A Way To Put Life Into Perspective...

2010-04-21T12:39:00.004-04:00

"Eyes are the windows to our soul" so it is said.

Why is it people only see that which they think to be real? Are these eyes angry, sad, happy, or hurt? It would be wrong for us to try and determine what is really being said here without seeing the whole picture.

As children of God we often do that very same thing...look at someone and determine their value and worth not looking at the complete picture. In Genies 1:27 God said he created man in his own image. Did you ever stop and think how powerful those words are? We are created in God's own image...How amazing is that? I tremble at the thought of how special God sees me and yet how little I value myself as his creation.

I have been down on myself because I feel like I have been slacking and not doing enough for the Lord. Ya see I am still placing human thinking in the mind of Christ. I cant begin to comprehend how he perceives me and how he values me as his child. I understand so little when it comes how much God loves me and could send his Son to die for me.

In Jeremiah 29:11 God tells me He know the thoughts that he thinks toward me...thoughts of peace and not evil so I will have an expected end.

He also tells me when I call upon him go and pray to him and he will hear me. How awesome is that? God will take time to listen to a sinner like me that isn't worthy of his love. To God I am worthy and so are you. God is waiting to to shower us with blessings but it is our human way of thinking that hinders our Lord from truly blessing us. In verse 13 he tells me that if I seek him and search for him with all my heart I will find him...this saith the Lord!

I read these verses to my Father over and over as he laid dying in the Hospice house. I felt like my Father was being punished because of his life lived in sin. He gave his heart to the Lord shortly before he went to the Hospice house and I know the Lord was with him but I doubted God reasoning for my Fathers suffering. God showed me these verses so I could read them to my Father, as well as my comfort.

God doesn't want us to give in to our enemies but to be victorious in all walks of life. If we will just seek him with all of our heart every day he will bring us peace even in the midst of a storm.

He gave me peace and comfort as I watched my Father wither away and die. He said to me :I know your Fathers expected end and it is much greater than his life...He will live forever!

I ask you that if you are doubting yourself and God's love for you seek Him...

2010-01-07T22:03:00.002-05:00

I will rise when He calls my name!!!! WOW! How powerful. Just knowing that when our Lord calls upon us we will rise and answer the call. When I first hear Chris Tomlin's song "I will Rise" I was in the parking lot at the park. I had just spent three days with my Dad at the hospital, being told by Doctors he was not going to live. My Mother had just passed away three and a half months before.
My first thought was my Dad will rise when God calls his name and there was nothing anyone could do to change that. Why would I want to prevent him from going to heaven? He had suffered a long time and his heart broke when he lost Mom.
After alot of crying and praying, still being selfish, I realised that this didn't just mean the only time God would call us would be to come to heaven. He calls upon us to do many things and we take this very lightly at times. He was calling me to stand in faith and continue on through the most difficult times I have ever gone through. He was calling me to rise and lean on him trusting in him and allowing him to guide me even though I did not want to go on. I still had a life to live for the Lord and he was calling on me to step up and allow him to be seen on my life.
I see the signs of age creeping up on this mortal body and it scares me how little time I have left to minister unto my family. My hands show signs of wrinkling as well as thinner appearance to my skin. I remember the first time I noticed my Mothers hands looking this was...I didn't want to believe she was getting older and her days running shorter.
Her life was filled with struggle and heart break but she stood firm on the word of God and trusted in his promises and each time she was called she rose to meat the challenge. That is what she taught me...With Christ all things are possible.
What is Christ calling you to do? Will you rise to the call while here on earth?
Seek his presence now while the day is still called today for tomorrow may never come.
Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. ( Proverbs 3:25,26)

2009-12-01T10:30:00.002-05:00

WOW! What a leap of faith I took today. I went from a secure job to applying for one that could be taken away at anytime...I am crazy! I have felt the Lord leading me to do this and I have put it off for three weeks and finally I did it today. Had my first interview before I put in my application and they called administration, before I put in my application and now it is in the Lords hands.
With my current job I do not get paid enough to survive if anything happened to my husband. With the new job I could live financially with out him. I kept telling myself the Lord knows what is ahead and I don't. I am now leaving it in his hands.
It is true that with the Lord his yoke is easy. If it is meant to be things will move smoothly and the stress will be gone. It is only when we start thinking, of all of the things that will go wrong, that the stress builds up and consumes us. Just set back and allow the Lord to place you where you need to be.
Have a blessed day in the Lord.

