I wanted to share an awesome message with you that was given a couple of Sundays ago. It spoke a lot to me and hopefully you will find your source of encouragement from it as well. It has personal thoughts added so don't go thinking I just copied some points from a pastor! : )
You could title it "Finding the will of God for situations that arise in your life".
1.) God closes doors.
We all know of times in our lives that God has simply closed a door - we may not understand why, but we know we can trust a loving Father who sees the bigger picture. It is in faith that we say "Yes Lord - I may not see, but I trust." We must simply then say "Thank you God!" Thank Him for keeping you in HIS will and not our own.
2.) Just as God closes doors, He also opens them!
If you would have told me sometime back that I would be where I am today, if any of you know me very well at all, I would have said "Yes! with God ALL things are possible! But I don't see myself being there!!" I will tell you that I have literally fretted at times of being unsure if I'm exactly where God wants me in the ministries of life. I'm NOT an over confident person, I don't see myself with alot of skills or talents, I love people - but not a overly aggressive outgoing person - rather quiet at times, we could say, and not a lover of trying new things BY ANY MEANS. But.....putting all that aside......because God is the God He is He picks me up, puts me where He wants me, says "Trust me child" and sends me on HIS way! All of these ministries He has opened up and given me are all HIS doing. . . that and He understands me thankfully and knows how to best use me regardless of my insecurities!
So know and trust that God shall open doors - in His timing. And when He opens them He'll gently lead you through them.
3.) God STILL speaks!
Did you know that God can and does use any measure He chooses to do this?! Whether it be through a Bible Study class, a song heard on the radio, or a song sung at church, through a sermon, a friend, a spouse. . .and most importantly through His word. . .the Bible. There are other ways of course. . .this is just a few examples. Honestly, I haven't liked it so much in the past when people would say "God spoke to me so clearly." and of course me being the analytical person I CAN be would question myself and say "Is God speaking to me too....so clearly??" Believe me, I can nit-pick anything to death as they say! I have prayed to God asking Him to please make His voice CLEAR to me in every sense of the word and not to let me confuse it with my own or some other voice. I believe that God can still have the calm, small reassuring voice in our hearts and minds letting us know He's there, He loves us, and we can trust Him. And I also believe that YES He does bring things back to us to think about and remind us what we needed to hear and in hearing - knowing He is taken care of it.
4.) God confirms and affirms His will through other believers that we let in!
Thank ya Jesus for this one!! I SO needed to hear and receive this point in the message! You see I am one who knows the truth, hears the truth, and receives the truth. . . . BUT I am reassured of those truths in my life through my amazingly-wonderful husband as well as my Mom! These two people in my life are my very own "God sent especially to me" people and I couldn't be more thankful or happier that they are! At times, my sweet David will patiently say (as he did just today) "Are you listening to yourself? or do you just like to make things up and talk?!" He was referring to how SILLY I sounded in receiving all this good news we had today, through our training at the Crisis Pregnancy Center we are training together for, and me needing reassurance that it indeed was the truth in my life and I didn't need to worry. That's a whole other story...sorry if it doesnt make sense. But, my thought here is that YES I know the truth, but I just need my partner there to reaffirm that this is God's truth for ME! Hopefully that makes some kind of sense...if not bear with me.
Our pastor put it this way - there are many times when we as christians believe that we hear and receive the "voice of God" in our lives - BUT - we still need others to agree with us that YES indeed this is God's truth for YOU and not just some wishful thinking you might think God would say to you. In even other words. . .YES God affirms our need and desire for others to help us confirm HIS truth in our life....plain and simple! Paul was used as a great example of a strong man of God, but also needing the affirmation/confirmation of the fellow believers he trusted in as his witness to God's leading in his life. Hey if Paul needed it, whose to say I'm any better than him?!!! Again, thank ya Jesus that it's quite alright to seek reassurance in those we trust!!!
5.) And lastly. . . choosing truth over emotion.
Simply and most completely put. . . .I lay down my will to follow God's.
When our heart is in tune with God's heart - we are living our life for Him - His desires will become our desires. See no worries! God's got it all worked out. His desires become ours and then we follow!
