Just Doodling

Amy Was Here!

Do you sisters remember doodling that EVERYWHERE?  Not "Amy" unless, of course, that's your name, but surely you get my drift!  I doodled it on my notebook, on my papers, on the phone book, the fogged up school bus windows, you name it, it doodled it.  Sometimes I was ready to live life on the edge and threw in a little edgey spelling...

Amy Wuz Here!

Cantcha sense the rebel within?? Then when I was really in the doodling mood, I expanded my authoring horizons and added a sassy little phrase...

Amy was here

But now she's gone

She's left her name to carry on.....

Wasn't I just brilliant?  Yes, along with the 10 million other teens and tweens who were doodling the same words on every surface possible.  Did y'all doodle that too?

Come on, admit it.

I know you did.

You know what though, everyday our life is a day of doodling.  We are doodling on surfaces of every life around us.  

But now she's gone

She's left her name to carry on....

After you have left presence of the people you interact with today, what will your doodle say?  What carries on after you move on?

Those thoughts, my sisters, have a HUGE ability to impact people long after we are gone.  Does the though of your name carry on bitterness, gloom, joy, love, compassion?  If the thoughts are those that have the characteristics of Christ - GET THIS- you have left the Holy Spirit some wonderful tools to work with....

Just a doodling thought for you today.

Jesus was here

But now He's gone

He's left His name to carry on...........

Royal Princess Daughter Of The King

Secrets From The Sisterhood

Last week we shared a few laundry tips, and we have a couple of more for you today. If you have any additional laundry tips or advice, feel free to leave a comment today to share.

I stopped using liquid fabric softener a long time ago because I kept noticing random spots that looked like grease on my clean clothes.  Since leaving it out of my laundry, the spots are gone, but I have missed the softness and the freshness that the fabric softener brings.  Recently I read somewhere online (and I can't remember where) how another person handles her fabric softener woes.  Instead of putting it into the wash, she puts her liquid fabric softener into a spray bottle.  Before adding her clean clothes to the dryer, she mists the inside of her dryer with about 6 sprays of fabric softener.  I have tried this and, thus far, love the results! 

And it makes your fabric softener go farther too!

Here's an idea from Camillia.  When I read it, it took me back to my Mom's house, because this how my mom does laundry.  Camillia does her laundry daily to keep it from being overwhelming, folding and stacking it on her bed.  That way all of the laundry gets put up at the end of the day and it doesn't stack up.

I guess you could say it makes you make the bed everyday too.....Hmmm...Mom would be so proud.

More tips to come next week, and I promise they won't be about dirty ole laundry!



Royal Princess Daughter Of The King

Unclearly Refined

God shows and teaches me alot in my drives to and from work.  I guess He knows it's probably the quietest time of my day, and He teaches me things with such practical stuff. 

One day last week, I was sitting at a stop light on my way to work.  As I sat waiting at the red light, the light turned green for the cross traffic.  The traffic began to move forward and a tanker truck caught my eye.  I have never seen a tanker truck quite like this one, and to tell you the truth, I have no idea what it was carrying.  I was distracted by a word I saw painted on it and never got past that word.  The truck was a different color than the typical tanker truck, kind of a blue green and the tank itself had silver lettering.

There were words at the top and words at the bottom, which I never read because I was struck by the word in the center.  Not just the word, but how it was fashioned, and I felt a stirring within.  That same stirring that I have come to know as the Holy Spirit, who in His gentleness, is always ready to make my life and the happenings of my day a classroom. 

The letters of the word were very large.  Solid at the bottom, but the tops of the letters faded away.  Faded into nothing.  You've seen words like this in slide shows and power points, and I tried my best to reproduce what caught my eye -

Now, this isn't exactly what I saw, but it's close. I noticed the tops of the letters faded away to nothing, their edges having no real defined stopping place, and God taught me something about refining.

The refining process is not always clearly defined for us. 

