCH bigger than our minds can formulate. We want to think, If I do this…….and this……then God will…………..(you fill in the blank).
But, here’s the thing…..His goal for us is not to give us everything we want…..or to make sure we are happy. His goal for us is way beyond that! Just as my fellow friend in ministry, Julie Richard, says about parenting “don’t parent for the next 20 minutes, but for the next 20 years”–that’s what God does with us. He sees what is on the other side of our circumstance. He sees the reward that is coming for us as we persevere and become more like Him He absolutely walks us through the earthly, but He parents us for eternity. He sees what we cannot, and He acts accordingly.
I just want to say to my readers today, I love you, and you won’t be where you are forever. Blessings on you as you love, persevere, and follow Jesus.
Choosing
What is going in your life today that is bigger than you? What is that thing that seems insurmountable? What needs restored? Healed? Overcome?
Where do you plan to turn with that thing? What are you going to do?
We all have a choice when a hard time comes……we can run TO God, or we can run FROM God. Let me share something about Him before you choose which direction you’re going to run. This is a true story from Acts chapter 12. It’s a powerful story of what God did for Peter when he was imprisoned for telling people about Jesus.. Check it out…..
“Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover. BUT, while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.
The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals. And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered.
So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.
Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said, “The Lord has sent His angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!”
Did you catch that? “Herod intended….
BUT the church prayed…
and the chains fell off his wrists!”
Do you want to run to the God who can do this with YOUR problem, with your LIFE? What prison do you need freed from? What chains do you need to fall off your wrists?
Decide today to run to God, not from Him. Find a church to visit this Easter if you don’t have one. We would love to have you at Lifepointe Church if you’re in the Louisville area. We will meet at 5:30 on Saturday and 10 & 11:15 on Sunday.
Already running to God? You have friends who need the God who breaks chains and frees souls from prisons. Don’t be selfish with Him- share Him all around! Run alongside your friends- show them the way! PRAY! Did you see what happens when the church prays? Some unfathomable, freedom making, kingdom shaking miracle stuff! Pray for our leaders, pray for our services, pray for our volunteers, pray for your friends. Let’s fill this place with people who need the chains to fall off their wrist- and let’s watch God do His thing!
SOAPing up Louisville
Important Volunteer Opportunity
I am happy to announce that Lifepointe Church will be partnering with Theresa Flores’ SOAP Campaign. Theresa is a human trafficking survivor who started the SOAP campaign as a way to rescue under age girls who have been forced into sex slavery. When large events take place in a city, the demand for “sex for sale” goes up, so young girls are filtered into cities during these events where they are forced into unthinkable acts of sex and abuse by traffickers who are making large amounts of money off of their horrific life. It is the 2nd largest organized crime, affecting 27 million people, second only to drugs. So what can we do to STAND UP and make a statement that we will not sit idle while this darkness happens in our city? We can do something to SAVE these girls, who have been abducted, deceived, threatened, and abused- The average age is 14. YOU can be their lifeline. Christ came to set us free- and we can use our freedom to turn around and set someone else free! “He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free!’ Luke 4:18
So, we are SOAPing up Louisville on Saturday, March 16 in preparation for the 2013 Mid America Truck Show. We will participate in a brief training session about human trafficking and how to identify potential victims (Theresa’s family had no idea she was being trafficked as a high school student!) We will then label bars of soap with the trafficking hotline number. (The bathroom is the ONLY place a victim may have privacy). We will then go out in teams to Louisville motels to ask them to place the bars of soap in their bathrooms and disperse missing children flyers to them.
Volunteers do not need to be members of Lifepointe Church. ANYONE can stand up! Registration is free, but volunteers are asked to purchase a t-shirt. Middle schoolers and up are able to participate in the training, lunch, and soap preparation, but you must be 18+ to disperse to area motels.
The Lifepointe Volunteer team will meet in the Spalding University Ballroom at 9:30 am.
For more information and to register, click here: http://soapuplouisvilletruck.eventbrite.com/
Other resources:
http://www.thea21campaign.org/
Lifepointe men, women, teenagers, let’s make some noise in Louisville on March 16th!
