Finding my happy "ending"

   The world slowed to a blur as cameras flashed and phones clicked. In the stillness of baited breath and long awaited hopes, was heard a trembling voice:

 

 "Will you marry me?"

        

With that one little question, my life was forever changed.

~*~*~*~   

      
      Growing up I loved to watch my parents interact with each other. The love they had for one another was so obvious in everything they did. Even when they were upset with each other, you could still see it. I never had to worry about them splitting up or fighting beyond reconciliation, because I knew that they had THAT love. The kind of love that always forgives, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Cor. 13:7).  No matter what happened I always knew they'd be there for each other; fighting for that love and for their family.                                  

                                                                                    

 

That's the kind of love I wanted. The kind of love I prayed for. The kind of love I now have.   

     
      
     In Dan I have found my dream come true. My happy ending.. or rather, beginning. I now understand how one can love so deeply they'd give anything to protect their loved one; to keep them close. With Dan I have loved and been loved more deeply than I ever imagined possible. He loves me with a love so deep I KNOW nothing will ever quench that love. In our 3 months of marriage, I have been more cherished and adored by this man than I have ever been in my life.
   We laugh together, cry together, pray together. We've had our arguments. But we've also had our opportunities to forgive and love. In him I find joy overflowing into my life and love constantly growing in my heart. He has shown me what it really means to love someone. To love as Christ loves us.  Every time Dan forgives me for a wrongdoing, I get a glimpse of what Christ does for me on a daily basis. If Dan- in his humanity- can forgive me, how much more so does Christ!

      The love Christ has for me must be an ocean of unfathomable vastness, to outdo my husband's love for me! All those verses about Christ being the bridegroom suddenly make sense to me now! I thank the Lord every time I look at Dan and see that love in his eyes. I thank Him for the gifts He has given me; both in Dan and in His grace and salvation.

Some else's kids

        I once head someone say, "There is no such thing as someone else's children. When they are in my arms, they're my child."  

      I work with children every day, all day. I see the good and the bad, I've changed more dirty diapers than I count, have wiped more snotty noses and have cleaned more accidents off the floor than can be counted. I've acted as peace maker hundreds of times and have disciplined many a tantrum laden child. But at the end of the day when I am lying in bed, it is not those things that I remember. Rather, it is the memory of that sleepy child waking up from nap and crawling into my lap- of his sweaty head tucked beneath my chin while I rubbed his back. I think not of the screaming tantrums but of those rare moments when they just want to be held; of that child running to show me the mud pie he made, or the picture she drew for me. I smile as I remember the funny conversations I overheard and laugh when I remember the way they tobogganed down the dirt hill because the snow was gone, but they still wanted to go sledding. 

       I am with these kids more than even their own parents are during the week. I am the one (or rather, one of the people) who gets to train these kids- to teach them- to love on them all day-to calm their fears, quiet their tears and comfort them when they're hurt. From the moment I walk through that door each day, to the minute I walk out, these are not someone else's kids, they're mine. No matter how tired or frustrated I am at the end of the day, or how dirty and gross I have gotten, I will never regret working with children. I may not have a college degree or child development credits, but to me, my job is just as important as that of a college graduate's. And while I may not make as much money as they do, there is nothing in the world that I would rather do than this!  I get dirty, I get tired and worn out (I have a whole new level of empathy for mom's! lol),  I laugh and cry with these kids; I pour my heart into them and at the end of the day I get to go home knowing I made a difference in their lives; in the lives of "my adoptive children." <3

"For the glory of God!"

    

       

LOVE will prevail

  "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports.... And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.Can it be that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a Nation with its virtue."" 

-George Washington

~*~*~*~

   Oh America, how far you have fallen this day!! Can it be that you would  dare abandon morality and virtue for "love?" Have you no dignity?? What a disgrace you have made yourself in the eyes of our brother nations. When our forefathers founded this nation they built her upon two things: faith and morality. Without these our nation would be stripped bare of all that makes her revered of the world. Without these we shall no longer be, "one nation under God."

" If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth." 

Deuteronomy 28:1 

                                ~*~*~

   America is in hot water with God! We have forsaken nearly all of His commands, and for what? Lust! "Freedom!" "Pride!" We have taken something as beautiful and precious as love and stripped it of all it's fundamentals, to turn it into something corrupt, something that allows us to pursue the darkness of our hearts. Satan is working overtime to destroy all that represents God and because love is of God (1 John 4:8), it too must be dismantled before Satan can further discredit God and His love. 


