Children

Water Into Wine

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

John 2 New Living Translation (NLT)

2 The next day[a] there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 

6 Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons.[b] 7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.

9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”

11 This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

As our son was sitting with me this morning, singing his favorite song: “water you turned into wine….opened the eyes of the blind…there’s no one like you….none like you…..”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkljgA5SQc8

he abruptly turned and asked “why did He turn water into wine?” We then had a nice little chat about Jesus’ miracle at the wedding celebration in Cana. The hosts had run out of wine, which could have been a HUGE embarrassment, because the guests expected, as was custom, to be entertained and fed during the week-long festivities! When I asked our 6 year old  “why do you think they needed more wine?” he replied, matter of factly “they wanted something to drink.”

Yep. It was a party. They wanted wine people! (no, it wasn’t grape juice – it was alcohol. And as any college freshman would know, it’s not a real party without a little alcohol, is it?!).

Now, running out of wine would not have meant the end of the world, but it was important to the hosts, the bride and groom- and the guests, so it was important to Jesus.

Sometimes I fail to recognize that God uses social events & small acts of kindness to advance His Kingdom. When people come together as a group, there is opportunity to build relationships & share the gospel (this is why small groups are SO vital for the church). Now, I’m not saying we should throw a keg party for the neighborhood and try to win people over for Jesus, but we do need to be willing to hang out with sinners and fill their needs (whether physical or spiritual), just as Jesus did.

If we are willing, God can use us to change a person’s life with just a small act:

-Invite some families over for a cookout

-Give someone a gift card

-Take a meal to a new mom and dad

-Repair a leaking pipe for a friend

-Take a homemade goodie to your local firemen/women

-Chop firewood for someone to heat his or her home

-Attend a baby shower for a single mom

-Listen to a friend share about their crummy day

-Bake a loaf of bread for a new neighbor

-Babysit kids for a husband and wife to go on a date

-Fix an electrical issue for a friend

These simple things are just a few ways we can show love to others…..and you never know, what we do for them may just be the miracle they’ve been asking God for!

 

 

(Please note: I am not advocating drunkenness in this post-I was just trying to make a point! I believe what scripture says about drinking in excess: Ephesians 5:18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit…)

The Bread of Life

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

John 6:35

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

During my junior year at Methodist College (it has since become Methodist University) I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to go on a singing tour of France with my college chorus. We visited the Eiffel Tower and The Louvre, but my most memorable experience was the 7-course dinner we had with the town leaders of our sister city, St. Avold. Thirty plus members and I joined at least that many more guests in a gorgeous banquet hall for a fabulous French feast. Each course was perfectly plated, made with only the freshest ingredients and paired with, of course, an exquisite glass of French wine. Never before, or since, have I consumed such a life giving meal. Although our hosts spoke very little English and only a few of our students could understand conversational French, we found common ground through our palates and our voices as we began singing some of the worlds most beloved choral arrangements together. After 3-4 hours of eating, drinking, singing and laughing our bellies were full- and so were our hearts.

These days, when our family is swayed by one of those pesky cows to “eat more chicken,” our feast only lasts a measly 3-4 minutes! Never once have I gotten up from the table or out of the car with a full belly -and heart. In fact, an hour or so after the quick service food has broken down into nothingness I’m usually hungry again. The same phenomenon applies when I use the drive thru to pick up a little snack from God, instead of sitting down to a 7-course meal to eat and drink Him in.

When I first began following Jesus I lived off fast food experiences:

-church on Sunday

-an occasional skim through a devotional book during the week

-tune in to a Christian radio station during part of my commute home

-watch a tv evangelist once in a while

I rarely cracked open one of the many bibles that sat on my shelf, and prayer only happened when somebody else forced me. I had NO idea what Jesus meant when He said He was the bread of life. That is, until I began making the time to sit to His table, read the word, pray and worship Him for who He is. Only then did I feel full- no longer thirsty or hungry an hour later. The same discipline is still true today. When my calendar is over booked and I hit the ground running, taking only a few minutes with Him before I start my day, I usually feel the pangs of hunger rather quickly:

-a kid cops an attitude with me and I react in anger

-Doug says something that I don’t agree with and the “heated debate” is ON

-a friend or family member sends me a message and I am immediately offended by their words or emoticons

-I call my neighbor an idiot when she almost runs me over during my walk through the neighborhood

-blah, blah, blah….

