31 January 2014 “Freedom in Forgiveness”
Psalm 86:5
O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.

I love this scripture because it is not an empty promise. I have personally found that God is like this all the time; He’s a forgiver, and it is such a relief! I also experience great relief when I unconditionally love others and readily forgive them. Even if no one asks for my forgiveness; it is so freeing not to hold things against people.

The Apostle Paul put it this way, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” 
(Colossians 3:13)

Remember, the Lord forgave me. He didn’t have to, yet he did. He is not holding anything against me anymore. So when I encounter regular people who offend me, who are just as flawed as I, why hold anything against them if God isn’t doing that to me? What makes me think my heart is more important than God’s?

Pastor Dean does say not to confuse forgiveness with trust; the two are not mutually exclusive. That’s wise advice. Sometimes we need to see if the repentance of the offender was sincere like God does with us.

And forgiveness and grudges aren’t mutually exclusive. They don’t have to go together either! And the reason it feels sooooo much better NOT to hold a grudge is because God doesn’t hold them against us. He truly is showing us a better way!

Dear God,
Thank you so much for your character that reveals so many awesome tips for my heart to enjoy. Thank you that making allowances for other people’s quirks and shortcomings is better than holding those things against them. Thank you for calling Believers to be like Christ and to not be disappointed when we do. I love you and praise you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

29 January 2014 “Servingly Serve”
Mark 9:35
He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”



In human society important people have less important people do things for them. But in God’s economy it’s the other way around.

Jesus’ life is the perfect example of what God has in mind. He servingly served others constantly while at the same time being the most powerful, influential, awesome, important person on the planet! He didn’t tell his disciples to do something he wasn’t doing himself.

The Apostle Paul also leaves a good example of a servant for us to follow. His purpose for serving was to show us this:  And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35

My husband is a good example of God’s kind of servant too, and I am so thankful! He is very busy at his job but still calls me during the day to see if there’s anything he can do for me or pick up on his way home. When he gets home he checks on each kid and sees how their day was and finds out if there’s anything they need. Once a week he does the yard work at our church facility and then comes home and does the yard work on our massive backyard. He’s always done all the work himself sweatily and cheerfully. He helps with the dinner dishes and starts the youngest’s bath at night. He reads to our kids at night even when he’s dog tired. He researches what our kids are interested in so he can talk to them about what they like. He doesn’t come home, claim a chair and sit in it to be waited on even though he has absolutely every right to do just that, in my opinion. That’s a servant.

It’s not easy being the servant of everyone else, but it pleases God. And our desire as Believers is to please God, indeed. So, to please God and live like Jesus, I ask God to help me follow the advice I’ve heard my husband tell other husbands in counseling before:

Serve your family, and when you get tired; serve some more. 

Galatians 5:13 says, For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 

I know serving others isn’t what saves me or makes God like me better, but it is the natural antidote for my selfish behavior. Putting other’s needs above my own accomplishes unselfishness in my heart, the outward result happens to be serving others, and the spiritual benefit is pleasing God.

Dear God,
Thank you for giving me regular examples as well as Jesus’ ultimate example of being a servant. Help me to lovingly incorporate this mindset into my life. My desire is to please you more than to demand my rights. Help me to put other people’s needs above my own and to not be selfish. Help me help others willingly and gladly because I know that pleases you too. I love you and thank you for this time together this morning. Amen.

28 January 2014 “God’s Form of Matter”
John 4:24
For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.


John Eldredge uses a really good example of law and the spirit of the law in his book, The Ultimate Relief of Holiness. He uses the speed limit as a for instance: The speed limit on a certain road might be 45, but if someone in your passenger seat munching on a bag of peanuts starts turning blue from anaphylactic shock the driver is going to lean on the gas and get the the hospital as fast as possible regardless of the speed limit. Likewise, in bumper to bumper traffic, we don’t assert our right to drive the full speed limit, chaos would ensue. 

Only obeying God like he’s some kind of checklist on an invisible “todo” list is like letting your blue faced passenger pass out in your car. God is Truth, but there is also his Spirit behind His truth.

