Author Archives: presson1

About presson1

Hi! My name is Amy. I am a wife, a mother of two (three, if you count our dog, Max), a dental hygienist, and a writer. Photography is my hobby. I love God, my family and living in the South!

Five Seconds After You Die

This post has a link to the sermon preached at my church, Willowbrook, this past Sunday by Dr. Mark McClelland.  Please grab a cup of coffee and take a listen! Only God the Father knows the time of Jesus’ return, but it is certain in that moment there will no longer be time to make a decision to follow Christ. 

“It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown.  For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever.  And we who are living will also be transformed.”   (1 Corinthians 15:55)

Heaven is for real but so is Hell. Eternity for each of us is spent in one place or the other. A point made in this sermon is that God does not choose to send people to Hell. He sacrificed His own Son to save us from this fate so that our sins would be forgiven.  But some people refuse to choose Jesus. Profound.

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some would understand slowness.  Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  ( 2 Peter 3:9)

Old and New Testament prophecy are continually unfolding all around us. Unless we are searching scripture and spending time in God’s word, we are not aware of the signs of the times.  It seems that Satan has lulled us instead into a study of social media, self-centered pursuits, and the embittered rise and fall of events in the next news cycle. Satan has weakened us, divided us, isolated us.

Please clear your mind and allow God to speak to your heart as you hear these words.  Where will you be five seconds after you die?  Where will you spend eternity? If you have not already done so, I am praying you choose Jesus.  To God be the Glory!

http://subspla.sh/y3bg6wk

 

 

What REALLY Matters?

Today is Sunday and twice from different sermons this same verse from the Bible was referenced. Felt like it needed to be shared one more time!

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.  Aways be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.  For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”  (1 Peter 3:15-17)  (Emphasis mine)

Joy is becoming more and more elusive for those who place their hope in this world. Fyodor Dostoevsky said this, “To live without hope is to cease to live.” Therefore, discontent, anger, and violence abound around us.  

Is your hope in Christ evident in your circle of influence? Are your words spoken with gentleness and respect and in clear conscience to everyone? Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things that are an abomination to the Lord. (That means He more than hates it!) Number seven is “one who sows discord among brothers.” 

That would be an easy trap to fall into today in our divided society and country.  What REALLY matters though? Arguing someone over to your side for the win or honoring Christ as Lord by sharing your beliefs about Him with others. That’s the conversation we should be having. Hope in Jesus should be our topic of conversation every chance we get.

So uncover your hope if it has become buried by spending some face to face time with Jesus and in His Word. Ditch the distractions of the Facebook post sucking you into the abyss.  Check your conversations and see if gentleness and respect prevail. And when the light of the hope in you catches someone’s eye, be prepared to give them a reason.  God will give you the words.  No worries!  To God Be the Glory!

 

 

 

An Adrian Rogers Sermon And A Song

Today I listened to this sermon on YouTube and felt impressed by God to share it with you. Yes, it will take a little time to listen to these words, and the message may leave you with a few bruised toes. However, time spent now may affect where you spend your time in eternity. 

Please listen and share with anyone you know who needs to hear about the saving love of Christ…love that offers you eternity in Heaven. Love, which refused, assures you an eternity in Hell. This is only truth shared and not an attempt to be melodramatic.

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.”   (Hebrews 9:37)  (Emphasis mine)

 

Now for the song!  I love this song about how very much God loves us–so much that he sacrificed what He loved most-His son, Jesus. May it bless you as it blesses me. To God Be the Glory!

Sword Fighting With Fingers

We have always lived in a world where people have opinions, but never before have I witnessed the harshness with which opinions are expressed today. Opinions seem to have become our own truths which we are intent upon coercing others to accept. Social media has become our pulpit and, with fingers flying like tiny swords, we attack those who aren’t on our side. As a result, family relationships, friendships and our testimonies in the world are damaged. Satan must be smiling. He has distracted and deceived us into being at peace with becoming an author of division. 

‘The words of the reckless piece like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”  (Prov. 12:18)

“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them,”Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”  (Matt.12:25)

But, people, especially if we are Christians, we have lost sight of WHO truth is and where we go to find it? Have we forgotten that we live to bring honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, not to win people to our way of thinking. Somewhere between taking sides between the right and the left, the conservatives and the liberals, we have forgotten that  Jesus is THE WAY.

I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  (John 14:6)

I am not sure what we are trying to accomplish when we devote valuable time and energy to defending our opinions. Do our words do more than add to the anger and fear and hate in our world?  Do our words reflect Christ and give people a place to turn when they are afraid?

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”  (Psalm 56:3)

I recently heard a pastor say these words, “Remember this. God is love and He loves you. And secondly, HE is in control.” What a relief and a blessing! Nothing surprises God.  Nothing is bigger than Him.  He has a plan and it is good. People need to know this now more that ever.

But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience  to stumble.”  (I Cor. 8:9)

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”  (Psalm 19:4)

May our meditations and our words be a testimony to what God has done for us.  People need God and the peace that He brings more than our opinions right now.  They need him so desperately.  Christians, make every effort to avoid being a stumbling block.  Your life may be the only testimony some people see.  Will they be drawn to you because of your peace in the midst of the storms of today or will they only see a reflection of this world?

