Please go read this!

You really need to read this post on my friend Keith's blog. Perspective is everything!

Romans 1:12

Good morning, dear one. I'm so glad you came by to see if I'd posted today!

I know I've shared my struggle about what I want this blog to be. Today, God gave me another clue that I'd like to follow with you. :) Romans 1:12 says, "That is, that we may be mutually strengthened and encouraged and comforted by each other's faith, both yours and mine." (Amplified)

THAT is what I want! I'm not strong on my own. I need to be encouraged, too - that's why I treasure your comments. :) And when we pray for each other, we're not only strengthening each other, but comforting one another, too. And when I get encouragement from a sermon or lesson or book, and share with you - THAT is ALL what I see this blog for.

Now, I know that we're a small group. But I believe that God has helped us find each other for this reason!!! PLEASE, continue to put your prayer requests in - you can either email them to me, or leave them in the comments area. And be sure to read and pray for each other when you get a chance. If there's something REALLY important, I'll post it in the blog. Update us when you get an answer, so we can ALL be encouraged and comforted. You don't have to give lots of details, if you don't want. Let us know praise reports! Blessings shared are AWESOME things - they encourage us to remember that God is working on our behalf, even if we can't SEE it!

I saw a church sign a few days ago that REALLY impacted me: "God adds and multiplies. Satan subtracts and divides." Let's share how God is adding and multiplying in our lives, dear friend!

I cannot WAIT to pray for you - and I know there are others that feel the same. I cannot WAIT to hear how God is blessing you! And I can't WAIT to continue to share what God is doing in my own heart and life. :)

Toward that purpose, I have put the video below. You don't have to use MY verse to meditate on when you watch this approximately two-and-one-half-minutes of the ocean, but fix your mind on whatever verse is yours for the day, and just bathe in God's creation. This is the Gulf Coast at Fort Walton Beach, where we were two weeks ago. Expect a little from Oregon, too. :D

Be BLESSED, dear one. God has a plan for you, a purpose for your life. Expect to see Him move today. Keep your eyes open for all the little blessings He's sending you; they're gifts, letting you know how much you're loved, and how much He delights in YOU.

Psalm 148:7-8:
Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,

Rick Warren

I received this this morning in my in-box from a dear friend - Hi, Allison! :D - and wanted to pass it on to you. I hope you will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California . In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said: People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness. This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems: If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others. We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people. You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72. First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free. We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

What a weekend!

Work and play, and getting to be on a beach that Kenn and I could share as our first time visiting. Fort Walton Beach was a lot of fun - and I've got future posts brewing from what He showed me. For now, I'll just share this photo I took yesterday morning just before a rainstorm came and chased me off the beach for the last time. :)

The indominatable Maya Angelou!

Don't break the elastic!

In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday.. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older.

And, there on television, she said it was 'exciting.'

Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day...like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first.



The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words!



Maya Angelou said this:
'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.'



'I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.'




'I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.'

'I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'

'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.'


'I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back..'




'I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.'




'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.'

'I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.'

'I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.'


'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'

Another share from another friend!

I really hope these all show up. I want to encourage you - and I know some of you have HUGE crosses to bear - but He knows, He cares, and He knows where YOU are going.




















Awesome!! We complain about the cross we bear but don't realize it is preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see and we can't. Whatever your cross, whatever your pain, there will always be sunshine, after the rain.... Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall; But God's always ready, to answer your call..... He knows every heartache, sees every tear, a word from His lips, can calm every fear... Your sorrows may linger, throughout the night, But suddenly vanish, dawn's early light... The Savior is waiting, somewhere above, to give you His grace, and send you His love...
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

Think on these things! :D

Hello, dear ones! Just a bit of light-hearted thought stuff today. I wanted you to know I'm thinking of you. :D

* Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind.

* You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future.

* Love... and you will be loved.

* All people smile in the same language.

* A hug is a great gift, one size fits all. It can be given for any occasion and it's easy to exchange.

* Everyone needs to be loved, especially when they do not deserve it.

* The real measure of a man's wealth is what he has invested in eternity.

* Laughter is liquid sunshine.

* Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it.

* It's important for parents to live the same things they teach.

* If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow, you have no today to be thankful for.

* Happy memories never wear out. Relive them as often as you want.