Jesus put it this way: “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” There is a law to obey not to commit adultery, but the spirit of the law, the essence of that law, is not to harbor lust in our hearts. Same goes for murder and anger. (See Matthew 5)

So when I see this verse: “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth,” I think to myself how glad I am that God isn’t just one dimensional. God. Bam. That’s it, you must be “this tall” to access. We are not worshiping a statue that may or may not fit through my front door or in my purse. So, I don’t just acknowledge him with my head, my logic, and my deeds and leave my heart out of it. God is Spirit... He is everywhere. 

In forms of matter, he’d be a gas not a solid. He permeates every single area of my life. So to worship (obey, thank, think about, talk to, honor, and respect) Him, I give Him access to all of me, not just the parts people see but also the invisible things in my heart and mind.

I worship Him in truth, the right way, how He prescribes in his Word. AND I worship him in spirit by asking him to help me live out his prescriptions not only in visible ways but also in the invisible ways.

Philippians 2:13
For it is God who works in you (gas - not a solid) to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Dear God,
I’m glad You have access to all of me so that You can point out what needs to change. But I’m even MORE glad that You give us access to all of YOU because you are Spirit and not a fixture like every god of every other religion. You are everywhere. And the place I am most glad You are is with me helping me to will and to act according to Your will. I love You and pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

25 January 2014 “Script For My Thoughts”
Philippians 4:8
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Every day I set a goal to just say thankful statements. However, it doesn’t last long; I find some reason to complain pretty quickly. Chalk it up to human nature I guess. But I have found that preparing a script for my thoughts ahead of time is extremely beneficial to fending off the complainer inside of me.

I can make myself change what I’m thinking about. I have that ability and should use it. Whatever is worrying, troubling, or frustrating me at any given moment can be met with going back to events, words, or verses that I’ve previously prepared; I can change the subject of the discourse of my mind.

True and Honorable... My husband recently finished the book, Lone Survivor, by Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell, and then we went to see the movie of it the other day. Why not think about really brave men doing really brave things? It’s inspiring. Jesus said, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Our US military troops are true and honorable, and thinking about their bravery, sacrifice, and guts changes my perspective on my little problems.

Right and Pure... I love being married. I love recollecting all the things God has seen my husband and me through over the years. We lived on his salary of $800/mo. when we first got married. He worked hard every day, even at jobs he hated, so I could get my degree. He treasures me and treats me more like a girlfriend than a wife. He is a loving daddy to our kids and respectful son to both sets of parents. He consults the Word and prays over every decision no matter how big or how small. And he’s just fun to be around. He’s never violated my trust and he always encourages me in the things of the Lord. Hebrews 13:4 says to “give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage.” I’m so thankful to have the example of our parents’ marriages and especially my own to reflect on things right and pure.

Lovely and Admirable... God blessed us with amazing children. They are lovely. They have been discipled and disciplined as God prescribes in his Word, and the result is admirable young people. Thinking about Abby, Josiah, Gracie, and Ben makes me thankful that obeying God’s Word doesn’t lead to disappointment. God directs all parents in Deuteronomy 6:5-7 how to raise children:   And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.  And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.  Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up
Raising them is a pleasure and they are turning out to be people I want to be around; it is lovely and admirable to think about my kids.




Excellent and Worthy of Praise... That would be Jesus! Psalm 145:3 says, “Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.” The Lord is behind men who sacrifice, godly husbands, and admirable kids, not to mention the host of things he’s done just for me let alone mankind. It sounds cliche to say “Just think about Jesus” during my mental breakdowns, but why not? He can change my focus quicker than I can snap my fingers if I would choose to put my focus on HIM!




1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 urges me: Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. And the way to obey this recommendation is to plot examples for Philippians 4:8 in my heart and give my thoughts a script rather than leave my brain to its own devices which can turn out to be a breeding ground for grumbling. 




Dear God,

Thank you for teaching me there’s good things that come from being prepared. Help me to change the script of my heart when I get worried or frustrated. Thank you for proving you are so much more powerful than my feelings and can really literally solve my problems not just distract from them. I love you and praise you for how you function in my life. Amen!

