I REFUSE TO SIT AROUND AND WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE!

 

                          

I would like you to listen to the song at the bottom of this post before, during or after reading this blog if you would! Enjoy!

I have learned that bad things are going to happen in my life and in the lives of the ones I love and I want to get to a place in my life that I know that God is in control of these things and my part is to respond in a certain way in each and every circumstance. God is teaching me that when something difficult happens that I may not understand that I need to focus on Him and refuse to respond in the way I would WANT to respond. He is teaching me that I need to act and respond as he would.

In each circumstance and situation that arises we must ask ourselves...How would you respond Jesus? He wants us to pray about these troubling things and ask him to help us respond like he would. I believe if we do not consult Him first we will react like the rest of the world to difficult situations through anger, fear, hostility, judgment, and lack of concern or compassion.

Jesus wants us to open our eyes to the hurting and show them love in anyway we can. He wants us to see the broken and lost people in this world and reach out to them with love, compassion, forgiveness  and genuine concern. He wants us to point them in the right direction, to encourage them to seek Jesus for their comfort, peace and strength. We need to show grace and mercy to everyone as Jesus has given us much grace and mercy to us even though we may not deserve it and He expects us to do the same to others.

We live in a broken world, where there is so much pain, confusion, lack of sympathy and compassion for one another and for their needs. We live in a world where there is disappointment, death, sickness and depression. We live in a world that is filled with loneliness, broken homes and fighting amongst each other. Each and every day I am faced with something tragic going on with someone I know and love and that isn't going to change, it isn't going to get better. God says as the end nears there will be all kinds of calamity, that is how we will know it is close.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 says "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, boastful, arrogant, rude, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of Godliness but denying its power."

Doesn't this sound like our world today? So what can we do as Christians in the midst of this calamity and chaos that surrounds us on a daily basis? How can we refuse to be caught up in the destruction and react in a Godly manner with all this going on?

1.) Stand on the word of God-  know what He says about how we should act, think and behave and try to always stay true to what his word says for any situation that may arise. Believe it or not all the answers are in His word! Walk in His will in ALL areas of your life.

2.) Believe in the power of our Almighty God and trust that He is in control! He wins in the end! There is absolutely no doubt!  He says He will work ALL things out for good for those who love him. (Romans 8:28) Have complete faith in him, never falter from your faith no matter what trials and tribulations come your way! It is easy to have faith when things are going good but the true test of your faith is when trials and tribulations that are out of our control come our way. God never promises us a life without suffering He promises us that He will walk through the trials with us.

3.) Rely on Him in ALL situations and in ALL circumstances for your strength, comfort and peace. This is only going to come from Him and Him alone.

4.) Persist in prayer -don't turn to Him as a last resort only when all else has failed and the situation has become desperate. He should be the first person and last person you should go to.  Pray for those that you love that need prayer...Commit to it don't just say you will pray- follow through!

5.) Remember we are only here on this earth for a short time. All the pain suffering, tears and tragedy will soon be gone and we will get to spend the rest of Eternity in Heaven with our Lord and Savior.

6.) Refuse to sit around and wait for someone else to do what God has called us to do ourselves. Take action and listen to God and what He is telling you to do in the situations that arise. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit prompting us and respond without hesitation. Let's refuse to be complacent to all the hurting around us, reach out to people, encourage them and love them through their difficult times. They need to know someone cares enough to ask them how they are, that someone is there for them when they need help and that someone is praying for them.

What do you say we open our eyes and hearts and begin to be the person God has called us to be? Would you join me in prayer this week to see what that looks like for? Would you ask God to show you how and who he would like you to encourage, love and pray for? He will bring people to mind as you walk through your day and will you respond?

Dear Lord, I am all about myself so much of the time please open my eyes to your hurting people and allow me to be used in whatever way you see fit. Help me see what you see and respond how you would in each and every situation I face. Thank you God for the times you have opened my eyes in the past to the hurt that surrounds me, it has been such a blessing knowing I have followed your will. Remind me to pray for them and with them and help me to always point them to you.

In Jesus Name Amen

May God Bless You,
Angie Goucher

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 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrew 10:24-25

God Bless,
Mariah Goucher                 


                                          Song by: Josh Wilson-- I Refuse

                                 

LORD HELP ME FOLLOW YOU IN ALL MY WAYS!

