In 1 Samuel 1 and 2, there are 12 things God wants us to know.

1. Mom’s story does not begin  the day I was born.

As women we all have a story to tell before we had children. We have hopes, dreams and desires for our lives.

2. Following Godly principles; be the mom God created you to be without comparison.

We put so much pressure on our selves when we compare ourselves to others. We need to support one another instead of criticizing and comparing. God created us all to unique and have different giftings not to be the same.  I may be great in some areas but lacking in others. This is where the support should come in.

3. In every story there will be hurt.

Hannah is not able to be a mom.  This is so common today and we need to be sensitive to the needs of others but also being a mom has its own sense of burdens.

4. Ladies if you don’t realize it, men do not always know what to say.

He was speaking of Hannah’s husband asking why she was crying all the time and the priest not being very compassionate towards her during her time of prayer and sadness.

5. The craziness of motherhood will not be solved by leaving God out.

He was saying that we need to make time for God. God knows exactly what we need and we have to keep up with our spiritual life. I can attest to this. I feel so out of control and in a total state of chaos when I am not praying. I need to make time for my devotional time more. It is so hard trying to balance everything but I do need to fit it in.

6. If you are blessed with children, remember they are part of the family not the center of the family.

This is so true. You have to make time for your spouse, for yourself and your spiritual life. I am still working on this. My hubby and I are actually going away for two nights this year. We have NEVER done this but we so need it. We love our girls but our time together is so important too. Kids can sense when there is peace or when there is strife.  By placing your kids as the center, you are going to be let down when they spread their wings and fly one day. Your whole world cannot revolve around your children. They do not need that pressure and neither do you!

7. How are you doing with your promises?

What kinds of promises did you make yourself when you first became a parent? Are you keeping those or putting them by the way side?

8. Joy comes from God and not our circumstances.

We need to praise you God no matter what we are going through. Hannah did this and so did Job.

9. God is Holy and great regardless of our circumstances.

10. The Lord defends the weak.

God sees your struggles just as he did with Hannah.

11. God can be trusted in all things.

12. Mother’s have a great prophetic gift.

We have this ability to shape our children’s lives. In the prayer Hannah prayed she spoke of a king long before God allowed a king to rule over Israel. Sometimes we have sense about something or God has spoken something to us that is not in any book or doctor.

One thing that really struck me was the guilt or worry some moms face. I do too. “Did I do enough as a mom?” ” Did my child go to sleep sad, angry, lonely?”

There is also so much pressure to put them in activities to build their skills and character. Am I putting them in the right one? Sometimes I wish I could do more but we just don’t have the financial means to do so.

I have started watching this show Tori and Dean and I love it. I think because they do love each other and their kids and it shows. They are just like my family minus the money. Tori is so much like me and these moms. Her husband just tries things but Tori is constantly checking to make sure they are okay or give a reminder to her husband. I am the same way. I tend to be more cautious where as my husband says let them try or go for it. This is how they learn. This is very true but I am still a mom. I think about my kids even while I am sleeping. Are they cold? Are they scared? Do they feel okay?

It is nice to know our pastor, other moms and even Hollywood stars have the same issues I do as a mom. I hope this encourages you today that WE are not alone. We all just want to be the greatest mom on earth. While we may not feel that way sometimes, our kids would say otherwise!

A word came to me this week that I think God wants us to understand: Order. We serve a God of order. The very creation of the earth follows a path of order. God aligned the Sun and moon and planets in a perfect way so that life could exist here. And, God created mankind with order – created man first, then gave woman to him as a gift – a comparable, complimenting partner with whom he would come together as one flesh.

Yet, we see in Genesis that immediately after this, Satan shows up in the form of a serpent seeking to destroy this relationship. He subverts the created order, knowing that if he can get the woman to step out from under the covering of her husband, all chaos will break loose.

And that’s just what happened. Only a few verses later, we find Adam and Eve hiding from God as he calls out to them, to Adam in particular, “Where are you?” (Read Genesis 3) He didn’t ask where Eve was; he asked where was the person whom he had put in charge of the garden.

That is the question of our day, too – Where are you, men? Today, God is looking for men who will be the men he created and called them to be. It doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of men like that these days, which means there’s a lot of women out there trying to make do without the kind of men they really need. Rather than stepping up and taking ownership, too many men, like Adam, start blaming women as soon as they start getting in trouble, holding them accountable for things God is holding them accountable for.

