Well, it has been a while since I've written, so I thought I should make an effort.
My last post was difficult and things remain the same. This situation is very frustrating and painful, but the Lord himself said that he didn't come to bring peace, but a sword. I don't know why we expect to have everything be easy and painless. It certainly wasn't for our Lord and we are to follow him. I'm trying to be positive and trust the Lord to bring about his will.
It sure seems the whole world has gone crazy and there is so much negative in the news. I try not to watch too much of it though, but it does appear that the Lord's return isn't far off. I've had a few dreams about that, and am seeking him more and more as I want to be sure to be found in him when he returns!
On a lighter, happier note, I met a new friend on facebook who lives just minutes away from me! I'm so excited to finally make a friend who lives close enough to actually get together and have fellowship with one another! Don't get me wrong, I love ALL my facebook friends and have been strengthened and challenged by many of them.
As far as I can tell, thus far, we have much in common and she knows how to do many of the things I want to learn about living more simply and self-sufficient, doing what I can to help my family out. I may not make the money but I can certainly help save it! Our Lord really does supply our EVERY need...even the need for a friend and mentor!
Goodness, I almost forgot :) We also have put in an order for some chicks due to arrive on the 26th! 8 Barred Rocks! They are pretty black and white. Suppose to be good egg producers. Our little farm is growing!
Have a blessed day!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
What a time of testing I seem to be going through these days.
I believe there is a war going on, a spiritual battle for souls...even souls who belong to Christ. Especially those of us who belong to Christ because the enemy already has the souls of the lost. It seems as I seek the Lord for His direction and search His Word more diligently, the harder the enemy fights to pull me back.
The Lord has been speaking to me for some time now about my love for Him and whether or not I am a true follower of His...
'If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.' Luke 9:23-24.
I have come to the realization that I haven't truly trusted the Lord.
As I said, He's been speaking to me in a few different areas and I haven't obeyed for fear of losing something, someone, or what others would think of me.
Am I really willing to give up everything to follow Him?
Oh! help me Lord! My flesh is still alive and well and it needs to die.
I once heard Joyce Meyer say, 'The only way to kill something is to stop feeding it.' WOW! So profound yet so simple!
Another sister shared something the other day about, "How to be perfectly miserable' and of course, it was all regarding feeding self!
A couple of lines that hit me hard were:
Be sensitive to slights
Demand agreement with your own views on everything
Insist on consideration and respect.
I'm thankful the Lord has brought these to my attention as much as it hurts, but I want to be humble and teachable and more than anything else to be counted worthy to be called His child and disciple.
Yesterday I was challenged by someone close to me that if I really followed the Bible I would turn my back on them. That was something I had to look at and I talked to my Pastor about what that scripture really means.
Too many take scripture out of context or don't read the full passage but pick and choose whatever fits the situation at the time, especially non-believers.
Well, I haven't forever turned my back on this person, but have for the sake of my own peace of mind, removed them from my friend list so that I will not be tempted to follow their comments and status on facebook. Because of this, there most likely will be a time of separation. This person may even choose to turn their back on me and knowing I have done the right thing, I will, with the Lord's help, be at peace.
I believe there is a war going on, a spiritual battle for souls...even souls who belong to Christ. Especially those of us who belong to Christ because the enemy already has the souls of the lost. It seems as I seek the Lord for His direction and search His Word more diligently, the harder the enemy fights to pull me back.
The Lord has been speaking to me for some time now about my love for Him and whether or not I am a true follower of His...
'If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.' Luke 9:23-24.
I have come to the realization that I haven't truly trusted the Lord.
As I said, He's been speaking to me in a few different areas and I haven't obeyed for fear of losing something, someone, or what others would think of me.
Am I really willing to give up everything to follow Him?
Oh! help me Lord! My flesh is still alive and well and it needs to die.
I once heard Joyce Meyer say, 'The only way to kill something is to stop feeding it.' WOW! So profound yet so simple!
Another sister shared something the other day about, "How to be perfectly miserable' and of course, it was all regarding feeding self!
A couple of lines that hit me hard were:
Be sensitive to slights
Demand agreement with your own views on everything
Insist on consideration and respect.
