As I was procrastinating and contemplating not doing this tonight and just writing it in the morning I had a thought... I know SCARY?!?!?!
Anyway, I was thinking about a quasi-friendship that I have tried to build. It seems like I am always running after this relationship whereas the other person puts forth very little effort. I had been noticing this for awhile and had stepped back from pursuing the relationship quite so much. All of a sudden tonight it occurred to me how much that is like my friendship with God.
He has been pursuing me since before I was born. He loved me and cherished me. When I turned my back on him as a child, how hurt He must have been that I didn't want to be His friend. Yet, He pursued me still. He kept on chasing me or maybe it was chastening me, I am not sure which, until I let Him catch me.
He caught me and we spent hours together. Me getting to know Him. Him teaching me the ropes. But somewhere along the way, well many times along the way, I would forget about our friendship. I treated it as if it were garbage and in reality it is more valuable than anything in this world or the next. Yet He still loves me. When I stray, just like that silly lost sheep He comes out after me and He finds me and He draws me close to Himself once again. I am so grateful that His friendship and His love are better than human ones, because I would have dumped me as a friend by now!
God help me to be a better friend to You. Moses and Abraham were Your friends. Moses even saw You face to face as a friend. Help me to desire that intimacy with You that I will look on Your face as friend.
PS. Two possible Prayer-pertunities today and I passed them both up. I am thinking as I learn to be a better friend to Him I will become a better friend to His other children as well. :O)
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Day 179 - Wednesday
Tonight we saw God move at church in an awesome way. People were getting words of knowledge and calling things out and people were getting healed. It was INCREDIBLE! One guy who had had surgery on his back three different times and had a rod in his spine was able to bend over for the first time in years! It was awesome to hear his testimony.
At the same time though Donna and I were praying with another lady that was in terrible back pain and she didn't get healed. I get frustrated with this from time to time. I know that God wants to heal all of us, all of the time. I don't understand why some get healed and some don't. One of the ladies at church quoted Kathryn Kuhlman when she said she didn't know why some get healed in her services and some don't; she only knew that some did. I suppose that I have to be satisfied with that, but I'm not.
I know that there has to be a key out there, something that we are missing. I know it isn't God. His will is that we would have life and have it more abundantly, that we would all be healed and whole, that His will would be done on this earth as it is in Heaven. Maybe I will start praying and asking God to help me find the key. :O) Who knows, maybe it will work!
At the same time though Donna and I were praying with another lady that was in terrible back pain and she didn't get healed. I get frustrated with this from time to time. I know that God wants to heal all of us, all of the time. I don't understand why some get healed and some don't. One of the ladies at church quoted Kathryn Kuhlman when she said she didn't know why some get healed in her services and some don't; she only knew that some did. I suppose that I have to be satisfied with that, but I'm not.
I know that there has to be a key out there, something that we are missing. I know it isn't God. His will is that we would have life and have it more abundantly, that we would all be healed and whole, that His will would be done on this earth as it is in Heaven. Maybe I will start praying and asking God to help me find the key. :O) Who knows, maybe it will work!
Day 178 - Tuesday
It seemed like everywhere I went there were people in wheelchairs. It's not like I was hanging out at the hospital or anything, it just seemed like everywhere I went they were there too. Did I pray for anyone? No, I did not...
Monday, June 27, 2011
Day 177 :O)
I am so grateful for strong women of God that surround me to keep me accountable and headed in the right direction. They really do make walking this walk a lot easier. For anyone who doesn't have Christian mentors, ask the Lord to send you an on fire, born again Christian mentor to disciple you. It has made all the difference in the world to me.
Because I had strong women that came along side of me when I was going through a rough spot yesterday, I was able to be where I needed to be today to be God's hands and feet.
I was on facebook for a few minutes and a guy that used to be a client of mine had friend requested me a couple of days ago, so I added him. While I was scrolling through I saw a post he had made had been commented on by a lady whose name I recognized. I sent her a message asking her if she was the woman that baby sat my sister and I when we were little. It turned out it was the same woman! I got to chat with her for a few minutes and it was apparently clear that this was a divine appointment. :O)
She had recently gone through some difficult things and I was so blessed with the opportunity to pray with her to see God do a miracle in her life. But before I asked her if I could pray with her, God kept speaking to my heart the scripture that says if someone gives even a cup of cold water to a child of God he or she will be blessed. Now two things come to mind from this scripture:
1) It reminded me that I was His child long before I even knew Him, when I
was just a baby as a matter of fact. And after the last few days I can use
all the reminders of His eternal love for me as I can get. I'm sure that we
could all use those reminders. Who has never felt unworthy of Christ's
cross and the work that God has called them to do and the gifts that He
has given to us?!!?!?! I mean really, let's be honest, everyone has been
there!
2) She will be blessed. It is a promise not a maybe or an IF it's God's will... It
IS His will that she be blessed! So I don't have to worry about whether or
not God heard me or if He will answer, I know that He will because His
word says that she WILL be blessed. God is not a man that He would lie.
Isn't that incredible?!?!?! I get to know what God's will is just by knowing Him and His word and I get to share it with others! I cannot wait to get the phone call confirming what I already know is happening! I love being His princess, even when I act like an ugly stepsister some of the time! :o)
I am also grateful to all the people who helped me get here so that I could be there for someone else!
Because I had strong women that came along side of me when I was going through a rough spot yesterday, I was able to be where I needed to be today to be God's hands and feet.
I was on facebook for a few minutes and a guy that used to be a client of mine had friend requested me a couple of days ago, so I added him. While I was scrolling through I saw a post he had made had been commented on by a lady whose name I recognized. I sent her a message asking her if she was the woman that baby sat my sister and I when we were little. It turned out it was the same woman! I got to chat with her for a few minutes and it was apparently clear that this was a divine appointment. :O)
She had recently gone through some difficult things and I was so blessed with the opportunity to pray with her to see God do a miracle in her life. But before I asked her if I could pray with her, God kept speaking to my heart the scripture that says if someone gives even a cup of cold water to a child of God he or she will be blessed. Now two things come to mind from this scripture:
1) It reminded me that I was His child long before I even knew Him, when I
was just a baby as a matter of fact. And after the last few days I can use
all the reminders of His eternal love for me as I can get. I'm sure that we
could all use those reminders. Who has never felt unworthy of Christ's
cross and the work that God has called them to do and the gifts that He
has given to us?!!?!?! I mean really, let's be honest, everyone has been
there!
2) She will be blessed. It is a promise not a maybe or an IF it's God's will... It
IS His will that she be blessed! So I don't have to worry about whether or
not God heard me or if He will answer, I know that He will because His
word says that she WILL be blessed. God is not a man that He would lie.
Isn't that incredible?!?!?! I get to know what God's will is just by knowing Him and His word and I get to share it with others! I cannot wait to get the phone call confirming what I already know is happening! I love being His princess, even when I act like an ugly stepsister some of the time! :o)
I am also grateful to all the people who helped me get here so that I could be there for someone else!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Days 174, 175, 176~ The Last Three Days
The Last Three Days have been filled with nothing but distraction. I know it shouldn't surprise me. I have done a lousy job at putting on the full armor of God. In fact lately, I am not sure I have put any armor at all on. In fact I think it has rather been open season for the enemy... but only because I allowed it.