A few days ago I made my first trip to a really cool store called “World Market”. It is such an intriguing and fun place with a little of this and a little of that from different countries throughout the store. I can’t believe it took me so long to get in there! I had my 4 year old daughter with me and my husband was next door in the Nike Store. As I looked around I found my attention grabbed by so many fun things! Josie was sitting in a cart when I spotted a table of handmade Indian paper products. They were so colorful and beautiful. I parked the cart and took 5 steps over to browse at the table for about 30 seconds. Then suddenly, I sensed that my cart and daughter were no longer there. I turned and it was confirmed and the initial feeling of panic set in, but I thought maybe she had just pushed herself round the corner so I called “Josie”, expecting to hear her. Nothing. I raced around the corner saying louder “JOSIE”. Nothing. Commence Freak Out and very loud “JOSIE!!!” The room was spinning as I scanned with like a mission impossible spy cam. On my 4th “JOSIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I see my husband pushing the cart towards me with a big, stupid GRIN on his face. You see, he thought it would be funny to teach me a little lesson about awareness. But if my precious 4 year old hadn’t been staring at me, I’m pretty sure I would have given him a right hook and a few choice words. I was shaking with fear and the adrenaline in my body would have allowed me to snap a grown man…….that’s the lionness God has placed in us mommas I guess. The whole thing only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. In those few seconds I really thought my girl was gone. Josie can’t stand to be out of my sight, so when I didn’t hear her calling back to me, I thought my worst nightmare was happening. Thankfully, it was just daddy showing me just how unaware I am.
Men, I realize you are ready to high five Jamey for making this point to me. But, I don’t recommend trying this at home. There is a very good chance all you will get out of it is a bloody nose! Adrenaline + a momma’s love of her children does funny things to a person! And btw, Jamey also apologized when he saw how upset I was. He meant it to only be a split second, but he got trapped in an aisle he couldn’t get down so his plan got disrupted slightly.
Ladies, before you plan your lynch mob for this cruel trick, I have to humbly admit, it really did show me just how quickly something can happen and how distracted I had been by the colorful Indian paper. (Don’t tell Jamey:) The moment I sensed she was gone was delayed too long and that could have been detrimental had it been a dangerous person.
This is similar to how the enemy of our souls works in our lives. We are just going about our lives distracted by busyness, activities, bills, work, etc, and the enemy can slip in quietly and begin to steal from you. Steal your passion, steal your enthusiasm, steal your joy, build walls between you and your spouse, plant thoughts of bitterness, anger, discouragement, and on and on. It’s not always the big things he uses to erode our faith, but the sly little sneaky things that we might not notice. He loves when we are distracted because we are no longer a threat to him. He loves when we are detoured by the minute because then we are not fulfilling what God has called us to do. It’s not that we want to give satan too much credit and go around thinking of him all the time- no way! We do, however, want to be alert. We don’t let him stop us from shopping in World Market, but we do keep our hand on the cart! I want to encourage you with 3 thoughts today:
1. Stay alert that the enemy is real and wants you off track. Staying alert is sort of like setting your alarm so you aren’t taken so off guard. Recognizing him helps you shine the light on him…..he can’t thrive in the light!
2. Let God set you FREE! He has come to let you out of the prisons of guilt, shame, fear, rejection, sin, abandonment, unworthiness……..you name it! These are tools the enemy uses to keep you boxed up and on the sidelines!
3. Be aware of the enemy, but focus on God the most! Stay in tune with what He is speaking to you and follow His lead quickly. We can overcome the enemy because God already did! Christ the Victor helps YOU be VICTORIOUS!
“Keep my lamp burning; my God, You turn my darkness into light. With Your help I can advance against a troop; with You, my God, I can scale a wall!” ~Psalm 18:28-29
“My God, Your way is perfect; Your Word is flawless. You are a shield for all who take refuge in You.”
~Psalm 18:30
Armor up friends, so you will stand firm against all strategies of the devil. You are not fighting flesh and blood, but evil rulers of the unseen world. Put on the belt of Truth! Lies can’t live when exposed to TRUTH. The Light shines on the darkness and destroys it! Stand your ground! Put on the body of armor of righteousness- it comes from God who makes you Right! For shoes, put on the PEACE that comes from the Good News! Hold up that shield of FAITH to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on SALVATION! It’s YOURS! It’s your helmet of protection. Then take that sword of the Spirit- GOD’S WORD–You are not powerless, you are not hopeless, you are not alone! You are not going to lay down to whatever arrow is coming at you. You have the God Who spoke the world into existence and conquered death itself to go with you! You are a fearless and mighty soldier. But you’ve gotta take hold of it!
Give everything you have to God. “Satan dines on what we withhold from God” ~Francis Frangipane. Serve Him with all you’ve got! There is FREEDOM in this……and God is setting you free, so you can turn and set someone else free! Pass on the gift!
No more dabbling in your relationship with God! Take the next step, and if you need help discerning that….get some Godly counsel.
It’s time. Today.
We have seen so much darkness take place over the past several weeks. Darkness that is so thick and cold it just chills you right to the bone.