It doesn't always make sense.

He doesn't always reveal all of the pieces to us.

We all face situations and struggles in our life that just don't make sense. Even though they don't always make sense, don't always have a defined outline, aren't always exactly clear, you can always trust that refining is taking place.

God uses those trials and struggles in His refining process to make us more like Him and even though we can't see how a situation is going to work out, He is still using it.

I know some of you are facing GREAT trials, HARD struggles, and DEEP pain that make no sense at all.  Please trust this - even though you can't see the end, you can't see the outcome, He is using it and you are more like Jesus today than you were yesterday. 

It's all part of the refining process.

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1:7

Royal Princess Daughter Of The King

Packed Down

I love to bake, I always have.  Growing up, we were always baking something.  After dinner was devoured and the mess cleaned up, we all usually ended up in the living room for a TV show or two.  Not long after taking our posts in the living room, often Daddy would bid me and April back to the kitchen.

"Why don't you go fix your daddy some cookies...." he would whine as he rubbed his belly.

It was in Momma's kitchen I learned all I know about cooking.  It was in Momma's kitchen that I learned to measure, mix, and pour.

I used to sneak up in the top cabinet where she stored the brown sugar, open the bag, pull out a chunk or two or twenty and let it melt in my mouth!  (I know, beginning signs of a future problem with sweets!)  Pure brown sugar....

Speaking of brown sugar, one of my favorite things to make requires brown sugar, that being the simple old stand by, chocolate chip cookies.   I just love them warm out of the oven, when the center is still soft and the chocolate stretches with each bite leaving it's evidence on your chin.

Mmmm.

This recipe would not be quite the same without the right amount of brown sugar.   As you know, measuring brown sugar is a little different than measuring sugar or flour.  When you measure brown sugar, you have to pack it down tight into the measuring cup and keep adding and packing until you get the amount you need.  You know you've packed it and measured it well if it keeps it's solid shape when you dump it.  

I was wondering just how much difference that packing makes, so I tried it out.  I measured 1 cup of brown sugar into my measuring cup today.  After I packed it down though, it was only about 2/3 cup of brown sugar. 

If I were baking and my recipe called for a cup of brown sugar, and I just beebopped around in my kitchen, poured a cup of brown sugar into my measuring cup and dumped it into the bowl with the rest of my ingredients without packing it down, don't you think I would notice a difference in the finished product?

You'd better believe it.

It wouldn't be as sweet.

It would leave my taste buds longing for more..

Our life with God is kind of like brown sugar.  The more we let Him pack us down, whether it be through struggles, trials, pain, valleys, or deserts, the more sweetness He can fit in.   Although life can be hard, I would much rather come to the end satisfied in His sweetness than longing for something more.

We often hear this verse in regards to giving financially, giving to others, or giving of our time, but as I thought about packing down that brown sugar, it kept coming to mind:

"Give and it will be given to you; good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap.  For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." 
Luke 6:38

Just think of that verse in terms of giving Him your life.  Giving Him control of your life - complete control. Allowing Him to press you down, even if it hurts, so that He can make room to give you more until you're running over with what He puts in. 

That my sisters sounds like a recipe for sweetness to me.

"....I came that they might have life and might have it abundantly."  John 10:10




Royal Princess Daughter Of The King

Secrets From The Sisterhood

Happy Tuesday Morning to all of you.  We have something new for you today, a new feature called "Secrets From The Sisterhood" where we will share practical advice, household tips, recipes, etc so that we can all help life be a little easier on each other. 

Today's Secret From The Sisterhood is all about some laundry, and I know we can all identify with that.

Our first secret comes from Camillia who learned this trick from another sister in Christ, Robin. 

Who hasn't forgotten a load of clothes in the washer or even thrown them into the dryer but forgot to turn the dryer on?  The next thing you know, the whole load of laundry has soured, and STINKS.  Often you can wash the whole load again, and they STILL STINK.

