I am inspired by faith, motherhood, self-discovery, marketing, sports and most things that challenge my thinking.

Have you ever been in church and felt that the sermon was customized specifically for you and your current situation??? I felt that way today, on this first Sunday of the New Year. Since the back half of last year, I've been visiting churches in the area in an attempt to find a church home. I think that the church I attended today may be a good fit. The pastor is an amazing expositor of the Bible and he's more of a teacher as opposed to a 'hooping and hollering' preacher! I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with 'hooping and hollering' because it brings some much needed entertainment at times!

At any rate, the pastor based his sermon (the first of a new series) on James 1:1-4 and it focused on "Getting Back to Biblical Basics" by learning to handle trouble. He explained the differences between being tested vs. tempted. He also spoke about the Greek word 'peirasmos' which refers to trials and temptations that all people are faced with.

Moral of the story: Whether tested or tempted, we are responsible for our conduct. Simple, right? No so much! When we are tested, God shows us our limitations, its not always easy to do the right thing!

I'm looking forward to further Biblical exegesis of the Book of James.