But today, I want to introduce you to someone who is a light to those around him. He is a beloved doctor in my city because he is not only great at what he does, but he takes such time and care with each patient who comes to him. Two of those patients are my kids.
My 7 year old son has had a tough year. We have been down several roads as we have tried to figure out what is causing some attention and mild sensory integration issues that mainly affect the completing of school work….work that he is very capable of doing, but just can’t seem to consistently stay focused on.
On the flip side, part of Max’s heightened senses- there is a gift and it involves music. He can hear 10 decibals better than the average person, and he has a natural inclination towards instruments that he considers wonderful or rhythmic. Starting at the age of 2, he would pull items from the pantry and cupboards to create drum sets. I’m not just talking about banging on some pans–I mean putting certain items together to create particular sounds. He would also strum anything he could- whether it be the vents in the house, the refrigerator grate or an actual guitar. He will tell you what instruments he loves and which one he doesn’t based not on how cool they are, but what sound they make. He tells me the cello makes a sound that is “wonderful to his ears”. He tell me the oboe makes his ears want to die…..(sorry oboe players, I guess everyone has their own taste:) He can’t wait until he is in the 5th grade so he can play the tenor saxophone and in 10th he wants to play the bassoon. But right now, he is all about the drums….and it was number one on his Christmas list.
Last week we went to see Dr. G. for Max to be allergy tested. It was not a fun trip for Max since he is allergic to almost everything they tested for (over 40 things).
BUT, Dr. G. made it fun. Dr. G also happens to be a professional drummer. We found this out when he asked Max what he wanted for Christmas and he told him a drum set.
That appointment was on Thursday. On Sunday, everyone in our family received a little gift from someone at church….except Max. He asked me “mommy, why did everyone in the family get a present today except me?” He wasn’t upset so much about the present, but that he didn’t feel special. It broke my heart that he felt hurt.
Fast forward to first thing Monday morning when I got a phone call from Dr. G. saying “can you come by the office today? I have something I’d like to give Max”. I said sure, I can do that (thinking he was going to tell me about an allergy sample or a new inhaler to try out). Next he tells me “I have a vintage snare drum in my collection and I want Max to have it”. Oh. my. word. I was brought to tears by the timing and thoughtfulness of this WONDERFUL gift. And literally RIGHT after he got off the phone with him, I was on my front porch and found this note, folded up tiny on the windowsill:
You should also know that Dr. G. has an artificial heart right now. He has been on the list for a heart transplant for a while now, and they have just upgraded him to high priority. So my kids and I have been praying for him to receive his new heart soon.
I am so thankful that God knows just when something is needed and that there are still people like Dr. G in this world who are lights to those around him……no matter what they are going through themselves! I am blessed, honored, and eternally thankful. He may not have known why God had prompted him to do this kind act, but we do. The gift is wonderful, and Max is very proud of it, taking care of it, and enjoying it ALL the time, but more importantly, he made a 7 year old boy who has had a tough year and wasn’t feeling particularly special, feel EXTRA special. And his kindness also touched the hearts of our entire extended family. And who knows what his investment in a little boy’s love of music will reap for the Kingdom in the future!
God is the source of light. If he prompts you to do something, do it. You never know how it might make a difference for someone….and the ripple effect goes on and on!
Thank you Dr. G for being a light to us and so many others in the community! I am asking all of my readers to please join me in praying for the perfect heart to come to him, and that his body will receive it with great joy and without complication. Pray also that God holds him up in body and spirit as he waits. Pray also for his family.
I grew up in the day when the video game set Atari came out. It was a really big deal when my parents made a special trip to Gold Circle early in the morning to get in line to get an Atari for us. We all had different games that were our favs- my brother and sister loved Pac-man, my mom loved Frogger, my dad loved Space Invaders, and I loved Pitfall.
This little guy traveled through many hazards of the jungle trying to collect treasures of silver and gold bars. He encountered rattlesnakes, alligators, scorpions, and quicksand in his quest. Sometimes as he was running along he would fall into a pit (or climb into it). That’s where the scorpion roamed and sometimes you were trapped between a brick wall and that little guy with a deadly stinger. I can still remember the sound it made when he fell into that pit.
Have you ever been in a pit? Felt like you were just journeying a long in life and then bam, Pitfall! I’m talking about depression here. That deep hole you don’t want to be in, but have trouble finding your way out of. We all face it to some degree at some point in our life. You may be there now, or you may have recently found the ladder and climbed out. You may be halfway down that ladder and trying to avoid going the rest of the way in! So let’s talk about just a few things we can do when we find ourselves in or near a Pitfall.