Here's her tip to remedy a soured load of clothes:
When you start the washer to rewash the load, add a cup of vinegar along with your usual detergent and your clothes will smell fresh and clean when they're done!

Secondly, while we're talking about that dirty word Laundry, here's a tip from Linda for those stubborn underarm sweat stains.  Linda uses plain old peroxide as a prewash on those areas before throwing them in the washer.

Hope these tips help to make your laundry woes not so woeful!

Blessings to you all today and hope you enjoyed Secrets From The Sisterhood!

More to come.....



Royal Princess Daughter Of The King

Eye Contact

There's something about eye contact that bugs me.......

It bugs me that we don't do it anymore.

In this techno-information age, we no longer look at one another. 

Here's what I mean:

Let's say you are in an office building, walking down a hallway, and someone is walking toward you.  You have your phone in your hand, or in your pocket, the person gets closer and closer to you - what do we do?

Yep, you're right. 

We pull our phones out and start tinkering with the buttons - pretending to be checking messages, etc, generically glancing up every few seconds to measure the distance between us until we pass the person approaching.

Never making eye contact.

Avoiding the awkwardness.

There are souls behind those eyes we avoid and eye contact can be powerful.

I've heard it said you can spray an audience with eye contact.

I've heard it said that the eyes are the window to the soul.

Thoughts can be communicated with the eyes without speaking a word.  Eye contact communicates your full attention, telling the one who is speaking to you that they are important.   Eyes can sparkle with delight, they can be filled with worry, brimming with sadness.  They can portray strength and confidence.  The eyes can dance with fury.

What we do or don't do with our eyes can say a lot.

How is your eye contact?

Mine is not always so great, and since I work in one of those buildings with long hallways, I have been being more intentional about making eye contact with the people I meet along the way.

And I think it FREAKS people out!

Of course, I don't just stare them down, burning holes with my laser vision, but I look at their face and simply say, "Hello."  Their expressions are at first a bit shocked, but usually it quickly softens, a gentle smile emerges and then they return a "Hi" or a nod of the head.  I don't know why, but it makes my steps down the hall a little lighter. 

And guess what? It's not awkward at all.  It's as if it contains a pulse of refreshment within me.

What about our spiritual eye contact?  How is that?

Do we keep tinkering with things in our spirits, busying ourselves so that we never have to make eye contact with our Creator?

I think if we were honest, we would have to answer - yes, sometimes we do.  Sometimes I even busy myself with good things and avoid the real issues that He is trying to show me.  If I don't look at Him, then I don't have to deal with it.

Whatever!

I'm not going to get by with it. 

You see, He's not intimidated with awkwardness, and He's not going to avoid situations where that awkwardness might surface.  He's always looking directly into the windows of my soul, ready to communicate with me.

I've just got to quit tinkering with stuff......

Savior Jesus, forgive me for all of those times I have avoided eye contact with You busying myself so that I don't have to hear you.  Forgive me for all of those people I have ignored, never looking at them.  Those souls are important to you.  On any given day, You could be appointing me to encourage one who is downcast with a simple hello.  That one small gesture could remind that one that they are worth something.  It could remind them that they ARE noticed.  Thank You, Jesus for these words from John 4, "Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest."  The hallways, corridors, and lobbies of life are all fields ripe for harvest. There are people all around who are in such need of a loving gesture.   My heart is a harvest field too, if I would but make eye contact with You more, I could see the harvest You want to bring forth from me.  The changes I say I long for, may very well be ready for harvest if I would lift my eyes to meet Yours.

Here's your challenge:  Try some eye contact today, both with others and with Him - let me know how it goes!



Royal Princess Daughter Of The King

Daddy's and Daughters

Daddy's and daughters.  It's a relationship all it's own.  A friend of mine has a very special relationship with her dad that I have always admired.  Even as a grown woman who is married with children, she still absolutely adores her daddy and he adores her.  About her father she often says, "They just don't make 'em like him anymore."  They still talk regularly and they have a standing lunch date every week that NOTHING interrupts.  I tell her often how fortunate she is to have this special bond with him.

