The end of the world....

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:22-23

Doesn't it feel like the end of the world????  Earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear threates, war in the Middle East, heinous crimes, sickness, betrayal, filthy-rotten-evil SIN everywhere you look!  I sure feel like it is the end of the world.  I feel Satan fighting hard in his death throes.  He knows his time is short.

But then I wonder... is his time really short?  I mean this sure FEELS like it is the end of the world.  All the signs and wonders mentioned in Revelation seem to be all around us.  However, I can't help but think that every generation has felt the same way....

When Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed...

When the extent of Hitler's evil became known...

During the Cold War...

In all of these times I'm sure people thought, "This is it.  This is the end of the world."  Looking back, I'm sure we could say, "DUH!  That was SO not the end of the world."  But I have to wonder if future generations might not look back on 2011 and say the same thing.

So what do we do???? Caught here in what very well might be the last days... yet possibly still here for the duration...

1.  PRAY!!!!  I can't help but think that the #1 TOP OF THE LIST solution is PRAYER.  Whether you're praying for comfort because you're frightened of the times we live in... or you're praying for help and healing for all those suffering in Japan, Libya, Israel, or our own homes... or you're praying for wisdom and guidance.... or you're praying for the strength to make it through these end times... or ALL OF THE ABOVE... it just doesn't matter... just PRAY!  PRAY!  PRAY!  PRAY!

Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice.  Psalm 55:17

2. Draw closer to God. Read your Bible. Listen to worship music. Go to church. Join a small group. and PRAY!  Do anything and everything to draw near to God.  Don't waste your time watching the news.  Don't fret over the radiation levels in Japan. Don't dwell on the bombs dropping in Libya. Be aware of what's going on but don't DWELL on it.  DWELL on things of God.

Come near to God and He will come near to you.... James 4:8a


3.  Be ready.  In spite of all I said here... whether it's today or some tomorrow in the future... you need to BE READY to meet your maker!  Don't think, "See Jami even admitted this might not be it.  So I can just wait a little longer."  DON'T DO IT!  BE READY.... TODAY!  I've blogged about it before... I won't waste your time again... but I am going to cite one verse on this topic... and bump one of my FAVORITE songs to the top of my playlist... just BE READY.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.  2 Corinthians 5:10

Because whether today or tomorrow... He IS coming back to take His own.  I, for one, CAN'T WAIT!  Dancing on streets of gold... Praising at the feet of JESUS HIMSELF... no more sickness... no more pain... no more tears... reunions with those who've gone before... bodies made whole... OHMIGOSH!  I'm getting gooseflesh just typing about it!  HOME!  I can't wait to go HOME!  

Hang on everyone!  This COULD be the end of it all.... or it could be just another event in world history that we all thought was IT.  Doesn't really matter which it is... our response should be the same:  pray, draw near to God and BE READY!

Have a GREAT day!

Funny what we take for granted.....

I have been suffering through an AWFUL back episode this week. The other day when I awoke, just wiggling my leg brought tears to my eyes. This morning as I tried to tie my shoe, I thought, "Funny what we take for granted." Normal days I just bend at the waist and tie my shoe completely taking for granted the fact that my back just allowed me to bend in that manner. You know how I am. I let my mind wander, and I wondered. What else do I take for granted?

Last night as I drove home from Franklin I turned on K-Love. I didn't catch the whole story, but they were talking about some woman. She had a degenerative back condition which required surgery, she had lupus and one other illness I can't remember. I thought CRUD! She has a lot on her plate medically. This morning I woke up and besides this terrible back ache, I was healthy. "Funny what we take for granted."

A few weeks ago I read the story about a man from our church, Jason Mentink. He was just 25 years old. At the end of January he died playing a game of basketball. He left a young widow and two little girls. Last night I went to bed beside my husband, and this morning I kissed him goodbye as he left for work. "Funny what we take for granted."

Last year my sister attended back-to-back funerals for two victims of childhood cancer. Those Mommas watched their children battle cancer and lose. Then they had to put their babies' bodies in coffins and bury them in the ground, no longer squeezing their arms around their precious children and now left only with the hope of squeezing them in eternity. As I type this I can hear the pounding of my children's feet as they run down the basement stairs. Yesterday I followed them around my parents' house trying to keep them from destroying stuff. Today I will fight with them to get their chores done with a good attitude. "Funny what we take for granted."

In January, 48 Laotian Christians were forced from their homes at gunpoint. Some had belongings confiscated. Some had their homes destroyed. When they refused to renounce Christ, they were forced to leave their village. I blabber on and on at this website about my God, my faith, my beliefs... I freely go to church and worship WHENEVER I want. I openly teach my children to love Jesus. "Funny what we take for granted."

