Get Connected!!

Thinking about all the reasons that things are moving so fast in life, I look at all the conveniences we have. Yes, we have clothes washers and dryers, vacuum cleaners and all the other easy ways to help us in our daily lives..but what about the media side of it? We have more channels on television now than we ever will have time to watch, we have phones that are so smart we can't keep up with the technology and then we have the wonderful world of texts, blogs and facebook. 

When looking at these things, we think they are all for good...to keep us in the 'know' of what is going on. They help us know where to get the best deal on a product and then tell us how to use it, even show us on Youtube! But do you realize how quickly all of this could be turned against us? What is good could immediately become evil. 

I was thinking about this when God started dealing with me, putting a desire to learn more about Him. Then, from somewhere deep within, it came to me, "Why not use social media for good?" That is when I decided to do a social media bible study on the Names of God on my facebook page. 

Oh yes, that has made me dig, research and really get into more than I thought was out there about God. Now I am posting a brief study on facebook, one to encourage and have others comment. It has been a delight to see the response! We can do this together from literally around the world. We do this in our own timeframe, see what God says, posting it publicly to help reach out to those that would like to be a part. Some people have work schedules, or obligations,where they can't go physically to classes, but we all can go online to read facebook! 

This has been an inspiration to me to see that others are seeking to knowing God better, building a closer relationship with Him. By learning His titles and names, we learn His nature and character. We can grow to be more like Him and feel His Presence in ways we have never understood before. 

In this fast pace world, it is a joy to see others speaking up on social media about God. Why not use it for good? The devil has already used it for himself, but we can spread the good news of Christ! We found we can post prayer requests and they have immediately responded with prayers to Him! What a hotline, prayer warriors coming together in one accord!

I am praising Him today for allowing me to be a part of these times, seeing the good that can come from technology. May we all keep up with the world, it is not going to slow down for us, in sharing the gospel of Christ. 

If you would like to come over to my facebook page and share, encourage, and be a part of this bible study,just click here.

God Bless,
gs

Celebrations and Memories to Come

This past Christmas holiday was one of the best I have experienced in a long time. We have been deployed the past few years during the holidays, but this one was full of family and friends. The holiday is over, but the experience of the peace, love and joy remains.

The taking down of the decorations is more of a job than the putting up the decorations! The anticipation is gone....but the memories remain. As I take each ornament down, I can tell you where we got each one or who gave it to us. My husband says this is a mystery to him how I remember these things, or why I would want to remember! Ha...that is a true man!

The tree gets packed away in it's box, unlike when I grew up and it was dragged out of the house to be burned out on the farm in a bonfire. Memories of my family going into our woods to chop down and old cedar tree, always way too big to go in our window, floods my mind.

The family that I grew up in, my Mother, Father and my older sister, have all moved on to their new home in Heaven. I know they don't miss me, but I sure miss them during the holidays. Daddy always made his popcorn balls and Mother made her fruitcakes. My sister tried her best to keep me out of her new make-up and her new clothes!! Sweet memories!

Now, our children and grandchildren are making new memories. This year they rotated coming to our home, much like a revolving door. Our home was full of laughter, food and family. Games were played and a huge jigsaw puzzle was put together. Even though our children did not grow up in the house we now live in, one son stated it nicely, "We always love coming here, it's home." Needless to say, that pleased us, to know our children like to come and visit!

Let's think about the place where my family is....Heaven. As I thought about this holiday season and how good it has been. I thought about the memories, old ones and new ones being made.....and heaven. What I have experienced this Christmas is very similar to what I expect Heaven to be like.....laughter, family, friends....and most of all the Presence of Jesus won't be a baby figurine in a manger.

Every time a child of ours came into our home, there was celebration, shouts of joy and precious hugs! It will be the same in Heaven! We each will probably say what our son said, "We always love coming here, it's home." Yes, we will finally be home....and we will never have to leave to go back to school or jobs. The celebration will last through eternity, all because baby Jesus came to our home and into our hearts first!

