Monthly Archives: June 2018

• Unopened gifts?

  Posted at 6:14 PM by Shanon Crenshaw, on June 25, 2018

  I apologize that my post is a few days later than usual. I have not been feeling well lately and was a bit overwhelmed by the end-of-the-school-year chaos. Phew! God is Amazing and blessed this school year and (shhh…just between us) I’m already praying for next year: the teachers, students, and staff that will be coming together for the fall term. My youngest daughter would say, “Summer barely started, Mom, let’s not talk about the next school year yet!” What do you think she would say if I told her I’m already praying for her future marriage and husband? 🙂 We need to pray ALWAYS and WITHOUT ceasing, right?! AMEN!

  What a blessing church was yesterday. It’s amazing how God knows exactly what we need to hear and His timing is perfect! The whole message was an answered prayer to me but, the beginning really penetrated my heart:

  

  I really needed the simple, yet profound, meaning of that message. A gift is something that is given, willingly to someone, without payment. I’ll admit, especially on days of good health and ease, it is easy for the days to fly by without giving much thought to the gift (a new day) from the Giver, God.

  God did far more than give us a new day, though. God gave us the ultimate gift: Jesus!

  John 3:16

  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

  Jesus died to give you and me the following gifts willingly, without payment:

  Grace: But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. (Ephesians 4: 7 NIV)

  Salvation and Faith: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—( Ephesians 2:8 NIV)

  Righteousness: For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! (Romans 5:17 NIV)

  Peace: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7 NIV)

  Joy: I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15: 11 NIV)

  God’s Word:  For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. (John 17:8 NIV)

  Holy Spirit: Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38 NIV)

  Eternal Life:  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NIV)

  

  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2Corinthians 9: 15 (NKJV)

  Talk about the Ultimate gift-giver!! God wrapped up unconditional love, peace, joy, eternal life, faith, grace, mercy, and so much more through the gift of His son, Jesus  Christ, all for you and me. Wow!!! Have you opened the most life-changing, love-giving gift that our Creator has for YOU?

  I pray that you have, if not a heartfelt, sincere prayer combined with a surrendered heart is the next step.

  Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

  I encourage everyone (new believers as well) to keep seeking God, praying, loving others, and spreading the JOY of Jesus to others.

  ***

  Today is a gift from God. How will you spend today? The two greatest commandments are to Love God and Love people (Matthew 22:37-39).

  Love God: I encourage you to spend time in prayer, the Word, or outside in the splendor of His Creation thanking Him for All His blessings. I spent my morning praying, reading my devotional/bible, and writing my heart and soul for Jesus. All the glory to God! My favorite companion, Sasha, our German Shepherd snoring by my desk. A treat, a little love, and she is in puppy bliss for a short while. 🙂

  Love people: Love your family, friends, and all of the people God has placed in your life. Help and encourage others. Smile. Make eye contact when you speak to others. Ask God whom you can bless today. First and foremost, I’m going to ask God to show me who I can bless today, there is so much hurt in the world and many people need extra love and attention. Spend time with family and friends as much as I can. 🙂

  Enough about me, how are you going to spend your day? I’d love to hear it!

  Thank you for coming to the table. Jesus has many seats available and He has saved a seat for you. Accept His free gift of salvation and invite others. All are welcome, no one is turned away.

  May God bless you,

  Shanon

  ***

  “Everyday is a gift from God.” Image from Pinterest.

  “Jesus, the gift of God.” Image from Share a Verse wordpress.com.

  New International Version (NIV)

  Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  Shreve, Mike. “Nine gifts Jesus died to give you.” Charisma magazine. 22 December 2014.

  • I highly recommend Charisma magazine, I love it!II

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  Posted in A-Ha Moments | 2 Comments | Tagged Christian blogger, heaven, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Joy, life changing, love, obedience, unopened gifts

• Flat Tires and a Broken Radiator

  Posted at 9:07 PM by Shanon Crenshaw, on June 16, 2018

  

  Hello, my friends! Wow, we are already past the middle of June! I pray your month has been filled with blessings, hope, and most importantly God because He is love, mercy, truth, holiness, and faithfulness. He is a good, good Father.

  The month of June has been very chaotic for me and a lot of things have been taking place. Some good and some difficult. The amazing thing is that through each situation, I have been able to have JOY and peace in spite of each circumstance.