However, when I take the time to engage in a 7 course meal:

-worship

-thanksgiving

-repentance

-forgiveness

-submission

-bible study

-journaling

with my Creator in the morning I always reap the nutritional benefits of the final course, just as it was served in France: wine, cheese…and fresh fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.

Childlike Faith

/ Jodie / 1 Comment

Psalm 116

1 I love the Lord because he hears my voice
 and my prayer for mercy.

2 Because he bends down to listen, 
I will pray as long as I have breath!

3 Death wrapped its ropes around me; 
the terrors of the grave [a] overtook me. 
    I saw only trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: 
    “Please, Lord, save me!”

5 How kind the Lord is! How good he is! 
    So merciful, this God of ours!

6 The Lord protects those of childlike faith; 
    I was facing death, and he saved me.

7 Let my soul be at rest again,
    for the Lord has been good to me

When I was a little girl, I had a totally radical (yes- I grew up in the 80’s) banana seat bike with an am/fm radio and built in horn. Growing up in the concrete jungle of Southern California I had the option of riding that bike on the asphalt street or on the sidewalk in our neighborhood. I jumped ramps with the boys and raced down the street from the cul-de-sac to my house over and over again, almost daily. But, one of my favorite things to do was start at the top of the hill, pedaling as hard as my feet could go until I skid around the hairpin curve at the bottom of the hill, towards the end of the sidewalk. The thrill was heightened by the fact that there was a fire hydrant in the middle of that curve. If I had miss-calculated my turning radius and veered slightly to the left, I would have crashed and burned- badly. Time and time again, my parents cringed and our neighbors would gasp as they watched me round that corner at full speed. Despite their concerns, however, I never hit it!

This morning during my walk through our neighborhood, I nervously watched our son pedal his bike as fast as his little feet could go, then stretch his legs out so he could soar down the big hill. I cringed thinking about the possibility of him crashing and burning on that asphalt. But then.…I heard a still small voice whisper “do you trust me?” Realizing that our son belongs to the Lord, and he is only on loan to me to train and teach for a little while, I let go of my handlebar of control and said “yes-go ahead” when he asked me “mom- can’t I do it again!!!???”

As I continued my stroll towards home I began to think about the years in between my banana seat bike and today. Where had my adventurous spirit gone? Why do I worry about getting hurt, or someone I love getting hurt? Why don’t I trust God all the time…all the way?

Fear.

2 Timothy 1:7

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity…..

Fear is the polar opposite of faith. It is one of the major weapons in the arsenal of the enemy that he uses to steal, kill and destroy. All it takes is a few whispers in our ear and a couple of bad things to happen to us to cause us to doubt the goodness of God and no longer trust Him to protect us.

Because, the fact of the matter is, bad things DO happen:

-Innocent bystanders are murdered at the hands of a tyrant.

-Husbands become addicted to porn

-People get laid off and can’t find another job to support their family.

-Children die after a long battle with cancer.

-Natural disasters destroy people’s homes and all their possessions.

-Wives have emotional affairs.

-People are injured in horrific accidents.

-Children are physically, emotionally and sexually abused by family members.

The list goes on and on….

The thing is, when we look at the facts, instead of looking to the truth, we attempt to figure out why these things happen on our own. When we can’t make sense of it, we begin doubting that God is good. We begin to believe that God is not in control or that He doesn’t love us. We begin to judge what we think is fair or unfair, right or wrong, just or unjust. As a result, we begin to try to control the handlebars and manipulate the circumstances around us, so that nothing else bad can happen.

So how do we eradicate the fear that is stealing, killing and destroying our lives?

1) We search the scriptures for truth.

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

2) We pray as long as we have breath, asking Him to please save us! (Lord, why did you let this bad thing happen? Where were you while it was going on? How do you want to use this for my good?)