 Lord help me follow YOU in all my ways....

Lord help me seek you and your Kingdom first, help me to learn to value and desire to have a deep relationship with you always! Lord help me be obedient! Teach me your ways, show me how to love like you love Lord! I want to love so deep, so pure and so rare that it touches everyone I encounter.  Please give me a clean heart, a clear conscience and a sincere and strong faith. Lord help me to pray for myself and be in your word daily!  Help me to always live a life that will please and bring glory to your sweet name. Lord help me to follow you each and every day.

Lord teach me how to love my husband in a way he deserves to be loved! Help me to encourage him to be our spiritual leader always, and praise him for all he does for me and our family. Help me to respect him and his decisions. Help me to not take him for granted Lord! Help me listen to him and help him in any way I can especially when I see him struggling. Help me to be kind, loving, attentive and affectionate toward him. Lord help me learn to take care of myself spiritually, physically and emotionally so I am lovely in not only my appearance but also in my actions and words I speak to him. Lord help me to listen to him and not be so distracted by everything around me. Lord teach me that the most important thing I can do for my husband is to pray for him, myself and our relationship daily! My marriage and my husband are very important to you and I want to learn to follow what you have taught me about being a Godly wife. Lord keep my husband safe, healthy, happy and help him to continue to follow you and your ways.

Lord help me to care for, teach, inspire, and love my children unconditionally and bring them up to know and rely on you for EVERYTHING. Help me to raise my children in such a way that they have no doubt that YOU are Lord! Help me to teach them to learn to rely on YOU in times of sorrow, grief, pain, and disappointment and help me to also teach them to be thankful for all they have and to praise you regardless of what is going on in their lives. Lord, it is my job to teach my children to go to YOU to find joy, peace and hope. Help me to teach my children how much YOU love them and that your deepest desire is to have a relationship with them. Help me to set a example and be a good  role model for my children to follow. Help me to practice what I preach and not be a hypocrite. Help me to be aware that my mood and behavior effects my children greatly.  Help me to always forgive them for anything they may do that I don't agree with and pray they will do the same for me. Lord help me get this right...I don't get a second chance and my children's lives are at stake. Please Lord help me to always be attentive to my children and listen to them because what they have to say matters and is important. Lord please protect my children always, keep them safe, healthy, happy and guide their futures. Lord help me to follow the guidelines you have given me in your word.  Remind me to pray for their present situations and their future and help me to recognize that my children are a gift from you and to enjoy every minute you have given me.

Lord help me to see others as you see them, help me to care for them as you have instructed us to do!  Lord help me to see the hurting, the lost and the hopeless. Help me to not be so busy I miss the importance of being in relationship with your people. Lord help me to not give up on those who have hurt me, help me to always forgive and let go of any anger and resentment I may have toward someone. Please give me the strength, courage and boldness to encourage and point others to you for every situation and remind me to pray for them! Please help me to be uplifting, kind and generous to all I encounter in one way or another. Lord Let my life glorify you in all I do and say!

 I am often self absorbed and I care about many things but please help me to always stay focused on what matters to you most... and that is to follow you in all my ways!

Your Servant,
Angie Goucher


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                                                                    Psalms 25: 4-7
Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old, do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways: according to your love remember me for you, Lord, are good.

God Bless,
Mariah Goucher

LORD HELP US REMEMBER YOUR THE REASON FOR THIS SEASON!

I have heard over and over from so many people this year that Christmas does not feel the same, even from the children! I believe God is trying to wake us up to the fact that we are not focusing on the real Reason for the Season, which is Jesus Christ! Christmas has become so commercialized, stressful, overdone and expensive. We run around liked crazed maniacs trying to get it all done in a month. We decorate, put up lights, get our trees up, bake cookies, shop until we drop, wrap presents and go to endless parties, plays and events, leaving us overwhelmed, broke, stressed and thoroughly exhausted often times wishing for the month to just be over! We worry about buying the perfect gifts and spend way to much money on them a lot of times using money we don't even have which leads to regret as now we have credit card debt to start off our brand new year with.