And I pray that each time I sense a yearning to share a Blog with you that it is in fact God using me in such a way that He would want to speak to YOU, my friend.....nothing more......nothing less. To Him be the glory!!
Thanks for letting me share. I don't normally share sermon notes, but I kept sensing that I should share this one. Maybe it was meant just for you. :)
Be blessed and know you're blessed!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
You HAD to be there. . . A Zumba experience!!
I will start off by saying IF it is at ALL possible for someone to have zero rhythm and coordination. . .I would be nominated and win in a heartbeat!!
Draw an imaginary line somewhere about mid-air in your mind. . .now above that line reach up as high as you can in the air and draw another line. The first line represents my comfort level in life. . .the next line represents me stepping OUT of that comfort level today when my O so sweet daughter talked me into trying Zumba Dance class for the very first time!! They say it's GOOD for a person to step out of their comfort zone, try new things. . .well if we can call this good today then I had my heapin helpin of good!!
As my Heather later affirmed the fact after seeing dear Mother in action: "Mom, you REALLY have no rhythm at all do you?!" No dear. . . and as her dad, David said "It is a wonder that all THREE of our kids have great rhythm as well as coordination between the likes of your Mom and me!" A small miracle in and of itself. I guess I can thank all my years at a private christian church ran school for my lack thereof. I was even a cheerleader, which Heather dear reminded me that I was with a question mark all over her face. Two reasons result from this 1.) I was a cheerleader before dance was even evented into cheerleading 2.) If and were there dancing. . . you probably wouldn't find it in the enviroment we attended school in. Although we did like to swing our skirts a little EXTRA hard at times. ; )
This was a 1 hour class that at times thought would never end! The teacher begins by saying "No one stops...if you stop we stop the class. No leaving this class....doors will be glued shut." Great, what have I got myself into?!?! As Heather later imitated me to her dad by giving him a great showmanship of Mom's "abilities", he replied with a "I so wish I had been there to video it!!" Entertaining I'm sure....dear ones. : P
From the beginning of the simplest steps (which I thought I had right...that being the simplest) I seem to be "off-track" shall we say. My arms went up when they were supposed to go down.....my feet went forward when we were supposed to go backwards. If we were going right, I was going left. Alot of times I said the heck with feet, arms, hips, smiles AND breathing and just concentrated on ONE thing only. There were times the teacher would animatedly imitate people by how slow and lagging they were. I said to myself "Quit making fun of me lady, GEE!" She never would make eye contact with me, but Heather said she was imitating me at times. How lovely.....hey at least it got me noticed! Speaking of getting noticed, I forgot to mention that upon entering the class I firmly planted myself on the back row .... along with everyone else at the time. But teacher noticed her regular pupil, my Heather, was not in her normal place....FRONT AND CENTER. She told her to get up there and she pointed at me....to which I gladly said "Yup, it's me and i'm here". . . pointing to the ground. Needless to say, I was summons up right smack dab in the center of everyone. There couldn't be another full spot of attention of I searched for one, it seemed. O joy. As the teacher said at the beginning "No one is looking at you and if they do...shame on them." Later, I told David "Should I go back to her class, she MAY ask me to please move to the back of the room this time." as I was probably more of a distraction to others. Heather said she tried watching me a couple of times and she would bust out laughing and loose track of her workout. WELL, I do love to make people laugh.....SO THERE. David was laughing HARDLY when he watched Heather's re-enactment of me. Who knows....if I was You Tubed it could have went viral!! Haha!
It was just the whole eye -hand -foot -hips....every body part you have moving at the same time and this girl's brain is wired for one thing at a time. I would start to focus on just the feet leaving everything else off...and then the silly woman would switch just about the time I would get it. As for the arms, Heather said I began to leave them just straight up in the air. What the heck....they will all get in that position at some point won't they?!
I can definitely say . . . it was like nothing ever before . . .heck, I think giving birth was easier than THAT! :)
Now the question is. . .Will I go back for another go around next this Thursday?! to go or not to go....Hmm. I'm thinking if I am I will get some private tutoring from Zumba girl herself.....Heather.
I went back later this evening and did my workout with dear hubby. So, I think I will call it a day....a day like none other that's for sure. haha! Be adventerous friends....it's good for..... something!!
