Hold Onto Your Hats

Sometimes, I forget, well, not really forget, but it's more like I lose focus. I just began reading Revelation today during my daily devotions Bible reading time. I started in Genesis in January of 2007. While I've read through the Bible several times before, this time I've taken longer than a year, jotting down notes as I read. For those of you following my blog, it's been quite an amazing journey reading through the Word and journaling from time to time about it here at Adventurous Living! Thank you for joining me.

With that in mind, as I read Revelation 1:1-8 today, certain thoughts struck me.

1 - This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ (v.1) Awesome!

2 - Those who read and hear and keep the words of this prophecy will be blessed (v. 3) Hurray!

3 - Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first born from the dead, the ruler over kings of the earth, LOVES US! (v.5,6a) Amazing!

4 - Jesus washed us from our sins with His own blood - I'm so grateful!

5 - Jesus has made us kings and priests to His God and Father (v. 6b) - Wow!

6 - Jesus is coming again and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him (v. 7) - Whoa!

7 - Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, who is, who was, who is to come, the ALMIGHTY. (v. 8) Incredible!

Did you get that last part? Jesus, the Almighty, is, was, but hold onto your hats folks because He is to come. Yes, Jesus is coming again. Oh how easy it is to get wrapped up in the day to day hub-bub and lose focus!

Today, I leave you with the words of hymn writer, John W. Peterson.

Marvelous message we bring,

Glorious carol we sing,

Wonderful word of the King:

Jesus is coming again.

Coming again, coming again

May be morning, may be noon,

May be evening and may be soon!

Coming again, coming again,

Oh what a wonderful day it will be -

Jesus is coming again!

Friends, it will only be a wonderful day if you know Jesus as your personal Savior. Please, I implore you, if you've never asked Jesus to save you, do it now before it's too late. After you die, there are no second chances.

Here's how the Bible says to be saved from sin and have a home in Heaven:

1 - Admit that you are a sinner and your sin separates you from God who is holy.

2 - Believe that Jesus Christ, God the Son, died on the cross, shed His blood to pay for your sin, and rose again on the third day just as He promised.

3 - Ask Jesus to forgive you from your sin, cleanse your heart, come into your life and make you a new creation.

Today marks the seventeenth anniversary of my first husband's sudden death. He went home to be with Jesus on June 30, 1992. He was twenty-eight when he died, but He was ready to meet God because He knew Jesus as His personal Savior.

How about you? Are you ready? Hold onto your hats folks, the best is yet to come!

Live the adventure,

Tell Me a Story

“Mom, tell me a story.”

My seven-year-old son kept pace next to me as we walked our dog along a field next to our house. Trees lined the edge of the field casting a cool shadow over our heads.

“Tell me a story about Big-Foot.”

I grinned, thinking about the ever-active mind of my little guy and his taste for fantastical stories. “You mean you want me tell you a story about someone with big feet? Well, there once was a man…”

“No, Mom, you know. B-I-G F-O-O-T.”

So I began to weave my tale, you know a tale only a parent can tell where the main character in the story just happens to be a seven-year-old boy and his mom hiking in the forest…

When I got to the part about the mom and the boy finding a Big-Foot print on the ground, I stretched my hands about the span of three feet to demonstrate how big.

“No, Mom!” my son interjected. “It’s this big.” He pointed to the ground and ran about twenty or so feet back. “From here to here. I know it’s true. I saw it on T.V.”

How easily it is for us humans to take the word of someone on T.V. or someone writing an article in a newspaper or a story in a book. But what about the Word of God?

Some people think the Bible is full of fantastical tales – fairy tales, fables. I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

While reading in I John chapter five this morning, I was struck with the impact of the following verses:

“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things have I written unto you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” (v. 9-13)

Oh the Bible is full of great stories to be sure, but they are true. Jesus himself was a masterful story teller, but always with a point, and he would tell people when it was an illustration, like the parable of the Prodigal Son.

The story of Adam and Eve? True. Really happened. Noah and the Flood? True. Actual fact. David and Goliath? Yep. You better believe it. Jesus dying on the cross to save us from our sins and rising again on the third day just like He promised? I stake my life on it.

Tell me a story? Oh tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear, just like the old hymn says, “things I would ask Him to tell me if He were here; Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea, stories of Jesus, tell them to me.”

Live the adventure,

Spicey Table Talk

My youngest child is a pepper-aholic. It's true. At seven years old, you might think it strange, but if you were to sit at our dinner table you would most probably sneeze if you dared to take a deep breath.

However, I suppose even my son's ever-loved companion spice to salt does have its limits. Recently he said an interesting comment after showering half the pepper shaker contents onto his chicken fingers cradled in a red convertible kids meal container at a 1950's style hamburger joint:

Me: "Aren't you going to eat the rest of your chicken fingers?"

7-year-old son matter-of-factly says: "No, Mom, I'm all spiced up."

And now for a closing thought about that other table spice - salt.

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?" Matt. 5:13a

Now, this is one type of "condiment" you can never have enough of...

Live the adventure,

Teach Us To Number Our Days

Just thanking God today for the wonderful family He has given me and remembering the words of the Psalmist, "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." [Ps. 90:12]

God Wants You to Win!

Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Thelma Wells. I had the privilege of listening to Thelma speak at a Women of Faith Conference a few years ago and I believe you will be so blessed by what she has to say in this blog interview today.

Thelma, I am so happy to have you here at Adventurous Living!

I’m delighted to be here today to visit with you and your readers, and share about a topic that is dear to my heart.

Thelma, you have had a successful banking and corporate career. You’ve spoken all over the country and around the world, done a lot of radio interviews, had your own television show, and written a lot of books. Many of our readers will be familiar with you from the Women of Faith conferences. It seems you’ve “done it all.” So when you left Women of Faith in February 2008, what was it that you were leaving them to do?

Actually, I really did not fully understand what I was going to do. I was simply following the very clear instructions of God that it was time to go. I had a few speaking engagements on my calendar but certainly not enough to make ends meet. My total dependence was on God and waiting to see what He had in store for me.

Your new book, Don’t Give In…God Wants YOU to Win!, is based on a real life experience. Will you tell us a little of that story?

I was in elementary school when one of my friends told people she was going to beat me up. I could not understand why but it was real. After school for two days I faced a crowd hungry to see a fight and a girl who I thought was my friend hit me and frighten me to tears. One the second day of my fighting ordeal my great grandmother who raised me gave me some strong advice, “Thelma, the only way to deal with a bully is to fight them. You better fight her tomorrow and beat her up. If not, you’re going to get a whipping when you get home. That was the determining factor. My Granny who had taught me that ladies don’t fight had just reversed the instruction to “fight the bully.”
I did fight her the third day and hit her hard, so she ran home, not me. I learned that when we are faced with the bully, the adversary, the enemy of our souls, the devil himself, the only way to win is to fight him with all the ammunition we have, the Whole Armor of God.

This book is about spiritual warfare, demons, the Holy Spirit, and some pretty heavy-duty areas. Why write on this topic?

In this day and age when all around us seems to failing like our economic system, the government, relationships, health, self-worth, business and workplace situations, the church, wayward children, divorce and so much more, it is imperative that people have something sturdy and reliable to hold on to. Everyday we are fighting some kind of battle small, great or tremendous. When we don’t know how to fight against the disappoint, heartache, confusion, depression, and all the emotional and spiritual fall out from these issues, we become desperate, violent, vicious and vile. John 10:10 tells us that the thief comes to kill, steal and destroy us. But, Jesus has come to give us life and that life more abundantly than the feelings of no hope. This book teaches about the only hope we have and how to use that hope physically, emotionally and spiritually with a guarantee that we are winners when we do.

Will you share with us the chapter titles?

Introduction: Time for Questions
Chapter One: Know How to Fight, but Never Start One
Chapter Two: Fight or Flight?
Chapter Three: Breakdown for a Blessing
Chapter Four: Weeds in the Garden
Chapter Five: Thelma’s Untold Rituals
Chapter Six: The Dynamic Duo
Chapter Seven: The Battle Is Not Yours
Chapter Eight: Winning Weapons
Chapter Nine: Fix Your Hair!
Chapter Ten: Pad Your Bra!
Chapter Eleven: Tighten Your Girdle!
Chapter Twelve: Put On Your Stomping Shoes!
Something Extra: More Winning Weapons

Spiritual warfare and putting on the armor of God is a daily activity for you. Is this because you’re a nationally known Christian speaker and author, or is this something that everyone should be aware of?

Spiritual warfare is the state of our lives whatever and whoever you are. We fight against anger, gluttony, smoking, frustration, and everything else that can make us less than our best. The warfare that we are in daily is because we live in a fallen world where Satan thinks he has power. Each and everyday he tries to confuse us into thinking that things are unfixable, out of control, etc. He is the greatest liar of all times and he lays tricks in our minds, if we let him. From the moment we were born until the day we die we will be fighting spiritual warfare. However, the good news is…people who have accepted Jesus as their Savior never have to fight alone. The end of the story is that Jesus and His people win and the devil is a number one loser!

Thelma, this book was released at a perfect time. So many people are struggling just to survive. They’ve lost jobs, money, health, marriages, and more. Many just want to give up! What can we do if we are in those situations to prepare for victory in the battle of life?

When you’re in a battle these are the things that must be done in order to win:

Put on the helmet of salvation to cover your thought life.
Put on the breastplate of righteousness to guard your heart against devil and sin.
Put on the girdle of Truth so that you will be able to understand what real truth is and be able to use the Sword of the Spirit (The Word of God – the Bible) in every situation as Jesus did when He was tempted by the devil in the mountain.
Put on the shoes that have prepared you with the preparation of peace so you can march and stay fit as you tell other people about the goodness and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Hold up the shield of faith believing that God will keep every Promise He made for our good.
Pray for each other and for ourselves by asking God for what we need, seeking His perfect will in all we do and knocking continually until we know God has answered our prayers. We must realize that God does not answer all our prayers the way we want Him to but whatever way He answers them, they are for our good and for His glory.
Praise God with thanksgiving for all He has done and will do for us. The worship of God brings us into an atmosphere of being able to fight the good fight of faith and WIN.

Where/how does “submitting to God and the devil will flee from you” fit into spiritual warfare?

God asks us to do a simple thing, trust Him enough to give Him all of us. That’s hard to do when you try to control your life yourself. It really amounts to us (you and me) worshipping ourselves instead of worshipping God. When we live in humble submission to God, Satan will try to attack but God is our Protector. This is not a one-time submission to God. Everyday and sometimes during the day we must ask Him to lead us not into temptation and to protect us from evil because evil is always near. We are told to pray without ceasing. This means that we must stay in the attitude of prayer 24/7. It’s simple but it presents a challenge for us because we are so distracted by our day, our desires, our dreams, our relationships, etc. that we often forget that none of this would be possible were it not for the Lord who grants it. Submission means to let God be the driving force and the guiding force in our lives and trust Him that He will do exceedingly abundantly over and above what we can ask or think according to His power that works in us. The most peaceful, contented condition of my life is when I actually and earnestly turned my entire life over to the direction of God. I can now recognize when Satan tries to tempt me, confuse me, and drive me into doing or saying things I should not. It has come about with trust in God and practice of His word. Satan will attack but God will counter-act.

Most of us are familiar with the list of spiritual weapons available for us to use as listed in Ephesians 6. You have a way to remember these that might be more relevant to today’s woman – as a mom, wife, business woman, etc. Will you share these five things with us that you do daily when you’re getting “dressed” in the morning?

Thelma, it seems you are all over the Internet these days. Anyone can find you on your web site, Facebook, Twitter, web casts, a blog tour, the You Go Girl Network, and other cutting edge things with technology. Why is it important for you to use all these various methods to spread your message?

Technology is the way God planned for us to get His message to the world according to Matthew 28:19.

So what’s next for the Mama T and Ready to Win?

My website (ThelmaWells.com) is being reinvented to a teaching tool for people to learn more and more about how to win the battles of life. There will be powerful tools available, I will be personally speaking with people and many other changes that will enlighten, encourage, inform, influence and empower people to fight the good fight and win.

Where can our readers buy your new book and register for the webcast?

On my web site, which is ThelmaWells.com. They can click on the July RTW On-line Web cast button to learn more or register for the next series of web casts that start on July 7. You can also watch this video to learn more…click here.

My new book, Don’t Give In – God Wants YOU To Win! is also available online and at local bookstores such as, Family Christian Stores, Lifeway Christian Stores, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble Book Stores, Mardel’s, Anchor Distributors, Christianbook.com, and many other stores and vendors throughout American and the United Kingdom.

Is there anything that we didn’t ask that you’d like to share with us?

In all we’ve said, we need to remember that Jesus loves YOU and has a plan for your life. This plan includes you living a life free from worry and anxiety. God is in control of everything. When we trust in Him, give Him our lives to guide, seek the will of the Father, ask Jesus to be the Lord and Master of our lives, and accept the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are winners and nobody or nothing can take that away from us!

Thank you, darling, for having me today on your blog. I hope you and your readers will visit my web site at ThelmaWells.com. And remember always be READY TO WIN!

Thank you too Thelma - Momma "T"!

And to all my friends out there, let's live the adventure and fight to win with Jesus!

Paper Sea

It's that time of year again, a time when elementary school folders come home flooded with a vast ocean of school projects and papers.

My seven-year-old proudly opened his art folder the other day. "Mom, look!"

"Wow, what nice work you did, hon." I picked up each one, commenting on the colors and details.

On one of his school papers he drew an ice cream sundae and wrote a recipe on how to build his creation. It is entitled, "The Best Ice Cream Sundae".

Ingredients:

3 scoops of cotin cande (cotton candy) ice cream
16 culered sprikers (colored sprinkles)
10 gallons of wipp cream (whipped cream - I think he takes after his mom on this one - lol)

As a parent you know it's difficult to choose what stays in that keepsake grade level folder and what needs to go so the attic doesn't become a school paper tsunami.

One paper I know I'll keep is a lined yellow paper dated 4-2-09. It reads like this - 1st grade parent translation in parentheses like above:

Deer (Dear) Mom and Dad,

Happy Easter. the (The) most important thing about Easter is Jesus dide (died) on the cros (cross and) he saved are (us from our) sins and he risen (is risen) forum (from) the dede (dead). Easter meens (means) to me god (God) dide (died) on the cros (cross).

Love,

Joel

Precious moments, precious memories, our children - precious gifts from God to nurture in love.

Live the adventure,