She sits right beside me and yesterday she was having a day that was just a wee bit trying. It was one of those days, everything she tried to do was either a hassle or a disaster, nothing was simple, everything was complicated and convoluted.  We had teased back and forth with each other about her happenings and she says, "I guess I've just been drinking Haterade."

Of course, I laughed at her quick wit before returning to my work.  I knew she had just coined a new office phrase - Haterade.

With yesterday being her special lunch day with her dad, she called her dad to set the place for their date.  After they decided on their destination, she hung up her phone and said,

"I feel so much better now that I talked to my dad."

Talking to Dad had made the things that seemed so big, look a little smaller.  As I sat there at my desk thinking about what she said, I thought how true that statement is.  Every time I am overwhelmed with life, I always feel better after I have talked to my Abba Dad.  My perspective changes, my spirit is strengthened, my temper soothed.  When I talk to Him, He never fails to settle me from the inside out.

Studies have shown that girls who have a close relationship with their fathers are much less likely to seek fulfillment in the wrong places, and I think the same can be said for us in a spiritual sense.  When I have been in close relationship with my Abba Father, I am much less likely to chase after things of this world.  On the other hand, when that relationship begins to grow distant, in no time at all I find myself wrapped up in things that just really don't matter. I catch myself trying to find my worth as a person through activities, other people's opinions, work, etc instead of resting in the identity of Who I belong to. 

Isaiah 50:4 tells us that He knows how to comfort the weary.   Let Him comfort you.

Are you heavy laden?

Are you weary?

Hear His words, written in red - for you

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle, and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.  For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.  Matthew 11:28-30

Talk to your Daddy, you'll feel so much better if you do.


Royal Princess Daughter Of The King

Predictable

I've been asking God to show me things about myself, about my heart that need to change.  Things that aren't like Him.  He has slowly been pulling back the curtain on something about my heart over the past several months, and a couple of nights ago, as I sat in prayer, He pulled that curtain back a bit further.

My burden for the lost is not what it should be, but that's not what He revealed.  He revealed to me that my life is predictable.  Everything about it is predictable.

My prayers are predictable.
My worship is predictable.
My decisions are predictable  - and safe.
My home life is predictable.

Even how I reach out with His love to other people is predictable.

pre·dict·a·ble/priˈdiktəbəl/Adjective

1. Able to be predicted.

2. Behaving or occurring in a way that is expected 

(according to Merriam-Webster.com)

My life is predictable and that's the way I like it.

It's much easier for me to reach out to someone I perceive as predictable, someone "like me".  Someone I perceive as "normal".  Someone who doesn't challenge the parameters of my predictable life.

But -put me with someone whose life is a little different than mine, and I squirm.  I don't mean squirm in the sense that I don't want them to know the love of our Great God, but squirm in the sense that I am intimidated by what may come next, intimidated by their "unpredictability".  I'm standoffish and have to force myself to engage. It's like I would prefer them to follow some formula of predictability so that I can relate, so that I'm not uncomfortable.

As I prayed through this, praying to love the way Jesus loves, I sensed His whisper to my heart -

I love unpredictably. 

He does, doesn't He?

Predictable love is love that is expected.  Love that is returned for something. Unpredictable love is given in the most unexpected situations, unexpected times, to the unexpected person.  Given while expecting absolutely nothing. 

Nothing. 

Giving love just to be giving it.

He loves unpredictably.  He loves me when I'm in the mire.  He loves me when I'm swimming in a puddle of sin.  He loves me when I turn my face away from Him.

He loves the beggar.

He loves the prostitute.

He loves the orphan.

He loves the criminal.

He loves the meth-maker.

He loves the thief.

He loves the diseased.

