Somehow all that matters now is...

 "No matter what is going on around us, God is in control. He has not fallen off his throne and never will. Every moment of our lives is planned by God. He makes no mistakes." 

~Sheila Walsh

 “Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?”

For from him and through him and for him are all things.
    To him be the glory forever! Amen. 

(Romans 11:35-36)

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." 

(Romans 15:13)

We will conquer in His name.

Awesome song time.

I promise you victory and I promise you my presence.

Every Sunday is a good Sunday at my church.  I wanted to highlight a sermon that I especially appreciated a couple of months ago. Gene Tanner is my pastor and he did a sermon on the story in the Bible on the walls of Jericho. In his sermon he said this:

"His (God's) blessings are available to you and Satan's found a way to keep you from them. Well, no wonder you are discouraged. Who wouldn't be? No wonder you feel like a spiritual failure. Who wouldn't? And we find out what happened. . .They complained; disbelief--disbelief always leads to disobedience if you give it enough time. . ."

-Pastor Gene Tanner

Later in the sermon, Pastor Tanner said this:

". . . And God said, 'I promise you victory, and I promise you my presence."

-Pastor Gene Tanner

Are you feeling discouraged in your spiritual journey lately? Could you use some "victory" in your life??

Click on the link here to hear this life changing message. You'll have the opportunity to find out what Pastor Tanner's answer is to this question of what to do when faced with discouragement and the feeling of spiritual failure.

When I call on Jesus...

. . . all things are possible.


Weary brother,
broken daughter,
widow mother,

You're not alone.

If you can't find the strength to carry on,
When you call on Jesus all things are possible!

Awesome song time.

Darnedest Things.

I hope you are having a wonderful day today. No matter what kind of day you are having today there is something to praise God for; something to be grateful for. What do you have to be grateful for today? There is something comforting about stopping everything to notice the blessings around you. Having said that, here's a glimpse into the not-so-serious life of the Hughes family, starting with my hunk of a husband. . .


"I don't know if these tress are just like waiting for a
miracle. . . "
(referring to the long line up of trees that were planted three years ago at a place close to our house. Most of them still look like twigs)
-Scott Hughes

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"Mom, are there any games where Jesus lives?"
-Preston

"I dunno."
-Me

"Well, I know there is ice cream there, because Nate told me there is.
-Preston

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"I put the ladybugs in there."
(referring to the blueberries that he crammed in the vent in our bathroom)
-Kipton

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"I will love you forever."
(said to Scott as she was getting tucked into bed the other night. . . melt my heart!)
-Keely

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Thanks for coming to our home. You are welcome back anytime. Enjoy the rest of your day!!!

Awesome Song Time.

(Mark 12:29-31, 33)

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Awesome song time . . . and really adorable video time too.

At the end of it all I want to be by His side.

Luke 15:18-24

I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Lord, your love is beautiful.
At the end of it all, I want to be by your side.

To give light to those who sit in darkness.

"Because of God’s tender mercy,

the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,

to give light to those who sit in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

and to guide us to the path of peace.”

~Luke 1:78 & 79

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Jennie Wellsand talks about her new album "Morning Light" in the video below.
Check it out:

Morning Light is available on iTunes for $4.95 here.

You can like Jennie Wellsand on Facebook here.

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Added bonus: Kathy Schwanke (pictured below) is an absolutely beautiful woman of faith who just recently did a blog post on a very similar topic. You can go to her blog, "Blessed Builder", by clicking here.

Let all who take refuge in you be glad.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

~Psalm 5:11-12

Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep."
~John 10:11

"Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
~Hebrews 13:20-21

Our indescribable God.

Louie Giglio is an author and a speaker who inspires people to look beyond just what is front of them to see the universe that God has created as it relates to them. Many of Giglio's topics speak to how BIG God is and how small we are, and yet how God loves us and sees us and takes care of us just the same. Truly it is an "indescribable God" (which is the name of one of his books) who can pay attention to the tiny intricate details of every little part of every human body, while also keeping the entire universe spinning in orbit just as it should be. I am choosing one video of many on youtube, but I would suggest getting on there and looking up one or two of his other videos when you have a chance because I think they are amazing perspective builders and they will make you love God even more as you learn more about Him. Enjoy. . .

What matters most.

The thing that matters most is what we do with what we've been given, not how much we do compared to someone else.
- Francis Chan

You get to decide who you will be tomorrow.

Who Will You Be Tomorrow?
A message from Brenda Warner

Like many people, I've spent a lot of my life searching for my identity. When I was younger, I thought I was the pretty one. In high school I was a popular cheerleader but also a Jesus freak. I've been a gung-ho marine, a faithful wife and mother, a hardworking nurse, and, sadly, a grieving daughter. But of all my roles, I received the most attention for being an NFL player's wife—a sometimes outspoken one. . .



I want the people I encounter to know they don’t have to be who people say they are . . . or who they were yesterday. We all have the ability to change and grow past our expectations and the limitations others try to impose on us.

In the end, only we get to decide who we will be tomorrow.

Awesome song.

Tammy Trent shares her story.

"Knowledge comes through study.
Wisdom comes through suffering."

No one can love me like you do Lord.

Hell is not the point. The joy of the Lord is.

Taken from "He Loves Me!: Learning to Live in the Father's Affection" by Wayne Jacobsen


". . . All this is not to say that hell does not exist, or that dire consequences await those who refuse God's freedom. What I am saying is that when we use the threat of hell to motivate people to come to God, we are using it in a way Jesus never did and in a way he never intended. In doing so, we push people farther away from God's greatest desire rather than inviting them closer to it.

His message was not "Come to God or you'll burn in hell." His message was "God's kingdom has come near you and you can become a participant in it.

You have a Father who loves you more than any other person ever has or ever will, and you can now discover what it means to have a daily relationship with him.

If you choose not to, then your own sin will destroy you utterly and completely."

Jesus compared this life to a treasure discovered in a field: something so valuable that you would give up anything to possess it. His life is not something you have to follow. He is worth knowing just because of how incredibly awesome he is. If you want his gifts without wanting him, you cheat yourself out of the best portion.

Here the fear of hell is no use to us at all. The insecurity it breeds only takes us further from him and makes us uncertain about who he is. Jesus wanted us to be very clear about who his Father is because we grow in him only to the degree that we trust his love for us.

There is no one God does not love with all that he is. His love reaches beyond every sin and failure, hoping that at some moment every person will come to know just how loved he or she is. There is nothing more important for you to know.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
-Matthew 13:44