It is bittersweet to pack away the memories from years past. But Jesus promises us a future in Jeremiah 29:11 and we also know He promises us a home that He has prepared for us! John 14:3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

Let us move forward with hope and anticipation! 

Have you made the decision to invite Jesus into your home and heart? You may contact me at http://on.fb.me/1tyhUGB

God Bless,
gs

The Unexpected Gift

The phone rang, it was friends calling to say they were enroute to our house.They were not expected, but it was going to be a treat to visit with friends we have not had a chance to see during the holidays. 

The 'back' door bell rang and the kitchen door opened, as our friends expressed their 'specialness' by coming around the back! We love to have friends over and want them to feel welcome in our home. These friends don't mind seeing the way we live, like I said, "They came through the kitchen!"

But wait, what is it he is carrying with him? It is an extra special gift. It is 'extra' special because it was handmade by him, every part was cut, screwed and wired together by his hands. Just the creation of it was from him, even the blueprint (there was none!) Inside was a light, the word of God was written on a tag, and the creator had signed his name. 

This was made for us, for our home. It has a place of honor on our mantel now. We were very touched to receive this gift.

It made me think of the Christ child, Who came to earth before I was even born, to die for me. He was an extra special child, He was the Son of God. The Christ child was handmade by the Holy Spirit's divine touch. The Christ Child was created by Him, no blueprint, but a Plan. Inside of Jesus was a light, one to light the world with salvation. The Word of God was written in His heart, the creator had signed His name...'I Am.' 

This gift has a light inside, with parts of doors that many have walked through, and glass that others have looked through....seeking Him. It was made with recycled materials from our old church, even the old window panes.

Christ came for me, giving me the unexpected gift of salvation. I did not realize I was being offered that gift until I was sixteen years of age.
 
He came for you too. Have you received the unexpected gift, the one from Christ? Like this gift we received tonight, it is a gift that gives light that only the Creator can give, but you must receive it. The year is coming to an end, but this could be the beginning of a joyous journey with Him! 

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:7


To contact me, please go to www.gingersanders.com or Ginger Sanders facebook page

Blessings 
gs

Return to the Hiding Place Movie...(do you have a Hiding Place?)

The movie 'Return to the Hiding Place' will soon be released at the theaters. Corrie ten Boom realized the rising Nazi empire would swallow Holland and she faced this with a surprising remedy: an army comprised of untrained teenagers.

Hans Poley, who was a physics student, chose not to join the Nazi party. While hiding in the home of Corrie ten Boom, Hans is drawn into an intricate web of espionage and activities in the famous Hiding Place.

The movie is action packed with daring rescues, hijacks of Gestapo, and the miracles of one of history's most famous dramas. It is entwined with the love story of Piet Hartog and Aty van Woreden (Corrie ten Boom's niece).

The film has been in the making for twenty years, being guided by God's divine interventions. The writer, Peter C. Spencer, was a classmate of Franklin Graham and class officer at the Stony Book Prep School. (This was during the time when Corrie traveled and spoke with Billy Graham Crusades.)

The interweaving thread of the making of this movie, shows the hand of God leading and guiding through the various phases. It is finally ready to be viewed by the audiences, to be blessed in seeing the way God works in the lives of people.        

 View the Movie Trailer  

The movie comes to WIDE RELEASE Friday, February 6 – Thursday, February 12, 2015. For ticket information and bulk reservations, please contact them at ticketsales.rhp@gmail.com


The way God continues to work in the lives of people, has always amazed me. He is the same God today as the God of Moses, Isaac, and Abraham, so I should not be amazed. He loved and cared for His people as they roamed through the desert and were in captivity in Egypt. He loved and cared for His people in the Hiding Place, protecting them. He loves and cares for us today, leading and guiding and protecting.

The movie, The Return to the Hiding Place, will show the audience how much God cares about His children. There is a breath taking rescue of an entire orphanage of Jewish children marked for mass execution by Hitler's assassins.