  ***

                  Last weekend, was our first full weekend camping in our new (used) travel trailer. We didn’t travel too far from home, only 111 miles away. It rained the whole weekend, which living in Washington state, could be expected.

  However, the weekend went like this:

  Friday night:  Two hours into the evening, around 9 p.m., we completely lost power. It was pouring rain, with a capital P. Since we were new to the trailer camping thing, we didn’t figure out what was wrong until morning. 😦

  Saturday: After my husband woke up, he figured out what happened. Power surge last night, the trailer blew a fuse. He looked through all of our extra fuses to fix it. Unfortunately, we had multiples of every other fuse but the right one.

  He drove our truck out to the nearest city to buy fuses, a travel trailer surge protector, and anything else he could think of to fix our current situation. He left at 8am.

  Hours, yes hours, go by and my daughters and I make the most of the time by playing games, hanging out under the canopy with our German Sheppard, and simply resting.

  Around 11 a.m., my husband gets back and tells me he has a story to tell. In my mind, I felt like he was saying, “But wait, there’s more!?”

  He set various bags down on the picnic table and preceded to tell me what my heart already knew: another problem.

  “The truck radiator is busted. I realized it on the way to town and had to stop. So, I not only bought the supplies to fix the trailer, I bought the things I thought we’d need to “mend” the truck to get us home tomorrow.”

  Wow, ok. God is big and God is good. Several miles and several stores were needed, but my husband fixed the trailer and the power was back on! Praise God!

  We made the most of the day by going on several hikes near Mt. St. Helens National Park, barbequing steaks on the grill, and making s’mores. Perfect ending to a not-so-perfect day!

  Sunday:  Woke up to a rainy day. Made eggs, turkey sausage, and monkey bread for breakfast. Oh and coffee, lots of coffee! We rested for a while and decided to head out around noon.

  Through the rain, we worked hard to get the trailer and truck packed up and ready to go. After I pulled in the slide to the travel trailer, my daughter noticed we had a flat tire on the trailer.

  As if on cue and while I was telling my husband, it started to rain hard. I grabbed the biggest umbrella we had and held it over him as he replaced the tire with a spare. Our only spare.

  Sunday 12:30pm: Finally we are on our way! I told my husband there was a restaurant down the road that I wanted to stop at for lunch and he thought that was a good idea.

  The place we were stopping was only twenty miles down the road. We pulled into the gas station that was near the restaurant. While my husband was topping off the gas tank, he told me to take the girls inside, find a place to sit and order food for all of us.

  Twenty minutes go by and he joins us. Bad news. The spare tire he just replaced is now flat. Praise God we stopped! He bought Fix-a-Flat and prayed it would work to get us home. Only 91 miles to go.

  About five miles in, a truck signals to my husband that we have a flat tire. Apparently, the “band-aid” we used to fix it didn’t work. We pulled off and into Denny’s parking lot. My husband spoke to the manager and asked if we could unhook our trailer, and leave it there, so we could find a tire store to get two new tires. They agreed.

  The only place that could help us was Wal-Mart. Praise GOD they had two tires left that would fit our trailer. Two hours later we were able to get our trailer and get back on the road. Yay!

  Sunday 3:30pm: Unfortunately, the rest of the way home is full of hills and inclines. Our radiator does not go more than a few miles at a time without needing us to pull over. To make a long story short this happens every few miles and several times, but Praise God we made it off the freeway every time and into a parking lot. Three hours go by of driving, stopping, cooling the engine, and getting back on the road. It became obvious that we needed extra help.

  Sunday 6:30 pm: We pulled off the freeway and called our friend, Dan. My husband and Dan worked out the following plan: Dan would use his truck to pull our trailer and without the weight of the trailer, our truck should make it home. We are still about 60 miles from home, so it would take Dan about an hour to get to us.

  After Dan arrives, we set the plan in motion. Steve drives the truck home. Dan, my daughters and I follow Steve in Dan’s truck and our travel trailer.

  Sunday 9:00pm: Praise God, we are finally home!! There were no other problems with the truck or trailer! I have never felt so incredibly blessed and thankful to be home, safe.

  Let me tell you that was a long day. However, God’s presence surrounded us in a way that, by human standards, is unexplainable. I truly experienced a supernatural peace and Joy that can only come from God. I knew, beyond any doubt, no matter what happened, God was with us.