24 January 2014 
“Wow! A truly amazing thing happened a year ago today!”
Galatians 6:2
Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (NKJ)
By helping each other with your troubles, you truly obey the law of Christ. 
(NCV)

This is an amazing directive. As the Family of God, we shouldn’t live in bubbles. We should interact and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus even if it’s messy. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” and vice-versa in Matthew 25. Believers are the extension of Jesus himself. He would clothe, feed, help, comfort, stay up late with, and minister to us, so we should do it for others on his behalf. In this way obey the law of Christ.

I’m so glad to be a part of the Family of God! One year ago today my husband woke up from unconsciousness and slowly began his recovery from bacterial meningitis. It was a scary time. But all it took was one text to friend to pray for us and prayer spread like wildfire! We have since found out that literally hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Believers prayed for him and our family during this time as Rob’s name and situation hit countless number of prayer chains in our state and beyond. Believers who didn’t even know us bombarded heaven with prayers on our behalf for God’s comfort, sustaining grace, and healing. And we experienced all three. Wow is all I can think to say.

I’m so glad the Family of God took it upon themselves to pray for someone else and to look at our situation like it was their very own. We received so much help and encouragement, meals, filling in at Rob’s work, and financial support (so much so that our church had to make an announcement to stop giving money as all of Rob’s medical expenses were met and paid!) because other Believers shared our burden. Wow!

I am deeply moved at how God operates through his Family. There’s nothing else like it! And being on the receiving end really motivates me to be in the giving end, that’s for sure!

Our family personally experienced a true miracle. God healed Rob and restored his health. We are so thankful! Not a lot of people with bacterial meningitis make a full recovery or even live. We are so incredibly thankful!

And our family experienced miracle after miracle:  Seeing the Family of God in action, operating as God intended, sharing our burdens and being faithful to be an extension of Jesus to us. Seriously, Wow is all I can think to say!

Dear God,
We are celebrating Rob’s life in our home today. We are so thankful what you did! A year ago yesterday was an uncertain and scary day as I saw Rob in a very unconscious and painful state.  That was truly horrible. I didn’t know what you were going to do, but you certainly did not disappoint us! This could have gone a variety of ways, yet I am certain that you would sustain me and my family with your grace and mercy through any scenario. BUT I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR WAKING HIM UP! Thank you for using intelligent doctors and IV bags to heal him. Thank you for getting us home on what seemed like the longest flight and drive home ever. Thank you for miraculously putting peace in our kids’ hearts at night while we weren’t there to tuck them in. Thank you for the treatment at home that continued to work on Rob’s body. Thank you for all the time we got to spend with him while he recovered. Thank you for bringing back his mind and his strength and his big burly muscles. Thank you for the support we received from our family and church family and from the Family of God everywhere. Thank you for him returning to work. Thank you for every single day you have granted us with him. He is a loving husband, attentive daddy, great Bible teacher, considerate friend, devoted disciple of Jesus, and my very best friend. Thank you for blessing me such a wonderful husband and for giving him back to me a year ago. Thank you! and Wow! Amen!

21 January 2014 "Three Questions"
Galatians 6:7
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

“Don’t be mislead...” That means people are mistaken when they think they are getting away with a life of disobedience to God.

“You cannot mock the justice of God...” What God says to do needs to be done. God knows what is really right and what is actually wrong. Anyone saying differently creating their own opinion of right and wrong is mocking God. Don’t be misled! 

“You will always harvest what you plant...” If I put carrot seeds in my garden, carrots are going to sprout up from those seeds. Likewise, obeying God results in godly living, not mocking God, and not being misled or fooled into another opinion of right and wrong.

When Rob was teaching last Sunday, he pointed out that a life of obedience begins when God as the center of all of our decision making and that this actually leads to more freedom. If my relationship with God is my priority, then I will spend time with him. I will read his Word and know it well because what he thinks about things is in there. So when I go to make a decision I consider 3 things: (1)What does the Bible say? (2)What is the wisest choice? (3)What do I want to do?




