Is God's Grace Enough For You?

     I remember when I became a Christian during the song “I Surrender all”. I remember rededicating my life at Youth Camp (Falls Creek) as a teenager to the then new song “The Savior Is Waiting”. These two events in my life are the beginning milestones to my journey as a follower of Jesus Christ and they are associated with two special songs in my memory. However there is another special song associated with my first real struggle in this journey that dealt with my burden of guilt. When I was in my mid-twenties, I was consumed with guilt from a past sin. I was having a really hard time conquering it. I was blaming the things that were happening to me as punishment from God for my sin. Praise the Lord, I overcame that struggle. As I was learning to grasp the fact that Christ paid for all my sin--past, present, and future, I heard a song that turned on the light switch in my heart. It was a song I had heard before, but not really heard. It was the hymn ‘Grace Greater Than My Sin’. The title is enough. My sin can never outreach God’s grace. My sin can never be too big and His Grace will never be too small. Grace is unmerited favor, which means there is nothing I can do to earn it, deserve it, or receive it. God’s grace is not just for salvation, but for every day of my life. When we accept the burden of guilt in our life we become stuck. We cannot move forward with our walk with Christ. Not until we let go of the guilt and realize that Christ was enough to pay for every sin we commit. When we hold on to guilt we are saying that Christ wasn’t enough to pay for it. If you have any guilt, I encourage you to let go of it. The burden is too great to carry and you don’t have to. Living without it is such a relief and a blessing. Let the following words minister to your soul as you pray over the words.


Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.
Grace, Grace, God’s Grace
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace. Grace, God’s Grace
Grace that is greater than all our sins.
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness), it is no longer conditioned on works or anything me have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace (it would be meaningless).

Romans 11:6 (Amplified)

God Wants to Care for You!

     There are times in life that I don’t see or feel connected to my husband. This usually happens due to three reasons. One reason is we find ourselves coming and going with crazy schedules. Weeks can go by were we are gone every night after working every day. We see each other in the car or at the activity but we are too busy to spend time connecting. Then there are times when we just don’t want to deal with an issue so we avoid each other until we are ready to wade through it. Lastly, there are times we are separated due to travel and our schedules do not allow us to communicate other than a quick ‘hello’. After a time of disconnect, I find myself missing him. I want to be with him, cuddle with him, connect with him, and focus on him.

     We treat our relationship with Jesus the same way. We can get so busy doing we really do not connect with Him, even when we are busy doing ministry or church. Though we are at church (serving, learning, worshipping, and fellowshipping) we can avoid having an intimate communication with Jesus. Many times we don’t want to hear what we know He is trying to tell us so we ignore Him. Sometimes our quilt keeps us from being real with Jesus. Other times, we aren’t in church or around the body and we can start to feel separated from the body and from Him. We often think a quick ‘hello’ with Jesus is enough to make Him happy.
     Let me tell you it is not! He wants to consume our life. He wants us to have intimate conversations and to have an intimate relationship. People who are not Christians say their quick ‘hello’’ to Him but they do not have a relationship with Him.
     How is your time with Jesus? Isn’t it time to connect? Isn’t it time to cuddle up with Jesus and hear what He wants to tell you? He longs for you! Don’t keep Him waiting.

“Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murder of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God’s news! How often I’ve ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn’t let me.

Matthew 23:37

God Is Faithful

As you know my daughter Brittne has endured a few testing months.  However, she has let God carry you in an amazing way.  I wanted to share her words with you.  Enjoy!

     There are countless words I could use to describe this past month but I choose to use sum it up using the word faithful. It’s a word we associate with God because we know it to be true yet it’s a word that we are consistently learning the true definition of. Maybe we are constantly learning of His faithfulness because we are constantly forgetting it. All I know is that God is faithful and He has proved that to me in several ways this past month. Allow me to share.

     First of all God is faithful in the work He is doing in Pamplona. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Our work in Pamplona is not for nothing. God is moving in the hearts of some of the women there. It seems as though each week we are able to sit down and read the bible with women more consistently than the week before. They are hungry and they are searching. Some are searching to deepen their relationship and others searching how to begin that relationship. For example, Nila has been a believer since a young girl but has drifted from God. Seeing her recent desire to study the Word every time we come to her house has been astounding. In the beginning she always put us off but after we shared with her the parable of the farmer scattering the seed (Luke 8) and how in order to grow we must water our root to make it strong, we have seen a strong desire in her to make her root strong. Not only is she soaking in the Word but she is sharing it with her neighbors. Another example is a woman named Celia. She is not a believer but has quickly become one of the women we are closest to due to her hospitality for us. The fact that she recognizes she has not yet accepted Christ in her life but needs Him tells me it is only a matter of time. Another woman named Yolanda has had a rough life. Several times that we have visited with her she has been led to tears as she pours out her heart to us. She desires to change her life and have her sins erased. I believe she is on the verge of professing Christ as her Savior. Praise God for taking us to Pamplona to share with them what they hungering for. Soon, very soon, I trust we will see several women come to profess Him as their Savior and when that day comes there will be a party in heaven and amongst us. God is faithful in producing fruit from our labor.

     Pamplona is about an hour bus ride from my house, sometimes more. Some days I spend a total of 3 hours traveling back and forth from Pamplona. Three hours that could be used spending time with the people and not traveling. Let me preface all of this by saying that it has been incredibly difficult for me to share “half” of my life with these people. Sharing my life with them throughout the day but then when night comes I return to my fancy apartment (“fancy” in comparison), take a shower, use the internet, cook dinner, wash my dishes in an actual sink with running water and then turn on my fan to feel a breeze as I crawl into my bed that in many places would sleep four children. I am not saying anything is wrong with the small blessings that God gives us although most of us take them for granted. The issue for me is that because I have been called to minister to these people I want to share my life with them, not just part of it. Pamplona is by no means the safest, cleanest and easiest place to live and I did not want to be a burden on a family who already struggles to survive nor could I claim land and build my own “shanty”. This led to the question “How will this work?” Within a day of fervently praying for this, a sister-in-Christ who lives alone with her daughter opened her home to me. She would not see me as a burden to come into her home (which is the size of the bedroom I am living in now) but she would see it as a “blessing”. At the end of this month I will be moving to Pamplona. God is faithful.
    My life took an unexpected turn this past month. This personal issue that took place could have easily destroyed me. Satan could have attacked me in a countless number of ways. He could have devoured my heart, my mind and my ministry. At one point I even questioned giving up and coming home. But what Satan could have used for his “good”, God used for His. God’s faithfulness throughout this past month has been beyond anything I ever could have imagined. Why? Because I don’t think any of us realize or give credit for just how big God is and sometimes it takes trials for Him to show us and/or remind of that. No matter what life throws at us Psalms 73:23-26 tells us “I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destination. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on this earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” God has reminded me He is all I need. He is enough. I am His child and He will work all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28) which is already playing itself out. Praise God for His faithfulness during the storms and that when we are weak He is strong.
    We never know what today is going to bring. Our plans don’t always come together as we hope. Life brings us trials and what we see as “detours”. I don’t claim to have it all figured out (God knows there is so much for me to learn) but the one and only thing that I find to be true and eternal is the love and faithfulness of God. When we trust in Him and His faithfulness, His peace will guard our hearts and minds as well as exceed anything we can understand (Philippians 4:7).

Resurrect Your Life

     Today is Good Friday. I really hate calling it Good Friday when today is the day that our Savior died because of our sins. I guess the good part comes from it being a good thing that our sins we paid for because of His death. We spend a lot of time during Easter considering the cross. However, let us never forget the importance of the resurrections. Though He had to live a perfect life to be able to pay for our sins, and though it was Him dying on the cross that paid for our sin, it is the resurrection that proves that through His perfect life and His sacrificial death He was enough! If He had sinned once, he would not be able to pay for our sins and He would not have risen from the dead. If He had not stayed on the cross to let men abuse and kill Him, we would not have any other way to God but to be perfect our self and we know there is no way to pull that off.
     The resurrection shows us that we have a new life through Jesus. Have you let Jesus resurrect the hurt, the sin, the apathy, etc. in your life? He wants to give you a new life. The best thing you can do this Easter is to start a new whole life in Christ? What will that take for you? Are you ready to do it considering all Jesus did for you?

I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.

Philippians 3:10

Day Mourning

     One thing that always overwhelms me is how fast life can change in a day! I have known spouses who thought they were happily married one day; and the next day find out their spouse is leaving them for someone else. I have known parents, who enjoyed life with a child one day; and the next day endures the loss of the child by accidental death or suicide. I have known people who thought they were healthy one day; and the next day find out they have cancer. I have known couples who are enjoying one another one day; and the next day one unexpectedly had a heart attack and dies. And I will also never forget the story of the Biggest Loser contestant from last season. She had a beautiful family one day, and the next day; her husband, 3 month old baby, and 3 year old girl were killed in a car wreck a mile from home. One day can make a huge difference in one's life.
     Thousands of years ago, 12 disciples and followers of Jesus from Nazareth, had their Lord, Master, Teacher, Savior, and King with them one day; and the next day He lay dead in a tomb. Everything they had, everything they had put their hope and trust in was gone. They were devastated! What were they to do now?
We often are hard on these followers. Why were they so distraught? Why didn’t they know He would rise in a few days? Really stop and ponder how you would feel. What if you awoke today and found out that Jesus is not returning to get His people, nor is there a Heaven? Wouldn’t you be numb! Wouldn’t you start processing all you had learned; trying to figure out how you misinterpreted things? Maybe after some time, you would conclude that things don’t match up. That what you were seeing or hearing can’t be true, but it would take time to let the shock wear off and the processing to occur. We need to remember that these followers did not have the rest of the story like we do. We often overlook the Saturday of the holy week. It was a day of mourning for those who were there. We remember the crucifixion and we celebrate the resurrection, but the day in between, we seldom think of. We focus on Sunday, the day He is raised from the dead and is alive! But for the followers, they couldn’t see past their Saturday; past their mourning.
     We do the same thing many times when we are enduring a crisis. The crisis hits and we mourn. We don’t see the end result, we can’t see past our mourning. Though Scripture tells us that God will provide, that He heals, and that He causes bad to become good; our mourning keeps us to wrapped up in our hurt to see past it!
     Thank God for Sunday! The mourning is turned into dancing! Sorrow turned into joy! Their lives weren’t over, they had only now begun! What mourning are you not seeing past? Trust God for Sunday! When we celebrate the resurrection of Christ tomorrow, it is the joy of our salvation! Without the resurrection, we would have no opportunity to have eternal life with Jesus! Celebrate how God has resurrected your hurt and your mourning. Remember how He proved Himself faithful and His Word true after those days of doubt and wondering in your life. Because He is alive, He has made us alive! We have been delivered from spiritual death! Throughout your Easter Day, keep telling yourself, “I am now alive!” and celebrate that life!

You did it: you changed wild lament into swirling dance; You ripped of my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers.  I'm about to burst with song; I can't keep quiet about you.  God, my God, I can't thank you enough.

Psalm 30: 11-12

     Easter is a time we focus on the sacrifice Jesus paid on the cross. It is amazing to think of the pain and suffering Jesus went through for me! I want to cringe at the idea of the nails going into his wrist and feet. The pain is unimaginable for me. That Jesus endured this horrendous act demonstrates His love for each of us. After all, He could have called Himself up and never experience the cross. It was love that led Him to the cross and it was love that kept Him on the cross! It was not the nails that kept Him there: it was nothing but His love for us. Man thought they had to nail Him to keep him hanging but He could have gotten off that cross at anytime. He chose to stay.

      Spend time today focusing on the crucifixion love that Jesus showed for you! It should knock you straight to your knees in humbleness, thankfulness, and gratefulness.

But first he must suffer many things and be disapproved and repudiated

and rejected by this age and generation.

 Luke 17:25

Unconditional Praise

     Sunday was Palm Sunday. It was the day that Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem. He was met with a massive crowd that waved palm branches and proclaimed praise to their new king. Palm branches were something that was done to honor the kings. The people publically announced their exhortation of Jesus. They expected him to become their ruling king and they wanted to show their support. However, those feeling quickly faded when they realized He was not going to show His power like they wanted. Their cheers turned to scorn. They did not get that He was about eternal needs not about their present wants.
     How many times do we criticize these so called followers of Christ? Do we act any different? Do we praise the Lord publically but when He doesn’t perform for us the way we want, we complain. Our praises fade!
     Do you give Jesus your unconditional praise? If you do then wave you palm branch loudly and publically and proclaim to this world the glory of our Lord and Savior.

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed in the king of Israel”

John 12:13

Enjoy the Sunrise!

     Every morning I sleep as late as possible. The light coming through my West windows wakes me from my deep sleep and I stagger out of bed. I get dressed, put my make-up on, gather my things, kiss my husband goodbye and try to make it to my car by 7:00 so I can hear the chapters for the day from the book that is currently being read from the Audio Book channel on my satellite radio. I start my 45 minute drive by heading west. This morning I had a ‘light bulb’ moment. As I was pulling onto the highway, I looked to my left to see if there was any traffic approaching. When I did, I saw a beautiful and amazingly pink and purple sunrise! Then it hit me. I never look to the East in the mornings. There are no East facing windows in the rooms I get ready in. I do not drive Eastward in the mornings. As a result, I miss the beauty and grandeur of morning sunrises.

     Some people make an effort to get up early, drink a cup of coffee, and enjoy the sunrise. I have never been one who is willing to give up my sleep for the enjoyment of nature. However, when I had a glimpse of the sky this morning, I regretted that decision. Though I reap the benefit of sunlight each day; I am missing the awe, the enjoyment, and the wonder of the appearance of that light.
     It made me think of the relationship between Jesus and his children. Many people walk in the light of Christ each day. They are aware of the light of this world. However, they do not want to sacrifice to experience His awe, His joy, and His wonder! They are missing the beauty of their Christian walk because though they know He is present in their life, they do not look His way. Their focus is the opposite direction and they do not take time to gaze in amazement at His beauty.
   Are you enjoying the spiritual sunrise of our Lord?

Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.

Romans 15:18

What Drives You Crazy?

     Last week, I talked about how God speaks to me through a sign over the highway on the way to work each morning. Also, He has been giving me a message through a song. Every morning, I hear the new song “This is the Stuff”. At first I loved it because I felt it was written for me. The first few lines are, “I’ve lost my keys in the great unknown, please call me cause I have lost my phone, this is the stuff that drives me crazy!” Those are words I say everyday! It is my life. I started leaving my keys in my office door so I can find them when it is time for me to leave. I still hunt for them because I forget that I am leaving them in my door! I can’t count the times God has had to help me find my things. It is the part of my life that does drive me CRAZY!!!

     However, it is the words that come next in the song that God is using to change my attitude about the things that drive me crazy. The phrase is, “In my littleness I forget how big I am blessed!” Too many times I focus on my littleness; my blunders, my mistakes, my stress, my problems, etc. Too many times I don’t focus on how much I am blessed and how big God is. Why do I let myself go crazy over car keys instead of realizing how minor these things are in the big purpose of life?
     What drives you crazy? Are you focusing on your littleness or are you focusing on how big your blessed and how big God is? If anything drives us crazy let it be the Greatness of God!

I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.

Psalm 145:2-3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqqdA8LHN7I

Let the Light Shine!

     I got to catch up with some of my CSI shows this weekend. One thing I think is interesting is how they always use little lights to scope out a crime scene. It doesn’t matter if it in the daylight, inside, or at night; the little light reveals the smallest clues like fingerprints, buttons, hair, or threads. Today, I got to use a little CSI light. I was crawled on the floor with my little CSI light to look for some sunglasses that a friend dropped in a hole in the floor of the sound booth at church. Playing with the light fascinated me. I not only found the sunglasses but I saw all the dirt on the floor, on my keyboard, and on the counters. This little light revealed things that my eyes would not usually focus on.

     Jesus is the light of the world. I have always considered that light to be as a flood light; illuminating everything in it presence. However, in my personal life, Jesus works like a little CSI light. He focuses on the things in my life that I usually do not see. His light of perfection reveals the dirt in my life no matter how tiny it is. When I get proud of my clean life there comes the little light showing me that I am so far from righteous. His light keeps me dependent on Him because it is and never will be about me and my righteousness it is all about Him and His righteousness.
     To surrender to Jesus, is letting Him shine His light on you and letting every little speck be revealed. Do you want the light on Christ on your life?

Keep your life well-lighted as your best-lighted room.

Luke 11:36

Focus!

     Each morning this week as I drive to work, I pass one of those new electron signs that cross over the road; the ones that run the Amber alert and traffic issues. I rarely pay too much attention to them but this week it has had an interesting message. It says, “Set aside distractions!” I know they are talking about driving and cell phones but it felt like a sign from God. Every morning it feels that God is blinking the sign at me telling me to set aside all things that are distracting my focus off of him. I wish I had my private electronic sign that God could send messages to me like this all the time. Not sure I would always like them but they are thinks I need to hear.

     Do you need to set aside distractions? What is distracting you? Is it work, family, relationships, finances, stress, busyness, a never ending to do list, hobbies, church work, or an unsettled mind. Whatever it is let me challenge you as God has challenged me, set aside your distractions and focus on Him!

Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, who is the Leader and the Source of our faith and is also its Finisher. He, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2 (Amplified)

Does Your Life Need Order

     The reason I had to work in my flower beds last weekend was due to the fact that nothing was in order. Over the last few years all of my perennials grew. Some were crowded. Some had grown out of control. Some were in the shade and needed sun and some were in the sun and needed shade. There were a few ugly bushes I had held on to for too long but wanted to wait to eliminate them until the other plants grew more. So, roots of the bushes were so deep that we had to put a chain on each of them and use the truck to pull them out of the ground. The peonies got moved to more sunlight, the hydrangea got moved to more shade, and the out of control knock out rose bush got cut way down to keep in better control.
     While I was moving the plants, I realized that life is like the flower bed. At times the order of it needs to be reevaluated. Some things need to be cut back because they have become totally out of control. Some things need more attention, some things need less, and some things just need to be pulled out by the roots.
     How is your garden of life? How long has it been since you stepped back and evaluated your life? Is there things you need to eliminate? Are there things that need more attention? Are there things that are out of control and need to be cut back on? An out of control life cannot enjoy the blessings of God to the fullest. If you need help figuring out how to rearrange your life; just ask God to show you. Let his Word be your blueprint.