I hit rock bottom this morning... The last couple of days I have been on a backslide. It got really bad when I went on a date this weekend and reverted to my old behavior patterns. I didn't do anything all that terrible but I knew it wasn't honoring God or being obedient to Him. I allowed myself to take my eyes off of God and look to some thing other than Him to satisfy me. When I woke up this morning I had come to that realization and that is when the real fight began... The enemy loves to bring up our past and throw it in our faces. He doesn't have any new material so that is all he has to use. He reminded me of the person I used to be, a person I am not so proud of and he tried to convince me that that is who I still was. I spent most of the day miserable... and exhausted. In the middle of my pity party though, God spoke to my heart and He said to me, "I still love you." Even though I didn't want to hear it, and couldn't listen to Him say it more than once, because I believed the lie that I didn't deserve His love. His words started to break down that wall. I skipped out on ministry team this morning using an early baby shower as an excuse. I had every intention of not praying with people tonight as well. In fact I didn't even want to go to church tonight because my attitude stunk so bad. I had even gone as far as thinking and speaking out that my old life was more fun than God's life and I think I might like that life back instead. Fortunately, that wasn't an option. We had a mandatory ministry team meeting scheduled for right before service. I sat in the back row and the whole time God was tugging at my heart, trying to get it through my thick skull that there was nothing I could do that would make Him not love me. (I am not the sharpest tack in the box at times) I, on the other hand, was looking for any excuse to get out of that room... I would have taken anything, really! After it was over I had stepped out to find my daughter and her friend to make sure they made it where they were supposed to go. I got caught in the foyer by my friend, she knows me so well and knew I was not right. She asked me what was up, and of course the standard, "I'm fine." comes out of my mouth. To which she replied, "No you're not, don't lie to me." Ouch! And then out it came... Everything that happened the resulting lies that I believed and every other tactic the enemy thought he could use to keep me from walking toward my destiny. JERK! I think what got to me the most was how kind the Lord was despite how awful I was to Him. I ignored Him, said I didn't want His will for me, and bordered on ditching Him altogether. And yet, He still loved me?!?!?!?! After service I was going to book it out of there, but my mentor was not going to let that happen either. One of the hardest things to do after a backslidden moment is to get back in there. That is probably why so many people stay out of church when something happens. She said, "Come on, we're going to pray for this lady." She didn't give me an option, believe me I tried to bail. She wouldn't let me and she made me lead it too! ( How awful, right?!?!?!) |
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Friday, June 24, 2011
Day 173 - Thursday... More Repenting than Praying?
Ok, well, here I am about to be caught up on my blogging again. I find myself in this pattern that I keep repeating. Forget/Choose not to blog, repent, repeat...
Wellllll, it's not really repenting if I keep repeating, is it?
Maybe that is why I have had a stiff neck all day... hmmmmm
There is a thought! I woke up this morning with an awful crick in my neck. It hurts so bad when I turn my head to the left that I get nauseous. I prayed over it, cracked it, put heat and my electro shock thingys on it... no better! I went to church to go get prayer in the healing rooms, it got better for a few minutes but by the time I got home and sat in front of this computer for the last 5 hours, well it is pretty stiff again.
Maybe I need to go get on my knees and do some good old fashioned repenting and really mean it this time!
Father God, in Jesus Name, I ask You to show me what You are doing today and show me how You want to use me to touch people's lives with Your love. Amen!
Wellllll, it's not really repenting if I keep repeating, is it?
Maybe that is why I have had a stiff neck all day... hmmmmm
There is a thought! I woke up this morning with an awful crick in my neck. It hurts so bad when I turn my head to the left that I get nauseous. I prayed over it, cracked it, put heat and my electro shock thingys on it... no better! I went to church to go get prayer in the healing rooms, it got better for a few minutes but by the time I got home and sat in front of this computer for the last 5 hours, well it is pretty stiff again.
Maybe I need to go get on my knees and do some good old fashioned repenting and really mean it this time!
Father God, in Jesus Name, I ask You to show me what You are doing today and show me how You want to use me to touch people's lives with Your love. Amen!
Day 172 - Wednesday
Obviously since I am three days behind on posting again, I am distracted. It is amazing how distraction creeps in slowly and you don't realize you are distracted until you have missed something!?!?!?!?
My latest distraction: Internet dating. I know it is really lame, but I wasn't doing very well for myself out in the real world. So I have spent way, way too much time scanning/stalking through this dating website the last two days, but it seems it might have paid off. At least it paid off with a God encounter if nothing else! :o)
I invited one of the guys that I had talked to on the dating website to hear a guest speaker at my church last night.... and he came! I will admit I was rather surprised by this. He was brave too because it was extremely outside his comfort zone. We can get a little loud and rowdy at our church and the worship often sounds like a rock concert. He survived though! The look on his face at the end of it, I thought for sure it would be the last time I would hear from this guy!
Instead, he text me later and asked if I would mind if he came back! Yay God! I don't know if our relationship will go anywhere, but I know his relationship with God has already changed! That is the greatest miracle!
My latest distraction: Internet dating. I know it is really lame, but I wasn't doing very well for myself out in the real world. So I have spent way, way too much time scanning/stalking through this dating website the last two days, but it seems it might have paid off. At least it paid off with a God encounter if nothing else! :o)
I invited one of the guys that I had talked to on the dating website to hear a guest speaker at my church last night.... and he came! I will admit I was rather surprised by this. He was brave too because it was extremely outside his comfort zone. We can get a little loud and rowdy at our church and the worship often sounds like a rock concert. He survived though! The look on his face at the end of it, I thought for sure it would be the last time I would hear from this guy!
Instead, he text me later and asked if I would mind if he came back! Yay God! I don't know if our relationship will go anywhere, but I know his relationship with God has already changed! That is the greatest miracle!
Day 171 - Tuesday
So I said I was going to pray and ask God what He wanted to do today. That kind of didn't really happen. I am not sure why this surprises me. It is hard to break the habit of self centeredness. Just Sayin!
Anyway, I took my kiddos up to church to pass out flyers for some upcoming events in the neighborhood around the church. I took my son and two of his friends and another lady on my team, and my daughter went with her two friends and their dad. We split in to teams and hit the neighborhood. We hadn't gone too far when one of the boys put the flyer on the door step of a house and a young man probably in his early 30's came flying out of the house screaming about how he didn't want the flyer. It was CRAZY!!! Luckily the boys were full of energy and didn't here what the man was saying as he tried desperately to fling the flyer out of his yard and ran back into his house. We kept walking and ran into a mom and her 3 kids and talked to them for about 20 minutes. As we turned and headed back to the car, I saw the flyer that had been left at that man's house in the middle of the street. I thought to myself, and then said a loud, "Wow, he went to an awful lot of trouble to throw that out in the street!" Paper is light and there was virtually no breeze so he really had to almost walk all the way out to the street and throw it. We took that opportunity to pray for him and bless his house. I know that even though that situation was a little frightening, it was also a divine appointment. He obviously needs an encounter with the real love of God. So here was our opportunity!