Only then can we truly know the truth, break free from the bondage of fear and be able to let go of the pedals— and the handlebars, and enjoy the ride.

You Must Not Covet

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

Romans 7:7-25

7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”[a] 8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. 9 At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.

13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.

14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[b] I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power[c] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

To covet means to wish for something earnestly, to desire inordinately (with no reasonable limits, excessive). To want is not a bad thing, but when it creates a desperate desire in us to do whatever it takes to get what we want, then we cross the line into sin.

I’ve been known to jokingly say “I will not covet, I will not covet…” when visiting other peoples homes who have things on my dream list: a farm, a 5 bedroom house with a basement, huge kitchen, open family room, office, ministry room, screened in porch, a river/bold creek that runs through the yard, etc. etc. etc. In essence, I am trying to convince myself to not cross that line! From past experience, I know that when I see something I want (these are all wants, mind you, not needs) my mind will begin going down that road of “why can’t I have this?” If ignored, a want can quickly turn into desire, then coveting. Left unchecked, coveting will breed an ungrateful heart towards God because I am convinced (by the enemy) that He is failing to give me what I think I need.

Coveting, however is not just exclusive to material things. It can also greatly affect our relationships. Usually, it begins with a subtle thought:

“I wish my husband did all the chores around the house like her husband does.”

“I wish our kids behaved like the Duggars- they’re perfect!”

“I wish our family could be involved in every homeschool co-op and field trip like that family (meaning= I wish we had more $ so we could do everything I want)”

“I wish our church had more music during the worship service, or kids activities, outreaches, healing services, bible studies— fill in the blank, like so and so’s church.”

“I wish our ministry made as much money as that persons so we could do it full time.”

“WAAAA, WAAAA, WAAAAAA!”

1 Timothy 6:6-8

6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

Having lived through a season of unemployment with a family of 6 to sustain, I now understand the truth of this verse. All of the wants on my dream list paled in comparison to our needs for that year. Amazingly, God not only provided those (food and clothing)- He also supplied our wants for a home, electricity, water, sewer, gas, homeschool books, phones AND Netflix! Still, Gods miraculous provision during our time in the wilderness unfortunately didn’t make me immune to coveting. Hence, the reason why He highlighted these verses to me this morning. After a night of grumbling and complaining about some of the above mentioned, His word lovingly convicted me of my sin, re-focused my heart towards Him, and brought me back over to His side of the line where I belong.

Luke 12:24

24 Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!

Thank you, Father for loving me and valuing me above all of your creation.

Thank you for giving me a husband who is a man after your own heart.

Thank you for giving me 4 precious children who desire to know you.

Thank you for equipping me to train and teach our children at home- and giving us the opportunity to go on several field trips each year.

Thank you for giving us a home, cars, furniture, electronics, kitchen gadgets…

Thank you for giving us a church family who loves, encourages and rebukes us, when needed.

Thank you for allowing us to share our life story with other married couples- and witness your amazing love radically transform the broken lives of your children.

You are a good God.

You are Jehovah- Jireh.

You are all that I need.

A Great Mystery

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

Genesis 2:24 New King James Version (NKJV)

 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Ephesians 5:31-33 New Living Translation (NLT)

 31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”[a] 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

ONE Flesh.

It is indeed a great mystery! After being married for more than 17 years, I am still looking for clues to unlock it. Here are just a few of the ones I’ve uncovered in my search through the scriptures:

Clue #1: The order of creation

Man was created on the 6th day by God, for God. He was designed to be in constant relationship with his Creator. Still, it wasn’t good for man to be alone, so God made him a helper suitable for him; woman. Woman was also designed to be in constant relationship with her Creator, and to, well …. help her husband care for all that God had created! By the order of creation, man was crafted to be the leader of the marriage- and the family, and his wife was to support him in his endeavors. Our order is the same today: God, spouse, children…then everyone else.