Number 1: Yell for help! Do not wait silently in the pit! Call out to The Lord and call out to a friend! Depression tends to cycle in and out for many people, but if it is severe, debilitating, or seems to be staying for the long haul, please tell a doctor. You do not have to be a rock all the time, and more than likely, your friends knows that pit well and can support you by letting you know you are not alone and praying for you. It can be freeing just to say it out loud to someone- removing the isolation- and the power of the enemy to whisper stinging lies!
Number 2: Take inventory of your physical, spiritual, emotional, and relational bank accounts. I did this recently myself. There are things that make deposits into these areas of our lives and things that make withdrawals. Take a look at what deposits need to be made into your life daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to keep your account from completely depleting. Withdrawals come and they are part of life- that’s why we must make a conscious effort to make deposits, and limit any unnecessary withdrawals! Tip: Sometimes we do things in an attempt to make deposits that are actually making withdrawals. Be aware of what these things are for you! You will know them b/c they only provide a momentary relief.
Number 3: Ask God to fight for you. You may be feeling weak and vulnerable. Let this verse encourage you today:
“If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’ why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” Romans 8:26-28 The Message
The “pregnant condition” refers to the difficult times of pain we see throughout creation and experience as people as we await what comes next for us. They are birth pains that are around us and within us. We are yearning for deliverance! So what do we do?
Number 4: Shift your focus from self to God and what He can do (even when you can’t feel it). Trust comes alive!
“Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them–living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores god, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what He is doing.” Romans 8:5-8 The Message
Number 5: Wait. You won’t be here forever. It’s a difficult season, and the light may seem far away or nonexistent. But,
“If we go through the hard times with Him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with Him!” Romans 8: 17 The Message
Good times are coming, and you will look back and see that your faithful friend was there all along:) This I know!
What things do you do that make deposits into your accounts? What encouragement would you offer to someone who is in the pit today?
This is my sweet 10 year old daughter.
This morning I went to tour the middle school we are hoping to send her to next year. Yes, in our city you “apply” to middle school, and certain middle schools feed into certain high school, so you have to really be thinking ahead ….and it is as big of a decision as college! Looking around that building, my heart just sank. It’s so BIG for my little girl. It’s twice the size of her elementary. Oh how I wish 6th graders were still elementary students:( Anyways, throughout the tour I had a lump in my throat and was choking back tears that my little girl is growing up. I did my best not to let it show; it isn’t kindgergarten where that is acceptable. But I do feel like I just sent her off to kindergarten with her cute little blonde pigtails and backpack as big as her.
Today was a rare day where I was completely childless for the whole school day. My 4 year old went with her daddy for the day and my other 2 were at school. So, with the day at my disposal following my tour of the middle school, I made a little trip to Target and Hobby Lobby and had a quiet lunch ALL BY MYSELF at Panera. I began writing out my prayer for Chloe and this middle school decision and as I did, God reminded me of these very important things:
* Though the school looked too big for my little girl, God is greater, and Chloe is His girl. He’s got her!
* Jamey and I are not parenting her or our other 2 children all by ourselves. The Holy Spirit will speak to her guide her , and be with her everywhere she goes….something we cannot do. Though we are constantly seeking Him and striving to do the best we can to raise her well, It’s not solely dependent on us, so we shouldn’t treat it like it is! And single parents- I can’t imagine how alone you feel at times, but you are not! I believe your kids have a special place in God’s heart and He will help you parent them!
* Our job as parents is to train them up, and let them go. I am thankful we get to do this a little tiny bit at a time…..the day they start pre-school or kindergarten, middle school, high school, college, get a driver’s license, and other big and small moments in between. BUT, we are not just sending them off into the world, to friends, or to school alone-we are sending them off with God- the One Who made every cell in their bodies, knows what they need, and loves them so much. And we can trust Him to care for them….and to carry us through! Yes, Jesus goes to Middle School too!
* Though as she gets older, the voices of her friends and others may become louder, the voice of the parent is still the greatest authority in a child’s life because God has given us that authority. They long for it, even if they roll their eyes, and they cry out for it if it is absent. We can pray for God to lead us in truth, and then pass that truth on to our kids.
Then, God led me to pray these verses over my girl:
“I pray that from His glorious unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your heart as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God”. ~Ephesians 3:16-19
“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your life be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness”. ~Colossians 2:6-7
Notice the common denominators in these verses? Strong roots…….in Christ…….in truth……in faith……in His love……..on which to build our lives.
Thank You Lord that we don’t have to parent alone!
johnsonpartyof5 