By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back from living by your righteous order. Everything’s falling apart on me, God; put me together again with your Word.

Psalm 119:105-107

Avoid Danger

     This week I spent time doing something that has become a threat to my health. It is something I don’t love doing but I have to do every Spring. I had to clean out my flower bed. I don’t know if you all remember but a little over a year ago I had a severe allergic reaction to what we believe was Virgina Creeper. My face swelled and my eyes were almost impossible to open. I got blisters that moved across my body for six weeks. My body reacted to the strong steroids I had to take and I ended up taking high blood pressure medicine and anti depressants to counteract the steroids. I was told that if I get into Virginia Creeper again, my reaction will be severe even possible hospitalization. As I type this out, I think to myself, “Why do you keep risking it?” I only know that when my flower beds are overtaken with neglect and the weeds and plants are out of control, I can’t take it and enter the danger zone. However, for the first time I entered with care. I wore long sleeve and gloves. I showered immediately after I finished and lathered up my body with my steroid cream. I am happy to report that I haven’t experienced an explosive reaction.

     Do you know the things that can attack you spiritually? Do you know those things that can threaten your spiritual health? What do you do to protect yourself or do you protect yourself? Whatever your strongholds are they will grow in strength when they are not kept under control. You need to avoid the temptations that trip you up. Memorize scripture to help you stand. Cloth yourself with the armor of God and cover yourself with the Holy Spirit.
     It is better to avoid the dangers of sin that to deal with their effects.

I watch my step, avoiding the ditches and ruts of evil so I can spend all my time keeping your Word.

Psalm 119:101

Love Spring!

     It seems like Spring has sprung all around us. Though it is cold outside this week the grass is turning green and the flowers are budding. My tulips are budding and I am excited to see my blooms. Spring is a sign of encouragement to us. It tells us that the hard, cold, barren winter is coming to a close and new life is in the air. Spring is a time of new things. New green grass, new buds on the trees, and new flower blossoms. We enjoy the sunshine and warmth when we get it and we breathe it all in. A new beginning is in the air

     Not only do I love the season of Spring, I love Spring in the ‘Seasons of Life’. After we experience a Winter of trials and testing’s, or hurt and loneliness; Spring brings us encouragement. It is a time of new beginnings. A time we experience the warmth of the Son and the nourishment of the Living Water! It is a time when we enter into fellowship with others after being cooped up in our season of winter.
     I am thankful that life is full of Seasons both physically and spiritually. Everything has its season. What season are you in?

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 4

Beware of Green Chairs

     I have been using this illustration a lot lately so I decided to repost this story.

     Beth Moore tells a story in one of her lessons that illustrates the need to replace the bad with the good. There was a woman who had a hideous green chair. It was worn and ugly. She hated it! Every time she walked by it, she just got more and more frustrated. One day, she had enough. She dragged the chair out to the trash for the trash man to pick up. For days she would walk by the spot where the green chair once was and notice the big empty space. She didn’t have the money at that point to buy a new chair. The space seemed so vast. It didn’t seem right. After a few days, she went out to the trash heap and dragged the chair back into the house to its place of honor. She hated the empty space more than she hated the chair.
     There are many things we hate in our life; our sin, our habits, our activities, etc. We want them done away with. Sometimes, we make a commitment to rid them out of our life. However, if we do not put good things in their place, we will soon drag them back into to their original position. Let’s say you decide to give up an activity you do every Friday night. You have determined it is not glorifying to God and causes you to sin. Your spirit hates it. You need to find a positive activity to do every Friday night in its place. If you don’t and you sit at home bored every Friday night, you will one day hate your boredom so much you will go back to doing the activity you didn't want anymore.
     Do you have a green chair in your life? Something you hate? Are you ready to drag it to the trash? What are you going to put in its place? If you end up hating the empty space more than the chair, the ugly green chair will be back in your life before you know it!

So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.

James 1:21

What is Your Story!

     A while back, Dwayne taught on the importance of knowing your story! His sermon was basically his testimony. Some of you have never heard my testimony. If you are going to read my devotions I started thinking it would be good for you to know my journey as a Christian.
      I am one of those people that have struggled with the lack of punch to my conversion. As a preschooler, my uncle started picking me up for church in a big blue church bus. He would always pick me up first and I loved the experience and time with my uncle. The people of my church did not ignore me, each of them started caring for me and soon I had an extended family. When I was in the fourth grade, I attended a revival at my church. When I left for church my mother told me not to get my dress dirty because I was to wear it to school the next day. I remember sitting at church and listening to the evangelist which was something I usually did not do during the sermon. When the invitational prayer was given at the end of the service, I knew I wanted to accept the Lord Jesus as my Savior. I wanted to enter into a love relationship with him! I went down front and prayed with the pastor. I remember the force that urged me to go up front and surrender my life, it is an unmovable force that I have never forgotten. When my uncle brought me home, he came in with me to talk to my parents. As soon as my mother saw me she could tell I had been crying, she made an assumption that I was crying because I got my dress dirty. She started lecturing me and and sent me to the my room. My uncle interrupted her and explained what had happened. She felt horrible and apologized. It is one of the few times I remember my mother apologizing to me! I continued to grow in my church but it was basically scripture knowledge. I started dating Dwayne when I was 15 years old. Dwayne was not a Christian at the time and soon my church attendance started being affected. One Sunday, I was at the lake fishing with Dwayne and his father and a huge storm rolled in. I was very scared: actually all of us were concerned but they will never admit it. I made a bargain (Yes! I now know we should not make bargains with God but give me grace, I was still young). My bargain was that I would get back in church if He saved me from the destruction of the storm. I was back in church the next Sunday. When I was a sophomore in college, Dwayne became a follower of Jesus. We were married about a year later and attended a church in our college town until we graduated. When we graduated we moved and started attending First Baptist in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. It was here, I started to spiritually grow in my relationship with Jesus. I feel my personal, heart felt journey with Christ began at that time. We grew to the point of becoming teachers, Dwayne was ordained as a deacon, and then we felt called to the ministry. We moved to attend seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. After seminary, we were church planters in Montana for seven years. We then moved to Fort Gibson, Oklahoma and Dwayne pastored a traditional 100 year old church for four and one half years. After those years, God called us to focus on reaching young adults and we started Fusion church to reach the age group where only 20% or less attend church. Every step we have taken and every assignment God has given us, has taught us more about the character of God. I have learned about His grace, His forgiveness, His empowerment, His love, His workings, His faithfulness, His longing for His children, His father's heart, His provision, and His never ending care. It is with this foundation that I share His lessons with you. My spiritual gift is exhortation and He has provided me much training in teaching. He molded my heart towards women's ministry. Teaching on a blog site is a new avenue for me and He is revealing His faithfulness to me in a new way. I have never considered myself a great writer; though I am trying to teach myself again by studying a grammar book. It is amazing what I have forgotten. Many years ago, I realized that one of the talents God gave me was the ability to see Him in any situation. It is how my mind works and how I ponder on the works of God. Writing these devotions teaches me discipline and allows me to use my gifts and talents and since I have to write it, it keeps me humble. That is a perfect picture for me. Thank you for letting me share this part of my calling with you. I love each of you in a special and unique way! Even those of you who I do not know by name or face, your spirit is in my heart due to the mystery of God!
    What is your story? Have you written it out? Have you shared it with others? God has spent much love and care writing it, all you have to do is embrace it!