The earthquake in Haiti toppled thousands of homes, leaving so many without a roof over their head..... No shelter from the elements... No place to put their things.... No safety and security from criminals... Today I will mutter about cleaning up my house. I may get a little chilly and stroll over to the thermostat and punch it up a few degrees. I might get hungry and walk over and open my refrigerator to find something to eat. I will likely lie down next to Hannah after lunch and sneak in a little nap in my warm cozy bed. "Funny what we take for granted."

What are you taking for granted today? When you bend down to tie your shoe, thank God that you can. If you are not dead, thank God you are still alive. Even if you're ailing, thank God it isn't worse. Whether your husband is bringing you roses or leaving his dirty laundry on the floor, thank God you have him. When you catch your children just after they've colored on the wall, thank God they are healthy enough to do that. If you love Jesus and plan to go to church this Sunday to worship Him, thank God you can do so without fear of retaliation. If you have a roof over your head and food in your refrigerator, thank God for those provisions. And if you have NONE of these things, thank Jesus that He died to save you from your sins. You at least have that!

God bless and have a GREAT Saturday!

People get ready....

[Just as an aside: Satan did NOT want me to post this blog this morning. The second it started forming in my brain: Hannah woke up early, the cat tried to attack our breakfast, got locked out of my office, the cat messed up my Internet settings by walking over my keyboard, the cat clawed me trying to get away from Hannah, Hannah stepped on the power cord switch shutting off my computer, Internet went down... PHEW! This must be a good one, and someone MUST need to hear it. So get ready!]

People get ready
Jesus is coming soon we'll be going home
People get ready
Jesus is coming to take from this world His own.

My children are so "other-worldly" minded it sometimes scares me. Whenever we see a triangle-shaped object, Noah will say, "Look mom! Father, Son, Holy Spirit!" When we see anything in the shape of a cross, they will shout, "A cross! Just like Jesus died on!" And when we see the sunlight streaming through a break in the dark, cloudy sky, they will say, "Hey mom, doesn't it look like Jesus is coming back?" That's what I want to say to all of you today. "Hey blog readers, doesn't it look like Jesus is coming back?"

Lord I'm ready now.
I'm waiting for your triumphant return. (You're coming so soon.)
This world has nothing for me,
I find my peace and joy solely in You. (Only in you.)

I awoke this morning and found the news of a second earthquake hitting the already devastated island of Haiti. Last night I read about an earthquake hitting the Cayman Islands. For the second time in just a week, I had this weird sense of, "This is the book of Revelation occurring in front of my eyes." Now please do not get me wrong, I am NOT a doomsdayer or rapture junkie. I did not lose my mind during Y2K, and I have no trepidation about 2012. However, I wonder does anyone else see an eerie resemblance to book of Revelation here? It's not just the abundance of earthquakes right now... it's the evil all around me that calls my mind to the final book of the Bible. Yet these earthquakes really get me thinking.... "He's coming soon!"

There's a day that comes
When we will be divided right and left.
(For those who know Him and those that do not know.)
And those who know Him well, will meet Him in the air.
Hallelujah! (God is within us.)
And those that do not know, they will hear, "Depart. I knew you not."
For my friends you see,
There will be a day when we'll be counted.
So know Him well, know Him well.


Are you ready? That's what I want this blog to lead you to today. Are you ready? Getting ready is SO simple. A child can do it. In fact, all of my children have done it. Really just a few things to do:

1. Realize that you are a sinner deserving of nothing but death. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) How far back in your personal history do you have to go to admit this is true? You are a sinner. Me, I don't have to go very far at all. Just a short little jaunt back to that above-mentioned list of roadblocks Satan put in my way this morning, and WOOPS! Halt right there! Jami sinned. She lost her temper and was NOT godly in meeting those challenges. I don't know exactly how far you have to go, but I do know this: you have sinned. At some point in your life whether you are fifteen or fifty years old, you have sinned. Just like the Bible says, ALL have sinned... I also know that the punishment for sin is death. For the wages of sin is death... (Romans 6:23a).

2. Next you have to see that Christ made a way for you. See God knew the punishment for sin was death, but when sin entered the world, He saw that He could not STAND the thought of eternity without His precious, beloved children. So He made a way for us. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) When Christ died on the cross, He died for your sins to pay the price required for sin so that you could be forgiven and so you could spend eternity in Heaven.

3. You have to ACCEPT the gift! It's yours already. It's sitting there on your shelf, in your dresser, in that corner of your closet. It's like the treadmill in your basement that can help you drop those unwanted pounds or the Ab Rocker you have that can give you a 6-pack. You possess this gift, but you have to take the next step with the gift and ACCEPT it. That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

People get ready,
Jesus is coming soon we'll be going home.
People get ready,
Jesus is coming to take from the world His own.

If your one of His already, rejoice along with me! Soon & very soon we are going to see the King! If you are not, STOP right this second. Don't waste one more breath. Get ready! He's coming whether you're ready or not. So why not just BE READY!

Love to all of you! Praying for your hurts and pain. Praying for the devastation in Haiti. But most of all PRAYING that these things get your attention and help you GET READY! Because He IS coming SOON!