Clue #2: Leave & Cleave

When a man leaves his father and mothers home he is establishing a new family in which he (as stated in clue #1) is designed to lead. He is no longer under his mother and fathers authority. He is no longer commanded to obey them- but to honor them. A woman, however, moves her submission from her parents, to her husband. She too is no longer commanded to obey her parents- but to honor them.

If the husband fails to “cut the apron strings” from his parents and lovingly lead his wife, she will not respect him, and oneness will be impossible. Likewise, if a woman doesn’t respect her husband by no longer running and crying to her mama and daddy every time there’s an “issue,” her husband will not feel inclined to sacrificially love her.

Clue #3: No Shame

Genesis 2:25 New Living Translation (NLT)

25 Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

Since no one is without sin, no one is immune to the devastation that shame brings to a relationship. When a man and woman marry, they bring all their hidden sins with them. Left ignored, the shame that will fester over them like a tough scab will steal the couples physical, emotional and spiritual intimacy. Fear of rejection, humiliation, judgement, blame, etc. slowly destroys and kills the bond between them. When past and present sins are exposed to the light of God, He removes the scab of shame and heals the wound completely. Only when a husband and wife are both willing to be treated by the Great Physician can the relationship be restored and the 2 become 1.

I have to be honest…..these 3 clues have been some of the most difficult for me to apply to my life. But when the Holy Spirit uncovered these truths and I finally chose to submit to Him, my life- and my marriage began to be restored and redeemed. And let me tell you, once you are able, through the Lord’s help to solve a piece of the mystery and become ONE with your spouse, you never, ever, ever want to live any other way.

Becoming ONE Flesh with my man has without a doubt been the greatest expression of worship in my life to date.

 

‘I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.  A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands on it. Now the skillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic.  He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order.  It is a mistake to think that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent.  Depend upon it – there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before.  It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.’ 

Sherlock Holmes

-A Study in Scarlet

Exposed

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

John 3:16-21 New Living Translation (NLT)

16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.[a]”

This morning, as I was complaining (out loud) about an “issue” in the house, my husband gently deflated my rising frustration by whispering, “there’s probably a lesson, or blog somewhere in this….”

I quickly responded, “NO- I don’t think so! (silence) “yeah….you’re probably right.”

About a week ago, my keen sense of smell alerted me to something amiss in the house. As I went from room to room, sniffing like a bloodhound, I discovered the location of the stench: our son’s bedroom. As I got down on all 4’s for a closer inspection, I quickly deciphered the odor on the rug: non-human pee.

How had I not seen it before?

How had I not felt it before?

How had I not smelled it before?

It was hidden in plain sight.

I was completely unaware of its existence.

I grabbed the spray bottle of vinegar and a rag and began grumbling and scrubbing it out with a bit of elbow grease.

A few days later, after the hot August sun had been shining through the windows, the light and heat re-ignited the odor. Upon closer inspection (this time I flipped the rug over) I realized that there was not 1, but 2 large pee stains on the rug! The kids and I then drug the 8×8 carpet outside to be steamed cleaned with a deodorizer. We left it on the driveway to dry overnight to ensure that the odor- and stain were completely eradicated.

This morning, to my horror, when I walked back into our son’s room, it still smelled like pee. The urine had seeped all the way through the rug and into the hardwood floors!!!

(it was in this moment when my husband intervened…..and offered me the opportunity for another life lesson)

What in the world could I learn from a pee stained rug?

Plenty.

You see, the enemy uses the same hidden in plain sight tactic with us. When we sin, he is allowed a foothold and his presence stains and stinks up our lives. Even though we may be completely unaware of their existence, those sins can seep down deep into our soul, affecting not only our life, but also those around us.

In order to expose the darkness in our heart, we must:

a)    be in constant relationship with the Lord and regularly ask Him to reveal areas of sin in our lives (often times a stench is a good indicator of a problem!)

b)   have godly friends (I’m not talking about those “friends” that we have superficial “it’s all good” conversations with…I’m talking about iron sharpens iron friends) that will rebuke us, in love, by helping to flip over the rug to reveal the stain underneath.