God did not intend for Christmas to be this way and I believe he is disappointed and is beginning to show many of us the reasons we are not satisfied and things feel different this Christmas. When I was a child my mom struggled to make ends meet, often times working three jobs to keep food on the table and clothes on our backs. We did not get a lot for Christmas presents, mainly homemade gifts the focus was not about gifts then and all the hoopla we all go through these days but I tell you those were the most memorable Christmas's for me! Being surrounded by love and laughter with my family was the best... but even then I don't really remember much emphasis put on Jesus other then the prayer before our Christmas dinner and Christmas Eve service if we went. Many families are not even getting together anymore which is very sad. I have heard over and over this year as well its just going to be my immediate family getting together. This just goes to show the disconnect of families now days people are spending less and less time with their families which is something I know God does not want!

How about if we were to take a look at our Christmas this year and vow to make some changes next year to make it more memorable and meaningful. How about we vow to seek what God wants for Christmas. How about we seek out the lost, hurting, grieving people and invite them to Christmas dinner? How about we get together with our families we have ignored and quit being so selfish and self absorbed making everything about us and our immediate family? How about we seek to give more to those that have little and serve those that need to be served next Christmas?  I believe if we can make an effort to start making some small changes on how we view Christmas... God will begin to use us where he wants us at Christmas (and throughout the year) We need to begin to see what Christmas is really suppose to be about and we really need to seek what God wants from us.

I am just as guilty as the rest when it comes to all I mentioned above. I buy to many presents, try and pack to many things into my schedule, don't give or serve as much as I should, haven't invited anyone in need to dinner, haven't reached out to my family, I am caught up in the world's view of how Christmas SHOULD be! But God is working on my heart this year and I truly hope I can get this right next year!

One of my good friends who has been struggling financially was telling me how despite her financial struggles and not getting to give their children the "Traditional Christmas Presents" this Christmas  that God has blessed her in abundance by meeting her needs and showing her the kindness of others who have given her gifts for her children, a Christmas tree, Christmas dinner and much love! She is content and happy with very little and so appreciative for all she has. We can all learn a BIG lesson from her!  Giving a little goes a long way, loving a little goes a long way and sharing a little goes a long way! We can also learn that you don't need to a lot to make you happy! She loves the Lord and is happy and content with just having Him and her family for Christmas! AMAZING!!

You see my friends, giving to others is what God wants for Christmas, helping others is what God wants for Christmas, spending quality time with our families is what God wants for Christmas, pointing others to Christ is what God wants for Christmas, seeking to know Him, have a relationship with and love Him everyday of our lives is what God wants for Christmas. Won't we give him what He wants and deserves for Christmas? If not this year because it might be to late maybe we strive for this for next year and years to come?

God please forgive me for not remembering the real reason for the season. The birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Help me to remember YOU and what YOU want not just on Christmas but everyday of the year from me! Lord help me teach my children to not focus on the stuff that keeps us from YOU this time of year! Lord I am guilty of the commercialized Christmas, where Santa, presents, parties and busyness often times gets more attention and honor than YOU and I am truly sorry! I want to put forth as much effort or more into YOU as I do into those THINGS because truly these THINGS just often times bog me down and stress me out! If I can get this right next year Lord I believe I will indeed have the most memorable and meaningful Christmas ever and I believe YOU will finally have want YOU want which is ME-ALL IN -ALWAYS! I love you Lord!

Merry Christmas to all my family and friends! I love and cherish you all so very much! May God richly bless you this Christmas as you too will hopefully want to give God the honor He so deserves!

Love to you all,
Angie Goucher
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People forget that Christmas is about Jesus. Instead they spend too much money on presents, for their kids. Well it shouldn't be about the presents it shouldn't be about the Christmas tree, but about Jesus and celebrating his birthday and thanking him for all the blessings he gave us.

Merry Christmas,
Mariah Goucher


                        My all time favorite Christmas Song: Chris Tomlin singing O' Holy Night!
Thank you Maria Christina for singing this beautiful song at Camp and the Christmas Party this year!

LORD LET US BE A LIGHT IN THIS VERY DARK WORLD!

