We had a slight scare this Sabbath. My daughter, Jazmyn, woke at her friend’s house with severe stomach pains that had her doubled over. I rushed over there to pick her up and immediately took her to the ER. I have to admit, my mind was going to all the worst case scenarios during our drive. 

Surprisingly, we were seen very quickly, and after running all kinds of tests, they determined that it was just severe abdominal cramping. 

One truth I have learned over the years is that life is constantly changing. Things never stay the same, so make sure you enjoy the small moments and don’t take life for granted. Another truth is, don’t waste time worrying about little things because, truth be told, if it isn’t going to be important tomorrow, next week, a month from now, or even a year or more from now, then it isn’t worth stressing over.

The reality is, we (or at least, I) sometimes get stuck putting importance on non-important things. 

When we are hungry, we get something to eat. When we are thirsty, we get something to drink. This is to satisfy our physical needs, but these physical things cannot satisfy our soul. True soul-satisfying fulfillment can only come from God.

We must realize that only God the Father and Jesus the Messiah can satisfy our souls. Only from God does living waters flow that can completely quench our “thirst” (John 4:14; 7:37-38). Only those that hunger and thirst for righteousness will be completely filled (Matthew 5:6).

Have you ever had one of those days that make you realize how real God is, and you are completely filled with joy that you know He is real? I am talking about one of those days that you know without any doubt that God was helping you, and when you finally get home, you are relieved and very grateful to have God looking out for you. I had one of those days yesterday, December 19, 2017.

Yesterday we received a torrential downpour of rain. In fact, I wish it would have gone to comfort those in the fires in California. 

Tyler CGI held their first teen dance, in probably many, many years, Saturday night. We have three lovely teen girls that worked hard to put their idea together, and I have to say I was thoroughly impressed. It turned out awesome. It also made me realize how important it is for us adults to invest in our children by giving them outlets to have safe fun.

We may not want to admit it, but we are in a war right now. We are in a “war” for our children. This world wants them, and the truth is, whoever invests the more time and energy will be the winner.

I was doing my devotional the other day, and it really hit home with me. So, I wanted to share my thoughts. It made the point of stating that following Jesus doesn’t usually mean we get to go down smooth and glamorous roads. In fact, the roads are usually bumpy and curvy.

The truth is that accepting Christ in our lives is one step and is relatively easy because it is a gift from God. Yet, what is not easy is to then follow Him where He leads us.

My family and I just got back from the Feast. We were blessed to have been able to go to a small site in Costa Rica. It was an awesome experience.

The irony is that my children and I were not too excited about going to Costa Rica at first. One reason is we had just started at a new school that I am teaching at for the first time. So, we had a lot of “firsts” going on, and we just weren’t really in the right frame of mind to travel to a country we had never been to before and one that spoke a language that none of us are able to speak

I know I talk about faith a lot. Maybe it is because sometimes I fall short. I let fear come into my being, and it fills me with worries and anxieties. During these times I have to keep telling myself that “God did not give me a Spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Well the other day, another thought came to mind: Faith is trusting God even if you don’t like what He is putting you through. Since this thought, I have met and talked to people that have inspired my faith because of their own testimonies and faith.

Have you ever left the house and noticed you forgot your cell phone? Anxiety hits and you think, “Oh no, people can’t get in touch with me.” So, you find a place to turn around to go back to your home to get your phone because the idea of not having your communication line open is not a desirable thing.

Well, how many times have you left the house without making sure your “spiritual communication line” was open? I am talking about the best and free way to communicate with the most important being ever.

Abraham walked in complete faith. I know we all know the story, but it still amazes me how much faith he had. We know that it was his faith that made him heed God’s voice to leave Harran at the age of 75 to go to an unknown land that God promised him (Genesis 12:4-5). He literally walked in faith.

Now we know he was not perfect—he did have his moments of fears—but he overcame them. He is known as a pillar of faith in Hebrews chapter eleven.

My family, extended included, and I celebrated my grandfather’s 95th birthday this past weekend. He is my longest living relative so far. It was wonderful to celebrate with him for his longevity.

After the celebration some of us went over to visit more at his home, and I asked him what it felt like to be nearly a full century.

I don’t normally like to talk about current events in my blogs because the world is a very frustrating place, and I don’t like to give the craziness any more publicity than it already receives; however, sometimes the chaos is hard to ignore. We have seen some bad instances this past week because of hatred. Unfortunately, rioting and violent protests have almost become the norm over the past ten or so years, and the truth is, there is a lot of hatred on both sides.

So, this week I have been struggling with what to blog about. I will be honest, I have had a lot of new things happen recently that have kept me busy. I have been asking myself, well, what Christian principle am I learning through all this? Last week’s blog was definitely motivated by the changes that are occurring in my family’s lives. Yet, this week, I had writer’s block until one of my closest friends gave me an idea.

Abraham walked in complete faith. I know we all know the story, but it still amazes me how much faith he had. We know that it was his faith that made him heed God’s voice to leave Harran at the age of 75 to go to an unknown land that God promised him (Genesis 12:4-5). He literally walked in faith. 

Now we know he was not perfect—he did have his moments of fears—but he overcame them. He is known as a pillar of faith in Hebrews chapter eleven.

The other night my husband and I were talking, and he said that there was something that hit him that made him stop to think about for a while. I asked him what it was. He stated that he realized that there wasn’t anyone that he agreed with 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. What stopped him was the realization that I was included. Honestly, it didn’t really come as a surprise to me because we don’t agree all the time. However, it did get me to contemplate this truism. 

I just got back from a week-long camp with a bunch of teens. I am so exhausted. Teenagers are full of endless energy. I cannot wait for the day that I will no longer become tired, but alas, I must wait until God’s kingdom comes for that to happen. However, despite my exhaustion the camp was an awesome experience. It is always enjoyable to see how the body of Christ moves even within our youth.