  Philippians 4:6-7 New Living Translation (NLT)

  ⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

  I was also so incredibly thankful that we were all together and God was at the center of it all. My daughters, husband, and I will carry this testimony of God’s faithfulness in our hearts and minds forever and it will help us through other trials. ALL the glory to God!!

  Friends, God is ready and able to help you through ALL you are going through. I was reminded in my “Jesus Calling” devotional, dated November 11th, about the power of Jesus:

  “Do not let any set of circumstances intimidate you. The more challenging your day, the more of My Power I place at your disposal. I know what each of your days will contain, and I empower you accordingly. Look to Me for all that you need, and watch to see what I will do. As your day, so shall your strength be” (Young, Sarah 330).

  Don’t wait, pray, and go all into the power of Jesus! Experience peace, joy, love, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control, gentleness, and faithfulness.

  Remember, there is Thereispower Click to hear the song!

  Oh, and by the way, I asked the girls if they wanted to go camping again. They said, “Yes!” However, it just occurred to me that they didn’t say that it would be with us….

  May God bless you!

  Shanon

   

  • Image “Welcome Summer, Hello June” by  CoverLayout.
  • Image “Peace is not the absence of storms…” by JenniferDukesLee.com
  •  Young, Sarah. “Jesus Calling Devotional” Thomas Nelson publisher. 2014.
  • “Philippians 4:6-7.” New Living Translation (NLT)

  Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

  • “There is Power” by Lincoln Brewster. Oxygen album. August 7, 2014.

   

   

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  Posted in Answered Prayers, God at Work | 1 Comment | Tagged blessings, Christian blogger, Fruit of the spirit, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Joy, life changing, Peace, Power in the name of jesus, reflection, savior

• Fear Not

  Posted at 8:50 PM by Shanon Crenshaw, on June 5, 2018

               Several people I know have had challenging, fearful situations lately. Job loss, health problems, disabilities, and family emergencies are some of the difficulties they have faced. Fear can easily take root when we are dealing with a case of the “unknowns”. “What if I can’t find another job?” “What if I need surgery?” “What if…?” One of the things fear forces us to do is to decide to either put our faith in action according to God’s promises or regard the scripture as simply words on paper, “simply repeating what God says” (Chambers, June 4th).

                  Hebrews 13: 5b-6

  “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'” So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'” (NIV).

  In my daily devotional by Oswald Chamber’s, “My Utmost For His Highest,” I was reading today, June 5th, about God’s Assurance:

                  “The only way to remove the fear from our lives is to listen to God’s assurance to us. What are you fearing? Whatever it may be, you are not a coward about it–you are determined to face it, yet you still have a feeling of fear. Take hold of the Father’s assurance and then say with strong courage, “I will not fear.” It does not matter what evil or wrong may be in our way, because “he himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you…'” (Chamber’s).

  I was in a situation last week where several difficult hardships were happening and I felt fear start bubbling up inside of me. For a short time, I found myself getting caught up in the “what ifs?” I decided, at that moment, not to go down that road because I had gone that way too many times before. God has been working hard to break that stronghold in me and through His grace and the promptings of the Holy Spirit, I am getting better at “catching” myself before that happens.

  Two things helped me move my fear to faith in action:

  1)            I pray out loud for as long as it takes– boldly, courageously, and full of faith. Even if I do not feel strong initially, I keep praying out loud until the fear is gone and faith prevails. I repeat this cycle as needed, and believe me, sometimes that is several times a day! Amen!!

  2)            I play my favorite Christian music sing loud, sometimes off-key, and declare boldly the truth of Jesus. And yes, I move to the music. I cannot stand still when the spirit moves me! So, if you ever see me bopping around my house, singing loudly to Casting Crowns, you know the Holy Spirit is coming alive in me to conquer the fear that the enemy is trying to have taken root in me.

  Do you have an action or a go-to prayer that helps you the most when you feel doubt or fear creeping into your life? The most important thing we can do is start putting our faith into action. Like anything, it may take practice until it becomes a habit. Our natural, sinful tendencies want to take over and allow us to worry because it is what we may be used to doing. I see “faith” as a muscle that will only grow when used or exercised. Begin in baby steps or jump right into the biggest fear you are facing right now, but start now. Remember who holds you by the right hand and will never leave you nor forsake you: God.

                  Deuteronomy 31:6

  “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (NIV).

  Remember, FearisaLiar  by Zach Williams

  May God bless you!