* Home is the place where we grumble the most, but are often treated the best.

* The choice you make today will usually affect tomorrow.

* If anyone speaks badly of you, live so none will believe it.

* Patience is the ability to idle your motor, when you feel like stripping your gears.

Everyday Hero

Hello, dear ones! I heard through the grapevine that maybe one or two of you missed me. :D I'm sorry I've been gone so long; I've got lots of thoughts brewing, but sometimes it takes me a LONG time to get a photo to go with it, or to get my thoughts to flow cohesively. :)

So I'm here today. And I want to tell you about a friend of mine.

We've never met in person. But I know she loves God with all her heart. No matter what her circumstances, she serves other people.

How do I know?

For one thing, she is passionate about ministering to the children of Haiti. She's gone on at least two mission trips (forgive me if I've forgotten earlier trips!), and her love for them and her desire to show them God's love is evident in every word she posts, every photo she shares.

For another, I have physical proof. Let me share some of what she wrote me:

I saw your FB (FaceBook to the uninitiated! :D) post about your theater friend needing clothes. A day before that, I had tried on the blue dress and was thinking about making it into a skirt. I love the material and print.... But then the Holy Spirit nudged me - I have enough skirts. Someone might need a dress. Then I read your FB note!....
Anyway, because of what God spoke to me about in Haiti concerning giving...and what the Holy Spirit prompted me about last week, I am sending these [clothing items] on to you for your friend or someone else in need....

Dear ones, I'm not going to tell you WHO this person is - she knows, and she would not thank me for "outing" her, because of the things God is teaching her about giving. :) But I want you to be AWARE of people like my friend, and AWARE of your surroundings. And that still, quiet voice of the Holy Spirit.

Many of us don't have much in the first place. But we can still give of ourselves, our time. Honestly? It's easier to throw money at a problem and go on about our lives than it is to invest of ourselves in "a problem" - that "problem" has a face, a heart, a LIFE. When you feel the tug of compassion, listen a little closer. What does GOD want you to do? I urge you, sisters and brothers, to LISTEN to Him. Take the time to let Him speak - don't just tell Him what you want. Be still, and listen. Let Him love you.

(Hmmm. This post took an unexpected turn, but someone needs it! :D)

Be blessed, dear one. Know that the King of kings loves YOU. And hopefully, it won't be so long when I come back. :D

Shared by a friend....

Good morning, dear ones! Today, I want to share with you something Becky - my dear friend!!! - shared with me last year. I've been saving it for a good time, and I feel the time is NOW. Be challenged, and BLESSED!

Ducks Quack - Eagles Soar
No one can make you serve customers well....that's because great service is a choice.
Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey .

He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, Harvey read the card.. It said: Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment....

This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.' My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice..' Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.'

Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today..'

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts...

'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.

He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself.. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'

'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally. 'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers.. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said.

'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.

Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.
How about us? Smile, and the whole world smiles with you.... The ball is in our hands!
A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up... Let us do good to all people.
Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar.

Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

Hello from SOGGY Nashville!

I imagine most of you know by now how devastated our part of the state is. I'm BLESSED beyond measure to be safe and dry, and to have my family so, as well. But I need to tell you: it's going to take a VERY long time for Nashville to recover, especially economically. This is the largest non-hurricane-related disaster in American history, and it will be the costliest.

So. Where you see a chance to help, help - and it doesn't even have to be HERE. There are people EVERYWHERE who have been devastated by something. :) We are CALLED to help others - it's part of who we are in Christ. And you can PRAY. Intervene for those who can't or don't know how to pray for themselves.

Two pictures to show you. The first one is one that was taken Friday, 24 hours before the deluge began. It's closer to the lake by maybe 10 feet than the sign in the second picture - which Kenn took TUESDAY morning. This is Old Hickory Lake, in case anyone's wondering!











I'm so grateful for those of you who have checked on us. :) I'm SO grateful for God's caring love - and the miracle that He protected SO many, when the death toll could have been incredible. (The speed with which the water rose on Sunday was more than most of us could comprehend!)

Thank you, dear ones. Be watchful, be servants, be ALL that you can be IN CHRIST! YOU ARE LOVED!

Please read, pray, and help out if you can!

