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Today was the first service in a Revival at our church. The following is what I received from the message this morning by the evangelist, Dale A. Miller, along with what the Lord spoke to my heart.

Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan? It’s found in Luke 10:25-37.

In short, there was a man who was robbed, beaten, and left on the side of the road to die. Three men happened to see the poor man the day he was left for dead. The first one was a Priest, the second was a Levite, and the third was a Samaritan. Both the Priest and the Levite passed the man up and did not offer to help him. They weren’t moved with compassion or concern. The third man, the Samaritan, had compassion on the man and ended up saving his life.

What is significant in this story is that the Priest (a man of God) and the Levite (a Temple worker) of all people “should have been” the men who would have compassion on the hurt man. They were “church folk” after all.

In Bible times, a Samaritan was a half-Jew. They were the people that came from Jews marrying pagans. They follow their own form of Judaism and were outcasts in Jewish society. Of all people, Samaritans understood what it meant to be rejected, unwanted, unloved, and left for dead. No wonder the Good Samaritan had compassion on the dying man. The Bible says the Good Samaritan bound up the wounds of the hurting man and poured in oil and wine. He then took the man to a place where he could rest, and he paid for someone to take care of him.

The Bible says the Good Samaritan bound up the wounds of the hurting man and poured in oil and wine. He then took the man to a place where he could rest, and he paid for someone to take care of him.

In the Bible, oil represents the Spirit or presence of God. It was also used for healing. Shepherds would pour oil into the scratches on the faces of sheep in order to prevent infection, and to get rid of any fly eggs that might have been laid inside the wounds. Oil is significant. And wine. It represents the joy of the Lord that only comes from the Spirit of God.

Oil = Health & Healing. Wine = Joy.

We all need Oil and Wine from the Good Samaritan, Jesus.

I know. Jesus wasn’t the Good Samaritan. He told the story of the Good Samaritan. But I think the Good Samaritan represents Jesus. Isaiah 53 prophetically describes Jesus as “despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” 

Jesus has compassion for our sorrows and griefs. He knows what it feels like to be rejected and hurting.

The Bible describes Jesus as the Son of God and the Son of Man. His mother was a Jewish girl. His Father, the Almighty Creator.

In a sense, Jesus was a half-Jew. The result of God overshadowing humanity and manifesting Himself into His creation. I think we can say Jesus was a Spiritual Samaritan. Holy, and not of this world, yet earthy flesh.

Jesus sees you as you lie on the road of life, hurt, broken, rejected, beaten, stolen from. He saw that people passed you by, even church people, and didn’t show compassion or try to help at all. He doesn’t care what condition you are in because He cares for you. Jesus loves you, and He has oil (healing) and wine (joy) for you.

The following letter is from my friend Kailey Bradley, founder of Books for MKs (Missionary Kids). Please take the time to consider donating to this cause. 

Dear Friends,

For the next three days, Books for MKs is holding a fundraiser together with Usborne Books!

Books for MKs is a Protestant Christian not-for-profit organization, dedicated to donating books to Missionary Kids on the mission field. We currently mail books to over 140 missionary children! There is no cost to the missionary family at all, and the books are theirs to keep.  It is a free gift!

Help us reach our goal for donations and Usborne Books will match 50% of donations in free books for the MKs!  This offer expires on Tuesday at midnight, so we need to raise funds quickly!

You can be a part of this amazing ministry, and help send books to children in need! Donate NOW at https://www.youcaring.com/books-for-mks

We desperately need funds to cover the cost of postage and to buy more books. Help us put a smile on these MKs faces and reading material in their hands!

I grew up in Mexico as a young Missionary Kid. I was a voracious reader when I was a kid on the mission field. Of course in Mexico, there weren’t any libraries with English books where I could satisfy that appetite for the written word.

The Lord put it on my heart to donate books to kids on the mission field. It means a lot to me personally, especially from my own experiences as an MK of feeling cut off from the English-speaking world. Books help to bridge that gap, and lets MKs (and parents) know that they are not alone out there!