No, we didn't go back and ring his doorbell and ask if he needed prayer for anything but I did feel an awful lot like the CareBears when they would unleash their little CareBear Share out of their tummies whenever someone needed help! LOL
God tells us in His Word that we are to love our enemies and bless those that curse us. This was a perfect example for my son and his friends get to see adults do just exactly that. My son's friend even said, we definitely need to pray for him. I know that God hears and answers our prayers and I know that that young man is in for the ride of his life!
Anyway, I took my kiddos up to church to pass out flyers for some upcoming events in the neighborhood around the church. I took my son and two of his friends and another lady on my team, and my daughter went with her two friends and their dad. We split in to teams and hit the neighborhood. We hadn't gone too far when one of the boys put the flyer on the door step of a house and a young man probably in his early 30's came flying out of the house screaming about how he didn't want the flyer. It was CRAZY!!! Luckily the boys were full of energy and didn't here what the man was saying as he tried desperately to fling the flyer out of his yard and ran back into his house. We kept walking and ran into a mom and her 3 kids and talked to them for about 20 minutes. As we turned and headed back to the car, I saw the flyer that had been left at that man's house in the middle of the street. I thought to myself, and then said a loud, "Wow, he went to an awful lot of trouble to throw that out in the street!" Paper is light and there was virtually no breeze so he really had to almost walk all the way out to the street and throw it. We took that opportunity to pray for him and bless his house. I know that even though that situation was a little frightening, it was also a divine appointment. He obviously needs an encounter with the real love of God. So here was our opportunity!
No, we didn't go back and ring his doorbell and ask if he needed prayer for anything but I did feel an awful lot like the CareBears when they would unleash their little CareBear Share out of their tummies whenever someone needed help! LOL
God tells us in His Word that we are to love our enemies and bless those that curse us. This was a perfect example for my son and his friends get to see adults do just exactly that. My son's friend even said, we definitely need to pray for him. I know that God hears and answers our prayers and I know that that young man is in for the ride of his life!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Day 170
I didn't really look for the opportunity to pray with anyone today. I sort of just wandered around my house in some weird kind of stupor...Maybe it was the tail end of whatever hit me this weekend. I am so grateful God healed me of whatever that was.
I had to go to baby daddy court this afternoon... yeah, I know... but whatever, I got to pray with one of the state's attorneys once before. So God will bring people in your path regardless of where you find yourself. I just realized though, that I forgot to ask Him what He wanted to do today. I just went about my day doing things the way that I wanted to do them. I think I will change that tomorrow...
I could have prayed with my State's Attorney, who I like very much - he is a very nice man and good at his job. It would have been really good to just bless him. Hmmm I think I will right now...
Father, God, Bless Mike and his family. Strengthen his marriage and his relationship with his children. Bless him as he has been a blessing to me and lead and guide him in to a greater relationship with You, in Jesus' Name Amen!
Tomorrow, I will ask Him what He has planned for the day and we shall see what happens, but I bet it will be great!
I had to go to baby daddy court this afternoon... yeah, I know... but whatever, I got to pray with one of the state's attorneys once before. So God will bring people in your path regardless of where you find yourself. I just realized though, that I forgot to ask Him what He wanted to do today. I just went about my day doing things the way that I wanted to do them. I think I will change that tomorrow...
I could have prayed with my State's Attorney, who I like very much - he is a very nice man and good at his job. It would have been really good to just bless him. Hmmm I think I will right now...
Father, God, Bless Mike and his family. Strengthen his marriage and his relationship with his children. Bless him as he has been a blessing to me and lead and guide him in to a greater relationship with You, in Jesus' Name Amen!
Tomorrow, I will ask Him what He has planned for the day and we shall see what happens, but I bet it will be great!
Day 169
So it is Father's Day and I can't think of a better Father to celebrate than our Heavenly Father! The best part about Him is that when you think you are doing something for Him, He is actually giving you the gift! My daughter's father is not in her life at all and Father's Day is exceptionally hard on her. She didn't even want to go to church this morning, which is pretty unlike her. I didn't give her the option of skipping although I must admit, I kind of wanted to let her stay home and wallow in the self pity with her. We didn't.
I got to church a little behind schedule this morning. After a few minutes in the prayer room it was time to head downstairs for service. About midway through the first song I felt like I needed to go up and check on her in children's church. When I got upstairs I found my friend Chris doing Children's Church all by herself. There was some sort of scheduling slip up and there wasn't anyone scheduled to be with the older kids that morning. I asked her if she wanted me to stay. It took me a minute to convince her I was really fine with it.
(Pause for a moment: the last time I worked children's church a kid peed on my leg, so I had pretty much let everyone know that I was NOT interested in doing children's ministry!)
My beautiful friend Chris did a fabulous job doing an hour and a half service with absolutely NO PLAN, and it was BRILLIANT! We were both so grateful for the Holy Spirit this morning! When she did the altar call we must have had 12 out of 20 kids at that altar for prayer. One young lady, ten years old, gave her heart to Jesus for the first time this morning and another rededicated hers. It was AWESOME!!!
We had several people healed at both services this morning and this evening. It was amazing, but by far my favorite part was telling that girl about the party they were throwing in heaven for her this morning and having the privilege of praying with her. I am truly spoiled!
Oh, yeah, by the way... whatever was wrong in my body yesterday... it got all healed too!!! No dizziness, nausea or earache! YAY GOD!
I got to church a little behind schedule this morning. After a few minutes in the prayer room it was time to head downstairs for service. About midway through the first song I felt like I needed to go up and check on her in children's church. When I got upstairs I found my friend Chris doing Children's Church all by herself. There was some sort of scheduling slip up and there wasn't anyone scheduled to be with the older kids that morning. I asked her if she wanted me to stay. It took me a minute to convince her I was really fine with it.
(Pause for a moment: the last time I worked children's church a kid peed on my leg, so I had pretty much let everyone know that I was NOT interested in doing children's ministry!)
My beautiful friend Chris did a fabulous job doing an hour and a half service with absolutely NO PLAN, and it was BRILLIANT! We were both so grateful for the Holy Spirit this morning! When she did the altar call we must have had 12 out of 20 kids at that altar for prayer. One young lady, ten years old, gave her heart to Jesus for the first time this morning and another rededicated hers. It was AWESOME!!!
We had several people healed at both services this morning and this evening. It was amazing, but by far my favorite part was telling that girl about the party they were throwing in heaven for her this morning and having the privilege of praying with her. I am truly spoiled!
Oh, yeah, by the way... whatever was wrong in my body yesterday... it got all healed too!!! No dizziness, nausea or earache! YAY GOD!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Day 168!
Today I was getting the house and food ready for Father's Day. About halfway through the day I started feeling really yucky. I have spent the rest of the day fighting myself. Can I pray this off, but I feel like I am going to keel over... But God heals, but I am dizzy... And so it has gone all day. I think I have just decided to be healed. I'll let you know how it works out for me!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Day 167 - Carnival Phobic
Confession time: I do not like carnivals. They are crowded and dirty and there are weird people there. My daughter is 9 and my son is 10 and they have never been to a carnival... until tonight. Well my son spent the night with a friend so he still has not had the carnival experience.