When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your soul!
Hebrews 12:3 (The Message)

What Kind of Friend Are You Being?

     We have all heard the saying ‘you made this bed now sleep in it’! Often in life we have no idea what bed we are making until we end up with a bed we don't want to sleep in. I say this because in the last few years I have made a bed I don’t want! Being a pastor’s wife is sometimes demanding and at times; overwhelming. Add being a mother, an employee, a daughter, a political candidate’s wife, a home business owner, a friend, and now a grandmother; and at times, I seem to find myself totally spent. When I find myself spent, I tend to withdraw and the ones I tend to neglect are my friendships. I feel I have nothing to give them and my relationships usually involve me being the strong one, me being the listener, and me being the advisor. So, when I feel I can’t do it; I selfishly hibernate to my home and snuggle with my husband and my dogs. They can love me and I don't have to be strong and I don't have to have all the answers. Here is the problem. When I am not open, honest, and vulnerable with my friends to let them know when I am not strong, when I am hurting, when I need a friend, and when I don’t have the answers, then I feed the ‘Tonya’s always strong and don’t need me’ mentality. The result is that I find many good friends have retreated from including me in activities since my actions have said that I do not have time for them. In reality, sometimes I don’t have time for activities but I always make time to help the hurting person. However, I don’t get to go around publicizing who I have been counseling and nobody knows that I have spent ten hours that week helping a hurting person. Then when life slows down and I start breathing, my need for friendships resurfaces; but since I have neglected my friendships, I end up finding myself very lonely.

     I think God puts a strong need in women to have women friendships. Life’s struggles and hurts often drive those friendships away or drive the desire for them away. However, we need women to learn from, to share with, to be crazy with, to help us be good wives and mothers, to pray together, to cry with us, and to call us out when we need it. We need to cherish our friendships more. We need to protect them more. We need to nurture them more. We need to give grace more. We need to communicate our feelings more. We need to be more Christ like. We need to be strong sometimes and weak sometimes. We need to be venerable, open, and honest. We need to lay down our life for our friends!
      What kind of friend are you being? What friendship do you need to nurture?

Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.

Proverbs 18:24

Bucket Full of Fear

     I am sick and tired of seeing those I care for not succeed in their lives because of one thing. . FEAR! I am not talking about fear of snakes or spiders. Though there are some similarities. I remember when I was around seven years old and a neighbor moved our dog house, for some reason I don’t remember. There were a ton of grass snakes under the dog house. Knowing my mother had an extreme fear of snakes, he put all those snakes in a bucket. That evening when she got home, he called her out to the front yard and showed her his bucket full of little surprises. She started screaming and took off running. He chased her all the way down the street and back. She yelled very bad words at him the entire time, but she never quit running. I think every neighbor on the entire street was standing in their yards trying to figure out what horrendous crime was being committed against their neighbor! Logically, if she just faced the bucket like it was no big deal, nothing would have happened. Even if he had thrown the snakes on her, they couldn’t have done anything to her, they would have just slivered away! Fear is what makes the situation bad and fear is usually not logical. There are many things in the bucket of our mind: fear of failure, fear of disappointment, fear of abandonment, fear of inadequacy, fear of loneliness, fear of not being loved, fear of emotional hurt, fear of non-acceptance, fear of humiliation, fear of abuse, fear of…….etc. Satan picks up our buckets to taunt us and we take off running. As soon as we run, he runs after us. We can panic and scream all kinds of things, but until we stop running and face the bucket, the chase doesn’t end. In reality, the real issue isn’t the fear of the bucket. Satan will always be willing to chase us with a bucket full of false fears; he is the father of lies.     
     The real issue is your trust of God. Do you trust Him to protect you and help you with whatever is in your bucket? If you really trust Him, you won’t run at the sight of your bucket. You will stand firm, trusting Him to protect you against Satan’s taunting words. By standing firm, there is no chase, no drama, and no panic!
     What is in your bucket? What things does the bucket keep you from doing? If you could do those things, would they be a blessing to you? If so, then we can say that your fears are ruling your actions and keeping you from experiencing the blessings you could be enjoying! Who loses in this situation; Satan or you? Isn’t it time you win and show Satan that you are not afraid of anything in your bucket because you trust God totally to help you overcome its contents? Stand firm and embrace your bucket!

Fear not (there is nothing to fear), for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes I will hold you up and retain you in My (victorious) right hand of rightness and justice!......For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!

Isaiah 41:10, 13

God Is Sufficient

     Last week was a hard week for me emotionally. One thing that added to the emotional stress was my daughter. She is serving the Lord on the mission field in Peru. She experienced a break up of a special relationship and it broke her heart. My heart was broken for my daughter and the fact that she is on the other side of the world only made it harder. I yearned to be with her and just love on her but I could not be. I thought I knew dependence on the Lord but when I had to put my daughter and her broken heart totally and completely in the hands of God, it taught me a deeper level of dependence. I did not own the glue to put her heart back to together nor did my arms stretch long enough to hold her as she cried. I had to rest in the care and love that God has for her. I kept telling myself that as much as I love her, God loves her more! He was with her. He could hold her. He could heal her heart. He could restore her soul.