Guys, it’s time for us to take our place in God’s order. We were neither created to rule over women, nor to be ruled by them. Rather, God’s order is that each woman is to be covered by a man as that man is covered by Christ. That doesn’t mean either the man or the woman is more important or more valuable, but the man is to lead as he is led by Christ – with sacrificial love. Both the husband and the wife have equal footing in the marriage relationship as they lovingly submit to one another. The role of the husband is to lead like Christ, who gave his life for his bride.

When a man treats his wife like Jesus treats the church, she’ll have no difficulty treating him like the church treats Jesus. The key to this is sacrifice. Men, we’re called to sacrifice ourselves in prayer, reading the Word, working to provide, giving up our time and prioritizing our families’ needs in the use of our resources.

Where are men like that? Where are you, men? There are so few men like this, that have this kind of thinking, that love their wives and children and care for them as Christ does the church. Women need real men – not weenie men – who will stand up and lead, even if the woman tries to subvert the order. But remember, a real man doesn’t lead by domination, he leads by serving. We have to listen and work together with our wives as a team. And our children need to see this dynamic in order to grow up with a healthy sense of order, security and love.

So, men, are you ready to accept this challenge? Your wives and children need you. The world needs you. This has to happen if we’re going to unleash the incredible power of family in our world.

This is an excerpt from the message I preached this past weekend. Download, listen to or watch the whole message here.

My friend wrote this and I loved it!

His message was called the Dip: Big God, little dip.

Kings 19: 1-18

A dip is a a valley. You are going through stuff!

1. When you find yourself in a dip, stop digging!

2. The deepest dips often occur after the highest mountain tops.

a. We forget yesterdays mountain tops when we are in today’s valleys.  b. Depression sets in like it did with Elijah and you want to worry about it and possibly even die. Elijah begged God to take him home.

3. Don’t dwell any deeper than your dip.

a. Every valley is located between two mountain tops. Your perspective can be lost when you are in these times.

4. A lot of times in our dips, the devil wants to blow the dimensions of your dip out of proportion.

a. How big is your God in the context of your dip? Depending on how you view God will depend on how hopeless or overwhelming your dip (situation) can appear. If you view your God as big then when you enter these times, you know God will navigate you through them.

5. Gentle whisper- original language represents the concept of a sheer silence, a silence that can be heard.

a. As a parent you have a way of looking at your child that does not require words this is what he is talking about. Sometimes silence can speak volumes more than yelling ever could.

We serve a God who is faithful, compassionate and loving that he will strengthen you even when you are running in the wrong direction.

God is saying get back on the right path. You are going in the wrong direction but I am hear to navigate you through this rough time a dip.
Psalm 23:4 really says it all here. He has a plan. He never promised that we would not have difficulty in our lives but he did promise to help us through it. We just have to trust him instead of falling into depression and worry over it.

This of course I needed. I struggle sometimes with life issues and I do feel like Elijah but God wants to help us through these times.

We also sang this song in worship and I hope this will minister to you the way it did to me.

We love you Pastors Troy and Machel!! You will always be in our hearts and prayers!

This song has really ministered to me by Kutless!! What faith can do!!!

What to do when your ship is sinking?

A Miracle in your house

Matthew 8:23-27

Three kinds of storms we face:

1. Situational Storms
2. Relational Storms
3. Emotional Storms

Three facts about these storms:

1. Storms in life are inevitable. James 1:2
2. Storms are unpredictable.
3. Storms are impartial. Matthew 5:45

You are not going through storms because you are in sin or out of the will of God. Usually you are going through storms because you are right where God has you.

Two ways to respond to storms:

1. I can be filled with panic.
2. I can be filled with peace.  Matthew 5:24  Nothing surprises God.

What should we do when our ship is sinking?

1. You remember God’s closeness.

Lesson: God is always with me! Isaiah 43

1. Relax in God’s care.   Mark 4:38

Lesson: God cares about what I go through.  1 Peter 5:7

He cares about you and everyone because he loves us.

1. Rely on God’s control.  Mark 4:39

Lesson: Jesus can be trusted in the storms of life.

God is working even when we cannot see him or feel him. God knows what he is doing. He can sleep because he is at peace. God this is your problem. The place is where we need to get to. O ye of little faith. What are you afraid of?  Jeremiah 32: 17

Fear: problem

Faith: solution