We got down there tonight a little later than I had planned so most of the rides were filled with anxious teens and preteens, there were a few families left but not too many. All the ride workers were very nice though I must say. As we were walking into the carnival, my friend called and she had hurt her ankle playing volleyball so we prayed over the phone. Her ankle didn't get better, but my phone was almost dead and I did NOT want to be down there without a cell phone, just in case.
We rode some rides and got funnel cake and my daughter managed to help me spend nearly 50$ in under an hour in that place ( maybe that is why I don't like carnivals, they are money pits!). But I realized as we were leaving that I wasn't nervous at all and in fact I was looking around for people that might need a miracle. As I headed to the car I saw a man in a wheelchair. I thought to myself, do I go... then I looked down and saw he was missing a leg from the knee down. I didn't go over but I prayed for him as I walked by and I prayed that God would give me the strength to begin to really believe for new limbs for people.
So I would call the carnival an overall not horrible experience. I lived through it with no major catastrophes, well, other than spending almost 50$ on nothing. :O)
We got down there tonight a little later than I had planned so most of the rides were filled with anxious teens and preteens, there were a few families left but not too many. All the ride workers were very nice though I must say. As we were walking into the carnival, my friend called and she had hurt her ankle playing volleyball so we prayed over the phone. Her ankle didn't get better, but my phone was almost dead and I did NOT want to be down there without a cell phone, just in case.
We rode some rides and got funnel cake and my daughter managed to help me spend nearly 50$ in under an hour in that place ( maybe that is why I don't like carnivals, they are money pits!). But I realized as we were leaving that I wasn't nervous at all and in fact I was looking around for people that might need a miracle. As I headed to the car I saw a man in a wheelchair. I thought to myself, do I go... then I looked down and saw he was missing a leg from the knee down. I didn't go over but I prayed for him as I walked by and I prayed that God would give me the strength to begin to really believe for new limbs for people.
So I would call the carnival an overall not horrible experience. I lived through it with no major catastrophes, well, other than spending almost 50$ on nothing. :O)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Day 166 - Almost Back to Good/God
Every Thursday night at our church we have Healing Rooms set up where people of any denomination or none can come in and we will agree with them in prayer for God to heal whatever is wrong. When I was asked to fill in this week, I am not kidding I was really praying that no one would show up tonight and I could just spend the time soaking in His presence. Luckily for both of us, He knows what I need better than I do. Three people showed up needing miracles.
We saw God's healing power touch all three of them tonight and it was awesome! One had severe plantar fascitis... I can never remember how that is spelled. The swelling in and around the tendon went down significantly, and the pain decreased as did the numbness. It didn't totally go away though, which I am kind of bummed about, but I know that God is working on that foot!
Another person came in with intestinal issues that they had been battling for over 5years! God began to move and the pain left! Glory to God!
My sweet friend came up for prayer too. Her doctor thinks she might have mono. The swelling in her lymph nodes went down dramatically. There were two hard knots toward the back of her neck and she was extremely nauseous. The nausea left completely and the knots were nearly gone! YAY GOD! She is my running buddy who I love and I miss her, so I am really glad that we have a healing God who is in the business of healing bodies!
I love being around Him and in His presence... it just makes all of ME just disappear. I stop thinking about all the stuff going on around me and I don't care anymore. I just move and live and have my being in Him and the world melts away. I wonder if that is what Peter felt like when he stepped out of that boat and began to walk across the water. When he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the waves crashing around him and let him mind start working again, he began to sink. As long as his gaze was fixed on Jesus though he could walk across water.
I think I just got my eyes off of Him for a minute and on my circumstances and I began to sink. I am so grateful that He knows how to pull me back out and set my feet right back on the Rock where they belong.
I love you Father. I'm sorry for not keeping my eyes fixed on You. Help me to stay focused on You and Your plans for my life, in Jesus' Name. Amen
We saw God's healing power touch all three of them tonight and it was awesome! One had severe plantar fascitis... I can never remember how that is spelled. The swelling in and around the tendon went down significantly, and the pain decreased as did the numbness. It didn't totally go away though, which I am kind of bummed about, but I know that God is working on that foot!
Another person came in with intestinal issues that they had been battling for over 5years! God began to move and the pain left! Glory to God!
My sweet friend came up for prayer too. Her doctor thinks she might have mono. The swelling in her lymph nodes went down dramatically. There were two hard knots toward the back of her neck and she was extremely nauseous. The nausea left completely and the knots were nearly gone! YAY GOD! She is my running buddy who I love and I miss her, so I am really glad that we have a healing God who is in the business of healing bodies!
I love being around Him and in His presence... it just makes all of ME just disappear. I stop thinking about all the stuff going on around me and I don't care anymore. I just move and live and have my being in Him and the world melts away. I wonder if that is what Peter felt like when he stepped out of that boat and began to walk across the water. When he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the waves crashing around him and let him mind start working again, he began to sink. As long as his gaze was fixed on Jesus though he could walk across water.
I think I just got my eyes off of Him for a minute and on my circumstances and I began to sink. I am so grateful that He knows how to pull me back out and set my feet right back on the Rock where they belong.
I love you Father. I'm sorry for not keeping my eyes fixed on You. Help me to stay focused on You and Your plans for my life, in Jesus' Name. Amen
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Day 165
I made it to church tonight. I know that seems lame and trivial. Of course I would be at church on a Wednesday night, right? Well, I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that skipping tonight crossed my mind a multitude of times. It is so true that when you skip once it is so much harder to come back the next time. I suppose that is why in the 6 years I have been going, this past weekend was the first time I actively chose to skip church.
Of course, God, true to form, put the exact message I needed to hear tonight on my pastor's heart. Grrrreeeaaaattttt!
He spoke about how we can't let things distract and dissuade us from walking out God's plan for our lives. Every single scripture he quoted just drove it home. I will admit that I pretty much just wanted to cry and tell the Lord how sorry I was for ditching His party Sunday. I know He understands, but I know I hurt Him too. It was really difficult to get up and pray with people but I pretty much did not have an option as there were only two of us there for ministry team tonight.
We prayed with one guy for his hand, it didn't get healed. We prayed again and it still didn't get better. Bummer... I'm just saying...
I know it isn't because I have been in a really relationship poor place lately, because God's healing power is not dependent on me. THANK GOD!
It is still a bummer though.
I was asked to fill in for the healing rooms tomorrow night, I am so not feeling it, but I am going to anyway in spite of how I feel, because I know that God wants to heal people because He loves them. Oh, yeah, Pastor preached on that tonight too. Doing what you know to do even, and especially, when you don't necessarily want to.
Jesus, I love You. Thanks for Never Giving Up on Me!
Of course, God, true to form, put the exact message I needed to hear tonight on my pastor's heart. Grrrreeeaaaattttt!
He spoke about how we can't let things distract and dissuade us from walking out God's plan for our lives. Every single scripture he quoted just drove it home. I will admit that I pretty much just wanted to cry and tell the Lord how sorry I was for ditching His party Sunday. I know He understands, but I know I hurt Him too. It was really difficult to get up and pray with people but I pretty much did not have an option as there were only two of us there for ministry team tonight.
