Life Lived in a New Realm

Little did I know, last November when we left our first Advocare meeting that my world was going to be rocked....nutritionally, well that was expected with the world class products we had our hands on. But Spiritually?!?! Never thought. Had you told me at that meeting that the company I was about to get involved with would transform me, once again, spiritually, as I had been a few years back going through marriage struggles, I would have laughed in your face, quite honestly.
24-Day Challenges and 21 Days of Commanding my Morning - what's with all the numbers, yeesh!

But, as Isaiah says, Isaiah 55:9
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

God knew what we needed. And his plan was all-encompassing, unbeknown to us. Se we begin our journey in Advocare in November 2011 and dove in, met some very supportive and encouraging friends and headed to Fort Worth, TX January 2012 for our very first Success School. Advocare's training school for all it's distributors. And I heard a couple, Brian and Robbie Page, and they spoke of foreclosure on their home and living out of their two cars and being at the bottom and feeling helpless and then of the transformation God did in the marriage and with their finances and with their family. And I was just drawn to this woman, Robbie Page. I came home and looked her up on facebook to find she has a ministry, unrelated and not connected to Advocare in any way, out of their home, called oneand2. One means it's not about me and 2 means I don't have to be right.
And I knew I wanted to hear what she had to say about faith and her God, which sounded a lot like the God I also knew and served. So I began watching her online bible studies on Wednesday nights. And I felt so filled up. Fed. Growing. My Advocare journey had taken a turn and it was not at all about vitamins and health, but had become all about personal growth, spiritual growth and leadership. And I saw this vehicle of Advocare, supported by thousands of people with servant hearts and servant minds, including the leaders of the company themselves, that has a very strong undertone of God and Faith that cannot be denied. It's not the company itself, but the people that make up the company and are leading it that have a heart and desire for serving our Father.
So last night, like every Wednesday night, I sat down to watch the bible study. And it was a recorded one but one I hadn't seen before. ( I must have missed a night!) So I eagerly watched. And it was called, 'sweatin' the small stuff'. i've heard Robbie mention this many times but didn't truly understand what all the 'small stuff' was so I was happy to be watching this one last night for some insight.
As I watched, my heart began to rip apart. For years, we have been suffocating our family, our kids in so many ways in which I had no idea. We had been growing so close to the Lord, but we lacked knowledge. Hosea put it so well, 'Without knowledge, my people with perish." We were living but perishing, for lack of knowledge and truth straight from scripture.
We had begun a slow process to rid ourselves of the world. We don't carry a lot of material possessions. None of our closets or cabinets are full by any means. We don't own a lot, we don't have multiples of items, clothing, shoes, etc. We are very limited in material possessions. Order in the house keeps order in the mind and order in the mind allows for things to get accomplished. But we did need to purge of things that were not God-inspired, life-giving, increase types of things - for instance, ungodly movies and music, toys, games, clothing, etc. And so we thought we were on our to way moving out from under any opression we might have been living under, any spirits of poverty, etc, keeping us in the struggling state we were in.
After a few months of that purging and spiritual growth, Robbie introduced Commanding your Morning. A book by Cindy Trimm that explains the scriptural basis for praying, calling down blessings that are assigned to you, calling down protection from the heavenly realms, praying for satan and his cohorts to flee in Jesus name, daily. I felt led that this was important for us, and things began to make a turn. Blessing began to pour down - an unexpected financial sum in the mail, clients at our gym, success in our businesses, opportunities, etc. And yesterday was no exception. I had been praying that God would lead a friend of ours to get in touch with us. He had a bought with the devil, where the devil won and he had to spend some time in jail. but then he got transferred to a halfway house and I really wanted to contact him and share another great book Robbie shared with us, but had no way to get ahold of him. But God heard that prayer and while the kids and I were on a walk, he called our house. I returned home to hear the great news that he had gotten in touch with us, after 4 months of no communication (my fault). Praise you, God!
So it was a special day, just like they'd all been since I began commanding my morning 15 days ago. And then the bible study. The small things. What are they? Weren't we already growing so much and on the right track? What could I possibly be messing up now?
But there it was, laid out for me. The final conclusion - I was making my kids to be what our finances dictated they should be. Dreams, don't bother, because we can't afford whatever it is you want to do. Ride a horse, horse riding lessons, camping trips, pottery classes, seeing the world, visiting family, playdates, bounce-house parties, sports teams....we can't do it, we don't have the money.
All this time, I had thought we were doing right by God; being good stewards of our money by not living beyond our means. If we don't have the money to pay for it, that's all we can control and it is what it is, it's our lot in life. "God must not want us to have more. Maybe he thinks we can't handle more financial abundance. Maybe we just weren't meant to enjoy this life."
WRONG!!!! We had taken God completely out of it. Competely. We loved God, we know he's in control fo all things, but what we failed to realize is that our spirit of poverty, our self-depricating talk, our no's and 'we can't afford it and that's just our lot in life' attitude was creating the suffocating world we were living in. We saw no way out and, like so many, had succombed to the worldy view, to the worldy lingo - staycations, save with coupons, second-hand stores, bartering, cutting back, go meatless, cancel memberships to the gym...believe you me, we are NOT an extravagent family by any means. There isn't a whole lot more to cut.
It was then that I realized, there are two ways to look at parents - 1) you want your kids to have the world, but aren't willing to put the stress of debt on your family to do that, so instead, your kids are robbed of joy, happiness, fun experience, being kids to save you from the stress of creditors.
-2) you give your kids what they want and don't worry about the debt because it's all about your kids and they deserve to be happy and travel and experience and eat pizza and ice cream when they want and have birhday parties.....at the tune of major CC debt for your family.

Either way, it's not looking good and life is not FUN. God did not put us on this earth to suffer. He has plans, from the time we were pre-conceived, to prosper us: Jeremiah 29:¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

It is not our lot in life to suffer. So I am here to tell you, in case you haven't ever been told - GOD has more for you than the life of struggle and suffering and barely making it by, saying no, looking for free activities cause that's all you can do....No, No, No. There is a balance. But there is ONLY a balance when God is at the center. 

See God holds the keys to the blessings and you have to ask for them. There are blessings with your name on them, but if you don't ask for them, they will remain out there in the spirit realm unclaimed. Believe me, i've experienced this first hand. As soon as we began commanding our morning, the list keeps going on and on with the blessings God is releasing to us. And when God is at the center of your life, your family and your blessings, then spoiling won't be an issue because the foundational truth has already been laid.

And one of the biggest blessings, the way out of this financial struggle, so that we don't have to say No anymore had been the gift of Advocare. Without it, there would not be a way for us to quickly and simply increase our income while serving God's purpose of expanding his kingdom. Because Advocare is like a redistribution of the financial abundance of the world, but currently many people in the world do not use their finances to honor God. In Advocare, the culture is such that giving and expanding God's kingdom IS a priority and it's not for show. So God continues to us Advocare to bless his children who are calling down their blessings and showing him their faith, so that they in turn can redistribute the wealth of the world for his Kingdom cause & ministry. And as it says in scripture, when you can be trusted with little you can be trusted with much!!Luke 16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

And for us that means - the daughter and son God created and gave us to steward, they will now get to be the children with the character and development he meant for them to have, NOT the children with the character and development that our limited finances made them because we couldn't afford to allow them to dream and devop into what they were made to be. We can make what's important to them important to us because we will not have to worry about the cost, and when we make our kids feel important and validated that develops them into what they feel led to become. It makes them confident and it creates a solid foundation of hope and joy and confidence that can be fed with the fire of the Holy Spirit and ignited for kingdom work. It can be powerful when truth and a willing spirit collide!!!

