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Do you pray when you’re at a restaurant? Do you pray when you’re out with friends who are nonbelievers? If you don’t acknowledge Jesus in front of others, how can you expect Him to acknowledge you before God?
It used to be homosexuals kept hidden (in the closet so to speak). They’d laugh at gay jokes just to keep from others discovering their secret. Now, they have power and voice, and get what they want. Maybe it’s time for Christians to start taking a lesson from them.
We need to live out loud. It’s time to stand up and show our faith. We’ve been quiet for too long. A sinful media, political correctness in the schools, and pornography have all replaced God. Our leaders are no longer Godly men. Instead greed, pride, and dishonesty rule Washington D.C. Psalm 33:12 reads, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”
Christians need to stop hiding. It’s time we came out of the closet. We want Godly men in charge, not people who only care about themselves. Until we do, more crime will occur, more poverty, and more laziness on the part of the American people.
Christians created this country, and we’ve allowed others to destroy it. Here are a few quotes that might shock you:
“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of
Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” - George Washington.
Don’t expect God to bless this country if we continue to tell Him to leave.
“The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.” – John Adams
Yet neither Democrat or Republicans seem to follow it much these days.
“The United States in Congress assembled … recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States … a neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools.”- United States Congress 1782
Yes, back in 1782, Congress expected the Bible to be taught in the schools. They even created a Bible for the occasion.
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” - Patrick Henry
Enough said. It’s time for Christians to come alive and take back this country while there’s still a country to take back.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day. And, if you missed it, you’re in big trouble.
With my daughter becoming a mother, I’ve been thinking a lot about God’s blessings and miracles. It’s not just about my daughter either. 
There are two other women I know who’ve had miracles regarding children also.
One friend had trouble conceiving. It killed her whenever she heard about friends having babies and she couldn’t. It took years, but she baptized her son on Sunday.
Then there was the other woman who wanted a child but, also couldn’t conceive. She didn’t care if it was hers, as long as she had a baby in her arms. Her name was listed on an adoption registry, but she had no luck. She and her husband went into mission work, and left the United States for Indonesia. Sortly afterward, she was brought back to the United States to meet her son, who also was baptized yesterday.
Psalm 77:14 reads, You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. God is a God of miracles. All you have to 
do is look at the ocean to know He can do anything. If He can make a blind man see, He can find a way for a woman to be a mother.
The biggest problem we have with God’s miracles is they seem to take forever to occur. We want the miracle, and we want it now. But God knows when you’re ready. He knows when you’ve listened to Him and will be a faithful follower. He knows when you’re married to the wrong man and shouldn’t have a child with him.
The women I mentioned above, and my daughter, now know the patience of God’s blessing. They know the power of prayer. And they know that God’s wisdom was involved in every step. After all, if he’d let the child come sooner, things might now have worked as well as they have in any of their lives. And these children were worth the wait.
We need to look out for God’s miracles every day. They’re all around us. Not just in the faces of children, but in the buzzing of bees and humming of birds. He created these for us to enjoy. We sometimes get too busy to notice.
Take a step back and enjoy God’s creations. Ask yourself if man could ever create something as wondrous as a wave reaching the shore, or as a baby sleeping in its mother’s arms?
What type of miracles have you noticed lately? I’m sure there are simple miracles we don’t even consider. We just take them for granted. So wake us up with a few.
My granddaughter, Hope, has arrived at 7 pounds 10 ounces and 20 inches long. Both mother and daughter are doing fine.
I want to thank everyone for their prayers during Amanda’s pregnancy. I really appreciate your support.
People have been posting about so much rain, they needed to build an ark with all the rain we’ve been having in North Florida this past week. Genesis 6:17 reads, I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. While we didn’t come close to that much rainfall, questions just started popping into my mind about Noah’s story.