We prayed with one guy for his hand, it didn't get healed. We prayed again and it still didn't get better. Bummer... I'm just saying...
I know it isn't because I have been in a really relationship poor place lately, because God's healing power is not dependent on me. THANK GOD!
It is still a bummer though.
I was asked to fill in for the healing rooms tomorrow night, I am so not feeling it, but I am going to anyway in spite of how I feel, because I know that God wants to heal people because He loves them. Oh, yeah, Pastor preached on that tonight too. Doing what you know to do even, and especially, when you don't necessarily want to.
Jesus, I love You. Thanks for Never Giving Up on Me!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The Last Four Days... 161, 162, 163, 164...
I know it is really lame that I am cheating and squishing them all together, but to be honest, even I don't want to read a bunch of dribble and boring observations... I want to read about God moving.
Well, the only one God has really been moving on in my life this last few days is me. This is a good thing I suppose. Although I must admit I am not really that much of a fan of it. I think the seasoned Christians call it pruning. God has definitely been breaking some stuff off of me lately. I am really grateful for that, really I am. I don't really act like it ... more like a spoiled brat, but I am glad.
I let the enemy distract me with some drama... in other words I got my eyes off of Jesus and looking at the water this week. Let me say that I understand why Peter began to sink. I love his heart though. He cried out to Jesus and said, if you call to me I will step out of this boat. I guess it is time to step out of the boat again.
I took this weekend off and made an emergency trip to Nashville, TN. It was an emergency because I DESPERATELY needed to get out of town. It was lovely. We floated the Harpeth River on Saturday and went to dinner with my sister and her boyfriend and their roommate. Sunday morning we got up and ... GASP!!! Skipped church.
It was weird. I must have driven past ten churches in the half a mile drive between the hotel and her apartment (Gotta LOVE the Bible Belt!). It was like God was calling ... but I just kept driving. I know I was in the middle of this whole "I can't do this, so let's not do it at all thing". In other words... Rebellion.
I know, I know... it is pretty horrible. But let's not be too shocked here, it is what got Adam and Eve out of the garden, forced Adam into hard labor and Eve into that once monthly lovely visitor and the horrible pain of birthing children (thanks EVE!) that has descended down through the generations for eons.
So after my two days of "I'm just gonna go and live a boring, normal life." I started to do some serious praying. I didn't get where it started until I got back home and after I spent most of Monday in bed trying to figure out what in Hell, literally, was causing me all this turmoil. I was so mixed up, I couldn't even hear His voice anymore.
And that is when He jumped in and spoke, not out loud ( I know, bummer, right?) but through a book. On my trip I had stopped into a discount book store and as I was browsing I saw this fiction book ( I rarely read fiction) and I picked it up. I had heard of it, but didn't know what it was about. When I got home Monday I went to jump in the tub, (after rolling around in a self-pity mud hole for about 2 hours) and reached for one of the other books I had bought, when this gentle nudge said grab the other one.
I picked it up and couldn't put it down. Through that fiction book the Lord took my mess turned me around and showed me what I needed to do. He made it so abundantly clear. I am so grateful!
Last night, for the first time in over a week I slept for all night, in fact I slept for almost 12 hours! I woke up my usual bright eyed bushy tailed self with a new sense of direction and back on track!
So here is to tomorrow, when I won't have so much homework that I cannot leave the house and might actually run into someone who needs prayer.
PS. Please keep my Father-un-law, Keith, in your prayers. He is having some issues related to his brain tumor and could use a miracle. Also Baby Caitlyn needs new lungs and a new heart. If you have any prayer requests I would love to pray with you! Please feel free to leave them in the comments or you can email me :O)
Well, the only one God has really been moving on in my life this last few days is me. This is a good thing I suppose. Although I must admit I am not really that much of a fan of it. I think the seasoned Christians call it pruning. God has definitely been breaking some stuff off of me lately. I am really grateful for that, really I am. I don't really act like it ... more like a spoiled brat, but I am glad.
I let the enemy distract me with some drama... in other words I got my eyes off of Jesus and looking at the water this week. Let me say that I understand why Peter began to sink. I love his heart though. He cried out to Jesus and said, if you call to me I will step out of this boat. I guess it is time to step out of the boat again.
I took this weekend off and made an emergency trip to Nashville, TN. It was an emergency because I DESPERATELY needed to get out of town. It was lovely. We floated the Harpeth River on Saturday and went to dinner with my sister and her boyfriend and their roommate. Sunday morning we got up and ... GASP!!! Skipped church.
It was weird. I must have driven past ten churches in the half a mile drive between the hotel and her apartment (Gotta LOVE the Bible Belt!). It was like God was calling ... but I just kept driving. I know I was in the middle of this whole "I can't do this, so let's not do it at all thing". In other words... Rebellion.
I know, I know... it is pretty horrible. But let's not be too shocked here, it is what got Adam and Eve out of the garden, forced Adam into hard labor and Eve into that once monthly lovely visitor and the horrible pain of birthing children (thanks EVE!) that has descended down through the generations for eons.
So after my two days of "I'm just gonna go and live a boring, normal life." I started to do some serious praying. I didn't get where it started until I got back home and after I spent most of Monday in bed trying to figure out what in Hell, literally, was causing me all this turmoil. I was so mixed up, I couldn't even hear His voice anymore.
And that is when He jumped in and spoke, not out loud ( I know, bummer, right?) but through a book. On my trip I had stopped into a discount book store and as I was browsing I saw this fiction book ( I rarely read fiction) and I picked it up. I had heard of it, but didn't know what it was about. When I got home Monday I went to jump in the tub, (after rolling around in a self-pity mud hole for about 2 hours) and reached for one of the other books I had bought, when this gentle nudge said grab the other one.
I picked it up and couldn't put it down. Through that fiction book the Lord took my mess turned me around and showed me what I needed to do. He made it so abundantly clear. I am so grateful!
Last night, for the first time in over a week I slept for all night, in fact I slept for almost 12 hours! I woke up my usual bright eyed bushy tailed self with a new sense of direction and back on track!
So here is to tomorrow, when I won't have so much homework that I cannot leave the house and might actually run into someone who needs prayer.
PS. Please keep my Father-un-law, Keith, in your prayers. He is having some issues related to his brain tumor and could use a miracle. Also Baby Caitlyn needs new lungs and a new heart. If you have any prayer requests I would love to pray with you! Please feel free to leave them in the comments or you can email me :O)
Friday, June 10, 2011
Day 160 - The Funk is OVER! YAY GOD!
It is amazing how it can seem that everything is falling down around you, like the world is collapsing and there is nothing you can do and all of a sudden God swoops in and just turns everything around.
I have been struggling all week, and all day today. I know this may sound stupid but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to just go back and live a boring ordinary life, breathing in and out everyday and just getting by. I imagine how much easier it would be than pressing in and pressing forward into a deeper relationship, buffeting the flesh, reading Leviticus (which I actually happen to like. Weird, I know!), trying to be obedient to what God says all the time (especially when it seems I always come up short), well this list could go on for awhile.