Draw an imaginary line somewhere about mid-air in your mind. . .now above that line reach up as high as you can in the air and draw another line. The first line represents my comfort level in life. . .the next line represents me stepping OUT of that comfort level today when my O so sweet daughter talked me into trying Zumba Dance class for the very first time!! They say it's GOOD for a person to step out of their comfort zone, try new things. . .well if we can call this good today then I had my heapin helpin of good!!
As my Heather later affirmed the fact after seeing dear Mother in action: "Mom, you REALLY have no rhythm at all do you?!" No dear. . . and as her dad, David said "It is a wonder that all THREE of our kids have great rhythm as well as coordination between the likes of your Mom and me!" A small miracle in and of itself. I guess I can thank all my years at a private christian church ran school for my lack thereof. I was even a cheerleader, which Heather dear reminded me that I was with a question mark all over her face. Two reasons result from this 1.) I was a cheerleader before dance was even evented into cheerleading 2.) If and were there dancing. . . you probably wouldn't find it in the enviroment we attended school in. Although we did like to swing our skirts a little EXTRA hard at times. ; )
This was a 1 hour class that at times thought would never end! The teacher begins by saying "No one stops...if you stop we stop the class. No leaving this class....doors will be glued shut." Great, what have I got myself into?!?! As Heather later imitated me to her dad by giving him a great showmanship of Mom's "abilities", he replied with a "I so wish I had been there to video it!!" Entertaining I'm sure....dear ones. : P
From the beginning of the simplest steps (which I thought I had right...that being the simplest) I seem to be "off-track" shall we say. My arms went up when they were supposed to go down.....my feet went forward when we were supposed to go backwards. If we were going right, I was going left. Alot of times I said the heck with feet, arms, hips, smiles AND breathing and just concentrated on ONE thing only. There were times the teacher would animatedly imitate people by how slow and lagging they were. I said to myself "Quit making fun of me lady, GEE!" She never would make eye contact with me, but Heather said she was imitating me at times. How lovely.....hey at least it got me noticed! Speaking of getting noticed, I forgot to mention that upon entering the class I firmly planted myself on the back row .... along with everyone else at the time. But teacher noticed her regular pupil, my Heather, was not in her normal place....FRONT AND CENTER. She told her to get up there and she pointed at me....to which I gladly said "Yup, it's me and i'm here". . . pointing to the ground. Needless to say, I was summons up right smack dab in the center of everyone. There couldn't be another full spot of attention of I searched for one, it seemed. O joy. As the teacher said at the beginning "No one is looking at you and if they do...shame on them." Later, I told David "Should I go back to her class, she MAY ask me to please move to the back of the room this time." as I was probably more of a distraction to others. Heather said she tried watching me a couple of times and she would bust out laughing and loose track of her workout. WELL, I do love to make people laugh.....SO THERE. David was laughing HARDLY when he watched Heather's re-enactment of me. Who knows....if I was You Tubed it could have went viral!! Haha!
It was just the whole eye -hand -foot -hips....every body part you have moving at the same time and this girl's brain is wired for one thing at a time. I would start to focus on just the feet leaving everything else off...and then the silly woman would switch just about the time I would get it. As for the arms, Heather said I began to leave them just straight up in the air. What the heck....they will all get in that position at some point won't they?!
I can definitely say . . . it was like nothing ever before . . .heck, I think giving birth was easier than THAT! :)
Now the question is. . .Will I go back for another go around next this Thursday?! to go or not to go....Hmm. I'm thinking if I am I will get some private tutoring from Zumba girl herself.....Heather.
I went back later this evening and did my workout with dear hubby. So, I think I will call it a day....a day like none other that's for sure. haha! Be adventerous friends....it's good for..... something!!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Kids, pigs and such. . .