2009-11-03T13:08:00.002-05:00

Just a prayer for today...

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for this day and the beauty that surrounds me. You have helped me in so many ways and yet I still fill unworthy. I am grateful you love me in the capacity that you do and that you will always be there lifting me up when I am in need of help. I have a specific request today for one of my children. You know the need in his life and how he is struggling to handle this great grief in his life. Loosing one grand parent is hard but loosing two with in three months is extremely hard. I pray you help him through his grief and allow him a healthy way to heal. Guide him in the choices he needs to make in life and strengthen me with the ability I need to speak wisdom to heal his broken heart. Thank you for your love and grace upon my life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

2009-11-02T21:35:00.002-05:00

I must say the past month has flown by and I haven't accomplished much of anything. Several months ago I read a quote in a book by Angela Thomas. It said that if the Devil cant make you bad then he will make you busy. How true that is. I have neglected many things to do what I "thought" was important.
I wont go into all of the details but I have taken in a young mother and her two children. Their ages are 3 years and the the girl is 4 weeks. This has added much stress to my home that consisted of my husband, three of my boys and one daughter in law plus myself. I have been working three jobs as well as cooking and making sure the house operates as normal as possible. The Devil sure did make me busy!
So I set here and whonder what is next...I must sow down ! For it is when we get still that we can hear the small still voice of the Lord that directs us and guides us. I have failed to be still and listen.
What has been placed in you ;ife that has kept you too busy to hear the still snall voice of the Lord? When you wake up it will be a new day...A new day for a new start. Today is the day to say Lord forgive me for becoming to busy please allow me to see what needs to be oliminated from my daily life so that I can hear you voice clearer.
A New Day! A New Way of Living For The Lord.

Woo Hoo! Being productive in the midst of affliction.

2009-10-01T13:31:00.003-04:00

Woo Hoo!!!! The Lord is so good!
We started revival last night, I must say I have fallen in a rut and had the mind set I didn't need revival. WHOOOO...Don't ever think you don't need revival cause sister that is the moment you need it. The Lord set a fire under my back side and put me right on my knees where I needed to be.
I have been numb to say the least most of this year with all of my loses. I had lost my direction and drive to serve the Lord. I still depended on him every day to help me through but I wasn't serving him. I was an existing... no action for the Lord in my life.
While on my knees I ask the Lord to be merciful to me and forgive me for sinning by omission... I omitted my service as a child of God's and just existed! Blah!!!! Not what the children of the King is to do we are to be his hands and feet... I was neither. So I ask the Lord to just show me how to take the first step again and in what direction did he want my life to go in; How did he want me to use my talent s to serve him.
At this point of my life this year I had lost sight of what talents I had been blessed with and how god intended me to be a vital part of his body.
Woo Hoo! This morning he has allowed me to see not one, not two, but three steps I need to take for him right now and I have embraced them with great excitement. How great is our God that he is mindful of our needs and when we ask he blesses us.
Genesis 41:52 Joseph named his second son Ephraim. What does that have to do with me and you? Read on my friend...The meaning...For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my afflictions. WOW.
Where I am right at this point in my life, in all the pain and heart ache I bear, God will cause me to be fruitful. Not just multiply but to be productive for his kingdom. Yes my Sisters in Christ right where you are in the mist of you afflictions God can cause you to become fruitful (productive) for his glory. How awesome is that?
Fall on you knees and ask for direction to take that first step and see what he allows you to achieve.
Dear Heavenly Father bless my Sisters who read this and show them the next step that they must take for you. Give them the peace in knowing that you will cause them to be productive for you, in this world of confusion, to bring honor and glory to your Kingdom.
Thank you for being merciful to us. In Jesus Name I Pray, Amen

2009-09-15T20:18:00.002-04:00

For all of you that do stop by and read this check out onesoblessed.com. They are offering a scholarship to the Free to BE Me Retreat in October. Sounds like an awesome weekend is brewing in Florida.

