Tulips~N~Lace

Have you ever noticed how many times in the Bible the disciples tell people to rise up? I was reading in the book of Acts and I was surprised by how many times people were told to rise up.  "You've been sick and in bed for 8 years, "Rise up and make your bed."  It was like it should be the most common thing.  In Jesus Name, rise up and be made whole.  "You haven't been able to walk since birth? Well, rise up and walk."  Reading through these portions of scripture lately, it really struck me how it just seemed like something so simple to them.  You have an issue?  Rise up, God will overcome it.  God will take care of the rest.  Sometimes, when we are faced with issues, we want to lay down and curl up and just bury our heads, but God says, "Rise up" and let me overcome this issue.   You need a healing?  Rise up!!!! You need a miracle?  Rise up, God will be there for you.  God will make the way for you.   We of...

Do you ever feel like life is just falling apart around you?  Some days are just plain tough.  Have you ever been told, you only have a short time left to live?   It really makes you stop and evaluate your life.   Now, before you get too concerned, I have not been given a time frame, however my father was given 1 year, possibly 2 to live.   He was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia and Parkinson disease in January of this year (2024) and it has been such a challenge for him and my mom. Recently, I was speaking to my mom and she was saying how it is so easy to have faith for other people.  If you ask me to pray for a miracle for you, no problem.  I know God can handle it, but when it is something that you are going through personally it is so much more difficult to hold on to that faith that God can do anything.  I KNOW God can perform miracles.  I have seen miracles in my lifetime, but it is still tough in our human minds someti...

Break down the Walls of Jericho:  My 5 year old son likes to watch Bible Stories on YouTube and the other day we were watching about the Israelites marching around Jericho.  God told them to march around the city once a day for 6 days and they had to be very quiet each time.  On day 4 or 5 they started to grumble that they needed a leader that would lead them in to war to take the city, but Joshua reminded them that God said they needed to just march and on the 7th day they were to march around the city 7 times.   How many times does God tell us to do something and we grumble and complain because we don't think we are getting answers fast enough?   There is a cute song that plays on the video that says: Break down the walls of Jericho, break down the walls, lift your voice and shout until the wall comes down.     On the 7th time around the city, Joshua tells the people to shout, praise, and sing for the victory is theirs.  Claim the...

1 Peter 1: 7-9 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see  him  not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith,  even  the salvation of  your  souls. What is your impossible situation?  What is your I need a miracle situation?  I heard these lines in a song recently and it got me to thinking about how sometimes situations in our lives seem so impossible and out of control.  We just don't know what to do about it or what to think about that situation. I read the above scripture in 1 Peter last week and it got me to thinking about how gold is refined by going through fire, diamonds are mined from deep within the earth.  We wouldn't have the beautiful jewelry and precious me...