Good morning, dear friends! I'm sorry I've been so GONE lately. I'm feeling overwhelmed off and on these days, but God's SO good! :) I just nestle in closer to Him, and we keep going on together. :)

Today, I want to share another person's blog with you. Her name is Sarah, and she's on the mission field. It's a HARD field, and I want you to go check it out:

http://sarahscovenanthomes.blogspot.com/

The reason I learned about Sarah's mission is because a friend of mine, Lori, told me the following story:

Here is the story I was telling you about the CP wheelchairs. One
thing I forgot to add is that I really didn't want to deliver food
that day. I almost called out. Here is the story I sent to my friends:


I am not sure if you know but I am helping my friend Sarah, who owns
Sarah's covenant homes in India
http://sarahscovenanthomes.blogspot.com/(, to raise money for Cerebral
palsy wheelchairs. Almost all of the 85 kids she has, have CP. They
have one CP wheelchair. Our women's ministry at church was gonna try
to raise money.

Today while delivering Meals on Wheels--a man was at a house I
delivered too and was talking about the new ramp that was built onto
this woman's house. He said he was from the Cerebral Palsy
organization of Middle Tn and that he was behind getting the ramp
material and labor donated to this woman. I started telling him about
Sarah's Covenant Home in India and that I was raising money for CP
wheelchairs and he looked at me and said --we have a whole warehouse
full and we have a program and we would ship to India. Tears started
falling from my eyes. I couldn't compose myself. It was God!!!


My friends, please at least add Sarah and her incredible work to your prayer list. Let her know you're praying! Encourage her!

OK, I'm going to run - I'm woefully behind in what I need to get done!!! - but know this: YOU ARE LOVED with an EVERLASTING LOVE! BE BLESSED!

Have you found YOUR tomato?

Please note: This is written by Kenn and I - he's the one talking throughout. :D I'm really excited to see where this leads - I feel God annointing it! So. Have you?

Not long ago, I posted a story on Facebook about how God provided a small but tasty miracle for me in the Kroger parking lot. We received many great comments about the story, and Lori and I believe that many of you have similar stories to tell. (For your reference, if you have not heard the story, it has been posted at the end of this message.)

I feel that I need to "invest" this story of God's providence, and the dividend I am looking for is the testimony of His provision and blessing in your lives. I know that God has touched all of you at one time or another, and we want to hear about it!

Lori and I would like you, our friends, to send us your stories. We have opened up a separate email account for this purose; it's myfoundtomato@aol.com Please email your stories to us there. If you send your story, you are agreeing to allow us to use it for a book! We're going to see if we can find a publisher for this project.

I attend a men's group from our church that meets early Tuesday morning. We spend an hour together; we worship, praise God, and then listen to a testimony from one of the men who attends. This week it was our worship pastor, Pastor Wayne, who had just returned from Africa.

This year, Pastor Wayne has been encouraging us as a congregation to be "sensitive" to the daily miracles that God provides for us. To emphasize this, he told a remarkable story of such a miracle that happened on this trip to Africa . Then our missions pastor, Bruce, told us of a small "miracle" that he had witnessed this week as well. Both of these events could be classified as divine appointments.

I do believe that God is at work in our lives constantly and continually. In the rush and hurry of our lives, we often overlook these workings, or sometimes even put them in the "luck" column; when something "bad" happens to us we either blame our bad luck or blame Satan. We rarely see how God is using even our misfortunes for our good.

The photo above is from the Nashville Farmers Market. I think tomatoes are one of God's miracles! Imagine: a seed placed in the ground has all the instructions in it to produce these lovely fruits. The seed lies next to its neighbor, is nourished by the same earth, watered by the same rain or irrigation, and basks in the same sun as its neighbor - but soon it's a tomato, not a cucumber.

Anyway . Tuesday afternoon, after The Gate, Lori and I meet for a rare movie event (rare because movies cost money and we have very little!). After the movie, we decided to save money on the day by eating at home instead of eating out, as was our custom before poverty. I would grill hamburgers, and we had some precut French fries in the freezer. I asked Lori if we had a tomato, but she said no; tomatoes were hard to come by - and, if you came by them, they have been really expensive.

