this eternal hope.

1 Peter 3:2 - “Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives.” (NLT) 

Okay, so in this verse, Peter is talking to wives about submitting to their husbands, and telling them what to do if their husbands are not believers. However, I think we can gleam something from this, even if we aren’t married. 

Some people don’t want to accept the Good News about Jesus. It can be hard for us to share Christ with people like this; it can feel like you just keep hitting a brick wall over and over.  Sometimes you feel like you’ll never see them give their lives to Jesus. But God is the God of impossible things! Just remember that. 

Often, sometimes, the most effective way we can share our love for Christ with others is to live as Jesus calls us too. We need to be an example of Jesus. We need to be following His way, reading and studying His Word. Lean on the Holy Spirit to guide you. Don’t conform to the patterns of this world, seeking to be like everyone else, trying to fit in with unbelievers (Romans 12:2). Live for eternity. We are not going to be standing before any of our peers and giving an account of our lives here on earth and what we did with what God entrusted to us. We are going to stand before God, not our friends. And I promise, whether you believe in Jesus or not, you will stand before Him one day, and you will bow down and confess that He is Lord. Eternity is your destination. Eternity is your home. 

Don't just say that you are a Christian, act like one. We are called to share with others the Gospel of Christ (gospel means "good news"). We can't testify that we know Jesus and then go live like everyone else. I used to be one of these people. I wanted the benefits of being a Christian (eternal life, blessings, etc.) without having to give anything up. I wanted to follow my selfish ways and have full control over the direction I went in life. I didn't want to have to give up my 'autonomy.' I was a lukewarm Christian, until God rescued me. But, I had to be willing to let Him save me. He is not going to do it out of force. He wants you, He wants your trust, your life, your heart, but He is not going to force you to serve Him. Why? Because He loves you, and has given you a free will. It's up to you what you choose to do with it. You can serve yourself all of your days, or you can serve the One who created you, who died for you. 

“And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.” - 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT). This way, people know where you get your joy from. True joy, that can only come from knowing Jesus Christ. People are longing for this joy. It is a longing placed in the heart of every single man (Ecclesiastes 3:11). But they don't want to give up their selfish ways. They still want full control over their lives. But, I promise, I speak from knowing, that chasing after the things of this world and trying to fulfill every fleshly desire will not gain you joy. No, true joy comes from knowing Him. And if we as Christians, don't express our joy of knowing Christ Jesus, how do we expect others to want it? If we are always complaining, griping, depressed, downtrodden, why would anyone want that? I think a lot of Christians look over the fact that in Jesus we have victory. WE HAVE VICTORY, HALLELUJAH! Victory over death, sickness, and Satan. We have authority over Satan and his demons. We don't have to listen to them, we don't have to buy into the Enemy's lies. We don't have to walk around sad and beaten down all of the time. Instead, we have an eternal hope, and a promise (the Holy Spirit). Our hope does not lie in what the world gives or the circumstances around us, but it is a hope that is secure, a hope that won't fade with time. This hope is eternal life spent with Christ Jesus our King, when there will be no more pain or sorrow, no more tears, no more depression, no more sin. We will receive our blessed hope and eternal bodies and live in perfect peace. I am looking forward to this more and more every days. Let's turn our eyes to the One who has given us new life! Let's get into His Word, write it upon our hearts, keep it with us always. 

Be an example of Christ. 

Colossians 2 Bible Study

Time for a quick Bible study on Colossians chapter 2! This chapter so full of such awesome truth, there’s just so much to break down in it. So, I’ve taken a few notes and am adding some great truths from my study Bible! 

Verses 6:7 - Receiving Christ as Lord of your life is the beginning of a brand new life. But we must continue to follow, letting our roots grow down into Him (in John 15:4-5 Jesus says, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”) and we are to let our lives be built on Him (Matthew 7:24-25 - “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is build on bedrock.”). 

Verses 8-10: People are searching for something to fill the giant void in their hearts. Man has come to the (false) conclusion that he is here to serve himself, he is here to be worshiped. People believe that serving themselves and attaining all of the material things and knowledge that they can will bring fulfillment, only to find out that the more they get, the emptier they feel. That’s because the only thing that will bring true fulfillment, the only thing that can truly fill the void inside of each human’s heart is Jesus Christ, our Lord. 


