Be Still

On the way home from church this morning, I asked Landen what he learned in Sunday School. His response was "church". I corrected my self and asked him what he learned in church today. He started singing a song, he is so cute. I asked if he learned about God, he replied with an enthusiastic "yeah"!

Then I asked if God was in his heart. He once again replied with an enthusiastic, "yeah"! He pointed to his heart, and I pointed to my heart. I told him that God was in my heart too!

I looked in the rear view mirror in perfect time to not only hear but see my son say, 

"Jesus in dadda's heart too".

Immediatly I felt the presence of the Lord. Tears filled my eyes (dont worry, I could still see to drive.) 

I couldnt lie to my son, so I just said "I pray He is".

The Lord spoke to me and I knew that I am in a season of waiting. I KNOW the Lord will answer that prayer; when He is ready. I rest in that. I dont worry about it because worry and anxiety are not characteristics of the Lord. 

To hear my 2 year old son say that; without any mention of dadda, was pure overwhelming joy!!!


God is so good!

Refreshment

At Feminar 2012, I learned a lot. I want to share with you what Angela Thomas has to say about refreshment from the Lord.

We are all, always weary and tired. Worn out and looking for the newest "thing" to give us energy and miraciously not so worn out. The culture is swarmed with new tricks, old tricks and things that sound ridiculous but people still try it in hopes they can get ahead.

All we need is the LORD! He is our refreshment. He is the Lord Almighty. Scripture states that the Lord will give us refreshement many times. Angela was so kind as to point 8 of them out to us!

I love this. Culture thinks that we need to be fixed and that we can buy things to fix us; when the only thing we can buy to help us is a bible!

Side note: There are a lot more than this in the bible! Go searching! There are a few spots where my notes are sparing; I was busy listening instead of writing. :) What can I say, Angela was amazing!



8 Provision for being weary and tired and how to recieve His refreshment: 

1. Being in the presence of the Lord will restores our soul. Talking with the Lord will give you peace. It wont make your situation disappear but He will give you the rest you need to preserver.

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

2. Some times the Lord ask us to wait right where we are until He reveals His answer. Learning to trust the Lord fully. Making time for the Lord is important.

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God."

3. To honor the sabbath. To keep the day of rest, just for that, rest. God gave us that day because we need it, not because He needed it. He is Sovergn Lord, He does not need rest. But we are His creation, He gave us that gift. Take it.

Exodus 20:10 "but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns."
 

Exodus 31:13 “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy."

I am going to take this gift the Lord has given me. Sunday will be my day of rest, as He intended. My job is to clean house, and keep things in order. Sunday, I will allow myself to take time and rest! Refresh my soul with scripture and reconnect with the Lord for the week to come. He is first and foremost important. If you have your eyes set on Jesus, everything else falls into place.  I am taking that break!

4. Remember that you can not do everything. Jesus himself didnt do everything. (sadly this is all I have for number 4. - oops.)

5. We require rest. Your time with the Lord where you get your rest. It is where He can restore the wearness and build your strength.

Mark 6:31 "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”  

6. Repent your sins. Repent and turn away from your sins.

Acts 3:19 "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" 

7. Look for the good way of the Lord and walk in it. When you turn from wicked ways and walk the way of the Lord, He will give you refreshment for when you are weary and tired.

Jeremiah 6:16 "This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

8. Have Godly friends!  They are good for your soul and they will refresh you!

I 110% see how important it is to have Godly friends. I have a select few Godly friends that I run to when I need advice. When something hurt my feelings or I just need to talk. I know that they will give me the advice of the Lord. In return, I try to be that friend. To give the advice that I would want. I pray that I am that to at least a few people.

1 Corinthians 16:15-18 "You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition. God recognizes that Godly people refresh each others soul.

These are repeating in my head and being inbedded into my soul. Just knowing that God will give us EVERYTHING we need; lifts my spirits. How can we not trust Him completly. He wants GOOD for us!

Aaahhhh, there is so much going on inside me...that I am slightly overwhelmed with all the powerful information I received this weekend. My testimony played today, and it was a very emotional moment for me. Before it played I was completly full of the Holy Spirit that I just cried the whole time! And tomorrow morning, I am ready to do it all over again!!  I love my church family! 

JUST GIVE ME JESUS!!

I am tired and ready for bed :) Night night sweet friends.

Go and get your refreshment!

It is waiting!!!!

In the Mud

Most of you have already seen the picture and heard all about it on facebook this morning. I want to blog about this experience so you all know the full story! It is hilarious.

I decided to do my grocery shopping this morning so that tomorrow we could have a play date. The weather was so beautiful, 63*, so we decided to stop by the park first.

Every time we go to the park, Landen ask for his ball so he can throw it in the hoops. This morning I saw the ball in the front yard and picked it up.

We got to the park and we were the only ones. (Now I am thankful for that!) We played for about 5 minutes and I see Landen throw his ball over the rail and down it goes.....down, down, down the hill.

I jumped the rail, tell him to stay and run down to get it.

It finally stops and I grab it. I turn to face Landen and he kinda far away. So I thought I would kick it to him. - bad idea!!

