Two Son's

I am obsessed with two sons……


Not literally, but kinda literally.

My husband often says that I am obsessed with the sun.. I enjoy being in the sun, not when it is toooo hot, but when it is there to warm you and that warmth relaxes you and you just bask in the warmth all the way to your soul.
The sun, although hot, is our light, it is opposite of darkness and it brightens our days.

"And God said let there be light and there was light." Gen 1:3


I have also been getting up early and riding my bike and most mornings I ride to the water to try and see the sunrise, often I am too late and it has already peaked over the horizon and I still enjoy it and take a picture of two. I also enjoy the sunset and the beauty of it as well. It is often God's canvas I say as he paints the sky with such beauty as it sets.

This morning I got out before the sun came out and I wondered if it was just gonna be a cloudy day and then(thanks to technology) I got out my phone and looked at sunrise) and believe it or not, I had made it out before sunrise !!!!!! So I got to take a couple of pics pre sunrise ! Then I rode my bike some more and came back to my spot and got to see the nice round sun rising…. so pretty, and bright and majestic, and I felt like I had accomplished something…. then I thought to myself "maybe Danny is right, maybe I am obsessed with the Sun….lol..

But even more than that… I am also obsessed with Jesus Christ and the Son of God. This Christmas season and always. I am so privileged to be doing his work, but more importantly to be a child of his and to have the understanding of Salvation that only HE can give. I am so thankful though that I accepted it.

Luke 1:79a " To give light to them that sit in darkness…."One of the many prophecies of Christs coming. 

Thank you God for your Son !! 

What my Dad didn't teach me

   I had a good dad. He had the most golden heart, he loved others, and he loved my mom. I cannot complain in the fact that he loved us.I could dwell on some negative and I probably have, but I never let it form who I became. Really,  parents do the best they can at the time and with the cards they have been given in life.   Some people could dwell on things like he drank at times and could become abusive and mean, but overall, looking back, love was there. He taught me a lot. I learned even more by watching him make mistakes.
  I have to say though, there is one thing he could not and did not teach me and that is the true character of Jesus Christ. He loved me, it's a natural human characteristic to love your family and your children, but to love sacrificially, well that is something only the scriptures and Christ can teach you.
 Dads and husbands, did you know that you have the awesome opportunity to teach your wives and children the character of Jesus Christ in your actions and how you treat your family? Do you realize the power you have or the responsibility you have?

 Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; 26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.

I think now of what my husband has taught me, and I am speaking of my husband the man, not the preacher or pastor. He didn't just all the sudden change when he accepted the calling. The love that he shows me, and others, that is a gift from Christ and it was there from day 1 of knowing him. God has and is still cultivating him and our lives, but I can honestly say this, he has taught me Christs character in loving me. How does he do that? He lives out Ephesians 5:25, he loves me sacrificially and unconditionally and I have learned more about love in the last 11 years than I ever thought I would. 

 Our inner self, our carnal self wants to be selfish and motivated by fairness and what others can do for you, or better yet, what is best for number 1...self, but there is a reward for love and sacrificially giving of oneself. (Luke 6:35) Loving and giving without expecting anything in return,  that is of Christ, that is his character, we are to all strive for that, not out of hope for reward but for the simple fact that Christ lives within us, we are strive to be like him so that others might get a small glimpse of His character.

A Christian or "Christ Follower"  has the awesome ability and responsibility to extend this love, charity and mercy to others.

   

True Success

The other night in Bible study, we talked about success. You see there is a worldly success that we all have perceived in our mind. That goal that you feel you need to meet. Those dreams you had as a child and still aim to meet, that income you think you should make, that degree that you must obtain to get to where you need to be. It's all tightly tucked away in your mind, constantly reminding you of "how your life should be". You see we all define success the same(meeting certain goals) but we also define our own personal success differently.
  The world defines success by what type of house you live in , what job you have and is it worthy enough to buy all that stuff that most of the world thinks we need, the house, the car, the clothes, the jewelry, game systems, memberships, etc... I could go on and on.
   The question is, what and how do we define spiritual success? In our own personal walk, how would we feel truly successful as a Christian? A Christ follower? Isn't that more important than any worldly success? What would that look like?
   As we all went around answering the question, there was one sure answer that kept coming up and that was " letting your actions, your life, your walk speak for you". So success to a majority in our Bible study was not only claiming Christianity and professing Christ, but walking the walk as well defines success. How true, how true.
Danny shared with us scripture that says:

May he equip you with all you need for doing his will.