Lori and I went our separate ways, and I decided to run over to Krogers to see what a couple of dollars could buy in produce. I was thinking maybe a grilled zucchini, or something similar.... I parked the car in the Kroger lot and was calling Lori to let her know where I stopped, when I looked down.

There, right in front of me in the Kroger parking lot, was a tomato. A beautiful, ripe, pristine tomato, no dents, no bruises; so perfect I could use it in a photo shoot, and it was right there in front of me.

I picked up the tomato and looked around to see if I could find who may have dropped it. With no one even close, I returned it to the car and thanked God for this little but greatly-appreciated miracle.

Synchronicity

Hello, my friends! I'm so glad you're here today! :)

Today, I want to chat a bit about synchronicity. Yeah, it's a big word. :D Use it in conversation sometime - it's worth at least 25¢!:D

What the heck is it? I'll give you Dictionary.com's definition, and then you'll STILL wanna know! :D

The state or fact of being synchronous or simultaneous; synchronism.
Coincidence of events that seem to be meaningfully related, conceived in Jungian theory as an explanatory principle on the same order as causality.

OK. So the way I'm using it is that one of the ways I know God's telling me to pay attention, that He's trying to say something to me, is by the same subject or Scripture coming up in two or more places.

Has that happened to you? It's happened to me - and actually to both Kenn and me! - a lot in the past year. We'll talk about something in Sunday school, then walk into church and hear something that goes hand-in-hand with that discussion. And it's not something that could be planned - we're walking through John in Sunday school, and our sermon series this year is on Heroes of the Faith; we're just beginning Moses. (There's another example of synchronicity for you! One Bible study I'm doing talked a bit about Moses, God gave me that post on Moses [scroll down!], and now we're studying Moses at church!)

It simply amazes me when God does this. :) I love knowing that He's guiding my thoughts to what He wants me to think about, He's telling me He's right here with me. It's a comfort knowing that I don't have to wonder what I'm supposed to be looking for, that He's showing me rather obviously. :D

Have you experienced this? How does it make YOU feel? What's He talking to YOU about? I want to know! :)

Be BLESSED, dear one. I'm so grateful that you're in my life! God LOVES you. He has a purpose for you, a plan to bless your heart. My prayer today is that you'll be super-sensitive to His leading, and all the little things He pours into your day to show you how much He loves you.

It's the 25th!

And that means today is "Work on something for Christmas!" Day!! :) We're only 275 days until Christmas - only 9 more months. And it will go FAST!

Today, I'm going to work on my gift list. I'm going to write down "people I WILL give to" and "people I'd LIKE to give to", and then write down ideas. Maybe even start on those ideas, if they're something I can start crafting now. I *always* procrastinate doing that, and then only half of what I want to do gets done! :)

What are YOU going to work on today?

What a walk we're on!

Hello, dear ones! I'm so glad you came to be with us today. :) It's a glorious day here in middle Tennessee; it's rapidly warming up, and the plants are growing at an almost-visible pace! It's amazing!

Today, I'd like to follow Moses on an interesting journey. I hadn't seen it before, but God opened my eyes in an unrelated Bible study a week or so ago, and I wanted to share what He showed me!

The first place I want us to look at is Exodus 3:6:
Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

Do you see what I see? So far, what we know about Moses is that he was the baby in the basket on the Nile who Pharaoh's daughter adopted. He was raised as a prince of Egypt, given the best of everything - including education.

At the age of 40, he was fleeing for his life because he murdered an Egyptian overseer, thinking he was doing a good thing for his people.

Now, at the age of 80, we find him leading his sheep across the desert. Talking to a bush.

:D

Anyway, back to the verse! Moses HID his face. He was afraid to look at God, even though God was in the form of an unconsumed, burning bush. He's not afraid to tell God no, however! God tells hime what he's going to do, and Moses says, "But, God...!"

For a whole chapter, God gives Moses signs and wonders, and Moses gives God excuses. (Hmmmm. Sounds familiar in my own life.) Finally, a whole chapter later, it says, "Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses..." (Ex. 4:14) Does anyone else see the humor in this? Or is it just me? The burning bush is now burning with anger! Oh, Moses.

But God leads Moses through a LOT in Egypt, growing his faith and his obedience. Know how I know? Because of our next Scripture!

Exodus 33:18:
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."

