Laines Letters...Revisited!

Dear Sisters, I have received so many letters since I wrote about my parent's finances a few weeks ago. I have been praying for years that my brothers and sisters in Christ would get out of debt. Debt is slavery. It forces us to live in a way that is not good for us. The Bible is full of admonition about not getting into debt and about getting out of it. "Give everyone what you owe him: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue." Romans 13:7 "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law." Romans 13:7 All the letters that I received wanted to pay back their debt. I am so glad. How the LORD will honor this obedience to His Word. It will not be easy, but so profitable later on. I am going to share with you the "nuts and bolts" of how I helped my parents pay back their debt and put money into their savings, as so many of you have asked me to. It is ...

Dear Sisters, I will never forget my first women's retreat. I had never been to a woman's retreat before, because we just never had the money. But one year my husband really wanted me to go. The LORD provided the entire sum of money and so off I went with a friend. My husband stayed behind with our very young children. It was an incredible retreat. I learned so much from the godly women who sang and shared God's Word. It was really the refreshment that I needed at the time. The last night of the retreat I was so glad that I had come and shared this with the ladies during a time of talk and testimony. Before we were to finally depart for our homes, though, the leader asked that we gather into small groups for prayer. As we held hands with our eyes closed, we were to ask the LORD if there was anyone in our life that we needed to forgive. And if so, we were to ask the LORD to help us finally forgive that person and go home free. Well, as I sat there, I quickly thought...

Dear Chosen Women of God, "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the Word of God." Titus 2:3-5 Today I want to talk about flexibility. It might seem like the opposite of discipline, but actually it is quite an important part of discipline. For I find that if I am only concentrating on discipline and not being flexible, I can easily become quite stiff and unbending. I use to be too flexible many years ago spending far too much time yakking on the phone, or shopping, or in front of the t.v., and not getting my work done until I was in a mad dash just before my husband came home. Then I went the other direction and had everything written down with the times that they were...

FIRST LOVE My first love. That is a phrase that I have heard so many times over the years. And I don't think I ever really grasped the meaning or importance of it until this past weekend. Over the years I have been told that Jesus is my first love. Being a Christian I would just smile and agree with the statement. But in reality I never truly fell in love with Jesus. I never felt the passion and desire to be with him every waking moment, to rest in his loving arms each night, and to know everything about him, and most importantly, I didn't want him to know everything about me. But this past weekend I came to a new place in my relationship with God and my love for Jesus. Falling in love with Jesus is the first step to a real true relationship with him. And the beginning of understanding my purpose for being on earth, as well as my role as a wife and a mother. My first love, my ultimate priority, must be to my husband in heaven. As the bride of Christ I have a deep...

Dear Sisters, Years ago my parents came to me with a problem and asked for my help. They were over $8500 in debt and worried that they would see their debt hit $10,000 before the year was out. Their spending was out of control. I live next to my parents and felt so bad when they told me of their problem. Our bills were pretty much identical at the time, and I knew my dad was bringing home more than twice what my husband was bringing home. So what was the problem? The problem was not the amount coming in (it never usually is), it was how the amount was going out. The Bible calls it a "purse with holes in it." My dad asked me if I would take over their finances. I told my dad that I would take over their finances if I could have full control. They would have to give me all their charge cards and their check book. They would have to work on a cash only basis for personal spending. And they would have to follow the budget that I drew up for them. My dad and mom agree...

Dear Sisters, There is nothing like the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing like it! In a little while we have a Christian couple, who we love very much, coming to our home. We got the call yesterday that they needed to come by. We found out recently that they are going through some serious marital difficulty. I had something else planned to write to you today, but I do not have the time to finish it as I have been preparing my home for our friends' arrival. I don't know what this day holds, but I do know that the LORD is thoroughly in control. I cannot tell you how much I love being His Servant. Every evening when I go to bed I am amazed that He gave me just enough strength for the day. Just enough for what He had planned for me to do. Then when I wake up, I am hungry. Oh, so very hungry for His Presence and for His Word. I cannot wait to talk to Him alone and hear Him speak to me through His beautiful, beautiful Word. It has to be the most incredible time of the day for...