There is no other name

Acts 4:12-14 Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled: and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 
       There could be no mistake about the fact that these men had seen Jesus. They were BOLD in their faith. Scripture says they spoke boldly the word of God. Everything about them screamed Jesus! Then the people see this man standing among them healed and could find no other explanation then the name of Jesus! Even back then they were persecuted because of their faith. Peter and John were even arrested because they were using the name of Jesus. But they couldn't find any reason to keep them so they had to set them free!
       Its the same with our modern day Kim Davis she was boldly speaking the word of God (that God is thinks being gay is a sin) and she was arrested for it, but had to be set free because they had no reason to keep her! (This is not a story about Kim Davis.)
        I want to be that kind of BOLD. I don't want to have people ask me if I am a Christian I want them to know that I have seen Jesus. I don't want to be timid in my faith but be able to talk freely about my faith with out the fear of what people think. People are always going to persecute me because of my faith, it is what the scripture says. But I don't want the guilt of not speaking when I feel lead to. I want to speak out BOLDly as the voice of God leads me.

In another's words:

And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, ² greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. ⁴ But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. (v. 1-4)

John MacArthur writes on How to Handle Persecution :
“The church has suffered persecution ever since what we’re going to see in Acts Chapter 4 began at all. Persecution (in America) is subtle today. It’s not what it used to be. Satan usually directs the persecution today not at the physical body, but at the ego. He directs his persecution at pride or acceptance or status, etc. And it’s really very effective.
He doesn’t threaten the Christian by saying if you witness, I’ll cut your head off. He threatens the Christian by planting within his mind the fact that if you witness you might lose your job or your status or somebody might think you’re strange…
Today the persecution that comes is more effective. It doesn’t make heroes out of anybody. And it’s a sad thing, while the church today is not being killed physically, the church has succumbed to a kind of living spiritual death…
Persecution always results in growth. Mark that. That has to be the beginning thing, because that’s your commitment to do what’s right even if persecution is involved. Persecution results in growth for many reasons. Number one, it strips off all of the dead weight. If you’re a part of a group of people that are having to lay their lives on the line for Jesus Christ, then we’re only going to have people in that group who are willing to do that, right?
And part of the problem of the church today are all the tares that are sown among the wheat and the easiest way to get rid of the tares is just to make the wheat pay the price…or make the church pay the price of total discipleship and the tares will just drop off because they’re not really that committed and don’t want to get that involved. And so as a church is persecuted, it is purified. The waste is stripped off, false believers leave, the strong are left and God works freely through them.”

A before and after

    My life has been a mix of ups and downs on the roller coaster of life. I know for a fact that I am not perfect, you can see it in the wreckage of my past. I have plenty of skeletons in the closet and scars on my heart. But as we are looking at my past you can also see how much I have grown and changed and became the young women and mother I am today.
     I am still a work in progress and I am learning new lessons very day. And I could not have done any of this on my own. If it wasn't for Jesus I would be down a very very dark path! The lesson I learned today, during my bible study time, is that I should look differently then who I was before Jesus.
     Acts 3:10 says "And they knew that it was he which sat for alms a the Beautiful gate of the temple and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which happened unto him."
     Peter and John had just healed this man (through the power of Christ). He had been lame since birth and was carried to the temple everyday to beg. But when Peter and John came by they didn't have money for them but something much more incredible!
    "...silver and gold I have none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk!" Acts 3:6

     He jumped up from his mat and he ran and jumped into the temple to pray. And every one saw this man who they knew to be the one sitting and begging. Now he was so different! He was running and jumping and he was headed to the temple to pray! All they had to do was take one look at this man to tell that he was different and that it was Jesus who saved him!
    I want my life to look like that. I want people to say hey that's the girl who used to _________,  and  _____________, but look at her now! I know I still have a long way to go and a lot of times I have no idea what direction is going to get me there! But I know that sometimes its "not for me to know the or the seasons (Acts 1: 7)."  So I will take comfort in knowing that God has me in his hands and every thing is going to be ok.


Someone elses words :)

      But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (v. 6)
JR Miller writes:  “We may study the way Peter showed kindness to the beggar. There are a good many people who cannot give money to the needy–but they need not therefore do nothing. “Silver and gold have I none–but what I have–that give I you,” said Peter. He was a poor man. He had left all to follow Christ. He had no money with him that day to give to any beggar, and he might have heaved a sigh, dropped a tear, and then passed on to his evening prayers. But that was not what Peter did. He did not conclude that because he had no money with him, therefore he could not do anything for the poor man. He would give what he had to give.
      Money is not the only thing people need. It usually the poorest alms that can be given. Kind words are better, love and sympathy are finer. So far as we know, Jesus never gave money to anyone–and yet there never was such another giver of blessings as He was. We cannot impart the same large measure of help that Jesus gave–but we can give the same kind of help. There is not one of us who cannot give to other things, which will enrich their lives far, more than if we put money into their hands. We can give a cheering word, if nothing else, to some weary one in the way; a word will brighten his heart for many a long mile. Courage put into a tired heart, sympathy into a sorrowing heart–are better than any gift of gold. None of us are too poor to give something to others. If we cannot give silver or gold–we can certainly give love and sympathy, which are better than money.”

Stop telling me it's going to get better

They keep telling me, it will get better.

"He will sleep better" 

"He won't eat as much or need changed as much." 

"He won't sleep as much during the day" 

"He will talk and laugh and play more." 

Stop telling me it will get better! 

I don't mind waking up in the middle of the night 3 times to the cutest face I've ever seen. 

I don't mind stopping what I'm doing to feed him 20 times a day. 

I don't mind getting peed on and accidentally stick my hand in poo. 

I don't mind the outfits we go through and the Thousands of things I will never get done. 

I enjoy seeing him smile and hear the coos. 

I love talking to him and just staring at his face. 

I love this boy to death. He has my entire heart. I'm wrapped around that little finger of his.

So don't mind me. I'll change his diaper, I'll feed him, because it really can't get better then this.