2009-08-18T11:08:00.002-04:00

When God Speaks We Don't Always Listen.

My children were never real good at listening to me when I used a soft voice. It always seemed I had to raise my voice above theirs and have a strong stern tone to it. I did have five children spaced two years apart and it did get loud at my house. I had four boys and a girl. Poor girl? no poor boys! My daughter was the oldest and she made the boys lives miserable.
Through all of the different personalities and moods I had to take a strong firm tone when I requested my children to do things. It is that way in my relationship with the Lord...I think he has to take a stern strong voice to get my attention above the chaos in my life.
But that is not the kind of relationship I want with the Lord. Besides he is not always stern with us. In I Kings 19:12 Elijah was overwrought and had been going through alot of storms or trials and God saw all of this chaos in his life. The children of Israel was not being obedient and Elijah was put out. So he called upon the Lord and the Lord sent him unto Horeb the Mount of God. While he was there he experienced earthquakes and fire and more chaos. It was in the middle of all of that chaos that Elijah hear a still small voice which was the Lords. It was that small voice that Elijah obeyed and continued on in the will of the Lord. God wasn't in the earthquake and he wasn't in the fire but he was waiting on Elijah to get still enough to hear the small whisper of his voice.
When we have chaos in our lives we look for God but there are times he isn't in the storms of life he just allows them to put us in the place where we can hear the small voice of the Lord. In Psalms 46 God tells us to be still and know that he is God. I wonder why we are always looking for the big things to be from God and we over look the small?
As you go about your day to day activities take the time to be still and know who God is. Listen for the whispers on your heard and don't dismiss them because they aren't the loud ground shaking sounds we expect to hear. Be still...and listen.
Prayers and Hugs,
Angela

2009-07-23T22:49:00.002-04:00

Pray without ceasing...I Thessalonians 5:17
There is power in the name Jesus...
Isaiah 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.

I praise the Lord in the high places and I praise the Lord in the low places. His praise will not cease to come from my mouth. My Mother passed away in Jan. of this year and I praised the Lord for caring me through. I lost my Father in May of the year and I praised the Lord for seeing me through. Now I face a troubling time with my son who is 25. I am praising the Lord still and depending on him to deliver my son from a living hell and keeping him from a eternal hell.
Yes I have fear in my heart and I know fear is of the Devil. I am praying for myself that God will fill me with his Spirit so that I can over come this fear. I pray for my son's salvation and know God has heard my plea.
Psalms 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lords and he shall sustain the: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
I know he stands for me but the Devil tells me he wont stand for my son. The Devil is a deceiver and will sow seeds of worry and fear if we allow him. I have allowed him but now it is time to do some gardening...Let the Spirit of the Lord do the gardening in my heart.
Psalms 55:1,2 Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not thyself from my supplication.
Attend unto me, and hear me; I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise.
I know God has heard my mourning and pleas to save my son, I trust in him that he will do so. My strength is in the truth of God's word. I will believe!

2009-07-05T23:27:00.002-04:00

Ok...Over look my drama queen grand daughter for just a minute and look close to the things behind her. I have been trying to keep busy this year. After loosing both Mom and Dad with in three months of each other I have been lost. So I drug my husband out to an over grown weed bed in our yard, on the 4th of July, to clear it out. In the process he cuts my leg with the chainsaw...No, I am ok nothing bad. It was while I was setting under the tree resting that God spoke to me. The tree in the right of the picture was the one we were cutting the dead limbs out of so that they would not block the sun from my magnolia tree I was going to plan there.
while trying to decide which limbs needed to be removed God brought to my attention a passage of scripture. John 15:1-2 I am the true vine, and my Father the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. I was cutting off that which was dead and bore no fruit, they were useless. What he spoke to me more profoundly was some of the branches had a few green leaves on the end but when you got to the heart of that limb it was dried up and black....Oh how true that is with some who profess to be a child of God: They have the appearance of a bearing fruit but in the heart where it counts the are black and useless.
Oh how my heart sank at the thought of those that God will cut off because they will contaminate those that are trying to flourish and seek nourishment from the Lord.