Lord let our light shine so bright that the whole world has no doubt we love you and we are your child! Let us act and speak in a way that pleases and glorifies you! Those of us that claim to love God and call ourselves "Christians" should know the meaning of the word "Christian"- it means Christ like...We need to take this title seriously, as people are watching us and we are to be example to all. There are people wanting to explore a relationship with God and may look to us desiring what Christ has given us and they may turn away and want nothing to do with him because of what they are seeing. They may think it hasn't changed or helped us at all so why bother. We need to honor Christ with the way we live and many of us "Christians" fail so miserably in this area. (Myself included!) Many people have been hurt by Christians and the church so they refuse to go back to church to learn God's word. This is very sad as church is suppose to be a place where you can feel comfortable, not feel judged by all you have done, fellowship, build relationship and worship the Lord. Some "Christians" are very judgmental and unloving even. If we want to become Christ like we need to pursue Jesus and what he says we are to act, speak and live our lives like. Jesus is our model, if you read the stories about Him his mercy, kindness, grace and forgiveness are very evident. He even shows these attributes to those who betrayed Him, mocked Him, ridiculed Him, beat Him and eventually killed Him.

The word of God says we are to be an example to all believers in what we say, in the way we live, in our love, faith and purity. 1 Timothy 4:5. We are to stay true to what is right for the sake of our salvation and the salvation of those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:16. It also says to live wisely among who are not believers and make the most of every opportunity,  we are to let our conversations be gracious and attractive so that we will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:5-6. The Lord gives us a very clear picture and direction on how we are to live and behave as we are ambassadors for Him.

He says if we claim to accept him as our Lord and Savior our lives should reflect this claim. We should get rid of all anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language Colossians 3:7-8 but instead clothe ourselves with tenderhearted, mercy, kindness, humility, and patience. Making allowances for each others faults and forgiving anyone who offends you. Colossians 3:12-13.

As I write this blog and go through the endless scripture in God's word about how we are to act, live and speak it has become abundantly clear I need to pray about this in my own life. He has opened my eyes to the fact that I'm not living as a light in this very dark world. He tells us that others should know that we are a Christian "Christ like" by our fruits that we will produce in our lives; Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control and I must say my fruit is rotten much of the time. He also says love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable and keeps no record of being wronged. If we love we never give up, never lose faith are always hopeful and we will endure through every circumstance
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and to be honest my love does not reflect his idea of love often times. He says to fix our thoughts on what is true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and admirable Ephesians 3:17-18 and instead I am a lot of times filling my mind with distressing and anxious thoughts. If we can start fixing our thoughts on the way Jesus wants us to act, speak and live on a daily basis we can become more like Christ and therefore draw others to him.

Being lovely will produce the mindset and personality which others find pleasing and enjoyable to be around. The mind of a Christian must be set on kindness, sympathy, forbearance and love if we are critical and always finding fault with one another nobody will see our fruit.

The Lord has spoke to me very clearly this morning as I have been struggling to be all that He wants me to be. He has shown me once again through his word how I am to act, think, speak and live and I am seeing clearly that I need to cover this area of my life in prayer and spend more time in his word reading on this topic. My deepest desire in life is to please my Father and to be a light in this dark world, I want others to see Christ through me. If I cannot show his love as he instructed me too how will I ever help lead anyone to him. If I am not showing his love, mercy, and grace to others and showing them how he has changed my life how will they believe that its true. If my life does not reflect Christ like behavior then I am not doing as he has asked!

Lord, forgive me for not being a good example to others all the time. Forgive me for my bitterness, rage, anger and harsh words I have used. Forgive me for not always showing the fruits of your spirit as I want so badly to be your light! Amen

God Bless You All,
Angie Goucher

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I know the perfect example of someone who lets her light shine to all those around her I would like to give a HUGE shout out to Lorilee Addy! Love you Lorilee!
Mariah
                                                                   Philippians 2:3-5
  Dont be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in other people too. You must have the same attitude that Jesus Christ had. 

God Bless,
Mariah Goucher


                                                        

Start a Fire in me by: "Unspoken"

 

LORD HELP US SEE YOUR SUFFERING PEOPLE!