    My friends, we are called to love our neighbors no matter what lifestyle they live. We are all sinners in God's eyes, just because we are not into this lifestyle does NOT make us better than those that are. We are not to judge them (that if for God to do) but to simply love them. Now, don't get me wrong, loving them does not mean we support their lifestyle. It just means that we love them for who they are in Christ, despite what they've chosen to do here. (Who knows, maybe our love will change their hearts?) I know this is hard. Satan has worked very hard to discredit God's love, so it is up to us as His followers to REDEFINE what love is, according to the Word and example of Christ. 

 "And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you.....for all generations to come: I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant ... Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” 

Genesis 9:11-16

"For the glory of God!"

Is this the day?

 Imagine waking up in a crowded safe house where you and your fellow believers are in hiding, fearing for your lives and those of your loved one. Your first thought when you opened your eyes was, "is this the day I die??" As you get out of bed you offer up thanks that He has given you one more day. You pray for strength. For faith. You tremble in fear lest ISIS or the government discovers you, knowing it is only a matter of time until you are found out and captured. Each day you walk a fine line between discovery and safety, begging God to keep your family safe. Such is the life of our persecuted brothers and sisters. Every day may very well be their last, and still they press on in the good fight, willing to lay aside their earthly lives for that of eternity.

   
  

  "Is this the day I die??"





        It is easy for us here in America, to distance ourselves from what's going on in the rest of the world. After all, that's happening over there, not here. So why worry, right? Wrong! My friends, do you really think this madness, this EVIL, is going to stop at the middle east?? Too many times I have heard people say this! Satan is at work in this world, spreading his darkness like a plague, across the planet. We know that God shall ultimately win the battle, but until that glorious day we shall be hard pressed to defend our faith. We need to stand with our brothers and sisters. It does not matter how far away we are, we are all family in Christ. Remember them in your prayers, lift up your voice on their behalf.

"I have learned that God is always on the winning side.

Even in the midst of horrific persecution,

 He is glorified." 

-Bekah Joy 

 

"Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, 

and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."

Hebrews 13:3

"For the glory of God!"

Greater love hath no man

      It often comes in the most unlikely source, in the most unexpected ways- when you're smelling a flower, greeting a friend, or holding a new baby for the first time- it is in moments like these that it comes; that gentle whisper brushing across your soul, reminding you of HIS love. That very same Love that died for us, has to remind us of what it cost Him to love us, because we in our ungratefulness, take Him for granted.

    Even though we know the cross was premeditated and came at no surprise to God, I still like to imagine how that converstaion went down in heaven. I invision the Godhead sitting there, discussing man and their errors. They're talking about how to mantain perfect justice while still upholding their love and compassion. Jesus throws Himself at His Father's feet. Tears of blood roll down His face as He pleads for our lives. "Father, take My life instead! I will die in their place!"
 

     Every day Jesus looks at us with more joy than a father does the birth of his child. He cradles us close to His heart, gazing at us with all the love in the universe. That love is the reason He died for us. He didn't hesitate to offer Himself in our stead, because we are worth the price. For every sin we commit, a drop of HIS blood fell upon the dirt; the very dirt He created. The thorns that marred that noble brow, the nails that peirced His loving hands; such was the price He paid.

 

    Let us never take for granted the trail of blood that flowed down that cross, nor allow life to distract us from having a thankful heart.

 

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

Grace as new as the dawn

 "As the daystar crowns a new horizon, 
Night's silence is sundered and Light's symphony rings.
Divine rays colour the low-lying clouds 
a veritable plethora of hues, both bright and subtle. Cottonwool-spun gems are arrayed, 
layered and drifting about on the morning wind.
Heaven shows itself in the sky." 

-Dawn beckons by Stephen Purcell  

                            ~*~*~*~

    God has put so much of Himself into His creation. Even the very sunrise is a glimpse of His glory. God freely pours forth His love and grace upon His people every day. Every morning before I even awake, He is there. Waiting, watching. Delighting over me in song. (Zeph. 3:17), eagerly anticipating the moment I wake up so that He can be talk with me and walk with me throughout my day. It doesn't matter that I haven't done anything to deserve this love or grace, and I know I certainly don't deserve His forgiveness. But it's there all the same. I've sinned against Him and walked away from Him more times than I can count.  I've allowed myself to get busy and neglect my relationship with Him, but through it all He never withdrew His grace or love.

