DEVOTIONAL 5/23 - I AM CRUCIFIED

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL 5/23 

I AM CRUCIFIED

I am crucified. Let me say it again. I am crucified. Think I've gone over the edge? Did that long ago. In fact, I  did it and bought the t-shirt. I'm not talking about going over the edge, or off the deep end. I'm being perfectly serious. It's true. I kid you not. I really am crucified.

A VERY SPECIAL INVITATION.........

INVITATION 

to WALK BY FAITH FELLOWSHIP

Sat., May 25th, 6 pm in Okatie, SC

Preaching, teaching, prayer, praise, fellowship & more....

Please e-mail love@walkbyfaithministry.com for more info.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!!!

Working with the Body of Christ

UNITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST. Sunday with my brothers from a variety of churches and ministries sharing the Gospel at Forsyth Park in Savannah, GA. The BODY OF CHRIST is not about divisions, denominations, and differences. It is about JESUS CHRIST. 

WALK BY FAITH MINISTRY joins "People Helping People" on Sundays as we join hearts, hands, and resources to share the Gospel and distribute the Lord's provisions to the homeless and low-income community in Savannah, GA.

I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, step out in faith, and work together with the Body of Christ to help a world in need.

DON'T MISS THE CROSS, DON'T MISS THE CHRIST

DON'T MISS THE CROSS. DON'T MISS THE CHRIST. When I stepped out of my car the other day, I saw something caught under it. I pulled out the two pieces of twig and tossed them. Only afterward did I see what had happened. I looked down at the ground, and there it was. A CROSS. How often do we go through our lives missing the significant, missing the important, missing what matters, missing the priority, missing the best? How often do we rush through our lives missing the cross? And, how often, are we so busy that we miss JESUS THE CHRIST? Please don't miss HIM........

WALK BY FAITH - the scripture.........

INVITATION: Please join Lara Love (that's me!) and WALK BY FAITH MINISTRY at our brand new fellowship Saturday nights in Okatie, SC. Preaching, teaching, prayer, praise, etc. Please e-mail me at love@walkbyfaithministry.com for more information!

DEVOTIONAL 5/20 - A Doggone Lesson in Obedience

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 5/20

A DOGGONE LESSON IN OBEDIENCE

Leave it to God - and the dogs - to give me yet another lesson in walking by faith. "Red, Jake, time to come inside," I called out. "Elijah, let's go. Inside," I added. Now I knew what to expect. Red would come fairly quickly. Jake has limited hearing, so he has a bit of an excuse for delayed obedience. Elijah? Elijah has great hearing - but believes strongly in practicing "delayed" obedience.

INVITE to WALK BY FAITH FELLOWSHIP

1Jn 1:3  "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."


DATE: Saturday nights beginning May 25
TIME: 6 pm until we finish
LOCATION: Bluffton, SC, area
ADDRESS: Please e-mail me at love@walkbyfaithministry.com for location specifics

Please join LARA LOVE (that's me!) and Walk by Faith Ministry (that's my ministry!) on Saturday nights at 6 pm in the Bluffton, SC, area for the brand new Walk by Faith Fellowship gathering. 

All are welcome. We will gather in the name of Jesus Christ for preaching, teaching, prayer, praise, etc. as the Lord leads us.

Did you know what the word FELLOWSHIP means in the Bible verse 1 John 1:3 printed above? The original Greek word translated into the word "fellowship" is Koinonia. 

And the definition of that really cool, hard-to-pronounce-for-people-like-me word includes the following:

PARTNERSHIP
PARTICIPATION
COMMUNICATE
COMMUNION
DISTRIBUTION
FELLOWSHIP

Wow! Pretty awesome, huh? Please consider joining us, and please feel free to share the invite with your friends, family, co-workers, strangers, etc. ALL are welcome! 

To God be all glory! 

Mat 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

A VERY SPECIAL VIDEO.........!!!

Joyful SPRING VIDEO TOUR of Lara Love's and Walk by Faith Ministry's very special property, DOGGIES & more - with the scoop on the ministry's MISSION for CHRIST!!!!!

