Hallelujah! We Are Not Alone

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...

Today would have been my Daddy's 74th birthday. I miss him every day, but some are harder than others. Rusty and I spent this weekend at a hospital in Mississippi where I watched him holding his Daddy's hand as he laid there in weakness. One thing kept coming to my mind...Stay Strong.   I could write many words on the subject, but I don't think they're necessary. There are times when we have to remind ourselves to stay strong and even more importantly remember where that strength comes from.  He gives strength   to the weary  and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. -Isaiah 40:29-31 30  Stay Strong - Danny Gokey Click here to receive an email when new blog content is posted. https://follow.it/hallelujahe-we-are-not-alone?leanpub

I was driving down the road, listening to the song Blessings by Laura Story. I'd heard it many times before, but this day I was paying extra attention to the words. The song and lyrics are linked below so you can hear it for yourself, but it basically says that we go through many different trials in life that can bring us closer to God. One line especially stood out because I wasn't sure I understood the meaning. " Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things ". I thought about it for a while before I came to the conclusion that the lesser things are the things we pray for that may seem important at the moment but pale in comparison to the entirety of what God has in store for us. We know He cares about everything going on in our lives and I don't believe the song's objective is to diminish our requests or heartfelt concerns, but to encourage us to see the bigger picture.  Or as the song puts it, " the revealing of a greater thirst this world can...

Our area received around a foot of snow this past week. It's the most I remember having anywhere we've ever lived. The forecasters called for the weather days prior. But even if you didn't see the news, it was pretty evident a winter storm was on its way by the lack of bread and other items in the stores.  The snowfall started on Thursday afternoon and by Friday morning everything was covered.  The fluffy white precipitation was beautiful to watch as it fell and blanketed the ground. Schools were closed and the sledding began. We were blessed by only shortly losing power and having a generator to get us by during that time. Rusty missed one day of work due to road conditions and Sunday church services were rescheduled due to the parking lot being frozen. Other than that, we weren't affected by it too much. We mostly stayed inside where it was warm and waited for it to start melting. One thing you can always count on about snow, as beautiful as it is and as much as peopl...