     The days were a roller coaster of emotions. Sometimes she was getting stronger and sometimes she was hitting bottom. However, watching her stand on her faith in our God and resting in His love made me very proud of her. Not only did she amaze me, she taught me about that God is completely sufficient. He didn’t need me to work in her life; He was totally capable of it all by Himself.
     The turning point for her was when she spent a morning in prayer and in His Word. She let God take her from one verse to another and He ministered to her soul. She wrote down sixteen scriptures to concentrate on and that let her mind focus on the truth of God instead of the lies and confusion of Satan.
     Whatever you are going through, God has a Word for you. Have you let Him show you what it is? Are you standing on it? Are you letting it be your focus?

Remember what you said to me, your servant – I hang on to these words for dear life! These words hold me up in bad times; yes, your promises rejuvenate me.

Psalm 119:49

Can You Trust In the Darkness?

     If you do not have a totally spontaneous personality, you most likely get frustrated in your Christian walk when you can not see clearly the direction God is leading you. Often when things seem to be at their best, we get a curve ball thrown our way and the direction we thought we were to go changes. Sometimes, we can understand the change and see how it is best. Other times, we don’t understand. We often say things like, “but God”, “I am needed in what I am doing, why do I have to do something else”, “You told me to do this and now you want me to do that?”, “What will the new direction be like?”, “I need you to lay this all out for me . . .I need to understand”, “I don’t want to do go this directions”, etc. Trust is following when you can’t see. I use to pick up a blind friend for church. I would walk her to the car and into church. She had to totally trust me to lead here and if remember my klutziness you would understand that it was trust in more than me! Lol If she refused to go where she could not see, she would never go anywhere!
    Yesterday a friend shared these words with me, “Sometimes only the step I'm on, or the very next one ahead, is all that is illuminated for me. God gives just the amount of light I need for the exact moment I need it. At those times I walk in surrender to faith, unable to see the future and not fully comprehending the past. And because it is God who has given me what light I have, I know I must reject the fear and doubt that threaten to overtake me. I must determine to be content where I am, and allow God to get me where I need to go. I walk forward, one step at a time, fully trusting that the light God sheds is absolutely sufficient.”
     Do you trust Christ to lead you? Do you trust Him to be the light unto your feet? He will give you what He needs you to have. Sometimes his light will shine like the day and you will see everything clearly. Other times, His light is like a flashlight, showing you the path to take in the darkness. Occasionally, it is one of those tiny little flashlights that only show you the next step. No matter how much light Jesus uses to illumine your path, it is still Him leading. He does not change in the darkness. Does your trust?

By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.

Psalm 119:105

Can You Sacrifice for the One Who Sacriiced for You?

     Are you ready for Easter? It is less than a week away. Easter is celebrated in a variety of ways! Keeping the focus on Jesus during Easter takes the same effort as it does to keep Him the focus of Christmas. When you have children, it takes even more focus. Holiday’s in general can easily be taken for granted because we get caught up in the events. Busyness can overshadow the true meaning of holidays. Many times when we are away from home and living in another culture, we miss our traditions and the real meaning of the holiday begins to become more of an internal focus. As I pondered these things, I started thinking of some of my special friends and daughter who will be celebrating Easter in other parts of the world. How will they celebrate and what are they learning from being away?
      For many years, we have had men and women serving our country in Iraq. Dwayne and I have a friend from Springfield, Missouri who is working on Army airplanes in Iraq for the next few years. We got to know him when he came several times to Montana on mission trips.  Every year his church in Springfield would help our new church by coming and conducting sports camp for the local kids.  Our friend, Nathan, was the servant to the group.  He was the one that drove the van, ran around getting food, made lunches, delivered lunches, and ran to the store many times each day for whatever was needed at the moment. He did this with a great heart and without complaint.  Last year, right before he left to go overseas, he realized that he needed to get real with God, and after many years of thinking he was a believer in Jesus Christ; he surrendered his life to Him and became His follower. This will be his first Easter as a Christian. He won’t be seeing family on Easter, or attending Easter services at his church, or seeing all the children dressed up in their Easter clothes carrying their Easter baskets, and he won’t be having a great home cooked Easter dinner. Instead, he will be attending a sunrise service on the soccer field of his army military base. Then, he will have a special lunch cooked by the cheifs at the army dining facility (DFAC). However, he won’t be having a pity party; he will have intimate time with God; away from all the busyness of our life here in the states. When I asked him how he was growing spiritually, he told me, “It has been interesting to experience this strange land. It has been fun to learn that I am in the land of Babylon and not too far from Ur where Abraham came from. Babylon is not far from Baghdad. There are times that I think that God has brought me to the land of Babylon to deal with me as he did with Israel. God had taken me away from everything that was familiar to me. All distractions removed; just Him and me. When I was home on my last R&R, I actually looked forward to coming back to Iraq, just to get back to the simple life again. It is strange how you get institutionalized when you are here. Your days are spent in such a small area compared to what you have back in the states. We have six choices of places to eat : DFAC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Subway, and Popeye’s. But most of our meals are at DFAC. It is free: you just wash your hands, get your card scanned, and go through the line. It was weird to me the first time that I got into my truck at home and could drive anywhere I wanted to. Freedom was something that I had taken for granted. Just like taking God for granted in our busy lives. Coming over here really put things into perspective for me.”
It has always been my belief that Satan’s greatest tactic to make Christians ineffective is getting them busy. Busyness is destroying our lives, our families, our relationships, our health, and our intimacy with Jesus. I am thankful that no matter how busy I become, no matter how I neglect my relationship with Jesus, He is never too busy for me!
     Has your life gotten too busy? Are you going to spend time with Jesus this week remembering the sacrifice He paid for us: the sacrifice that gives us the ability to have a relationship with our Lord and Savior? After Jesus endured the suffering from sacrificing Himself so we could have a personal relationship with Him; I wonder how He feels when we are too busy to nurture that relationship? May we sacrifice our busyness this week as we honor the sacrifice He gave for us!