To find out more about Books for MKs, you can visit our website:  https:// booksformks.wordpress.com/

Receiving a package of books has a huge impact on a missionary family!  Below are some of the emails and letters I have received from MKs and missionary parents on the field.  You can see what a special and needed resource this is for them.

Please consider donating and sharing in this great cause!

God Bless,
Kailey Bradley
Founder of Books for MKs

“Not a day has gone by since that they haven’t wanted to read a book. This is so encouraging to me, especially as I worried about my son not being interested in reading or learning how to read before! They have a renewed interest in reading now, so thank you so much for that!  I think it really helps to have some new, exciting books rather than just the same, few old ones we had before.” – Missionary Mom in Colombia

“One of our sons just started reading with the books you sent and he told me: “Mum, I need to practice reading, so I can become a doctor and help the kids in Papua New Guinea who are sick.” –Missionary Mom in Papua New Guinea

“My boys danced around the books and asked me to read them to them on the same day. I wish I could show you their smiles when they opened your parcel. We are so thankful!”–Missionary in West Africa

“Wow!!!! You should have heard the squealing as they opened the box! Thank you!!!!” -Missionary in Costa Rica

“The books you have sent are their favorite books and they call them their treasures.” –Missionary Mom in Japan

“They LOVED the last books! They got them this last week. It was funny, I was just as excited as they were.  I was delivered the box, and  I saw our name on it. I said FOR ME????????? I never get packages! Thank you so much! It was an encouragement. All the kids loved them.” –Missionaries in Peru

When I was in Texas the Lord spoke to my heart about some situations I was praying about. I was taking a walk at a park while I was praying. I saw a dandelion—the kind that people pick up and blow the seeds into the wind and make a wish with.

The blowable dandelion is the official flower of the Military Child. It represents how a small part of our hearts are left everywhere we have ever lived (I grew up in a military family and we moved a lot).

So, I picked up the dandelion and was praying about those situations. The Lord spoke to me and said, “Walk into my wind and I will blow everything that doesn’t belong in your life out of your life.”

As I walked, the seeds of that dandelion were blowing away with the wind. The flower ended up left with just a few seeds and the core of the stem.

That’s what happens when we seek after God. A lot of our thoughts and ways will be blown away from us as we draw closer to God. He takes us to the core of who we are and says, “I’m going to make something of you. Trust me. I am going to take you places you never knew you could go. I have a plan for your life. But it takes getting down to the core of who you are.”

God bless you.

I think I started writing a thought for singles on Valentines Day probably, I don’t know, 10 years ago? I usually share something I’ve learned about the true meaning of love, doing special things for other people, loving God, loving others, loving self. I recently saw a post about Dairy Queen honoring singles on Valentine’s Day with our own special Blizzard. Everyone is hoping on board the happily single train! And no doubt, there are a lot of things that a single can do to make Valentine’s Day special. But that’s not what I’m going to write about this year.

Last week I attended a Bible study in which a woman who has the gift of prophecy spoke a word into my life. I’m still pondering the meaning of it, and that’s what I’m going to write about this year.

She said, “You’ve outgrown your singleness.” I’ve never in my life had anyone say that.

Usually people say something about how I’m not trying hard enough, or how I am isolated where I live, or how I must be too picky, or they can’t think of anyone who is good enough to introduce to me. That’s the nice side of what is said. I’ve had some really mean things said to me too.

I’ve learned how to tune out their comments, but this new positive comment . . . I’m not quite sure what to do with it. She did clarify and say that she wasn’t meaning that I was going to get married – just that I had outgrown my singleness and that I need relationships to keep growing. She said some other spot-on things too, but I’ll keep those for another day.

What does it mean to outgrow singleness? To need relationships in order to grow?

I’ve come a long way on my own. I’ve grown as a person and I’ve grown in business. I’m still growing. I know the growth could become exponential if I had other people in my life sharing my vision, even one other person would make a huge difference in the growth.

This year I’ve officially started my Life Coaching business. I’m starting to reach out to others to share what I’ve learned. I’ve outgrown my singleness and it’s time to start reaching beyond my own growth, for the growth of others.

What about you? Whether you are single, dating, married, or in something complicated, have you outgrown you? If not, what areas do you still need to grow in? What areas do you have strength to share with the world?