When we know Jesus, we don’t need to seek God by means of other religions, cults, or unbiblical philosophies at the Colossians we’re doing. Christ alone holds the answers to the meaning of life, because he IS life. Christ is the unique source of knowledge and power for the Christian life. No Christian needs anything in addition to what Christ has provided to be saved. Some days may not feel like it, but in Jesus, the vacuum is gone, the full power and presence of God have taken up residence in your mind and heart. You are a new person in Christ! God will guide you. Religious practices look and sound good, but they can’t save us, they won’t help us to “conquer evil desires.” Only Christ can save us, and when we give our lives to Him, He will give us His Holy Spirit to come live inside of use and to guide us and help us overcome temptation and sin. 

We used to be dead. We were dead in sin, slaves to sin. But when we come to Christ, we are given new life. A life that is so satisfying and fulfilling that nothing else in the entire universe can ever compare. I won’t say that the world doesn’t entice us with things, and that some things aren’t tempting for the Christian, but I will say with full confidence that once you know Jesus, once you experience life with Him, that nothing else will ever compare with the joy that is found only in Him. You could go back to your old way of life, but why would you? Why would you choose to go back to bondage to sin when the very One who sets us free is willing to walk with you through this life, and who you will get to live with for eternity? 

God is ready to welcome you with open arms.

 ‘The Lord says,

“I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.

    I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me.

I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’

    to a nation that did not call on my name.

All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people.

    But they follow their own evil paths

    and their own crooked schemes.’ - Isaiah 65:1-2

•

W-H-O-A. That’s what I felt like saying, and maybe did say, the first time I read this. It’s so amazing to think how ready our loving and merciful God is to welcome us into His open arms! But it breaks my heart to think of how ready He is, just waiting for some of His beautiful people to run into His arms, and every time they say no. Do we really run to God every day, trust Him to be our ultimate source of life, power, provision, and protection? WE SHOULD BE! He is here, waiting on people to call on HIS NAME. The God of this world, magnificent creator of this magnificent universe, is waiting for YOU! He WANTS you! He LOVES you. He loves you so much that He sent His only Son, who knew no sin, to take on our punishment, the death we deserved. Why? Because of love. He loves us and desires for us all to live with Him in Heaven for eternity (2 Peter 3:9 says that is His will that NONE should perish). If people only knew, man. If they only knew how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love for us is (Ephesians 3:18); if they only knew how full of joy He can make you! How much peace He will give you. But you have to be willing to make Him Lord of your life, to believe that Jesus died and rose again. It takes faith. He won’t force His love on anyone. He gave each of us a free will. He wills for us all to call on His name, to serve Him, but He won’t make us serve Him. Just thinking of how much He wants for us to be with Him, to walk with Him is so humbling, and I pray every day that my highest desire would be to serve Him above all else, to put Him first, to rely on Him, to trust Him fully as my source and protection. Why? Because Jesus DIED for me! For me, who has messed up countless times. Who deserved the punishment He endured, the beatings He took. When I think of that, I become so overwhelmed by His love! It’s time that Christians stand up and become BOLD about our faith. It’s time that we spread the news of how happy He makes us. People are watching Christians. They’re watching to see how we respond to trials and how we respond to temptations. They’re listening to how we talk. They’re watching our daily lives and how we live them. Let’s start letting them know how wonderful, loving, amazing, and how AWESOME GOD IS! Let’s stop living in the shadows, afraid to speak a word about our loving and living God who created us! Let’s start sharing Him with others! 1 Peter 3:1 - “Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives.” It’s time to step out and spread the Word that God has called us to share. ❤️

STOP PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK WITH JESUS!

"When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes." - Matthew 24:37-39 (NLT)

This verse sounds a lot like what we are witnessing going on today. People aren't heeding the warnings, they have hardened their hearts towards God. Ephesians 4:18-19 says: "Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity." They are only concerned in gratifying the desires of their flesh. They are only worried about this life and the things it has to offer. They don't seem to put any thought into eternity and where they are going to spend it.

