I am in complete AWE!!!

Again, God is so Amazing!!!  We have been talking to a couple that has been sent to us.  He is in the hospital going through chemo for I think it is called Harry Cell Leukemia.  Now they think there is a secondary cancer that he has as well.  He was in Liberty Hospital where we visited him in the first place.  When we went a few days later, they had transferred him to KU Medical Center.  Brian and I went last night to visit him and pray with him and his wife.  When we got there, he was all doped up and out of it, so we didn’t get to see him, but we spent around 2 hours with her.  We cried, laughed, held each other, prayed, and even partook in having communion with her.  She gave her life to Christ that night.  I’m still in awe from it.  What an awesome thing to witness.  In the last 15 years that I have been in a relationship with Christ, I have never actually witnessed someone basically on their knees and crying out to the Lord that they want him in their heart to help guide them in their everyday life.  It is still bringing tears of joy to my eyes.  Thank you Jesus for allowing me to be a part of that chapter in her life.

My emotional, spiritual, relational gages are all maxed and over flowing.  I just pray that everyone gets a chance to be able to witness that most awesome gift of grace.

On that note, have a great day and keep pressing into Jesus.

Today’s Verse from the New Living Translation

As the beating of cream yields butter     and striking the nose causes bleeding,     so stirring up anger causes quarrels. Proverbs 30:33

Encouragement for Today

If we’re angry, it will disrupt relationships as surely as beating cream produces butter. This verse suggests that anger is at the bottom of quarrelsomeness, and some other cause is stirring up that anger. So if we find ourselves or our children being quarrelsome, perhaps we need to search out the source of the anger and deal with it. Is there something being done or said that’s stirring up the anger that’s led to the quarreling? If we want harmonious relationships, we need to make sure we deal with any underlying anger first.

God works in mysterious ways…

I have been having some really strange dreams lately.  I have shared them with my husband and I just figured I was just “weird.”  OK, we all know I’m weird, but I mean really strange weird. 

Yesterday, Brian received a letter from David Wilkerson’s ministry.  Everything he talked about in his letter is pretty much what I have been having dreams about.  He was talking about minimizing your living.  We are going to go through our house and sell a lot of things.  For instance, Brian figured that he doesn’t need all his guitars and drum sets.  He said, “what’s the point of having all those?, I really only want to keep one guitar, but it wouldn’t bother me to sell the rest.”  Then Wilkerson talked about downsizing your home.  I’m wondering if it would hurt to sell our home and move into an apartment.  My dream revolved around moving to an apartment down in either the River Market or downtown to be closer to the homeless and I don’t know what else there is I am supposed to do, but I’m sure God will let us know what His will is.

See I told you He works in Mysterious ways.  Isn’t he amazing.  I think the funniest thing for me is that I wasn’t sure if it was just me or if it was God.  I was praying asking if it was Him or me and after getting that letter, I would say that it was definitely Him.  He is totally awesome!!!

Have a great day and keep pressing into Jesus!!!  XOXOXO

Today’s Verse from the New Living Translation

He heals the brokenhearted     and bandages their wounds. Psalm 147:3

Encouragement for Today

Is your heart broken over something or someone? Take your hurt to God. Don’t try to deny it or pretend it doesn’t hurt as much as it does. God knows how much we hurt … and he wants to heal us. So take your hurts to God, knowing he cares and—most importantly—is able to heal.

Yeah, I made my goal…

As of Sunday I made my 30 lb goal and surpassed it by 2 lbs.  I got in touch with my corporate office and let them know, they said that my money would be with my next check.  Woo hoo!!!  I’m excited.  I have lost so far 4.5″ off my waist and hips.  I haven’t measured my thighs and arms.  But so far www.myfitnesspal.com has been helping me out tremendously.  When I added in my weight the other day, it knocked my calories down from 1800 a day to 1680 a day.  Man, that sucks.  It isn’t like I ate my 1800 every day, but it was good to know that it was there when I needed it.  I guess it is just a mental thing.

Today at Leadership group was good.  We talked about our gages, (physical, emotional, relational, spiritual).  I have emailed the group my stuff since I have to leave by 6:35 am.  Here is what I emailed to the group:

Emotional:  The emotional weight I have been carrying is fear.  The fear that I have is from my kids, especially since they are 18 and 20 years old.  I guess I am just a worry wart with them, wanting to make sure that they are safe, since they really don’t need mom and dad any longer.  That has been a constant struggle for me.  Knowing that they are out in the world and there is nothing I can do to keep them under my protection.  I know I need to leave it up to God, but it is a hard thing to do.  I trust that God is there, but I fear that they know who God is, but they don’t really know God.  Does that make sense?

 

Relational:  I didn’t answer any of the questions, but I was reading 1 John 4: 11-13 and it really hit me that sometimes I have issues loving others.  For instance, I am having a difficult time showing love to one of gals at work.  I feel as though she is using me, and it just gets under my skin when she says that is going to take off to do a few things for work and I know she doesn’t need to take that long to do it.  She just leaves to be leaving.  It seriously drives me crazy.  It kind of reminds me of love and respect, I can show the love, but I just can’t respect someone like that.  How wrong is that?

 

Physical:  My physical habit is laziness.  To break this pattern, I have been trying to get up more and move around, whether it is cleaning, going for a walk, anything physical, that is what I am trying to do.  Reading 1 Corinthians 6:20 and knowing that my body is a sacred place, I am working on the physical aspect of reducing my body fat.  It was brought to our attention that it looks bad that we are in leadership being as large as we are.  I was hurt by it, and I think it just pissed Brian off.  Brian and I have been watching our calories since July 21st and I am now 32 lbs lighter, and it isn’t because of what was said, we are both just tired of carrying the extra weight around and being uncomfortable.  God is giving both of us the strength to watch what it is that we are doing.  We also have a goal for next year, and that is to go to Colorado to Pikes Peak.  We want to go hiking and camping in the wilderness. 

 

Spiritual:  I feel as though my spiritual life is better today than it has been in the past several years.  One thing that has been keeping me going is being in our groups, and just spending time with the individuals outside of group or even the church.  I will honestly say that I’m still not conditioned to read the word everyday, but I do keep my bible with me at all times and if I get a few minutes, I try to open it up.  We had started as a couple to read the word every evening and journal with each other and discuss what it is that God is showing us in his word.  Needless to say, we have slacked on that and it is something that I long for.  But in my time of “Busyness” I kind of push God to the side and go on with what supposedly needs to be done.

I hope everyone has a great day and keep pressing into Jesus!!! 

Today’s Verse from the New Living Translation

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.”Acts 18:9–10

Encouragement for Today

Paul evidently needed encouragement, reassurance, and guidance. God graciously spoke to him in a vision to give him what he needed. If you, too, need guidance, seek God for vision—not, perhaps, the kind of vision Paul experienced here, but vision in the sense of a clear picture of what God wants you to do. The Holy Spirit provides guidance, usually not in a spectacular way, but with a clear sense that it is God leading. And when it’s God’s true voice that leads, there will be reassurance and encouragement, not fear or condemnation.