DEVOTIONAL 5/18 - GOD'S SCAVENGER HUNT

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL 5/18

Ever been on a scavenger hunt? I haven't been on one in a zillion years, but I clearly remember. Scavenger hunts are exciting (and frustrating), fun (and annoying), thrilling (and everything but), funny (and a pain-in-the-ahem), and, well, you get it. Because if you've been on a scavenger hunt, you know exactly what I'm talking about. But did you ever think of following Jesus as being like a scavenger hunt? Me neither - until about five minutes ago when I was in the shower, with a plan to scurry off to the beach, an agenda for the day (sort of), and, well - yikes! The writing about God's Scavenger Hunt just started pouring out of me....

DEVOTIONAL 5/17 - NOTHING TO GIVE

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL 5/17

I have always had a HUGE HEART, but for much of my life I didn't have anything to give - not anything of any value, anyway. I had plenty of love, and compassion, and desire to help, but my heart was so clogged with junk that the good stuff only came out in fits and starts.

I was like a car that started, and sputtered, and stalled, and re-started, and got stuck in neutral, then the wrong gear, couldn't shift, crashed, got totaled, managed to get back on the road, more sputtering, boom, crash. Roadside assistance anyone?

Lara's New Book Coming Soon........!

Like I don't have enough on my plate as it is, right? The Lord is so amazing. He is SO AMAZING. Do I need to repeat myself, or do you already know? He is SO AMAZING!!!!!!!! Little did I know when I REALLY committed my life to Him - not just in words, but in ACTION - what exactly He would do with my surrender. Wow!

Location for Walk by Faith Fellowship....!!

BLUFFTON, HARDEEVILLE, OKATIE - Can anyone recommend a great location for a meeting on Saturday nights for Walk by Faith Ministry's brand new fellowship? This will be a Holy Spirit-led, Bible based night of preaching, teaching, praise, worship and fellowship. PLEASE CONTACT ME at love@walkbyfaithministry.com with any info. I am especially interested in parks, fields, community centers, school locations, unique, creative, places......God bless you!!!!!!!

Wheelchair Doggie Visits Nursing Home...!

Yesterday the Lord BLESSED me with a very special visit to a local nursing home with paralyzed doggie Miss Mercy. For anyone who thinks Walk by Faith Ministry is about the dogs, it's not. And for anyone who thinks it's about me, it's not. Walk by Faith Ministry is about THE LORD, and I keep my eyes and heart open to opportunities wherever I am, whatever I am doing, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to minister the Lord's love to a world in need. This, first and foremost, is the ministry's mission.

Whenever the door opens, I love - absolutely LOVE - to talk about Jesus Christ. Yesterday's visit to the nursing home was not a "pet therapy" visit. It was all about the love of Jesus - with plenty of opportunities to share about Him, including opportunity to share some of my phenomenal testimony with some of the staff and an incredible opportunity to pray.

I think what stood out to me about the visit more than anything else were Bibles I saw in the rooms of the residents of the nursing home. A generation of people nearing the end of their lives. I saw more Bibles in their lives than I often see in the hands, homes, and hearts of the younger generations with whom I interact more of the time. Thank you God for an awesome visit to the nursing home, and I pray Lord you would lead your lost sheep into your fold...........! Amen. 

DEVOTIONAL 5/14: My Amazing Financial News

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 5/14/2013

MY AMAZING FINANCIAL NEWS

My amazing financial news. You'll never guess. You can't possibly. You'll never figure it out. How could you? So why don't I just go ahead and break the news to you. Please understand. It has nothing to do with the approximately $6 I have left in my checking account for the rest of the month.

OFF TO THE NURSING HOME, ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY

God is so good - all the time. Isn't He? He sure is. Just when I thought my heart and plate couldn't be any fuller, He's got me on the go again. Am I ever not on the go? Anyway...On Thursday, paralyzed doggie Miss Mercy (in her wheelchair!) will head off to a local nursing home in Ridgeland, SC, to visit the wife of a new senior friend of mine as well as the other residents. As I shared with a friend this morning, this is NOT about the dogs. And this is NOT pet therapy.

10 Reasons NOT to Buy the Book I Wrote

Don't ask me why, but I want to give you 10 reasons not to buy the book I wrote called, SLOW DANCE WITH JESUS: INSPIRATION FOR INTIMACY WITH THE LORD. For those of you who don't know I wrote a book, I did. Thanks to virtually no marketing since it was published two years ago, virtually nobody knows about it. There's nothing virtual about that. It's totally true. So what better way to market it now than to tell you 10 reasons not to read it, right?