We all have needs, but we all have something to give too. This Valentine’s Day, outgrow your singleness. Reach out to the world around you. Love. Be loved.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

What came first:
Legitimate printed money, or counterfeit?
The expensive name brand purse, or the cheap knock-off?
Correct spiritual doctrine, or false doctrine?
The Truth, or a lie?

It’s a question we’ve heard for years. What came first, the chicken or the egg? I’ve always known the answer to that question. The chicken came first.

Genesis 1:20, “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”

The chicken came first because “IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED” chickens and then they “brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind.”

It’s a funny example, but the principle of originality always goes back to the same question, “What came first?”

There can be no counterfeit money without legitimate printed money holding value. There can be no cheap knock-off purse without an expensive name brand purse first making the product and giving it value. There can be no false doctrine unless there is first correct and powerful spiritual doctrine. There can be no lie unless the Truth is there first.

Many people today follow beliefs that are based on a “second” thought or teaching. Millions of people put their faith into prophets and books that came hundreds of years after the Original Book, God’s Word. False doctrines claim to be from God, and even point back to the Word of God, but they don’t line up.

All you have to do is study the original to know the real thing! Why settle for a cheap knock-off when you can have the Truth? Why settle for “religion” or “tradition” when you can experience a relationship with God for yourself? The price has already been paid.

When you have God’s precious gift of Truth, you don’t have to go for the fake to appear you’ve got the real thing. You don’t have to go out of your way to make people think you are a holy person. When you are living right, you just live.

A real relationship with God is available for you today. What came first? God’s Word or man’s interpretation, exposition, or creeds? Go back to the original and you will find the Truth, the Way and the Life.

Isaiah 55:1-2 and 6-9, “Every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. . . . Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Since posting this blog, I have had what appears to be a scammer trying to sue me for using the following picture on this blog site. I have included proof of purchase of the correct image license for using this photo below.

I’m not the greatest artist, but I’ve always had a love for art. It’s fun. Art was my favorite class growing up in school. It didn’t matter what we were doing, I enjoyed it.

As an adult, I moved away from art and started focusing more on writing. I learned I could better express myself through writing and I was pretty good at it – though not the best. I still continued to paint on occasion, but I started using the computer as an outlet for creativity.

This year, however, I am returning back to some of the simpler days when it comes to my Bible reading time. I know I learn best when I hear and write information down, so as I am listening to the Bible read aloud via the net, I am handwriting a focus scripture.

Along with my handwritten scripture, I am creating a doodle art to reinforce the message of the scripture. It’s not the greatest art, but it helps to stick in my mind.

I’ve been sharing these doodles on my Facebook page, but I wanted to share them here on my blog as well.

I want to encourage you as well. Step out of the box when it comes to meditating on the scripture. Do what works for you, and something that you will enjoy. Reading the Bible doesn’t need to be a chore on your to-do list, but something that feeds your spirit.

May God bless you and take you into a Brighter Day today!

I’m not quite sure where to begin this post. I have re-written the first few lines at least five times now. Does God still answer prayer? Yes! I have had a lot of answers to prayers lately. These obvious and miraculous answers to prayer are a boost of faith after a season of seemingly unanswered prayer.

I would love to tell you all of the details of what God is doing right now, but I can’t because #1 I don’t know all of the details, and #2 the answer is still in development. I can say that about two weeks ago, God began to show me a glimpse of an answer to a prayer I began praying approximately 17 years ago.

17 years ago is a long time. I was 15 years old then, and my faith was strong. I experienced many answered prayers back then. I had many dreams and visions, and many spiritual battles and times of intercession where I would pray in the Spirit for other people.

I never saw any “answers” back then. I always felt as if the Lord used me for intercessory prayer and for seed planting. It was someone else’s job to tend to the seeds and harvest them.

But the 17 years later, the fields are ready for harvest (John 4:35). Though the answer is still in progress, I can see that after 17 years the seed God used me to plant is still alive.

You may be waiting on a prayer from long, long ago. Don’t lose heart. Keep praying and believing. God hears your prayer and sees your faith. Miracles still happen, and God is working. I am amazed at what is happening right now. I am looking forward to the day when I can testify about it!