The truth is, I will never be able to live up to or deserve this grace, this love. He knows this, but He doesn't care. You see, He loves us not for what we could be or do but rather, for who we are in HIM. God's love and grace is never failing. It is everlasting, infinite, overflowing. It pours forth from His Father's heart towards His children. No matter how badly we sin or how far we stray, He will always be there, ready to forgive and forget. To pour forth his grace and remind you of His love.

               "Your  mercies are new every morning;

 great is Your faithfulness." 

Lamentations 3:23

"For the glory of God!"

Suffering for the cross

I recently read a book about a pastor who challenged his congregation to live according to "WWJD" for a year. Everything about their lives was to be measured according to what Jesus would do. At the end of that year each member of that church had their own story of trial and tribulation but the pastor remained untouched. At the end of the book the pastor is challenged to ask himself, "what have I suffered for Christ?"

 

   These words have stuck with me since I read that book. I heard it said once, that if a Christian's life is easy then they're no giving their all to Christ. If a Christian is living luke-warm they are not a threat to Satan, therefore he has no reason to mess with them. However, when someone dedicates their life to Christ and lives each day accordingly, suddenly they're on Satan's radar. They pose a real threat to his evil and darkness. That's when he starts targeting them, and just as we see in Job, God often allows Satan access to our lives to test or strengthen us. As I pondered these words I realized: my life has been very easy this past year. True, I've had a few hiccups along the way, but nothing that has been a result of my faith. What does this say about my faith? If my life is so smooth, then how strong is my faith really? 

 If I was accused of being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict me??

   I want to be the kind of Christian that makes Satan fear the moment I wake up each morning! The kind of prayer warrior that has all of heaven rejoicing. The sojourner with her homeland ever on her mind. But I have to ask myself:

 WHAT HAVE I SUFFERED FOR CHRIST?

Am I ready to take up my cross, whatever that may be, to follow Him in everything I do??

"...Anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me." 

Matthew 10:38 

"For the glory of God!" 

                            

 

Changing the world through love

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but     no one thinks of changing himself."-Leo Tolstoy 

~*~*~*~

A tree does not grow without water and sunlight. A flower cannot bloom until the weather is right.  In the same way, change cannot happen until someone rises up to set it in motion.

So many people desire to be world changers, to make a difference in this life, but very few of them are willing to make the effort to do so. Being a world changer does not always mean being a Mother Theresa or Bill Gates. It simply means loving those God brings to us. The things we do do not need to be great things, they just need to be done with great love. We might not always see the difference we make in this life, but when we're loving those around us we can be assured that we ARE making a difference.

    ~ SELFLESS LOVE WILL CHANGE THE WORLD~

God has not called us to understand everyone and everything, nor does He call everyone to be a great leader, but He calls all of us to love those around us.

"You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." 

-Amy Carmichael

         "For the glory of God!"

How wonderful are His gifts

Life is not a spinning wheel of repetition. Rather, it is like a good book. Each chapter is new and exciting, filled with blessings and gifts that God is just waiting for us to notice. God's gifts come in many different sizes, but all of them are precious in His sight. None of them should be taken for granted or passed over. Some of His gifts come into our lives for a short time then quietly pass out of the door they came through. Quite often we get so caught up in the big things in life that we miss those precious, little, moments that He gives us.

Everything in our lives is a gift from God. Each person in our lives is there for a reason and a season. Each day is a blessing. Every smile, every laugh, every conversation, is a passing gift that will never be repeated. We must take advantage of those. We must learn to see those moments in life, for the small and insignificant things are often the most beautiful gifts of all.

Our Father delights to bless us with His precious gifts. We cannot let them pass by without thanking Him.

  

"For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD;

  I sing for joy at what  your hands have done."

 Psalm 92:4 

"For the glory of God!"

Footprints of LOVE

“A heart to love, and in that heart, courage, to make love known”
-  Shakespeare

~  ~  ~

        It takes courage to selflessly love others, does it not? Selfless love is not part of our nature, rather it is part of Christ's nature. It was that very love that moved Him to die for us. The same love that He commands us to walk in, so that the world might see Him through us. When we love others we are dieing to ourselves; we are denying who we are without Christ so that we may live more fully in Him.

           "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.

           Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." 

1 John 4:7
   

      Everyday, we must learn to kill our flesh to walk in His love. It takes courage to do this. It takes faith. It takes prayer. One cannot slay the dragon in a single day. It takes weeks of practice before that knight becomes skilled in his swordsmanship. It is the same in our lives. We cannot expect to have our perspective changed over night. Because we were born into this world, our flesh is OF this world. Therefore, it is a daily fight to learn His ways.We must learn to seek out opportunities to practice this great love.

    When that mother gives up her sleep to care for her sick child; when that father works overtime to bring in extra income for his family; when that ministry diligently cares for HIS orphaned children, that is Christ's love. All life is like a song. A beautiful orchestra that God is conducting. Only when we love as He loved us, will we begin playing to the rhythm that He wrote, long before time began. That's when we will truly walk in HIS footsteps: the footprints of an everlasting LOVE. 

 "And walk in love as Christ also has loved us
 and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice
 to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."
Ephesians 5:2
"For the glory of God!"

Bitter be Autumn's bite

    

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven"

  Ecclesiastes 3:1

 

  The  proud stalks bend and sway in the last light of summer’s day. Sunset’s golden light casts shimmering hues of color upon radiant fields of grain. Daylight’s hours now are few, as Nature begins her queue.  Green have been the leaves, now basked in Autumn’s glory. The fading light, the whispered rite. Summer’s done, the dance of Autumn has begun.

       Ahh…Autumn. I bask in the cool breeze as the first of Autumn’s chill arrives. I watch as the leaves slowly change to brilliant shades of red, gold and orange. I smell the chill in the air, I see it in the sparkling frost that lies upon the ground each morning. This is a season of rest and tranquility for nature. A season to enjoy the fruits of her labor, to glory in her splendor, to grow strong again for Summer’s harvest. A time of peace.

     The human life is much like nature. We too have different seasons. Spring/Summer: where we harvest the fruits of our spiritual labor and grow in our walk with the Creator- a time of plenty. Then there’s Fall/Winter: a time of trial, where the rains fall and the winds blow. Our “leaves” (spirits) fall and our “land” (hearts) are washed in the heavy floods of His grace.  In seasons like these we often get so caught up in stopping the storm, that we fail to see the beauty and the peace, in the midst of all the thunder.   

       Hidden within of each storm is hand of GOD reaching out to us from within the rains, asking us to trust Him. 

      In every season, God is always at work  behind the clouds of gray; He is ever spinning, ever weaving, a pattern of splendor; a scenery of color and brilliance, that will stun us with it’s vast beauty when it is unveiled.
 
     “Autumn/Winter” may look and feel bitter, cold and heartless. A season without a purpose. But there is always a ray of SON waiting to burst worth at the first sign of Spring in our hearts, when the first buds of faith and trust are springing up from grounds of hardened frost.

Don’t fear the cold, my friend. For though it hurts now, Spring will come. And when it does, nothing else will matter as we dwell once more in the LIGHT and the warmth.

“The LIGHT shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome IT.” John 1:5

“For the glory of God!”

Why orphans?

 

 "You can always give without loving,

but you can never love without giving."

-Amy Carmichael 

  ~* ~*~*~*~

 

   Someone recently asked me,  “Why orphans, and why Africa?”  Many people have asked me the same question in the past. Well, here is my answer: as followers of Christ, it is our duty and blessing to reach the lost and the hurting in the world. We are to minister to the poorest of poor, the lowest of low.  For me, that means the orphans. Truly, they are the poorest of poor in today's society; having no one to call family and nothing to call their own.  

According to Orphan Hope International, there are between 143 million and 210 million orphans worldwide. As of today, 48.3 million of those are in Africa.  By age 16 these children “age out” and are no longer in the adoption systems. 38,493 orphans “age out” each day . With diseases like malaria, HIV, AIDS and yellow fever, 5,760 children are orphaned each day. The vast majority of these have never heard of Christ. They live in villages where witchcraft and demon possession is rampant. The witch doctor is their only doctor, and consequently their “religious leader.” 

  My heart absolutely breaks for those precious little ones, living in those circumstances!! How can we ignore their cries, their pain!? We can't change the world, but we can lives. None of us has the power to save the world, but we have the love to save the lost.

“Not all of us can do great things. 

But we can do small things with great love.”

-Mother Teresa 

  Mother Teresa had it right. Not everyone is destined for great deeds, honor or fame. But all of us, regardless of our current circumstances can do little things and still change lives, if we do it with great love.

    There is a fire burning deep within my heart, fueled by the Lord, to do what I can to help His children. Even if I only impact one life, it is enough. For that is one life more that will one day be in heaven. This side of heaven we may never know how many will be with Christ one day because of us, but we still have to try to reach them. Love speaks far greater than words. It is not enough to simply say you feel for them, we have to REACH OUT TO THEM. 

"Give me the love that leads the way, the faith that nothing can dismay, the hope no disappointments tire, the passion that will burn like fire; Let me not sink to be a clod: Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God."
-Amy Carmichael   “For the glory of God!

Everything changes in a minute

 The power of a minute...

 "Everyone has a moment in their childhood when the door opens to their future." -Wess Stafford

One minute. One moment in a lifetime of minutes. To many, one minute is unimportant, but to children that one minute defines the rest of their lives: who they are when they grow up, what they want to do, and who they want to be like. WE as their elders have the power to change a child's life in the space of 60 seconds. Now THAT'S a heavy responsibility to bare.

Children look up the adults in their lives. They look to us as role models, as teachers, in our every day lives. They watch us and learn from us. As little ones they are very impressionable. As Dr. Stafford put it, "they are like wet cement. The younger they are the easier it is to leave an imprint."  Though they may not realize it, they are constantly soaking up everything around them.

  Children grow up to become a replica of the kinds of elders they had in their lives when they were young. God intended for the elders in a child's life to pour into them, not tear them down. How we impact a child depends on how we interact with that child. We need to always remember any minute, anything we say or do, can be that moment that opens the door to the child's future.                                                                                                 When I see a child, I see one of God's precious children. I see His fingerprints in their lives. I see a child who needs love and affirmation. A little one who's life is only just beginning; who needs Godly influences in their life.When I see a child I feel the need to protect them, to love them, to show them that Someone cares for them. I feel the weight of God's call to all adults. Please, don't ignore His children. When you see a child be sure to pour into them, even if it's just a friendly smile or a kind word. You never know how much that simple act of love may impact them for all eternity. 

 "Start children off on the way they should go, 

and even when they are old they will not turn from it."

 Proverbs 22:6

"For the glory of God!"

.  

While I'm waiting

     I imagine life as one long hallway. Every day you're walking down this hallway trying to reach the door at the end. On either side of you the hall is lined with doors. Some are good and others are bad.You have no idea what's on the other side of that door, but He knows. He knows that on the other side is His great plan for you. But only by taking the side doors will you reach that door. Day by day the Shepherd beckons you saying, "come My child. Walk with Me." As you walk you pray, praying for your Guide to open the right doors, and He does. But every now and then He opens a door that looks so right, but the moment you try to step through, He slams it shut again. "But it looked so right Lord!" you say. "Yes My child, it did look right, but that is not what I have for you" He says, "Just wait. Be patient. I have something far better in mind." 

       Everyone has a "plan" for their lives, but so does God. We need to seek that plan, for our earthly dreams cannot compare to the beauty of His heavenly plan for us. For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are His ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. (Is. 55:9) God already has a plan for us, we just need to wait on Him and follow Him. One thing we all know is that God will NEVER lead us astray. Not seldom ever, but NEVER. So trust His plan. Trust the One Who made you to never lead you astray in life. Wait on Him.

While you're waiting what are you going to do??

    

~*~*~

 The plans of the heart belong to man, 

but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

 Proverbs 16:1

"For the glory of the Lord!"

Success in stagnation

     You ever feel like you're standing still in life while everyone around you is moving forward? I have. I do now. It's that weird feeling of stagnation, where life is still as busy as ever yet you feel as if you're going nowhere. Like your life is stuck on pause. I have a couple awesome jobs and am involved in some great Bible studies, yet it feels like I'm not accomplishing anything in this season. I know there is a time for every season, but I wonder, "what is this season for?" When all around me people of my age group are getting married or going off to college, it is easy for me to feel that I'm not accomplishing anything in this season. I struggle at feeling successful.

      Though I am very happy at home and am loving my work, I find myself wishing something exciting would happen in my life. Something to make me feel successful during this season. While I was praying about this the other day, the Lord convicted me on this. He alone knows the plans He has for me (Jer. 29:11) and it is mine not to question but to obey. Who am I to think that I can question what He has in store for me, or the purpose of this season? God is the only one who can see my future, who knows what the outcome and blessings of this time will be. From past experience I've learned that it is most often in the quiet of the still seasons that He reveals Himself to me the most. It is in seasons like this, that I grow in Him and learn about Him.

      Success is a matter of perspective: God's perspective. I am successful in this season because I am right where God wants me to be and am rejoicing in His will. Being successful in life is all about following God's plan (or so I think) and being content in it. In this season I will rejoice because I know He is here with me and has a purpose for this.

 
"There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens"
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Finding perspective

  A wise friend once told me that she believes joy is a matter of perspective, that one has to first learn to see the beauty in a situation before they can acquire joy in that situation. Wise words.

God is a God of beauty and emotion, and when I say beauty I'm not referring to beauty that the eye can behold (though He does make people and scenery beautiful). I'm referring to the beauty of the love and joy He surrounds us with; the very beauty that gives meaning to this world and lightens the burdened soul. To obtain this kind of joyful attitude one must make a conscious habit of looking beyond the spectrum of the situation to discern the beauty within. Not every situation is beautiful, nor is always what we want it to be, and often it is very difficult to find any joy in it. But we must remember that because God allowed that situation into our life, there is beauty in it and when we find it, that beauty will bloom into a joy that only God could give us. His beauty is all around, beauty that turns to joy when we find it. I have found it in my life.

 I see it in the joyful seasons and the hard seasons. I see it when I'm facing disappointments and when I'm receiving blessings.

 I see this beauty in the laughter we share around the dinner table, in the silence that enfolds us as Daddy prays for the meal.

 I see it in the joy that sparkles from my sisters eyes as she runs to greet her man at the door.

I hear it in the thunder of little feet that rush to greet me as I come home from work. I feel it in the bundles of joy that burst from the door to throw themselves upon me. 

I see it in my Lolly as she gazes at me with luminous brown eyes, and feel it as she wraps her arms around me.

I see it in the fingers that grasp mine as I rock Shandie, and hear it in the sanctuary as the church lifts up their voice before our God. 

    I see it in all the little things that often go unnoticed, yet catch my eye, heart or ear and cause me to notice the beauty within.  These are the things that my heart thrives on, the things that cause me the most joy and give me a greater glimpse of my Savior.

Will you stop and survey your life to find this hidden beauty?

"Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

 Psalm 37:4

"For the glory of God!"

Waiting for mine

  Dear sisters,

   If you are a single lady seeking to honor your future husband and wait upon God to write your love story, then this post is for you. 

     Ladies, I know that this season of waiting can sometimes be hard, especially with Valentine’s Day just around the corner. But we need to remember that this season of waiting will not last forever. One day God will complete His love story for us and when that day comes, the waiting will no longer matter. We are in a fight for purity and true love. We want a love that only God can write. A love that the world will constantly fight against. In this battle we need to remember that every season of waiting is for a purpose and this particular season is a hidden gift from God. We have been given the opportunity to prepare ourselves for marriage. An opportunity that most women will never get because they rush into relationships.

     Let’s look at this under a different light: take a minute and imagine what kind of husband you want. Now think about what kind of woman that man would want. Are you that kind of woman?? 

    Girls, we have been given the rare and unique gift of readying ourselves for our groom. Don’t let this time go to waste!! Let’s ready ourselves, be in active prayer for our man! Study what the Bible says about marriage and how a Christian wife should conduct herself and strive to be that woman. God obviously thinks our man is worth the wait (or maybe He thinks we will be worth the wait.)  Let’s use this Valentine’s Day to dedicate prayer to our husbands and start becoming the women they deserve, the women they've prayed for their whole life, women they can be proud of.

     I finish with this: ladies, don’t give up the fight. Don’t settle for less than what God has for you. Always remember that though we are single in this season, somewhere out there is a man worth waiting for. When you think about him, stop and remember, you are his and he is yours. Don't do anything that either of you will regret when you are finally together. Be patient and wait, demonstrating your love for your husband by your willingness to wait. 

"Love is patient...Love bears all things, believes all things,

 hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"For the glory of God!" 

When I fly

"I'll fly away oh glory, I'll fly away in the morning, 

when I die hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away! "

 I sat there listening to these lyrics and watching the video of the man who is now gaining his eternal reward. I had goosebumps as I watched his life legacy. The video got me thinking. If I died tonight what would my life legacy be? How will people remember me when I'm gone?