May he produce in you , through the

power of Jesus Christ,

every good thing that is pleasing to him.

All glory to him forever and ever ! Amen.

Hebrews 13:21

You see God equips us for exactly what we need. To do his will,  he can produce in you power through Jesus Christ. He does the equipping, nothing of ourselves but him.

 

     So to me, true success is being so close to him, (through prayer and reading his word) that you walk in the cool of the day with him, you hear him, he hears you, you share a relationship that is far better than anything earthly or worldly. You will exhibit his qualities, his love, his mercy, grace and hope, total dependence=true success, that is my desire... to get so close to Him that His qualities cannot help but show in my life, in my walk and in my actions.... When we do that..... our actions will not only speak, but scream true success in Christ !!! 



The Fight

Hope deep inside...

A fight, no where to hide..

A fight with darkness,

But the light will win.

A struggle of life,

defeat, strife,

Down trodden and oppressed.

But truth abreast.

Fall down, but up

again.

Fall seven times

or even more, 

God is there 

to help you soar. 

On your feet, 

head held high 

there's a war to fight

You must try, 

there is power within you

and an armor of truth around

Claim his promises, 

His love abounds.

Claim his power, 

Cause in the end we will win

Look up, claim it 

There is power in him

Here I am Lord

     I wrote on our blog about how on the trip down to St Pete we were asked for help on several occasions. While I am used to Danny being approached, I am seldom approached. We joke about Danny being a magnet for that. Often times on family trips, I will look around and Danny is handing some stranger some money or pumping gas into someone's car that asked for help. Although Danny got asked for money this trip as well, I too got asked.  Danny often says he dosn't care what is going on in that person's life, but that it is a test of our heart to see if we will give or help out in some way.
  I had gotten out of my car and had caught the eye of the lady beside us and I smiled as her son was playing. I began to do the gas pump routine when she approached me with her gas can. She said in a pleading voice, will you please give me some gas, I am trying to visit my sister and I am afraid I will run out of gas. The lady was a Hindu, she had on a dress, and had the dot between her eyes. I had recently studied of Hindus and I also have a co-worker that schooled me as well on the culture as she was a Christian from India. The lady asking for gas, referenced God alot and repeatedly asked for God's blessings on me. I gave her some gas and she spoke more blessing toward me.
   As I got in my car and contemplated on this, I was surprised at all the need we had encountered on the way down and wondered if this was any indication for what we were gonna experience in St .Pete. I have heard and read about all the homeless here and I know we will experience the dire straights and need here as well. I began to think of the lady and wondered did she believe in the one true God, our God. I know that Hindus believe in many God's, but my hope was that she was talking of our God.
I also read somewhere that Hindu's believe the eyes are windows to the soul and I wondered if when she looked in my eyes she saw Christ, and a hope that she reached out for. I so wished I could have witnessed to her or prayed with her, but it happened so fast.  If nothing else it helped me to know and take inventory of myself that I need to be more ready for anything..... ready to pray, ready to speak your word, ready to give your hope that others are looking for so desperately.
Here I am Lord, send me.....(Isaiah 6:8)
With your help Lord, I am ready to do your work, I want to do your work. I pray I can represent you well and be a light to a needy world out there.
Please pray for me that I can find the balanced needed to not only minister to my family and be what they need but to also minister for the Lord to that one person out there who may need hope.

Not our works....

I kneel in awe this morning at the foot of the cross and in tears thank my Lord and Savior for his provisions. For his works. He is in control.  His hands are leading us in all that we do. He has a great work in St Pete and we get to help him with this and he is taking care of us and I am in awe......

  Earlier this week we broke down on the side of the road in Greensboro, NC in our New Car !!! (well it's not brand new, but newer)
We found out it was the transmission and the cost would be about 2800 dollars to fix it.  I made some phone calls to Buick customer service and the dealership and we had to rent a car to get home, but God orchestrated it all and the results are better than we anticipated, and I give all the glory to God !!

    I was reading in the wonderful book of the Bible and stumbled across this verse. I really love the verse before it," God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind...". I love that verse and I read on down below it and was blown away even more as the verse is so fitting for ministry work. I feel closer to Paul as we have been going through the book of Acts and as he started churches and did ministry work the verses become real and applicable to us. Not just now in our new venture but in everyday life.
This particular scripture is written by Paul too and its great:

Who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.(2Tim 1:9-10)

But I really like he called us----All Christians, he called you, he called me, he called the great preachers, but he called the lay-member as well, he called us with a HOLY calling to him.