This has been on my mind almost constantly here lately. I have really felt like I need to say something about it. I'm afraid that so many people don't realize how close we are to Christ's return. I think a lot choose to be oblivious to it. I don't want to see anyone get left behind. That's why I am writing this post.

Christians, it's time to GET SERIOUS! We are living in what I believe to be the end times. We are getting so close to Jesus' return. And I AM NOT claiming to the know the day or the hour. "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." - Matthew 24:26 (ESV) 

If you're a Christian, or you're someone who has grown up in church, or even if you are neither of those, you've probably heard for most of your life that Jesus Christ is returning soon. Maybe it stirred you...it should've stirred you to turn your life around and give it to Jesus. But so often, we get lax in our relationships with God.  We get passive in our daily lives. Some have wondered when the rapture will take place, cause they thought He was coming when they heard it twenty years ago. But let me stress something to you: "But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." - 2 Peter 3:8-9 God doesn't want any of us to perish! God desires for all of us, every single one of us, to be saved. To live in eternity WITH HIM! That is just so powerful, and so wonderful. No other religion has a god who loves them as Christ loves us! Isn't that something?

God has given us warning after warning. He has given each of us ample opportunities and time to repent and come to Him. He chose to give us free will, not force us to accept Him. "But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve." - Joshua 24:15 (NLT) 


IT'S TIME TO STOP PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK WITH JESUS! We need to start getting ready, preparing, being alert for Jesus' return. We need to get serious about our walk with the Lord!  We don't know when He is coming back, but time after time after time in the Bible we are told to be ever watchful, always waiting, being ready for the rapture. "And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight." - 2 Peter 3:14 (NLT) 

Christians, I'm begging you: don't get too comfortable in this life, too secure in this world! So many people plan and think only about this life and what they want to accomplish here and what their life looks like here. They worry about what they look like, what kind of job they have, having the biggest house, the nicest car, the newest phone. Guys, that's all nothing! NOTHING! Compare it to Christ and it's all garbage! "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ." - Philippians 3:7-8 (ESV) Paul counted everything as rubbish compared to knowing Christ! I'm telling you, when you stand before God at the end of your life, all of this material stuff that you gained here on earth, will be the farthest thing from your mind!

"Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.  Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world." - 1 Peter 2:11-12 (NLT) As Christians, we shouldn't be living as the world lives. We shouldn't be doing the things the people of the world does. Yes, we will have temptations. Yes, we will stumble and mess up sometimes. But what is important is that we recognize when we mess up and repent, ask God for forgiveness, and turn around and never look back. "The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again." Proverbs 24:16 (NLT)  Living the Christian life is not always easy. “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT) God has given Christians His Holy Spirit, who lives inside of us, enabling us to live the Christian life, guiding us through this life, leading us. When people see us, they should see Christ. We are called to be a light in this broken world. To share with others the love of Jesus. Let's stop being so consumed with ourselves, with what we look like, with how many followers we have, how many likes we got on our last Instagram post and let's start loving others, spreading God's Good News. We need to be praying, without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We need to be studying the Bible, spending time with God, growing in our relationship with Him. "You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen." - 2 Peter 3:17-18 

"But the one who endures to the end will be saved." - Matthew 24:13 (NLT)

"The end of the world is coming soon, therefore be earnest and disciplined in your prayers." - 1 Peter 4:7 (NLT)

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW

"I wanna wash my face, my hands, my hair with snow...."

Back a few weeks ago, we accumulated 10.5 inches of snow! We rarely get snow anymore so it was a real treat! Just thought I'd share a few photos from the day.

Autumn, I've been waiting for you.

Dear Autumn,

It's been such a long time.  Much longer than usual I do believe.  You are quite late in your visit this year, at least a month late.  I should be mad at you, but when you arrived a few days ago, I couldn't be.  I was so overwhelmed with utter happiness that you were finally here that I couldn't be angry at you.