Side Thought: Many people wonder if God even hears their prayers. The Bible has the answer: God hears the prayers of the person who worships Him and does His will, but does not listen to the prayers of wicked people (John 9:31, Psalm 34:15, Proverbs 15:29, +more). 

Last night I stumbled upon a Holiday Scripture Writing Plan. I’ve never seen one of these before, but I liked the idea and decided to start early. 

Along with writing out Day 1’s verses, I added my own Bible journaling aspect to my writing. If you’re not familiar with Bible journaling, google it – there are some beautiful pieces out there.

The verse that stood out to me was Isaiah 7:15. “He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.”

I’ve been a part of an amazing Bible study based on the book Good or God, by John Bevere. So the concept of “good” has been in my mind a lot lately. In the process of the study, God has opened my eyes to a few situations I deemed “good” but were actually deceptive. I was pretty shocked at the revelations.

So when I read verse 15, the word “good” stood out to me, but of course “curds and honey” also stood out . . . The verse is talking about Jesus, and I honestly don’t ever remember reading it before.

What do curds and honey have to do with anything? And what do they have to do with refusing evil and choosing good? My thoughts stayed on this scripture and I woke up this morning thinking about it again.

What do curds and honey have in common?

Curds are the curdled part of soured milk. Gross. But it’s also what makes stuff like cottage cheese and cheese curds. A lot of people like curds, but it takes some bad, some discards, some souring, some “evil” to make the curds.

And honey? Bees are involved, and they sting. There’s also wax and a hive and danger and a process to obtain the honey and make it “good” to eat. There’s “evil” (or negative) involved.

Evil might seem like too strong a word to use when talking about curds and honey, but you get the point. There’s a negative aspect to producing something good and beneficial.

If we aren’t willing to go through the process, to withstand the evil days, then we will not stick around to enjoy the good. As well, if we focus on the negative or the process, we might not choose to see the good. Even once the process is complete, there is still “refuse” (a part to throw away) and a part to enjoy.

Today, look past the sour, the sting, the danger and the smell. Refuse the evil and choose the good. Eat curds and honey. Enjoy the day.

The Refugee Crisis . . . I’ve heard so many people say it is unChristian to not want to bring them in. This post isn’t arguing one way or another, but like many of my thoughts, I simply want to challenge you to think about it from another angle. One that is both compassionate and practical. (Side Note: I realize not all the refugees are terrorists. I am NOT saying they are.)

The whole situation reminds me of a couple my parents know. They are very good hearted people who had a desire to reach out to homeless people. They would go down to the parks and minister, and occasionally they met one or two, or five, that needed a place to stay, so they opened up their personal home to them.

It wasn’t long before their home was full of homeless people that they were personally supporting. They didn’t have enough money to do it, so they ended up having to move away. They couldn’t even afford to take care of themselves anymore. It’s a sad story. The homeless people didn’t change or get better. They went right back to the streets because that is where they want to be.

As much as we love people and want to help them, we can not force them to change or assimilate. The refugees need help, for sure, but they have no desire to be American. They will not assimilate. We must be careful that we don’t open our personal assets, or one day we will find ourselves without a home and with no resources to even care for ourselves.

Think about the Revolutionary War – British soldiers were taking over people’s personal homes. People were required to allow others to live with them – to provide for them – to feed them.

Would you open your home to a refugee family? What if the government’s way of providing turned into telling us that since we have an extra room we had to offer it . . . It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened. It still happens in communist countries.

Take a look at the way China has been – they micromanage how many children people have. They force abortions. Talk about getting personal.

Do you want to live in a boundary-less country? Do you want to live in a boundary-less life? What if you had to live with the people you work with? That would be much easier than living with terrorists. I’m not saying all the refugees are terrorists.

All I’m saying is THINK. Stop with the idealism and be practical. You go first. Open your home to the homeless. They are less violent than potential terrorists, and they speak English and are already a part of American society, though in a sub-culture.

Proverbs 25:28 KJV
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

Proverbs 22:24 KJV
Make no friendship with an angry man;  and with a furious man thou shalt not go: