Psalm 127
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man: so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Verse 1.... We always here children are from God but have you ever read the verses before and after that verse. The Lord is "build" your home. Do you have the Lord as the center of your home? Your relationship? Is the Lord in the center of how you discipline your children? Or is all you do in Vain??

Verse 2.... Do you sit and dwell on your sorrows? The Bible tells us it's vain to do so. We are to rise up early and work for our Lord and do as he would have you do. He, the Lord, has given us a time to sleep not to sit up late and do things that aren't meant to be done.
Do you sit up into the wee hours of the morning surfing the web? Going to sites you shouldn't go to.... Maybe you are sitting up to watch something on TV that if you wouldn't allow your children to watch you shouldn't watch.

Verse 3.... Our children are on lone to us. What are we to do raise them, teach them to do what the Lord would have them to do.

Verse 4.... Are we as parents throwing arrows of poison to our children or are we protecting them. Keeping them from that which will hurt them. Now I realize that we can't protect them from everything, but we can teach them the difference of right and wrong.

Verse 5.... How many precious little ones has God given you? Take care of them, teach them, protect them, train them. You do this and Lord willing they will follow in the way of the Lord.

Call unto me....

Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

I don't know about you but I love it when the Lord answers my prayers! This is a promise of God that is so true. Over the past 3 months we've had more prayers answered than I could begin to list. God has been so very good to me and my family!

We are waiting on a major prayer request to be answered and we know it's all in God's timing. This is where I am going to ask that you help us pray for this matter. My dear husband lost his job January 3 of this yr and has yet to find another, that will meet our needs. Would you join my family and me in praying that we'll find a job soon. "Where 2 or 3 are gathered together his name...." We may not be gathered in one room but we as Christians are gathered together.

Now to share some already answered prayers: We've not gone a day without food for our family. The gas tanks on our vehicles have never left us stranded. Our bills are pd except for this mo but I know the Lord will provide. That's just to list a few!

So what are you needing answered and have given up on or have just started praying for? Please whatever you do DO NOT give up on your prayers. God is true and his Word is true.

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Teens

"Parents do not have to become enemies to their teenagers. They can understand them and build a relationship that is close, sweet, gracious, and kind and still have the needed firmness. Parents do not have to choose between chaos and no rules and being nice. They can enforce rules and still be courteous and gracious. There is no need for parents to live brokenhearted; they can build a relationship with their teens. The closest relationship with Mom and Dad. That close relationship is God's plan."
Dr Jack Hyles

What is a teenager?
A. He's not a child.
B. He's not an adult.
C. However a teenager is closer to an adult than a child.

1. Adults should treat a teenager more like an adult than child.
Here's poem written by a 17 yr old boy:
"So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan which moves
To that mysterious realm, where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,
Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave
Like one who wraps  the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.

Wow!! Who would of thought a teen could write such a poem.
Your teen should feel as though you treat him as an Adult! Parents careful you don't destroy the communication with your teens by treating him like a child.

2. Parents must accept the fact that teenagers are gone more often than not.

Trust me on this as a mom of a 19, 18, 17 and 14 yr old they are gone ALOT!!! Now my 19 yr old is away at college so I see VERY little of her! My 18 yr old is a in school and has a job, I literally see him from 6 am to 7 am Tues thru Fri, and 6 pm till 10 when he goes to bed. The wkends I don't see him on Sat till after 5 in the evening and Sunday it's a passing ordeal that I see him. Now I'm NOT complaining. Why? you ask, because my children are involved in various ministries at our church and I LOVE the fact they are busy serving God and not getting in trouble.

If you are interested in learning more about how to treat your teen as an adult you could order the book: The Parent - Teen Relationship By: Dr Jack Hyles
at Hyles-Publications
523 Sibley Street
Hammond, IN 46320
www.hylespublicatios.com
or Call 219-932-0711

Do you want to destroy or help your teen??

I hope this will encourage someone.... It did encourage me!

Is God getting the glory in what you do?

I Corinthians 10: 31
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Have you thought about that even in your eating and drinking you are to do all to the glory of God? When our children play, their talk, their play, their actions are to bring glory to God. When we are on the Internet, which is a big part of our world today, we are to bring glory to God. When you are on the phone with friends and family, you are to bring glory to God. When you are out shopping, the way shop, should bring glory to God. I could go on and on but I think if you are reading this that you have figured it out ALL we do is to bring glory to God.

We pray before we eat, which is honoring to God. Shouldn't we also pray before going shopping, or taking a drive? This would honor God!!

This verse really is self explanatory so I'll not linger on it. Just whatever you plan on doing, saying, or whatever, make sure it will bring glory to God. If there is doubt maybe you shouldn't do it.

I know where I'm going!

I know where I'm going
And who I'm gonna see
I have a friend named Jesus
Waiting there for me
He has given something, that only he can give
... He gave His life in payment, so that I could live

One day I was wandering what's it all about
Life is full of heartbreak,
Restlessness and doubt
Then the voice from heaven
whispered words of Love
Pointed to me Heaven wrote my name above

I know where I'm going and who I'm gonna see
I have a friend name Jesus waiting there for me
He has given something that only He could give
He gave His life in payment so that I could live.

So, friend if you are searching for a better way
I'm recommending Jesus
trust in Him today.
He will give life meaning like none other can
come and travel with me to the Promise land.

I know where I'm going and who I'm gonna see
I have a friend name Jesus waiting there for me
He has given something that only he could give
He gave His life in payment so that I could live.

Will you flee or go?

Jonah 1:1-4
Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it,  to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

Are you a Jonah? When the Lord leads you to go and do something do you flee? Or do you do the opposite of Jonah and go immediately. Now Jonah did go into Nineveh but not till after he had fled.
Can we hide form the Lord? NO!

Have you been called to teach a girls Sunday School class, or teach in a Christian school? Men have you been called to preach, either at a church, as a missionary or an evangelist? These are just to mention a few things we can do. Now you can serve God in area that you work. If you are a soul winner and do your best to be a witness for Christ God CAN and Will use you!

How many times does the Lord have to come to you before you'll do his work or before he'll simply leave you alone because you neglect to listen to the Holy Spirit. Now because Jonah ran, it caused much grief for more than himself. Imagine that poor fish.... he had to deal with a man in his stomach that wouldn't digest. You know how you feel when your stomach is upset and it seems the food isn't settling. We do the same with Jesus when we ignore his call, we "upset' his stomach, so to speak. We then go to Chapter 3.

Chapter 3:1-2 it says, "And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bed thee."

What did Jonah do this time since he was being given a 2nd chance. He went and preached the gospel and because he obeyed God the people of Nineveh believed God. This brings me to our Teens at SBBC of Shenandoah Bible Baptist Church. Our teens have seen over 200 people saved in the past 2 wks. Now if our Pastor had of ignored the Lord and hadn't started a teen a soul winning group having 2 of his assistant Pastors over the group do you think these 200 plus people would be saved today? There is a possibility but was is the likely hood that they would.... When you have 50 plus teens going out and sharing the gospel somethings going to happen!!!

So lets not flee from God and what he ask of us.
My question to you is, "Who are you the Jonah who fled or the Jonah who went and obeyed God?

My thoughts aren't your thoughts....

Isaiah 55:6-9
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near;
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Are your thoughts pure thoughts, does the Lord say of you that your thoughts are not his thoughts? Why, would he say that our thoughts are not his? Well do you think pure thoughts? Do you think righteous thoughts? What exactly are your thoughts?

As Christians we are to be Christ Like! We are to be Christ like in our thoughts, our ways, our actions, EVERYTHING!!!

Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.

Seek the kingdom of God and keep your thoughts as Christ thoughts!! Lets remember the verse in Philippians where it refers to, whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report if there be any virtue and if there be any praise THINK these things!!

So are your thoughts the thoughts of the Lord or the ways of the Lord. If you are a child, a teen, an adult, a girl, a boy, a man  or woman you NEED to think pure, clean thoughts and be as much like Christ as you can. We aren't expected to be perfect but we are expected to do right, think right and obey God's word.

What will you do?

A good name....

Proverbs 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Do you have a good name?
When people think of your name what do they think of?
It doesn't matter what your name is, it should be bring good thoughts not Oh no you don't want that person to  _________ and whatever it is.

Did you know that when you do things while your out an about that your name is either being lifted up or drug through the mud.

So put your name here _________ and see what you think people would say.
I'm going to use my son for an example (I'm not boasting just showing you what a person can do with their name).

Paul Seavey IV - this is what I'm told by people when they hear his name:
hard worker
considerate
fun
loving
goofy
crazy
will use him again if I have a job that needs to be done
You need help, call Paul Seavey IV
That's just a little of what I hear as I go about from day to day.
My son asked a young lady's father if he could take this young girl to the Jr Sr Banquet here is what the Father said, "Paul, I would be honored for my daughter to go with you to the banquet!" WOW!!! His dad and I were very Proud to hear that from another father concerning his daughter!!!!

Now here's a situation we are not so happy with (this son has made changes but because of one misunderstanding with a prominent man in our church i wasn't good)
_______ Seavey - no you don't want him to work for you. He will tell you NO......
Now all this came from a simple misunderstanding. Now since this incident things have changed but imagine how my son felt when that got a round. It's taken 2 yrs to change that.

Sometimes it takes a life time to change what your name means to people. So WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK OF WHEN YOUR NAME COMES UP????

Old Paths Conference

WOW!That is about all that can be said about these past 3 days!!! Bro Stephen Ray Nichols sang. Our Preacher, Jeff Owens, Bro Allen Domelle, Evangelist, Bro Darrell Cox, Pastor in NC, Bro Greg Nash, our music Director and many others either preached or spoke on various topics.
The theme to our conference was Growing in Christ!
There's so much going through my mind on this right now that I just don't know where to begin. Except if you've never attended our Old Paths Conference that is held every March, plan now to attend in 2013.
You will learn, be blessed and just simply have a GREAT time growing in the Lord.
If you are interested you can go to our church web site: www.sbbcwv.com

A Miracle Baby

I posted a link to this post about Baby Ryan! This little boy has been through A LOT since he was born. Ryan was born with his heart outside of his chest, he's been through multiple surgeries, living in the hospital most of his first yr or so of life.

http://marquissclan.blogspot.com/2012/03/cath-update.html

Children are gifts from God! This young man is no different, he has a family who loves him dearly!!!

Praise

Ephesians 5:18-20
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Giving thanks always for all things unto God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

II Samuel 22:4
I will on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

Psalm 71:8, 14
Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.
But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.

Psalm 50:23
Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me; and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

Isaiah 43:21
This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.

Do you praise the Lord in all things? We should praise the Lord when we don't a job. We should praise the Lord when the cabinets are almost empty. We should praise the Lord when the freezer if full. We should praise the Lord when the gas tank if full or empty. What exactly do you praise the Lord for?

What will you do with the hard time?

Good afternoon, well today has been good thus far! We had 5 deaf in our adult Deaf class, one of which is a return visitor!!! We're excited about that, he brought his 2 children with him today :) Then church was awesome 16 saved and 7 Baptised with many decisions made and a couple joined our church.

The sermon however was the best!!! I wanted to share this with you seeing as to how so many are going through a tough time right now.  Read Ps 142
After you have read this, ask yourself what "cave" or hardship am I in? How will handle this? Will I allow God to work in my life and will I grow from this?

I wish everyone could of heard this sermon. I'll not try to type out all that he said, I started off taking notes but was so drawn by my Pastors preaching that I never even wrote down point one. We need to let the hard times, the dark times, the "caves" in our lives grow us. We need to let them mature us. We need to look to God and say, what am I to learn from this?

Our family has been through some rough times in the last 2 months, but through it God has allowed us to help other families. You ask, if you don't have a steady job and aren't able to go grocery shopping for your own, how do you help others? Well, when God provided for us, we took a tithe of that and helped someone else. That is how and you know when you aren't dwelling on self and how bad you have it, helping others is a GREAT joy!!!!

So Read PS 142 and ask yourself.... How can I change?

This is the Day....

You say this is the day for what?

To start reading your Bible!
To start praying without ceasing!
To start obeying the Bible!
To start honoring your parents!
To start thinking less of self and more of others!

These are just a few things that This is the Day....

One of my favorite verses is: This is the day that the Lord hath made I will rejoice and be glad in it.
So what will you do? What will you start today?
Just a quick thought but one that is important.

Friends and Family

Good afternoon! Well, March is here and its so hard to believe that we are into the 3rd month of 2012!
If you were receiving e-mails from my blogs I'm sorry they haven't been going out. A friend of mine is helping me try to figure out what is going on.

Thought for today:
Friends are special people and we need to love them and be there for them no matter what!!!
Sometimes friends need space and sometimes they can't always do what we want or desire. That doesn't mean your no longer friends again, it just means there's a time they need to be closer to the Lord than to you.
Friends are friends forever if the Lords the Lord of them!

Family

F - Forgiving
A - Always there for you
M - Memories
I - Inspirational
L - Loving
Y - Yours to claim

I was sitting here thinking as my daughter has grown up an is now at college, dating and at the stage that marriage is possibly in her future. Then as my oldest boy will be graduating from High School in just over a yr. Our middle child is 2 yrs from graduating, that family is really special, or it should be!

I know of people who say bad things about their family and who never talk to this parent or sibling because of this or that. Now since I don't know all details and because I'm not God, I can't say a whole lot. However God created the thing we call Marriage, and it is meant to be between a Man and Woman and NO other combination. God made it where man is attracted to woman and vise versa. The bed is to be undefiled and is to be enjoyed by a husband and wife.

Children are special also, they are gift from God, loaned to us to raise and train in the way of the Lord. I have never understood how a child can blame God, mom or dad for they way they are. God made us each unique individuals and we are to accept that. I also have never understood why a wife would be critical of her husband to everyone but God. After all God knows all go to him, he's the ONLY one that change your husband. This is the same for the husband if there's a problem with your wife don't go complaining to the people at work, take it to God.

Now before I go further none of this happened to me where I felt I needed to say something. I just was going through things and found a few special treasures from my daughter that really got me to thinking about family.

Now, I know there are couples without children, and I will be honest. I hurt for you not knowing the thrill of raising a child from birth. I can't say I understand how you feel, because I don't. I'm excited for those who God allowed to adopt and make that child their own. Let me just say, God is in control and he knows your heart ache and he knows that woman desires to mother. I have a very special friend, and if she reads this she'll know it's her, but this friend doesn't have children of her own, but she has I dare to say 50 or more "children" who LOVE her. Why? She took that love of a mother and through her baby sitting, and working in nursery's and things gave her love to others children. In a way, I would say she has a family that is very large and that LOVES her dearly! I know of at least 3 families that think the world of her! Yes we (all 3 families) have moved away but we ALL LOVE her!!

So how do you look at your family? Do you see that sister as a pain? Do you think mom and dad are crazy in the way they raise/raised you? Do you LOVE them? Lets rather than pulling away from family put forth the effort to pull them closer to us.

When you look at the word F-A-M-I-L-Y what do you see?
F- fearful or Forgiving
A -Anger or Always there for you
M - Mean or Memories
I - Insensitive or Inspirational
L - Lethal in the speech or Loving
Y - Yearning to get away from them or Yours to claim

Just a thought for us today.
...as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.
What God hath put together let no man put asunder.
Marriage is of God!!
Children are of God!!
Family should have the Holy Spirit as the center of their home!!

Speaking the Truth

Ephesians 4:15 "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:"

Do you speak the truth or lies? We need to make sure that we speak truth not only in our everyday talking and communications, but also when we are talking to others about Jesus. What is the truth?

Jesus came to earth and lived for 33 yrs.
He then died on the cross, was in the grave for 3 days.
Jesus was resurrected from the grave and Lives today!!
He is not still on the cross, and he isn't still in the Grave!
Our Lord Jesus Christ Lives and is sitting at the right hand of the Father!

This is the truth.
What is the truth of salvation?
You must realize you are sinner.
Ask the Heavenly Father to forgive you of your sins.
Trust in Him that he has forgiven you.
Ask Him into your heart and accept his grace!

For by grace are ye saved through faith not of works lest any man should boast.
Our works don't take us heaven! The blood of Jesus and by His grace are YOU saved!!!
This is the truth!

What is the truth?
Thou shalt not lie! Mom, Dad, son, daughter, brother, sister, friend EVERYONE "Thou Shalt Not Lie!" Once a person tells a lie, he has to lie again to cover up the first lie and before you know it you honestly believe you are telling the truth when you are actually telling another lie to cover all the other lies. How do you stop lieing? Just decide that you are going to THINK, before you SPEAK!

What is truth?
What I have shared with you today is TRUTH.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are TRUE, whatsoever things are HONEST, whatsoever things are JUST, whatsoever things are PURE, whatsoever things are LOVELY, whatsoever thing are of GOOD REPORT; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise think on these things.

So I ask you What is truth? It looks like everything that is Positive, good, true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good reports! I think we ALL can think on these things and we ALL can speak the truth!

Bible Reading

Just checking in, if you are doing the 90 day read through the Bible you should be on day 21 today. I pray you are up todate, if not don't be discouraged just keep working on it.

If you did another Bible reading plan I pray you too, are up to date with it.

I have another challenge for you: 21 Day fast now this isn't 21 days of no food, there are different things you do each day. if you are interested go to youversion.com and click on the plans then go to the 21 day fast. It's very encourageing and uplifting.

Those who are praying for my Grandma thank you no changes as of late last night.

Do you have Unsaved loved ones?

Good morning to everyone. I have a questions for you do you have a husband, a wife, a mom, a dad, a brother, sister, uncle, Aunt that is unsaved?? You may even know of a friend who is not saved but yet you cont to go places and do things with that person. Did you realize that as Christians we're not to be buddy with the unsaved.

You know the time is short and we need to tell everyone we can about Christ. II Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Our Heavenly Father doesn't want anyone to go to Hell but yet we talk to people daily and don't even tell them or share through a track how they can avoid the torments of Hell.

Dear friends, if you know someone that may not be saved write a letter, or give them call. Maybe even go visit with them and witness to them. You say, Paula, I really don't know how to witness, Then let me ask you? Do you know how you got saved, what the situation was that brought you to your knees before the Lord. Use your testimony!!! Or you may write back to me and I will share a basic simply plan of salvation to use. It's really very easy to lead a person to the Lord.

Do you hold on the past?

This statement is so very true! WE need to forget and forgive the past. What happened in the past can't be changed, but what happens today or even tomorrow can be new.