So, if this 'sweatin' the small stuff' sounds like something you want to know about - go to www.oneand2.com and go to Shop - find the CD and buy it. Commanding  your Morning is there as well, along with lots of other awesome resources.

And if you want to know if this Advocare thing could help you to stop suffocating your kids and give you options - leave a comment and I'll get ahold of you. It doesn't mean its right for you; but at least you'll have the information about it to decide for yourself if it's what your family needs to unstrap the grip of satan and his many suffocating tactics on your family and your life. And then you can begin transforming the world around you, one family at a time.

Just like we can't take Christ out of us, as we are in Christ and Christ is in us, we can't take Advocare out of us, it's way to powerful in changing the world, one family at a time and it goes hand in hand. Faith, God, Advocare - it's a powerful combination for a better today and more hopeful tomorrow, for anyone!

Giving your child back to God

Life is always a journey. Some journeys are short, some are temporary, some are longer and some are a forever journey. As I've had children and reflecting on who I was before, during and after each child came into our lives, it is fun to reflect on the journey I've taken personally ~ most noteably, spiritually.
When I married, I had already begun my journey back to Christ, or really finding Him for the first time, with sincerity and a desire to know Him. But it was a simple question that my to-be husband asked, 'Want to go to church with me?' and the choice I had to make. For me, it wasn't hard at all; without hesitation it was a joy-filled, Yes! I wasn't even close to thinking that I should be seeking after Jesus; quite far from that infact! But my heart knew a different story and out of my heart came the resounding, 'yes, Lord!' And so the journey began...
And I began to be refined in the fire. As a baby 'seeker', I did the best I could with what I had known to that point and what I was able to glean off of those God brought into my life. I didn't know that I had what I needed inside of me already, let alone how to 'tap into' that.

^{1 John 2:20} But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit,^[e] and all of you know the truth. ²¹ So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.

So I gleaned and I grew and I struggled. And along came our daughter. And we struggled and gleaned. I love her the best I could while fighting the world and satan for my marriage. My journey took a leap, one ring closer to the center, to God. But these were baby steps. God's timing was perfect, to him years are like days and days are like years. He does not move in time as we know it. But he moves in his time because he knows it!

As our daughter grew and as we grew as parents and spouses, my journey to Christ became more focused. And by the time our son was on the way, I was many more rings closer to the center, closer to God, through the experiences he had given us, the seeking steps I had been taking and the choices to believe, even though I had not seen. And He blessed, as he promises, because he does not break a promise.

I very vividly remember when our son was very young and we were in an apartment we considered very temporary. My husband and I and our son slept in the basement - much against my wishes, but this is how the Lord wanted to lay out the house (you see, I love light, windows, sunshine waking me up; not darkness, paneled walls, spiders ~ you know, basement feel! yuck!!). But there we were, and he was sleeping in a pack n' play in our basement 'space'. It was one night before putting him to bed that I intentionally made a choice to give our son back to God. I prayed to the Father and handed back the control of Gabriel's life to him and vowed I would do my best to guide him but that He belonged to the Father and I was only a steward of his life.

When he woke up with night terrors, I would sing Jesus Loves You to him, nothing else was said, over and over quietly in his ear, hugging him close and rocking him, even though he screamed so loud. I was lead to teach him to keep scripture in his heart at a very young age. And to date - one of the most noteable times I was made aware that he was God's child and God was and could guide his life - IF I gave over the control - was the potty training (see my blog post on that here).

As I watch our son grow up and grow in the Lord, I see God's fingerprints all over his life. He has a very very soft, genuine, caring heart. He has pure joy and innocence. He loves Jesus and sees him throughout his day. And he hears the Father telling him over and over, 'Never will I leave you. I will always be with you.'

 Deut 31:6 "Be strong and brave. Don't be afraid of them. Don't be terrified because of them. The Lord your God will go with you. He will never leave you. He'll never desert you."

He sees Jesus in his days and does not question it (like we would if an adult told us they saw Jesus) because he is pure, undefiled, a child. I can just picture him saying: 'And why wouldn't you see Jesus like I do? After all, mommy, we talk about him every day, we pray to him, he is our friend like everyone else is. Why is it so special or different that I see Jesus - Don't you see him?!?'

But I truly believe, our son is so pure and undefiled and unattached to this world, because I made the choice to give him back to the Father and every choice I have made since then, I test with this mission statement to make sure the decision I am making leaves God in control of him and not me. And if you know our son, you will know, he is a very BRIGHT LIGHT for the Lord! It is not of me, but of God.

I had a choice to make last week. Our son came to me with the desire to take the training wheels off his bike. He asked and so I figured he was ready, as per God's timing. Again, children speak truth from the heart, as they are still pure at certain stages in their young lives. And truth comes from God. So this was God telling me he was ready. So we took the training wheels off. And I was quickly reminded about the potty training process. We immediately held hands and prayed before he even got on the bike. I asked God to give me patience and to give him the wisdom and knowledge he needed for the mechanics of riding a two-wheeler. And this is how we proceeded, each time he attempted to ride, each day. Though I did wise up and had him pray for me and I prayed for him! that seemed much more helpful!!sometimes it's hard to pray for yourself. :) After three separate instances of him trying to ride (these being like 15-20 minute attempts), God heard and answered our prayers. Our joy was made complete, and boy what a joy it is to watch our, just turned 4-year old, ride, like a pro, on his two-wheeled bike! The joy comes from the overflowing joy on his face at his accomplishment, and also from knowing that we both trusted completely in the Father and he kept his promises to us.

I would not say, at ALL, that I messed up our daughter by not turning her over to God early on. Though I know there are struggles she may not have had to encounter in her life if I would have, I also know that God can turn anything around, at any time, as soon as we hand over the wheel. And when I did that, he began working in her. It is just clear to me the difference in having done that earlier with our son than with our daughter.

So if you have children, leave them at the temple as soon as they are born!! God knows what he is doing - no baby is too young or too helpless. God takes care of them all and he can do it better if he's not fighting you for the steering wheel!

Soul Joy

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

²  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I have been filled with almost indescribable joy in these last few months as I've been watching the relationship of my youngest children flourishing. Pure joy to my soul.

I'll take you back to the 2010-2011 school year. My daughter was in 1st grade in the public school. Her brother just 2. And this was their relationship: he adored her and she loathed him. Sounds typical, you say. Sure it is typical, if you're of this world. But we are not of this world ~

Joshua 24:15
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
We serve the Lord in this household, not the world. Brother/Sister quarrels - of this world. Feeling like your younger sibling is not good enough to hang out with - of this world. Feeling like you're too cool for your younger sibling - of this world. Thinking their should not be too much of a bond between children because they are so far apart in age - of this world!!! Do not conform to the patterns of this world...

