Struggle
Struggle
© 2010 Carolyn R Scheidies

I struggle with many things this Christmas season,
Yet I choose to count my blessings
A comfortable home,
Running and hot water,
Electricity
Computer
Ability to reach out with my writing
Church family where I can serve
Supportive, caring family and friends
A husband responding to cancer treatment,
Caring adult children--with jobs--who don't live too far away
Delightful, healthy grandchildren
A relationship with my Creator Christ who gives meaning to life
In reality, my blessings overflow
I bow in gratitude
And give thanks.


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Value??
Matthew 13:45-46 Mkjv Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant
seeking beautiful pearls; who, when he had found one pearl of great
price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Once the joy of receiving salvation and new life in Christ wears
against the stress of daily living, do we stop valuing what
transpired? Asking Jesus into our lives isn't about tradition or
religion, it is beginning a journey with the God of all Creation.

Do we value the gift of life both now and for eternity? Do we value
knowing we can talk to God and He is there and will answer--if we
listen and willing to follow through? Do I truly value the gift Jesus
offers?


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Human vs Animal Rights
Matthew 12:12-13 Mkjv How much better is a man then than a sheep?
Therefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then He said to
the man, Stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out, and it was
restored whole like the other.

We live in a time where being human is often denigrated while animal
life is given human, even sacred status. God did not create humans and
and animals equal. We are made in God's image. Animals are a creation
not on the same level. We are to care for and use animals, but not
deliberately torture either animals or humans. Nevertheless, some
animals are meant for comfort and assistance. Others for food and
clothing.

Animals, as wonderful as they are, do not have souls. A perspective to
keep in mind when animal rights are touted over the safety, health and
well-being of a human population.


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Willing?
Matthew 11:28-30 Mkjv Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in
heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy, and
My burden is light.

Too often we give, the impression following God is a burden. Yet it is
faith that strengthens, offers hope and inner peace. It is Christ who
helps us say no to harmful thoughts, places, substances, behaviors and
relationships. It is Christ who heals and comforts when we're hurting.

The real burden is carried by those determined to do everything their
way, becoming selfish and self-centered, who have no one but
themselves to turn to in time of need and who may carry heavy burdens
of guilt, addictions or harmful relationships and secret sins.

Christ does make a difference. Following Him is freedom. He just waits
for us to ask and accept His stretched-out hand.


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Where is God?
Psalm 19:1 Mkjv The heavens declare the glory of God; and the expanse
proclaims His handiwork.

Where is God? Look up into the night sky, away from city lights. Where
is God? Look at the beauty, complexity and magnificence of His
creation. God is so much more than His creation.

Where is God? Waiting for you to come, ask, listen, bow.


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Living a Life of Integrity
Psalm 18:5-6 Mkjv The sorrows of hell surrounded me; the snares of
death confronted me. In my distress I called on the LORD, and I cried
to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before
Him, into His ears.

Jesus hears and He answers. The key is to come out of real need and a
willingness to listen and allow God full access to our hearts and
lives. Only with this type of access will He be be able requirement is we must choose Him> to heal, protect and set things
right inside our minds and outside in our environment with
relationships, work and finances.

Jesus is the key to living lives of integrity, honor, joy...and blessing.

V. 20, 30 Mkjv The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands He has repaid me. ... As for
God, His way is perfect; the Word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield
to all those who trust in Him.


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Posted by Carolyn R Scheidies at 8:04 AM CST

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My Need?
Matthew 8:2-3 Mkjv And behold, a leper came and worshiped him, saying,
Lord, if You will, You can make me clean. And Jesus put out His hand
and touched him, saying, I will; be clean! And immediately his leprosy
was cleansed.

Jesus is willing, in fact, desires to heal, save, forgive and make
whole. But He has set forth one important proviso. We must be willing
to admit need and ask for His help, allowing Him access to our minds,
hearts and lives.

Jesus makes a difference, but He doesn't force anyone to accept His
healing or His help. Do I realize my need enough to ask?


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Forgiveness & Freedom
Matthew 6:14-15 Mkjv For if you forgive men their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive men
their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

We like to think we have a right to hold a grudge or be resentful when
someone hurts in some way. What we don't recognize is that resentment
breeds anger that changes how we approach life and how we both treat
and respond to others. Nursing anger also separates from God, cutting
us off from our source of love, forgiveness and healing.

Holding on isn't about making the other person pay, it is about
self-destruction. Holding on means the person who caused the hurt
wins. Forgiveness isn't about letting a perpetrator off the hook. It
is about getting free and moving on--a freedom we will only find in
Christ.


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Peace
Matthew 5:9 Mkjv Blessed are the peacemakers! For they shall be called
the sons of God.