    I walked away from that funeral in awe of the legacy that man left and praying that at the end of my life I too have that kind of legacy. The one thing that kept coming back up as the pastor talked was how devoted Mr. Jerry was to God...his faith, his discipleship of others, his trust...etc. How does one develop that kind of faith and devotion to God? Or more to the point, how does one leave that legacy? It’s quite simple: by living in genuine faith and faultless obedience to God.

   I’ve learned that God rarely calls us to do big things. More often than not the things He asks of us are small and unnoticeable things. Yet He will never present us with big opportunities to serve Him if we are not faithful in the little things. By building up our obedience in Him, we allow Him to build a legacy around our lives. Whether that is a legacy that touches hundreds or simply dozens, is based on our faithfulness to the Designer of that legacy.

    I don’t know about you, but I know I for one, want to surrender the pen of my life to His hands and let Him write my story how He will. When I die I want to know I made a difference in this world, in the lives of those around me, in my church. When the day comes that I’m entering into eternity, I don’t want to be lying there with regrets, wishing I’d done things differently.  I want to be so faithful to God that He is fully able to use me to set this world on fire for Him! To have that kind of faith I know I have a long wait ahead of me. I pray that as I seek to become the woman God designed me to be, He will develop within me the spirit of obedience and faithfulness.

When I fly away I want to hear Him say, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant!"

  

"For the glory of God!"

Distputing fear

I’m running…and running..but I can’t run fast enough. They’re always behind me..chasing me... closing in on me. They get closer. I scream...

and then I wake up.  

It’s always the same. I wake up just before they catch me.  These are the dreams that haunt my sleep whenever I think of returning to Africa. My fear has become the enemies tool to slow God’s plan with me.

     But I will not be defeated.  There is a stubbornness in me that  refuses to be trampled down. God has called me for a reason and no matter how scared I am, I refuse to let Satan stop me. 

     I think of those little arms that entwine themselves around my neck. The sad eyes that long for love; the millions of orphans around the world that have no hope and I'm filled with anger and determination. 

    I remember the joy I felt while being there, fulfilling God's plan. There was so much love in my heart I thought it would burst as I held those hurting children and brought laughter to their hearts as I loved them.  I think of how God's grace transformed their lives and brought hope back into their hearts. These are the thoughts that sustain my call. These are the memories that spur my determination not to be hampered. 

 

 

When I'm in Africa I experience a whole new measure of joy. I just need to say no to fear and yes to the nudge in my heart. One day I will stand once more upon that red dirt with the warm breeze on my face. I will hear their laughter and will feel His presence like I only do when in His perfect plan. When that day comes and I hear His summons, I'll gather every ounce of faith that I possess and throw fear to the wind. No matter how scared or small I feel, I will go. For this I know: God won't send me where His grace can't protect me. I'm never alone; there is nowhere I'll go that He won't be.

“For the glory of God!”

Catching a glimpse of heaven

Over the last 2 years God has really been challenging me on where my faith is. As I’ve learned to be on the lookout for Him, I’ve also learned to see the things He does in my life. But I continue to miss the acts that matter most; those small and “insignificant” things that God does in my life for great purpose. Those are the things that I need to see and learn from, so I've spent the last 2 years on a Godhunt, trying to recognize when He does little things in my life. I see now that all those little things He does and the lessons I learn from them, are for the purpose of revealing more of who He is to me.

Two years ago I set out to simply to learn to recognize the little things He was doing in my life.  That year I learned that He is truly Jehovah-Jireh. 

    Last year I sought to see what He was teaching me about who He is to me personally. I learned just how much He is truly my Shepherd.

    This year I’m trying something new. I’ve started a “glimpse of heaven jar.”  This jar is a place to record my prayers, spiritual lessons, trials, times of receiving comfort from the Lord, the times I saw God’s hand at work and the things that impacted my spiritual life in 2014.  This jar stands as a challenge to me, challenging me to live in active pursuit of God by searching for Him in my daily life.

    Likewise, I encourage you to do whatever it takes in 2014 to draw nearer to our Father. Whether it's a jar to record God's work or simply upping your prayer life, I pray that you will be actively seeking God. Let us make 2014 the year of personal revival in each of us, the year that we draw closer to Him than ever before!

May God be seen by each of us for how great He really is!!

 

“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Deuteronomy 4:29

"For the glory of God!"