This morning I decided I just needed to get out of town for a few days and so I planned to make the fastest exodus out of Illinois that I could. I was even shopping for hotel prices and setting up canoe rentals while I was still in the bathtub this morning! I only had two clients scheduled this afternoon so I figured we could leave this evening. My two clients turned into 5 and one that I had to schedule late tonight. So I postponed getting on the road until tomorrow morning.
My second client today, she comes in fairly regularly, came in having allergy and asthma issues. I could see that she didn't feel herself right away. I asked her what was wrong and she explained. The whole time she is talking I am thinking, "Do I ask her if I can pray with her? I wonder if she'll let me?" I got through her appointment and I didn't say anything. In fact when it was over, I thought well it wasn't too hard just to let it slide and not say a word. I know it is sad to say this, but it is where I was earlier today.
My last client tonight is a girl that I have had as a client for a few years and it is always an awkward struggle for words with this girl. As we were getting started she explained that she was getting ready to have surgery. She didn't say what it was for and I didn't press because I was still in my "I am gonna just live this boring ordinary life" mode. After I had finished we were talking and it came out what the surgery was for and I kept feeling the urge to offer to pray. I tried to fight it. And then... it just came out.
I could tell it had made her uncomfortable. So I kind of explained a little of my testimony, the way I was raised and how I got to where I was. There were many similarities in our upbringing. I talked to her a few more minutes and she admitted that she was a skeptic but it was ok if I prayed.
After we finished praying I could tell that she could feel it and the smile on her face was awesome! I knew that I knew that God heard our prayer tonight and I know that He is working things together for our good all the time. I know that when she goes back in for her surgery that when they check her she will be whole and healed and I am believing she won't need surgery.
Obviously after this awesome encounter I was completely over my funk, over being satisfied with an ordinary life. That hunger and fire were instantly stirred back up, THANK YOU JESUS!
I have been struggling all week, and all day today. I know this may sound stupid but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to just go back and live a boring ordinary life, breathing in and out everyday and just getting by. I imagine how much easier it would be than pressing in and pressing forward into a deeper relationship, buffeting the flesh, reading Leviticus (which I actually happen to like. Weird, I know!), trying to be obedient to what God says all the time (especially when it seems I always come up short), well this list could go on for awhile.
This morning I decided I just needed to get out of town for a few days and so I planned to make the fastest exodus out of Illinois that I could. I was even shopping for hotel prices and setting up canoe rentals while I was still in the bathtub this morning! I only had two clients scheduled this afternoon so I figured we could leave this evening. My two clients turned into 5 and one that I had to schedule late tonight. So I postponed getting on the road until tomorrow morning.
My second client today, she comes in fairly regularly, came in having allergy and asthma issues. I could see that she didn't feel herself right away. I asked her what was wrong and she explained. The whole time she is talking I am thinking, "Do I ask her if I can pray with her? I wonder if she'll let me?" I got through her appointment and I didn't say anything. In fact when it was over, I thought well it wasn't too hard just to let it slide and not say a word. I know it is sad to say this, but it is where I was earlier today.
My last client tonight is a girl that I have had as a client for a few years and it is always an awkward struggle for words with this girl. As we were getting started she explained that she was getting ready to have surgery. She didn't say what it was for and I didn't press because I was still in my "I am gonna just live this boring ordinary life" mode. After I had finished we were talking and it came out what the surgery was for and I kept feeling the urge to offer to pray. I tried to fight it. And then... it just came out.
I could tell it had made her uncomfortable. So I kind of explained a little of my testimony, the way I was raised and how I got to where I was. There were many similarities in our upbringing. I talked to her a few more minutes and she admitted that she was a skeptic but it was ok if I prayed.
After we finished praying I could tell that she could feel it and the smile on her face was awesome! I knew that I knew that God heard our prayer tonight and I know that He is working things together for our good all the time. I know that when she goes back in for her surgery that when they check her she will be whole and healed and I am believing she won't need surgery.
Obviously after this awesome encounter I was completely over my funk, over being satisfied with an ordinary life. That hunger and fire were instantly stirred back up, THANK YOU JESUS!
Day 159
I need to quit my crabby attitude and get back with the program. I wonder if other people go through these terrible awful cycles when they aren't really doing much for God but just trying to breathe in and out each day and make it to the next one. I am in one of those, and I must say that I am not overly fond of it.
In order to shake myself out of this funk and get my head back to being kingdom minded I think I am going to take a little road trip this weekend and take the kids and drive somewhere that my cell phone won't work and I can be close to nature and to God.
I have to get my eyes off of my problems and back on Him, who is the answer to everything.
Good Night
In order to shake myself out of this funk and get my head back to being kingdom minded I think I am going to take a little road trip this weekend and take the kids and drive somewhere that my cell phone won't work and I can be close to nature and to God.
I have to get my eyes off of my problems and back on Him, who is the answer to everything.
Good Night
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Day 158 - Bring the Little Children to Him
Tonight at church a friend who had not come in a while came and she had her precious little baby about 4 months old. It has been a long time since I had a little baby, mine are 9 and 10 now. I confiscated that little girl and held her all through service. She was sound asleep in my arms... just the way I like them! LOL
Anyway, after service my friend Peggy gave me the head nod to bring the baby up. We prayed for her just blessing her little life and speaking the Word of God over her. It was so precious. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for her life and for the life of each and every member of her family. I am so grateful to Him for bringing them back to church. I just pray that the Lord blesses them financially and increases them in every area of their life. They live around 30 minutes away from our church and I would just love to see them be able to continue to come.
Anyway, after service my friend Peggy gave me the head nod to bring the baby up. We prayed for her just blessing her little life and speaking the Word of God over her. It was so precious. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for her life and for the life of each and every member of her family. I am so grateful to Him for bringing them back to church. I just pray that the Lord blesses them financially and increases them in every area of their life. They live around 30 minutes away from our church and I would just love to see them be able to continue to come.
Day 157 - Buffet or Buffet???
I know those two words look alike but they have extremely different meanings.. It is extremely obvious that I am struggling beyond my comprehension with walking out this New Year's Resolution. I am almost half way through the year, and nearly every day I find myself struggling with either writing it down or with praying with people at all!
I need to really press in and buffet (pronounced buf fett' not bu fay') my flesh. I need to put it under in order to be obedient to the work that I have put my hand to.
I had a long talk with a friend the other night about fire and passion and pressing in. The gist was that no matter what we do, we need to do it with the right heart and not get all caught up in the act but in being about the Father's business. My friend mentioned Matthew 7. I have read and reread the chapter and it shook me up and got me headed back in the right direction. So I am working on just getting my heart pure before Him again.
Something else my friend mentioned was being careful about what I feed myself. I woke up out of my slumber of laziness of watching movies before I go to bed instead of listening to teachings or reading my Bible and spending quality time with the Lord. I had been eating at a buffet (buf fay') table full of junk food. No wonder I am having such a difficult time with this! My relationship with my best friend blows at the moment. I do not want to be one of the ones in Matthew 7 who on that day says Lord, Lord, I did all this stuff in Your Name and hear Him say, depart from me for I never knew you.