DEVOTIONAL 5/10 - THE RIGHT KIND OF TENACITY

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL 5/10

THE RIGHT KIND OF TENACITY

I am as tenacious as a Pit Bull terrier. And if there's one thing I've learned about tenacity, it's that there is the right kind of tenacity and the wrong kind. My sweet Jack Russell doggie Billie who has since gone to heaven proved himself in his puppy-hood when he held on so tightly to a sock that I could hold him way up in the air as he held on with his teeth. He would literally hang several feet above the ground with no regard to how he was suspended in the air. He wanted that sock, and he was going to have that sock - at any expense. And he had that sock. He held on for dear life - and just so happened to enjoy every minute of it regardless of the price he paid in his fierce determination, glued focus, and don't-let-go energy.

Paralyzed Doggie Mr. Simeon Delivers Newspaper to Sweet Senior Man!

DEVOTIONAL: A Little Girl's Answer for the World

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 5/9/13

A LITTLE GIRL'S ANSWER FOR THE WORLD

Skinny. Adorable. Missing a couple of front teeth. Energizer bunny rabbit energy. Love galore. Bubbly. Bubbling over with life. The six-year-old little beauty followed me outside her house after I finished giving medication to a dog. I didn't think much of it when I asked her three little questions, and I certainly didn't expect an answer so HUGE.

DEVOTIONAL: WALKING BY FAITH

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 5/8/13

WALKING BY FAITH

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV)

When the Lord gave me the name Walk by Faith Ministry for the work He had called me to do, I had no idea where He would take me in my own personal journey with Him nor with the ministry in the ensuing years. Little did I know He would be teaching me to walk by faith at the very same time He would be using me to teach and encourage others to do the same. 

SPONSORS SOUGHT FOR SPECIAL NEEDS DOGGIES!

SPONSORS WANTED for SPECIAL NEEDS DOGGIES. Walk by Faith Ministry has some very special doggies in our care. Blind Glory, paralyzed Mr. Simeon, paralyzed Miss Molly, paralyzed Miss Mercy, two-footed Winnie, 3-Legged Traveler, & plenty of others.  The ministry's mission is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ while ministering the Lord's love to a world in need. The doggies are just a little bit of what the ministry does. PLEASE CONSIDER BECOMING A MONTHLY SPONSOR. To learn more, please e-mail me at love@walkbyfaithministry.com.

DEVOTIONAL: Holy Motives

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 5/7

HOLY MOTIVES

Ever heard of HOLY MOTIVES? Me neither - not until the words just came to me, anyway. But the subject's been on my mind for the past few days. I was taught years ago to check my motives, but back then I had nothing HOLY to check them against. Sure, I had an awareness of "morals" and "values", but suffice it to say my so-called morals and values at the time had nothing to do with Jesus Christ. Now that He's the love of my life, I don't just have an obligation to check my motives. I have a DESIRE to live my life with HOLY MOTIVES.

DONATIONS STILL NEEDED & BUSTER UPDATE !!

Buster update anyone? Senior doggie Buster, whose daddy went to heaven a few weeks ago, is doing GREAT. I have taken over his vet care while he continues living between his two homes & am blessed to be getting to know the two families while I visit daily to give him his meds! Please consider a donation for Buster and/or to Walk by Faith Ministry as I seek to fulfill the ministry's mission to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ while ministering the Lord's love to a world in need.

p.s. Please remember to spay & neuter! Despite being almost 13 years old (found his correct age since last posting!), Buster has an enlarged prostate and is at HIGH RISK of prostate cancer because he was never neutered. He will be neutered shortly for health reasons!

DEVOTIONAL: Say Goodbye to Stuck

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 5/6/2013

So you know it's high time to move forward in your life, but something is holding you back. You're stuck in neutral. Your tires are spinning. You keep trying to shift into drive, but you're not making any headway. Your gear shift is stuck, just like your life. Stuck, stuck, stuck. So what's holding you back?

DEVOTIONAL: The Best Compliment Ever

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 5/4/2013

I got the best compliment ever today. A woman with whom I have crossed paths for the past few years in sometimes challenging circumstances told me she sees my heart, and that she sees the Lord in and through me.

DEVOTIONAL: Are You Ready to Give Up?

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 5/3

So long darkness.

You're tired of living in darkness. You've lived there so long that you can't imagine a way out. It has become familiar, and it even feels safe. After all, that's what you know more than anything else. You're drowning in the pit of hell on earth. You can't get out, not even if you tried. It's like quicksand, and you keep thinking there can't be any sinking lower than you've already sunk.