How bad did it have to rain for forty days for it to flood the earth? It couldn’t have just been a sprinkle. It had to have been a terrible downpour, monsoon strength to do this. I’m assuming Noah was building the ark during the storm. Imagine how hard that had to have been.
I’ve always wanted to know how God got the creatures to the ark. After all kangaroos come from a different part of the world than polar bears. Did He just make them appear or did they have to travel from their homeland?
How did He keep the lions from not eating the gazelles? A lot of animals are eaters, some are the eaten. Also, how was Noah able to keep the animals from growling, prowling, and attacking on the ark? Did God put a calming hand over the animals that made them sleep for most of the forty days? And imagine the aroma inside that enclosed space.
Why did He have Noah take cockroaches on the ark? They really have no use. I’m assuming they might have snuck on or been the handiwork of the devil.
My last question is why did the dinosaurs not show up? Did they think they had plenty of time like a lot of human seem to?
Some people think they have time to get right with God, but that’s not always the case. Just ask the passengers on a plane heading to New York on September 11, 2001 or the people in New Orleans when Katrina hit. Or even more recently, the audience members watching for their loved ones to cross the finish line in Boston a couple weeks ago.
We never know what the future holds or even if we’ll have a future. The time to get serious about a relationship with God is now, not later. Then if something tragic happens, you’ll be prepared.
If you could ask God any question about Noah and his ark, what would it be? And are you prepared for any major flood that might come your way? Maybe you’re in the middle of a disaster right now. If so, let me know. I’d be more than happy to pray for you.
And hopefully this next week will bring with it sunshine. We need to dry out, and ’ve now got a lawn to mow.
Who is the biggest liar in the world? How about in the universe? It’s not some political figure head. It’s not some crazy leader of an Asian country threatening nuclear war. It’s Satan. The devil will tell you lies to get you to turn away from God. And if you turn away, he’s won.
Satan will tell you you’re no good, you’ll never change. That’s a big one he uses on people who have done something bad in their past. He doesn’t come right out and say it. Instead he’ll put you in situations where you might sin then place people in your path to accuse and say, “I knew you couldn’t change.”
The devil speaks out of both sides of his mouth. He’ll tell you to go have sex with that nice looking man you just met. After all, you’re an adult and this isn’t the eighteenth century. After having sex with him, Satan whispers, “You’re a whore.”
He tells you it’s okay to take five dollars from petty cash to buy lunch. You’ll just pay it back on payday. While eating your meal, he chides, “You’re a thief.”
If someone molests you, it’s your fault. You shouldn’t have worn that dress. If your child gets cancer, it’s because you did something wrong.
These are all lies the devil will tell you to keep you away from God. And the devil doesn’t hide in the shadows. No, then he’d be too easy to spot. He hides in the light. 2 Corinthians 11:14 reads, And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
Satan will disguise himself as the store clerk heaving a heavy sigh when you have to search for pennies to buy milk for your family. What type of mother can’t afford something as simple as milk? He’ll be the best friend who tells you that spending money you don’t have isn’t bad. Just charge it. You can pay on it later. Too bad that friend isn’t around to help come up with the funds when the time comes. Satan will be the Christian woman who gossips about you losing your job. The devil will also be a parent who says “you can do better” when you’re proud of the job you’ve done.
The best way to fight off Satan’s words is with verses from the Bible. Read Proverbs, Psalms, and the New Testament. Put God’s words into your heart and the devil will not be able to penetrate. His whispers will fall on deaf ears.
What’s the biggest lie Satan has ever told you? Mine – I’m not loved. For years it worked, and I used alcohol and food to kill those emotions. Now I use God’s love to prove that the devil was wrong.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve heard about the tragedy in Boston and Texas last week. It was a trying time for both areas, not to mention the whole country. Our prayers are still needed for all those involved.