But my daughter was a slow fade into conformity due to the friends she had to choose from. When she started Kindergarten at age 4 in public school (because she was tested and found ready), she was the sweetest, most loving and precious child. She loved her friends and love Jesus. But very quickly, she was picked on because she was ONLY 4, while all her classmates were 5 and in some cases even 6. She learned and conformed to that mentality of the course of the 2 years she was in public school. Every year, it got worse. She had to hear over and over on the playground, 'you can't play with us, only kids that are ....age can play with us.' And what did she get at home playing with the kids around the block, the same thing, even with the kids who were in the same grade as her but a year older.

Patterns of the world.  No one else was telling their kids, you don't need to exclude anyone. Everyone has gifts to share and parts of their personality to share that you don't have and it's good to accept others and enjoy their gifts as they share them with you.

So she brought that home and handed it right off to her brother.  They yelled at each other all the time, they got in arguments over toys because she didn't want to share, they were bored because she didn't see the value in playing with her brother and felt like she had no one to play with. It was a long 2+ years.

And I prayed. I prayed for her heart. I prayed for their relationship. For the protection of his heart because he was not understanding why his sister did not want to play with him. And for peace in our household. I prayed expecting God would answer.

And his answer: an invitation to join a new group of ladies - people I hadn't spent much time with at all and some not ever - but an opportunity to become part of a community of believers to share life together. And that was the day that changed our lives, again. That was the night, after hanging around after everyone else had left because I was enjoying myself and was half expecting they'd kick me out if they didn't want me hanging around, the invitation came. An offer to have my daughter home-schooled at their house!! God, you are so awesome! Are you serious?! I couldn't have come across a better solution in a million years. I wasn't equipped to homeschool and it wouldn't have been at all the same, since their school already had kids in it and two kids already there in her grade! It was the weekend before public school was to start, not more than three days after we had dropped off all her supplies at school and she was truly excited about her teacher, as she had been hoping that she would have him for 2nd grade. But I knew this was a gift from God and was not going to let the devil tantalize her with the thought of a 'cool teacher' - what would have been a bandaid on a broken bone.

We went to school, took back her supplies and God worked out the rest, of course!

Fast forward to this weekend. Saturday was quite possibly one of the best days so far in their relationship. I have been continuously praising God for his healing in their relationship over the last several months. It has been so noticeable and undeniable that God is the one working in them, moving them to a more loving relationship with each other.

So this weekend, they come running up to me and ask me if they can share a bedroom by moving my son's bed downstairs into his sister's room. They both were excited about the idea and his toddler bed was just the right size and easy enough to move. I thought, how excellent is it, they love each other so much that they want to share space and feel the comfort of the other being in the room when they sleep. Absolutely!! Are you kidding me - I love you guys so much! My heart was just exploding and almost speechless with pure joy at the development of this new relationship that God has been forging. And in which I have been obedient in disciplining along the way when those 'of the world' patterns were trying to creep in and take over.

I have gotten to witness gut giggles, them playing together non-stop, eating the same kind of candy after they finish their meal (that's our treat, 1-piece after eating all that's on the plate in the correct proportion and food groups) and wanting to do that, getting each other's water bottles out of the fridge, taking baths together, helping each other make their beds and picking up toys, piggy back rides, playing games together, hugging each other, laying on top of each other to watch movies, snuggling .....

Truly, truly loving each other from the heart!!

And moving his bed down to her room, was the best cake icing I have ever tasted!

Her mind was renewed and as a result all our lives have been transformed. God's word is steadfast and true, forever and always.

We will continue on, removing ourselves from this world, so that our joy may be complete. We will continue to serve the Lord; anything else is serving satan.

Window to the heart

3 John 1:2
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.


A heart transplant is a life changing, major, major event. My cousin's recent heart transplant at the very young age of 22 reminded me of the heart transplant I have undergone through the work of the Holy Spirit. In both transplants, God's sovereignty reigned and still reigns and his purpose for us both, though unknown in it's fullness to us, continues on each day as we continue in obedience.

As my heart continues to be transformed by the Father, I am saddened to become aware of what others think they 'see' in my heart or what is assumed about my heart's condition. What a gift in disguise it might be to have a heart from whom, the history of that heart is unknown? No idea of the behaviors, attitudes, past decisions, judgements that heart was a part of are known about that heart's life before it reached my cousin, thus to all of us its a pure, clean, fresh heart - no negativity attached, no strings attached. It is simply (simply in a HUGE way) a brand new heart. No preconceived notions to turn around and no barriers to break down. It is at face value, a new heart, nothing more, nothing less. But it still the responsibility of the beholder to reject or accept that new heart.

Our Father began his work on my heart when I met my husband, and in our journey as a married couple, his heart was overhauled as well. Our hearts DID hold deceit, lies, secrets, selfishness, pride, envy, control, fear, failure, blame, guilt, insecurities, hatred, perverse speech, vanity....you name it, it was there; the curse of being attached to this world, whether by a large anchor or a tiny piece of thread.

But clearly to us, God's miracle in all of it was that he had a purpose for us, much beyond anything we could have ever imagined and he threw us into the fire and willingly we went in it and through it! Unlike Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo who didn't get even the smell of smoke on them from the fire, my husband and I were charred!  Broken, brittle, ugly, dark and brought to ashes before being restored into gold, refined by the fire. 

He has now filled our hearts with his purpose, a desire for his work, a genuine love for his children and the desire to live, only with the help of his Counselor, the Spirit, like Jesus lived. Asking questions, being bold, being misunderstood more often than not, feeling alone, bringing love with a charge, loving our friends while leading them forward to him by modeling intentional change - swimming against the current. And the question/the responsibility that walks in front of us to all we cross....accept our new hearts or reject them?

If we could allow you a window into our hearts now, this is what you would find:

2 Corinthians 12:19
Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. 

The strings to this world, I've referred to them before as 'Human Traditions' manifest themselves in thoughts like this: I can't trust my friends. They don't really care about me. They're only looking out for themselves, just like me. Isn't that what everyone is doing? They don't really know what I'm going through, my life is completely different from theirs; my experience is different and they have no idea what I'm going through. What worked for them is surely not going to work for me, they're just trying to make me feel better. They really don't have any idea what it's like to struggle; they've never truly struggled in their lives. There has got to be some reason why my friend would want to help me - you know the 'what's in it for me?', I'm sure there's something my friend will benefit out of the advice they're trying to give me. Why would my friend say something so mean? What kind of advice is that? Who are they to tell me how to live my life? What do they know about what I'm going through anyway. Who do they think they are?!  I don't need to change a thing about myself. Why are they so judgemental? They have no right to make such conclusions. ---

Sound 'of the world' to you? Full of pride, defensiveness, control, fear...

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the ways of the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

How do you know how deep into conformity you are? If conformity is the sign that you are sucked into this world and have more strings tied to this world than to eternity, would you want to know? And how can you even begin to figure out how 'conformed' you are? 

A great place to start is with how you treat those you call your true friends.
Proverbs 27:6
Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

Do you allow your true friends to be truthful with you, even when it hurts? Are you vulnerable with them so that through them God can bring change to you?

Proverbs 27:9
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.

Do you trust that your friend, who loves you at all other times and you've felt that love, also loves you in this hard time when they tell you something you don't want to hear, BUT NEED to hear? We all want to feel rosy and warm, especially with our friends, but if our friends can't be the ones to set us straight sometimes, then who CAN be?

And consider this - if our friend, whom we love so much, enough to call on them for advice and share life's more personal times with, enough to know that even though years have passed and we haven't always been in touch consistently but we know they'll be there when we need them - that kind of friend - if we can't trust the goodness in the heart of our bestie at ALL times........how in the world do we think we can trust a friend we can't even prove with any tangible measure exists??!?! If we can't hold enough faith in a friend we can see and touch to trust the goodness in them, how is it that we expect to hold faith in the goodness of a friend we will never see and touch this side of heaven?

This reminds me of another parable from the Word:
Luke Ch 16: 19-31 (only some of it is below)
²⁷ “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. ²⁸ For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’
 ²⁹ “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’
 ³⁰ “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’
 ³¹ “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Even if someone rises from the DEAD, they will not listen? Now that's a serious level of worldly conformity? Or is it that serious (the world would say)? How deep into conformity are you? How dead are you?

Don't wait until you get to hell to find out like the rich man did! Ask yourself the hard, ugly questions today AND answer them HONESTLY, today! Is God trying to speak to you through someone but you do not want to listen?

Seeing the Fruit

When I got married, our marriage was traditionally human. It followed the pattern of this world, from selfishness to pride, to secrets, to bitterness, unrealistic expectations of all sorts, separate checking accounts, separate lives and the absence of God because of our own choosing through our sin. It was always a fear of mine when we began having children; how was I going to teach my children what a family centered on God was, when we clearly did not have that and it was not impression-ably modeled to me in my growings up? What did it look like to be a family that was centered on God, dependent on him for everything, while not keeping them in a bubble?

As our marriage turned around, our lives turned around. We turned to God, repented and asked for healing and he has delivered, over and over again. And he continues to forgive and heal and grow us daily as we seek him. Just the other day he gave me another miracle - a glimpse at just how our lives in this family have made an impression, the most impressionable one to be made, on our kids.

We own a gym. But it's not a gym. It's a mission field. It's a ministry. It's a place God has chosen, as we have said, 'Yes Lord, your servant is listening,' to bring his children who need sowing, watering or nurturing. In this place, God calls us to serve him by loving, encouraging and guiding his sheep that he brings through our doors.  This is not a secret to anyone who comes through our doors, nor is it a secret to our kids. We pray for our gym family and with them at the gym, our brothers and sisters, and we invest in them, as they allow.  And this is what our kids see. They are just as much a part of God's work at the gym as we are.

And so, the other night, when I was making dinner, my daughter (7) said, 'I don't know, I can't decide if I want to be an adult or a kid. I want to stay a kid because I like being a kid, but I want to be an adult too.' In my mind I was thinking, Oh, no you don't sweetheart. Don't wish your childhood away. But I knew in my heart, it wasn't an encouraging word that would benefit her. So I kept it in and began contemplating my adulthood, briefly. And then she said, 'I want to be an adult so I can get a job.'   But again, my thought was, Jobs aren't all they're cracked up to be!  'I want a job,' she continued, 'so that I can worship God every day.'

Woah! What!!! This caught me so off guard; it took me a good thinkin'-minute to connect the dots. And then God revealed to me the Fruit. She knows our gym is all about God. And she connected our ministry at the gym with being an adult and that being an 'adult job'. Awesome God! So awesome. Praise you, Lord!

And I was reminded of that fruit again today, as we were eating lunch. I turned on some Barlow Girls, which the kids hadn't listened to before. During one of the songs, it was talking about being one-million strong and growing stronger in sharing the good news of the gospel with the world. She again commented, 'This sounds like a song daddy would play at the gym.' No hesitation that daddy would play a song about witnessing for Jesus, while we were holding classes at the gym.  Because it's what we believe in and its what our hearts want to do.

John 15:8
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Thank you Father, for your mercy. That you would want to remain in our lives, while we go on as miserable sinners, falling and getting up daily. That you would want to remain in us and work your goodness through all the turmoil we create for ourselves, because you love us that much! So that your glory may be revealed through us!

John 15:4
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Another answered prayer, from long ago. The wonderings if, as a mom, I was going to be able to teach my children how to live in God. And the answer he laid before me, I was not going to be able to do it.
But as I remain in him, he will do it with me and through me, for his glory.

God desires to be so near to me, his chosen one

I was created for his purpose. And each day I have a choice to make.

Every day of these 31 years of my life, I've had a choice to make. From 0 to about 12 I didn't realize the power of that choice. Yet God waited for me. From 13-21 I think I knew I was making the wrong choice. I was not chosing God but myself. Yet my Father waited for me. Saved me from death, literal death and spiritual death. I could've been killed in a car accident, falling asleep at the wheel many times. I could have been murdered like Ms. Zimmerman and the many other women on the Madison campus who disappeared at bar time, only to end up dead. I could have killed myself, driving intoxicated behind the wheel or poisoning myself with alcohol. 

But God carried me through those times, for his purpose. Because he knew eventually, I would turn back to him and he would save me and heal me.

Matthew 13:15
For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

These last days of my life and these last two and a half years, I have known more joy than I have ever known. He has blessed me with the most humble man I have ever known, to be my husband. I have experienced the power of his resurrection in the healing of my marriage, the healing of the hearts of myself, my husband and my children, in the healing of the terrible disease that once had overpowered my husband but has now been overcome by Jesus. I have been released from this world. I have broken free and cut the ties to this world and all its evil tactics and traditions. And I have experienced heaven on earth - Freedom and the everlasting love of God.

I chose to turn to God for him to heal me and I choose that daily. And this is my daily miracle, my heart is not calloused. The miracle of resurrection power is alive in me because of my brother and Savior, Jesus. Completely unrestrained.

The Help

Recently, I was blessed with a gift from The Father.  A chance to see 'The Help' for free. I only had to travel to the Cross Plains library to do so. An awesome gift. Our schedule was perfectly clear and the window was just right, inbetween dropping my daughter off at school and her being done with school. Couldn't have asked for it to be more perfect.

The day before it was to show, I remembered this was what I wanted to do in the morning. I had learned about it a week or so earlier and quite frankly forgotten about the showing! Busy times in combo with a very bad short-term memory!! But I remembered and then very clearly was told by my heavenly Father that I was to go there to meet someone. I knew this was my purpose for being there, and the movie itself was just a gift of grace from my Father. All is gift and grace!

So I woke up in the morning, a pep in my step, excited about the time to enjoy a movie I had been longing to see and excited to see what God had in store for me there. I dropped my daughter off to school and headed to Cross Plains. When I got to the room in the library where the movie was showing, it was completely filled, back to front, with cute little grammies and grampies, also ready to enjoy the movie! I smiled to myself and then spotted the ONE open sit in the room, next to the ONE other person who was anywhere close to my age! And there she was....my ordained divine appointment. 

What a sweet woman. My Father gave me no fear about making a new friend and instilled only his will into our conversation. We enjoyed the movie together and connected in the way in which God intended for us.  She left early so our good-bye was sweet and quick. But I know our paths will cross again, as God ordains.

I drove home, in tears, with goosebumps, hands raised to the sky praising my Father for such a gift. The gift of knowing, the Holy Spirit truly, clearly spoke to me that previous day. The gift of the Lord finding favor with me, that he chose to use me (for what is still unknown) in this woman's life. Humbled, honored, grateful, awestruck....to be given the gift of his love, that he would lavish down on me, to be part of his plan for her that day and what a gift to me, to have her be part of his plan for my day.