He loves the most unpredictable people in the most unpredictable places.  They don't intimidate Him, They don't make Him squirm, and they certainly don't make Him uncomfortable.

He loves unpredictably.

Jesus, thank You for pulling the curtain back enough for me to see this part of my heart.  Thank You for revealing it in your own gentle way, You taught me this without condemnation.  You taught me this with encouragement.  Father, remind me to look with Your eyes for unpredictable people this week and give me the love and the courage to love them unpredictably.

How predictable, my friends, is your life?




 
Royal Princess Daughter Of The King

Awakening

Mornings.......

They aren't always may thing.

Honestly, they are rarely my thing.

It takes me a little while to get going, I'm find it hard to talk first thing in the morning, I feel a bit clumsy as I stumble to the closet to get my towel.  I'm usually waste a few minutes trying to figure out why I can't see until I realize that I don't have my glasses on.

But - if I can just get in the shower, that is where I know the awakening begins.  The scent of my peppermint shampoo is delightful and as I breathe in its fragrance, my brain begins it's work.

An awakening.

I've experienced an awakening of another sort this week, this one not prompted by the scent of peppermint, in fact, I really can't put my finger on exactly what prompted this awakening.  After many days of pushing through life and life's circumstances, many days of looking for a ray of hope, many days of wondering what tomorrow might bring or even what six months from now might bring, for some reason there has been an awakening within my soul that I can't quite explain.

It's as if my soul is ready to absorb.

Scriptures speak more loudly.

Music moves me more deeply.

My heart longs for His return more intently.

Laughter comes more easily.

When I look upon the faces of my family, hear their voices, sense their touch, I love them more than the moment before.

Nothing has changed.  The circumstances in our lives are the same as they were when I walked in the valley, but I guess I can sense Psalms 23 in my life. 

He restores my soul.....

I fear no evil for He is with me....

My husband used this very familiar passage of scripture Sunday as he spoke. I don't know if something spoken in that message or the truth of the scriptures themselves were the peppermint for my soul or if it was something else that awakened my heart, but whatever it was, I wish I could figure it out.

So that next time I feel like my spirit is clumsy, when I can't see, when I don't know what to say, I will know where and when to expect the awakening......

What awakens you?   Is it coffee, a devotional book, turning on the news?  Practically or Spiritually - I would love for you to share with me what awakens you.

Holy Spirit, You are with me and today I do not fear.  God, You are restoring my soul and I am so thankful that You took notice of this soul in need of Your restoration.  Your touch is the only touch that can truly repair me.  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I breathe You in as deep as I can this very moment - awaken my soul more to think like You, feel like You, love like You, minister like You.



Royal Princess Daughter Of The King

The Negotiator

Speaking of those No's and Not Yet's, what kind of listener are you?  Although our experience I described in Monday's post ended pleasantly, not all situations in our family can be described that way.  My girls are two very different young ladies and they each respond to situations differently, and sometimes it's almost like they reverse personalities depending upon the situation. 

There are times when questions arise from the girls and our answer is no.   Some days one or the other of them is willing to listen to our explanation and accepts parental wisdom.  Then there are the other days when the OTHER SIDE surfaces.

What do I mean by the OTHER SIDE, you may be wondering......

Let's just say the when the other side surfaces, I am faced with a tough NEGOTIATOR.

Although both of my girls are very capable of doing this, there is one, who shall remain nameless that is a STIFF negotiator.

No by itself just doesn't seem to do. 

Everytime I say no, it's quickly interrupted with a "but" followed with some slick-to-her-seeming negotiating tactics.  Little does she know, I have her number.

I see the big picture.

I understand why I said no.

When the buts aren't working, she pulls out the ole "if I" and tries to bargain.  For example, we'll pretend that this type of conversation may or may not have taken place in my kitchen sometime within in the past 72 hours:

"Mom, can I get on your computer?"

"What for?"

"So I can play Webkinz."