At the time of a tragedy, we might have an event that makes us proud or happy. Then we feel guilty for wanting to celebrate. For instance, on Monday, the night of the bombing in Boston, I spoke at our Women’s Spring Dinner for my church. It went well. I sold out of all my books. That had never happened before. However, guilt slid in when I wanted to be happy about it. After all, three people died and over a hundred were injured in Boston. After praying about it, I realized it really wasn’t guilt, but the devil trying to steal my joy.
The devil would like nothing more than to keep you in a state of sadness and despair. The more down you are, the easier it is for him to penetrate your mind and get into your soul.
Ecclesiastes 2:24 reads, A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God. God wants you to be happy when you’ve done a good job. Nothing in this verse says to celebrate only when things are going well for everyone else. If you waited until the world was happy, you’d never have any joy.
How many times has there been an earthquake that’s killed hundreds only to have the rescuers find a young child buried in the rubble alive and well two days later? That’s God bringing joy to a bad situation. He knows people, especially the rescuers, need to have that brief reprieve from the bad in order to maintain.
We should pray for all the people involved in the tragedy in Boston. Pray especially for those who worked so hard to bring the terrorists to justice. Also, pray for the families of all those firemen and the others hurt or killed in the explosion in Texas.
Everyone in both areas worked hard, I’m sure they are all in much need of rest. Pray they get it.
And if you had something special that happened but were afraid to share it because of what was going on around the country, I want you to announce it here. God gave you that reward. He must feel you earned it. And I think you deserve the accolades for it, so please let us all know what it was.
Do you serve God to please him or get admiration from others? Everything we do should be to please God, not man. How many times have you done something for someone only to brag about it? How many times have you been a blessing in secret?
Verse Mathew 6:3-4 states, But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
We aren’t to brag about our giving or when we help others. It’s fine if someone sees you do it, but you shouldn’t shout, “Hey! Look what I did.” If so, you’re not doing your action for God; you’re doing it for admiration. This doesn’t mean someone you hear about every once in a while who helps others. I mean those who constantly tell you how they’ve helped others. They usually make it more about them than the person they helped.
There are a lot of people who silently bless others. People who help without a word about what they’ve done. They are the true Christians. People who constantly brag about their exploits are not. They only want the attention they receive from their giving.
It’s easy to be kind when others are looking. It’s a lot harder when no one’s around to see it happen. You should be happy with the accolades you receive from God instead of wanting the pats on your back from man. If God’s praise is not enough, then you’re doing your work for man and yourself.
Boasting takes away your deed. And if you do it too much, others wonder what your real reason for giving is. You tend to look like you want applause or to be the center of attention.
Do you know how many people out there give large sums of money to help others but are never recognized because they don’t announce it in the paper? I don’t either because they don’t let others know. Giving for them is not about praise. It’s about doing what is right in their heart.
Your generosity should come from your heart, not to draw attention to yourself. If God wants others to know about it, He’ll let it come out. And the more you brag about what you’ve done, the more others will see your true intentions.
So do as God asks and give with an open heart and a closed mouth.
Do you consider yourself a good Christian? Would you like your children, spouse, sister, brother, or other people close to you to believe in Jesus? The best way to convince others to believe in your God is to act like you believe also.
Kids are good at spotting the hypocrites in a crowd. They can tell whether you actually believe what you say. How? By the way you act. How many of us have ever heard someone tell their children to never smoke a cigarette while puffing away on one themselves? Most of those children will end up smoking, or at least giving it a try, later in life.
Luke 6:45 reads, A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Eventually what is in your heart will come forth in your actions. And kids are good imitators of our actions and our words. I recall a time when my daughter, then five years old, was helping us carry in the groceries from the car. She dropped a bag of dog food and said three curse words in a row. I recognized my voice immediately. These were the same three words I used to use when I became frustrated.
Fathers, if you want your daughters to marry a man who treats his wife with respect, then show her what that looks like. Girls have a tendency to want a man like dear old dad. Would you want your child to marry someone like you?