Not according to our works----there is nothing WE can do, it is all Christ !!
According to his own purpose !!!!

We are not going on mission and ministry for our selves... but for him, not through our own works, but through him, his hands, his strength, and his will.

GOOD IS GOOD!!!
He is on the throne and he is mighty !!

On Mission

With my job in the hospital, I often meet all types of people, patients, and other staff come around and the topic comes up about me moving. Then they start asking questions about my move. I tell them we are starting a church in Saint Petersburg and they give me the oddest look. I realize some people cannot fathom the faith it takes to start a church, or go into the mission field, but I usually leave the conversation feeling foolish.( A feeling I am sure Satan wants me to feel)  Maybe I am not wording things right and should just say "we are moving to do missions in Florida"...haha....
     I find it interesting as well how it is really more acceptable to be going to do foreign mission than to actually be doing missions right here in the USA, because that is what were are going to be doing. Of course establishing a church as well, but if you have read the book of Acts that's what Paul was doing, preaching, healing, meeting people, establishing relationships and starting churches.
   When I think of Jesus and the Great Commission, he commanded us to go out.... and there is such a great need right here in the US as well as overseas. So at the end of the day, I claim my faith and the trust found in Jesus Christ and know what we are doing is not of ourselves. I know there is a need and I know that Christ will be right there with us cheering us on!!


Matthew 28:18-20 
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (NIV)

Change

     As I waded the slush of snow and rain, and melted snow the other beautiful march afternoon, I realized that this might be the last bit of snow I see for a long, long while.  A wave of sadness washed over me, as I realized how quickly this journey of life is about to over, not only am I turning a year older this past week, but we are moving soon to the beach.  That should excite me and it does, but we have made such connections here in Virginia these last 4 years here.  To move again at this age seems crazy, we should be settled somewhere with a mortgage and roots, but here we are moving......
........................but I am trusting HIM.....................

   We have been going through the book of Acts and I have been reviewing the awesome works of the disciples after Christ's death and how he empowered them to do his work. I am renewed in spirit when I think of how God's power is with us, how he sent the Holy Spirit to indwell within us and empower us to go out and do his work, how we are his vessels and he can work through us if we allow it. How refreshing it is to visit this known wisdom from God.

"I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit."

Ephesians 3:16 NLT

   We truly serve an amazing God whom I am relying on and counting on. An awesome God who I know will take care of us and help us along the way.  An omnipotent God who sees all, knows and can be all we need. 

  As I close this chapter of life and begin another all this change is kinda hard, but I am claiming His promises and clinging to his hand as we begin yet another amazing journey with my Lord and Savior !!

If you are dealing with any changes in your life, trust in him to help you through..... he will. And YOU can get through this with his help. 

...................................................................trust in HIM, the one sustainer and creator that will help you.

work, work, work

   So as we are nearing June, we are in constant motion. Constantly doing things for Reliance and trying to get our name out there and saturate the campus here and this town as well. We are having team meetings/church every Monday night, going through the book of Acts, and sometimes other meetings in between those meetings. Planning, filming, writing letters.....A lot of work and sometimes you step back and you say wow, now what are we doing this for?  This seems like a lot of self sacrifice for not much return. Yeah, I put self in there, too much thinking can lead you down a road with a lot of self pity and selfishness and before you know it, you are crying inside or on the outside and you are saying God I need time for me !!!!  God is this the right thing, I seem to be juggling so much stuff, work, family, church, church, school.....why isn't it easier? So much work to be done, are you sure God that I can do this, do you think you have the right person for the job?
    I know we are going to a place to bring your word and your hope and help and promises Lord, but how quickly I forget....
 
Then he reminds me.... of the song"I am weak but thou are strong"
3Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: Psalm 71:3

He says come to me and I will give you rest..... 

I am reminded, nothing of significance is easy and I know God will help me, but I must help myself and saturate my being with him and his word.... 

Lord, Help me to ever trust,pray and read your word and never be too busy for you and I know you will strengthen me and help me.

Pray for us on this amazing journey,  asking for amazing grace, so that we can better serve our Amazing God !!