Are you seriously "for real"?

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15 NKJV

As time marches on and this old world continues to turn on it's axis, surely as it is written in Matthew 24:24...For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

It's happening all around me. There is just enough Jesus sprinkled on so many people's faith to give it the flavor of truth mentioned in the Bible, but at the same time leaving the doorway open for negotiation when those uncomfortable with the "truth" are called to task in putting legs on their faith. Walking with Jesus is not about unicorns and rainbows in a world of utopia where all things turn out to have a nice and sweet little ending. The truth is about a Holy God, our creator, desiring worship from His children in spite of our nasty selves so much so that He made a way for us through the blood of Jesus Christ!

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

That being said and true, this means that we have to come to the realization that we have nothing within our own strength to save ourself. There is absolutely nothing we can do and therefore we are weak and powerless in our own skin. We must have the power of the Holy Spirit to come in and provide what we need to be saved. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is making that provision for ALL who believe on the name of Jesus and profess Him as Lord and Savior!!!

Hebrew 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever~

I visited Multnomah Falls in Portland, OR on Sunday afternoon and this picture was just one of many taken. This natural beauty is so majestic you cannot restrain from just wanting to take picture after picture in hopes of capturing that perfect angle of the falls thundering down. The soothing sound of water falling continuously with no end suddenly reminded me of God's unending love for each of His children. His love is never changing...Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

And...the neat thing about God...as you take the journey with Jesus, you never know what the path will look like. As I was making my way to Multnomah Falls I took a wrong turn with the use of my GPS...go figure...



Anyway, I turned around when I realized I was headed in the wrong direction. Sometimes when we make wrong turns things might not always look this amazing, but they certainly can once we turn around and give all the broken peices of our lives to Him. Which reminds me of one of my favorite Bible verses...Romans 8:28

All we have is today~

These words have never rang more true to me than this week while I have been vacationing with my family in Key West. Monday afternoon, Memorial Day, we received news that my dear friend and his wife, Bill and Peggy Stephenson, were murdered in their Florence, KY home. I met Bill a few years ago at the KBC Evangelism Conference in Bowling Green, KY. He and I became friends over the last few years and he literally invested his time, prayers, and life into my personal journey with Jesus. In fact, Bill had just called me on May 6th to check in with me and find out how things were going with me and Greg. I still have his voicemail and can't help but giggle out loud when I listen to his message. Bill was certainly a character and such a joy and blessing to talk with. I have often counted it such a blessing for me to have someone that I can call when I am struggling and just need an ear to listen and then give me that nudge of encouragement. Oh how I will miss this from Bill.

I pray that God is glorified in every way possible through this horrible tragedy. I know Satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy, but greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. That's what Bill would tell me.

Lord, please help the authorities find the killer and bring justice in this case. Comfort the family as only you can. Help me remember that all we have is today. I don't want to live in fear because of that, but to live in action because tomorrow may be too late for someone.

The Narrow Path

Walking the straight and narrow is NOT required for that would be law (works based salvation), but...once the eyes of your heart are opened... your life starts to take on this desire to follow the narrow path because its just right and your heart knows it:)

Matthew 7:14
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Are you one of the few that has found the way or are you still searching?

Wait......Return to Holiness

Our family is in a time of transition right now and so many decisions have to be made. Do we buy a house, build a house, or move in my mother-in-law's house? Add to this, I like to rush God for an answer in the process. Sometimes, I tend to over analyze things and find myself in a state of turmoil where decision making is concerned. I become grouchy with everyone around me if I'm not careful because I don't know what to do and then I can't think rationally enough to make decisions. Does anyone else battle with this? I'm certain there is someone out there that can identify with my situation... Here's the real deal breaker...God has already spoke to my heart about waiting upon Him and don't rush. Then what do I do? I rush and try to avoid the wait (smile). Finally, I arrived at a place of peace to wait upon the Lord and in the meantime (which I learned today is God-time) "Return to Holiness".

Do not despair...God is at work in me and speaking. He provides what we need when we need it if we will just seek Him to find it. He will do the same for you to my friends! I have a friend that called me about a month ago to tell me about a little book she found as she was doing some deep cleaning and moving furniture around. The book she found is called "Return to Holiness" by Dr. Gregory R. Frizzell. My friend was so excited about what God was speaking to her through this little book full of scriptural treasures! Soooo, I became curious with excitement too and visited the internet for my own search for the book. I found a website and saved it to my favorites, but for whatever reason did not place an order at the time for a book. I kept thinking I would download a copy to my iPad, but didn't. As God reminded me of this book again last week, I called my friend and just asked her if she happened to have an extra copy that I could get from her. She called a few days later after searching and did find one last copy that I could have. Oh my goodness...is this ever a great book! This is NOT just any book. This book is one of those quiet time treasures full of wisdom and truth that truly ushers you right to the heart of God. We must be cleansed and made holy through Jesus Christ! This book "Returning to Holiness" is further designed as a biblical strategy for overcoming church wide sin problems. Our churches can never go where we do not lead by personal example and experience. It is vital to understand that Jesus didn't die just to take you to heaven, but to indwell and empower you here on earth! So as I dove into this book and began preparing for the journey to be cleansed and made Holy...it starts with a must do first...be certain of your own salvation! I read on to find 3 scriptures with enormous relevance: (1) On the day of judgment Matthew 7:23 states that many who think they are saved will discover they do not know God; (2) According to John 17:3, true salvation consists of knowing Christ in a life-changing personal relationship; (3) People who are genuinely saved have a strong supernatural assurance of their salvation (Romans 8:16)

Reading on...I came across several questions for reflection. I found the following question to be so specific to me, "Would you be willing to live with less in order to embrace more God-centered patterns for your money?" As I read this question I have to admit it felt like God whopped me upside the head with something to interrupt my house hunting efforts. At once, I knew that a "wait" is in order. The wait isn't easy in the flesh, but knowing God has a plan that is perfect gives me strength to hold on and somehow waiting while seeking a place of Holiness is a place of contentment where priorities seem to take a supernatural shift.

Is God calling you to wait on something...as you seek Him and "Return to Holiness"?

The bitter sweet of this world~

We had an amazing day at Liberty Baptist Church on Sunday, March 13th! It's official!!! Greg Estes is the pastor of LBC and our family is so very excited about what God has in store. We were blessed with an amazing time of worship through song with Karen Peck and New River Sunday evening and boy was it gooooood! Love the sweet spirit of this group! Soooo, needless to say, this day will mark the kick-off for the Estes family and LBC as we embrace the call God has placed upon our lives to serve the families in this church and those in the community looking for a church home.



While we are rejoicing in the blessings of God, a half a world away there is a massive region of Japan suffering the destructive effects of a record breaking earthquake and tsunami. My heart becomes heavy with burden as I continually follow updates of the devestation and view overwhelming sights from the pictures being shared on national television and the internet. I feel so helpless in anything I would personally have to offer these people so far away, although very near in my heart. As I pause for a moment in search of what I can do, there is only one answer that comes to my mind...PRAY!

Also, the theme verse of this blog came rushing into my mind. Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

~My One and Only You, God~

You breathe the air of life into me when the world is smothering my very existence.

You comfort me from the hurt inflicted by the overwhelming evil that lurks.

You nourish my starving soul from weakness.

You lead the way out of turmoil into peace.

You reveal beauty that was created for my eyes only.

You show me how to grieve with a smile.

You restore laughter and strength in times that seem hopeless.

And you, God, forgive me over and over from the pits of sin.

So it's you, God, I will live to serve all the days of my life.

By: Kelli Estes (July 5, 2005)