I know I prayed with someone yesterday. In all honesty though, I cannot remember with who or for what because all I can think about is moving in the right direction and getting some of that Crazy Love back. It doesn't really matter anyway, because having my heart in the right condition is what this walk is all about. Without LOVE there is nothing. Love for God and Love for His people.
Jesus please help me.
Love,
Cara
I need to really press in and buffet (pronounced buf fett' not bu fay') my flesh. I need to put it under in order to be obedient to the work that I have put my hand to.
I had a long talk with a friend the other night about fire and passion and pressing in. The gist was that no matter what we do, we need to do it with the right heart and not get all caught up in the act but in being about the Father's business. My friend mentioned Matthew 7. I have read and reread the chapter and it shook me up and got me headed back in the right direction. So I am working on just getting my heart pure before Him again.
Something else my friend mentioned was being careful about what I feed myself. I woke up out of my slumber of laziness of watching movies before I go to bed instead of listening to teachings or reading my Bible and spending quality time with the Lord. I had been eating at a buffet (buf fay') table full of junk food. No wonder I am having such a difficult time with this! My relationship with my best friend blows at the moment. I do not want to be one of the ones in Matthew 7 who on that day says Lord, Lord, I did all this stuff in Your Name and hear Him say, depart from me for I never knew you.
I know I prayed with someone yesterday. In all honesty though, I cannot remember with who or for what because all I can think about is moving in the right direction and getting some of that Crazy Love back. It doesn't really matter anyway, because having my heart in the right condition is what this walk is all about. Without LOVE there is nothing. Love for God and Love for His people.
Jesus please help me.
Love,
Cara
Monday, June 6, 2011
Day 156 - Finally Caught Up
I am so glad God is here to help me with this. I couldn't do it without Him. As today was coming to its end and it was a fairly long and arduous day, that shouldn't have been at all difficult, I was like, oh great, I gotta find something to write about. I haven't prayed with anyone for healing all day, and I just don't want to keep going with this, and ... insert at least ten other excuses here... and UGHHHHH!!!!!!!!
And then...
A client facebooks - is that a verb? - me to pray for her and her unborn baby...
All crabbiness melts away... Ahhhhhhhh
I work through getting all caught up on my blog and only cheated slightly by smooshing Friday and Saturday together :O)
And now I get to spend some much needed time with my spiritual mom and talk with her about her outreach trips to Alaska and Utah... I already looked at her pictures ....
I want to go, Jesus can I please go, can I go, can I go, I really want to go... but not to Alaska in Winter, please :O)
It was this miracle and that miracle and this person was healed and that one... oh I love seeing God move! I don't think there is anything better in this world!
And then...
A client facebooks - is that a verb? - me to pray for her and her unborn baby...
All crabbiness melts away... Ahhhhhhhh
I work through getting all caught up on my blog and only cheated slightly by smooshing Friday and Saturday together :O)
And now I get to spend some much needed time with my spiritual mom and talk with her about her outreach trips to Alaska and Utah... I already looked at her pictures ....
I want to go, Jesus can I please go, can I go, can I go, I really want to go... but not to Alaska in Winter, please :O)
It was this miracle and that miracle and this person was healed and that one... oh I love seeing God move! I don't think there is anything better in this world!
Day 155 - Sunday "Funday"
Sunday was my daughter's much anticipated YMCA gymnastics birthday party. She had been waiting for weeks. The day finally arrived and after only a few minor hiccups the party was started without a hitch. About half way through the party her best friend fell and twisted her ankle. Her dad and I ran over and I looked at her foot, and she was crying. The instructors from the Y were right there as well. I asked her if I could pray for her ankle and she said "Yes." through her tear-y sobs. We prayed and right there in front of the Y staff God totally healed her and took away all the pain and swelling. It was awesome! And it was an amazing testimony to the staff! YAY GOD!
At church that night I got to pray with two other people and saw God heal them both. Both of them had had pain for more than a year. One woman had pain in her shoulder and dizziness and my son's best friend had had pain in his heel for more than a year. God touched them both and healed them in a matter of minutes! I love that I serve an amazing God! So BLESSED!
At church that night I got to pray with two other people and saw God heal them both. Both of them had had pain for more than a year. One woman had pain in her shoulder and dizziness and my son's best friend had had pain in his heel for more than a year. God touched them both and healed them in a matter of minutes! I love that I serve an amazing God! So BLESSED!
Day 153 and 154 - Playing Catch Up
So I got and email and facebook prompt from two of the loveliest ladies this morning to remind me that I was slacking off and needed to get back on this. They are right.
I really didn't pray for anyone Friday or Saturday, in fact I can't even really remember what happened Friday or Saturday... which would be the ENTIRE point of writing this everyday instead of waiting four days later to try and remember what happened. God is So Smart... He knows me better than I know myself and if I would just learn to listen to Him and be obedient the first time, I wonder how much easier life would be.
Ok, so after some long hard thought, I came up with something to write about for Friday...
It was my kids end of school year performance at school. There is a little girl that goes to school there that we have been praying for at least 1/2 of the year. We found out that she has a disorder where tumors grow on her nerve endings. I know I have written about her before. Her parents, who happen to be atheists, were at the performance. It was so awesome to see them get to see how many people loved their daughter. We truly do love her... How could we not!?!?!?! She is the cutest thing! Just like a little TinkerBell! I could totally see the seeds God had planted in those parents over the last year, because we loved their daughter. I love when He does that! The Word says that if we have all the different gifts but don't have love we are nothing more than a sounding brass...
I really didn't pray for anyone Friday or Saturday, in fact I can't even really remember what happened Friday or Saturday... which would be the ENTIRE point of writing this everyday instead of waiting four days later to try and remember what happened. God is So Smart... He knows me better than I know myself and if I would just learn to listen to Him and be obedient the first time, I wonder how much easier life would be.
Ok, so after some long hard thought, I came up with something to write about for Friday...
It was my kids end of school year performance at school. There is a little girl that goes to school there that we have been praying for at least 1/2 of the year. We found out that she has a disorder where tumors grow on her nerve endings. I know I have written about her before. Her parents, who happen to be atheists, were at the performance. It was so awesome to see them get to see how many people loved their daughter. We truly do love her... How could we not!?!?!?! She is the cutest thing! Just like a little TinkerBell! I could totally see the seeds God had planted in those parents over the last year, because we loved their daughter. I love when He does that! The Word says that if we have all the different gifts but don't have love we are nothing more than a sounding brass...
Friday, June 3, 2011
DAY 152 - Jesus Stalkers?
Last summer a team from Bethel Church in Redding, CA, led by a guy named Kevin Dedmon came and held a three day training and equipping conference at our church in little Glen Carbon, IL. This conference changed the way I thought about things and taught me a new way to share Jesus with people in my community. If you can't go to Redding, which from here is apparently a 3 different plane trip, Kevin has a book called Treasure Hunt that is awesome and explains everything they taught us.
One of the "exercises" that we learned during the conference - I don't want to give all the secrets of the book away but...
