God's Love

As Christians, we all know well the verse of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life". The first time I learned that verse I was in Sunday school as a child. At the time I truly did not understand the magnitude of that verse. Now as a parent, that verse, and what God did for us, unclean sinners, is truly mind blowing. I would like to think that I have enough faith and trust and love for God that if He asked, I would do the same for Him. However I know in my heart of hearts, that I would once again fail Him, because I couldn't do it. I can remember the story in the bible where God tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son, how appalled I was the first time I heard it. I distinctly remember feeling sick to my stomach up until the time it was revealed to me that God spared Isaac.

As a parent we see our children through sickness and cuts and scrapes, and heartaches and difficulties and those are heart wrenching to us. I can remember when all of my children were babies, crying when ever they got shots because it made them cry. And here I was as their protector, their parent, taking them to the person who was inflicting pain upon them. This year my son has had mono twice and each time it just broke my heart to see him so ill and there was nothing I could do to change that.

I think of all these things that I have endured as a parent, and all the things that I will have to endure as they continue to grow. All of these things seem so insignificant and unimportant in comparison to the pain and agony God must've felt as He sent His only Son to die for people who are unclean and unworthy. Furthermore, knowing full well all the time He was in heaven watching His Son grow up on earth, and take all the necessary steps that would ultimately lead to His agonizing, gruesome death, that He alone had the power to stop it all from happening. He could have spared Him, He could have stopped His Child's pain. Yet, because He loves us SO much He didn't, He watched His son die for us. This humbles me to the very core of my existence. The outpouring of love that God has for us is so big that it is beyond words, indescribable, and awesome. So the next time someone tells you "God loves you", try to remember just how MUCH, He loves you.

Pandora

As I've mentioned in previous posts, music is an important part of my worship experience. It helps me feel close to God all day long. Now that I'm working, listening to good Christian music all day l is a little harder. However, there is this website called Pandora that is just wonderful! It's a free site and you can set up your own "radio station". You type in the artists that you like and it will play their music and others like them. You can then decide whether you like those songs or not and tell them to keep it in the play list or take it out. I have several different "stations" set up that I listen to depending on my mood. They have all different genre's, and it's wonderful. Check it out sometime, I'm not affiliated with it at all, I just love it.

3am prayers

I woke up this morning at 3am and the prayers just wouldn't shut off. I tossed and turned and tried to fall back to sleep, but it just wasn't going to happen. I love it when God makes the decision for me that I need to talk to Him, but why at 3am? Sometimes He doesn't have the kind of timing I'd like Him to have. So what else could I do, but get up, give into the prayers and read my bible. As servants of God I think we need to be ready to serve Him at anytime, anywhere and anyhow that He instructs us to. I just hope He lets me sleep tonight, I'm tired.

Great Quote

Every morning I receive a womans devotional in my inbox. I have it mailed to me from a website called Crosswalk. There are other devotionals there that you can have sent to your inbox plus alot of other information as well.

This morning there was a quote in my devotional that really struck me and it's something that I think that most Christians have to remember to do on a daily basis. "If God is your co-pilot, switch seats". How profound! So often we try to run our lives ourselves and simply turn to Him after we've tried to do it all ourselves and failed miserably. If only we'd a let him steer from the beginning things would run so much smoother, much less turbulence. Do you need to switch seats today?

Eli Stone

Eli Stone is a show that is on ABC on Tuesday evenings. This show started last year and the new season started last night. If you're not familiar with the show, the premise is that Eli is a lawyer that has visions that are thought to be caused by an aneurysm in his head. These visions guide him to the cases he's supposed to take and how to win them. Its a good comedy and drama, and basically a wholesome show. Last years season kind of toyed with the idea that these visions he saw were some how "divine intervention", help from a higher place. Well in last nights season opener, they came right out and said that these visions were sent to him by God. WOW God on prime time television!!! I'm not so sure that God works quite that way, but I do know that He can talk to us, and that we should listen when He does. I don't know much about the writers of this show and their religious affiliations, but I have to say it's nice to see His name being spoken on prime time tv. I'm no tv critic, but I've enjoyed this show from the very first episode, and if you're not doing anything next Tuesday night, check it out.