The day I saw 'The Help' will be forever a day etched in my memory for the gift and grace God poured down from the heavens on me. I pray a day like this for all my brothers and sisters!

Gratitude births deep desire

I feel like I have been drowning in a sea of grace as of late! It's an awesome thing! God has been pouring down blessing upon blessing, so much so that I haven't been able to focus on just one thing to write about! But something I have come to learn, over and over again through his showers of blessings, is that allowing gratitude to reign in my heart opens up the floodgates of his grace.

Malachi 3:10
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Let's just replace the word 'tithe' with 'gift'.

See, everything is Gift and Grace from God. Everything. And when we bring all of everything he's given to us, to give it back to him for use in his Kingdom, he throws open the floodgates!

So much blessing that there is not enough room to store it. The key to this is...what is that blessing? Maybe it's not a tangible gift - food, money, clothing, shelter - maybe its assurance, love, a friendship, a means to an end.

And it's our desire to want to see God's will for what it is, rather than imposing our will on God, that opens up the eyes of our hearts to see those floodgates bursting open.  When our hearts can see that what we have and what we've been given and what we own and what businesses we run and what teams we coach and what groups we lead and the children we have are REALLY God's possessions and God's businesses and God's teams and God's groups and God's children, we allow him to open those floodgates and pour out the blessings.

Because only when we fully surrender ourselves, only when we forget our agendas and surrender our control of our plans to him, do we then have perfect vision of what God had intended us to be doing all along - Loving Him and Loving others.

Only he knows the form his love needs to take on to love others, and we just need to be the vessels, equipped and ready to be used.

And we do that by taking ourselves out of the way!

By being grateful, in the deepest depths of our being, for the second chance we've been given to serve him.

It's not yours to keep.

"I am grateful for sight, sound and breath. If ever in my life there is a pouring out of blessing beyond that, then I will be grateful for the MIRACLE of ABUNDANCE." Andy Andrews, The Traveler's Gift

Sight...sound....breath ~ these three 'rights' (as humankind sees them) are miracles in and of themselves. It is the life-giving divine breath of our Creator God that wakes most of us up with these three gifts. Some of us might be missing sight or sound, but we're still alive if we have breath, and maybe even more blessed to not have sight or sound, as that often allows an individual to be more thankful for what he/she does possess. 

Three things though, just three. Most people I know have more than these three things. Play along with me for a moment:

4. all the necessary body parts

5. a cover over our heads

6. food to eat daily

7. water to drink daily

8. a bed 

9. with bedding 

10. and pillows

11. a choice of what to wear when we get out of bed

12. several choices of what to wear when we get out of bed

13. a shower

14. and a bathtub

15. an in-house toilet

16. with toilet paper

17. coffee for the morning

18. a bible to read

19. the ability to read

20. a computer 

21. a cell phone

22. maybe even a smart phone

23. washer/dryer

24. soap

25. shampoo/conditioner

26. razors

27. utensils to eat with

28. plates to eat on

29. camera (on our phones and traditional)

30. pots to cook with

31. stove

32. dishwasher

33. gym facility

34. classrooms to be taught in

35. classrooms stocked with supplies

36. a job to go to

37. a wage to be earned

38. a car to drive to that job

39. a grocery store nearby

40. paper to write on

41. candles to burn

42. baggies

43. toothbrushes

44. pajamas

45. a TV to watch or play movies on

46. a pantry 

47. a garage

48. an umbrella

49. a garden

50. a christmas tree

51. pets

52. windows that open/shut

53. lights

54. safety

55. shoes

56. radios

57. CDs/DVDs

58. Video games

59. bikes

60. sports equipment

61. chairs 

62. dining table

63. drinking glasses

64. picture frames

65. refrigerator

66. bedrooms

67. remote controls

68. health

69. youth groups

70. postage stamps

71. fingernail polish

...you get the idea. This list took me about 10 minutes to write. And it is not all-inclusive, by any means! 

This is all ABUNDANCE.  And much of what is on the list is not had in singles but in doubles and triples and quadruples in our homes.  The homes of God's children.

-------------------------

A missionary going across the world is blessed by others that share of their financial abundance so this missionary can be sent into the mission field. That seems like a logical way to share the abundance. 

It's easy to drop some loose change (clearly not even a tenth of what most have at their disposal) into a red kettle when the bell is ringing in your ear. 

It's also easy to bring a nice spread out for a family member's birthday/graduation/retirement/baby shower/bridal shower/baptism party.  And there's always leftovers. Would you do that for a stranger?

----------------------------

It's quite easy to share what we have with others in these two primary situations 1) when we feel we'll get something in return or 2) when sharing requires of us much less than what we actually have so as not to involve any sort of perceived sacrifice in order to give that gift.  

But God doesn't give abundance to whom he does so that they may keep it to themselves, in essence becoming 'better off' than one of his other children. Has that ever crossed your mind before? Do you think you deserve to keep the abundant gift to yourself because somehow you've earned it, from God (if that part of the equation even comes into your mind)?

Today, we were witness to one of God's children distributing a gift of abundance to another of God's children. It was a moving, grace-filled moment for all of us involved.

We were also witness to a body of proclaimed 'Christ followers' trying to hold onto their abundance, as if it's their God-given right. Out of a body of thousands of people who proclaim Jesus is their Savior, not enough people have stepped forward to distribute the abundance God has given them to support the church body's attempt to love an international group over a Thanksgiving holiday.  There are not enough people who are willing to submit to God and let go of the abundance they've been blessed with (which is not truly theirs to begin with) to feed/host the expected group of Internationals they were hoping to love over this holiday,  a holiday in which everyone superficially proclaims their thankfulness! They don't even have half of what is needed to accomplish this mission - and Thanksgiving is four days away. Have any guesses as to what this body of believers will be doing instead?.....

It's easy to love those who love you back. It's easy to share with those who give something in return. It's easy to share with someone who is not in desperate need or appears to not be in desperate need. It's a lot easier to pass judgement on why someone who clearly appears to be in desperate need is truly in need and to come up with the reason that it's their own fault; and clearly, if it's self-induced, why should you bother sharing with them. They'll have to learn the lesson on their own, the hard way. Right? 'My abundance is mine, I earned it and I'm not just going to hand it off to someone else who appears in my book to not be doing their part.'

There is a message God has for all of us regarding the abundance he provides. He doesn't provide the same abundance to all of his children. Some are blessed in the area of finance, some in skill, some in spiritual gifts, some in people skills, others in personality, others with a business, etc. And some are blessed with a humble state. A humble being of poor state and lower on the economic ladder. And yes that is a blessing to ~ no matter how poor and humble someone is, there is always something to give away freely - LOVE.

I'll end with a few simple questions:

Why do you think you need this world in abundance?

Whom could you be sharing your abundance with, for nothing in return?

Why do you think you need to keep some, half, three-quarters or even all of it to yourself?

Have you ever tried to give without TRULY expecting anything in return?

2 Corinthians 8:14-16 (English Standard Version (ESV))

¹⁴your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. ¹⁵As it is written, "Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack."

God Speaks Anywhere, Even in the Bathroom

I have talked with many who have been able to recount a time when God spoke to them, either through a dream, a voice, in the stillness of their head. I've had a few instances where my thoughts have been guided by the Holy Spirit, but the other day I experience God speaking in a way unknown previously to me.

I had spent a bit of time in his Word, preparing for our bible study this Saturday morning. I had a great time digging into scripture as I always do. God reveals so  much to me through his word and I get excited about spending that time with him. But I had other things to get to and so I closed my books for a bit and was in the bathroom brushing my teeth. Usually while I do that I'm staring into the mirror. And I noticed for a small space of time, my mind was totally blank. I was able to notice that because it was an odd feeling!! My mind is never just blank space. Never. I've yearned for it, tried to stare at one point to focus my mind into blankness many-a-times to no avail. So I noticed this blankness!

And then it came into that empty space:

'There is justification for you. There is no justification for your sin.'

It was a morsel of wisdom, on the very topic I was building and supporting for our bible study group, and it was straight from the mouth of God! Uber awesome.

The other time God met me in the bathroom was not in such an obvious way. But my husband and I have this ongoing discussion over toilet paper. When I go to get the groceries, I look at the square footage of the toilet paper to see which one has more. And although Scotts is not the softest toilet paper, it is the 'longest' and so I buy that. And it will last through at least one week of groceries, if not another half a week. But when he goes, he says he looks at the number I do, but he thinks that Northern Quilted has more square footage. So that's what he gets. And the package never lasts an entire week. But after two trips to the store and the same discussion, I just let it lay and left him to his own choosing; it's not worth ruffling feathers about really. But it is kind of a bummer to have to make a TP run mid-week when it runs out. So this time, before he went to get groceries, he let me know he was going and we made our list which included TP. At some point in that day before I was going to the bathroom, noticing we were on our last roll of TP and it was not that big and I thought, I wish he would just get the Scotts TP. But I simply took it to God. I know that if it's God's will he get Scotts, it'll happen. And I know that when I delight in God, he'll give me the desires of my heart.

Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

So I just prayed, 'Lord, if it be your will, please have him bring home Scotts.' And I left it at that. No need to bring it up or try to drop hints about it. It was a silent prayer between God and me. And later that evening, he came home with the groceries and I saw it... the answer to my prayer.  And this prayer was not about an answer to a problem, per say, or a need that needed to be met, or a miracle or anything. It was really just asking God to fulfill a promise: if I was truly delighting in him, that he would give me the desires of my heart as he promises. And it was not about winning a debate, in fact, unless he reads this blog, my husband will not know about this God-moment because I will not boast in it to him and to me it was not an argument, but rather simply his point of view and my point of view; it is not a life or death issue we needed to come together on. I desired this brand of toilet paper, simply to spare our budget, to be able to see our toilet paper last longer, plain and simple. My motives were pure and I delighted in God. And he was faithful.

When we delight in God, he is always faithful. Always.

Tiny Morsels, so so 'tasty'

Often, I'd dreamed of having home-schooled children, but the thought of me doing that homeschooling always scared me. See, my perspective on school was teaching my children, exactly as they are taught in a public school, which seemed way beyond my league.
But God opened up a whole new world to me, when he brought the opportunity to my daughter to be home-schooled in someone else's home. What a concept, I had never contemplated that before. And I soon began to realize, once I saw inside to the world of home-schooling, is that it's not about schooling exactly like public school. So much can be learned in the home, about life, and all that is important, and sometimes, most times, that looks nothing like 'school' - through the eyes of the public school system.

I became inspired to start doing school with my youngest. A bit daunting at first, but I came across many great resources online and through the library, all free, that have given us a stepping stone. He is learning things that I take for granted, things I know, that of course at some point had to learn, but I never thought I was the one to teach him.  They learn that in school, right?!

But spending that time with him, is not just about learning, it's about bonding, playing, having fun, showing him he's got my attention for that time, undivided. And it's a heck of a lot better than pretend playing with tools, cars, war sounds, gun games and whatever sounds little boys can make that my mouth just does not do! I like that I can enjoy our school time and I'm not dreading disappointing him because I can't make the right sounds while we play.

So each time we do 'school' we begin with a prayer for the day and then a devotion out of his preschool devotion book. And this may sound silly or whatever else you might call it, but that little book has some fantastic, very easy to understand wisdom in it! It could be that my eyes are just now being opened, too. Either way, I have learned A LOT from this time in school with my son, and in school with my brother, Jesus.


For instance: Treasures in Heaven

Matthew 6:¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Many times, I've heard this verse. When the devotion message was treasures in heaven, it clearly told me how to store up treasures in heaven. My AHA moment ~ you store up treasures in heaven by doing good things FOR GOD. And if I'm doing good things for God to store up treasures, that means my heart is wholeheartedly following God. AHA!

Or how about: Delight in God

Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Note this says, the desires of your 'heart' not your mind! Very important distinction.  This is another verse I have heard many many times. How is it, exactly, that you delight in the Lord? Well, now I know: 1) Love God more than anything else in the whole world 2) Obey him happily (willfully without complaining) 3) praying to him.   These are three very clear, concise ways to delight in God and then your will will be his will, so that the desires of your heart can be realized.


Another great one: A Clean Heart 

Psalm 51: ¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
         And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

Another simple but profound message for me. We clean our bodies with soap and water, but we can't clean our hearts that way. Our heart is on the inside and we can't clean that ourselves. But who is the only one who can clean our hearts?  God. And how does he clean it, wash it and make it pure? When you tell God you are sorry, he washes your heart. 

And these three examples, which are just a few that I have clung to, by his design all have to do with one thing: your HEART.  And here's what the bible says about your heart...

^{Matthew 12:35} A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

 
Proverbs 27:19 As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.

 Your faith is not about anything LESS than a complete heart transformation. If your heart is not right, it will show. So take to heart these tiny morsels of wisdom, the miracles of my mornings, and allow the miracle of a heart transformation to be done in you.

Imposters???

Genesis 1:27

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

Colossians 3:10 

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Today was an amazing, heart-stopping, beautiful day. Blue skies, a nice breeze, 83 degrees, sunny ~ who says it has to be fall-like during Fall?

Instead of filling my head with 'garbage thoughts' of the day, things like, 'I wonder how long this will last?' 'I wonder what is happening in the atmosphere that's allowing these awesome, abnormal temps?' 'It's probably going to be freezing in no time.' 'The snow will be here next week because that's how WI is,' We filled our day with praise and delighted in God.  For a split second when I woke up, I felt like I needed a to-do list because I didn't have one for the morning, not even school with Gabriel was on the list today. Instead, today we truly lived by the moment.

It started out with an unplanned trip down memory lane with him, strolling through picture albums of births and his older siblings as babies. He took so much pleasure in seeing his siblings as babies and knowing now that they are 'big'. He loved seeing grammie and grampie and his auntie, like they were at our house in person. Then we took a nature walk to the library to have 'school' working on colors and that started out with an ubber-intense display of the Creator God, a snake, right in our own front yard! Ah!! But we made all the right moves and survived the encounter, unscathed. And the snake was identified as matching our yellow block. Bonus! We shared our love with neighbors on the way, pointed out creation matching other colored blocks, found the perfect walking sticks and enjoyed a morning of perfection in our small little town, we've affectionately called 'home'.