How many are walking around dead with little or no fruit? Do you know how close you are to being cut off? What does your life say about what shape your hear is in?

Dear Heavenly Father, For those that read this may you move upon their hearts. If they are going through life with a cold black heart I pray your Spirit moves upon them today to bring them to a right relationship with you before you cut them off. For my readers that are productive vines may you nourish them and help all to realize that with out you we can do nothing, we are nothing. I pray if they have never accepted you as their Savior this will be the time they call upon your name for Salvation before they to are cut off. Thank you Lord for your sacrifice to save us from our sins. May you blessings be upon each and every reader. In Jesus name I pray, Amen
Prayers,
Angela

2009-07-02T22:51:00.002-04:00

2009-07-02T22:45:00.000-04:00

My heart breaks every time I look at this picture…This is my Dad holding onto my hand on Easter Sunday not wanting me to leave him. I sat with him for hours but it wasn’t long enough… Oh how I wish I could hold his hand again. My heart breaks…
Dad had been in a nursing home for a few years. He had dementia and had started wondering while I was at work and the doctors said he would be safer if I placed him in a secure facility. I wish I had never had to put him in the Nursing Home. The neglect of proper care from the nursing home was the biggest factor that contributed to my Father being placed in the hospital then eventually the Hospice House.
Dad left the family when I was about 4 or 5 and lived his life in sin. So by his fruits it was evident he was not saved. Not long after I was married he came to live with me and my family. When he went into the hospital in March I ask God for one more chance with him. I didn’t want him to die and go to hell. The Lord granted me that prayer request. So for the next three weeks I would pray with him before I left the Nursing Home. Three weeks later I received the call he was in the ER at 3 a.m. on the Monday after Easter and my heart just about leaped out of my chest. I wasn’t sure and I hadn’t ask my Dad if he had ask the Lord to forgive him. I rushed out to the ER to find Dad in worse condition than the first time. I let him know I was there and held his hand. The only way he could communicate was squeeze my hand or raise his eyebrows. So holding his hand I ask the question I had put off… “Dad if anything happened to you would you go to Heaven? He squeezed my hand for a yes but I wasn’t at peace. So I ask him if he had ask the Lord to forgive him of his sins and be his Savior…NOTHING! No hand squeeze and my heart sunk. So I told him it was never to late and told him I was going to pray with him. I don’t have a clue as to what words came from my mouth but somewhere during that prayer he took both his hands and held onto mine and a sweet peace came over the room. I looked at my Dad and tears were rolling down the side of his face. I knew he was in the Lords hands and I told the Lord “I can let him go now”.
He spent over a week at the hospital and then I had to make the decision to go to hospice house.
As I sat with Dad in the Hospice House I would read to him every day from the Bible and sing the praises of the Lord. It was a long two weeks and I watched Dad’s body literally fall apart. The flesh hung from the inside of his mouth. You could smell the flesh as it rotted. No one knew why he had such a strong desire to live, they seem to think it was because of me. Every time Dad would hear me his vitals would improve. I talked almost nonstop and I only left him three times, so he had to listen to me talk a lot. It is nice to have someone listen and not interrupt you. J
As hard as my earthly Father fought to stay with me how had do you think our Heavenly Father fought to keep us from hell? He sent his Son to die for us so that we may spend eternity with him. As much as my earthly Father loved me my Heavenly Father loves me far greater…He created me, I am his!
Growing up I never had an earthly Father to tell me how special I was and that I was loved. All my life I searched for that love and never found it until my Heavenly Father showed me.
I John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
God created us out of love and we are his. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
29:14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: The Lord has nothing but love for us and thoughts of peace. He has comforted me in my darkest times and has brought me out of the darkest pits of sin. He holds me up in his right hand; he is my strength and one day I will walk in the land of the living with my earthly father and my Heavenly Father for eternity.
This scripture was what I read to my Father several times throught out the day and at his funeral.
Psalms 116:1 I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
116:2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
116:3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
116:4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.
116:6 The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.
116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
116:8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

