Hallelujah! We Are Not Alone

Avalon was one of my favorite Christian groups in the early 2000s. I was able to see them in concert a couple of different times. I loved their song Testify to Love so much that I had my alarm clock set to wake me up each morning to the upbeat tune. Although you could snooze through the first few notes, the longer the music played, the harder it was to stay in bed and not get up and get moving. Better yet, the words were something I needed to be reminded of on a daily basis. God had done so much for me in my life that I should be happy to tell others of Him.  In Psalm 145 , David shares the importance of meditating on the wondrous works of God, declaring His greatness, and singing of His righteousness.  Will you be a witness and testify of His love all the days of your life?  Lord, help me to remember each day of the things you have done for me.  Help me to be bold in telling others about you.   I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever...

Rusty and I made a trip to Mississippi this weekend to check on his dad. On the way home, I told him about a new, blue highway sign that I saw on a previous trip.It was advertising a country store in the community of Pickens, Arkansas, just south of Dumas. As many years as I’ve traveled Highway 65, I never even realized that Pickens was a place. We decided to check it out. The old store was closed for the day but we saw several beautiful homes, a bayou, and a Country Club that we never knew existed.  All of which set about 1/2 mile off the main highway.  As we started back on our journey, I thought about how we can miss so many things because we are in such a hurry, we never take the time to open our eyes and truly seek.  My favorite scripture verse is Jeremiah 29:11 . I'm sure many know it by heart as it is one of the most quoted.  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord , plans for welfare   and not for evil,  to give you a future and a hop...

I believe in the power of prayer. This week I would simply ask that others who also believe, pray for my requests and feel free to share your own.  Rusty’s dad, RG, and his uncle, Joe, are both in nursing homes on hospice care right now. Please pray for their peace and comfort and for the families.  Our church is without a pastor. Please pray for our current interim and for our future pastor. We may not know who it will be yet, but God does.  Please pray that the Lord will heal broken relationships within our family.  As always, pray for the lost. It should be our desire that all would come to know Christ.   I’d be happy to pray over your requests if you leave them in the comments or email them.  julieetheridge72@gmail.com  If  my people who are called by my name  humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. -2 Chronicles 7:14  I...

How do you know that God exists? It’s a question that many would answer by pointing to creation. Obviously, the world had to start somewhere. We see the evidence of it all around us. In the sunrise and sunset, the moon and stars at night, and the very breath we breathe each day. None of this happened by chance, but what about on a personal level?  Have you ever been through something difficult and when it was all over with and you finally had time to reflect, you realized that God had His hand on you through the process? There have been many times in my life when I’ve faced obstacles I would rather have avoided. Yet, for some reason, God allowed me to face them. Once I reached the other side, I realized that not only did He guide me through difficult passages, but He also taught me something in the process.  In the book of Romans, we’re told that no one has an excuse for not seeing God. As Christians, His existence should be obvious to us each and every day. Have you taken tim...