Our day was overflowing with love from our Creator, not only in the abundance he provided, but magnified in our own hearts as a result of recognizing Him as the source of all this goodness and in the undeservedness of it all.  

A day where, although it began feeling 'off' because I did not have a to-do list, it quickly turned into the most peaceful day we've had in the last week. We've no doubt had a busy week, as have many of you, I'm sure. But by accepting my assignment to let myself be free of a list, we live our day as close to 'the image of the Creator' as I feel we could have.

And there is wisdom in the bible that shows us, this is not a random phenomenon of a day that I have experienced ~ for those of you who think these types of days can't happen to you because you are simply too busy: (again in Colossians)

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

When we ask Jesus to be the savior of our lives, this peace is available to us, every day, at any time. And by thanking our Creator, God, for our days, our hours and minutes ... the peace that passes understanding is ours to bask in daily.  When you trust in Jesus to be your savior this should be your reality:

Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Hidden in Christ

Are you walking around an imposter of who you are really meant to be? Do you have a shell of this world? Can you recognize these behaviors in your life daily ~ negativity, anxiety, impatience, greed, a gossiping tongue, sarcasm, bitterness, disdain, a lack of gratitude, a split-personality depending on the circle you find yourself in, excuses, 'it' is never enough....

Maybe you can intentionally bury the imposter and come back to who you are in Jesus - and that is none other than FREE. We are made in his image, we are hidden with him and we don't need to posture to make it through this life.

Christ is Peace. And Thankfulness (directly to him and for him) is our path.

There is no other way. If you want to chat about Jesus, I'm here for you.

Sometimes a simple list will do

Not every moment needs a profound explanation, a long, detailed account to prove a point. Sometimes, a simple list will do...

This weekends miracles:

an unplanned, last minute campfire night allowed God to work out the previously hairy details of a group of women coming together to know him more

said campfire also connected a woman with a gym just after finding out her classes were cancelled at her long-standing gym due to lack of participation

and said campfire continued to forge new relationships built on the foundation of God

weekend landscaping continued to forge new friendships, refresh a tired yard and it's owners, new skills were learned, truly good-hearted people served a landscaping crew they hadn't previously known, and maybe even some free Badger tickets were acquired...


a last minute outdoor cookout provided deepening of wonderful friendships and great wisdom was shared in a loving environment

said cookout also revealed God's majesty in the sky - an amazingly bright and awesome double rainbow that just kept growing in the sky as the rain slowly let down

Faith was tested, prayers were prayed, babies were covered in prayer, fires were ignited for Christ and doors were set in place ...

waiting to be opened.

Aliens and Strangers on Earth

 

 ^{Hebrews 11:13} All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.

'These people' were not living for the red part, as Francis referred to it. 'These people' are the righteous ones recounted in the 'Hall of Faith' - Hebrews chapter 11. They knew what was in store for them in the part after the red part of life. 

Many times feeling like Aliens and Strangers in this land, as far as human tradition goes, means there's something wrong with you.. maybe you're depressed, need to have some 'fun', need to go spend some money, need to find some one/some way/something to give you love or for you to love...

I honestly love feeling like a stranger in my own land and do not want that to change. Knowing that my heart does not jive with this world and the human tradition in this place brings joy and comfort.  I do not belong in a world of broken pieces, as the song goes.

But being human, made of flesh that is sinful and rotten, I am broken and there are days where the world suffocates and overwhelms and then that feeling of alienation turns on the self-pity and the oppression and I feel some sort of victim. These are the days when, leading up to, I have not concentrated my time on living for Jesus.  Leading up to these spiritual droughts, I have taken on my own agenda, like my master plan is so much better than God's.  'Have you not heard?! Do you not know?' (Isaiah 40 comes to mind!)

I read Hebrews 11: 13 yesterday, the Spirit foreshadowing the trials of today. And I was slow to listen. I did not hear with my ears. 

And a lesson has been learned. Mental note: I am not living for the red part. And any time this world wants to pull me back into that red-part-thinkin', I will now train myself to shout back to the darkness - 'I am an alien and a stranger on this earth, and you can't take that away from me!'

What part of the rope might you be living for? At the end of the day, was all your striving for your agenda or for God's?

Throw Away Pride, Accept and Yearn for Wisdom

 Seeing the miracles in a day is all about accepting the Truth found in the wisdom of God.  Miracles come in small packages and the small packages add up to one big, mighty God. But there are too many things in this world of darkness that can keep us from ever seeing those miracles, that can keep us from seeing God.  We must pray that our souls yearn for wisdom from the one True King.

This is a wise woman: When it's hard to find time for God & prayer

I want to echo Ann's wise words today to you so that you can take a step closer to seeing God for who He wants to be in your life.

In case you wonder, this is how God works!

Last year I was able to find this bookshelf/desk for our daughter on craigslist; love cragislist ~ we ended up with a desk, chair and matching dresser for $30! It was one of those shiny off-white lacquer looking with funky old gold/white plastic handles kind of piece from 20 or so years ago. And this weekend, we were able to transform it, for less than $3 worth of paint and some miscellaneous hardware samples from grandpa into a really cute piece of furniture for her room.

But ever since finding this piece for her, her older brother has been wanting a desk. And I'd still been searching craigslist periodically for a desk we could afford that was decent looking or had potential, as this one did.  And finally I found one on Thursday night and it was only $12!! So I emailed it to my husband and asked him if it was something we could pursue. So he took care to send an email and find out if it was still available.  And we waited... for a day.. and heard nothing. So I sent an email, letting them know my husband had emailed and maybe they didn't get it, but we were interested and was it still available. I'm so used to my emails not getting through, it's not even funny! I think about 80% of my emails get lost in cyberspace somewhere. So I heard back right away, and they hadn't gotten my husband's email but someone was coming to look at the desk that morning and they'd let me know if it was still available after that. This was Saturday, and that night I heard, the desk indeed was taken.  So now, at this point in my life, I know that meant God had something else in mind and that this desk was not meant for our household.

So Sunday morning we went to church on our usual route, around 8:30. We went to get a few groceries and then to church for a few hours and then headed back home the same way. And at our Pine Bluff turn, where we had just been not more than three hours earlier, there on our side of the road outside the lovely bar (ha!ha!) on the corner, was this desk! Almost EXACTLY like the one we fished for on craigslist, just wood instead of metal looking. My husband was talking to me and out of the corner of my eye and in his sideview mirror I nearly shouted, I was so excited, "Did you see that desk!?!" He was mid-sentence and I literally threw the truck in reverse and sped back to it! Hazards went on and less than three minutes later we were headed home with a perfectly good conditioned desk for our eldest.

The first thought or feeling I felt was the surest sensation that this desk was almost dropped there from heaven just for him. I just felt the love in this gesture from God. How he knew that we couldn't truly afford the craigslist desk and that he had another one in store for us, just that next day for free.


We are big fans of putting things out on the curb with 'FREE' written on a sign for them. We know God has someone in mind for each piece we put out there. Being on the receiving end of that, and KNOWING it came from God, is just as awesome a feeling as being the giver. Whether the person who put it there felt moved by God or not, we KNOW this was His gift to us, a very sweet gift.  Be still and KNOW that I am God, he said. 

Do you chose to 'KNOW' God and watch to see how he works? Or do you chose to think all is 'coincidence'?


