“Mommy! I see God!!” July 18, 2008

      These are the words Barry and I heard a three year old little boy announce to everyone in earshot at lunch today. The excitement in his little voice as he exclaimed to the entire section of starving customers that he SAW God stopped us all mid-chew and had us turning around to look where his little chubby fingers were pointing! It was at a picture on the wall of Christ looking up into the heavens in prayer.

      I couldn’t help but smile before i turned around because isn’t that the desire of all our hearts- To see Jesus day-after-day. Do we get as excited as this little boy at the sight of Lord in our days? No wonder the Lord wanted us to have childlike faith. Where we realize we are totally helpless without Him and eternally dependant on Him. We’d all wind up like that little blue-eyed boy. “Did… did ya see that! Did you see God?!”

     As the days go by, i’m striving to change what excites me. I want to become a little kid all over again. To learn to trust the Lord in all things and  be consciously seeking Him in all the moments of my days.  I want to just spend my days hanging out in the presence of the Lord no matter where i am physically.

     I believe the Lord used that little boy today to help me focus my desires. Because people are searching as evidenced by the heads turned to see where the boy SAW God. If people weren’t interested in finding Him or knowing Him why did they turn around? My next thought following the turn around was i wonder how many of those people at the other tables were lost people. How many of them need to meet Him? As we know there are a lot of lost people searching… how many of us are telling? We need to be equipped with scripture, able to hear the Lord, and prayed up for Him to speak through us to these searching ones. If we went to Wal-Mart Friday night about 6:30 PM stood down aisle 7 and yelled, “I SEE GOD!” equipped with His Word and prayed up… Who knows we might have a revival in the land!

Matthew 18:1-5 “… Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Jesus called a little child to Him and put the child among them. Then He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on My behalf is welcoming Me.”

Time to convert to childlike ways! 

 

 

 

Gift to Self- “Discover God Study Bible Go Deeper” July 18, 2008

Don’t you love those kinds of gifts?!

I went out Sunday and bought myself the new Discover  God   Study  Bible. This one is the neater than any of the others i own. Not to mention it weights about 10lbs! That ought to be an indication of all the awesomeness in there for me to learn. This Bible has a built-in study in the front and then there are ton’s of footnotes and learning’s in the bottom of each page. The built-in study is like none i’ve ever seen before! It also has a Mac-Daddy concordance too! It’s in the New Living Translation for anyone interested.

I had gone out in search of an Amplified but didn’t like what i found and well I own all the other bibles i think.  I would highly recommend this study bible to anyone looking for a new one or for purchasing to give to a new believer. I’m really impressed with what i’ve enjoyed learning out of it so far. It’s easy to read and understand.

Here, have a peek into the sweet smelling pages…

Good To Great In God’s Eyes- The Series July 14, 2008

     I’ve been listening to something really incredible.  I had to share it with you all. It’s a series called “Good to Great in God’s Eye’s” By Chip Ingrim. I was directed to this by my prayer warrior Judi! <Thanks Judi!!!> You can print off the message notes too or listen to other teachings by him. But i promise you you will be blessed by what you hear.

Good To Great In God’s Eyes  <– Click there for getting straight to his on line messages.

The Series (In order):

• Think Great Thoughts
• Read Great Books
• Pursue Great People *awesome!
• Dream Great Dreams
• Pray Great Prayers
• Take Great Risks *awesome!
• Make Great Sacrifices *awesome!
• Enjoy Great Moments
• Empower Great People
• Develop Great Habits

     Honestly, they are all too great! Chip has a beautiful way of teaching that i find very encouraging and not condeming. In otherwords i feel like i can walk away and start practicing it immediately. You’ll be hooked if you hear them!

‘Moving My Feet’ July 14, 2008

     Since returning home from She Speaks I’ve been praying for the Lord to direct me as to the next steps to take. I admit I got busy at home and slacked off starting anything. I was in a sort of funk because I’m still questioning exactly who I’d be speaking too.

     I have kept asking, “Lord! If you have called me to speak & write I know you will speak through me to whomever. BUT… I’m wondering who the genre of people will be.”  I don’t want to figure it all out. Although i would like to practice. I have spoken several times in my life already, but never preparedto thoroughly teach a message and never thought about how what i’m saying ought to be geared towards the type of individual listening. I believe that God is a God of order & preparation. Where I am right now is a part of that preparation. I’m good at talking- maybe too good actually. Thinking about what i say before i say it is a whole other story.

     The other night i laid in my bed praying for this, that, and the other before trying to fall asleep. All  with my husband watching a very loud NASCAR race in the next room and yelling “Woo-Hoo.” Difficult, yes i know! <This is the perfect time to go in and ask him for anything because of course he’s not paying attention and will answer, “Yes, Love.”> I laid there in the bed just praying and started to fall asleep. Then these words started popping into my head and i could visualize myself talking about them. The words given to me were what i believe to be a foundation for which to structure a message the Lord wants to share around. I was so excited that now i had the lights on and my pen out scribbling down notes down on pieces of paper. I got so pumped that i could not fall asleep till about 2 AM.

     On Thursday I started to read my Art of Storytelling book and work on the first chapter in it. Very fun and challenging! I’m sure i’ll learn a lot from the pages of it over the next several months.

     God is just so cool! I think it’s so neat to know that He wants to give us those desires when we are fully submitted to Him- Like my asking for something, anything to help me step forward. Technically, the next time i ever speak before a group of people will be the first time I’ve spoken for Him knowing that this moment and more like it are what He created me to do. Part of what He planned for me 27 plus years ago and it took me all of those years to get broken, humbled, surrendered, over myself, and prepared for Him. Prepared for Him to raise me up into a woman that He can use to share a message and my testimony given by Him meant to touch the hearts of His people in only a way that He can. I’m humbled to be one of the many chosen for this calling. My hearts other desire is for everyone to know this same moment i’m totally loving. The moment when you have leapt from your boat into the Christ life. Where else do we find this unexplainable joy, happiness, peace, and purpose for all that we’ve experienced than when we get closer to the Lord and further away from ourselves?!

     In my mind, i’m picturing when i was pre-accident and could actually jump. I spent the summer of my 15 year old life at the county pool. I have always been somewhat fearless so diving 90MPH off the high dive and doing triple flips was the highlight of my days. I remember running down to the end of the board, throwing all my weight down, and  springing my body off the diving board out into the air where you felt like you were doing the impossible. Then you splash into the water laughing, climb outta the pool, and do it all over again because you can’t get enough of it! This is a picture of how i feel i am with the Lord right now. I’m running away from myself, throwing my weight onto his shoulders, and the letting Him thrust me forward into where He planned all along. 

*UPDATE* on Heather Appt. July 7, 2008

*UPDATE*

The update on my dermatologist appt today is… The new spot is suspicious. Therefore, Dr G decided to biopsy. She looked around and nothing else seemed to be bad or supicious, just that one area! PRASIE THE LORD!! Now i wait one week i think till i hear back on if the spot was cancerous or just an odd looking freckle. I’m learning… one doesn’t have to be a sun goddess to have skin problems! Thanks for your prayers. xoxo

Talking bout’ Trust Issues July 6, 2008

     This survey comes on the heels of my readings in the book of Ruth. I read on how Ruth “trusted” the Lord for her future- completely. Starting with when she had to move away from her own family to be with her husband’s, which can be scary to leave what is familiar. Still after the death of her husband she trusted the Lord. Yet again when she chose to stay with her mother-in-law (WOW! For us women we know how commendable that is huh ladies!) who had nothing and could promise no provision. Ruth vowed to stay with Naomi regardless of where she went or what she lacked. Ruth trusted the Lord to provide for all of her and Naomi’s needs from the basic one’s to the most difficult.

     Why does it seem so difficult many times for us to just trust in the Lord completely? Do we actually think we could do a better job in decision making and determining the outcome of our futures if we call the shots? I think many times for myself it’s been that i’m impatient and don’t want to wait out what the Lord’s got because i’ve got things to do and places to go. Then what happens… catastrophe.

     I admit that I have not been very good at trusting and finding the R & R that comes with trusting the Lord instead of trying to jump ahead of Him. In fact, i’m going to share with you first hand from my own life an example.

     It all started with a thought. The thought that this crazy passion for sawdust piles, paint chips, and freshly copied blueprints meant that i ought to pursue after a love of mine- Interior Design & Architecture. What did i do? I ran off to enroll in art college to get a move on with it! I found myself working for a thriving design firm, not necessarily doing what i had wanted to do with design but designing none the less. I was doing quite well in school. Things seemed to be going great, business was good, my ego was puffing up, and i thought that i had really at last been or started to be a success at something other than talking too much. My husband and I started drifting into the lifestyle of frivolous spending. A few years went by, the construction dropped off and so did my cash-able paychecks. Then the owner of the firm started a string of dishonesty that threatened my reputation for association with her dishonorable business practices. I finally realized that i had gone very wrong! Never did i pray about this and wait for an answer from the Lord if this career path is what He chose for me. Rather I invited Him to come along for the ride and i plowed open the doors for myself. Disaster struck at gale force! All because of my lack of trust.

     Are a bunch of you ready to quit reading my blog now that you know i’m really a creep!?! I’ll be the first to admit that I have had…keyword had… trust issues with the Lord. Not because He did anything untrustworthy, but because i like to be boss lots of times and my impatience has warped my better judgement.

     I see such an incredible example in Ruth for all of us. She really trusted the Lord in so many ways and waited out what He had for her and how He would provide. An of course, in the end the Lord exceeded her expectations with his favor and blessing. Awesome huh?! Now i’m not saying trust in the Lord because you want what He can do for you. Trust in Him because you’ve got to the point that you realize ‘who He is.’

     Can you imagine being like Ruth? Giving up all the area’s of our lives to the Lord completely. Saying, “Lord do as you want with me!” Well, that’s my wish for all of us, especially myself. With every passing day may i just fall again into His trustworthy arms and know the R & R that comes from letting go.  Now be sure to vote in the poll below! 

  

Happy Anniversary Roni! July 3, 2008

Pappa-Roni,

     Happy 4th Anniversary! Me loves you the most-y of the most-y of the most-y! You are an incredible husband. I am honored that you chose me, out of all the women in the world, to be your wife. How blessed am I?!

     This year is going to be full of exciting new things for us together. I can’t wait to see how the Lord blesses our lives this year as we step forward in total reliance on Him for BIG stuff to happen. It’s gonna be awesome!! Let’s just hang tight, like monkey babies, to the Lord and trust Him in all things.

     Thank you for all the love, time, care, and attention you give to me. Oh and for the laughs too. If we could tally up how many calories we’ve lost laughing it would probably be a million by now. I’m grateful to share such a wonderful relationship with you where we carry on till our guts hurt or someone starts whining! It’s beautiful. Or how we get all competitive and slay each other at Skip-Bo. Then rub in our winnings to the other. I could never imagine my life without you, it would be completely boring and lacking. Praise God for bringing us together!

Happy Anniversary Love!

FYI- “Roni” is Barry’s luv name from me. Short for pepperoni, because he’s so freckly, and pepperoni’s have freckles.

Being Raised from the Dry Well June 27, 2008

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” - John 6:35

How many, many times have we tried to fill our life buckets with contaminated water? I know for myself that it’s been ten times too many. Who knew such buckets could sustain the weight of sinful decisions in  mass quantity?! Yet the whole time all i needed was one drop of His living water, one taste of His bread of Life.

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” - Jeremiah 2:13

Today I was reading about the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. How she had been searching to get her thirst quenched from the wrong places. How often have we done the same? People, Enjoyment, Accomplishment.

“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is hungry, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’” -John 7:37-38

For some reason I hung around the ‘Dry Well’ far too long, perhaps that was a pride issue. Okay, why am i perhaps-ing– It was most certainly a pride issue! I was ‘that’ woman at the well- ashamed of my poor choices and the consequences they had. I was dig, dig, digging dry wells left & right. Then the Lord met me there and offered me a stream of living water. Since I have taken him up on that the only thirst i have is for more of Him and less…so much less… of me. Now i want to run off like the Samaritan women leaving my jar behind and bring everyone back to see for themselves the Christ- THE Living Water.

Are you feeling like that woman at the well? Drinking of the contaminated waters of sin & shame. Wanting more but always coming up dry. Call upon the Lord to fill you up with His stream of Living Water! Then get your pool rafts & suntan lotion and just bask in His awesomeness girls!

God Winks, I Nod June 25, 2008

     I ask how does one sum up the greatness of the Lord. I don’t know, therefore, i’m going to share with you until my fingers hurt I suppose. An you can read till your eyes hurt.

     I feel that i was pretty prayed up for this conference and spiritually aligned with where the Lord wanted me to be. So I guess it should come as no great surprise that He answered my prayers and then some during those 2 1/2 days.

     My heart is just so full coming off of a trip like that. I wish i could feel this same excitement day-after-day as i press onward into the Lords call to me. I know there are always moments and times of dullness but i’m praying the Lord will keep me from those or help me get out of them quickly.

     I have been wanting to share my heart and what has taken place with you but i guess i’ve just been ‘lost in the moment’ if you will. I hope your eyes won’t wear out while I share. “Smile”

Godwink #1- Day One

Most of you who know me know my intimidation of women. I don’t mean i intimidate them but vice versa. I plopped myself down in a chair to go over my schedule and prepare for my 1st class in moments when i overheard a conversation behind me. “Oh yeah, you know my kid….” Many of you know i’m not supposed to be able to have kids and that’s why these conversations drive me nuts. I am completely aware that i don’t have kids- thankful for it many many times. But it is weird to be 27 and the only one not pregnant or two kids down, one to go. I cringed as I heard them talking and i immediately prayed, “LORD… HELP! Please send me 1 good girlfriend i’ll have forever.” Then PLOP down sits this beautiful girl in the chair next to me. Little did i know she was about to be the answer to my prayer! The first true friend i ever prayed and asked for. An the Lord is so good He made her a million times better than i could have dreamed up. I was tempted to beg her to let me move in so more of her thought processes can rub off on me. BONUS: Her mom was there and she is the cutest lil’ momma. I laughed many times because she reminds me so much of my own mother. An you all know how close my mom & I are.

Godwink #2- Day Two

I had pre-selected my classes before coming. Lots of classes were so full they had tickets to get you in the door. I had looked over my schedule so many times that i just knew that i was certain which room letter my class was in. Once it started i realized i was in the complete wrong class!!! Not to mention i was sitting at almost the front so i didn’t want to get up and leave. The speaker, Luanne Prater, spoke on Preparing for the Battlefield Through Prayer. This mistake no doubt was purposeful by the Lord. She spoke on the very thing i had been working on before coming- Freedom from Bondage. Where i learned to search out the area’s that the devil was able to creep in thanks to my opening the door sometimes unintentionally. Also, renouncing these sins. Which there was plenty of! Trust me i think i repented of more sin in my 27 years than most of the longest living people in the bible committed. Well, Luanne touched on the things that were in that book. I felt as though the Lord was confirming my obedience in repentance to Him for those acts. An also showing me how to take a stand through prayer from that day forward. This was the best class i attended there! My mistake, God’s purposeful plan.

Godwink #3- Day Two

At the end of the class spoke about above if we didn’t have prayer partners we were called up to the front and paired up with a random partner. My new prayer partner & I went back to give each other some info and what we needed prayer for. She wrote her’s on the back of her business card. During our conversation i flipped the card over and giggled. She is an interior decorator too. I told her God must have a great sense of humor that we would wind up prayer partners with similar interests.

 

Godwink #4- Day Two

After the class and getting my new prayer partner we were told to go check out this room where the P31 (Proverbs 31 Ministry) Team had prayed over our names and waited for direction from the Lord on which one of His names to place us under. Well, I went into the room and guess what my name was under…. El Shaddai- The God Almighty. Means God is powerful enough to provide for all of my needs. Me, huh?! Well, of all the names this one is mine for sure. As you know my struggles this year with the loss of my surgeon and the commotion of finding a new one and being reminded of how complicated my body has become because of the accident and surgery it was a for real roller coaster ride emotionally. Very hard for me to not get off track. But in the end the Lord provides. I wanted to leap when i read that name! I know my friends that the Lord can and will provide for me. I have already seen His provision.

Wanna see another womans experience with her name and the pics of the prayer room… Go Here

GodwinK #5- Day Three

I purchased a book while there on the Art of Storytelling. I kept trying to open it to read but i never got the chance till at the airport ready for home. I was just sitting there reading my bible and thanking God for his goodness to me and the chance to be at She Speaks. Then i pulled out the book, opened it up, and discovered it wasn’t about writing at all. It was for speakers. An i had specifically prayed for the Lord to provide me with the resources for better studying into the scriptures in a particular way. Well, in the very back of the book was 2 pages worth the resources with a description about every one of them. I was so excited! This was a simple desire of mine to be able to understand customs and the lifestyles of the era when the Bible was being inspired. There it was at the end of my glorious weekend.

     During my time spent there at the conference the Lord impressed upon me that i was to speak and write, perhaps speaking leading to writing. So my turf has been expanded. It’s exciting because i know it’s a journey the Lord wants to take me on where i’ll better know Him, become dependant on Him more than ever before, and a way that He can reach others. I’m humbled He wants to use me. But i can’t help to be excited for the future. I have absolutely NO idea where to start just yet. I’m gonna have to pray and see where the Lord leads me. Friday will be my first day of prayer and starting the exercises taught in the book. I have to learn to share and i have LOTS to learn! Here I go or better said… Here I grow!

 

W-o-w! June 22, 2008

I have arrived back home safely from the She Speaks Conference. All I can say right now is W-O-W!! The Lord exceeded my expectations in a huge, big, gigantic, monstrous way. What was His alternative right?! He’s a huge, big, gigantic, enormous, loving Abba Father!!! Who answers the prayers of His “dust” children in ways they can’t find words to express. That’s how I am at this moment- speechless. In fact, I’m still trying to soak in all that I’ve just experienced. I can’t wait to share it with you all. But not just yet.

NOTE TO MY SHE SPEAKS GIRLFRIENDS

D* Rest:I prayed two minutes before you sat in the chair on Friday that the Lord would send me a really great girlfriend for life. Once again He has superseded my expectations!! I could not have connected with anyone i would have enjoyed more. Someone who i believe really, truly lives out ”resting.” I’m sure He planned that because i have A LOT to learn from you in that department. I see a book contract on the horizon girl! I look forward to being privy to seeing the Lord open amazing doors for you from your obedience to His call and your trust in Him. PS- Be You. Cuz’ your G-R-R-REAT! 

F*:I’m still chuckling over how God’s sense of humor is. How be it that two interior designers wind up as prayer partners at a conference for women who speak-lead-write?! <–*Godwink* Perhaps the Lord has majorly different plans for us as careers. “Smile” I look forward to the friendship that we’ll begin and the opportunity to lift each other up in prayer.

Bloggin Buddies:All you ladies are just precious! I was excited to meet you each in person and know you outside of your bloggy titles. Your all hottt momma’s & grandmomma’s too! I will be continuing to read your blogs and hopefully we’ll meet again next year.