I’m like a kid when it comes to opening presents at Christmas time. I love giving gifts and watching others open them, and often find myself wanting them to open the gift even before Christmas.

The anticipation is often more exciting than the actual gift.

Don’t you know that this is probably how God feels when He blesses us with spiritual gifts? He’s waiting in anticipation for us to use these gifts.

God has blessed me with the ability to write. I’ve always tried to keep a journal, most of my adult life. And, even though I’ve been writing a while, I feel God is showing me how to use writing to reach others, to bless those who are doing life with me, to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ, and hopefully to spark some curiosity to those who don’t know Christ as their savior.

God gave you a gift, or gifts. Don’t miss the opportunity to use that gift to bless others.

Writing is so much more rewarding to me once I realized it’s a gift from God.

Open it now - use your gifts today to enrich your life and the lives of others around you.

Romans 1:11 - “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong.”

How you live your life, how you treat others, is like an open story to your heart.

If you see someone helping another, in their time of need, you might say, “they have a good heart.” Whereas, a heartless person appears cruel and mean to others.

It says in the book of Matthew, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”

Jesus is concerned with our heart. Although you may appear that you have it all together on the outside, that’s not enough.

When you give your life to Jesus, He changes your heart. You no longer want to do what you used to do. “Man looks at our outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Whatever you are thinking usually comes from the heart and unfortunately in most cases, out of your mouth.

We are born with dirty hearts, but Jesus came to purify them.

Allow God to cleanse your heart and purify it with love. Open your heart so the world can see Jesus in you.

Proverbs 27:19 - “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”

Having faith in God is risking what you’ve always known for God’s purposes.

There are thousands of people, mostly in foreign countries, risking their lives to tell others about Jesus.

After my first mission trip, I came home wondering, “why wouldn’t everyone want to do this?”

Most will say that they’re scared, afraid to get out of their comfort zone. They’re not alone. I was afraid too, scared of being rejected and mocked. I was afraid someone would ask me a question about the bible that I couldn’t answer.

You may wonder what changed in me? What made me risk embarrassment and go for it?

Faith. I knew in my heart, I couldn’t do it on my own. I knew I would fail if I depended on me. But, the changing point came when I decided to trust what God was doing inside me.

I went and can’t recall one moment when I felt scared, embarrassed or unfit.

I had faith that whatever I did, God would be with me in every moment.

Friends, take a chance. Risk it; leave your comfort zone and let God use you today.

2 Corinthians 5:7 - “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

John 9:5 - “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably heard this complaint from your kids, “I’m starving, but there’s nothing to eat.”

In reality, there’s food to eat, just not the food they wanted to eat.

So we can see the reality of food, but not like the choices. A lot of times in life, we see what’s ahead, but we’re not willing to do the work to get there. Having sight, but no vision.

Helen Keller, a blind woman, wrote, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”

The take-away from this is that I hope you’re not settling for less than what God’s got planned for you.

Think big; have large dreams of reaching the lost; think short-term mission trips, visiting the elderly and shut-ins, giving your time and resources to those in need.

Start looking beyond your physical and mental limits and envision your potential. If you’re spiritually blind, you’re unable to see the truth.

Seek guidance from God. Ask Him for visions. It’s harvest season. There are so many lost souls out there, just waiting for someone to tell them the truth.

From my earliest memories, I can remember going to a church regularly. Raised in a baptist home, my mom modeled the faithful Christian soldier all my life.

The small country church she attended didn’t have Sunday school, so she sent us to the First Baptist Church down the street.

I’m so thankful for her commitment to start us out learning about God. Church is an important part of my life, but it’s more than the building, it’s the people. I love my church family, the committed leaders and our determination to tell others about how to get to Heaven.

The church is everywhere we are, not where we go on Sunday.

This has become to mean so much more to me since I started going on short-term mission trips. It made me realize that there are so many people who don’t have a church to go to; they don’t have the love and support of a church family.

That’s where we come in. Yes, you and me. We are to be the church, the light in this dark world.

Don’t just go to church, be the church.

John 2:19-22 - “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”  They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?”  But the temple he had spoken of was his body.  After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.”

I can remember as a kid loving the coloring books that had the pages where there were only dots on the page. To see the picture, you had to connect the dots. Most times, I would connect the correct dots to create the image, but there were times I drew off course, or missed a dot. I could still tell what the image was, but it wasn’t perfect.

As Christians, some think that you have to do everything perfectly. They will drain their energy on religious activities, instead of meeting the needs of others. It’s good to be involved in church activities, just don’t let it distract you from the mission.

I heard a pastor compare this analogy, by watching a congregation spend several hours and days, practicing for a big holiday production. When this pastor asked, “what would happen if you took that same group of people to visit a nursing home or feed the homeless?” He replied, “because I can’t get them to do that.” The take-away is people will spend endless hours to dress up like rudolph, but won’t give a few hours to help those less fortunate.

I’m not bashing on holiday plays, etc. The church I attend does a great job at doing both. We always have a wonderful Christmas play and musical that tells the story of Jesus, and we also have several groups evangelizing, discipling and serving others, throughout the year.

I may not do it right every day, but I do try to put Christ first and He always connects me to the right people and the right places, where I can show His love to others.

Proverbs 16:27-29 - “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece. An evil man sows strife; gossip separates the best of friends. Wickedness loves company—and leads others into sin.”

Hebrews 11:1 - “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Doesn’t everyone wish for a peaceful sleep and wonderful dreams?

Sleep deprivation comes to us all at some point. We long for a good night’s sleep. It makes us feel rested and ready for the day.

Dream has two definitions. It can be defined as, “a series of thoughts, images and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep.” The other definition is, “a cherished aspiration, ambition, or idea.”

Do you have a dream today, an idea or something that you’d love to do some day? Does God know about this dream? If you haven’t told Him yet, what are you waiting on?

I was reminded yesterday that as a Christian, we have access to the dream maker. God can turn your dream into a reality.

God answers prayers every day. I can remember almost 3 years when I was praying about going on my first mission trip. In the beginning of my journey, I remember thinking, “I can’t do this, I’m not ready; I could never be so bold in my faith.” But, God didn’t give up on me. He put the dream in my heart and I pursued it, regardless of my doubts.

That was one of the most pivotal years of my life. I was pursued by God, challenged in my faith, but also distracted by satan.

Again, I thank God, for my dream coming true. God used the mission trip experience to change me, and now I’m God’s biggest cheerleader for short-term mission trips.

What is your dream? Tell God, and He promises that if it’s in line with His will, it will come true.

Dream big; sweet dreams.

Yesterday was my birthday, another year gone by. Why does it seem that the days, years and decades come faster these days?

I’m thankful God has blessed me with many years, some happy, some sad; many challenging and yet rewarding.

I can look back on my years as a Christian, and see how God has blessed me in so many ways. I have grown closer to God in the last five years. What’s the secret in my mature relationship with Christ? It’s all in learning more about Him, reading His word and talking to Him daily.

Just as any relationship develops and thrives, a relationship with Christ will add years to your life. When God knows your heart, your desires and realizes you are trusting in Him alone, the sky’s the limit.

But, don’t think you’ll be handed a silver spoon. If God gave us everything we asked for, how could we appreciate the blessings?

Trust God as each day passes. Thank Him for the blessings, and yes, the challenges He puts before you.

Each of us has a birthday, every year. But, there’s also a spiritual birthday - a day when you give your life to Christ.

Although I don’t remember the exact date I was saved, I remember every day after, when Christ came into my heart to stay.

Proverbs 9:11 - “For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.”