This SO excites me! In less than 30 chapters - but a WHOLE lot of walking out what God tells him to do! - Moses goes from being afraid to see God, to ASKING to see God.

What a journey! What a change of heart! What do YOU think had changed? I think that Moses had gone from not wanting to draw attention from the Most High to knowing that He loved him, little Moses, who had screwed up own his life. That Moses had learned that God was going to see him through this journey. That God kept His promises. That Moses had decided that he was sticking with God, earnestly seeking His presence.

Can you IMAGINE seeing God's glory?? Not just the EVIDENCE of it, but the glory itself?

But there's one more Scripture to look at, one more step in this journey. It makes me weep.

Numbers 12:6-8:
...he said, "Listen to my words:
"When a prophet of the LORD is among you,
I reveal myself to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams.

⁷ But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.

⁸ With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?"

Oh, dear one! This is GOD speaking about Moses! The Creator, the Most High, El Elyon - says He speaks face to face with Moses.

Does this give you hope for your own walk? Where do you fall on this "spectrum" today? Are you hiding from God? Are you asking God to reveal Himself? Or are you seeking to be intimate with Him, speaking face to face?

Moses made a lot of mistakes in his life. He wasn't perfect, by a long shot. But God loved him, walked with him, and talked to him. Face to face.

I stand in awe, and thank God for showing me Moses. Because He showed me that, no matter where I fall on that spectrum of my walk with Him, I'm walking. And some day, I will see Him face to face.

Be encouraged, dear one. God LOVES you. No matter where you are, He'll meet you. He met Moses. He called to Moses. He's calling to you.

Even if you hide your face, LISTEN.

Posting about SHE SPEAKS! conference....

Hi, dear ones. Perhaps you've noticed the Proverbs 31 Ministries link in my sidebar; have you ever gone to check it out? Well, they have a conference yearly for speakers and writers called SHE SPEAKS - and I've made that a link to their home page.

Why am I writing about it this weekend?

Well, for a long time, I've gone through a dry spell where I haven't had a dream, or any real goal. I have been waiting patiently, pleading with God to make this area of my life come alive again. It's not fun just walking in the dark! Can I get an AMEN? :D

In the last two weeks, an old desire has started again. I'm still waiting to hear clarification, but that desire is for women's ministry. I don't know if it's going to be speaking (I MISS public speaking!) or writing here on my blog (and I KNOW y'all would appreciate a little consistency on my part.... :D). All I know is, God's lit that desire again.

And where He leads, He provides the way. I know that 100%. So this post is my way of giving Him the chance! :) I'm entering for a scholarship to the conference this year. I'm not even sure which track I'd want to go through - speaking, writing, and women's ministry! All places I feel tugs! :D

Since most of you know our financial situation, I'd like to ask that, if you feel led, you join me in praying that, ONLY if this is His will, He will open doors. If you feel led, I'd love to have you ask Him to start to focus that desire - I'm not going to take a step without Him moving me! He's gotta go before me, or I'm not going! :D And if I do happen to get a scholarship, there will be the expenses to cover - more prayer!

If you would like to learn more about getting a scholarship, please visit Lysa's blog at this post!

I can't WAIT to see what God's going to do. He is SO good; I want to be used to touch women's hearts for Him.

Thank you for your prayers, for reading this, and for walking in expectation of His moving with me! :) I love and appreciate each one of you. God loves you, dear one, SO much. I pray that you'll know, without a shadow of a doubt, that God's surrounding you with His loving arms. Rest in HIM, dear one! BE BLESSED!

Another few funnies! :D

I'll be writing a serious post this weekend sometime, but wanted to give you some more to smile about. :D It's IMPORTANT! "A cheerful heart doeth GOOD, like a medicine!" YOU ARE LOVED!

The Sunday school teacher was carefully explaining the story of Elijah the Prophet and the false prophets of Baal. She explained how Elijah built the altar, put wood upon it, cut the steer in pieces, and laid it upon the altar. And then, Elijah commanded the people of God to fill four barrels of water and pour it over the altar. He had them do this four times.
"Now," said the teacher, "can anyone in the class tell me why the Lord would have Elijah pour water over the steer on the altar?"
A little girl in the back of the room started waving her hand, "I know I know!" she said, "To make the gravy!"