I threw the ball up, swung my leg back and kicked it....and the other foot comes right out from under neath me... BAM! On my behind!

I WAS IN DEEP MUD!! In my hand were my keys and phone....my phone got slightly wet and my keys were face down in mud! It was watery mud! I couldn't believe what had just happened!!

I climbed up and saw Landen laughing at me!

The fall did not hurt me, because all the mud was a great pad!

I couldn't stop laughing! I couldn't believe this had just happened. I was thankful we were alone, so I could take my pants off for the ride home.

Feminar Prayers

For a few weeks at church, we have been praying for Feminar. Praying that the Almighty Lord take over and be ever present. To lift up the speakers for God to give them the words to use that may touch and heal the audience - 2,000 people!!

I have always prayed for Feminar but yesterday something came to me and over powered my soul.

Last year Macedonia Baptist Church prayed for Feminar, for the same reasons above. I realized that last year those same people prayed for ME. Not knowing who that person would be, that amazing church body prayed that the Lord would touch someones soul who needed to be saved; and it was ME.  

ME.

Very powerful.

Those prayers worked!

While praying those oh so powerful prayers, I cried. I cried because this year, my prayers for someone else who needs the Lords grace and mercy may work!

Feminar is this Friday and Saturday and I AM SO EXCITED!!!

Let the countdown to glory begin. :)

On my mind.

I am going to blog about what is on my mind. There is a lot, of randomness. So bare with me. (the random numbers and60 letters are Landen hitting the keyboard, thinking it is funny....honestly it is cute, so the082y are staying.!)

My new job is amaz0ing. To have this time with La.nde.n is wonderful for the soul (mine and his). It is challenging, but .it also sets my priorities in perspective. I have needed this all along. My mind is on Landen and Brandon. I spend my time making our home better and playing/teaching Landen. Doing things that really matter at the season in our lives.

When I was working, I would check facebook probably 4 times per hour! Pintrest was a great way to pass time. That is to much!! It didn't take long and it had consumed me and my time. Honestly it was right there to access, so eventually the thought of what others are doing was becoming addictive. That is satan in my head and me letting him take control.

Not any more. I don't have the urge to look at it, or worry about others. I really think about deleting it, quiet often....but my family would miss Landen pictures. Maybe that is my excuse for not deleting it. Because I could email pictures and even text message them. Hummm....now maybe I will.  Or hello - - MY BLOG!!! I could use this as my "facebook" and the people who want to know, can see here.  Well that is 3 great solutions to the reason I had for keeping facebook.

Anyhoo - There is a lot more that I am feeling and would like to say about facebook and the "persona" you get with it but I will let that go!

That is all for now friends.

*May God Bless You This Week*

Day 1

I just want to say that my first day at home was amazing. I feel very much at peace about my leap of faith. And while Landen whined most of the day, I remained in the "truth zone". I am taking this new season of my life one day at a time, learning as I go. That way, all these expectations that I have in my head wont overwhelm me....One day at a time!

Today.

Today is a couple of things to me.

1. It is my last day of work and the start of a new chapter/journey in our lives. I am overly excited to begin this chapter but when I really think of leaving work, it saddens me. It doesn't sadden me enough to change my mind but I really love my job and the people here are awesome. So with that said, lets move on to the glorious change! I am excited to learn more about Landen and Brandon, to pour my life into Landen and watch him grow to be the person God intended him to be. 

The change makes me nervous, for natural reasons. It is something new. Different. Out of my current comfort zone. It will take some time to get into a new rhythm and learn what works best for us in the new season of our lives. I am so looking forward to giving my time, skill, talent and love to the people who matter most. I am ready. God has prepared this moment for me as a wife and mother. HE has provided everything that I will need; I only need to ask Him to show it to me.

2. Today marks 1 year since my life took a sharp turn. This time last year, I was breaking little by little. I remember it so vividly. I remember how I felt, what I said, what she said. I remember the tears that fell, the dramatic change in my life will never be forgotten. It is my testimony and no matter how painful it was then, or how many feelings it brings up.....it ALWAYS turns to God.

What a powerful thing! For when I think of the turmoil that was in my heart, it leads me to Gods mercy and grace. So when I want to be mad or sad about it; I am honestly thankful for it because of where I am now. It taught me SO much SO FAST. It was really, a lesson of a life time! It taught me how to treat people! How not to judge them, how to truly be HUMBLE (a huge thing to learn), how the fight is against the evil and not flesh. It taught me how to lean on God and not other people for comfort. Forgiveness. God taught me how to forgive actions of others, because I need His forgiveness.

Needless to say, I am blessed and by this horrible situation I am saved!!!

These two verses were tattooed on my heart:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.- Philippians 2:3-4

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. - Colossians 3:12-14

[Section from David Crowder Band, How he Loves.]

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
And all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me

Oh how He loves us, oh
Oh how He loves us
How He loves us all
We are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking
Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about, the way…

That He loves us
Oh how He loves us
Oh how He loves us
Oh how He loves
Yeah, He loves us