ALL IS 'gift and grace'. Christ is ALL and is in ALL. What an awesome confirmation of God's love that filled our Sunday.

Simple Life

For those who know us and have known us for longer than, say a few years, you might label our lives as simple right now.  For in the past, we both were clock punchers for a long time, like most of you reading this post I'd imagine. And at some times, double and triple clock punchers! Again, like most of you.  And our lives then could be summed up with these labels: paycheck-to-paycheck, trying to find breathing room, struggling to make ends meet, feeling like we'd never get ahead, typical double-income family struggling to get by with kids in daycare, car payments, and jobs just to pay the bills. Free-time, unheard of! Are you kidding me?! It was come home from work, make dinner, do dishes, bath time, kids to bed, make lunches for the next day, wake up and do it all again, early rising, scramble to get the kids ready for daycare/school, just to rush to work to accomplish something for someone else. Weekends were for catching up with sanity and the laundry.

How did this get simple? All is 'gift and grace'. (this is my new favorite truth!)

There was a point in our lives, just a few years ago, where we had a decision to make - it was a definite moment of decision, there was no gray area about it. And it was a test of our faith, and we knew it completely, there was no question; we needed to make a choice to follow and EXPLODE on the faith path we'd been slowly following OR deny it, deny our Creator God, and leave Him in the dust.  This moment was a gift from our Father and how we chose to open and use that gift was the determining factor for the other gifts he had waiting for us.

This moment of decision was not, by any means, SIMPLE. It was surrounded with fear, tears, questioning of sanity, blind faith, the unknown and a giving up of control. 

And this blog should give you a hint of the choice we made ~ together. Speaking of 'together', our marriage today is a direct result of this choice and the gifts our Father bestows on just our marriage alone each day.
All is 'gift and grace'. ALL - EVERYTHING - EV'RY-THING IS A GIFT OF HIS GRACE.

So today our life is Simple.  Because we CHOSE to open the gift of God's grace. When you open a gift, that's just the first part of a gift. You must accept the gift then too. And once you open and accept it, then you decide whether to use the gift or lay it to the side and let it collect dust and be forgotten.

We did not forget this gift of grace, which brings along with it a deeper wisdom, a spiritual discernment that goes so much deeper, a heart transformation where life is not about going through the motions but living it out in actions to show a true romance with our Creator.  Oh, no, no - forget it, are you kidding me?

Our lives are simple, not because, we don't do anything, but because we do the work of the Lord. We are still living paycheck-to-paycheck. Isn't that funny - you think, 'they were working the daily grind for so long and were hard-pressed for money, now they are doing the work of the Father and are still hard-pressed for money'. Goes to show a few things: 1) whether you've got 'secure' income as most call a 'job' or whether you put your 'income' in the hands of God, the outcome is still the same - and that is whatever GOD's plan is for you, not how much you think you earned or the world tells you your worth. 2) Now we know God, in his faithfulness, WILL provide as he ALWAYS does.  3) It shows that 'security' of a job is false security and when you give the control to God, life can become simple, the more you losen your grip on the control, because your life can be secure in God.

Our lives are simple because we trust in him, we dwell with him, we love him and we claim him as ours and name him as our source of everything.  And for this, his love overflows and out of his unfathomable love for us as his children, he provides according to his will for us.

As some of you know, YouFactor (our gym), is at a decision point; sign a lease at a monthly payment we, by way of our own means, can't afford, or, what, move to another place? Is there another place for our gym? We can't really afford any place at the slow place the gym is at currently.  Is the stereotypical moment of panic for most. And most would look at us and say, most businesses make it or break it in the first year. Gyms have never thrived in that location. You have no more money to invest in your gym, how will you keep it going? And that's just it - 'we' will not keep it going. Remember that choice we made way back then .... 

God is in control. We handed over that control to him...remember that choice.

I once was told that God would not ask us to live beyond our means, that he would not lead us in a direction where the means we had currently could not support the direction God was leading us in. What a fatal mistake - can you find a smaller box to put God in? When God leads, anything is possible. Do we have the money, right now, to keep YouFactor going another month let alone a year - absolutely not! Does that mean God can't show up tomorrow with the means for that too happen? Absolutely NOT! And this again, is where life is simple. We know, if it is God's will, he WILL provide for YouFactor. And if it is not his will and YouFactor's doors need to close, then he has a different plan for our lives. It's as simple as that.

Simple = Trust

And this is how it plays out:

Husband lies in comma in hospital - God provides peace for me and rest and restoration for his body
8 months preggo and landlord says after 5 yrs, time to leave - God provides shelter and a way for us to own our own home
Husband has a passion to start a gym - God's house he provided is the perfect set-up for a starter gym
Gym gets too big for the space - God provides a tax return to afford a retail space for us to lease
Deer totals only car - God provides our trusty steed, the 'truck'
Children need godly friends to follow - God provides local church with just that
School kids are just plain yucky to Ashlynn, to the point I'd pray for God to just bring her home where she can feel loved all the time - God provides the closest thing this side of heaven, homeschooling by a family who fears God and lives by love
Mortgage is coming due in 2 or 3 days - God provides a landscaping job or some other means
Relationships need attention - God's Word provides wisdom
Souls needed to be fed and grown - God provided a new venue

The world, human tradition , would label us as lazy, maybe moochers, maybe saying we're expecting handouts - I'm sure lots of labels are running through our minds.

But when God leads and we follow life is simple.

Have you all forgotten? We are all part of God's plan. Have you forgotten, you are living on this earth by 'gift and grace' and your purpose is not to serve yourself but to serve God's purpose. He's just waiting for you to unwrap his gift and make that choice for yourselves, sometimes more than just once, too.

Somethings our lives are NOT filled with - not a lot of material things, none of our closets are even halfway full, we do not have possessions boxed up in storage,  we do not have tons of 'extra' space in our house, no clutter, no duplicates of items or clothing or shoes or toys and for me personally, I do not have a space filled with things I'd love to do if I had the time. I did stamping for a while and had a good collection of supplies - but after kids, there is not time for that. I had scrapbooking stuff and lots of art supplies and paper goods, etc. for those - 'what if I want to do that sometime?' moments. What I learned after letting all that go, letting go of the control of my time, is that my time is not spent thinking, oh, I should be doing this project now instead of sitting here with my kids, I should be using those stamps I have sitting in the closet instead of spending time talking to God or seeking wisdom in his Word, I should be crafting instead of spending time next to my husband enjoying just him. My time is now spent on what truly matters, the truth of why I'm here, for those relationships God has place in my life -my husband, my kids, my friends and Him.  It's not a struggle to know where to spend my time now.

Our lives are simply filled with lots of love, lots of mystery (ie. faith) in how bills will get met, lots of excitement in waiting in expectation, lots of time to sit and read scripture, lots of time to memorize scripture, lots of time to spend focused on our kids, lots of time to spend focused on our health and fitness, lots of time to spend focused on our relationships - not because we have no jobs (do you forget we own two business, volunteer at many different locations, serve the local Fire Dept and community?) - and certainly not because we're lazy...

Because WE CHOSE to accept 'gift and grace'. We name it and give it the praise it deserves, DAILY. We've simplified life (through God's gift of grace).

Really, it IS SIMPLE.  MAKE TIME FOR THE ONE WHO MAKES TIME.