We would pray and then just write down the first things that popped into our heads, like red shirt or black baseball cap, heart problems, Starbucks, broken arm, just whatever popped into our heads, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. Then we split up into teams of 4 and left the church and went out wherever our list lead us. After several failed attempts we ended up at a grocery store two towns away. We walk in and see a lady in a purple dress - which is on the list. The butterflies in my stomach were insane as we nervously walked around the store trying to figure out how to approach her - we were "Jesus Stalkers"! In the end we did talk to her - so our creepy factor diminished greatly!
I've said all this to say that my friend from the bike trail, the guy with the leg brace, yep, I am Jesus Stalking him. I prayed that I would run into him on the bike trail again today. I did. :O) Even though he hasn't let me pray with him yet, I know that God is building a bridge between us. When I pull in the lot where I park my car and I see his truck parked there, my heart skips a beat and my spirit jumps for joy. I cannot wait until the day when that leg brace is left on the side of that bike trail!
We pulled in at the same time and chatted for a minute. I didn't bring up praying for his knee. It didn't matter. I know that God is working on him and he is God's problem, I just have to be ready and available for the day when he is ready to see God work a miracle in his life.
God's greatest desire I believe is for His church, His bride, to be united as one. Regardless of the denomination and for His children to be able to walk in all the things that Christ's blood paid for. The great question my Pastor always asks: What is salvation to you?
One of the "exercises" that we learned during the conference - I don't want to give all the secrets of the book away but...
We would pray and then just write down the first things that popped into our heads, like red shirt or black baseball cap, heart problems, Starbucks, broken arm, just whatever popped into our heads, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. Then we split up into teams of 4 and left the church and went out wherever our list lead us. After several failed attempts we ended up at a grocery store two towns away. We walk in and see a lady in a purple dress - which is on the list. The butterflies in my stomach were insane as we nervously walked around the store trying to figure out how to approach her - we were "Jesus Stalkers"! In the end we did talk to her - so our creepy factor diminished greatly!
I've said all this to say that my friend from the bike trail, the guy with the leg brace, yep, I am Jesus Stalking him. I prayed that I would run into him on the bike trail again today. I did. :O) Even though he hasn't let me pray with him yet, I know that God is building a bridge between us. When I pull in the lot where I park my car and I see his truck parked there, my heart skips a beat and my spirit jumps for joy. I cannot wait until the day when that leg brace is left on the side of that bike trail!
We pulled in at the same time and chatted for a minute. I didn't bring up praying for his knee. It didn't matter. I know that God is working on him and he is God's problem, I just have to be ready and available for the day when he is ready to see God work a miracle in his life.
God's greatest desire I believe is for His church, His bride, to be united as one. Regardless of the denomination and for His children to be able to walk in all the things that Christ's blood paid for. The great question my Pastor always asks: What is salvation to you?
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Day 151 - Revival On The Bike Trail?
One of my new favorite things is running on the bike trail in the morning. This serves two purposes: Great Exercise and Tanning my super white, glow-in-the-dark legs! I dropped the kids at school and headed down to the place where we normally get on the path. As I parked my car there was an older gentleman in a huge pickup truck that had just pulled in also. We made some nice pleasantries about the weather and how hot it was going to be that day and then I headed for the trail. I had an awesome run, probably my best yet, nearly two miles without stopping. This is a huge accomplishment as I had been a pack a day smoker for about 12 years. I quit with the Lord's help about 5 years ago and it has taken some time to rebuild my lung capacity.
On the way back, the guy from the parking lot and I cross paths again. We stopped for a moment to chat about the trails and I noticed he had a brace on his leg. Anymore, when I see a brace or crutches or something I just get this hunger to see that person healed. I didn't say anything at first though. Turns out I didn't have to. He brought it up. He told me about the horrible pain in his leg and back and how he had just dealt with it since the 1970's! Then he just jumped the conversation to some other tangent. He could hear my music on my iPod since my ear buds were hanging loose around my neck. He said, "You must be good christian girl." I replied that I was and the whole time I am thinking this is IT, this is my opportunity to ask him if I can pray for that leg and back and I am debating on weather to pray for his back right there or wait until we get back to our cars so that I can check his leg length because I am hedging a bet that they are out of alignment and possibly different leg lengths.
He starts talking about politics and Israel which, in all honesty, I don't pay that much attention to. Don't get me wrong I know it is important to pray for Israel I am just not consumed as some are about every minute detail (or the big details ) about what is going on over there. We talk a few more minutes and I can hardly contain my enthusiasm and desire to see this man healed on the bike trail. FINALLY, he stopped talking and I got my chance to interject. I started to explain that the church I attend we see a lot of people healed of leg and back and neck issues... He didn't let me get the rest of the sentence out before he interrupted me and pleasantly explained that he was a good (insert denomination here) and would get his healing when he died and that it was his reward.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed.
This is one of the first times that I have experienced that complete KNOWING that God was willing to heal that man today. It was his appointment with destiny because of a religious mindset. I know we all have them at least a little, but what a bummer to have it cause someone to miss their appointment with the living God.
As I am writing this, it just occurred to me, "How many of those appointments have I missed with You, God, because what was going on didn't fit in my box?"
As I left I went back to the worship music and praying. Pretty soon I caught up with my friend and she asked me to pray for her sinus headache and she was healed almost instantly so technically I suppose I did get my revival on the bike trail :O)
On the way back, the guy from the parking lot and I cross paths again. We stopped for a moment to chat about the trails and I noticed he had a brace on his leg. Anymore, when I see a brace or crutches or something I just get this hunger to see that person healed. I didn't say anything at first though. Turns out I didn't have to. He brought it up. He told me about the horrible pain in his leg and back and how he had just dealt with it since the 1970's! Then he just jumped the conversation to some other tangent. He could hear my music on my iPod since my ear buds were hanging loose around my neck. He said, "You must be good christian girl." I replied that I was and the whole time I am thinking this is IT, this is my opportunity to ask him if I can pray for that leg and back and I am debating on weather to pray for his back right there or wait until we get back to our cars so that I can check his leg length because I am hedging a bet that they are out of alignment and possibly different leg lengths.
He starts talking about politics and Israel which, in all honesty, I don't pay that much attention to. Don't get me wrong I know it is important to pray for Israel I am just not consumed as some are about every minute detail (or the big details ) about what is going on over there. We talk a few more minutes and I can hardly contain my enthusiasm and desire to see this man healed on the bike trail. FINALLY, he stopped talking and I got my chance to interject. I started to explain that the church I attend we see a lot of people healed of leg and back and neck issues... He didn't let me get the rest of the sentence out before he interrupted me and pleasantly explained that he was a good (insert denomination here) and would get his healing when he died and that it was his reward.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed.
This is one of the first times that I have experienced that complete KNOWING that God was willing to heal that man today. It was his appointment with destiny because of a religious mindset. I know we all have them at least a little, but what a bummer to have it cause someone to miss their appointment with the living God.
As I am writing this, it just occurred to me, "How many of those appointments have I missed with You, God, because what was going on didn't fit in my box?"
As I left I went back to the worship music and praying. Pretty soon I caught up with my friend and she asked me to pray for her sinus headache and she was healed almost instantly so technically I suppose I did get my revival on the bike trail :O)
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