It has been a long time since I have posted. It has been a tough few months. It has taken all my time and energy to survive. You know what I am talking about. I know you have been there. Only God's grace and mercy has brought me through.
Now, I know you are curious about the title of this post. I have two forms of therapy that are very useful to me when I am feeling like a failure as a mom or a housekeeper (which has been quite a bit lately). This is very spiritual so listen closely. As I heard on some commercial, I hope you have an unbrella cause it is about to rain some cold, hard facts up in here. When I begin to think that I am a terrible mom, I watch "Toddlers & Tiaras" or "Dance Moms". When I begin to feel like a failure at keeping a moderately cleanish house, I watch "Hoarders". Afterwards, I feel refreshed and encouraged. Everything is not relative, but if it were, I could watch these shows and walk away feeling like a cross between Ruth Graham and Martha Stewart. Of course, it doesn't take long for me to fall (literally) off of that pedestal.
Anyway, if you have ever watched "Toddlers & Tiaras", you have heard that phrase shouted a million times - "Work It Out, Girl !". It is shouted by a worldly, mis-guided, prideful mother to the selfish, conceited, but beautiful brat that she created who is on stage. The phrase is an order.....encouragement for her daughter to shake her hiney, display as many of her fake teeth as possible, and to flirt with the judges. It is hilarious and yet tragically sad that these are real people.
That phrase made me think of some verses. Philippians 2:12b-13 says "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose". Verse 14 is a whole different blog. Verse 12 is not saying that we work to earn our salvation. It is a free gift. There is nothing we can do to earn it. It is totally a God-thing. I love the way my favorite preacher explained it. "Let what is inside of you work it's way to the outside". In fact, if the Holy Spirit is living inside of you, then He will work His way to the outside. People will see by the way you talk, live, love, and serve. Too often, though, we get so wrapped up in things that have no eternal value that we do not consciously work out our salvation. It is tragic to see women who are so wrapped up in how they look, what kind of car they drive, the house they live in and how it is decorated, how their children are dressed, what everyone thinks about them that they don't seem to give any time or even any thought to growing in their walk with God, ministering to other people, giving to those who need it instead of spending extra money on a nicer car or more things, and on and on.
I am not saying I've got it all together. I challenge myself in this area as I challenge you and when I say this, rest assured that I am not telling you to have pretty feet and flash your flipper.
Work It Out, Girl ! Work out your salvation. Let everyone see it and want what you have.
Fam
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
A Good Man
I would like to share an unbelievable excerpt from a book by Charles Spurgeon. This is from the devotion for last Saturday, June 18th. "Is it a day of sorrow with us? Let us expect to see the Lord gloried in our deliverance. Are we drawn out in fervent prayer? Do we cry day and night unto Him? Then the time for His grace is near. God will lift up Himself at the right season. He will arise when it will be most for the display of His glory. We wish for His glory more than we long for our own deliverance. Let the Lord be exalted, and our chief desire obtained."
That's amazing that Spurgeon wrote that on June 18th many, many years ago. How did he know what that day would hold in 2011?......God knew. Saturday, June 18th, was the day God chose to have a very special homecoming. It was the day that Bill Farris, my father-in-law, stepped from a life of sanctification to glorification. He went from years of faith to instant sight. He saw Jesus, His Savior, face to face. This makes me want to shout. I must admit it makes me a little jealous, but it won't be long at all until we will see him again.
I am rejoicing for Bill, but my heart breaks for his beautiful wife. She has been with Bill for so long that I am sure she can't remember what pre-Bill life was like. She will miss the things he does around their home. She will miss looking out the window and seeing him mowing, raking, picking up sticks....and twigs, edging, mowing, raking, sweeping, picking up sticks.....you get the idea.......he loved to work in his yard. She will even miss him picking at her (saying things without cracking a smile leaving her to try and figure out if he was kidding or not). My heart also breaks for three little boys that are going to miss their dad. They are all grown now, but I saw the little boys in them that weren't ready to let go of their dad today. My heart breaks for us daughter-in-laws who feel like we have lost a dad. My heart breaks for the grandkids. He loved them all and was a GREAT granddad.
I stood for 2 and a half hours today, shook hands, hugged necks, and listened to story after story about Bill. Many of them had played ball under Bill. I heard them all agree that he was a great coach. Many worked with him. Many went to church with him. But over and over I heard them say, "He was a good man." I have been thinking about that. These were people who had been touched by Bill at different times throughout his long life. From those who played ball with him all the way up to those who go to church with him now - they all agreed. "He was a good man."
We touch alot of people in our lives. Touching is not always a good thing. Sometimes, if you asked the people we work with to describe us, along with the people we go to church with, and the people in our home who know us the best, you would get a different description from each one. That is a sign that we are not living a life of truth. We pretend to be something we are not. Unfortunately, it is usually the people closest to us that see the real us. But if all those people describe us the same way (hopefully a good way), then we can look at that description and see a true picture of ourselves. That might be a scary thought for you.
When I get to the end of my life, I don't really care how much I have accomplished. I don't care how much money I have. First of all, I want my Lord to be pleased. I want to step out of this life and into the next straight into the presence of Jesus - and see Him smile. Can you imagine hearing Him say "Well done, my good and faithful servant." Second, I want to have left behind a testimony that points others to Him. Not a testimony of wavering, but of being faithful. I don't really want people to say I was great, I want them to say "Her God is great!"
Bill had that kind of testimony. He was rock solid throughout his life. He raised three amazing sons that Vivian, Joye, and I are very thankful for. I watched Doug get up at the funeral and share with a ton a people what God had laid on his heart to share. I could tell that it was a struggle for him to get every word out without breaking down. It wasn't easy, but he did it out of obedience to God and as something he could do for his dad after all his dad has done for him.
Thank you, God, for the gift of Bill to Julie, Kent, Hank, and Doug. Thank you so much for allowing me the privilege of being a part of this family. Tell Bill that we love him and miss him but we are going to be OK. Tell him to enjoy the party and we will see him soon.
A Good Man.
That's amazing that Spurgeon wrote that on June 18th many, many years ago. How did he know what that day would hold in 2011?......God knew. Saturday, June 18th, was the day God chose to have a very special homecoming. It was the day that Bill Farris, my father-in-law, stepped from a life of sanctification to glorification. He went from years of faith to instant sight. He saw Jesus, His Savior, face to face. This makes me want to shout. I must admit it makes me a little jealous, but it won't be long at all until we will see him again.
I am rejoicing for Bill, but my heart breaks for his beautiful wife. She has been with Bill for so long that I am sure she can't remember what pre-Bill life was like. She will miss the things he does around their home. She will miss looking out the window and seeing him mowing, raking, picking up sticks....and twigs, edging, mowing, raking, sweeping, picking up sticks.....you get the idea.......he loved to work in his yard. She will even miss him picking at her (saying things without cracking a smile leaving her to try and figure out if he was kidding or not). My heart also breaks for three little boys that are going to miss their dad. They are all grown now, but I saw the little boys in them that weren't ready to let go of their dad today. My heart breaks for us daughter-in-laws who feel like we have lost a dad. My heart breaks for the grandkids. He loved them all and was a GREAT granddad.
I stood for 2 and a half hours today, shook hands, hugged necks, and listened to story after story about Bill. Many of them had played ball under Bill. I heard them all agree that he was a great coach. Many worked with him. Many went to church with him. But over and over I heard them say, "He was a good man." I have been thinking about that. These were people who had been touched by Bill at different times throughout his long life. From those who played ball with him all the way up to those who go to church with him now - they all agreed. "He was a good man."
We touch alot of people in our lives. Touching is not always a good thing. Sometimes, if you asked the people we work with to describe us, along with the people we go to church with, and the people in our home who know us the best, you would get a different description from each one. That is a sign that we are not living a life of truth. We pretend to be something we are not. Unfortunately, it is usually the people closest to us that see the real us. But if all those people describe us the same way (hopefully a good way), then we can look at that description and see a true picture of ourselves. That might be a scary thought for you.
When I get to the end of my life, I don't really care how much I have accomplished. I don't care how much money I have. First of all, I want my Lord to be pleased. I want to step out of this life and into the next straight into the presence of Jesus - and see Him smile. Can you imagine hearing Him say "Well done, my good and faithful servant." Second, I want to have left behind a testimony that points others to Him. Not a testimony of wavering, but of being faithful. I don't really want people to say I was great, I want them to say "Her God is great!"
Bill had that kind of testimony. He was rock solid throughout his life. He raised three amazing sons that Vivian, Joye, and I are very thankful for. I watched Doug get up at the funeral and share with a ton a people what God had laid on his heart to share. I could tell that it was a struggle for him to get every word out without breaking down. It wasn't easy, but he did it out of obedience to God and as something he could do for his dad after all his dad has done for him.
Thank you, God, for the gift of Bill to Julie, Kent, Hank, and Doug. Thank you so much for allowing me the privilege of being a part of this family. Tell Bill that we love him and miss him but we are going to be OK. Tell him to enjoy the party and we will see him soon.
A Good Man.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Luxury of Misery
It has been quite awhile since I posted. So much has happened. Our state was devastated by tornadoes on April 27th. I can not even put into words what it has been like. The testimonies have been unbelievable. You are able to see exactly what it is like to go through this type of tragedy with or without God. On the same news report, I would see one person who was distraught and without hope because they had lost everything and another person who said they had God and that was all they needed. God has used this to glorify Himself in so many ways. He has also taught the people of this state what it means to love your neighbor. Everyone has come together to pray, work, and give to those effected directly by the storms. I have a trunk full of Bibles right now. A group of us hope to be able to go into some of the hard hit areas close by and just allow God to use us how He wants to. Whether it be to listen, pray with someone, share the gospel, cry with them, hug them - we just want to be a glove on God's hand. We will give a Bible to anyone who lost their's or has never had one.
New subject: I would like to share a little of the latest thing that God has slapped me across the head with. If you know me or have been reading my blog, you know that God generally has to deal with me in that way. I don't think I have ever learned a lesson the easy way in my entire life. Several days ago I was reading from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. It was a gift from my sweet mother-in-law, Julie, for Christmas in 1986 (about a month before I was saved). May I say that there are days that I read Oswald and I just sit there with my mouth open. "Whaaaat does that mean??" I am not the sharpest tool in the shed. Sometimes I wish he would dumb it down for me a little, because the days that I understand are awesome. Ha. Let me quote a small section for you that talks about self-pity.
"We think it a sign of real modesty to say at the end of a day - "Oh, well, I have just got through, but it has been a severe tussle." - And all the Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will tax the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will obey Him. What does it matter if external circumstances are hard? Why should they not be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we banish God's riches from our own lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it obliterates God and puts self-interest upon the throne. It opens our mouths to spit out murmurings and our lives become craving spiritual sponges, there is nothing lovely or generous about them."
Whoa! - the luxury of misery. I see people everyday who are miserable and they don't want to be any other way. They love to wallow in their misery. They love the pity of others. I realized that even though I don't try and make people feel sorry for me, I do have my own little private pity parties. It is private because nobody shows up to party with me. I never thought about how my talking or thinking about what a rough week I have had is as if I am saying that God was not enough to get me through it victoriously. "Well, I survived, but barely." When I feel sorry for myself because of my MS and the things I can't do, I am in essence questioning God for allowing this to come into my life. I am showing a lack of faith. I am saying that all that God does through me and in me is not enough. He IS enough!! I asked for forgiveness then I asked God to show me everytime I was beginning to start the party preparations. I want Him to yell at me when I begin to get out the streamers and the balloons. I want Him to make me aware of where my mind is headed because I don't want to let anyone be able to look at my life and think that God is not enough - that He somehow didn't come through for me - that they need to pity me. I want people to look at me and see Jesus.
BTW, don't watch your mailbox for an invitation. No more pity parties for me.
New subject: I would like to share a little of the latest thing that God has slapped me across the head with. If you know me or have been reading my blog, you know that God generally has to deal with me in that way. I don't think I have ever learned a lesson the easy way in my entire life. Several days ago I was reading from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. It was a gift from my sweet mother-in-law, Julie, for Christmas in 1986 (about a month before I was saved). May I say that there are days that I read Oswald and I just sit there with my mouth open. "Whaaaat does that mean??" I am not the sharpest tool in the shed. Sometimes I wish he would dumb it down for me a little, because the days that I understand are awesome. Ha. Let me quote a small section for you that talks about self-pity.