"No. Not right now."

"But, I haven't gotten to feed my Webkinz in several days." Notice how suddenly "playing" with Webkinz has become an issue of Webkinz survival.

"I said no."  A little more curtness erupts from this precious kind sweet never irritated mom.

"But I'll only be on there for a few minutes."

"I have already told you no, and it's still no."  The curtness edges up some more.

"If I clean up my room, can I?"

"NO!"  (I'll leave the volume and the tone to your imagination)

I don't know about you, but The Negotiating Tactic has never been a positive experience in our family.  At least one, and sometimes all of us end up irritated when the negotiating begins and we definitely don't walk away from the situation feeling more bonded or more trusting.  We are more distant, more bitter to one another.

As I have pondered the No's and Not Yet's, I've been thinking about ways we respond. 

We interrupt this post for Breaking News -  You will never believe this, but as I typed the last sentence, we just had a conversation about Webkinz and the computer and guess what???  THE NEGOTIATOR surfaced!  I guess God wanted to drive the point right on home for me...just in case I didn't completely grasp the concept He is trying to teach me.

Now back to what I was saying - As I have pondered the No's and Not Yet's of my life, I've been thinking of the outcomes of my responses.  I have a choice to respond to God's No's in two ways.

1. I can chose to become a negotiator and respond with things like - It's not fair, But I have served You, I don't see how this could be a bad idea, I won't let this get in the way of my relationship with You, Why does so and so get to do such and such, etc.  Negotiating doesn't leave me feeling close to God, it leaves me feeling distant, and sometimes even bitter.
2. I can chose to become one who trusts His answer and rest in the arms of the One that wants to pull me close, the One that completely understands every facet of my immature heart that breaks a little at His answer, and is willing to love me.  Staying in communication with Him, sensing His presence, and filling myself with the joy that His presence brings me.  As I mentioned in Monday's post, I can have a no in my ears, but joy in my heart when I chose this response to His no.

I hate to say this, but I have been a negotiator far more often that I have been the one who trusts His answer.  I want things all explained, I want to understand why, but He knows that the why is sometimes to big for me to handle.   I have to learn to put away the but's and the if I's lean into that No that is overflowing with love.

So, which are you?  The Negotiator or the One Who Trusts?




Royal Princess Daughter Of The King

No's and Not Yet's

Precious sisters, have you ever asked God for something and His response to you has been no or not just yet?  I know I have.  Sometimes in our human minds it is hard to understand His answer when it is opposite to the one we desire, but we know through God's words in Isaiah 55:8 and 9 that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  In fact, the New Living Translation says it this way:

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord.  "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.  For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

Although it is a very familiar verse, it brings me comfort in those seasons of no or not just yet.

Last night we had communion service at our home church and as we sat as a family in the pew, the servers began preparing to serve the elements, and Brenna, like many times before, leaned over to her daddy and whispered in his ear, "Can I take communion?" 

Daddy bent closer, wrapped his arm around her, scooted her close, and gave his gentle response to her question, "Not this time."  As he continued to hold her close,  a little puddle of tears brimmed at her lower lids. 

He knew his response was not what she wanted to hear, but his no was filled with love.  His no was filled with compassion toward her.  He knew she didn't quite understand why, and he felt her pain as he saw those puddles filling her eyes.  She wants to be as big as everyone else, but doesn't quite understand the enormity of what communion means, so we have not allowed her to participate yet, for there is still much for her to learn.  Although, Daddy said no, he continued to hold her near and she rested in his embrace.

As he drove home, that no opened the door for just the two of them to talk. 

Just the two of them to draw closer on the matter.

Although she doesn't completely understand the no, her closeness and connection with her daddy made the no much easier to accept, and when we all finally got home, she was moving through the house singing praise songs. 

She may have had a no in her ears, but there was joy in her heart.