  

I wrote on the topic of suffering two weeks ago and after 3 hours of writing what I thought God wanted me to say was apparently not what he wanted as my computer shut down and I lost what I had written because I didn't save it. I was frustrated and confused as to why I had worked so hard on this particular blog to only have it disappear within seconds. I believed that God had something else in mind for this blog so I began pondering, reading and praying about it and started to write again.....

Almost everyone I know is suffering in way one or another whether it be physically, emotionally or spiritually. The pain and hardship is real and is very overwhelming. These hardships come in many forms...grief, marriage difficulties, financial stress, abuse and neglect, illnesses, crippling pain, disabilities, depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol addiction, people are starving and homeless, losing their jobs, homes and families, and many are so hopeless they are taking their own lives because the pain and suffering is to much and they see no other way out, leaving their loved ones behind.. confused and devastated.

Some are suffering because of bad choices they have made, some are suffering because of other peoples choices they have inflicted on them, and some are suffering because they are victims of circumstances which they cannot control..... regardless they are suffering.

We all have questions as to why there is so much suffering and why is God allowing it if he loves us and has the ability to stop it? We wonder if we are being punished. We wonder why he is not helping us or answering our prayers. We wonder what we did to deserve all the pain, suffering and heartache we are experiencing. Sometimes we even blame God and sometimes we even doubt there is a God. God said in the end times that the world will get increasing worse...Matthew 24:1-13,33,34, 2 Timothy 3:1-5. God also says that Satan is roaming around wanting to seek and destroy us. 1 Peter 5:8

 All the pain, heartache and suffering really began to overwhelm me and I realized I needed to ask God what it was I was suppose to do to help my loved ones... what was my part in all of this? Through prayer and reading God revealed to me that I could do something and that I needed to remember and remind my loved ones that God is with us always and if we allow Him to He will give us strength, peace and comfort through our storms. He is our Father and He hurts when He sees his children suffering. He is there in our joy AND in our darkest hours. We need to learn to cast our burdens, pain and sorrow upon Him. God wants us to cry out to Him, to trust Him, depend on Him, and to draw close to Him. He also wants to teach us to be compassionate people, to have sympathy and empathy for one another. He wants us to reach out to others and use our experiences, trials and tribulations to help others through their storms. He wants our eyes to be opened to the hurt, pain and suffering that people are going through and help them in whatever way we can. He wants us to stop being so complacent and non-chalent when we hear of yet again another tragedy. He wants us to wake up and quit being so wrapped up in our busy worlds so that we can see all he hurting people around us and do something to help them instead of saying.... "Oh that's so sad and moving on." He wants us to not only say we will pray for them but that we will actually PRAY for them!

We are bombarded with so many people suffering on a daily basis. We NEED to take action in the lives of those that God places on our hearts. We need to be there to comfort, offer a helping hand and a listening ear to the hopeless, grief stricken, and suffering people in our lives. We need to stop just saying we are there for them and really start being there for them in any way we can! We need to encourage our loved ones and build them up. We need to tell them we love them more often and tell them all the reasons why we love them. We need to let them know we appreciate them more.  We need to forgive people and quit taking offense to everything everybody does and says. We need to show more grace and compassion to one another. We are all way to hard on each other. We need to start paying more attention to people bottom line. ESPECIALLY OUR OWN CHILDREN OUR SPOUSES AND IMMEDIATE FAMILY!

The suffering is REAL and people are often times alone because we just don't have time to serve and love them as God has called us to do and the cost is high. People are taking their lives because they feel hopeless, alone and afraid. People are anxious, overwhelmed and depressed and we are all to busy to see it. People's marriages are falling apart, they are struggling financially, they are in physical and emotional turmoil and we are not helping them because we are to busy! Satan is reeking havect on this nation. He is killing and destroying us and his goal is to distract us so he can keep us from doing what God has called us to do... which is to love God, love others, to help and serve others, to build relationship with others and truly invest in their lives. We need to know that people care so we don't feel so alone in this crazy world.

