Humility

Quietly and humbly I come
To the one who is the Son

The Creator of everything I see
The one who provides for all I need

The one whom I get my support from
and He is the one I can lean on

To Him alone be all honor, glory, and praise
every solitary second for the rest of my days

Why do I mope and complain,
when I encounter a little pain?

Or when I get down,
do I begin to frown?

I need to remember that I am much better off
than someone who is lost

For they have everything to fear
When judgment day is finally here

Unless we share with everyone
the law and the gospel and about God's only Son

And that our loved ones who once were blind
Once we share with them will hopefully repent
Turn away from their sins
Put their faith and trust in Him
and then they will be born again
and will be able to finally see
and become truly free indeed.

by Michelle Miano

Stubborn and Determined

I know that this post is sort of off the topic of what I've been talking about mostly on my blog but I thought should put it in.

A couple days ago I just realized something. I can be at times a stubborn person. My sisters and I were talking about Disney movies a while back and I realized something. My favorite Disney movies had girls that were very stubborn and determined. Not sure if I just liked them or if it was because the characters were like me in a way but I thought I would show you just a couple clips from the movies.






Stubborn and determined that's what I see in these characters and that's what I sometimes see in me.. Is this a good thing? I'm not sure. Determined yes but I'm not so sure about the stubborn part.

The Belt of Truth

So this past Sunday my pastor talked about the Belt of Truth from Ephesians 6. I thought I would just share with you some of the notes I put down from my pastors sermon. I felt like there were a lot of things that my pastor was telling the congregation that he could have been speaking to me personally and challenging me. So here it goes..

What is the belt of truth?

1. Jesus is God's truth. We have to put on Jesus Christ.

Something that my pastor said that really stuck out in my mind was when he said "Jesus is the way because he is the truth and he gives us eternal life." This is in reference to John 14:6. John 14:6 is "Jesus said to him I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." As my pastor told us "We need to put on Jesus Christ just as if you were putting on a clean new shirt each morning and putting your dirty clothes/sins in the hamper to be cleaned.

2. The Word of God is truth.

In this section my pastor talked about how we need to be reading the Word of God more. He used an analogy which was really cool. He said we can't just have 1 or 2 meals a week to survive. We need to eat daily. We need to be in the Word as much as if we need to eat every day. We can't have only 1 meal a week to survive and the same goes with our spiritual state. We can't have a 1 meal a week by going to church and getting our food there. That is unhealthy. We need to be in the Word every day so that we can get the sustenance we need to grow and mature in our faith. So I was challenged to be reading the Word daily so that I am truly putting on the belt of truth.

3. Living a life of truthfulness

In this section I learned that we need to make sure we don't have our own agenda but that we are speaking God's truth alone. Malachi 2:6 says "True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity."

Truth keeps the believer by being confused by deceitful spirits. Ephesians 4:14 says "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;"

Living a life of truthfulness will keep the believer from becoming entangled with the affairs of this life. 2 Timothy 2:2-4 says "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier." What I learned from that was seek the supremacy of Jesus in your life. Don't let life entangle you so that you don't have time with Him.

My pastor also quoted someone by the name of Tom Constable. He said "A man with a clear conscience can face the enemy without fear." Too often I think myself included that we fear the enemy more than we really should. My pastor said that the believer who knows the truth will not be deceived. I think all believers should take this to heart and see how much they really are using the belt of truth and putting the belt of truth on and reading God's Word daily. Let us read the Word daily and use it to sustain us and to help us when the enemy(the devil) tries to attack us. Then we will be prepared for anything that the devil might send our way.

So that is what I learned from my pastors sermon on the Belt of Truth. I hope that this encouraged you.

Mighty to Save

I just felt lead to share this song with those of you that have loved ones who are unsaved.



Know that I am praying for you and your families. If you have someone you would like for me to pray for specifically let me know. You can always post their names here and then everyone else who comments after you can read it and be praying too. So that we can be praying for one another. Or you can send me an email at ltlpianist@aol.com

My Bucket List

So for anyone who might read this who doesn't know me or anything about me I'll start off by saying that I am currently going to California State University Northridge to major in Child Development. One of the classes I'm taking this semester is called Play and Human Potential. The class is basically to talk about the importance of play across the human lifespan. In more general terms it is to talk about how play, recreation and leisure is very important to have in our lives whether we are little kids, teenagers, adults, or seniors.

So one of the assignments she had us do was to make our own bucket list...

Yes you heard me correctly..

A bucket list of things we would like to do before we die. I had never thought of this before so it was a little hard to think of some things.

So here is my bucket list...

1. Get married

2. Have children

3. Become a child life specialist at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

4. Go on a mission trip to orphanages somewhere.

5. Go on trips to visit my friends in the U.S. and some other countries as well.

6. Start a non profit organization- Possibly having to do with sending cards of encouragement to all people around the world whether they are sick or not. Everyone sometimes just needs a little bit of encouragement to get through the day. :)

7. Start some sort of hospital ministry with my church. (Not sure how to start this)

8. Have my poetry published in some sort of book of a collection of poems I've written and give it out to people for free. Sort of like my dad's book Running Beyond Inspiration.