A Picture for Comfort

2009-06-30T21:39:00.003-04:00

The picture that is posted on my blog page has very special meaning to my life. This picture was taken without a flash and in the dark. The rays of light you see is from the Lord. The picture is a little fuzzy but the profound meaning of it is pure clarity.
I had lost my Mother very sudden of a massive heart attack on January 22, of 2009. Yes the grief is still great. My Father was in a nursing home doing very good. He became sick in March and was placed in the hospital. He was malnourished and dehydrated and I was angry! He was only getting what he needed when I was out there.
He recovered from this and I made sure to do at least two meals a day and one nightly visit. He was placed on a thickened liquid diet and I was making sure they did what his doctor ordered. On Easter of this year I went in to have Easter dinner with him and a nurse was trying to pour regular liquids down him...she had his head tilted back and his medicine as well as the liquid was going into his lungs.
He went to the hospital and had to be placed on a ventilate and his lungs were suctioned out. Particles of his meds were suctioned out. He spent a week in MICU then sent to Hospice house.
It was there I took this picture just hours before my Father passed away. The blue that is in the bottom of the photo we thought was a glare. As the night progresses the blue moved up to the eyes of the Angel. My Fathers eyes were blue, but in the latter days before his death they had clouded over and sunk back into his head. As the hour drew near that he would take his last breath his eyes became a sparkling brilliant blue and I knew the Lord would be taking him home soon. At 6:10 a.m. on May the 3, 2009 my Father went to be with the Lord.
Now I find myself grieving for the loss of both parents but I am not alone!
II Corinthians 12:9,10
Chris said, My grace is sufficient for the: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. (Paul said) Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10) ...for when I am week I am strong!
It is only through our weakness that others may see the grace of God lift us up and strengthen us. Alone I would have been crushed by the pain and grief but by the mercy and grace of God I am made strong to rise each morning and do the work that is required of me by the Lord.
Dear Heavenly Father if there is one reading this that is suffering great pain show your mercy and grace upon them and strengthen them. Let your perfect will shine in their lives and bring peace into their broken hearts. In Christ Jesus name Amen.
Prayers,
Angela

A Personal Struggle

2008-05-12T20:20:00.002-04:00

I have been asking myself some hard questions lately. I haven’t been able to find the right answer so when that happens I start to write. It seems that God reveals more to me in my writing than any other time.
I started a second job about four weeks ago and now I feel like my life is spiraling out of control. I only have two of my five children at home with me now and one is 20 and the other one is 17. Then there is my husband, who is 3, and I. My husband seems to be more needed now than when we had all five children at home. It could be I just notice it now and he was non existent to me when I was raising the children. He helped out “ZERO” with raising the children so you can understand that when the time came and I found myself with free time I enjoyed it. I love to write so I would find myself reading the word and writing a lot. Now I don’t have that luxury and I am missing it.
I struggle with getting some king of organization going on in my life. I know if I was able to do it with all of my children at home I should be able to do it now. I just can’t seem to get it together. So I ask myself why I was working two jobs and I really couldn’t come up with a good answer except to pay for my horse habit. Now that I have an extra job I have less time for my horses. So I am not gaining anything. I ask my husband yesterday if I was neglecting the family by working both jobs and to my surprise he said no. He has always been selfish with his money and the more I contribute the less he has to, so I figured that is why he responded the way he did.
I ask why I could not be content with what I had. Why I had to go searching for more? That is what I have trouble finding an answer for. Why do I do it?
Deep down I know I am not greedy and I don’t desire more. I just want to take care of what I have and use it for God’s glory. I don’t like not having as much free time as I did but I feel God placed this job in my lap. I haven’t groomed dogs in over eight years and I had no plans to do so. A new pet store opened up about 5 minutes from my house. They were in need of groomers badly. My son’s girlfriend went to work down there and she was telling everybody about me. The manager called for two weeks trying to get me to put in my application. So finally I filled it out with no intention of being hired. They called me in to do a technical on Thursday and sent me to have a drug test done and I went to work the fallowing Thursday. My life seems like it has been spinning out of control ever since. I have missed one Sunday service and one Wed. night service because of work and I never intended for this job to interfere with anything. Now I am wondering why I do it.
The only thing I can think of is that God knew with so much idle time on my hands I might be tempted and fall into sin. He keeps placing Titus 2 in my head. The Aged Woman…
2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
2:5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
2:7 In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
2:8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
2:9 Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;

When we work for others we are in essence a “servant” to that company and the Managers. There are a lot of young women that work there and they have a “religion belief” but they are not saved according to what God says needs to be present in our life to be a Child of his. So was I placed there to be this aged woman? I have already been an influence to one young lady and she is moving her horse to where mine is. So we will be riding a lot together and I will be able to witness to her. So is this why I am there? I don’t know.
My manager worked at the same school I work for and she is a Christian. Id she feel all alone working there among so many unsaved that she felt she needed another Christian woman to come along beside her to encourager her in her struggles? I do not know. Maybe it was to teach be better time management and how to be that Titus 2 woman. What ever the reason this job was placed in my lap so freely I just want to honor God in what I do and not let Satan sneak his way in and devour my life and I not see it coming. The only thing I know to do is…
Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Dear Heavenly Father I am trusting in you to direct my path even when I can not see where to take a step. I just need you to place in me a spirit of contentment and peace. Knowing that you are in control and you have my best interest at heart you will not let me be overtaken by Satan. I pray I have made a decision that will bring honor to you and I will not disappoint you. I pray I can exhibit the traits of this Titus Woman. In Jesus Name I Pray, Amen

Reflections

2008-05-05T21:52:00.000-04:00

I have spent a few days digesting everything I saw, heard, and experienced this past weekend at the Extraordinary Women’s Conference. There are some moments that occur in our lives that, if we are not careful, we will allow to pass us by not recognizing there significance in our lives. I did not want this to be one of those moments.
I had been in my seat about ten or twenty minutes before I realized how many women were there and that we ad all come together for one purpose…to praise and worship God. How awesome is that? When the opening events began, so did my tears and they flowed through out most of the night.
As I stood and looked around me hundreds of women had their hands raised praising God. Tears also flowed down their cheeks. The denominational preference did not matter; there were no barriers, just women seeking a closer relationship with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
There was a verse that was used throughout the weekend.
Jeremiah 29:11 (King James Version)
29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
How awesome is it that our God thinks thoughts of peace toward us? When we fall and sin he doesn’t think evil against us but peace and love. God is promising he will bring us home. If we know him we know what to expect in the end…to go home! How wonderful that sounds! The older I get the more I long for home. My heavenly home.
I know if I seek him with all of my heart I will find him. He will not see the damaged goods of my life but he will see the beauty he created me to be.
I must step out in faith and seek him with all of my heart. I have allowed fear to lie dormant with in my heart and that fear has prevented me from showing “unleashed worship” and service for my Lord.
This weekend was about exposing that fear and standing on the promises of God. He will never forsake me nor leave me alone. I have started the journey to remove any barriers in my life that will hinder me in my unleashed worship. Let me say it will be God that removes the barriers because they are so big I can’t utter a word about them to anyone but with the Lords love and grace and my heart desiring to please him, God will tear down those barriers of fear that hinder me.
I know my expected end…Heaven. Do you know your expected end? What barriers hinder you from possessing “unleashed worship?
Dear Heavenly Father I thank you for this day and the opportunities you placed in my life to praise you and speak of your goodness. In our daily lives we allow Satan to deplete us of our self worth and break us down. So today I am asking that you replenish the hearts and should of my sister in Christ and allow them to experience unleashed worship. You are so awesome and we do not understand why you love us in the manner that you do; But I thank you for it. This world beats us down and we forget how precious we are to you. So on this day touch the hearts of my sister and allow them to feel your love and replenish them from where the world has depleted their self-worth. Thank you Dear Lord for the peace you have blessed my life with and thank you for the ever sweet love you pour out on us. Help us break down the barriers that hinder our relationship with you. Allow us to feel how special we are in your heart. Walk by our sides and place good spiritual mentors in our lives to speak your truth to us. We love you Lord, We love You. In Jesus sweet name I pray Amen.

I'm so Hyper in the Lord

2008-05-03T22:54:00.002-04:00

WOW!!!! What a weekend I am having. I have just spent the past two days attending the Extraordinary Women's Conference. I have been BLESSED!!!! Thelma Wells...aka Momma T. What a Blessing from God she is. Out of all of the speakers she was the one God placed me there to hear.
How else could a little black girl born in Dallas so many years ago end up in East Tennessee and here life have many similarities to mine? God is so awesome. Then there was Chonda Pierce who makes suffering from depression a ministering tool. She touched so many hearts. There is just so much to talk about but so little time. I just wanted to say I serve an AWESOME God. With every passing day he reveals a little more to me and directs another one of my steps. I LOVE the LORD !!!!!!!!
I pray each of you has an awesome day in the Lord.

A God Moment In Something Horrible

2008-05-01T23:41:00.000-04:00

As most of you know the drought in this area has alot of farmers and horse people running scared over hay. I had stocked up early and had no worries, so I thought. We had a storm a couple weeks ago and a limb had fallen on my hay. I had taken every precaution to keep my hay covered. I tarpped it and made sure there was sufficient air flow...However this limb, ever so small, poked a small hole in my tarp, which I was unaware of.
I went to move my hay to the barn and discovered I had lost the top two ricks of my hay, about 50 - 75 bales. As I was standing on top of this black hay pilling layer by layer off to reach the good stuff and salvage what I could, I had a God moment.
I was angry at first while I was pulling all of that dirty hay off of the top of my stack. But my anger turned into peace. When we sin, even the slightest "small" sin can leave our soul open to become rotten and black. If we are not careful that one little sin becomes two, then three, then so much that we can not see who we were and how in danger we are of loosing our soul to sin.
But we have one who gave his life for that sin...Jesus Christ. He comes in with his love, mercy, and grace and even thought he is sick and frustrated with us because we allowed this sin into our lives, he carefully pulls away layer by layer of all the black sin that creeps into our soul, by means of just one "little" sin, until he sees the good and he lovingly removes us from the area where we became infested with sin and places us in a better place to keep us free from blackening our soul again.
He has removed me many of times from jobs, houses, churches, and every place he has moved me to I have became a better and stronger Christian and have been more effective at ministering to others. I have become a stronger member of His body.
So if you are facing a job loss, or a move, or even feel like you need to change Churches seek God in prayer and willfully obey him for you might just have that "small" sin in your life that will consume your soul and Jesus did not give his life so that our soul would be snatched away by Satan. But he gave his live so that through him ALL may be saved from the clutches of Satan. How many people do you know that would truly lay down their life for you??? I know of none but Jesus Christ!!!!!!
For any of you that are facing a life changing situation stop and ask the Lord what he wants you to gain from this experience so that you will grow as a Christian and be better equipped to serve him. It isn't about us but about honoring and glorifying our creator and serving him not ourselves.
What black layers are in your life that Jesus is trying to peel off?
Psalms 51:1 (King James Version)
51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

I know I have some and I am so thankful that the Lord is still working on me because he sees the good that lies with in and refuses to allow me to throw my salvation away. He created me with a purpose in mind and I have to stand for Him and take the steps necessary to fulfill his will for my life. Do you know how awesome it is to know that God created you with a purpose in mind? He desires you to seek him so that he can guide you and prepare you for that job in his body that you were created to do. Do you know how excited I get when I think that God created me with love and a desire in His heart to bless me with eternal life? It is I that messes things up not God. If I would listen to him and follow his direction for my life I would be the most blessed person on this earth and so would you. We are not perfect and God knows that. That is why Jesus had to suffer to save us. But we do have the option of living by his word or allowing that "little" sin to creep in.
Thank you Dear Heavenly Father for your love and patience with me. I ask for a special blessing on anyone who decides to read this. What ever their life situation is I ask you to please be merciful with them and in your loving way guide them to where you would have them to be and remove any black sin from their life so the beauty that you created can shine through for your glory. In Jesus name I pray Amen
God loves each of you...He created you. I will keep praying for those who read this. I ask you to seek God your creator for His will for your life. Allow Jesus to clean up your soul and let that which is good shine through. LOL