After telling everyone good-bye, he (Jesus) went up into the hills by himself to pray.

Mark 6:46

Happy St. Patrick's Day

     Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I know that most Christians see St. Patrick’s Day as another worldly holiday that we should ignore and just get through. Like most holidays, the world and Satan has done their part in changing its meaning. Today, it is a time of drinking parties and wearing green so you don’t get pinched! So, to help counteract the world, I am once again reminding you of the origin of St Patrick ’s Day.

     What we know of his life is taken from his two works: the Confession, a public letter he addressed to Coroticus, a British chief who raided Ireland, killing and enslaving Christian converts. Patrick tells us he was born at Bannavem Taberniae, but just where that was we do not know. It is calculated to be in England, Scotland, or Whales. He was, as far as anyone has been able to determine, a Britannic Celt, raised a Roman Catholic. The year of his birth and the date of his death are equally confusing. It is a scholarly debate! We also do not know if March 17 was the birth or the death date of St. Patrick; it may in fact be neither.
     At the age of sixteen Patrick was captured by Gaels and taken by boat to Ireland where he was sold as a slave. His six years of captivity were spent tending flocks. During this time he experienced a spiritual awakening and began to have dreams and visions which he considered to be divinely inspired. One of these dreams contained a message to escape, telling him that a ship would be lying ready for him. He made his escape and traveled two hundred miles to find his expected ship. Three days later he landed in either Britain or Brittany. Wandering through the barren countryside, Patrick and the crew avoided starvation when a herd of wild pigs appeared in answer to Patrick's prayers.
     He returned to his home, but once more the course of his life was directed by a dream. He saw a man approaching him, bearing a letter from the people of Ireland which urged him to free them from slavery; "We beseech thee, holy youth, to come and walk once more amongst us."
     Patrick studied and became a priest and then a bishop. He went to Ireland and to spread Christianity among the pagans of that land. Missionaries had been to Ireland before him, but the country was still primarily ruled by the Druids. Though St. Patrick never claimed the performance of a miracle in his own writing, tales of his miraculous exploits against the troublesome Druids abound.
     One of the stories concerning St. Patrick which is often judged authentic, is the tale of the shamrock and the Trinity. The doctrine of Three Gods in One, each separate and distinct, yet each totally God, is claimed by Christians to be a mystery and is accepted on faith. In trying to teach his converts about the Trinity, St. Patrick held up a shamrock explaining that the three leaves represented the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, while the stem was the Godhead itself from which they proceeded. This is said to be the origin of the use of the Shamrock which is customarily worn on St. Patrick's Day.
     St. Patrick lived a life of strenuous missionary activity before until he died in either 461 or 492. Many thousands of Irishmen were converted through his labors. He founded churches and schools, at least one college, and generally organized the Church of Ireland.
     There are several things we could do to celebrate the life of this man known as St. Patrick. We could boldly share the love of Christ with someone today as St. Patrick did to the people who had taken him into slavery. Another thing we could do is to wear a shamrock; not only to honor the trinity but to help produce the opportunity to share the real meaning of St. Patrick and how he used the shamrock to teach people about the God, the Savior, and the Spirit we serve!

It's All God

      Many months ago I wrote a devotion called ‘What A Difference A Day Can Make’! I have lived that statement for over a week. I am a person who usually does not back away from encouraging people with words. Sometimes, they are welcomed and sometimes they are not. However, the emotional struggles around me during the last week has been so overwhelming, I have been lost for words! My words have been useless to ease the pain of others. Within a the same few days I found myself dealing with a broken hearted couple in our church whose child was resuscitated from a SIDS episode and died three days later, a young lady who is a part of our Bible study and who was the baby sitter of the baby when he stopped breathing, a family member who received information that there is nothing that can be done for their critical illness, and a broken hearted daughter from a breakup with the young man she was planning on marrying and to top it off she is half way around the world. I wanted to climb into bed, pull the covers over my head, and not wakeup until this terrible nightmare was over. Except I couldn’t: I had to keep enduring each day! I retreated to a place I rarely go: a place of silence. My words had no power in these circumstances. There was no magical encouragement I could give to make these peoples hurt go away. I was powerless and I hated it!
      The reality, that I do not like to face, is that I am always powerless! It is never me. It is God’s wisdom, God’s words, God’s grace, and God’s comfort. Sometimes I get the blessing of being His instrument of delivery but the impact of the delivery is totally and completely God. It is the Word of God and Our Great Comforter the Holy Spirit that ministers to the broken hearted. When I didn’t have the words: it was God’s Word and the Holy Spirit that comforted my daughter, the mourning couple, and the hurting babysitter. God really does not need me!
     One of the lessons I have learned this week is when you don’t know what to say, lovingly share God’s Word. His word is healing! It is where the comfort and the power to endure lies. Make your words speak His Word!

By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light my dark path.

Psalm 119:105

What Are You Doing With Your Junk?

     Saturday, Dwayne and I enjoyed the beautiful weather by going for a long walk. It felt good to do our exercise outdoors and it made me eager for Spring. It was nice and warm, the green was beginning to pop up everywhere, and I was enjoying my time with my husband. As we are walking, I started noticing the trash along the highway and in the ditches. Some trash was there by normal everyday life; like blown tires, broken head lights, and broken glass. Collisions tend to leave behind garbage! However, most of the trash was from people who throw their trash out for others to deal with. There was pop cans, cigarette packages, fast food sacks, and the worst of all; a toilet! Why do people feel the need to throw their trash all over others environment?
     People also do the same thing both emotionally and spiritually. There are times that trials and life collide and people unintentionally leave their trash along your path. It is easy to have grace and compassion for people who endure wrecks in their life. However, there are people that have no regard for others and they dump their trash everywhere they go. If you are not careful they can get you right in the middle of their junk.
     What are you doing with your junk? Jesus has a dump and He wants you to bring your trash to Him. Though others get hurt along with us sometimes, we should not go around purposefully dumping on people. Let Him take you junk and spread His love and blessing spread out on others.