DEVOTIONAL: Are You Ashamed of Jesus?

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 5/2

You talk about your favorite sports team to anybody who will listen. You talk about your favorite new restaurant to just about everyone. You talk about your favorite vacation spot with your co-workers. You talk about your favorite television program with your neighbors. You talk about your favorite musician with your buddies at the gym. You talk about your favorite author with your classmates. You talk about just about anyone and everything with your Facebook friends. But you don't dare talk about Jesus because - well - because?

DEVOTIONAL: THANKSGIVING IN MAY

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 5/1/2013

Ready for Thanksgiving? Get ready, get set, hey, wait a second. It's May! I'm going to make a bet with you. You've already thought about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving in November, anyway. And you've thought about this. Where you will spend it. Who will be there. What you will feel like without your loved one who passed away since last Thanksgiving. You have even thought about whether your daughter's new boyfriend will attend. You may have even started thinking about all this just after last Thanksgiving, or maybe even DURING last Thanksgiving. Am I right?

HELP WANTED: Senior Doggie's Daddy Went to Heaven

HELP WANTED!! 14-year-old BUSTER's human daddy WENT TO HEAVEN last week, and WALK BY FAITH MINISTRY has taken him under its wing. He has been a neighborhood doggie angel now for years, checking up on everyone and chasing cars as needed! His elderly, newly widowed "mommy" and his other human family are not in a position to help him with doggie doctor care. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP? Donations for Buster & Walk by Faith Ministry's other doggies & needs can be made by clicking on the DONATE button right on this website!!.

DONATIONS DESIRED.......!!

Two very special little girls who visited this past weekend with their family to pick up rescue doggie Lollypops to foster posed to remind everyone that WALK BY FAITH MINISTRY would be VERY GRATEFUL for DONATIONS & new monthly SPONSORS! Pretty picture, eh? Thank you so much for considering sowing your love, prayers, and financial seed into this ministry whose mission is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ while ministering the Lord's love to a world in need!

A VERY SPECIAL BLESSING.........

Blessings from the Lord come in all sorts of shapes, packages, surprises, wrappings, boxes, ways, means, sizes, colors, types, and more - and families! The Lord sent a very special family from Pennsylvania this past weekend to bless me and Walk by Faith Ministry.

The Corey family, who had fostered paralyzed Miss Molly before they handed her off to Walk by Faith Ministry some time ago, drove ALL the way down from PA to pick up Lollypops the doggie to foster & to take a little vacation. What a special family with a heart for the Lord - and plenty of energy, giggles, and joy. Mom might say a few challenges come along with family life, and Dad might say it's a bit challenging with a house full of girls and girl dogs, but their hearts and smiles are evidence enough that the Lord reigns in this family.

I thank God that He sent this family into my life - and heart!

WANTED: SOCIAL MEDIA VOLUNTEER

WANTED: SOCIAL MEDIA VOLUNTEER. Looking for someone ON FIRE for the Lord with STRONG social media experience who would LOVE to volunteer FOR HIS GLORY. Please contact me at love@walkbyfaithministry.com. God bless you!!!!!!!!!

DEVOTIONAL: No Parking in the Pew

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 4/29/13

No parking in the pew, buster. Get your rear end out of the pew, buddy. Move your butt out of the way, sister. You're breaking the law, kid. C'mon. Put the pedal to the metal. Ever heard of a fire lane? You're breaking the law, kid. Honk honk. I'm warning you. See the sign? NO PARKING IN THE PEW!

DEVOTIONAL: When God's Instructions are Not Enough

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 4/26/13

Have you ever had God tell you to do something only to find you come running back to Him to ask Him what to do? Not sure what I'm talking about? Let me give you an example. Today God told me to write. But instead of sitting down to write, I got in His face begging Him to tell me what to do. He had already given me instructions. But clearly God's instructions were not enough - not in my lack of humility and obedience anyway.

DEVOTIONAL: MY BRACES DIDN'T WORK

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 4/25/13

MY BRACES DIDN'T WORK

My braces didn't work. Just look at my teeth. They're all over the map - well, my mouth, that is. When I was a little girl, the dentist told me to sit in front of the television with my fingers pressed really hard on my front teeth to push them in. You can imagine how much good that did - aside from giving me some television time. Then, I actually cried when the orthodontist told me I needed "full mouth braces." Then came the headgear - OUCH! Talk about pain. Those were the days. The funny thing is, decades later now, I have started to think about those braces again - because of the spiritual lesson I have learned.

