Do you have a Christian message but need help writing it? Then join us at the Ghost Ranch In Abiquiu, New Mexico. You’ll meet Christian editors, agents, and  professional writers to help you get your message out. It’s even possible to have one of your stories published by the end of the year if you register for Get Published Now!

To register on-line, go to www.classeminars.org or call 1-702-882-0638.

Still not persuaded? Be personally encouraged by Alex Kendrick (writer and producer of Facing the Giants and Fireproof), James Bryan Smith (author of the Apprentice Series) and others while Writing at the Ranch.

The best part is…..

No, I can’t tell you because you’ve got to personally experience it. Come and join us. You’ll love Writing at the Ranch!

Yes, our economy is not what it once was, but then neither are we. Bank failures, corporate lay-offs, plummeting home values, rampant foreclosures and increased food prices have forced us to re-evaluate our lifestyles and priorities. As a nation, we will survive the flames which seek to destroy us.

Avarice, greed and lust seem to have a stronghold in the lives and hearts of some, but  their actions must not destroy our hope or future. It has been said that hard times are ahead. Some of us are feeling those hard times now, but we must refuse to give up despite the forecasted difficult days ahead.

Hard times reveal the person you really are–your character. Have your dreams turned to dust? No problem. An unknown author wrote, "When your dreams turn to dust, vacuum." Start over! You can do it regardless of your circumstances. After vacuuming, dust yourself off, determine a new course of action, pursue your goal(s), and don’t give in to rejection–persevere.

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail," wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. In other words, acknowledge failure but don’t let it bind you. Rise up, learn from your failure, revise your plans and continue your pursuit. Persevere.

Remember:  "When the world says, ‘Give up,’ Hope whispers, ‘Try it one more time.’" Let this unknown author’s words encourage you daily.

On March 9-11, 2009 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, you will learn the basics of speaking and will receive ample opportunities to implement a successful speaking strategy. Florence Littauer, Gerry Wakeland, Betty Southard, Karen Porter and others will demonstrate how to research, prepare, and boldy present with confidence. At the end of the seminar, you will walk away with skills and knowledge which can be immediately implemented to further your speaking career.

The seminar will be held at Grace Community Church, 14505 Gulf Freeway. To register, please call Gerry Wakeland at 702-882-0638. The cost of the seminar is $450.

Are you a speaker? Do you have a passion to speak but do not know how to get started? Attend the CLASSeminar speaker training in Nashville, TN  - November 12-14, 2007. It is not too late to register. Registration will also be taken at the door. To get more information, go to: http://www.classervices.com/CS_Conferences_Seminars.html.

You will have access to editors, agents, and professional speakers and writers. Our desire is to encourage, inspire and help you refine the passions of your heart so that your message is heard by others.

To get more information, go to http://www.classervices.com/CS_Glorieta_Conf.html.

Not really, but you have learned a valuable lesson. Not everyone will support, encourage, or spur you on in accomplishing the desires of your heart. Don’t become discouraged. Look to the One who planted the dream in your heart. Focus on Him and trust that He is in control regardless of what is happening in your life.

Don’t discard, bury, or forget your dream. Continue to pursue it. Evaluate the people in your life. Only share your dreams with those who support and encourage you. Their encouraging words will ignite your passion and it will grow into an unquenchable roaring fire. Your dreams will be accomplished.

God is at work weaving the tiniest details into an intricate pattern in our lives. Trust Him even when it seems that He is not in control. He is. It’s just that He’s working according to His time plan, not ours.

Never, ever give up on your dreams. Prepare to accomplish your dreams, keep focused on God and trust Him to move in a way that will allow your dream to be manifested.

Initially, I don’t understand, but if I depend on my understanding, my spiritual growth would come in drips, not spurts. More and more I’m learning that my walk with God is based on faith. I choose to trust God even though I don’t understand His actions.