Rob says that the order of these three questions is very revealing about what position God holds in our hearts. My natural tendency would be: (3), (2), and then (1). If God’s Word agrees with what I want to do then great, if not, oh well! 




For example, I may really want to give a bratty lady a piece of my mind, but 1 Peter 3:9 says to repay evil with a blessing. And Proverbs 15:1 says that a gentle answer deflects anger on the part of both parties. So, clearly, my will would be in conflict with God’s if I carry out plans for a verbal war. But the choice is mine.




I choose for God being the center. I like it. I like knowing his will and doing it. I love the peace and confidence that accompanies obedience to his Word. So, if I choose living by his Word and doing what it says, then no decisions I make are wrong ones. I pray for the wisest choice, and beyond that I can simply choose what I want to do = freedom. Lots of freedom!




If I choose my way first (1), then my life will collide with disobedience when I get to (3)What does the Bible say? And I don’t want to be misled... The Bible promises that will not end well. Planting disobedience will not result (harvest) in godliness, holiness, or eternal life.




Galatians 6:8

Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.




Dear God,

Thank you for giving us your Word and giving us your ways to follow so that I can have freedom in obedience. Help me to seek you first and not last in all my decision making. I do not want to fool myself into thinking I can ignore your justice just because some people seem to be getting away with it for a time. I know it will not always be like that. I want your goodness in my life that accompanies obedience, and I thank you so much that this is how you operate. I love you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

20 January 2014 “Abigail Lynn Murphy”
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Sixteen years ago today, I became a mom. It was a wonderful day. My husband and I had been married for 7 years before we had a baby. In fact, my doctor told me my body wasn’t doing what it needed to to have a baby. That made me sad. I wanted to be a wife and mom when I was a little girl. I didn’t dream of a career, travel, or even being a princess. I just wanted a handsome man who loves me, our own little place, and a baby to take care of and love. My mom’s friend, Sandy, was my hero when I was a little girl because she had 5 kids. I LOVED babysitting for her and spending time with those guys. And that’s what I wanted for me some day. God knew that about me and he never forgot. He gave me all that and then some. I’m not saying I trust in the Lord in order to get what I want, but I have found that living a life trusting the Lord hasn’t disappointed me at all.

This is what I want my daughter to know. God doesn’t disappoint us. He remembers everything (even from when we are little girls) and he makes a way for really great things to happen even when “experts” like doctors say otherwise. God is amazing and truly worthy of our trust and our “delight.” And living to please him does not lead to disappointment. My own daughter is the reason I know this, so she can take my word for it from first hand experience!

I’m so glad God filled my heart’s desire 16 years ago today. (And he kept doing it - we had 3 more kids!) I remember drifting off to sleep the night we brought her home. I still had her in my arms; I didn’t want to put her down. I woke up to this sweet little cooing sound. I opened my eyes and these big, giant, blue eyes were looking right at me. And that’s when it hit me. God gave me the desire of my heart! That baby was all mine. She needed me. My mom wasn’t there, no nurses or doctors, just me. I was going to get up and change her and feed her and snuggle her. It was delightful, a pleasure, and better than I ever imagined because this baby belonged to me.

God even went beyond what my heart desires as I have watched this little beauty grow. She is amazing! She is beautiful and sweet, sensitive, faithful and kind, a disciple of Jesus, extremely talented and brilliant, and we love being around her.

When God gave us Abby, he didn’t just fill this mommy’s heart’s desire, he was totally showing off!

Dear God,
I can’t thank you enough for the miracle you gave us and for the blessing Abby is to our family and to my heart. Help her to follow you all the days of her life. Give her wisdom and joy and direct her steps. Let her do well in all she endeavors to do, and let her always delight in you and look forward to you showing off to her like you have for me. I love you and thank you! Amen!

18 January 2014 “Got Me a Glimpse”
Revelation 5:11-12
Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus...


What John describes in Revelation 5 is amazing to imagine, but will be even more amazing to hear! Can you imagine thousands and millions of voices all singing the same thing at the same time? Maybe a whole stadium singing the national anthem together at a ball game is a small sample of what that would sound like, but usually the person on the mic sings a highly stylized version of the song leaving the activity not so much “in unison.”