Peace isn't necessarily the absence of conflict. It is confronting
evil and wrong and leading the way to the Prince of Peace--Jesus
Christ. He is our peace.

True peace begins inside. Only as a person knows that peace will
his/her life reflect God's peace. God's peace inside, leads to
persons, families, friends and nations seeking true peace--where Jesus
Christ is the center of thoughts, actions, words and policies.

Without God we will have conflict, discrimination and Violence against
the most vulnerable among us.

V. 44 Mkjv But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse
you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who
despitefully use you and persecute you...


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Playing Games with Sin
Matthew 4:10-11 Mkjv Then Jesus said to him, Go, Satan! For it is
written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall
serve." Then the Devil left him. And behold, angels came and
ministered to Him.

Jesus told Satan to go. When we command in Jesus' name things happen.
When temptation comes, unfortunately, too many times, we don't say,
No!," don't walk away, shut down the TV, computer, phone and don't
close the book or magazine.

Sin fascinates and we play games with sin, alowing this and that. We
lose our spiritual discernment as sin becomes a barrier between us and
God.

The scary thing is, by playing games with sin, we often never realize
how far we moved from our source of protection, peace, hope and
blessing until disaster strikes and we find ourselves wondering where
God is.

How am I playing with sin today?


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Truth & Peace
Psalm 12:6 BBE The words of the Lord are true words: like silver
tested by fire and burned clean seven times.

When God speaks, He speaks truth. Not because He believes truth to
always be right, but because He IS truth. God is the embodiment of
truth. There is no truth without God.

Beauty may, at least to an extent, be in the eye of the beholder, but
truth needs a foundation. Truth to be truth doesn't change with time
and circumstance. Without foundamental truth two people or nations
will never be on the same page. Without God there can be no truth.

Anything else will be a muddle and end in failure. True peace starts
with truth and both start in the heart of God.


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Person Not Just a Principle
Leviticus 26:3-4 Mkjv If you walk in My statutes and keep My
commandments and do them, then I will give you rain in due season, and
the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall
yield their fruit.

Throughout this and other passages, the message is clear. God's
blessings stem directly from a committed to follow and serve Him. God
set in motion principles that rule our world. Follow His principles
and good will follow. But God is more than a set of principle.

He created us because He desires a direct and real personal
relationship with us. Only as we know God on this level of intimacy,
will we truly know His loving blessings in our lives.


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Future---Yours to Choose
Revelation 21:3-4 GW I heard a loud voice from the throne say, "God
lives with humans! God will make his home with them, and they will be
his people. God himself will be with them and be their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There won't be any more
death. There won't be any grief, crying, or pain, because the first
things have disappeared."

One day Jesus comes back. One day evil will be banished and God will
live with those who accepted and followed Him. No bloodshed. No grief.
No death. No tears.

But that future starts today with the decision to serve Christ not
just with words, but also with our thoughts, choices and actions. If I
don't follow now, will I really want to follow Him in the hereafter?
The future is ours to choose --Christ and life or eternal misery.

Psalm 9:10 BBE And those who have knowledge of your name will put
their faith in you; because you, Lord, have ever given your help to
those who were waiting for you.


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Be Holy
Leviticus 19:2-4 GW ...Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
Respect your mother and father. Observe my days of worship. I am the
LORD your God. Don't turn to worthless gods or cast metal idols. Never
make any gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.

Be holy as God is holy. We live in a culture that delights in seeking
to destroy all that is righteous, good and holy. Books, media, movies,
videos, games mock faith, purity and righteousness.

We're drawn in by so-called news and available entertainment, not
realizing we're drawn away from our God who cannot look on evil and
sin. We're drawn away from the one who created and loved us enough to
die. We're drawn away into rationalizing a god in our image--one who
won't call us to account for putting other things ahead of Him.

We depersonalize Him and wonder why our lives no longer overflow with
blessing and why we experience more conlict within ourselves and with
those around us.

The answer is both simple and profound--let God be the center of our
thoughts, our relationships and our entertainment. Be holy as God is
holy.


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews

Early Praise
Psalm 6:9 GW The LORD has heard my plea for mercy. The LORD accepts my prayer.

Up early. Now I'm tired. I got up reasons other than my quiet time.
But I do have a time of Bible reading and reflectipn as well as prayer
first thing in the morning.

Starting my day with Jesus means I start my day on the right foot and
with a good attitude. It also means I'm more prepared for whatever the
day might bring--for which I'm grateful.


--
CAROLYN R. SCHEIDIES
History, Mystery, Romance...and Hope!
I DEAL IN HOPE
http://IDealinHope.com
***
AUTHOR'S CHOICE REVIEWS
http://IDealinHope.com/bookreviews