Hear me for a minute fellow Jesus girls, sometimes He tells us no. And I'll be the first to say I don't like it when He does.  But - He doesn't say no to us, then close the door and walk away.  His no is filled with love.  He knows we won't completely understand why, but He still asks us to trust Him on it.  He doesn't say no to us and treat us coldly.  If we let Him pull us close, rest in His embrace, keep talking to Him, letting Him teach us, that no will be so much easier to accept.  His no's and not yets can - and should be - trusted.

We may hear no in our ears, but we can still have joy in our hearts.


Royal Princess Daughter Of The King

The Meaning Of A Name

One of the most fun as well as trying times early in our marriage was deciding on a name for both of our girls.  McKayla Grace was easy for us to come to a conclusion on, but Brenna Hope, was a different story.  Since choosing McKayla's name was very easy for us, I was a bit surprised when deciding Brenna's name proved to be a struggle.

I don't know if it was hard because we didn't have as much time or energy to concentrate on finding a name with a toddler bouncing around our home or if it was difficult because we realized how important her name would be. 

A name means so much.  We've been learning that His name is a strong place of safety for us in our Godsword  (Proverbs 18:10).  That's just one thing His name means to us, it's only the beginning.

People in the Bible were named specific names because of their meanings and often that person's life proved to be a reflection of that very name.

There is one name that certainly has proven to be a reflection of it's meaning.

The name of Jesus.

Just for fun I looked up the meaning of His name on name-meanings.com to see what the world says His name means,  and my heart skipped as I read the meaning God Will Help. 


His destiny was revealed in Matthew 1:21

"And she shall bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus,

for it is He who will save His people from their sins."

God helped us. 

He came to save us from our sin, and I am so glad He did.  As I thumbed through the pages of my Bible last night, a heading caught my eye.  It read Why This Gospel Was Written.  This heading was only for 2 short verses, John 20:30-31

Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

These words were not only written so that we would believe that Jesus was our Savior, but they were written so that we could have life in His name.

My beloved sisters, what does His name mean to you?  

Is it life?

When you feel dead inside does His name resurrect you?  Oh, I pray it does.

His name means so much, where do we begin?



Royal Princess Daughter Of The King

His Great Name

On Wednesday I introduced the next verse for us to park our hearts and minds on for a while. We talked about name dropping and the greatness of his name.   You can read that post here.   As a refresher, our key verse was Proverbs 18:10

The name of the Lord is a strong tower,

the righteous runs into it and is safe.

I have fallen in love with Natalie Grant's latest from the CD Love Revolution.  The name of the song is Your Great Name.  Since His name is what we want to be at the forefront of our hearts and minds, I thought the words to this song were very fitting for us to read.  Let these words sink in - really deep.

Lost are saved, find their way

At the sound of Your great name

All condemned feel no shame

At the sound of Your great name

Every fear has no place

At the sound of Your great name

The enemy has to leave

At the sound of Your great name

Jesus, worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us

Son of God and man

You are high and lifted up

And all the world will praise

Your great name

All the weak will find their strength

At the sound of Your great name

Hungry souls receive grace

At the sound of Your great name

The fatherless find their rest

At the sound of Your great name

The sick are healed, the dead are raised

At the sound of Your great name

Jesus, worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us

Son of God and man

You are high and lifted up

And all the world will praise

Your great name

Your great name

Redeemer, My healer
Lord Almighty

My Savior, Defender

You Are My King

Redeemer, My healer

Lord Almighty

My Savior, Defender

You Are My King

Jesus.....

The name of Jesus...

You are high and lifted up

And all the world will praise

Your great name

Jesus, worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us

Son of God and man

You are high and lifted up

And all the world will praise

Your great name

Your great name

Your great name

Jesus....

Jesus....

Jesus....

Jesus....

Keep His name a priority over the next few days, because I am going to be asking you a question later this week, and look forward to an opportunity to worship Him through your feedback.

Have a blessed Monday,


Royal Princess Daughter Of The King