I've been distracted

2008-04-30T22:49:00.003-04:00

There are times in my life when I think all that is around me is chaos. Then I must remind myself to slow down and allow God to have control. This is not easy for me to do. When I allow myself to slow down it is only then I realize I am the one that made the choice in my life which started the snowball rolling.
I have taken on a second job and now I find myself with little or no time to do the tings I love. I have no time for taking pictures; no time for writing; no time for ridding my horses; most of all I have no time for reading my Bible. I feel empty, I am empty.
I can not travel through this life with out the strength of the Lord and this week I have failed to refuel and I am about to run out. So now I set here feeling alone and empty.
I must say God has a way to remind us that even during the times we feel the farthest away from him he is still mindful of out needs. He did this for me...

A friend, whom I love dearly, sent me a present this past week. I opened it up and it was the cutest little frame and it had a heart on it with love, friends and family around it. My heart grew and was overflowing with joy, just when I needed it the most. I opened the card and to my surprise it was a gift card for 50 dollars to a local women's store where we love to get our clothe from. All I could do was cry as I stood there in shock. You may ask why this was such a big deal so I will answer you. My friend only has one child and her and her husband work hard to put their daughter through school. This year she graduates from high school. Now they are preparing for college. Any one who has been at this point in their life knows how expensive it is to put a child through college. But she obeyed the Lord and I was so Blessed by her heart felt gift. John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. I thank God for friends such as that.
I pray each of you have such friends in your life for they are surly a Blessing from God. When we are at our lowest he uses them to remind us how much he loves us.
The distractions in our lives often comes from wrong choices but God redirects us and the we regain our focus toward him.

Fellings of Great Peace...

2008-04-24T21:54:00.003-04:00

I wrote this post on January 20, 2008 around 2 a.m. Seven days later my husband went to church with me for the first time. After 26 years of being together, being married 24 of those years, we walked into Church together. I never thought that would ever happen. Praise God for his mercy and grace.

I’m feeling great peace...

Any person in their right mind should be in bed asleep now...I'm not in my right mind. I have never been one to do things the easy way and I have been a little hard headed at times but I like who I am. I like what I do with my life and I have a positive outlook for the future. As I set here and think about the events that has happened over the past few weeks I have to smile because I needed all of the events to happen in my life to wake me up and put me on the course I needed to be on. I had been taking myself for granted and neglecting certain talents God had placed in my life. I smile because my eyes has been opened and I am grateful. A new year with new adventures. How exciting it is when you choose to be happy and seek the course you are to take in life. Knowing we are not promised a tomorrow but knowing what must be done when our eyes open from sleep. HOW AWESOME IS OUR God that he can take pain and turn it into joy. Take an emptiness in our heart and fill it with joy. When we are so lonely that it hurts to breath he fills us with love.
Just a word to any of you who reads this Have faith...weeping may endure for the night but joy cometh in the morning. Allow God to turn your weeping and pain into joy. Don't be held captive to painful emotions. No matter what you are going through in your life God is there to bring help and healing. How comforting that is to know. So as I close my eyes I know that when I wake, if I wake, the pain I feel right now will be less and I will have more joy. Each day if I seek that which I desire I will find it. I do desire peace and joy and I will seek that each day. You should to. May God bless you with the peace you so desire and may you desire to seek God.
I thank the Lord for this great peace in which he has blessed me with throughout this night. I think God has just pulled another layer off of my eyes so that I could see what his desire for my life is. I am sure there will be more moments such as this but soon I will learn to seek help from others which is something I have trouble doing. Good night and may God bless you with the peace he has placed in my life.