Friends and Family its time to wake up! There is a war on for our lives, much is at stake and it is only going to get worse! Let's take a stand against Satan, let's open our eyes to the hurt and suffering and be obedient to God and do something for his children. Let's pray for opportunities and for God to free up some of our time so we can reach out to others and help them. Let's be bold enough to point these people we love to Jesus and assure them and give them hope that someday we will leave this pain and suffering behind once and for all and we will go to a place where there will be no more! Let's tell them about Heaven and how Glorious it will be and that they need to stay focused on the fact we are only here on this Earth for a short time and we will get to spend eternity in Heaven someday with our Lord! We need to take our eyes off ourselves and our problems for awhile and help others and I promise you it will help you in turn as well.

I am truly heartbroken for all those that are suffering. I cry out to God daily for those I love for some sort of relief and healing from it. But am I doing more than just praying for those that are hurting? NO! I don't understand it and often times I am very overwhelmed by all of it. I desperately want to help but don't know how so I will pray for God to show me how and he will if I ask. He places people on my mind and I try not to ignore the Holy Spirit and in that moment I will reach out... because if I don't right then and there I will forget or get to busy and move on. Listen to Him prompting you... if He brings someone to your mind there is a reason. Don't ignore it! Act on it right then if possible!

Lord, please come quickly and in the meantime  help us help others see you and trust in you in the midst of all their pain. Help us to serve, listen and be more aware of the hurt, pain and suffering around us and help us to remember you have a plan for our future!

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  In those days when you pray I will listen. If you look wholeheartedly for me you will find me. Jeremiah 29:11  

God Bless,
Angie Goucher

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It really bothers me when people say oh my God or OMG! That can be offensive to a lot of people and it is taking the Lords name in vain. Its one of the 10 commandments and you aren't supposed to say that. Its the 3rd commandment and it says "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." It's in the Bible....  here is the verse: Exodus (20: 2-17) Someone at my youth group said oh my God and my youth group leader said that that was very offensive to a lot of people and that it was very rude to God. I always correct my friends about it because it bothers me, its very sad.  Everywhere I go someone always has to be there to say it... no matter where I go youth group, school, sometimes church. Almost everyone does it. Sad to think about but, so true that's the world that we live in. How about we show our creator some respect. 
   
God Bless,
Mariah Goucher.

                                                        He Knows...Jeremy Camp

LORD I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH!

             

I have learned I am not strong enough to do this thing we call life on my own. My struggles and failures are many and I face many demons each and every day. I do things I shouldn't, and some of the choices I make are not good for me, my mind, body and often times soul.

I long for and hold onto the hope that one day the struggle of this world will fade! I try to keep my head up, my arms open, my mind focused on the big picture and encourage others to turn to the Father with their struggles and often times I am dealing with the same issues but not taking my own advice.

 I so desperately want to seek and serve the Lord in all areas of my life but yet day after day I find myself in the same position, just making it through another day. I know that God has so much more for me in my short life on this Earth. When will I stop playing games with him and start genuinely seeking his will for my life?

He has begun to reveal many areas I need improvement on and I have been ignoring him even though I know he knows best...I've realized I need accountability in my life, I need to seek it wholeheartedly and pray for the right people whom I trust to come along side me and encourage me, pray for me about my struggles and help me to focus on God to get through these struggles. I am always trying to fix everyone else, but do not try and fix my own issues. I can hand out all kinds of advice, good or bad all day long but do I take advice from others? NO! Do I seek wise counsel? NO! Do I practice what I preach? Often times the answer is NO!

First and foremost I am not healthy and this weighs on my mind heavily.... yet I continue to make unhealthy choices. I tend to pray for others that are struggling in this area but do I pray about this for myself? NO! I watch others that are making small steps to better their health and long for it but do nothing about it. I want those of you that are making better choices for yourselves to know you are an encouragement for me and for many others but I also know that if I do not cover this area in my life with prayer I will fail as I have been for so many years. If I do not strive to get my health under control I cannot achieve the other areas in my life that need my attention. Lord help me to get my health under control, I am not strong enough to do this task on my own!