Bible Knowledge

This weekend I went to yet another womens conference, it was awesome! What a great group of inspirational women. One thing struck me this weekend though is how they all seemed to just pull bible verses right out of the air. I've never been very good at memorization so this is something that has eluded me. However, it's something I long for, to KNOW the bible and to be able to quote scripture when I need to. Not only what the verses say, but being able to know where the came from as well. I really want to have the word of God right on the tip of my tongue, I want to have it written on my heart. This is something I have started to pray for, that God will give me the ability and to open my mind to be able to learn and memorize his word. If any of you that read my blog have any tips or hints to help me to better learn to memorize please leave me a comment and let me know what it is.

Hunger for Alone Time

A few things have come into my life recently that have prompted me to crave alone time with God. One of the awesome things that Beth Moore has challenged the participants of the Stepping Up bible study is to get down on your face before God each day to pray. If you've never done this, you should, it's a very powerful way to pray. You are coming before your Lord, in the most humble of positions, coming to Him to give Him your all. I also made a very special connection to God at the Joyce Meyer convention and now feel that so much closer with Him than before the convention. Because of these 2 experiences I find that I long for the quiet and the solitude that rarely comes through out my day to get down on my face and Praise Him. I'm very excited about where this next portion of my journey will lead me. I also thank God each and every day that I have my husband and my sister to share this journey with me. They are such a wonderful support to me and they share my excitement for the Lord. I love that He has surrounded me with such awesome people. I pray that I am as much of a support for them as they are for me.

Creating For God

Since last years Joyce Meyer Convention, I've been trying to figure out just how I'm supposed to be using my art to honor and praise God. I kept thinking that I was maybe supposed to donate my art to things, or maybe I was supposed to do religious art. Neither of which was happening. Nothing presented itself to donate to, and I'm not real good at the religious art kind of thing, maybe something will come to me at some point, but so far it hasn't. So I've been praying, asking God how I'm supposed to use this talent He's blessed me with for His Glory. Well this wknd at the convention, He spoke to me so loudly that there was no way that I could deny what He said. From now on, 1/2 of the proceeds from any sale of any of my art work will go to God. He left out the part of HOW that was supposed to happen, ie; what charity or what have you, so I'm gonna have to pray some more on that. So, now I'm all that more excited about setting up my etsy shop and getting things listed. Only good things can happen!!!

Relentless in St. Louis!!!

Praise the Lord!!!! What an AMAZING 3 days!!! I cannot even begin to put into words just how moving the Joyce Meyer Women's Convention was. This year I took my 3 daughters with me, also, both of my sisters came along, my mom, 2 good friends, a cousin and her daughter and an Aunt. 4 of our group, personally accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and they did it with such determination, absolutely NO hesitation what so ever!!! Amen!!!! My mom, wow, she's been a God fearing woman for years, but I think a bit reserved about it, unsure of it all. This weekend, I think she even surprised herself. She raised her arms in Praise and Worship right along with everyone else and as often happens when the Lord does a good work in you, she cried alot this weekend.

Now, I mentioned that I took my 3 girls with me, they are 3 amazing girls at that! Paige and Melissa probably weren't quite ready for this type of thing, 3 days of worship was a bit much for them. Even though they're 14 & 15, they just aren't quite ready for that much. Kellie on the other hand, she just soaked it all in!!! The very first night, as we were walking back to the hotel, I asked her what she thought. She looked at me and said "Honestly, that was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced"!!! Blew me away to hear her say that. God is Awesome!!

Other than Joyce, Lisa Beviere and Creflo Dollar were speakers. They were awesome. Creflo started us off on Thursday night, very powerful, very funny, uplifting speaker!! Lisa was just amazing as well! What was so awesome about her message was that she spoke about daughters, mothers, grandmothers and sisters. How incredibly fitting for the dynamics of our group this year.

I am just floating on a spiritual high right now and I'm so excited that I have yet another womens convention coming up this next weekend in Rockford. I can't wait!!!