Lord I lift your name on high!

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. I'm sure you all have heard or at some point in your life even sang this church song. It's about telling everyone the good news of Jesus, not hiding him but sharing him and the light he gives us when we know him. If we share our light and pass it on, then the next person passes it on, then we could light up the whole world! Wouldn't that be nice? Too bad it's not that easy. Too bad we have the Devil to contend with that wiggles into our hearts and minds and pushes us to make bad decisions and act in an ungodly manner. It's a battle that each of us fights everyday.

I can't believe it's been 4 months again since I've posted on this blog. It has been a whirlwind for the last few months and I am just trying to keep my head screwed on tight. I feel lifted up lately. I feel closer to God than I ever have in my life and I am doing my best to share my faith and surround myself by faith centered people. I have become even more involved in our church lately and feel motivated and led by God to work with the youth of our church. My brain moves a thousand miles a minute thinking of new ideas to try and get the youth more involved and more motivated and have been working directly with the Youth Director of our church to help wherever I can. Since my last post I have convinced our Youth Director that we need to take our youth to the National LCMS Youth Gathering in San Antonio, TX in July 2013. She has never been herself - I went in 1998 to Atlanta, GA and it was by far the most amazing thing I've ever done in my Christian life. I can't even explain to our youth how awesome it was and will be for them, and they aren't yet convinced that it is what they want to do, but I'm hoping to convince them. It is an awesome experience to worship and praise the Lord with 30,000 other youth and leaders from across the country.

Though my motivation is to work with the youth and I feel God leading me in that direction, I feel that I am failing miserably as a parent. I take the kids to church each Sunday and they are involved in all that they can be at church for their age, but once we get home I drop the ball. I say things about Jesus from time to time, but don't do any children's devotionals with them, or read them Christian stories or talk about Jesus in everything we do, and I strive to be much better about that. I don't want them to think that being a Christian stops at the door of the church. I also pray that my own family (sisters and parents) will find the Lord again and find a church that they can become a part of and worship with because we all went every Sunday growing up and it makes me sad that they aren't as active as they used to be.  So I will continue my work on myself and with the Lord. As we approach this Advent season I hope you all feel closer to the Lord and find a church that you can worship at and be a part of. It's so important to keep Him close. "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit" Galatians 5:25

God help me to put the spirit of the Lord in my own children daily and teach them about their Savior and his sacrifice for us and His love that is never ending. I pray that I can teach them to talk to the Lord daily and serve Him in all they do and not be afraid to tell others about their love for Jesus. I also pray that I can help my parents and sisters find the Lord again and realize that making time for the Lord, as they used to do, will renew them daily.  -Amen.