Mean people spread mean gossip; their words smart and burn.  Troublemakers start fights; gossips break up friendships.

 Proverbs 16 26-27

Live for Today

     When I married Dwayne, we would sit and talk about our future together. We talked about where we would travel, how many kids we would have, and what it would be like to be old and sit in rocking chairs on the front porch. He promised to love me for the rest of his life and to grow old with me. He has done a great job loving me and the fulfillment of those promises aren't far away! It was great talking about our future life together and future love with each other. His promise to love me to those rocking chair days, alone; was not enough . Promising to love me in the future was wonderful but I needed more! I needed his love every day to the future! I have to say that I have been blessed that he has fulfilled my needs since he first told he loved me in January of 1977. However, if all he would have done was promise me love when we were old, it would have never worked.
     You may think that illustration is ridiculous because nobody would promise to love and take care of you when you are old and not love you before. However, how many times do we do that to God? As I was singing one of my favorite songs in church one Sunday, I started noticing the words. It was all about loving and worshiping God in Heaven and it got me thinking. How many times do we say that in Heaven we will fall on our face in the presence our Lord but we have never fallen on our face here when we feel his presence? How many times do we say that we will sing praises to Him forever in Heaven but we do not joyfully sing praises to Him on Sundays or throughout the week for that matter? How many times do we say that we will serve Him for all of our days in eternity but we do not serve Him today? Our actions should show that we love Jesus, now! Heaven is not the beginning of our worship to Jesus, it is the fulfillment of our worship to Jesus. We do not have to wait until Heaven to feel His presence, He lives with us so we should be able to feel his presence now !
Are you loving God now? Or are you focusing on loving Him in Heaven? Do you praise Jesus now? Or are you going to wait until you praise Him in Heaven? When we talk about our worship of the Lord, we should definitely 'live for today!'

So come, let us worship: bow before him, on your knees before God, who made us!
Psalm 95:6

What Are You Writing?

     I often listen to the book channel when I am driving. I do not get to listen to a whole book, only chapters here and there. The other day I heard a part of the book that I will never forget. The story was about a woman who was talking to her councilor. She had endured a very hard, hurtful life. She had become an addict and now she was trying to heal. The counselor told her to imagine that her life was a book with 600 pages. The first 400 pages have been written. It has already been lived and the story cannot change. However, the last 200 pages are yet to be written. She was asked what she wanted them to say. She can let them be a continuation of the first 400 pages or she could change the story. The decision was hers.

     It made me consider the many Christians who have had very dark and hard chapters written in their life book. Some get stuck and write the same chapter over and over: chapters of bitterness, doubt, anger, unforgiveness, etc. Others accept the strength, grace, power, and forgiveness from God and move on to a new story.
     What are you writing?

Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Ephesians 3:19-20

I know some of you could not listen to the song from Wednesday, so here are the words.

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for families
Protection while we sleep
We pray for healing
Prosperity
We pray for your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while you hear each spoken need
Your love is way too much to give us lesser things.
What if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if your healing come through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you’re near?
What if trials of this life is you mercy in disguise?
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel you near
We doubt your goodness
We doubt your love
As if every promise from your word is not enough
All the while you hear each desperate plea
When friends betray us!
When darkness seems to win
We know, that pain reminds this heart that this is not our home
What if the my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst?
This world can’t satisfy
What if the trial of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights are your mercy’s in disguise?

How Bad Do You Want It!

     It never ceases to amaze me that we want spiritual maturity but we fight with everything within us to not have to walk through the trials it takes to mature us! It is the valleys of life that makes us grow. We do not tend to grow on the mountain tops.

     I am overwhelmed with deep concern for many people I love. I have many friends and family that are going through major hurts in their lives. I would love to step in and save them from their situations but I do not have the power. I am sure our Abba Father would love to step in and keep up from trials. However, as our All Knowing God he can see tomorrow; He knows what those trials will produce. He loves us enough to let us walk through it.
     We need to change our view of trials. Easily said than done! We need to accept our struggles as opportunities to grow up . . . Up to God!
     As I had all these feelings stirring in me today, I heard a new song on the radio. It speaks about this issue. It ask many questions but three that speak to my soul are: What if the blessing comes through raindrops? What if the healing comes from tears? What if the trials of this life are mercy’s in disguise.

Your homework today is to go to this website and listen to the song ‘Blessings’ It is not released yet so this is the only place you can find it until April 12th.

http://www.laurastorymusic.com/

Don't Do It Alone

As I have stated before, I have worked at eating healthy and becoming fit for almost four years now! Wow . . . four years! My goal weight has not been achieved thanks to the aging process but I am moving in the right direction. My first 18 months was easy, I was a wellness manager in my career and I had to live it every second. Then I went to a job that it wellness was played with but there was no commitment. Funny thing is that described a growing attitude within me and I started gaining weight. I was eating right but eating too much and had too many special occasions. I also had become bored with exercising myself all the time. However, I hated exercising with other people, usually way younger people, because I compared my achievements with what they could do and I wasn’t happy with myself. Then when I had a medical problem and couldn’t exercise for two months, the habit was broken. I exercised every week but not necessarily hard exercise and not every day. I went from never having an excuse to having a wide range of them.

     Two weeks ago, a great blessing occurred in my journey. Dwayne got his weight down to where he wants to work out with me! I have wanted this for a long time. I have nagged him for a long time. Yet, in his own timing, he was ready. Now when I would use my excuses, he gets me up going. When I am tired after work and driving from Tulsa and I want to veg out on the couch; he is waiting for me to exercise. After we are down, we get out showers and cook dinner and enjoy our evenings quilt free.
      Though I could walk my journey alone for a while, there came a point where I needed encouragement. I needed companionship. I needed a ‘we’ factor instead of an ‘I’ factor. This is the same for our spiritual journey. We can walk it alone for a while, but there comes a point where we need encouragement. We need companionship. We need others to care and feel a part of a family.
     Are you trying to walk through this life alone? Is everything private? Let yourself become connected to another Christian or to a body of believers. Share your struggles with a Christian friend. Pray together. Become a part of a home group or Sunday School Class. Don’t walk life’s journey alone?

Stoop down and reach up to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that you are badly deceived.

Galatians 6:2-3