Does God care any less for us? No, but we need to see Him in all things....the good and the bad. Evil is on this earth and lays in prey for us, waiting on us to fail.

1 Peter 5:8-9 "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world."

Also, as Christians, we need to be mindful of the hard times we all go through at sometime or another. We may not be in 'hiding' for our lives, but we may have other devastating situations in our lives. Let us keep our minds and hearts focused on the One that really matters and lean on Him to get us through.

When we realize that we have made it through our valley and have come out of our 'hiding place,' let us be like Hans in the movie....giving God glory.

Romans 8:28  'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.'

Blessings,
gs

Being a Christian and Playing a Part (Return to the Hiding Place Movie-Part 1)

This morning I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Rachel Spencer-Hewitt, actress. It only took a few minutes of speaking to her, I knew her heart, she is a woman who lives for Christ. Rachel plays the role of Aty, the niece of Corrie ten Boom, in the soon to be released movie “Return to the Hiding Place.”

Being apprehensive of meeting a real, live actress, that is on the ‘big’ screen, I asked if would be alright if we started the interview with a word of prayer. Rachel welcomed it, giving me the warmth of a true Christian. We both felt the interview, and how it came about, was a Divine Appointment, to share the news of the historical, more in depth movie of what happened in the life of Corrie ten Boom and those that were with her at her ‘The Hiding Place.’

Rachel was raised in a home that attended church faithfully. She was like any other child that grew up in church, acting in church dramas and plays. However, there was one slight exception, her father was the writer of the plays and her mother was the ‘historical’ and artist that designed the period costumes. Rachel said she thought every child grew up in homes full of acting, writing and designing dramas, until she was in her teens.

While listening to Rachel share the story of how the movie came about (which I will be sharing in a future writing) shows me that not only her father, but also the cast, was obedient to the Actors Guild and the requirements, as well as to God.

A brilliant young physics student, Hans Poley, chooses not to join the Nazi party. To protect him, his parents force him into hiding in the home of Corrie ten Boom. When Rachel’s father met Hans, another Divine Appointment, several years ago, Hans told him, if he you are to write this story, “Tell it faithfully.”

A Casting Director was hired and Rachel went through same the procedures as all of the other actors and actresses trying out for the parts. She had the background of many stage plays, including playing Maggie in Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in Vienna, plays in NY, VA, and Washington DC.

The workings of God often are a mystery to us, but seeing Him in the production of a movie could be a new venue for some of us. The social media, television, music and movies are one way that we as Christians can reach out to the non-believers. The word ‘church’ is not a building, but it is those of us that believe, those of us who can spread the Word and the gospel.

Christ tells us in Matthew 28:19 tells us ‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.”

What better way to share the gospel than through the entertainment media? Not only that, but this movie will challenge us as Christians, to realize that God does work in the lives of the faithful. What is sacrifice? What is boldness? What is faithfulness? Who are we, as we sit and do nothing, while others are dying in their sin? Are we the faithful Christians? Would we stand bold in the confrontation?

Be sure to watch for the release of ‘Return to the Hiding Place’ movie in Feb, 2015 in a theater near you!Tell your church leaders to request the movie in local theaters! Spread the word!

To see a preview of the film, go to www.hide-movie.com/

Blessings,

gs

Go to the Mountain

While reading scriptures, they tell us Jesus went 'out' to pray. Sometimes that means he separated Himself from others, the crowds, to be alone. Other times it tells us He went up into the mountains, to be alone. 

Luke 6:12
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

Matt 14:23
After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

Time and time again, we get so caught up in the day of 'things to do' we forget to get to pray. Jesus realized He needed to get alone to have time with the Father. We need to remember that as well, when the 'crowds' of family and friends have filled our day, to get alone with the Father. 

We need this time to keep our sanity, to fill our spirit with that of the Lord's, to be able to love one another, forgive and delight in the time we are together. Admit it, families and friends come together at the holiday celebrations, usually with stress. Food preparation, gifts, even what to wear can be challenging. The holidays, or any time with the 'crowds,' should be time of enjoyment and laughter. But, because of the pressure of everything being just right, we let it turn into a time that everyone is usually glad when it is over!