  – Shanon

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  Posted in God at Work | 2 Comments | Tagged bible, blessings, Christian blogger, freedom, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, life changing, love, No fear, obedience, ordained, perseverance, Revelation, savior

• Jesus at the Wheel

  Posted at 3:27 AM by Shanon Crenshaw, on June 1, 2018

  God gave me an amazing revelation the other day. Imagine driving down a dirt road, across beautiful farmland, in a truck with Jesus at the wheel. You are a newly saved Christian, leaning right against Him on the truck bench seat, absorbing every parable and Living Word He shares with you.

  Oh no, serve left! There is a pothole in the road! You grab onto Jesus and while you do that you look down and notice He is also holding you tightly by His right hand. You settle down as you realize just how safe and secure you feel holding His hand and in His presence. Like a Father with His child. A few more content and Word-inspiring miles go by.

  You spy a herd of cows up ahead, blocking the road, but do not feel afraid because of how close you are to Him physically and spiritually. Two peas in a pod, your Savior and you. The cows easily move out of the way as the truck moves further down the dirt road.

  Time and miles go by. Feeling pretty confident in yourself, you scoot a little bit down the truck bench seat, but still in reach and hearing distance of your Savior. Danger ahead! A car just swerved right in front of the truck! Just in time, you grab onto His robe and also hear the whisper of His voice, “I am with you.”

  Settling down, your mind reassures you that you are okay, even though you are not as close physically and spiritually to Jesus as you used to be. Because of this, you feel okay to move a little bit further away. God is still with you, your mind reassures you.

  This time you scoot to where you are on the edge of the seat, ready to grasp the handle on the door. You are farther from Jesus, but closer to the door that opens up to the world that is based on your confidence, independence, and decision-making. Jesus will not be behind the wheel of your life. You will be.

  Ah ha! Now, you are driving your own truck, and making your own decisions, and Jesus is somewhere in the backseat of your life. When you are lost, you may ask Him for directions, but for the most part, you navigate your own life. Your will be done. Right now you are feeling pretty proud of yourself.

  One day you decide to throw caution to the wind and drive without much thought to where you are going. Or who you are going with. No cares in the world. Independence feels great and the miles are moving right along. Driving along, humming to yourself, you realize you made a wrong turn. Flashing lights and roadblocks signify the end of the road up ahead. Your life flashes before you. What happened? Where did I go wrong? Jesus take the wheel….

  Jesus, take the wheel

  Take it from my hands

  ‘Cause I can’t do this on my own

  I’m letting go

  So give me one more chance

  And save me from this road I’m on

  Jesus, take the wheel

  ***

  I am so thankful that Jesus gave me this revelation. Several times, over the course of my life, I have been in this particular situation. I give Jesus complete surrender and control in my life only to find myself inching away or even trying to gain some of the control back when life gets hard, doesn’t go my way, or I get tired of waiting for His will or timing. What Jesus showed so clearly to me is that He never changed or moved. I did. He was always behind the wheel of my life, from the beginning of my salvation, and waiting for me to surrender to His perfect will and timing.

  Thank you, Jesus, that YOU have never given up on me (and You)! Your mercies are new every morning and You are always ready for us to turn back, repent, and be in complete surrender to You. Your promises and truths are evident in your Word:

  Deuteronomy 31:6 New International Version (NIV)

  ⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

  Proverbs 3:5-6 New International Version (NIV)

  ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

  Jeremiah 29:11-13 New International Version (NIV)

  ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

  Hebrews 13:8 New International Version (NIV)

  ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

  Isaiah 41:13 New Living Translation (NLT)

  ¹³ For I hold you by your right hand—I, the Lord your God. And I say to you,  ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.

  May God bless you, my friends!

  – Shanon

  ***

  -New International Version (NIV)

  Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  -Image from: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/jesus-take-the-wheel/photos

  -“Jesus Take the Wheel.” Carrie Underwood. https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/carrieunderwood/jesustakethewheel.html

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  Posted in A-Ha Moments | 0 Comments | Tagged bible, blessing, blessings, Christian blogger, God, heaven, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus take the wheel, life changing, obedience, savior, spiritual, writing

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  Shanon Crenshaw

  God is first and foremost in my life. I LOVE: my husband Steve, daughters Suzanne and Savannah, my AMAZING family and friends, the majestic beauty of the Pacific Northwest, traveling and camping, a GREAT cup of coffee with my morning devotionals, and my Sumner Family Church family. :)

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