You see, I've been waiting for you to arrive before I begin wearing my favorite jeans and plaid shirts, or leggings and a hoodie.  Not to mention I haven't broken out a pair of boots this season, yet. I haven't drank any hot chocolate or really had anything pumpkin flavored yet - which is quite astonishing, as pumpkin is one of my favorite things in the world. The color changing leaves are supposed to come a bit before you, but you have failed in that respect this year, as they are all still green with a bit of brown spots.  I hadn't felt that slight chill in the air outside until you arrived a few days ago, and brought it with you, and the cloudy weather as well.  It's because of you that I have been late to the enjoyment of all these delightful things.  But as you are here now, I forgive you.

"Resist" Book Review - White Rose Blog Tour

Today, February 22nd, 2018, marks the 75th anniversary of the deaths of Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst.  These three heroically and courageously printed anti-Nazi leaflets and distributed them during WWII.  They were discovered and executed on this day many years ago.  But we can't let their deaths be in vain, and must strive to remember them, as we remember many heroic figures, and what they stood for.

In honor of their deaths, I have decided to participate in author Emily Ann Putzke's 75th anniversary blog tour, by writing a review of her book "Resist," which tells the story of Hans, Sophie, and Christoph, through Hans' view.

Munich, Germany 1942—Hans Scholl never intended to get his younger sister involved in an underground resistance. When Sophie Scholl finds out, she insists on joining Hans and his close friends in writing and distributing anti-Nazi leaflets entitled, The White Rose. The young university students call out to the German people, begging them to not allow their consciences to become dormant, but to resist their tyrannical leader and corrupt government. Hans knows the consequences for their actions—execution for committing high treason—but firm in his convictions, he’s prepared to lose his life for a righteous cause. Based on a true story, Hans, Sophie and all the members of The White Rose resistance will forever inspire and challenge us to do what is right in the midst of overwhelming evil. 

You know a book is beautiful, wonderful, powerful, and important to society when you can't stop thinking about it; when the characters won't leave your mind.

Such courage these young individuals had. Reading of these people made me feel sort of guilty...Why? Well, here they were, putting their lives on the line, for people they didn't even know. Speaking out in a world were it was punishable to do so. And we can sometimes have a hard time speaking up for our beliefs in a free country!  Shocking, I think.  

I just love every one of the members of the White Rose! I love them all. But Hans is my particular favorite. If you want to know why: Well, he started the Resistance. He knew the consequences if caught (they all did, I know). He didn't want to drag his loved ones in, to protect them. He had such love for the world. 

I also, love Sophie. She's a hero of mine now, as are Hans and the rest of them. Sophie, I believe was an old soul living in a young body. She had so much wisdom for someone so young, but I also believe she was trying to find herself, too. Her trust in God was overwhelming.  I wish I had just an inkling of the trust she gave Him.  
 

I was so afraid during the last half of the book. I had never read the story of or maybe even heard of these courageous young people before, and during the last 80 pages or so, I had such anxiety.  I knew, just knew what would happen to Hans and Sophie, but still I was on the edge of my seat, my heart beating fast with fear. 

And then the interrogations and trials. That was hard to bear. I felt as if I were there. Though, I know if I was, I would be so much more nervous and anxious. But, still, it left me stressed out.

I'm not going to say that Christl, Sophie and Hans weren't scared, for heaven's sake they were nearing their death! It's most impossible to not be afraid. But they didn't let the fear show. They took their death sentences with dignity. And Hans last words! That there just shows that he never regretted it-the Resistnace- for a minute. 

I am deeply upset though, that when you search for the White Rose, that it seems Sophie was remembered much more than Hans. I love Sophie, but why isn't Hans more praised? He did indeed begin the Resistance! 

Emily does a good job of writing it from Hans' perspective.  Sometimes, it seems kind of dangerous to do that, write a book from the perspective of one who has died, and was such a brave person, someone who did something important for society, but Emily has not done any harm.  She has commemorated Hans, Sophie, and Christoph, between the pages of this book, and done them a huge honor, one well deserved. 

Thank you Emily for introducing me to some of the greatest people of the 20th century, and of time. I won't forget their story.  I have been searching and reading about the White Rose since I finished the book. The story has left an impact on me...

How can we expect fate to let a righteous cause prevail when there is hardly anyone who will give himself up undividedly to a righteous cause?" - Sophie Scholl