What do you think you could do to add more of a godly, positive attitude to your life?

Thought we might start something new…I have received much positive feedback about the blog and so many encouraging personal notes from you. Thank you so much for your prayers and kind words! I have been informed that these testimonies and requests are used to spur discussions in your church groups as well as to share our news with many prayer warriors. Wonderful!

Maybe opening up with a thought provoking question at times will give us an opportunity to participate in a light forum. I have been motivated by your responses to me, and I am sure others will benefit from your thoughts, too. If you would like to share just tap on the comment section below the post, the responses will appear in my section, and I will add accordingly.

a positive attitude
Passage of Encouragement: And Caleb got everybody settled down in front of Moses, and said, “Let’s go now, and take over this land, because we’re capable of overcoming it.” - Numbers 13:30 (Background reading: Numbers 13:25-30)

Commentary: At the end of forty days the spies came back from exploring the Promised Land. They approached Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community. They brought back some of the rich fruit and told that the land was plentiful with milk and honey. They also told of the powerful people that lived there. They knew that they would have to face these powerful leaders. And Caleb spoke and said, “Let’s go now, and take over this land, because we are capable to overcome it.”
Reflection: I wonder sometimes how others see me reacting to a seemingly impossible situation. Do I find myself being more positive or negative? One of the most positive people in my life is my mother. She always views situations optimistically and takes things as they come. I know she is this way, because her relationship with the Lord is solid. She places her trust in Him totally. We can certainly do anything, forbear anything and accomplish anything because God is with us. I want to have the same positive attitude as Caleb and my mother. I want to seek God’s will on all matters. He will help me be victorious (L.Burch, A Woman’s Path to God, path 25).

What are some things that Christians can do to add more of a godly, positive attitude to their lives?

Grasping a Vision in Zelenogorsk

Here is a sight we don’t see in South Georgia on our coastal shores! Buck is standing on broken ice that the waves formed and pushed onto shore in a town outside of St. Pete on the Gulf of Finland. He visited a church planter’s conference in Zelenogorsk that was held by one of our IMB teams in European Russia. Please pray with us that the pastors and church planters in the Northwest region of Russia will grasp a vision for multiple churches, especially with the ever changing Russian laws.

Just be Faithful

Read Luke 16: 1-13
Key Passage: Whoever is trustworthy in little things can be trusted with big ones… -Luke 16:10a

The past few weeks I have been struggling with the desire to see more people come to the Lord. Maybe this desire has felt somewhat like a burden. I look around at the mass of people in my neighborhood that do not have a personal relationship with the Lord. The average person on the street would answer positively if asked the question: Do you believe in Jesus? Their response would be, "Of course, I 'believe' in God".
We live on a block that houses about 10,000 people in high-rise type apartments. I look out of my kitchen window and just wonder about the many families that live in the windows across, above, and below me. The burden for lost souls becomes so heavy. I often ask Lord, "What can I do about this lostness, when I am so small, Lord?" I walk the streets and see the drunkenness. I see men and women sleeping off the alcohol while the curb serves as their pillow. I see black eyes and punctured faces on public transportation. I hear the stories of volunteers that come to give love to orphan children. I see children in gangs that meet right outside my home. My children have even walked over spilt blood where no body was left to be seen. We watch as street kids do manual labor for a "boss" down the street, who knows their every move. I often think, "If they only knew You, Lord."
The burden is too great to carry! As I have been having a home Bible study with one lost friend the past few weeks, the Holy Spirit lightened this burden I have been trying to carry alone. If I remain faithful in the small ways, He will allow me to be faithful in much. My friend began a relationship with the Lord this week. Last night, God brought me to this scripture again as I read the parable of wise management. Just be faithful with the one. Be trusted with very little. The one. The little. He will be faithful with the masses. Because of your faithfulness with the little, the one, you are faithful in your service for Me, and I will bring the masses of St. Pete through the one. You ARE faithful in much when you first obey and do the little!
Application: Tell the one.
-L.Burch, A Woman’s Path to God, path 40

Month of Love

February is celebrated as the month of love, not just in America but in other countries now, too. My daughter, Amielle, sent me this drawing just to tell me she loves me. I remember something she said at six years old. My older daughter, Ashlyn, was baptized, and we were discussing the topic. Amielle said that she was not ready for baptism because she was scared of the water. However, she quickly informed me that she knew Jesus was in her heart. She said, “Mama, it is like this, I place my hand over my heart and feel my heart beat. It tells me that Jesus is there.” Then she asked the most interesting question: “Mama, when my heart goes up and down, I think Jesus is telling me that He loves me. Is that right?”

The things kids say. They are so innocent and sweet. Everything is understood so simply. As an adult, I must accept God’s love so openly as well and never forget my first love. Try it: Place your hand over your heart today and sense His presence as you hear Him say, “I love you!”