9. Work at a retirement center or be able to visit with the seniors there and do it often. "They can be so lonely sometimes and I just love talking to them."

10. See 1 person come to faith in Christ before my very eyes.

That's my bucket list.. I know that my bucket list seems small and that my choices might look odd but this is my bucket list. I look at it and wonder if I will ever see these things happen and can I accomplish any of these.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

But we have to remember that we don't know the number of our days. 10 out of 10 people die. We will all die one day. What matters is not what we do here in this life but what happens to you when you pass away?

So what do you think?

I think we all will either end up in heaven or in hell. Let's see where you will end up. We'll use God's law the Ten Commandments as the standard.

Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, taken God's name in vain?

If you have then by your own admission you are a lying, thieving, blasphemer at heart.

That doesn't sound like a good person to you does it?

So would you be innocent or guilty? Guilty.

Would you go to heaven or hell? Hell

But God didn't want for that to happen. So God sent his only son Jesus Christ, fully God, fully man without sin to die a horrible death on the cross for you and me. Three days later he rose again and forever defeated death.

What God requires from us is that if He is drawing you to himself is that you repent, turn away from your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ alone to save you. Jesus says "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." John 14:6

You can't save yourself. Only Jesus Christ can save you from the wrath which is to come.

If you have any questions please send me an email at ltlpianist@aol.com or post it as a comment and I'll be glad to talk to you about it.

I'll just leave you with this song at the end of the post. I didn't make this youtube video but I love the song and I think it's very fitting to this post. This song is called The Line Between the Two by Mark Harris

Old Rugged Cross

On that old rugged cross is a song we sometimes sing
A cross we sometimes see on churches, necklaces, and tee's.
But I think we really don't stop to think about what the cross really means.

It is a symbol that we should not take lightly
But that we should regard it very highly

For on a day called Good Friday
The innocent, Son of God on a cross was slain
And the price for us He did pay

He alone could be the sacrifice
He alone could pay the price
For Jesus Christ was God's only begotten Son you see
And He alone could die for sinners, the wretched people like you and me.

Because of the horrible things we had done
Because we had all broken God's law
We could never pay the price
Christ was the only sacrifice that would suffice

But it did not end on that Good Friday
Yes Christ was sacrificed for us and did die for you and me that day
On the old rugged cross
But his death was not a loss
For three days later on that wonderful day
Christ defeated death and arose from the grave.

That day my friends was Easter.

So the next time you sing about the old rugged cross
Or you wear the cross as a necklace or on a tee.
Just remember what the cross symbolizes and what the the cross truly should mean
To sinners saved by grace like you and me
And thank God that He saved thee

You are no longer a slave to sin but are free
To God may all the praise and glory be
Hallelujah! He is risen! He is risen indeed!

by: Michelle Miano

The Clock

Tick, tock goes the clock
Time is slipping away
We haven't a moment to stray
For we don't know if we will live another day.

Once we have left this earth and passed on
We will have lived this life and moved on

For here on this earth is not the end
It is only just a bend

Once we have gotten to that pearly gate
The Lord has already chosen our fate
He will either say "Welcome into the kingdom my daughter or son."
"Well done good and faithful one."
Or He will say "Depart from me I never knew you."
"You whose god was money and not the one true Son."

So let us choose the narrow way
And not enter the broad gate where people stray.

Remember your dear loved ones today
And let us not watch them stray
But share the gospel with them today.
And give Him all the glory and praise

Because...

Tick tock goes the clock
Time is slipping away
We don't have a moment to stray
For we don't know if we will live another day.

by Michelle Miano

Thank You

This poem I would like to dedicate to the following people Bart McCurdy, Jessica Kidwell, Josh Wiley, and Jeff Baran. :)

Thank you my dear friends
For being with me to the end

For a time when I felt so weak and small
You raised me up
And made me feel so strong and tall

I broke into tears
Conquering some of my fears

I prayed for the courage that I lack
As I proceeded to get on top of your back.

To open air and share the truth
of the law and the gospel
To the entire group

Thank you for getting on your hands and knees
And being there to support me

As I shook tremendously
Looking a little like Elvis Presley

And thank you to those friends for being by my side.
As I told people of how they had sinned
Because they had stolen and lied.

Thank you my dear friends
For being with me till the very end

Whether you were down on your knees
or encouraging me
as you were standing by my side
I thank God for the backup and friends that the Lord did provide

I don't know how else to say.
How very grateful I was to have you with me on that very special day

I can't tell you enough
That you have blessed me oh so very much

So I say once again
Thank you, Thank you my dear friends
For being with me till the very end.