Mothers, do you want your sons to show respect to other women? Then make them show you respect. Don’t allow them to get away with treating you bad. Also, don’t let other men treat you with disrespect. Did you know that boys who grow up seeing their mothers abused often times grow up to be abusers themselves? And their daughters usually grow up to be in abusive relationships.
Wives, do you think nagging your husband will get him into church? No, but prayer and acting like a Christian wife might. Show him the change in you is for the good, then maybe he’ll want that change also.
Our job is to lead others to become Christians. And the best way is to show people we are around what a Christian adult looks and acts like.
After all, your action speaks louder than words.
This week I am so pleased to have special guest Dianna Benson who has signed a 9 (yes 9) book deal. Just read her bio to see her other accolades.
It It Worth It?
This is a question I often ask my son. He’s a hockey goalie for the Jr. Hurricanes; the OHL and USHL are interested in drafting him before he moves on to play college hockey. After two concussions, a separated shoulder, and a list of other injuries, as his mom I can’t help asking him that question. Unfortunately, he turns it back on me:
1) “Mom, you were a college athlete; you get the need to play your sport.”
2) “Is your EMS career worth it?”
3) “Is your writing career worth it?”
Wow. Hmm. Yes, absolutely, my EMS career is worth worsening my back injury, it’s worth risking my life and health. After all, I’m helping others, and I have the need for that adrenaline rush (like law enforcers, firefighters and other EMTs). And…yes, absolutely, my writing career is worth it, no matter what. As with any career, there are good things and bad things. I try to focus on the positives and ignore the negatives, but it isn’t always easy. Sometimes it’s beyond difficult. If you’re a writer, you get it.
I’ve decided to view my writing career as this: Authors often experience such amazing highs and such ultra lows (example: an incredibly complimentary review and endless weeks where the writing just isn’t flowing). But if I keep grounded and remember my love of writing—my love to write fascinating characters in an enthralling story—then things work themselves out; I just need to be patient. I believe things always work out for the best, even if we can’t see it or understand it at that moment…or ever. My job as a writer isn’t life or death. Like athletes, musicians, actors, etc., I’m not curing cancer; I’m just an entertainer, nothing more. It’s about perspective and knowing I’m walking the career trail God wants me to live my life on, and that’s what is important. Everyone is different and I found my way, my path. Yes, it’s often rocky and steep, but that’s the point. The bad things in life make the good things even better. If life was easy, we’d be bored plus we wouldn’t grow our souls into what God has planned for them after our bodies die. So, I try to think of the rough stuff as a welcome gift from God. He has a plan and I trust that.
May God bless you with a life filled with joys and trials!
Dianna
Dianna T. Benson is a 2011 Genesis Winner, a 2011 Genesis double Semi-Finalist, a 2010 Daphne de Maurier Finalist, and a 2007 Golden Palm Finalist. In 2012, she signed a nine-book contract with Ellechor Publishing House. Her first book, The Hidden Son, released in print world-wide March 1, 2013.
After majoring in communications and a ten-year career as a travel agent, Dianna left the travel industry to earn her EMS degree. An EMT and a Haz-Mat and FEMA Operative since 2005, she loves the adrenaline rush of responding to medical emergencies and helping people in need. Her suspense novels about adventurous characters thrown into tremendous circumstances provide readers with a similar kind of rush.
Dianna lives in North Carolina with her husband and their three athletic children.
Website: http://www.diannatbenson.com
The Hidden Son
When U.S. DEA Special Agent Lelisa Desmond refuses to follow an order to bury evidence in a high profile case, her superior hires a hit man to kill her deep in the ocean off Grand Cayman Island. Lelisa survives the first attempt on her life, but someone close to her is mistakenly murdered in her place.
With no one to trust, Lelisa enlists Inspector Alec Dyer for help but learns she’s his number one suspect in the scuba diving homicide. She sets off on a daring mission to bring down the man who ordered her execution. A man in a high position, with powerful friends. A man who will stop at nothing to silence her forever in order to hide his son’s crimes.
