I Am a Friend of Jesus Christ

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15 NIV

As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.

Today I am pondering what it means to be a friend.

Friends want to be known and accepted for who they really are.

Friends want to spend time together.

Friends are there for each others when times get hard and to share a laugh when times are good.

Friends are loyal to each other.

Jesus is my friend and I am His...or am I?

I'm afraid that I am often found guilty of being unfaithful to that friendship, but He is always faithful. What an awesome privilege to call him friend.

I Am God's Child

But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, [even] to them that believe on his name. John 1:12 ASV

I am God's child.

As I begin the journey to rediscover my identity in Christ, I can't help but think how easy it is to be a little flippant when we utter those words - I am God's child.

I mean, perhaps it should at least give us pause to think about how wonderous it is to be a child of the Creator of the universe, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.

He is my Father and I am His child. He loves me with an everlasting and unconditional love that will endure until the end of time.

I have access to Him 24/7. Not only can I go to Him with the desires of my heart, He wants me to depend on Him for everything...just as my daughter depends on me to take care of her.

The storms are raging in my life right now. Those close to me know that the future looks uncertain. I do not have all the answers. In fact, I'm not sure that I know all the questions.

But I am God's child and I know that He will take care of me.

For today, that is enough.

Who I Am In Christ

Years ago, Mike and I discovered Neil Anderson's book Victory Over the Darkness. This is such a powerful book that discusses how Christians can find freedom from bondage through knowing their identity in Christ.

Bondage is such an insidious thing. It rarely attacks all at once, but rather beckons...entices...little by little, until a person has relinquished control and their freedom is stolen.

The world has other names for the condition, such as addiction, or even disease, but it is bondage. There are many things that people use to help them handle the stresses of life and to attempt to escape; cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, food, sex, even Internet "relationships."

The first step to find freedom is to realized (or remember) who we really are, because of who God is. Anderson compiled a list of Bible verses that affirm who we are in Christ. It is a great resource to read out loud daily in the process to renew our minds.

In the next few days and weeks, I will be featuring each of these verses. If you can't wait and want to see the whole list in it's entirety, click here.

If you would like to join me in the journey to rediscover who we really are and take back any area of our lives that the enemy has stolen, I hope that you will take a few minutes to leave some comments so that we can encourage each other.

Lord, You're Holy

I love this song. It's one of my all-time favorites.

What makes this video even more special is that the woman who is signing the song has Down's Syndrome. Watching her sign and praise the Lord had me in tears.

What's for Dinner?

This is a new recipe that I tried tonight. It came out pretty good.

Baked Chicken & Potatoes

2 - 3 lb. boneless chicken
3 large russet potatoes, cut in large chunks
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
2 tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. basil
2 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp. vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken and potatoes in pan. Sprinkle tomatoes, parsley, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper over the chicken and potatoes. Lastly, sprinkle with the oil and grated cheese. Bake for 1–1 ½ hours or until chicken is done.

My CVS Deals

I just LOVE a bargain! Today's deals came from CVS. Here is what I got:

4 boxes Kellogg cereal - sale price 4/$10 minus two $1 off 2 boxes coupons = $8, plus I got back $5 Extra Care Bucks (final price $3.00)

2 bottles Pantene shampoo - sale price 2/$6.97 minus $3.00/2 coupon = $3.97, plus I got back $2 Extra Care Bucks (final price $1.97)

This sale ends Saturday and the coupons I used came from the Sunday paper.

Have you found any good sales lately?

Free Samples

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• One pouch of Pledge® Multi Surface Wipes

Click below to get a sample of Dunkin Donuts coffee.