Let your fingers do some walking through the pages of the Bible. Instead of composing your next Tweet or Facebook post in your head, let your mind rest on The LORD.  To God Be the Glory!

Don’t fret or worry.  Instead of worrying, pray.  Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.  Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will settle you down.  It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling and gracious–the best, not the worst; the beautiful and not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized.  Do that and God makes everything work together, will work you into his most excelling harmonies.”  (Phil. 4:6-9) MSG

 

 

 

A Tidy Resurrection Tomb

I have lived to celebrate decades of Easters in my lifetime.  Different aspects bringing new understanding of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ have some years jumped off the pages of the Bible. This Easter I was drawn to the fact that the cloth used to cover the face and head of Jesus was found “neatly folded by itself.”

“Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb.  They ran, neck and neck.  The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter.  Stooping to look, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there but he didn’t go in.  Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself.”  (John 20:3-7) MSG

This left me to wonder if Jesus had made this effort or if an angel of God took care of such things. Some research led me to find this explanation:

Why would the Son of God who had just conquered death, bother to pause and leave His tomb tidy? According to the tradition of that day, after a servant set the dinner table, he would wait, just our of sight, until the family had finished eating.  If one of them was done, they would rise, wad up the napkin and toss it onto the table–the signal to clear the setting.  However, if they got up from the table, folded their napkin and laid it beside their plate, the message was “I’m not finished yet.”  It quietly advised, “I’m coming back!”

Wow! Can I just say wow?  A confirmation from the tomb of Jesus’ return when God tells Him to go get your children and the trumpet is sounded. How exciting! Are you ready? Are you daily pursuing your relationship with Jesus?  Has God placed a lost person in your path with whom to share the gospel? Do not delay.

Easter is not simply a holiday that comes with eggs, rabbits and candy, which are quickly replaced with summer items and flags for Memorial Day in the retail market. The celebration of Easter should be endless! Christ died for our sins, He arose, and He’s coming back. Death was conquered and sin defeated. Hallelujah! To God Be the Glory!

 

 

 

Billy Graham and Ben

Our 30 year-old son Ben is autistic along with several other behavioral diagnoses.  To say he has been a challenge is an understatement.  To say that God has been faithful every step of the way is absolute truth.  Through the good and the bad, Ben has been a blessing.  Parenthood is nothing like we expected or dreamed of but isn’t that true for every parent?  We treasure every good memory and examine the not so good ones for evidence of what God wants to teach us.  The lessons have been difficult, but I wouldn’t trade the growth that each one brings for anything.

Ben resides in a group home and makes frequent visits to stay with us.  This past visit was not one of our best, but we witnessed God answer prayer when his behavior escalated beyond our being able to reason with him.  A new day brought the calm we needed in order to make the trip back to his residence.

During the trip, I was playing a portion of a Billy Graham sermon.  With curiosity, Ben leaned forward from the back seat to see who this man was preaching in black and white on my phone screen. He was spellbound. Sirius radio has a station playing Graham’s sermons non-stop.  We decided to listen to it for the remainder of the ride.

From the back seat, I could hear Ben saying, “That’s right and yep.”  I smiled and prayed the message of this great evangelist and man of God was touching Ben’s heart. At the age of nine, Ben accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He is saved, praise God! However, for years now he has strongly resisted going to church.

The anointing on the sermons of Billy Graham even after his death is evident. The reactions from Ben were proof that God is still using those sermons in a great way. Ben needed us to help him with some settings on his television before we we headed out.  Wouldn’t you know when we turned on the television Billy Graham was there preaching on the screen. Ben was so excited.  I am praying this channel provides many of those powerful messages.

What hard evidence of God’s presence, power and love in the world today as he speaks to our son through the inspired words of a man used by God to change the world for Christ. Those words still tear through sin, hardened hearts and, yes, autism. Thank you Jesus!  To God Be the Glory!

 

 

 

 

Letting Go of Dead Weight!

As Spring arrives each year, I have often pondered what makes some trees hang on to their leaves all winter long while others go through the process of shedding all the old, dead foliage. Funny how we do just the same.  For a moment, let’s imagine that the dead, lingering leaves represent sin in our lives. Perhaps the sin is unconfessed and needs to be dealt with through a prayer of forgiveness.  That’s one way to rid ourselves of the unsightly remnants.  

“As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”  (Psalm 103:12)

Satan, however, has another plan in mind.  He does not want us to see ourselves forgiven and free to enjoy the life that Jesus died on the cross for us to have.  I believe on the inside some of us are holding on to the guilt of forgiven sins, carrying around dead, crunchy weight that makes us feel ugly on the inside, not worthy of God’s love. This becomes a brick wall we build between our selves and God.  Our relationship with Him suffers.

What better time than Easter to stand toe to toe with Satan and call him out on this lie from Hell! Knock down that wall and shed what God has already forgotten and cast “as far as the east is from the west.” Allow the new green leaves of God’s mercy to burst forth in their place with beauty and life. Your Heavenly Father loves you so much that He sacrificed what was nearest and dearest to His heart, His only son, Jesus, so we could experience this kind of forgiveness.  Our sins were nailed on the cross with Him.

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.  (Isaiah 53:5)

Be whole and healed in Christ today. We serve a risen Savior!  Celebrate Easter with praise and thanksgiving! To God Be the glory!