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LOT'S WIFE:
The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, "My Mummy looked back once, while she was driving," he
announced triumphantly "and she turned into a telephone pole!"

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GOOD SAMARITAN:
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead. She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama.
Then, she asked the class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?"
A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, "I think I'd throw up."

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DID NOAH FISH?
A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark?"
"No," replied Johnny. "How could he, with just two worms?"

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HIGHER POWER:
A Sunday school teacher said to her children, "We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a higher power. Can anybody tell me what it is?"
One child blurted out, "Aces!"

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MOSES & THE RED SEA:
Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday school. "Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then, he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent
bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved."
"Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked.
"Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!"

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THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD:
A Sunday school teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible, Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the verse.
Little Rick was excited about the task -- but, he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.
On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Rickey was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly,
"The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know."

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Kids and Prayers

UNANSWERED PRAYER?
The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why.
"Well, Honey," he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages, "I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon."
"How come He doesn't do it?" she asked.

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EXPRESS PRAYER
Our son had only heard his grandfather pray at Thanksgiving, Easter and other special occasions, when he, typically, said a long prayer over the food.
One night, after a fun camp-out and fishing trip, grandfather (to our son's surprise) asked for a very brief blessing on the food.
With a gleam in his eye, our son grinned at his grandfather and said, "You don't pray so long when you're hungry, do you Grandpa?"

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TIME TO PRAY
A pastor asked a little boy if he said his prayers every night.
"Yes sir," the boy replied.
"And, do you always say them in the morning, too?" the pastor asked.
"No sir," the boy replied. "I ain't scared in the daytime."

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ALL MEN / ALL GIRLS?
When my daughter, Kelli, was 3, she and my son, Cody, would say their nightly prayers together.
As most children do, we have to bless every family member, every friend, and every animal (current and past).
For several weeks, after we had finished the nightly prayer, Kelli would say, "And all girls." As this soon became part of her nightly routine, to include this at the end, my curiosity got the best of me and I asked her, "Kelli, why do you always add the part about all girls?"
Her response, "Because we always finish our prayers by saying 'All Men'!"

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SAY A PRAYER
Little Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother's house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When little Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away.
"Johnny, wait until we say our prayer."
"I don't have to," The boy replied.
"Of course, you do," his mother insisted.
"We say a prayer, before eating, at our house."
"That's our house," Johnny explained. "But this is Grandma's house and she knows how to cook!"

Live, love, LAUGH!

Anyone else need a little light-hearted fun dropped into your day? I got this from a friend months ago, and decided today was a good day to share. :)
YOU ARE LOVED!

Christian One Liners

Don't let your worries get the best of you; Remember, Moses started out as a basket case.

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Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited
Until you try to sit in their pews.

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Many folks want to serve God,
But only as advisers.

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It is easier to preach ten sermons
Than it is to live one.

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The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose,
But mosquitoes come close.

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When you get to your wit's end,
You'll find God lives there.

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People are funny; they want the front of the bus,
Middle of the road,
And back of the church.

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Opportunity may knock once,
But temptation bangs on the front door forever.

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Quit griping about your church;
If it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

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If a church wants a better minister,
It only needs to pray for the one it has.

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We're called to be witnesses, not lawyers or Judges.

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God Himself doesn't propose to judge a man until
he is dead. So why should you?

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Some minds are like concrete
Thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

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Peace starts with a smile.

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I don't know why some people change churches;
What difference does it make which one you stay home from?

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A lot of church members singing 'Standing on the Promises'
Are just sitting on the premises.

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Be ye fishers of men. You catch 'em - He'll clean 'em.

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Stop, Drop, and Roll won't work in Hell.

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Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

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Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

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Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.

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Forbidden fruits create many jams.

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God doesn't call the qualified,
He qualifies the called.

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God grades on the cross, not the curve.

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God loves everyone,
But probably prefers 'fruits of the spirit' over 'religious nuts!'

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God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

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He who angers you, controls you!

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If God is your Co-pilot, swap seats!

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Prayer:
Don't give God instructions, just report for duty!

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The task ahead of us is never as
great as the Power behind us.

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The Will of God never takes you to where the
Grace of God will not protect you.

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We don't change the message,
The message changes us.

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You can tell how big a person is
By what it takes to discourage him.

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The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:
1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.