Second, I am struggling being a good wife, I am not! I have been with my husband for 26 years, and when you have been with someone so long you tend to take them for granted and if you do not make a conscience effort to make your marriage a priority you can start being complacent and unappreciative. Having twin boys at the age of 40 really threw us both for a loop.. let me tell you! My life consists of working a very demanding full time job, raising twins which has been very difficult with all kinds of medical and trying times, trying to raise my beautiful daughter to know the Lord and helping her to find her place in life, caring for a young man who lives with us in our home part time and  it just seems the wife thing and myself always seem to come last. God is revealing to me that if I don't take care of myself I won't be around to take care of the ones I love.  I am watching many people lose their spouses and when I watch the grief this brings  to them I always say I am going to appreciate my husband more for what he does for my family, I am going to kiss and hug him more and tell him I love him more. I am going to strive to be a better wife to him and give him the love he deserves and that I promised to give him when we took our vows before God. I say I am going to be friends with him instead of enemies and show our children what a happy, healthy marriage is suppose to look like through God's eyes. But do I? NO! I have family and friends whose marriages mirror what God had in mind when He created this union between husband and wife, and although they to struggle and have gone through hard times they have chosen not to give up, they have strived to make each day count with their spouse, and they have worked hard to make sure their spouse feels love and appreciated!   I look to you and your healthy and loving relationships and long to have one but do I do anything about it? NO! Do I cover my marriage in prayer daily? NO! My husband deserves to have a wife who is emotionally and physically healthy, one who is attentive and attractive and not to busy or tierd for him, one who loves him in a way he knows that he is loved and appreciated without a doubt! Lord please help me to be the wife you called me to be, I am not strong enough to do this task on my own!


Third, my children deserve my undivided attention and I am usually so busy with all that needs to get done to fully give them the attention they need and deserve. My desire is to be the best mom to my children, to leave a lasting legacy and to be patient, kind and attentive to them. I want to smile more, play with them more, snuggle them more, dance with them more, talk with them and truly listen to them but most importantly I want to teach them about God and the things that truly matter in this world. I want to equip them with God's tools to make good decisions, wisdom and discernment and to always stay grounded in the Truth.  I want to spend less time being overwhelmed with what I have to get done on my long to do list and ask God to help me to see that they are only little for just awhile and that I MUST cherish every moment and make it count. I know so many mothers that strive for these things with their children and are indeed doing very well with this area of their lives and I look to you for advice and watch how you interact and it helps but what I am lacking is that I am not seeking God daily on this area of my life and when I do I must say I do pretty good but when I don't and I try and do this in my own strength I fail miserably. Lord, please help me to be the kind of mother you called me to be, I am not strong enough to face this task on my own!

I could truly write a book on the struggles I face on a daily basis, we all have struggles, we may struggle in different ways, but we all have them... these are the three most challenging struggles I face at the moment, they are the ones I desire to change and I realize I can only do this when I turn away from my old ways of doing things and begin to allow God to change me. I need to seek accountability and have a deep desire to change and most importantly I need to begin to seek God in prayer daily about these issues! I am not happy with the results I am getting now so I can chose to change maybe even little bits at a time or I can stay where I'm at and wonder how it would feel to finally be free of these struggles I face on a daily basis once and for all.

I would like to thank my dear friends who have been beside me as I face these issues in my life, thank you for encouraging me, laughing with me, crying with me and praying for me when I have asked you too. You know who you are and I love you!

My health, My husband, My children...my deepest desire is to give my all to these 3 areas of my life! What are you struggling with today? Begin this journey with me of praying about it, seeking an accountability partner, asking others to pray for you and beginning to make small changes so it isn't so overwhelming. I'm not strong enough to do this on my own...Are you?

God Bless You All,
Angie Goucher

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                                                                    Mathew 11:28
                   "Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
                                                                
                                                                 Philippians 4:13 
                                I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

God bless,
Mariah Goucher

   

A GLIMPSE OF HIS GLORY!

Do you REALLY know who God is? His desire is for us to know him and be in deep relationship with him. We can't just go off what people have said about him... we need to seek the TRUTH about him ourselves, we need to be able to explain to others who he is as well.

I have been struggling for three weeks trying to write this blog and although explaining who God is should be an easy task I am finding it is mind boggling to say the least. I have been trying to come up with a way to show him in all his Glory and give him the justice he so deserves. How do I explain who God is? Well, I'm going to try my best, but no matter how much I try I will never be able to cover the complete splendor of His majesty.

