Gateways to Joy

O ften times dear friends, the profoundest of our statements is observed not by the utterances of our words, but rather by the way our heart instructs us to walk.   You may tell me you love me, but if the only way I experience it is by hearing you say it, yet never seeing or feeling it expressed any other way, chances are my belief in what you say will gradually fade. Our most sincere way to walk with Jesus is sometimes to not say anything with our lips, but with our hearts. Allowing how we feel inwardly to spill over, we then have no choice but to display outwardly how we are truly feeling inside, thus we bend the knee and bow low as an expression of our love to Him. "Wherefore, I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much." ~ Luke 7:47 Are you sorry for something you did, an act you committed?  Don't just say you're sorry, show how sorry you really are. Allow this weekend to be a time where you do some self-reflection,...

It's hot, very hot here in Texas!  To make matters worse my Suburbans air has went out.  Not only is it hot in the car, but after being home a while it seems to get rather warm in there too. What does hot equate to over here? FRUSTRATION! I am frustrated and so are the kids. I am a home-body.  I don't care for going out much at all.  And when I must go out it's early in the morning or when most people are working.  Rarely do I ever go to the malls and places like it.  When I do it's always during a time when the crowd is to a minimum, and I can stroll and take my time. When out I usually stay to myself and not chat much.  Usually I'll just give you a faint smile and or glance. I do love going out to dinner, lunch and breakfast, but again it's not doing peak hours. A few of my kids are like me in this area, but a few are not.  One being my oldest girl.  She likes to go. Last night I told her, "If you want me to take your brot...

F orgiveness. Nothing is more foreign to sinful human nature.  And nothing is more     characteristic of divine grace. Fallen humanity finds God's forgiveness terribly hard to understand .  As individual sinners, we all know firsthand what a struggle it can be to forgive others who have wronged us.  Some people therefore find it impossible to envision Almighty God as anything other than stern and unforgiving.  Others, knowing that Scripture teaches us God is merciful, imagine that He is so completely indulgent that no sinner really has anything to fear.  Both misconceptions are fatally wrong concerning divine forgiveness. Compounding that problem, our attitude toward forgiveness tends to vary, depending on which side of the equation we look at . When we are on the receiving end of mercy, we naturally esteem forgiveness as one of the highest of all virtues.   But when we are the aggrieved party, forgiveness often seems a gross violatio...

T his is something I have to literally "mumble" to myself throughout the day when I come across people and their disappointing actions toward me. It is also something I ask you to "mumble" to yourselves when I've disappointed you.  Remember, God's GRACE is immediate.  "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother , and then come and present your offering.~Matthew 5:24-25 Broken relationships can hinder our relationship with God.  When we have a problem or a grievance against a friend, we need to resolve the problem as soon as possible. We are hypocrites when we claim to love God while we hate others.  Our attitudes toward others reflect our relationship with God. Enjoy your weekend,  angela

N othing but the truth is acceptable to God. We sing to Him We speak of Him We serve Him BUT.  Hypocrisy closes the door on FATHER accepting acts of service from CHILD. ... lying ... pretense Father, forgive me, your fragile sinful child. He sees ... He sees through us. He refuses to listen ... MY BELOVED CHILD, he calls to me, " To be close to Me, you must be HONEST with Me. O LORD , do not Your eyes look for truth? You have smitten them, But they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to repent. ~ Jeremiah 5:3