Also, I’m learning that when God closes a door in my life, He’s asking me to wholeheartedly trust Him. Do I prefer Him or the relationship I had? For me, it’s easy to get out of balance in my relationship with others. I take on their values, likes and dislikes without realizng it. Only when God brings an end to a particular personal relationship or makes me unsettled in my spirit about a person, am I able to see that I am out of balance.

If God should close a door in your life, ask Him what He wants to teach you. Drink deeply to learn as much as possible from the experience. Then thank God for His grace and mercy to you. Ask Him to continue to guide your steps and keep you on His path for your life.  

There could be many reasons God has you in a certain place, but my spiritual growth stops when I have an issue with unforgiveness. Initially, I try to justify why I am right for feeling as I do. That’s like pouring salt on an open wound, it doesn’t work. My next step is denial, pretending I don’t have an issue with unforgiveness. Denial doesn’t work either.

My new strategy for dealing with unforgiveness is to spend time with God dissecting the reasons I feel as I do. When I present the problem to God, I tell Him exactly how I feel. Only then do I get proper perspective on an issue. Here’s what I’ve learned:

People are neutral, look deeper. God deals with people, don’t focus on them. Instead look deeper to discover the root of your bitterness, anger, and resentment against them.

Acknowledge, admit, and repent of your true emotions. Name every negative emotion you have against a person. Tell why you feel as you do. Then repent and ask God to take away those negative emotions

Release the person to God.  You are now free to move forward in your spiritual growth. As you forgive others, God says He will forgive you. Trust Him and know that He will continue His transformation process in you.

As our prmiary love slips to our secondary love we continue to justify the choices we make. On the surface nothing changes because we are careful to say and do the right things. We go to church, read our Bibles, pray, contribute financially, and do what we can to help others. We look good to ourselves and others, yet our heart is divided.

God is not fooled by what we say or do. He knows our hearts. Hebrews 4:12-13 says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirt, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Based on that Scripture, I would say that God does not tolerate our emotional affairs, especially when we are growing spiritually. He does not want a limp, weak relationship with us. A strong, vibrant, truthful  relationship is what He seeks with every person who comes to Him.

But what about all the "junk" we bring with us that is not pleasing to God. How does He deal with that? Psalms 103:12 says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen the east meet the west.

Emotional affairs destroy the essence of oneness with our primary love. When we emotionally turn from God in pursuit of someone or something else that has captured our hearts, how do we make it right with Him? We don’t. Our job is to acknowledge our sin, confess it, and ask forgiveness. Our choices must then reflect the return to and commitment to our primary love rather than our emotional affair.

God is gracious. In Ezekiel 37:4-6, He said, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear  the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’"

If God can bring dry bones to life, He can certainly forgive and give spiritual life to to all who come to Him after emotional affairs.

Are you willing to experience the goodness of God after emotional affairs? Turn to Him, acknowledge what you have done (be truthful), confess it, and ask forgiveness.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Don’t remain a captive to emotional affairs. Spiritual growth and obedience to God’s Word have the power to free you and give you an undivided heart for God. 

Divorce seems to be like a fire that is out of control in this country. It’s an unnoticed spark in every family that’s waiting to be kindled into flames. Lies, deceit, betrayal, emotional adultery, and the pursuit of things fan it into flames. Because we are so preoccupied with our daily lives, we seldom take time to address the issues that gradually build a wedge in our relationships. Until it’s too late, when we are no longer interested in resolving the problems. It’s easier to walk away seeking a quick fix than take the time to make a personal commitment to invest in the lives of those we feel we no longer love.

I choose to raise a banner against divorce - the leading destroyer of families - and pray that couples turn to God and seek a relationship with Him. I pray that they take the negative circumstances in their lives and use them to become Christlike. Instead of looking at their spouses with natural eyes, I pray that God opens their supernatural eyes to see their mates as He sees them and that they respond to what they see supernaturally in a way that pleases God, not themselves.

Divorce is not a quick fix. It is a fire that is out of control seeking to destroy as many families as possible. Join me in raising a banner against divorce. Pray for the healing of broken families and the survival of families in America and in the world.