First of all, God is the creator of all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible!  Now let's just ponder that for a moment. He is the creator of  EVERYTHING... Let's start with man, he created man in his own image... He created you and I and every other human being. God also created us to have our own children and that in and of itself is a true miracle and blessing.  He created each and everyone of us different, not one of us is the same, each and everyone of us has a different set of fingerprints even, we are all so complex and so very unique. We have a complex body, mind and soul. He created us to be intelligent, relational, creative, spiritual, articulate, emotional, and able to make decisions, we  have also been given a conscience to be able to determine right from wrong.to name just a few of our characteristics and attributes. There is so much to the Human body and brain that I could never write it all!

God created EVERY living creature of the land, air and sea, ALL the different animals, bugs, birds, and fish. They too are all different, unique and mysterious and we cannot even begin to count them all.

God created ALL the beautiful bodies of water from the powerful and majestic oceans to the beautiful creeks, lakes, rivers  and streams not to mention the most amazing waterfalls.

God created the most breathtaking scenery as well, he created all the different trees, shrubs, grass, sand, rocks, mountains, meadows, volcanoes, hot springs, glaciers and all the beautiful flowers, again all of them are different shapes, sizes and colors. He also created the vegetation, plants bearing seed  according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit according to their kinds.

God created the billions of stars and galaxies, the beautiful moon and the brilliant sun. He also created the light and darkness.

God created the seasons... winter, spring, summer and fall and the weather... snow, rain, sunshine, rainbows, the powerful and unexplainable thunder, lightning, wind and natural disasters.

 I cannot capture ALL his glory here and give ALL his creation justice in this writing but I want you to just think upon ALL the beauty he has created from man to our majestic surroundings. When you stop to think about the amazing beauty that surrounds us each day just remember WHO created that beauty.

Second, I will begin to try and give you a glimpse of some of his glorious, magnificent and unbelievable attributes He possess.

God never changes, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. In a world of constant change... one thing we can always count on is for God to be consistent. What He said in the beginning is the same today and it will be tomorrow! We don't have to guess or wonder, we can know without a doubt what He says will remain.

God is sovereign, infinite, all powerful and all knowing. You can't fool him, hide from him or keep things from Him, He knows what we are going to do before we even do it.
 
God is faithful and TRUE! What He says is the complete and absolute truth, no matter what anyone says or thinks... His TRUTH will prevail. 

God is trustworthy! In a world where there seems to be very little we can count on and trust in you can be assured that you can always count on Him and what He says you can completely trust!

God is always good, He is patient with us, (thank goodness) and is compassionate, kind and gentle. He is humble, wise, and is the Prince of Peace. He is filled with righteousness and holiness and delights in justice. He is our provider and He presides over every event in our lives, great or small. He is in control always. He will fulfill His promises, and He WILL win in the end! God is the Alpha and the Omega...The beginning and the end!

God gives us strength when we are weak, He gives us mercy and grace we do not deserve, He cares deeply about each one of us. God comforts us when we need it. He hears every cry and He catches each and every tear that falls. He can heal our hearts, body, mind and soul if we call upon him and allow him too. He doesn't condemn us and He forgives us for all we have done, even when we don't deserve it.
 
God is ETERNAL. He is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.....and he truly loves us...YES, the God of the universe, the one who created EVERYTHING truly loves each and everyone of us more than we can ever know, understand or imagine. He paid the ultimate price...He died for us so that we could be forgiven and free and so that we can spend eternity in heaven with Him. WOW! He is truly majestic and amazing isn't He! Don't you want to strive to be more like Him! I know I want to! It is so hard... but He can and will change us if we allow Him too.
 
Like I said in the beginning of this blog, it has been very difficult trying to explain who God is in all his splendor and majesty so I truly hope that I helped you see a glimpse of our King! Now lets praise Him for all he has done, all that He is, all He has given and all He has created and lets begin to tell everyone we know about our Glorious God!
 
God bless you,
Angie Goucher

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Did everyone see the moon the other night? It was very pretty.... God made that blood moon and super moon mixed together for us!
God Bless, Mariah Goucher
I love this song it is one of my favorites.  

Former American Idol Star, Danny Gokey sings this beautiful song: