Hi Siestas! It is such a joy to be able to talk to you! My name is Sherry McClure and I just love this community so very much. I live in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, and I work here at Living Proof Ministries. One of my responsibilities right now at LPM is to help moderate your comments and it brings me such delight. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life in that way. All of you have so much to offer and I love getting to know you through your comments here! I also have the joy of tending to many of you through Facebook and I love y’all so incredibly much.
A little bit about me: I have been here at LPM for just over 11 years and have had the opportunity to do many things here! I started working at LPM when I had only been married for 2 years and we didn’t have children at the time. As I have grown and changed, my responsibilities at LPM have changed as well. I have been married for 13 years to David and we have two boys –Sam (9) and Jacob (7). We have a lot of fun together, but life with boys is loud, fast, and sometimes messy.  I also have the privilege of serving my home church in our women’s ministry. Life is full and fun! Some of the things that I enjoy most in this life are playing with my kids, being outside, shopping, cooking, and most of all, studying God’s word. His Word is the absolute thrill of my life. The Lord has recently breathed a new passion for His word into my soul and it is what I wake up for everyday…to see the Lord in His Word.  He is the love of my life.
1 Samuel 12:24 (ESV)
“Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.”
This is one of the verses that the Lord has given me to focus on throughout the entire year. He broke it down for me like this:
Only fear the Lord: I am not to fear failure. I am not to fear what someone may think. I am not to fear the enemy. I am not to fear people I think are my enemies. I am not to fear things I imagine. I am not to fear man. My only fear should be of the Lord. There is safety in fearing Him.
Serve him faithfully: I am to be faithful in the ways that He has given me to serve. I am to work in excellence and do everything unto Him.
With all your heart: I am to give my all to the things that I am serving in. No settling for mediocrity. No half-accomplishing things. No “it’s fine.” No “this will do.” I am to give my whole heart.
Consider what great things He has done for you: I want to be living in a constant state of gratitude before the Lord. I want to be mindful that He rescued me from the dominion of darkness and transferred me to the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13). He indeed has done great things for us!
So, my dear sisters, I pray that you will only fear the Lord. I pray that you will serve Him with all of your heart. I pray that you will remember the great things He has done for you. He is everything and I pray you experience Him through His word as it sinks into your souls!
I love you all so much,
Sherry
Lorraine D., Marysville, WA
Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; for consider how great are the things He has done for you.
1 Samuel 12:24 Amplified
Marla Ritter, Benton AR: Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20 NLT
Sallee Bonham
Belle, Missouri, USA
Acts 2:42 NIV
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
Melanie Toups
Bridge City, Texas
So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. — Ephesians 5:17 NASB
Sherry, I didn’t know who the guest blogger would be this month, but I’ve been praying for you.
Caron E. – Dallas, TX
Psalms 56:3 a NIV
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
Dana Nance
Blue Ridge, Tx
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Ephesians 3:16 NIV
Debra S., Ocoee, FL
“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20 (ESV)
Christy, Louisville, KY
Acts 15:11 “No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that we are saved, just as they are.”
Sue Pointer, Duncanville, TX — My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. Psalm 27:8 NIV
Cindy Stai, Lancaster OH
“The secret counsel of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He reveals His covenant to them.”
Psalm 25:14 (HCSB)
Conni – Metro DC area
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord and put thier trust in Him.
Psalm 40:3 (NIV)
Missy Newman, Andersonville, TN
ESV Psalm 139:11 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
Ansley Bowen, Pendergrass, GA “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6 NASB
Donna Rose. Jayess, MS.
Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. (â€Psalms‬ â€25‬:â€5‬ NLT)
Diane Flook, Flagstaff, AZ “When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.” Psalm 27:8 NKJV
Hannah, Niantic: I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. Psalm 16:7 ESV
Barb Faasse, Jenison, MI “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
Mindy – McDonough, GA
John 15:1-2 (NIV)
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
Kristi, Lenoir City, TN
Galatians 5:13 NIV
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
Tiffany Jones, Valparaiso, IN
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
Narda , Memphis, Tn. -verse20 of The letter of Jude. ESV
“But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.”
Ashlyn Bowen, Pendergrass, GA ““No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2
Alesha
Charlotte, NC
“This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:6-7 NLT
Conyers,GA
“Oh LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.”
Psalm 139:1-2
“Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.”
Psalm 86:11-12 NIV
Susan Tumino, Brooklyn, OH
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 1John 3:16 ESV
Psalm 56:3-4 (KJ21)
In the time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.
In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust;
I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
Sarah Winslow Durant, OK – Lamentations 3:22, 23 GNT The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.
Lindsey. Lecanto, Florida.
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Romans 13:8-9 NIV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1 NIV
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Debbie Nelson
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Ephesians 6:18 NIV
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Psalm 147:3-5 (NIV)
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
Jennifer Henderson, Raleigh, If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV
Rebecca Abshoff, Waterloo, ON, Canada James 1: 5-8, NLT
Focus on: 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
Jackie Siple Rockledge, FL
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (â€1 Peter‬ â€5‬:â€7‬ NIV)
I got this verse in a card and it just touched me.
Bethany, huntington wv
“As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.” Psalm 71:14 niv
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged for the Lord you God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 9:1 NIV
Stephanie, Birmingham, AL The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Psalm 37:23-24 (NIV)
Lisa, Huntsville, AL:
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. — Galatians 5:13, NIV 84
Joan Wetzel, New Orleans, Louisiana, Matthew 7:13-14 (NASB)
“Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and there are many who enter through it.
For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life and there are few who find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14
Alana, Beaver Falls, PA
Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.
1 Samuel 12:24
Brandi Mincey, Hope Mills, NC
Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:3 (NIV)
Jennifer Shelton, Nassau Bay,TX- Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own. Matthew 6:34 NIV
Fort Wayne, IN
The Lord bless you and keep you,
The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you,
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26 ESV
Cara Koski; Fridley, MN
But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:4-10, NIV
Stephanie – Tampa, FL
Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool. Ecclesiastes 7:9 NLT
Gina, Thomaston, GA
Philippians 4:13 NIV “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
Marilyn Gillis, Florence, AL Isaiah 26:3-4
3) You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. 4)Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD Himself, is the ROCK eternal. NIV
Alyssa Neal
Houston, TX
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (NIV)