We went to the Third Day concert last night in a sold out arena. Thousands of people sang one of their oldies with them, God of Wonders. Mac Powell didn’t even sing the chorus, the entire place was just filled with voices in unison singing loudly, and they were singing one of the choruses that will be in heaven. “God of Wonders beyond our galaxy -You are holy, holy.” (Revelation 4:8). Wow! That is probably a closer idea of what worship singing will be like in heaven. It was awesome. I didn’t even participate in the singing after a while; I just wanted to hear. Got me a glimpse.

And it sounded awesome!

Revelation 5:13
And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
    belong to the one sitting on the throne
    and to the Lamb forever and ever.”

Since every creature is going to sing to the Lord one day, why not start now?!

Dear God,
You are so incredibly worthy of all those voices singing to you last night! The amazing sound, all the same hearts knowing those words, the acoustics that volume of voices produced, every bit of that belongs to you! And I am so excited to participate in that for real one day. Thank you for the glimpse last night. It was very encouraging, inspiring, and so good for my heart. I love you and praise you with that kind of volume in my heart! Amen!

15 January 2014 “Stop and Look Around”
John 8:31-32
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Jesus plainly tells us that in order to be one of his disciples we must do what he says. This is not limiting by any stretch of the imagination regardless of the I’m my own boss mentality dominating society today. Obedience to Jesus simply shows to whom we belong, opens our eyes to real truth, and makes us free. Ironically, the people who are the boss of their own lives (meaning they don’t intend to obey anyone but just do what they want all the time) choose such a life because it appears to make them free, but they are really far from truly being free.

Rob shared this passage last Sunday from Jeremiah 6:16 -
This is what the LORD says
“Stop at the crossroads and look around.
Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.
Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.” 

Learning and doing godly things leads to a life of rest. Not a life free of conflict but a confident life. Confident because we know we are doing right things, and a person with a clear conscious is definitely at rest - has peace in their heart.

“Stop at the crossroads...” That means when there’s a fork in the road, a decision to be made, ask God what to do. If one option requires a stressful, immediate, impulsive response then the answer is no for now. There must be an element of time involved if the action required of us is stop. Stop means wait a tic not barge ahead.

“Look around...” What’s going on? Are there godly examples to follow or will the decision  enable me to go with the flow doing what is popularly socially acceptable? What have godly people in my situation done before? Seek them for some advice.

“Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it...” I think this is a funny statement because this verse is old and refers to something even older! The Old Godly Way. It’s God’s way from the Beginning. He never changes so neither does his truth or his concept of right and wrong. This fact draws me to obedience because that is what “walking” in the Old Godly Way means - obey what God says.

“Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls...” Sounds exactly like Jesus’ words:  You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Lord Jesus,
I want to show that I follow you by what I say and do. Help me to “travel this path” and have rest, know truth, and be truly free. Thank you so much for a life of godly options available to me because of your sacrifice for my sins and example for me to follow. I love you and praise you and pray in your name. Amen.

10 Jan. 2014 "How Our House Works"
1 Peter 1:15-16 
But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 

I know a lot of adults who look back and think how it used to drive them crazy that their parents’ explanation  was always “because I said so.” Then these same adults have kids of their own and freak out on the day when those very same words escape their lips!

I think what we are really saying to our children is this: “Do this because I do.” When we ask our kids to clean their rooms, eat dinner, help a younger sibling, come home on time, or speak with respect it is simply because we do those things. It’s how our house works.

You must be holy because I am holy...  I am one of God’s children. He invited me into His family and I accepted. He doesn’t ask me to forgive others, love others, and be patient with others for no reason. There’s no arbitrary “because I said so” intended behind obedience to God. As His daughter I should simply be a reflection of who He is. This is how His House works!

Dear God,
Thank you for inviting me into your family. Thank you for showing me how, asking me to, and requiring of me to be like you so that I can enjoy all that being a part of YOUR Family has to offer. I love you and thank you so much! Amen.