As I think I have mentioned before in Blogs or at least on FB....my son, Levi is raising a pig this year for FFA. He has worked super hard and shown great discipline during this time with the pig. I am very proud of him, his efforts and the maturity he shows in taking care of something. There have been SEVERAL occassions when we would take Levi to the barn, to care for his pig, and there would be parents there instead of kids tending to the pigs. I know that kids in general are pretty busy these days, but why let them take on a responsibility if they don't have time for it?! So seeing him work hard all by himself each day makes this Mom even MORE prouder. :)
Yesterday, Saturday, there was a Showmanship Event going on for all the kids in all the surrounding schools to come and practice what they will be experiencing in February at the Rodeo. This was in the cold drizzling rain....which could have been much more colder and drizzlier and thankfully wasn't. It was a situation where you hurry and get there early in the morning.....and wait. Wait we did. The pigs were the very last event and I have to say out of all the other catagories was the most disorganized. But who can really make a pig stand in one place and not move like the other animals could?! haha! The object was to keep crossing your pig in front of the judge so he would see yours the most often. Poor Levi did his best and everytime it was as if the judge would automatically look away .... frustrating to say the least.
A long story longer. . .
We had high hopes for Levi's pig, Bo Duke. Levi had done almost everything he had been told to do throughout the school year. I say "almost" b/c we didn't follow the de-wormer system exactly. But. . . in the judge's opinion this was NOT what the judges were going to be looking for this year. Instead of a fat pig now they decide they want LEAN pigs. Go figure!! With only 3 weeks away now they decide to let the poor boy know. I guess you just never know from year to year what exactly these judges are going to decide on. So you can imagine the disappointment he faced after being told this!!
But as in with all things in this sweet boy's life. . . he takes it, accepts it, and goes on making the best of what he can. I admire him greatly for his ability to do that in life. Now we do the best we can with what is left of our time and we trust in our faithful Father who cares about any and ALL details in our life. There is a reason this happened and God can reveal it to us in His timing or He can choose to simply just ask us to trust.
Now - I try and attempt to tie this in with other "things" in our life.
In raising my own little "pigs" . . . [teasing]. . . my children, I can see how this relates.
As a parent you invest all of your time, all of your love, all of your life to raising and nurturing these children God has blessed you with. You share with them God's love, His forgiveness, His salvation. You share with them how to live a life that lines up with God's standards and expectations. How to have convictions and stick to them. To hopefully understand that this WHOLE entire existance we have here on this earth is all about HIM and only HIM!
And then they become known as what we call - - TEENAGERS.
We don't stop with our teaching though. . . in most cases we press on even harder than before. And as we do we begin to see them make their OWN choices and decisions in life. This time in a parent's life can be difficult.... no let me say very difficult. . . for we see them sometimes choosing such wrong choices and making such wrong decisions! We face many many trials with them because of those wrong choices. The pain in our heart is O SO very real and we have felt NOTHING in this world like it before. I don't make this stuff up. . . it's real.
It is then that we can start to question "God, what happened . . . I did everything you told me to do. . .there isn't anything I could have left out is there?! Am I not the parent you called me to be? This isn't the way I thought it would be."
We must see right then and right there that it is NOT a reflection of our parenting skills, NOT because we have bad genes, NOT because we didn't get all the advice we needed to know how to, and most certainly NOT because God is punishing us because He didn't like how we raised His kids!! What it is however is
1. God shaping them into the person HE wants them to be. 2. God revealing to us that HE is in control - no matter what their life looks like. 3. God allowing them to go through "stuff" in life to use them later to reach out to others. Believe me I'm preaching to myself! :)
We know that we think it could be SO much easier had God just simply chose to give us perfectly perfect children and the world would become a better place. We wonder why He doesn't simply just use someone else down the road to help others who are hurting and needing God's love revealed - Instead of sending our children as well as us through so many heartaches. But God knows and God uses whom He will. . .and honestly we wouldn't want it any other way.
Now in relating back to Levi's situation. . .we don't exactly know what the judge will be so inclined to say at the Rodeo. As David, his dad, has said "This is one judge's opinion. You go on doing what you're doing and make the best of it." We do plan to take whatever advice we receive from his teacher IF any is given. . .but in the end. . . we simply trust God for the outcome. . . a win or no win. God knows what this boy needs regardless. I will say that in my symbolizing the two stories that God will in NO way whatsoever turn our children away like this judge may do with the pig. He loves them far too much even moreso than we possibly ever could!
We simply must TRUST God for the outcome of what and who our children will become. His plans are the absolute B E S T!
I will leave you with a verse that most know and as I have been encouraged along the way by other parents who "know" . . . it speaks great truth.
Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
Have hope parents! God's not done yet! : )
Yesterday, Saturday, there was a Showmanship Event going on for all the kids in all the surrounding schools to come and practice what they will be experiencing in February at the Rodeo. This was in the cold drizzling rain....which could have been much more colder and drizzlier and thankfully wasn't. It was a situation where you hurry and get there early in the morning.....and wait. Wait we did. The pigs were the very last event and I have to say out of all the other catagories was the most disorganized. But who can really make a pig stand in one place and not move like the other animals could?! haha! The object was to keep crossing your pig in front of the judge so he would see yours the most often. Poor Levi did his best and everytime it was as if the judge would automatically look away .... frustrating to say the least.
A long story longer. . .
We had high hopes for Levi's pig, Bo Duke. Levi had done almost everything he had been told to do throughout the school year. I say "almost" b/c we didn't follow the de-wormer system exactly. But. . . in the judge's opinion this was NOT what the judges were going to be looking for this year. Instead of a fat pig now they decide they want LEAN pigs. Go figure!! With only 3 weeks away now they decide to let the poor boy know. I guess you just never know from year to year what exactly these judges are going to decide on. So you can imagine the disappointment he faced after being told this!!
But as in with all things in this sweet boy's life. . . he takes it, accepts it, and goes on making the best of what he can. I admire him greatly for his ability to do that in life. Now we do the best we can with what is left of our time and we trust in our faithful Father who cares about any and ALL details in our life. There is a reason this happened and God can reveal it to us in His timing or He can choose to simply just ask us to trust.
Now - I try and attempt to tie this in with other "things" in our life.
In raising my own little "pigs" . . . [teasing]. . . my children, I can see how this relates.
As a parent you invest all of your time, all of your love, all of your life to raising and nurturing these children God has blessed you with. You share with them God's love, His forgiveness, His salvation. You share with them how to live a life that lines up with God's standards and expectations. How to have convictions and stick to them. To hopefully understand that this WHOLE entire existance we have here on this earth is all about HIM and only HIM!
And then they become known as what we call - - TEENAGERS.
We don't stop with our teaching though. . . in most cases we press on even harder than before. And as we do we begin to see them make their OWN choices and decisions in life. This time in a parent's life can be difficult.... no let me say very difficult. . . for we see them sometimes choosing such wrong choices and making such wrong decisions! We face many many trials with them because of those wrong choices. The pain in our heart is O SO very real and we have felt NOTHING in this world like it before. I don't make this stuff up. . . it's real.
It is then that we can start to question "God, what happened . . . I did everything you told me to do. . .there isn't anything I could have left out is there?! Am I not the parent you called me to be? This isn't the way I thought it would be."
We must see right then and right there that it is NOT a reflection of our parenting skills, NOT because we have bad genes, NOT because we didn't get all the advice we needed to know how to, and most certainly NOT because God is punishing us because He didn't like how we raised His kids!! What it is however is
1. God shaping them into the person HE wants them to be. 2. God revealing to us that HE is in control - no matter what their life looks like. 3. God allowing them to go through "stuff" in life to use them later to reach out to others. Believe me I'm preaching to myself! :)
We know that we think it could be SO much easier had God just simply chose to give us perfectly perfect children and the world would become a better place. We wonder why He doesn't simply just use someone else down the road to help others who are hurting and needing God's love revealed - Instead of sending our children as well as us through so many heartaches. But God knows and God uses whom He will. . .and honestly we wouldn't want it any other way.
Now in relating back to Levi's situation. . .we don't exactly know what the judge will be so inclined to say at the Rodeo. As David, his dad, has said "This is one judge's opinion. You go on doing what you're doing and make the best of it." We do plan to take whatever advice we receive from his teacher IF any is given. . .but in the end. . . we simply trust God for the outcome. . . a win or no win. God knows what this boy needs regardless. I will say that in my symbolizing the two stories that God will in NO way whatsoever turn our children away like this judge may do with the pig. He loves them far too much even moreso than we possibly ever could!
We simply must TRUST God for the outcome of what and who our children will become. His plans are the absolute B E S T!
I will leave you with a verse that most know and as I have been encouraged along the way by other parents who "know" . . . it speaks great truth.
Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
Have hope parents! God's not done yet! : )
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