"We think it a sign of real modesty to say at the end of a day - "Oh, well, I have just got through, but it has been a severe tussle." - And all the Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will tax the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will obey Him. What does it matter if external circumstances are hard? Why should they not be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we banish God's riches from our own lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it obliterates God and puts self-interest upon the throne. It opens our mouths to spit out murmurings and our lives become craving spiritual sponges, there is nothing lovely or generous about them."
Whoa! - the luxury of misery. I see people everyday who are miserable and they don't want to be any other way. They love to wallow in their misery. They love the pity of others. I realized that even though I don't try and make people feel sorry for me, I do have my own little private pity parties. It is private because nobody shows up to party with me. I never thought about how my talking or thinking about what a rough week I have had is as if I am saying that God was not enough to get me through it victoriously. "Well, I survived, but barely." When I feel sorry for myself because of my MS and the things I can't do, I am in essence questioning God for allowing this to come into my life. I am showing a lack of faith. I am saying that all that God does through me and in me is not enough. He IS enough!! I asked for forgiveness then I asked God to show me everytime I was beginning to start the party preparations. I want Him to yell at me when I begin to get out the streamers and the balloons. I want Him to make me aware of where my mind is headed because I don't want to let anyone be able to look at my life and think that God is not enough - that He somehow didn't come through for me - that they need to pity me. I want people to look at me and see Jesus.
BTW, don't watch your mailbox for an invitation. No more pity parties for me.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Guide Called Pride
One of my classes is studying Philippians. I love, love Philippians. Actually, I realized that I love the part of Philippians that is joyful and encouraging. Come to think of it, I guess that is my attitude toward most of God's Word. Not that I don't love it all, I do because I love Him. I know that He is perfect and good and so is His Word. But when it comes to applying His Word, some parts are definitely easier and more fun than others. When I begin to think that way, God brings me back to the realization that it is not about me. It is not about what is fun or easy. My life is all about bringing Him glory. One of the ways I do that is by being obedient to what He tells me to do or not to do in His Word. Of course, that is impossible for me. But when I am yielded to Him, He does the work through me. I can't obey or have faith or anything without Him doing it through me.
So many times, when reading the Bible, we skim over parts that we have heard alot. A while back, God impressed upon me to read and study the Bible as if I had never read or heard it before. That has been life-changing. Back to Philippians - we are in Chapter 2 this week. I decided to memorize verse 3. "When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourself." NCV. Read that again. Wow! "When you do things" - uh, that pretty much includes everything we do. The NIV says "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit". So for starters, this verse is going to tell us what kind of attitude we need to have and not have when we do anything. Work? Taking care of our children? Dealing with our husband?......did I say "dealing", I meant to say "enjoying". Church? How we treat people who are not easy to love or easy to get along with or just plain get on our nerves? Yep, all of these.
Next it tells us to not let selfishness or pride be our guide. When doing the easy, fun parts of our day or when doing the very difficult parts of our day, we are to make sure that we are not guided by selfishness or pride. I began to think about times that I get angry or upset in different situations. There always seemed to be a way to justify my thoughts or actions, but when it comes down to it, every situation was handled in a wrong way because I was either being selfish or prideful - every time. God tells us to die to our self, not pamper it and make sure that it is treated the right way.
Then He tells us to be humble. Humility comes when we see who God really is and then see ourselves in comparison. The God of the universe compared to an ant. Being in God's presence will make us humble. It is the opposite of pride which is all about me. Once we have an attitude of humility, we are able to give more honor to others than to ourselves. Our natural response is to take care of number one. Don't let anyone tell you what to do. Don't allow anyone to treat you in a way that you don't deserve. Draw the attention to yourself. Complain when things aren't going your way. That is not the kind of life that brings glory to God though. Again it involves dying to our own desires, rights, and will.
When you really meditate on this verse for awhile and look at your life, you will probably find that you don't measure up. I certainly don't. Really, how many people do you know that live like that? How many people have you known in your life who live like that? I know a few now. I have known some in my life. It sounds impossible. It is. But with God all things are possible. If He has told us to live this way, then He expects us to. All we have to do is completely surrender to Him and allow Him to live this life through us. I wrote this verse on several different cards so I could read it over and over throughout the day. My prayer is that God will etch it into my mind and heart so that when I start to think or act in a way that doesn't line up with this verse, I will stop and think. Hopefully, I will make the right choice and let God live this verse through me.
Can you imagine what a different world we would live in if every Christian walked this verse out? God help us to bring You glory.
So many times, when reading the Bible, we skim over parts that we have heard alot. A while back, God impressed upon me to read and study the Bible as if I had never read or heard it before. That has been life-changing. Back to Philippians - we are in Chapter 2 this week. I decided to memorize verse 3. "When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourself." NCV. Read that again. Wow! "When you do things" - uh, that pretty much includes everything we do. The NIV says "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit". So for starters, this verse is going to tell us what kind of attitude we need to have and not have when we do anything. Work? Taking care of our children? Dealing with our husband?......did I say "dealing", I meant to say "enjoying". Church? How we treat people who are not easy to love or easy to get along with or just plain get on our nerves? Yep, all of these.
Next it tells us to not let selfishness or pride be our guide. When doing the easy, fun parts of our day or when doing the very difficult parts of our day, we are to make sure that we are not guided by selfishness or pride. I began to think about times that I get angry or upset in different situations. There always seemed to be a way to justify my thoughts or actions, but when it comes down to it, every situation was handled in a wrong way because I was either being selfish or prideful - every time. God tells us to die to our self, not pamper it and make sure that it is treated the right way.
Then He tells us to be humble. Humility comes when we see who God really is and then see ourselves in comparison. The God of the universe compared to an ant. Being in God's presence will make us humble. It is the opposite of pride which is all about me. Once we have an attitude of humility, we are able to give more honor to others than to ourselves. Our natural response is to take care of number one. Don't let anyone tell you what to do. Don't allow anyone to treat you in a way that you don't deserve. Draw the attention to yourself. Complain when things aren't going your way. That is not the kind of life that brings glory to God though. Again it involves dying to our own desires, rights, and will.
When you really meditate on this verse for awhile and look at your life, you will probably find that you don't measure up. I certainly don't. Really, how many people do you know that live like that? How many people have you known in your life who live like that? I know a few now. I have known some in my life. It sounds impossible. It is. But with God all things are possible. If He has told us to live this way, then He expects us to. All we have to do is completely surrender to Him and allow Him to live this life through us. I wrote this verse on several different cards so I could read it over and over throughout the day. My prayer is that God will etch it into my mind and heart so that when I start to think or act in a way that doesn't line up with this verse, I will stop and think. Hopefully, I will make the right choice and let God live this verse through me.
Can you imagine what a different world we would live in if every Christian walked this verse out? God help us to bring You glory.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
But You Don't Know What They Did
The past week or so, I have heard so many different people talk about being angry, bitter, unwilling to forgive, etc. Every person I listened to was able to completely justify their anger. Sometimes I heard this from people that I know well - other times from strangers. I was fortunate enough to hear one lady's entire life story (or at least the part that explains why she despises her ex) while waiting in the pharmacy line at Wal-Mart. She was talking on her cell phone. Her two children heard every word of it. That has me thinking, praying and reading about bitterness and holding a grudge. There are just as many angry, embittered people who profess to be Christians. If you were to ask them "According to the Bible, is it wrong to be bitter, hold a grudge, remain angry with a person?" They would probably say, "Yes, BUT you don't know my situation". No, I don't but God does and He says "But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him....put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do." Col. 3:8-10,12-13. When we were saved, we died to our old man. Christ made us a brand new person. From that point on, our desire is to please and obey Him. Do we do it perfectly? No. It is a life-long growth process, but we long for that growth. You may not have had anyone show you how to get into the Word, but all you really need is the Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You don't have to look far for Him. He came to live inside of you when you gave your life to Him. We are without excuse. We cannot say that we are angry and bitter because of what someone else did to us. God will not accept your excuses. The only thing you will answer for is your reaction. We cannot say we didn't know that the Bible said that. Does God really expect us to forgive the way Christ forgave us? Yes. Can we really live a life like that? No, but Christ can live it through us. So, if you are trying to live your life with your heart filled with bitterness or unforgiveness, you will be miserable and God will not use you. He will do His work in spite of you, but you will be spinning your wheels and wasting your life. What is the root of your bitterness? Selfishness and pride. Think about it. They hurt me or mine. God tells us very plainly that we are to die to ourselves. In order for Him to live through us, we must choose to die to our own desires and our own rights. In our anger, we say "I have a right to be treated a certain way" or "they had no right". If Christ is in control of your life, you have no rights. It is all about Him. What then? 1/Is God really in control of your life? If you are not completely different, a new person, then you would need to start here - on your knees seeking God. 2/If you have established that you are saved, but just living far beneath what He has for you - that you are living a life of sin, you need to confess your sin and turn from it. Give Christ the throne of your life. As long as you are holding a grudge, you are the one on the throne because that is not how God does things 3/If God tells you to make things right with someone, OBEY 4/ Start right now getting in the Word. Find out how He wants you to live. Walk every day controlled by the Holy Spirit. When you mess up - confess and turn control back over to Him. I know this is a pretty tough post, but I am just so saddened to see so many Christians living so far beneath what God has for them. He tells us we are to deny ourselves, yet we pet, pamper, defend, and fight for ourselves. Life is short. Don't you want Him to be able to use you to make a real difference that will be an eternal one? You will stand before Him one day. If it was today, would you hear "Well done" or would you find yourself trying to come up with excuses for the way you are living your life. Give Him control and start to really live life. You will find freedom, joy, and peace that is beyond anything you could have imagined. I don't know about you but I will trade my rights for those things any day. Then to have Him use me for His kingdom work - there is no greater joy.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Preach it !
I understand the Scriptural teaching on authority in the church and in the home. Therefore, I will never pastor a church. In fact, my son says I shouldn't even be speaking in church. Ha! Yeah, we all know that will never happen. But since the word preach actually means proclaim, I have been accused of doing quite a bit of preaching. In fact, one of the things I preach to my ladies the most is that they need to be proclaiming Jesus, what He has done in their lives, and what He can do in other people's lives.
Most of us are talkers (some more than others). According to my niece, Tara, I talk to random strangers in the most unusual places. According to my daughter, Hannah, I cannot simply go into and out of a store without making a new friend. Last week, Hannah and I went in Hobby Lobby while David waited in the car. I said "This won't take long. We will just run in and out." About 30 minutes later, I hear Hannah on her cell phone talking to David. She is saying: "Guess what she is doing. Yep, making a new friend. Now they are exchanging contact info. They are going to be Facebook friends." When Tara was growing up she was afraid to go to the mall with me because I would embarass her. For some people, talking to others especially strangers is not natural or easy. Whichever kind of personality you have, the mission is still the same. In fact, God gets more glory when a shy person speaks up because that is proof that He is the one speaking.
I have felt such joy the past week as I have heard several of my ladies (they are not mine - they are God's; I just have to call them something.) share how they have been obedient when God told them to preach it (proclaim Him). One is in a southern gospel group. God used her to minister to a lady. She listened and then prayed for her. She let God speak through her and may never know what an impact that had in that woman's life. Another was driving down our street and hit a woman's mailbox. She stopped to check the damage and knocked on the woman's door. She spoke with the woman for awhile and was invited to stop by anytime and visit. My friend lost a daughter several years ago - when I told her that the woman who lives in that house also lost a daughter, everyone in our group got goosebumps. I promise I am not making this up. Another dear friend was visited by a person who is a member of a cult. She invited the lady inside. The poor woman had knocked on her door while she was in the middle of her quiet time. Ha! I love to watch God at work. She shared Jesus with her. When you are walking daily, closely with Jesus, these types of things will happen all the time. He will begin to show you all the many opportunities you have in your everyday life to preach it. The fear that you may have expected just doesn't happen. It is a natural process. You love God; you have experienced Him in your life; you are filled and controlled by His Spirit. In obedience, you open your mouth and He does the talking. When I share Jesus with someone or share with a group or teach, inevitably I walk away having no idea what I said. If I do know, that probably means that I was the one doing the talking not Him.
The first step in being able to preach it is to get to know God on a very personal, intimate basis. That takes some discipline, but very soon you become hungry to know Him more and more. Once you experience Him speaking to you through His Word, there is no going back. The next step is to get out of your "me box". If we don't have our focus where it should be at the beginning of each day, the natural (fleshly) thing to do is to go through our day with our focus on ourself, our family, our job, our problems, our list of things to do, etc. Those things are important when kept in perspective. We need to walk through our day controlled by God. We do and say what He wants us to. We don't say and don't do what He tells us not to say and do. When that relationship is where it should be, the result is an overflow of Him. Remember that amazing hymn - "Make Me a Channel of Blessing"? We become a channel of Jesus. It is no longer nerve-wracking or even a conscious thing. We just proclaim it. Sometimes only sowing a seed. Sometimes having the mind-blowing honor and joy of leading someone to be reconciled to God.
So, think back over this past week. What have you been talking about? Maybe you are in a very, very difficult situation. Preach Him! Maybe you don't like your job. Preach Him! Maybe you are a very shy person. Preach Him! Maybe you don't know all the answers. He does. Preach Him! Whatever situation you find yourself in, God will give you opportunities to talk about Him. Preach it!
Most of us are talkers (some more than others). According to my niece, Tara, I talk to random strangers in the most unusual places. According to my daughter, Hannah, I cannot simply go into and out of a store without making a new friend. Last week, Hannah and I went in Hobby Lobby while David waited in the car. I said "This won't take long. We will just run in and out." About 30 minutes later, I hear Hannah on her cell phone talking to David. She is saying: "Guess what she is doing. Yep, making a new friend. Now they are exchanging contact info. They are going to be Facebook friends." When Tara was growing up she was afraid to go to the mall with me because I would embarass her. For some people, talking to others especially strangers is not natural or easy. Whichever kind of personality you have, the mission is still the same. In fact, God gets more glory when a shy person speaks up because that is proof that He is the one speaking.
I have felt such joy the past week as I have heard several of my ladies (they are not mine - they are God's; I just have to call them something.) share how they have been obedient when God told them to preach it (proclaim Him). One is in a southern gospel group. God used her to minister to a lady. She listened and then prayed for her. She let God speak through her and may never know what an impact that had in that woman's life. Another was driving down our street and hit a woman's mailbox. She stopped to check the damage and knocked on the woman's door. She spoke with the woman for awhile and was invited to stop by anytime and visit. My friend lost a daughter several years ago - when I told her that the woman who lives in that house also lost a daughter, everyone in our group got goosebumps. I promise I am not making this up. Another dear friend was visited by a person who is a member of a cult. She invited the lady inside. The poor woman had knocked on her door while she was in the middle of her quiet time. Ha! I love to watch God at work. She shared Jesus with her. When you are walking daily, closely with Jesus, these types of things will happen all the time. He will begin to show you all the many opportunities you have in your everyday life to preach it. The fear that you may have expected just doesn't happen. It is a natural process. You love God; you have experienced Him in your life; you are filled and controlled by His Spirit. In obedience, you open your mouth and He does the talking. When I share Jesus with someone or share with a group or teach, inevitably I walk away having no idea what I said. If I do know, that probably means that I was the one doing the talking not Him.
The first step in being able to preach it is to get to know God on a very personal, intimate basis. That takes some discipline, but very soon you become hungry to know Him more and more. Once you experience Him speaking to you through His Word, there is no going back. The next step is to get out of your "me box". If we don't have our focus where it should be at the beginning of each day, the natural (fleshly) thing to do is to go through our day with our focus on ourself, our family, our job, our problems, our list of things to do, etc. Those things are important when kept in perspective. We need to walk through our day controlled by God. We do and say what He wants us to. We don't say and don't do what He tells us not to say and do. When that relationship is where it should be, the result is an overflow of Him. Remember that amazing hymn - "Make Me a Channel of Blessing"? We become a channel of Jesus. It is no longer nerve-wracking or even a conscious thing. We just proclaim it. Sometimes only sowing a seed. Sometimes having the mind-blowing honor and joy of leading someone to be reconciled to God.
So, think back over this past week. What have you been talking about? Maybe you are in a very, very difficult situation. Preach Him! Maybe you don't like your job. Preach Him! Maybe you are a very shy person. Preach Him! Maybe you don't know all the answers. He does. Preach Him! Whatever situation you find yourself in, God will give you opportunities to talk about Him. Preach it!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Dancing In The Rain
I told you that I would give you more details about the retreat that God is putting together called "Dancing In The Rain". We are close enough to having everything in place to get started that I felt like it is time to let you know more about it. This is something that God put on my heart at least a year ago, maybe longer. I just started to write down verses that I came across that talked about joy. It is amazing how often joy is mentioned in the Bible, yet we see so little of it lived out. I am not talking about happiness - that comes when everything in your life is going well. Then when things aren't going well, you may experience hopelessness, anger, depression... I knew that the joy in the Bible is not like that at all. I have seen it lived out in certain people's lives over the years. Probably even now, someone's name is popping into your mind. They are like a magnet. You want to spend time with them. You want to be like them. Even when they go through really tough times, even through tears you can see Jesus on their face. I will never forget seeing one of these precious few at the funeral of her husband. She had tears rolling down her face and yet she was still smiling and encouraging other people. It wasn't a fake, painted on smile. It was just the sweet, crazy peace of Jesus coming out. You know, whatever is on the inside will come out. Unfortunately, very few people live lives of true joy. The majority of Christians live their life as if they are on a roller coaster. I saw this joy lived out in my mentor many years ago. From that time on, I prayed that God would make me into that kind of person. Seeing as I have never in my life learned a lesson the easy way - God has had to take me through the fire time after time to get me to a place in my life where my joy is not based on my circumstances. I am not perfect in this area by any means, but He has taught me how to get there. I have had MS for 11 1/2 years. I realize that God has to keep me in a 24/7 trial so that I will be dependant on Him and desperate for Him. I feel like He wants me to share what He has taught me about joy.
God brought a very special lady into my life several years ago. Tonya has a voice like an angel and she is the mother of 2 sweet boys with hydrocephelus. She has a husband and teenage son that help her, but she also lives in a 24/7 trial. She has grown by leaps and bounds the past year. God made it clear to me several months ago that she was who He wanted to be a part of this. I told her that we had to be living it before we could teach it.
It has been amazing how God has put all of the pieces together just like a puzzle. I had journals I had written on planes, sticky notes, and all different kinds of little puzzle pieces. As I sit down to work on it and start typing, God just seems to pull it all together. I know it is from Him. This is His thing. Our main prayer is that we stay out of the way and just let Him work. Tonya will be doing the worship and some other songs. She will also share her testimony. She is in the process of praying over many different songs to be sure she has the ones God wants in there.
We will have things together and be ready to get started in June if we are able to continue on the schedule we have been on. Only God knows what tomorrow holds. Tonya's son, Brandon, had a really bad seizure a couple of months ago. He was in ICU for awhile. He has continued to have them since then. I have had a really rough year with my MS. I am improving, but every day is a surprise. I guess that is a plus with MS - I never know what to expect. Ha! Needless to say, when these retreats happen, they will be all God. He will have to give us the strength, words, everything. We wouldn't want it any other way. That is what joy comes down to - a relationship with God where He is on the throne of your life and you are on the cross.
If I had the ability to write, I could write a 2-volume book on what God has taught me in my life. Again, most of those lessons were learned the hard way. I have gone through some pretty difficult things and I wouldn't trade a single one for the walk I have right now with Him. There is no greater joy than walking daily with Him and being used by Him. Can you imagine that the God of the universe chooses to use us to do His kingdom work? That blows my mind.
So there is a little summary of "Dancing in The Rain". I ask that you pray for Tonya and I. Pray mostly that we will be right where God wants us to be daily, that we will walk the way He wants us to, that we will grow more like Him every day, and that we will be useful vessels. After that, please pray for us and our families. We have already seen that satan doesn't want this to happen. But our God is soooooo much bigger than anything. If you don't have this kind of joy, get in the Word and seek God until you get there. The journey is amazing!
God brought a very special lady into my life several years ago. Tonya has a voice like an angel and she is the mother of 2 sweet boys with hydrocephelus. She has a husband and teenage son that help her, but she also lives in a 24/7 trial. She has grown by leaps and bounds the past year. God made it clear to me several months ago that she was who He wanted to be a part of this. I told her that we had to be living it before we could teach it.
It has been amazing how God has put all of the pieces together just like a puzzle. I had journals I had written on planes, sticky notes, and all different kinds of little puzzle pieces. As I sit down to work on it and start typing, God just seems to pull it all together. I know it is from Him. This is His thing. Our main prayer is that we stay out of the way and just let Him work. Tonya will be doing the worship and some other songs. She will also share her testimony. She is in the process of praying over many different songs to be sure she has the ones God wants in there.
We will have things together and be ready to get started in June if we are able to continue on the schedule we have been on. Only God knows what tomorrow holds. Tonya's son, Brandon, had a really bad seizure a couple of months ago. He was in ICU for awhile. He has continued to have them since then. I have had a really rough year with my MS. I am improving, but every day is a surprise. I guess that is a plus with MS - I never know what to expect. Ha! Needless to say, when these retreats happen, they will be all God. He will have to give us the strength, words, everything. We wouldn't want it any other way. That is what joy comes down to - a relationship with God where He is on the throne of your life and you are on the cross.
If I had the ability to write, I could write a 2-volume book on what God has taught me in my life. Again, most of those lessons were learned the hard way. I have gone through some pretty difficult things and I wouldn't trade a single one for the walk I have right now with Him. There is no greater joy than walking daily with Him and being used by Him. Can you imagine that the God of the universe chooses to use us to do His kingdom work? That blows my mind.
So there is a little summary of "Dancing in The Rain". I ask that you pray for Tonya and I. Pray mostly that we will be right where God wants us to be daily, that we will walk the way He wants us to, that we will grow more like Him every day, and that we will be useful vessels. After that, please pray for us and our families. We have already seen that satan doesn't want this to happen. But our God is soooooo much bigger than anything. If you don't have this kind of joy, get in the Word and seek God until you get there. The journey is amazing!
Monday, March 21, 2011
It Must Come Out
I just wanted to make a quick post. I know what you are thinking....."That is not going to happen". Well, it is. We had an awesome weekend. We had the Deep South Quartet Convention at our church. It was just amazing. I cannot even start to explain it. I think you can still see it at www.dsqc.org.
I heard 3 different people share the exact same thing within 2 days of each other. I felt it must be something that needed to be shared. Each person was talking about something different, but the truth behind it really hit home. Whatever is on the inside must come out. I have heard it said that if you squeeze a lemon - lemon juice will come out. What happens when life, people, satan, or even God in His love squeezes you? Think about that for a minute. We can only fake it for so long. First impressions are usually pretty good, but if someone spends a little time with you, what are they going to learn about you? I have found that as I travel and meet new people, it doesn't take long at all to know what they are all about. Whether you realize it or not, the people around you know what you are all about.
I am not just talking about our words (although those are pretty accurate indicators of our hearts), but our actions and even our facial expressions and body language speak loudly also. When I think of all the many people in my life and of people I have met only once, I feel like I have seen it all. I usually encourage my ladies to look at themselves the way God sees them. That is what is really important - but right now as I list a few things that must come out because they are in the heart of a person, look at yourself through other people's eyes. (OK, teachers, don't evaluate that sentence - I speak in run-on sentences. That is just how I roll). As I have spent time with people, here are a few of the things I have seen and heard: anger, discontentment, complaining, jealousy, doubt, bitterness, arguing, whining, rebellion, self-centeredness, etc. Then there are those precious people in my life and the God-appointments I have had with people that I only spend time with once. They exude joy, praise, love, peace, faith, kindness, selflessness, thoughtfulness, and a whole lot of Jesus. Don't you just love spending time with those folks? Don't you want to be one of those folks?
If you found yourself described more in the first list, it can't be fixed by changing the way you talk or working really hard to smile. Remember, it all comes from the inside. You have to go to the root of the problem - your heart. Get alone with God and ask Him what He wants you to do to be a person that is a blessing to Him and other people. He will tell you.
That was relatively short, wasn't it? God bless you.
I heard 3 different people share the exact same thing within 2 days of each other. I felt it must be something that needed to be shared. Each person was talking about something different, but the truth behind it really hit home. Whatever is on the inside must come out. I have heard it said that if you squeeze a lemon - lemon juice will come out. What happens when life, people, satan, or even God in His love squeezes you? Think about that for a minute. We can only fake it for so long. First impressions are usually pretty good, but if someone spends a little time with you, what are they going to learn about you? I have found that as I travel and meet new people, it doesn't take long at all to know what they are all about. Whether you realize it or not, the people around you know what you are all about.
I am not just talking about our words (although those are pretty accurate indicators of our hearts), but our actions and even our facial expressions and body language speak loudly also. When I think of all the many people in my life and of people I have met only once, I feel like I have seen it all. I usually encourage my ladies to look at themselves the way God sees them. That is what is really important - but right now as I list a few things that must come out because they are in the heart of a person, look at yourself through other people's eyes. (OK, teachers, don't evaluate that sentence - I speak in run-on sentences. That is just how I roll). As I have spent time with people, here are a few of the things I have seen and heard: anger, discontentment, complaining, jealousy, doubt, bitterness, arguing, whining, rebellion, self-centeredness, etc. Then there are those precious people in my life and the God-appointments I have had with people that I only spend time with once. They exude joy, praise, love, peace, faith, kindness, selflessness, thoughtfulness, and a whole lot of Jesus. Don't you just love spending time with those folks? Don't you want to be one of those folks?
If you found yourself described more in the first list, it can't be fixed by changing the way you talk or working really hard to smile. Remember, it all comes from the inside. You have to go to the root of the problem - your heart. Get alone with God and ask Him what He wants you to do to be a person that is a blessing to Him and other people. He will tell you.
That was relatively short, wasn't it? God bless you.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
It's So Nice To Meet You
I haven't posted in awhile. It has been a crazy week. Our church is getting ready to host the Deep South Quartet Convention next weekend. I have a team that is raising money for MS. We will all walk together in Huntsville in a few weeks. Also, to be honest, I didn't really want to blog about the latest thing God has been teaching me. I really didn't think it was any of your business. Nothing personal really.
A few weeks ago, God convicted me about something. Believe it or not, I said "God, I don't think I have a problem with that at all." Of course, He got a good laugh about that one. He began to point things out to me that completely proved His point. In other words, He let me see me the way He sees me. That is not a fun thing to go through, but very important. That is when the growth comes. If not for those times, we would just go on thinking we are doing fine.
This may not be true in your life at all. If it isn't, congratulations, you are way ahead of me. Hear me out anyway. Think about the way you treat people. I am not talking about how much you love them. I would give my life for my husband or children without thinking twice. I am talking about the way you treat people. Probably the person we are most polite and friendly to is the person we are introduced to for the very first time (a stranger). After that would probably be our co-workers - the people we are with every day. Even if you have some that get on your nerves or rub you the wrong way, you are still nice, respectful, and helpful (I hope). Next on the list would be our friends. We know them alot better so we feel a little more comfortable letting them see our cranky side. Another step would be our extended family - at this point in the list we are getting even more free with our tongues, but we still want to keep the peace as much as possible. Then on the very bottom - the precious people in our homes that we love more than anyone but God. There is nothing we wouldn't do for them. When any of them are sick or hurt, we would switch places if only we could.
Why then, are they many times at the bottom of our list when we give out kindness, politeness, thoughtfulness, patience...? I realized that even when I feel physically horrible and feel like snapping the heads off of every living thing I encounter, I still go to work or speak at a group and most people would never know how I really feel. When I am at home, I still try to cover it up so no one worries, but I don't try as hard to be patient or kind. If someone says or does something they shouldn't, look out ! Normally we have a very peaceful home. We don't argue and fight, but I will strategically get my 2 cents worth in. As God began to show this to me, I began to pray as I neared my home from work just like I did on my way to work - that God would speak, act, and love through me.
Ms. Mary Oates taught me many years ago - when I get mad at Doug to just go to my room and pray. Either God will show me how I was wrong or He will calm me down before I say something I will regret. That has been monumental in our marriage. It seems now, though, that God is fine-tuning that even more, satan is pointing out all of these little things that never bothered me before. So it seems I have spent more time in my room this week. Ha! Doug is very kind and thoughtful to me, but I will hear this little voice "He is just bringing you a cup of coffee because he thinks you will fall and pour it everywhere and burn yourself and have an emergency room bill to pay" LOL ..you get the idea.
Just give this some thought. Whether they are perfect or not (my guess is that they are not), let God be the wife and mother through you. Listen to how you speak to them and the things you say. Do kind things that aren't expected. Encourage and uplift instead of criticizing and complaining. I made David learn Phil. 2:14 when he was little. I can still hear him saying it. It would do all of us good to memorize that one.
A few weeks ago, God convicted me about something. Believe it or not, I said "God, I don't think I have a problem with that at all." Of course, He got a good laugh about that one. He began to point things out to me that completely proved His point. In other words, He let me see me the way He sees me. That is not a fun thing to go through, but very important. That is when the growth comes. If not for those times, we would just go on thinking we are doing fine.
This may not be true in your life at all. If it isn't, congratulations, you are way ahead of me. Hear me out anyway. Think about the way you treat people. I am not talking about how much you love them. I would give my life for my husband or children without thinking twice. I am talking about the way you treat people. Probably the person we are most polite and friendly to is the person we are introduced to for the very first time (a stranger). After that would probably be our co-workers - the people we are with every day. Even if you have some that get on your nerves or rub you the wrong way, you are still nice, respectful, and helpful (I hope). Next on the list would be our friends. We know them alot better so we feel a little more comfortable letting them see our cranky side. Another step would be our extended family - at this point in the list we are getting even more free with our tongues, but we still want to keep the peace as much as possible. Then on the very bottom - the precious people in our homes that we love more than anyone but God. There is nothing we wouldn't do for them. When any of them are sick or hurt, we would switch places if only we could.
Why then, are they many times at the bottom of our list when we give out kindness, politeness, thoughtfulness, patience...? I realized that even when I feel physically horrible and feel like snapping the heads off of every living thing I encounter, I still go to work or speak at a group and most people would never know how I really feel. When I am at home, I still try to cover it up so no one worries, but I don't try as hard to be patient or kind. If someone says or does something they shouldn't, look out ! Normally we have a very peaceful home. We don't argue and fight, but I will strategically get my 2 cents worth in. As God began to show this to me, I began to pray as I neared my home from work just like I did on my way to work - that God would speak, act, and love through me.
Ms. Mary Oates taught me many years ago - when I get mad at Doug to just go to my room and pray. Either God will show me how I was wrong or He will calm me down before I say something I will regret. That has been monumental in our marriage. It seems now, though, that God is fine-tuning that even more, satan is pointing out all of these little things that never bothered me before. So it seems I have spent more time in my room this week. Ha! Doug is very kind and thoughtful to me, but I will hear this little voice "He is just bringing you a cup of coffee because he thinks you will fall and pour it everywhere and burn yourself and have an emergency room bill to pay" LOL ..you get the idea.
Just give this some thought. Whether they are perfect or not (my guess is that they are not), let God be the wife and mother through you. Listen to how you speak to them and the things you say. Do kind things that aren't expected. Encourage and uplift instead of criticizing and complaining. I made David learn Phil. 2:14 when he was little. I can still hear him saying it. It would do all of us good to memorize that one.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Give Me Strength
Before I even start to explain what God showed me this week, let me go ahead and make one thing clear. I do not think it is wrong to ask God to give you strength. Without Him, we have no strength or power or boldness or wisdom or peace or joy.... or anything. I ask God to give me strength many times a day because strength is one of the things I lack the most. There are many many days that I wake up and say "God, unless you give me physical strength right now, I cannot get out of this bed much less do the things you have for me to do today.
That having been said, God said something a little different to me this week. Our church is going to be hosting the Deep South Quartet Convention on March 18th and 19th. It will be a packed weekend. I know for sure that I will be blessed, but I also want to be used by God to be a blessing to other people. On top of that, a couple of my bestest best friends, Scott and Lisa Roberts (Broken Vessels) will be coming the weekend before. WooHoo!! I am so excited! The first time I met them, I was at a very low place physically. That was during our "Breakthrough Weekend". I was there for every session, but it was so, so hard for my body. My spirit was dancing though. As it has gotten closer to our time together and the Quartet Convention, I have been praying for all that God has planned for that time but also I have been begging Him to give me the physical strength to be a part of everything, to be able to enjoy my sweet friends, and to be able to minister to people without being absolutely miserable. I told Lisa that I was praying for that.
As this week has gone on, God has spoken to me about that in many different ways. I don't know if He was giving me confirmation or if He was just trying to get it through my thick head. First, He reminded me of 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me." Yes, of course I want Christ's power to rest on me. I have none on my own.
He needed to show me this in one other way just to be sure that I get it. I was reading from "Come Away My Beloved" by Frances J. Roberts. Here is a little excerpt from a section entitled "Sacrifice, My Status Symbol". "You would make Christianity pleasant and acceptable. Your Saviour did not find it so. You would make it comfortable and accomodating to your own schedule. He knew nothing of such a false religion. Lonely nights, He wrestled in prayer nor spared Himself physical discomfort. Yes, and the more you pamper the flesh as to bodily comfort, the more it will demand of you, until you become its servant." Wow! God did not promise me that He is going to make the next few weeks easy, comfortable, or pain-free for me, but He did promise that He will show Himself strong. Lisa, please share with Scott "I feel like I know how to pray for you in a way that alot of people cannot. Be encouraged, dear brother, that He shows Himself even mightier in your life when you are in pain. The things you endure daily glorify and lift Him up. I will continue to pray for you physically, but much more that others will see Jesus in you."
Christians, how often do we put our own comfort and convenience before what God is telling us to do? That is going to be a hard one to explain someday when we stand before Him.
Some have asked about being able to comment on my posts. You will need to sign up with blogspot. I think that just involves setting up a username and password. There should be a place for you to do that at the top of the page. Your comments of how God is working in your life can be used in someone else's life.
That having been said, God said something a little different to me this week. Our church is going to be hosting the Deep South Quartet Convention on March 18th and 19th. It will be a packed weekend. I know for sure that I will be blessed, but I also want to be used by God to be a blessing to other people. On top of that, a couple of my bestest best friends, Scott and Lisa Roberts (Broken Vessels) will be coming the weekend before. WooHoo!! I am so excited! The first time I met them, I was at a very low place physically. That was during our "Breakthrough Weekend". I was there for every session, but it was so, so hard for my body. My spirit was dancing though. As it has gotten closer to our time together and the Quartet Convention, I have been praying for all that God has planned for that time but also I have been begging Him to give me the physical strength to be a part of everything, to be able to enjoy my sweet friends, and to be able to minister to people without being absolutely miserable. I told Lisa that I was praying for that.
As this week has gone on, God has spoken to me about that in many different ways. I don't know if He was giving me confirmation or if He was just trying to get it through my thick head. First, He reminded me of 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me." Yes, of course I want Christ's power to rest on me. I have none on my own.
He needed to show me this in one other way just to be sure that I get it. I was reading from "Come Away My Beloved" by Frances J. Roberts. Here is a little excerpt from a section entitled "Sacrifice, My Status Symbol". "You would make Christianity pleasant and acceptable. Your Saviour did not find it so. You would make it comfortable and accomodating to your own schedule. He knew nothing of such a false religion. Lonely nights, He wrestled in prayer nor spared Himself physical discomfort. Yes, and the more you pamper the flesh as to bodily comfort, the more it will demand of you, until you become its servant." Wow! God did not promise me that He is going to make the next few weeks easy, comfortable, or pain-free for me, but He did promise that He will show Himself strong. Lisa, please share with Scott "I feel like I know how to pray for you in a way that alot of people cannot. Be encouraged, dear brother, that He shows Himself even mightier in your life when you are in pain. The things you endure daily glorify and lift Him up. I will continue to pray for you physically, but much more that others will see Jesus in you."
Christians, how often do we put our own comfort and convenience before what God is telling us to do? That is going to be a hard one to explain someday when we stand before Him.
Some have asked about being able to comment on my posts. You will need to sign up with blogspot. I think that just involves setting up a username and password. There should be a place for you to do that at the top of the page. Your comments of how God is working in your life can be used in someone else's life.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Crazy Peace
One of the very cool things about getting in the Word and letting God speak to you is that after hearing, reading and even memorizing a verse for years, He will show you something new. I will be 102 years old (because my plan is to live to be 109).........sorry, I fell off my bed laughing about the phrase "my plan".....bring it back, Missy, back on the subject. I will be 102 years old and still be saying that God is doing a new work in my life because He continues to teach me new things and reveal more of Himself to me.
I have alot of favorite verses which I guess means they would need to be called something besides my favorite. Oh dear, this is not a good sign. I am having alot of trouble staying on the subject this morning. It is going to be one of those days. I will try again - I love Isaiah 26:3 "The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in Thee." I really like this translation too - "You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on You, because they trust in You." I have that verse memorized and God has used it in my life alot over the years especially this past year. I tell my ladies that we never get a call ahead of time to let us know that a very difficult trial is about to come. There is not warning. We just get a call saying a child has had a wreck, or the tests results aren't good, or we added wrong in our checkbook and our balance is actually negative 432.15 instead of positive, you get the idea. However, nothing we go through is a surprise to God. Reminding ourselves of that is so assuring. When we are right in the middle of those things, we often find ourselves completely at peace. I call that "crazy peace". It is the peace that makes no sense whatsoever to us or anyone around us. It is the peace that can only come from God.
Yesterday morning while spending some time with God, I spent some time really thinking about that verse (again, any time I use the word "think", I have to pause to use air quotes because my brain is incapable of producing any good thoughts - they are all God). I thought about how we pray for a person going through something and we say "God, give them peace." I am not saying it is wrong to pray that. I just realized from this verse that we don't have to beg Him to give us peace. He will give us peace when we completely trust Him. He is the Prince of Peace. So peace is actually His presence. Yes, if you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit is living inside of you. But if you are not walking daily with Him in an intimate relationship, you can't feel His presence. As a result, you will fall apart in these difficult times you go through. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were already walking with God before they were thrown in the fire. They didn't wait until they were in the middle of it and call out to Him.
Crazy peace comes when we are trusting Him. We are spending time with Him daily in His Word, in prayer, walking through our day with Him on the throne of our life, listening and obeying. Because we know that He is in control, we know that whatever comes into our life, He already knew about and He will take care of us. That doesn't always look like we think it should, but we are not God. I am so glad of that. Even if it doesn't turn out like we thought it should, we can know that it is for His glory. He will use it to glorify Himself and make us more like Him. That is our goal of life not our comfort. I got a tweet from Lecrae yesterday - this is good. "Prepare your heart now to embrace today's difficulties. God uses those to refine us and save us from worshipping comfort." Wow!
So the next time you find yourself in a hard place (if you aren't in one now, it won't be long) instead of saying "God, give me peace" say "Thank you, Prince of Peace, that you are in my life and in control. I choose to trust You with this. Thank You for Your crazy peace that You have promised to give me when I trust You." Don't worry, He knows the term crazy peace. He has heard me say it many, many times. I just love how He speaks my language. If you ever wonder if He has a sense of humor, you should hear some of our conversations.
Have an awesome day filled with crazy peace.
I have alot of favorite verses which I guess means they would need to be called something besides my favorite. Oh dear, this is not a good sign. I am having alot of trouble staying on the subject this morning. It is going to be one of those days. I will try again - I love Isaiah 26:3 "The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in Thee." I really like this translation too - "You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on You, because they trust in You." I have that verse memorized and God has used it in my life alot over the years especially this past year. I tell my ladies that we never get a call ahead of time to let us know that a very difficult trial is about to come. There is not warning. We just get a call saying a child has had a wreck, or the tests results aren't good, or we added wrong in our checkbook and our balance is actually negative 432.15 instead of positive, you get the idea. However, nothing we go through is a surprise to God. Reminding ourselves of that is so assuring. When we are right in the middle of those things, we often find ourselves completely at peace. I call that "crazy peace". It is the peace that makes no sense whatsoever to us or anyone around us. It is the peace that can only come from God.
Yesterday morning while spending some time with God, I spent some time really thinking about that verse (again, any time I use the word "think", I have to pause to use air quotes because my brain is incapable of producing any good thoughts - they are all God). I thought about how we pray for a person going through something and we say "God, give them peace." I am not saying it is wrong to pray that. I just realized from this verse that we don't have to beg Him to give us peace. He will give us peace when we completely trust Him. He is the Prince of Peace. So peace is actually His presence. Yes, if you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit is living inside of you. But if you are not walking daily with Him in an intimate relationship, you can't feel His presence. As a result, you will fall apart in these difficult times you go through. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were already walking with God before they were thrown in the fire. They didn't wait until they were in the middle of it and call out to Him.
Crazy peace comes when we are trusting Him. We are spending time with Him daily in His Word, in prayer, walking through our day with Him on the throne of our life, listening and obeying. Because we know that He is in control, we know that whatever comes into our life, He already knew about and He will take care of us. That doesn't always look like we think it should, but we are not God. I am so glad of that. Even if it doesn't turn out like we thought it should, we can know that it is for His glory. He will use it to glorify Himself and make us more like Him. That is our goal of life not our comfort. I got a tweet from Lecrae yesterday - this is good. "Prepare your heart now to embrace today's difficulties. God uses those to refine us and save us from worshipping comfort." Wow!
So the next time you find yourself in a hard place (if you aren't in one now, it won't be long) instead of saying "God, give me peace" say "Thank you, Prince of Peace, that you are in my life and in control. I choose to trust You with this. Thank You for Your crazy peace that You have promised to give me when I trust You." Don't worry, He knows the term crazy peace. He has heard me say it many, many times. I just love how He speaks my language. If you ever wonder if He has a sense of humor, you should hear some of our conversations.
Have an awesome day filled with crazy peace.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Rejoice Over ME????
I was getting ready for church this morning. I had Pandora pulled up on my laptop listening to worship music. I was trying to get my heart ready for church. I try to get my mind off of myself and onto God and others. I don't want to go to church because I have to. I also don't want to go to church for what I am going to get out of it. Don't get me wrong - I get alot out of church. It is always a blessing - every time without fail. But I want to be a blessing to God when I go. I want my worship to be real and an acceptable offering to Him - a sacrifice of praise that I lay on the altar. I also want God to be able to use me in other people's lives while I am there. Most of the people I see at church, I don't see during the week. Sometimes because they only come on Sunday mornings, but also because I am not always there on Wednesday nights. My body makes that call sometimes. I always pray about it - God knows how I feel. If He says "Rest" then I rest. If He says "Go", then I go. So on Sunday mornings, I prepare my heart, I ask God to take the throne and work through me however He wants. I pray that every person I come in contact with, God will work through me to give them exactly what they need from Him at that moment. Sometimes it is prayer, a word of encouragement, a hug, a smile, a witness, an example, even a work of rebuke (I really don't enjoy those). I don't want those precious few hours to be wasted.
So as I am listening to the music, I heard a phrase. I am not sure if it was in the song or just my mind. I stopped and listened to the song and didn't hear it again. I don't even remember exactly how it was worded, but something to the effect of God rejoicing over me with singing..... I had heard that before. I looked until time to leave for church, looked until the kids got to my class, looked until time for the service to start, and them came home and pulled all my Bibles out and looked some more. I FOUND IT!! Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is with you; the mighty One will save you. He will rejoice over you. You will rest in His love; He will sing and be joyful about you." The last line in the NKJV says "He will rejoice over you with singing." Read that again and let it sink in for a few minutes. There is verse after verse telling us to rejoice in Him, to sing to Him and about Him, to praise Him, and on and on. But this verse says that He sings over me. Yes, I am in tears at this point. You know I have to picture things in my mind to get the full effect. I picture God, the God of the universe, Creator, Redeemer, Eternal King.....rejoicing over me - sinful, selfish, hell-deserving, insignificant worm - with singing. Can you picture that? Oh, what love that a holy God would rejoice over me. And yet, we still hold back part of ourselves for our own selfish purposes. He loves us so much that not only did He send His Son to die for us to reconcile us to Himself and to save us from hell, but He wants to have a daily, intimate relationship with us. He wants to use us for His kingdom work. And yet we still live our lives our way. That blows my mind.
Precious Father, this is one of the most humbling verses I have ever read. You rejoice over me with singing. I don't deserve that at all. Thank you that I don't have to deserve it and never could. Jesus in me deserves it. He is what you see when you look at me. When I am self-centered and start to do things my way, remind me of this verse. Draw my attention back to You, Your mercy, and Your grace. I love You!
So as I am listening to the music, I heard a phrase. I am not sure if it was in the song or just my mind. I stopped and listened to the song and didn't hear it again. I don't even remember exactly how it was worded, but something to the effect of God rejoicing over me with singing..... I had heard that before. I looked until time to leave for church, looked until the kids got to my class, looked until time for the service to start, and them came home and pulled all my Bibles out and looked some more. I FOUND IT!! Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is with you; the mighty One will save you. He will rejoice over you. You will rest in His love; He will sing and be joyful about you." The last line in the NKJV says "He will rejoice over you with singing." Read that again and let it sink in for a few minutes. There is verse after verse telling us to rejoice in Him, to sing to Him and about Him, to praise Him, and on and on. But this verse says that He sings over me. Yes, I am in tears at this point. You know I have to picture things in my mind to get the full effect. I picture God, the God of the universe, Creator, Redeemer, Eternal King.....rejoicing over me - sinful, selfish, hell-deserving, insignificant worm - with singing. Can you picture that? Oh, what love that a holy God would rejoice over me. And yet, we still hold back part of ourselves for our own selfish purposes. He loves us so much that not only did He send His Son to die for us to reconcile us to Himself and to save us from hell, but He wants to have a daily, intimate relationship with us. He wants to use us for His kingdom work. And yet we still live our lives our way. That blows my mind.
Precious Father, this is one of the most humbling verses I have ever read. You rejoice over me with singing. I don't deserve that at all. Thank you that I don't have to deserve it and never could. Jesus in me deserves it. He is what you see when you look at me. When I am self-centered and start to do things my way, remind me of this verse. Draw my attention back to You, Your mercy, and Your grace. I love You!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Seasons
I have shared with my ladies and many others that we go through so many different seasons in our lives. If you are in one that is particularly comfortable and fun, it makes it hard when we transition into a different one. It is inevitable though. If changes never come in our life, we can become stagnant and lazy in our relationship with God. Change and trials keep us dependant on God. It keeps us on our toes spiritually. That is one of the wonderful things about MS.......sorry, I choked on my coffee laughing about that one. Actually, as strange as it seems to say it, there are many good things about having MS because God brought it into my life to use me to glorify Him. How can that possibly be bad? Hard?... definitely. Impossible?...yep, in my own strength. Thank You, God, that you do everything through me. Sorry, sorry - off the subject. My kids say that if I see something shiny, I get distracted and then forget what I was saying. We all know where Hannah got ADD.
I was talking about seasons in our life and change. I have spoken in past posts of my prayer room. It is a special room that a good friend and my sweet husband helped me put together last fall. I have my QTs in there. Doug studies, Doug and I talk, David and Doug talk, David and I talk, I pray with Ti in there, my ladies Bible study is in there - you get the idea. Well, after one particular conversation with David, he said what I said made him realize that he pretty much has a year left with his family and then that is probably it. David will graduate from UNA next May. Then he will go to seminary. We don't know what happens after that. It is obvious from hours of talking with David that God has given him a burden to serve in an area where there is a real need for the gospel (there is a need everywhere - but some places don't have enough opportunites to hear it). I could see him in the inner-city somewhere or in an African village somewhere that has never heard of Jesus. I just don't think he will be serving in the Bible belt. The momma in me would love to have him close for the rest of my life. Oddly enough, that is not how I feel at all. I have asked God to use David since before he was born. Doug and I gave him back to God to use in whatever way would bring Him the most glory. I remember Mary Oates telling me when David was about 5 that God was going to use him in a mighty way. How can I argue with the God of the universe about where He chooses to send him? All I can do is praise Him. Anyway, David is going to be moving home today. Which means he will be living in my prayer room. Yesterday, he apologized for taking my prayer room. I took it the wrong way. I thought "He thinks I am that selfish, that a room would be more important than spending time with my child?" I've given my ladies a mental picture of being controlled by the Spirit. There is a throne and a cross in my life. If I let Christ take the throne and be in control, then I take the cross (I die to myself). If I am on the throne, then Christ goes on the cross. Well at that moment, I pushed Christ off the throne and climbed up there myself. I snapped at David. You know how it is - even as the words come out of your mouth - your mind is yelling "Shut up!" I know that is my mind because God does not say shut up. He says "Missy, shut the door." I apologized later and told David what I thought he meant. He said No, he didn't mean that. He just feels bad because I worked hard on that room and it has really been special to me.
I have been thinking about that. Yes, it has been very special to me. Then I realized....sorry, again I choked on my coffee laughing about that. I didn't realize anything - I don't have a single good, intelligent, or profound thought in my head. Let me reword - God showed me that the precious times I have had in that room the past 4 months have had absolutely nothing to do with the room. They have all been God moments. He used the room to bring us together in a place that had no TV or phone. He started some things that will continue in our family. My ladies group will meet in the living room, but nothing will change there because all the amazing, wonderful things that have happened in that group have all been Him - nothing to do with the prayer room or with me.
This is a season. I will get my prayer room back one day. Oh, but this will be a precious season. The last year that my entire special, crazy family will be together under one roof. There will be lots and lots of laughter because that is how we roll. It will be loud. There will be lots of fun. There will also be lots of talking about Jesus and His Word. Who cares about a silly room? I have my Boo-Boo Bunny home for a little while. Let God show you the wonderful God things going on in the season you find yourself in. Excuse me, while I go dance a little bit.
I was talking about seasons in our life and change. I have spoken in past posts of my prayer room. It is a special room that a good friend and my sweet husband helped me put together last fall. I have my QTs in there. Doug studies, Doug and I talk, David and Doug talk, David and I talk, I pray with Ti in there, my ladies Bible study is in there - you get the idea. Well, after one particular conversation with David, he said what I said made him realize that he pretty much has a year left with his family and then that is probably it. David will graduate from UNA next May. Then he will go to seminary. We don't know what happens after that. It is obvious from hours of talking with David that God has given him a burden to serve in an area where there is a real need for the gospel (there is a need everywhere - but some places don't have enough opportunites to hear it). I could see him in the inner-city somewhere or in an African village somewhere that has never heard of Jesus. I just don't think he will be serving in the Bible belt. The momma in me would love to have him close for the rest of my life. Oddly enough, that is not how I feel at all. I have asked God to use David since before he was born. Doug and I gave him back to God to use in whatever way would bring Him the most glory. I remember Mary Oates telling me when David was about 5 that God was going to use him in a mighty way. How can I argue with the God of the universe about where He chooses to send him? All I can do is praise Him. Anyway, David is going to be moving home today. Which means he will be living in my prayer room. Yesterday, he apologized for taking my prayer room. I took it the wrong way. I thought "He thinks I am that selfish, that a room would be more important than spending time with my child?" I've given my ladies a mental picture of being controlled by the Spirit. There is a throne and a cross in my life. If I let Christ take the throne and be in control, then I take the cross (I die to myself). If I am on the throne, then Christ goes on the cross. Well at that moment, I pushed Christ off the throne and climbed up there myself. I snapped at David. You know how it is - even as the words come out of your mouth - your mind is yelling "Shut up!" I know that is my mind because God does not say shut up. He says "Missy, shut the door." I apologized later and told David what I thought he meant. He said No, he didn't mean that. He just feels bad because I worked hard on that room and it has really been special to me.
I have been thinking about that. Yes, it has been very special to me. Then I realized....sorry, again I choked on my coffee laughing about that. I didn't realize anything - I don't have a single good, intelligent, or profound thought in my head. Let me reword - God showed me that the precious times I have had in that room the past 4 months have had absolutely nothing to do with the room. They have all been God moments. He used the room to bring us together in a place that had no TV or phone. He started some things that will continue in our family. My ladies group will meet in the living room, but nothing will change there because all the amazing, wonderful things that have happened in that group have all been Him - nothing to do with the prayer room or with me.
This is a season. I will get my prayer room back one day. Oh, but this will be a precious season. The last year that my entire special, crazy family will be together under one roof. There will be lots and lots of laughter because that is how we roll. It will be loud. There will be lots of fun. There will also be lots of talking about Jesus and His Word. Who cares about a silly room? I have my Boo-Boo Bunny home for a little while. Let God show you the wonderful God things going on in the season you find yourself in. Excuse me, while I go dance a little bit.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Freedom
As I deal with, sorry......as I have the pleasure of interacting with a teenager, I am reminded of my own teen years. It really doesn't seem like that long ago sometimes. Other times it seems like another lifetime. Alot of my memories I wish WERE from someone else's life. Again, I apologize Mom and Dad for all I put you through. Anyway, I remember that I had what seemed like an allergic reaction to rules. If someone told me - no, don't, or you shouldn't - I would do it or die trying. I didn't want my parents, teachers, youth director, boyfriend, anyone telling me what to do. Not all kids are like that. There are some goodie-two-shoes-older sisters (name withheld to protect Nan) that just always followed the rules. I have one now. He may grow out of it but I sure hope not. From the time he was a little guy, he has just obeyed. He wants to please. He doesn't want to disappoint anyone. I pray for him that he won't have issues with legalism in his future. He stresses out if he hears his dad preach on something or I share something and he isn't doing it exactly that way. But he doesn't have a problem with rules. He seems to understand that if they are put into place by someone who loves him then they are for his own good. He didn't get that attitude from me. He got it from his dad. He also got his brain from his dad. Thank you, Lord.
I on the other hand felt like rules were those lines drawn in the dirt that said "I dare you to step over this line." No need to double-dog dare me. I was stepping over the line before it had been completely drawn. I was a free-bird. Rules took away my freedom. I knew what was best and it was my way. Even as I write I am fighting the urge to break into song "I did it myyyyyy waaaaaaaay". Rules felt binding and restricting to me. God had to allow me to go through some horrible things in my college years to break me. He had to bring me to the end of myself.
Skip ahead a few years....ok, many years. I now see that it is the complete opposite. My Father loves me so much that the things He tells me to do or not do are for His glory and my best. The plan He has for my life is perfect. Doing it my way, as I was so proud to do at one time, will only lead to heartache, frustration, confusion, even depression. At one time I felt like rules took away my freedom. I read a verse today: Psalm 119:45 "I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts." That is an amazing verse. Oh, how much pain we could save ourselves if we learn this early in our Christian walk. God is not against us; He is not trying to steal our fun; He is not trying to make cookie-cutter Christians (have you met me? I am not a normal preacher's wife). He is a loving Father who knows our past, present, and future. He has a plan for us that we cannot imagine. His precepts are always for our good.
Sometimes, though, because our lives are so busy, we don't get into the Word to find His precepts. Some church-goers never open their Bibles - what they hear from their pastor on Sunday morning is plenty for them. Some go a step further and read their Sunday School lesson on Saturday night so they can join in the discussion and share "their" opinions. Some go even a step further and read a verse and a little story out of a devotional book every day - then they get someone else's opinion to add to their own. I'm sorry but that is not enough. We must get into the Word on a regular basis. That is where we learn the story of Jesus. Genesis to Revelation - the entire thing is the story of Jesus. That is how we get to know God. He speaks to us through His Word. Yes, there are some rules, precepts, decrees in there. But once You really know God, nothing will make you happy except to obey Him. You cannot find true joy in anything else until you are right with Him. Look back at Ps. 119:45 - freedom!!!!!! The really exciting thing is that I don't have to keep a single rule. What?!?! He does it all through me. I give Him complete control and He takes over.
I shared with one of my ladies' groups this past week that we do go through different seasons in our lives. When you have small children, your time in the Word probably won't be as long as someone in a different season of their life. I remember complaining to God when David was 4 and Hannah was about 18 months - "God, I don't have time for a Quiet Time. I am working full-time because Doug is in school. When I am at home, I feel like I am just running to get everything done." God said "OK, girlie, (God seems to speak my language) I will give you some time to spend with me". He got me up at 1 am every night. I spent about an hour in the Word and in prayer - some of the sweetest QTs of my life. So if you think you don't have time, first ask God if there is anything in your life that you are doing that you don't need to be doing. If He doesn't bring anything to your mind, then ask Him to make a time for you to spend with Him. He will do it.
This was a little bit of a rambling post, but I am not a writer. I am just a follower. When God shows me something and tells me to share it, I just start typing. God bless you as you get into the Word and hear from God for yourself.
I on the other hand felt like rules were those lines drawn in the dirt that said "I dare you to step over this line." No need to double-dog dare me. I was stepping over the line before it had been completely drawn. I was a free-bird. Rules took away my freedom. I knew what was best and it was my way. Even as I write I am fighting the urge to break into song "I did it myyyyyy waaaaaaaay". Rules felt binding and restricting to me. God had to allow me to go through some horrible things in my college years to break me. He had to bring me to the end of myself.
Skip ahead a few years....ok, many years. I now see that it is the complete opposite. My Father loves me so much that the things He tells me to do or not do are for His glory and my best. The plan He has for my life is perfect. Doing it my way, as I was so proud to do at one time, will only lead to heartache, frustration, confusion, even depression. At one time I felt like rules took away my freedom. I read a verse today: Psalm 119:45 "I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts." That is an amazing verse. Oh, how much pain we could save ourselves if we learn this early in our Christian walk. God is not against us; He is not trying to steal our fun; He is not trying to make cookie-cutter Christians (have you met me? I am not a normal preacher's wife). He is a loving Father who knows our past, present, and future. He has a plan for us that we cannot imagine. His precepts are always for our good.
Sometimes, though, because our lives are so busy, we don't get into the Word to find His precepts. Some church-goers never open their Bibles - what they hear from their pastor on Sunday morning is plenty for them. Some go a step further and read their Sunday School lesson on Saturday night so they can join in the discussion and share "their" opinions. Some go even a step further and read a verse and a little story out of a devotional book every day - then they get someone else's opinion to add to their own. I'm sorry but that is not enough. We must get into the Word on a regular basis. That is where we learn the story of Jesus. Genesis to Revelation - the entire thing is the story of Jesus. That is how we get to know God. He speaks to us through His Word. Yes, there are some rules, precepts, decrees in there. But once You really know God, nothing will make you happy except to obey Him. You cannot find true joy in anything else until you are right with Him. Look back at Ps. 119:45 - freedom!!!!!! The really exciting thing is that I don't have to keep a single rule. What?!?! He does it all through me. I give Him complete control and He takes over.
I shared with one of my ladies' groups this past week that we do go through different seasons in our lives. When you have small children, your time in the Word probably won't be as long as someone in a different season of their life. I remember complaining to God when David was 4 and Hannah was about 18 months - "God, I don't have time for a Quiet Time. I am working full-time because Doug is in school. When I am at home, I feel like I am just running to get everything done." God said "OK, girlie, (God seems to speak my language) I will give you some time to spend with me". He got me up at 1 am every night. I spent about an hour in the Word and in prayer - some of the sweetest QTs of my life. So if you think you don't have time, first ask God if there is anything in your life that you are doing that you don't need to be doing. If He doesn't bring anything to your mind, then ask Him to make a time for you to spend with Him. He will do it.
This was a little bit of a rambling post, but I am not a writer. I am just a follower. When God shows me something and tells me to share it, I just start typing. God bless you as you get into the Word and hear from God for yourself.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day
I have given Valentine's Day alot of thought the past week. Doug's sermon yesterday seemed to be specifically for me. Then I heard so many people say the same thing. God used Doug in a mighty way yesterday. For those who were not there - you will hear me share more in our Bible study, but for this post let me summarize. The Word says "If you love Me, you will obey what I command" John 14:15. So the reason we don't obey is because we don't really love Him. The reason we don't love Him is that we don't really believe that He loves us. Things happen in our lives that make us question His love for us. When He doesn't come through the way we want Him to, Wow! I have put alot of thought into that and have alot more to work through. I talked to my sweet friend, Tonya. She has two precious boys - both are in wheelchairs due to hydrocephelus (spelling?). I told her that people looked at them and her and thought - "how sad, how horrible for them", but God doesn't look at it like that. God sees Brandon and Brently as perfect. They are exactly the way He made them. God is putting together a retreat called "Dancing in the Rain" about how to have joy no matter what your circumstances are. Tonya and I will be doing it (God will be doing it through us). She will be doing the worship and sharing her testimony. I will be teaching. It is amazing how God is preparing us and putting it all together. First He had to get us ready though, We both had to get to the place where we have joy despite our circumstances. I will share more about the retreat in later posts. I say all of this to say that God is teaching me that He actually brought MS into my life because He loves me. It hasn't completely sunk in, but He wants to use me to glorify Him. The way He can best do that is by my living with MS. So it isn't something for me to pity myself about, to whine and complain, to beg for relief. NO!! Thank you God for giving me Multiple Scleroses. I don't want to waste my life. I want to be used by you every day and this is obviously the way you can get the most glory from my life. That is basically what Tonya and I will be sharing through this retreat.
Back to Valentine's Day. It is about love, right? And God is teaching me how much He loves me. Since I will no longer be speaking to groups of people with MS (my doctor says he can't do anything else for me and that I need to change meds), we are taking a massive hit financially. I have talked to the kids and tried to explain how drastically things are going to change. Normally on V-Day, I would get them a nice card (about $4) and a CD or T-shirt (about $15) and a little something for Doug. Saturday I went to Dollar Tree to do my V-Day shopping. As I looked through the 2 for a dollar cards I started to cry. Then I got a big box of nerds for each kid. I got out to the car - I had spent $5.50 on the entire family. I was sitting there crying feeling so sorry for myself. God gently reassured me that I tell and show my family that I love them every day. That they did not need a T-shirt to know how much I love them and that Doug knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that I love him so, so much.
I thought everything was taken care of, but just like I tell my ladies, it is a daily minute-by-minute battle to be filled with the Spirit and let God be on the throne of our life. I woke up this morning and put their sad little Dollar Tree cards and nerds where they would see them. I started to get ready for work and started to cry. What is the deal? I am the strong one!! I thought I was going to be late for work because I kept having to put more makeup on. Doug told me bye - he could tell I had been crying. I wanted to send him an email to be sure he knew I wasn't mad at him or at God. I was going to tell him that I just felt like a failure because the financial issues are because of me. Because of my physical condition, I was telling myself that I wasn't a good wife, mom, pastor's wife, employee, etc. As I opened my email to send him a message, I say that he had sent me an e-card (he had already given me a card this morning that was so sweet). I opened it - the first thing that scrolled up were the words "you are the best gift God has ever given me". I had been looking in the mirror calling myself a failure and then he calls me a gift. God said "See, when you let me control your life, you are a gift to people (actually an empty vessel that allows God to be a gift through me). Satan was attacking me at a weak moment. I refuse to let him win. You shouldn't either. My telling myself that I was a failure was just as self-centered as if I had been thinking how wonderful I am. IT IS NOT ABOUT ME. IT IS ALL ABOUT GOD!!!
So, Happy Valentine's Day! God loves you so much and I do too.
BTW, Doug said that the kid's LOVED the nerds when they saw them. Ha! You can comment after any post. I would love to hear your feedback.
Back to Valentine's Day. It is about love, right? And God is teaching me how much He loves me. Since I will no longer be speaking to groups of people with MS (my doctor says he can't do anything else for me and that I need to change meds), we are taking a massive hit financially. I have talked to the kids and tried to explain how drastically things are going to change. Normally on V-Day, I would get them a nice card (about $4) and a CD or T-shirt (about $15) and a little something for Doug. Saturday I went to Dollar Tree to do my V-Day shopping. As I looked through the 2 for a dollar cards I started to cry. Then I got a big box of nerds for each kid. I got out to the car - I had spent $5.50 on the entire family. I was sitting there crying feeling so sorry for myself. God gently reassured me that I tell and show my family that I love them every day. That they did not need a T-shirt to know how much I love them and that Doug knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that I love him so, so much.
I thought everything was taken care of, but just like I tell my ladies, it is a daily minute-by-minute battle to be filled with the Spirit and let God be on the throne of our life. I woke up this morning and put their sad little Dollar Tree cards and nerds where they would see them. I started to get ready for work and started to cry. What is the deal? I am the strong one!! I thought I was going to be late for work because I kept having to put more makeup on. Doug told me bye - he could tell I had been crying. I wanted to send him an email to be sure he knew I wasn't mad at him or at God. I was going to tell him that I just felt like a failure because the financial issues are because of me. Because of my physical condition, I was telling myself that I wasn't a good wife, mom, pastor's wife, employee, etc. As I opened my email to send him a message, I say that he had sent me an e-card (he had already given me a card this morning that was so sweet). I opened it - the first thing that scrolled up were the words "you are the best gift God has ever given me". I had been looking in the mirror calling myself a failure and then he calls me a gift. God said "See, when you let me control your life, you are a gift to people (actually an empty vessel that allows God to be a gift through me). Satan was attacking me at a weak moment. I refuse to let him win. You shouldn't either. My telling myself that I was a failure was just as self-centered as if I had been thinking how wonderful I am. IT IS NOT ABOUT ME. IT IS ALL ABOUT GOD!!!
So, Happy Valentine's Day! God loves you so much and I do too.
BTW, Doug said that the kid's LOVED the nerds when they saw them. Ha! You can comment after any post. I would love to hear your feedback.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
A Willing Spirit
I do not profess to be perfect at interpreting Scripture. I will just share with you what God shares with me that I feel like He wants me to pass on. My Thursday class is studying Psalm 51 this week. Wow! I am working on memorizing Psalm 51:10-13 - "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Thy presence, and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners will be converted to Thee." All of these verses are awesome, but one little phrase just jumped out at me that I had never really given much thought. "Sustain me with a willing spirit." I am in a very trying, difficult time right now. I feel like I am in the battle of my life. Circumstantially, it doesn't really matter what the outcome is. What matters is how I walk through this. Am I going to do it in my own strength and in my way? This phrase says sustain me....yep, that is what I need right now. I need God to sustain me. The definition of sustain is to keep from giving way, as under trial or affliction. I cannot hold myself up through this. Then it says the way that He does that is by our having a willing spirit. Hmmmm - again, I go to my dictionary. Willing means cheerfully consenting. Then it hit me (I am kinda slow). God sustains me when I am totally and completely yielded to Him. So if I am worrying or trying to fix the problem myself, I shouldn't question why it seems as if God is not doing His part and holding me up. We say that we want peace, comfort, and strength during difficult times, yet we are holding on tightly to control of the situation. We don't give it up to Him. We don't trust Him with the situation. And why do we not trust Him? Because we don't know Him. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can trust Doug.,,,because I know him. I have spent alot of time getting to know him. I know his heart; I know he loves me; I know I can trust him. It is the same thing with God. If we spend time with Him in His Word, in prayer, and a moment by moment walk, we will get to know Him. He will reveal His heart; we will know He loves us; we will know we can trust Him. Thank you, Father, that you will sustain me as I yield to You and trust You completely.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Wit's End
Ps. 107:27b-28 - They were at their wit's end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. Unfortunately, God often has to bring us to the end of ourselves before we surrender control and do things His way. Whether in salvation or in our Christian walk. It is not a fun thing to get to your wit's end, but what a joy when you finally give it all up to Him.
I had been praying for Sandy for quite awhile. I knew that she had had a difficult past. I prayed that she would be able to get past that and that God would heal her spiritually and emotionally. As I prayed, I began to get the impression that she was not saved. So I began to pray in that direction. That God would open her eyes so that she could see herself the way God sees her. I prayed that if God wanted me to talk to her, He would tell me when.
This morning at church, I felt like I should see if Sandy would like to talk to me sometime. I asked her and she immediately said yes. We decided we would meet an hour before church started. When we met, I asked her to share her testimony with me. She said that she had made a decision when she was younger. I asked her what she felt when she came to church and heard Doug preach. She said that it seemed like he was speaking directly to her. I was thinking "Me too !!" As I explained what it means to be saved - that it is not something you do just to get out of going to hell and to get the good things that God has to offer and to have Him fix your problems. It is so much more than that. He is not just our Saviour - He must also be our Lord. That is the hard part for most people. They don't want to give up control. They want to do things their way. They don't want God telling them what to do. Usually a person has to get to the end of themselves before they are willing to give up. They will try and try to fix things and live their life their way, but it never works. Sandy had already realized that the decision she made when she was young had not been true conversion. She was tired of trying to live her life her way. She was at her wit's end. She was broken over the way she had lived her life - the sin in her life.
We knelt in the altar - no one else was there but Sandy, God, and I. I could feel His presence almost as if I could reach out and touch Him. She prayed and wept and asked God to forgive her and save her and turned her life over to Him. It was so amazing to hear her weeping over her sin and then hear it turn to weeping for joy and thanksgiving. It was such an honor to be there. It had absolutely nothing to do with me. It was all God. We shared with our class and they were all so excited about their new sister in Christ. She went forward during the invitation time. She shared with the church that God had saved her and that she wanted to live the rest of her life for Him - doing things His way. I can't wait to see how God is going to use her.
It is so important after a person is saved for them to learn to get in the Word and hear from God themselves. That is how the growth comes. I feel that God is really going to use this study to grow her.
Thank you precious Father for reaching down your hand of mercy and touching Sandy. We do not deserve to be reconciled to You and yet You woo us and pursue us and save us. Then You love us, guide us, teach us, comfort us, give us peace, joy, strength - and You even use us to accomplish Your kingdom work. I praise You. I love you.
I had been praying for Sandy for quite awhile. I knew that she had had a difficult past. I prayed that she would be able to get past that and that God would heal her spiritually and emotionally. As I prayed, I began to get the impression that she was not saved. So I began to pray in that direction. That God would open her eyes so that she could see herself the way God sees her. I prayed that if God wanted me to talk to her, He would tell me when.
This morning at church, I felt like I should see if Sandy would like to talk to me sometime. I asked her and she immediately said yes. We decided we would meet an hour before church started. When we met, I asked her to share her testimony with me. She said that she had made a decision when she was younger. I asked her what she felt when she came to church and heard Doug preach. She said that it seemed like he was speaking directly to her. I was thinking "Me too !!" As I explained what it means to be saved - that it is not something you do just to get out of going to hell and to get the good things that God has to offer and to have Him fix your problems. It is so much more than that. He is not just our Saviour - He must also be our Lord. That is the hard part for most people. They don't want to give up control. They want to do things their way. They don't want God telling them what to do. Usually a person has to get to the end of themselves before they are willing to give up. They will try and try to fix things and live their life their way, but it never works. Sandy had already realized that the decision she made when she was young had not been true conversion. She was tired of trying to live her life her way. She was at her wit's end. She was broken over the way she had lived her life - the sin in her life.
We knelt in the altar - no one else was there but Sandy, God, and I. I could feel His presence almost as if I could reach out and touch Him. She prayed and wept and asked God to forgive her and save her and turned her life over to Him. It was so amazing to hear her weeping over her sin and then hear it turn to weeping for joy and thanksgiving. It was such an honor to be there. It had absolutely nothing to do with me. It was all God. We shared with our class and they were all so excited about their new sister in Christ. She went forward during the invitation time. She shared with the church that God had saved her and that she wanted to live the rest of her life for Him - doing things His way. I can't wait to see how God is going to use her.
It is so important after a person is saved for them to learn to get in the Word and hear from God themselves. That is how the growth comes. I feel that God is really going to use this study to grow her.
Thank you precious Father for reaching down your hand of mercy and touching Sandy. We do not deserve to be reconciled to You and yet You woo us and pursue us and save us. Then You love us, guide us, teach us, comfort us, give us peace, joy, strength - and You even use us to accomplish Your kingdom work. I praise You. I love you.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
A God Thing
I could probably entitle every one of my posts "A God Thing" because everything in my life is a God thing. Obviously all of the good things are from God, but I have learned that He is even in control of the bad. Not just bad circumstances, but even the bad choices I make. He is big enough to use it all to His glory.
Thursdays are the day for the Bible study that I have in my home. There are 5 precious ladies that are a part of it. They come at 8:15 and we meet in my Prayer Room (pictures to come) until 10:00 - we could continue in the Word spending time together all morning but I have to go to work. After they left this morning, I decided (i.e. God impressed upon me) to share a little about how God put that group together and how He is doing a mighty work in our group that can only be attributed to God. Don't worry ladies - I will not name names because I did not ask your permission.
Last fall while on IV steroids (which keep you from sleeping more than 2 or 3 hours a night) I was able to have meetings with God for about 4 or 5 hours a night. One night I began to read my journal from my quiet times during the summer months. I realized that my prayers consisted of alot of whining and complaining. One of my complaints to God was that because of my physical condition, I could no longer minister at church in the way I had in the past - the way I thought I would always minister. He let me know that my ministry will change with the seasons of my life.