After those areas are exposed to the light, we can either:

a)    choose to fix them ourselves (like I did when I tried to scrub those deeply embedded stains out of the rug, by hand, with just a rag and some vinegar)

b)   repent, seek God’s forgiveness and be cleansed (the Holy Spirit uses a fabulous steam cleaner with odor eliminating detergent!)

Father,

Thank you for loving me so much that you sent your son to die for me, so that I may spend eternity with you. Thank you for shining your light on the dark places of my soul, so that they can be exposed, eliminated and cleansed.

Amen

Order

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

1 Corinthians 14:33 New Living Translation (NLT)

33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.

Spend any amount of time in our home and you’ll quickly see that the Bullard Pack lives in an orderly and organized environment (at least…most of the time!). From the time I was a little girl, I would frequently re-arrange my bedroom so that all of my belongings would stay organized in such a way that they could be easily accessed and used for their intended purpose. 30+ years later, I’m still doing the same thing. Except, now, I have 5 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a school room & a ministry room to keep in order!

Over the years I have been praised for this gift and openly criticized for being too structured and rigid. Others comments have sometimes served to inflate my pride or make me feel ashamed, wanting to be different. But, when I look to God- not others, for my identity and the way He’s gifted me, I am able to use my abilities to worship Him and serve those whom I am called to love. Through studying God’s word, I’ve also seen that this gift is a reflection of Him, because He is a God of order!

When I discovered that a structured environment and strict routine was extremely helpful for our daughter, who was diagnosed with Autism, I knew that God made no mistake in choosing me to be her mother! I spent hours upon hours arranging her clothes, toys, chore cards, school, snack and meal schedule and extra-cirricular activities to help her be able to focus and be more productive (it also greatly reduced the amount of melt downs and violent outbursts of anger towards others that she randomly had). What I didn’t realize at the time was that the order and organization in our home would also greatly benefit me, Doug and our other 3 children. Years later, as I continue to re-arrange and discover new ways to bring order to our home I have discovered that we tend to function at our best when we have the following tools in place:

-a list of family “rules” (and consequences for disobedience)

-a family, school & ministry calendar

-a cirriculum, “recess,” snack, meal, electronics & bedtime schedule (specific for each child)

Using these tools has helped our children understand our expectations and be able to prepare themselves for what the family is doing or where we are going. Now, I realize that we can’t plan and organize for everything in life…we must be flexible enough to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit when He prompts us to move outside our box, but…when we know the direction we’re heading and what is required of us to get there, we can have peace on the journey.

Yesterday, I was somewhat shocked to hear our teenager (yes, our TEENager!) say she was ready to get back to our school schedule. Why?!? Because, after a few weeks of summer vacation with no schedule and freedom to do what they wanted, when they wanted, she discovered that freedom without boundaries isn’t really freedom. In fact, as I have slacked off on enforcing the “rules” (& consequences for breaking them), they’ve had more bad attitudes, sibling rivalries and episodes of disobedience.

What that makes me realize is our children thrive when they:

1)    know the “rules” & understand the consequences for disobedience (& are disciplined accordingly, when they break them)

2)   know their purpose and the purpose of our family (which is reflected in our schedules)

Conversely, when they are “free” to do whatever they feel like, chaos erupts.

Its not much different than the children of Israel. After years of whining, complaining, wandering in the wilderness and just doing stupid stuff, God intervened and gave them the 10 commandments.

God didn’t give them this list of “rules” to follow because He wanted to be a harsh taskmaster like Pharaoh. He gave them to His children out of love, so they would know how to be able to live a life of FREEDOM.

Have you ever paid attention to the order of the 10 commandments?

1st, God told His children how to love Him (explained in 1, 2, 3, 4).

2nd, God told His children how to love others (explained in 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10). When asked which of the commandments was the greatest, Jesus confirmed the order:

Luke 10:27 New Living Translation (NLT)

…. “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

When we spend our days loving ourselves and refusing to follow God’s “rules,” we end up running amok through the wilderness, engaging in all kinds of stupidity, and living a life enslaved to chaos. But, when we love and submit ourselves to the Father and the order He has given us, we are FREE to live happily within the confines of His “rules” and we can have LIFE….to the full!