CAN ANYONE HELP ME?

I need help. Big help. Can you help me? 

I'm on a mission, a big one. And I am looking for some help to fulfill this mission. The Lord has called me and Walk by Faith Ministry to share the Gospel while ministering the Lord's love to a world in need - to people and to homeless dogs, with an emphasis on those in most dire need. It's a five-fold ministry; praying, preaching, writing/publishing, distributing the Lord's provisions to people in need, and helping homeless dogs.

From homeless people to paralyzed dogs, from the addicted, depressed, suicidal, lonely, hopeless, broken, forgotten, abandoned and rejected to the lost, directionless, down and out, and more, these are the ones I cross paths with and to whom I minister on a regular basis as my heart yearns more and more to spread the Gospel and help wherever and whenever I can.

I have a HUGE HEART, an enormous mission, and a relentless fire, passion, and dedication to loving and serving the Lord and those in need. But I could really use some HUGE HELP with prayers, donations, and other things as I move forward with this mission.

I have prayed, others have prayed, and I am WALKING BY FAITH that the Lord will provide the financial seed necessary as I continue to move forward with the mission He has given me.

I could really use help in the following ways:

1. Please Pray 
2. Please Donate
3. Please Become a Monthly Sponsor
4. Please Help Spread the Word
5. Please Post this on Your Facebook Page
6. Please Send this to Your E-Mail List
7. Please Consider Non-Monetary Donations Also
8. Please Tell Your Friends, Families, and Co-Workers
9. Please Stand with Me in Faith as I Continue a Life Dedicated to the Lord 

To learn more about me, my heart, and Walk by Faith Ministry, please look around Walk by Faith Ministry's website at http://www.walkbyfaithministry.com, please call me at 843-338-2219, or please e-mail me at love@walkbyfaithministry.com.

If you are interested in becoming a monthly sponsor, please contact me and I will send you simple instructions on how to sign up.

From the bottom of my heart, which is so overflowing with the love of the Lord, THANK YOU!

- Lara Love, servant
Walk by Faith Ministry

DEVOTIONAL: FAST FOOD JESUS

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 4/24

"Double burger, Jesus shake, two fries, oh yeah, to go please. Thanks. Sorry, what's that you say? I've got my earpiece in. Was listening to my call. No, didn't see that on the menu. Was reading a text, too busy. No, I said a Jesus shake. For heaven's sake, five bucks? Man, prices have gone up." Fast food Jesus anyone?

DEVOTIONAL: PUMP UP THE VOLUME OF GOD

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 4/23

When the voices of the world get louder, it's time to pump up the volume - of God. Anyone remember the song, "Pump up the Volume" from decades ago? I do. That was back in the day I was more interested in alcohol and men than anything - even the Ivy League education in which I was so blessedly immersed. Of course, my entire focus was on pumping up the volume of the world's voices - and increasing my access to worldly pleasures and treasures. Not so anymore. When the voices come louder than ever, which they certainly have of late, I know exactly what I need, and want, to do. I want to PUMP UP THE VOLUME of the Lord's voice. But how so?

Let me put it this way. If you want louder music, what do you do? Turn it up, right? So how do I turn up the voice of the Lord? I seek His face more, I cry out to Him more, I pray more, I hunger for Him more, I desire His presence more, I think about Him more, I spend more time in His Word, and I try harder to listen and to hear Him.

What are you doing to pump up the volume of the Lord?

DEVOTIONAL: Out-of-the-Box COMPASSION

WALK BY FAITH DEVOTIONAL - 4/22

Boxes. Lots of boxes. All sizes. Big boxes. Little ones. Huge ones. Stacks of boxes. Some boxes over there. Some lone to the side. Mountains of boxes. Hills too. Moving boxes. Old boxes. New ones. Passed-around boxes. Endless boxes. Grocery store boxes. Shipped boxes. Never-been-shipped ones. Boxes with tracking numbers. Countless boxes. Boxes of compassion. Empty boxes. Filled boxes. Jammed-packed boxes. Poorly packed ones. Waiting boxes. So many boxes. Boxes of compassion. Compassion that so often stays where it is comfortable, safe, secure, familiar. Anyone ever heard of out-of-the-box compassion? Me neither. The words came to me after a story a friend shared with me today.