He began to give me the names of some ladies. I wrote down each name and started to pray for them. I thought that was the extent of what He would have me do with that list of ladies. All of them had either gone through some really, really rough circumstances or are going through some major trials right now. One day God told me that He wanted me to have a Bible study in my home and to invite these ladies to be a part of it. I said "God, I can't minister to these ladies. I cannot imagine the things they are going through." He said "I don't want you to minister to them - I am going to." All He wanted me to do was be an empty container filled with His Spirit allowing Him to work through me. I talked to each lady seperately. I was going to just ask them to pray about being a part, but each one told me yes right away. They each shared that they had been asking God to send them something that would help them grow and learn how to make it through the circumstances they found themselves in.
We had our first meeting the beginning of December. My main prayer as I prepared to teach was that God would keep me out of the way so that He could do what He wanted to. The ladies barely knew each other, some not at all. It has been an unbelievable blessing to watch God work in this sweet group. I told them that whatever they got out of it would not be during our time together, but during their personal time with God. Then they all started to get in the Word. Good things always come when you get into the Word. God meets you there. He teaches, convicts, comforts, encourages, and grows you. He reveals Himself, opens your eyes, gives you peace, joy, direction, and a purpose. Your desires begin to change. You no longer put all of your focus on yourself because you learn that your purpose in life is to glorify God - in all things...and so much more. That is what I have had the privilege of watching God do in these ladies' lives. Each week they share stories of how God is changing them, not necessarily their circumstances, but their hearts. Praise God !! It doesn't get any better than that.
Also, they have grown to know and love each other. As different ones have gone through some very difficult trials, they have been there for each other. They have called each other, texted, taken meals, babysat, and prayed alot for each other.
To my beautiful ladies - what a joy you are to me. It has been so wonderful and humbling to watch you soak up the things that God is teaching us. You are truly learning to be a glove on the hand of God. I can't wait to see all the ways He is going to use you in His kingdom to glorify Himself. Those of you who said you don't speak in groups - God will probably have you teaching a class before long. Ha! Most of the time He has us do things that are totally out of our comfort zone just so we don't forget that it is all Him. I love yall so much.
Thursdays are the day for the Bible study that I have in my home. There are 5 precious ladies that are a part of it. They come at 8:15 and we meet in my Prayer Room (pictures to come) until 10:00 - we could continue in the Word spending time together all morning but I have to go to work. After they left this morning, I decided (i.e. God impressed upon me) to share a little about how God put that group together and how He is doing a mighty work in our group that can only be attributed to God. Don't worry ladies - I will not name names because I did not ask your permission.
Last fall while on IV steroids (which keep you from sleeping more than 2 or 3 hours a night) I was able to have meetings with God for about 4 or 5 hours a night. One night I began to read my journal from my quiet times during the summer months. I realized that my prayers consisted of alot of whining and complaining. One of my complaints to God was that because of my physical condition, I could no longer minister at church in the way I had in the past - the way I thought I would always minister. He let me know that my ministry will change with the seasons of my life.
He began to give me the names of some ladies. I wrote down each name and started to pray for them. I thought that was the extent of what He would have me do with that list of ladies. All of them had either gone through some really, really rough circumstances or are going through some major trials right now. One day God told me that He wanted me to have a Bible study in my home and to invite these ladies to be a part of it. I said "God, I can't minister to these ladies. I cannot imagine the things they are going through." He said "I don't want you to minister to them - I am going to." All He wanted me to do was be an empty container filled with His Spirit allowing Him to work through me. I talked to each lady seperately. I was going to just ask them to pray about being a part, but each one told me yes right away. They each shared that they had been asking God to send them something that would help them grow and learn how to make it through the circumstances they found themselves in.
We had our first meeting the beginning of December. My main prayer as I prepared to teach was that God would keep me out of the way so that He could do what He wanted to. The ladies barely knew each other, some not at all. It has been an unbelievable blessing to watch God work in this sweet group. I told them that whatever they got out of it would not be during our time together, but during their personal time with God. Then they all started to get in the Word. Good things always come when you get into the Word. God meets you there. He teaches, convicts, comforts, encourages, and grows you. He reveals Himself, opens your eyes, gives you peace, joy, direction, and a purpose. Your desires begin to change. You no longer put all of your focus on yourself because you learn that your purpose in life is to glorify God - in all things...and so much more. That is what I have had the privilege of watching God do in these ladies' lives. Each week they share stories of how God is changing them, not necessarily their circumstances, but their hearts. Praise God !! It doesn't get any better than that.
Also, they have grown to know and love each other. As different ones have gone through some very difficult trials, they have been there for each other. They have called each other, texted, taken meals, babysat, and prayed alot for each other.
To my beautiful ladies - what a joy you are to me. It has been so wonderful and humbling to watch you soak up the things that God is teaching us. You are truly learning to be a glove on the hand of God. I can't wait to see all the ways He is going to use you in His kingdom to glorify Himself. Those of you who said you don't speak in groups - God will probably have you teaching a class before long. Ha! Most of the time He has us do things that are totally out of our comfort zone just so we don't forget that it is all Him. I love yall so much.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Will I ever learn?
The ladies in my Thursday morning Bible study are used to me telling it like it is. My new Sunday night group will learn soon enough. I find little encouragement from ladies who speak as if they have it all together. They intimidate me and make me feel like a spiritual loser. I must admit I wonder if all of their talk is a carefully constructed mask to make everyone think they are spiritual giants.....then pretty soon after I think that - God convicts me for judging them. I repent and we go from there. When I share with my ladies, I don't try to appear perfect. It would be a lie if I did. I have so far to go. I want to be real. I want them to feel like they can come to me when they are struggling and not be afraid that I will condemn them. I fall short every day and I will continue to until that glorious day when God makes me perfect (He really has His work cut out for Him, but He is able). Since I am going to try and post regularly on here mostly for the sweet ladies in my Bible studies, I will from time to time share the gory details of my growth journey. That will make my blog pretty different from most. Don't say I didn't warn you.
One of the Bible truths that I "harp" on week after week is found in Galations 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life which I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." I am learning (the hard way) that the only was I can be of any use in the kingdom of God is for me to empty myself, die to my selfish desires, and allow God to take the throne of my life and live my life through me. If ever for a moment I begin to think I am getting it together, God brings along something to humble me very quickly. I saw my MS doctor on Friday. He gave me some news that I did not want to hear. I was so glad that I had gone alone because I pitched a big, old-fashioned hissy fit on the drive home. I knew this news was a possibility. I had been praying about it for months. I felt like I was trusting God with it. Evidently I was trusting Him because I didn't really think it would ever happen. Anyway, I cried (you know the kind where you can't talk without hiccupping) and told God all the terrible things that were going to happen, how impossible it would be to make it through, and how there was no way out. (It all sounds funny now but it wasn't at the time.) He just kept whispering "Trust me". I get goose bumps just typing that. I continued to cry and state my case. Finally after about the 10th time of hearing "Trust Me", I said "How do I do that with this?" He said "Die to yourself". Now remember - this is my mantra. He began to show me - me through His eyes. Everything I was afraid about and so upset about were very selfish, self-centered things. He also showed me that until I surrendered this thing, He and I would go no further. It would consume my thoughts. He would not reveal anything new to me. I wouldn't be able to pray or worship. I would be of no use to anyone else. I was going to be stuck right there until I gave it up. I FINALLY said "OK God, I choose to die to my self. Then I went through ever selfish desire He had revealed to me and I chose to die to it". The thought crossed my mind that I was just saying words, but as I chose to relinquish those things (some of them were things that were very important to me), a peace came over me that I cannot explain with words. I had cried a bucket of tears but they were dried up immediately. I didn't have an assurance that things would work out the way I wanted them to, but an assurance that God is in control - that whatever He chooses to do in this situation, in my life, will be the very best thing. He will be glorified. If I am not living my life to glorify Him then I am wasting it.
I got home and got a phone call. It amazingly took care of part of the problem. When I got off the phone, I said "God, why didn't you just tell me about that?" He said "Then you wouldn't have been trusting Me." As you can see, God and I have very frank conversations. He knows how I roll and I feel sure that He laughs at me most days - whether it is the ridiculous little things that make me smile (I have on one occasion thanked Him because I saw 14 squirrels on my way to work and it made me smile), my lack of brain power, or my unconventional way of communicating with Him.
All this to say - ladies, you are learning about Galations 2:20. Now you must walk it out. Somedays are easier than others, but if you refuse to crucify yourself and let Christ live through you, that is the place where you will be camping out for awhile. You can be like the Israelites and spend 40 years in that wilderness. Personally, I would rather surrender each day (many times each day) and march through the Promised Land winning battle after battle.
God bless you. I love you. BTW, this is one of Hannah's photos.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
What a Year!
I can't believe it has been almost a year since I last posted. 2010 was an unbelievable year. It has been the most difficult year of my life. But God being God has made it the most awesome year of my life. That sounds strange, I know, but that is the best way I can explain it. I will try to sum it up. In January, Hannah developed a strange illness. She had terrible pain in her joints. Some mornings she could not even lift her arms. After seeing several different doctors, we found that she had Parvo virus at some point (yes, I thought that was a dog killer). As a result, she had developed reactive arthritis. Then, while her system was down as a result to taking steroids, she got pneumonia. She missed so many days of school that she barely graduated. It was terrible making her go to school when she felt so bad. We had several meetings with her teachers, guidance counselor and assistant principal to work things out. But she made it and was able to graduate. I started to have some new symptoms in March that I knew indicated a new MS attack. I was so involved with Hannah that I didn't go to the doctor until May. I had IV steroids in May. Having just finished the IV treatments and a couple days before Hannah's graduation, I went to New York for a photo shoot. Go to http://www.mslifelines.com/, then click on the News and Events tab. I made it through that. We had family over after graduation. The next Monday (Memorial Day), we had a party for Hannah's friends. After her party, she called at about 10:30 to tell us she had a wreck. She wasn't hurt, but her car was messed up. All through the summer, I traveled all over the place to speak to groups of people with MS. I continued to struggle with my MS. I lost alot of weight. I went from a size 10 to a size 6. My doctor told me that the heat was the problem. She said that I would feel better as soon as it cooled off. I finally went to a different doctor. He did an MRI in September. He found that I was still in the same MS attack that had started in March. He gave me more IV steroids. While taking those, I could not sleep more than 3 or 4 hours a night. While I was awake, I decided to spend that time with God instead of whining about not being able to sleep. Some nights I would have a 5 hour quiet time. Wow! God taught me so many things about Himself and myself. He started a completely new work in my life. I have been a Christian for a long time. I can look back and see how I have grown. But I am at a completely new place. I can really say that I am thankful I have MS. My health continued to decline. I was out of work (the bank and speaking) for about 6 weeks. I still can only work 3 hours a day. I have dealt with all kinds of symptoms this year - the worse being problems with my eyesight and my hands. My biggest struggle now is that my hands and feet cramp and draw up. My hands continue to get worse. I can't write, use a computer mouse, or grip things very well. Think about how many things you needs your hands for. It is tough to be so limited. My doctor says that the steroids are no longer working. We are trying other things. Hannah went to college this fall. She was about an hour from home. Without going into detail - it did not go well. God brought her home to Alabama. She is going through a tough time trying to figure things out. She is seeing a Christian counselor. Doug and I are praying for wisdom to handle every thing correctly. Oh yeah, this summer Ti swallowed a quarter. It stuck in his throat. He had to be taken to Children's Hospital in Huntsville by ambulance. There is so much more that has happened this year. These are just the highlights. Ha! In the midst of all of this, God has allowed me to feel His Presence and His amazing love. He has taught me what it means to really trust Him. We say we trust Him, but do we really? He has taught me what it means to pray without ceasing and how to walk in the Spirit. He has used me at a time when I had absolutely nothing to give - so I knew it was all Him and none of me. I am teaching a Bible study in my home on Thursday mornings. It has been so awesome (what God is doing). God hand-picked the ladies He wanted to be a part of this precious group. He is really working in their lives. It has nothing at all to do with me. He is just graciously allowing me to be a part of it. I would like to blog periodically so that the ladies in my group can read it. However, I don't know if that is God's leading or just something I thought would be a good idea. So we will see. If I don't post again until this time next year, then it was obviously my idea not His. If I don't blog again for awhile, I urge you to let 2011 be a year that you go to a new place with God. Don't waste this year on things that really don't matter in light of eternity.
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