If more of us would take the time to 'go to the mountain' to be alone with God, like Jesus did, we would be more likely able to endure the crowds. Our bodies get physically exhausted due to the demands others seemingly put on us, why do we let our spiritual life get drained as well? 

Look to the upcoming days, the joy of the season, with a different perspective this year. Start the days off by setting time aside everyday alone with God...'go to the mountain'...to talk with Him. My mountain is on my back porch in the summer, but in the winter, it is usually by the fireplace. It doesn't matter where your mountain is, just as long as you have a place to be alone with Him. 

You will find peace and comfort in Him and it will make those 'crowds' a lot easier to deal with during the festivities of the season. It will let you see Jesus in the midst, after all the celebrations are for Him anyway, isn't it? 

Where is your mountain? If you don't have a place to go to Him, find it today, declare your mountain. 

Blessings,
gs 

My Attitude Adjustment

As I sit down to write this blog, my mind is overwhelmed by the times we have seen God's Presence working in people's lives. I think of all the times He must have been there, but we were not aware. I think of all the whys and why nots, in our lives, and how God plays a part in all of them. The deciding factors, of course, are our choices. He will lead, guide and nudge me and sometimes He gives me a push, just to keep me on track.

I remember once, not wanting to go on visitation with my husband, an incident I really am not proud to share with you. He was a deacon in our church and the deacons rotated for Sunday afternoon visitation. We had four children at home and Sunday mornings were usually hectic, feeding and dressing the children, making sure we were not late for Sunday School. By the time we were home and finished with lunch, I was usually exhausted. But he insisted that I go on visitation with him, since it was a mother with three children that had been at church that morning. Her husband was in the navy and was on deployment at sea. 

Complaining and whining, but still dressed in my Sunday dress and shoes, I tagged along. My attitude was not one that God was happy with, I am sure...and I know my husband was not

happy with me. 

When we arrived at the small trailer, at the back of the trailer park, I still was not feeling excited, much less happy, about going in to meet this lady. 

It had started to drizzle rain....more whining."I don't want to go into someones house and track in with wet shoes," I said, trying to make a good sounding excuse. My husband insisted we go to the door and see if she was home. 

Knocking on the door, we heard the chatter of little girls inside the house. As the door opened, a very young mother was standing there looking pleasantly surprised. She welcomed us into her meek home. We sat at the small kitchen table, where the young children were drawing and coloring. 

The mother shared with us that their family was in another state and her husband's military service had brought them to our town, Virginia Beach. Since he had been deployed, she had meet only a few neighbors, none that went to church. She had been raised in church and said she knew she would be welcomed in God's house that morning, but had never expected anyone to come and visit her so quickly. She was so grateful that someone cared enough to come and see them. 

She wanted us to stay and visit as long as possible, but having others to visit, we needed to be on our way. She hugged us, with tears in her eyes, and said, "I am so thankful God sent you all today. He heard my prayers!" 

The rain had started to come down pretty hard, so she closed the door. The wooden deck porch had gotten pretty wet and slick. As I started down the wooden steps, I slid down, landing on my knees on the grass below. As my husband passed by, he said, "Yep, God smacked you in the head for that one!" 

Sometimes I hate to admit he was right, but I guess this was one of those times that I needed an attitude adjustment. I did not literally 'see' God that day, but felt Him discipline me in my heart and physically too if you ask my husband! 

I have tried to learn to accept things as they are in my life. This is not always easy, because I want to fix things. When I slow down enough to allow God to show up, not complain about what is going on, let life unfold according to His plan, things go much smoother. These are the times that I have found I have a much better attitude. There should not be any 'whys or why nots,' because the answers are grounded in faith. 

Paul says in Romans 7:15 "For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate." It is a continual battle to trust God in all things, because we live in the flesh. But just one hour at a time, day by day, He will see us through the battles.

Blessings,
gs