I'm thankful the Lord has brought these to my attention as much as it hurts, but I want to be humble and teachable and more than anything else to be counted worthy to be called His child and disciple.
Yesterday I was challenged by someone close to me that if I really followed the Bible I would turn my back on them. That was something I had to look at and I talked to my Pastor about what that scripture really means.
Too many take scripture out of context or don't read the full passage but pick and choose whatever fits the situation at the time, especially non-believers.
Well, I haven't forever turned my back on this person, but have for the sake of my own peace of mind, removed them from my friend list so that I will not be tempted to follow their comments and status on facebook. Because of this, there most likely will be a time of separation. This person may even choose to turn their back on me and knowing I have done the right thing, I will, with the Lord's help, be at peace.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy New Year!
2011!
Amazing and awesome that the Lord has seen fit to bring me to this point in life.
Well, as I look back on the beginning of last year, I see that once again I let life get in the way of accomplishing what I know to be of great importance. My health! Physically and spiritually!
Here I am at my heaviest and struggling with depression and anxiety like never before. Getting this weight under control will be a BIG help but I know from before when I lost it that it doesn't solve all of your problems. There is a much deeper issue that I've yet to uncover.
The only one who can hold you back from achieving your dreams is yourself, right?
Here I am again Lord! Without You I am nothing and I need Your strength, grace, and mercy to be the person You have created me to be. You know my hearts desire to truly know You and serve You. You said in Your Word that if I seek You I will find You if I search for You with all of my heart. Lord, I'm searching. Please remove any obstacles that are in the way of my finding Your Truth for my life. Amen.
Since becoming a member of the Facebook community I have made many new friends of various beliefs and this has caused me to question my own. Sometimes it is a good thing to be challenged to grow in your faith but the Word also warns about being deceived and tossed about by every wind of teaching. That is what I don't want and that is where I am uncertain. All I want is to please the Lord and learn and grow into the person He would have me to be! I have learned to compare everything to Scripture yet I've also learned that even the Scriptures can be misinterpreted and that what we have today is not what the early church had for their Scriptures.
So, having said all of that, I'm off to find the Truth.
Please keep me in your prayers!
Amazing and awesome that the Lord has seen fit to bring me to this point in life.
Well, as I look back on the beginning of last year, I see that once again I let life get in the way of accomplishing what I know to be of great importance. My health! Physically and spiritually!
Here I am at my heaviest and struggling with depression and anxiety like never before. Getting this weight under control will be a BIG help but I know from before when I lost it that it doesn't solve all of your problems. There is a much deeper issue that I've yet to uncover.
The only one who can hold you back from achieving your dreams is yourself, right?
Here I am again Lord! Without You I am nothing and I need Your strength, grace, and mercy to be the person You have created me to be. You know my hearts desire to truly know You and serve You. You said in Your Word that if I seek You I will find You if I search for You with all of my heart. Lord, I'm searching. Please remove any obstacles that are in the way of my finding Your Truth for my life. Amen.
Since becoming a member of the Facebook community I have made many new friends of various beliefs and this has caused me to question my own. Sometimes it is a good thing to be challenged to grow in your faith but the Word also warns about being deceived and tossed about by every wind of teaching. That is what I don't want and that is where I am uncertain. All I want is to please the Lord and learn and grow into the person He would have me to be! I have learned to compare everything to Scripture yet I've also learned that even the Scriptures can be misinterpreted and that what we have today is not what the early church had for their Scriptures.
So, having said all of that, I'm off to find the Truth.
Please keep me in your prayers!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
I Give My Life To The Potter's Hands
I awoke with a song in my heart this morning that we have been learning in church. I don't even know it completely yet but this is what I heard..."Take me...mold me...use me...fill me...I give my life to the Potter's hands." It is a beautiful song and I can here Jane singing her beautiful alto part from the piano and it just warms my heart :)
It isn't always easy to be clay in the Potter's hands but I have to remember the beautiful person that will be when He is finished if I will just yield to the process.
The last few weeks have been tough..as in my last post I talked about how my father had been admitted to the hospital the day after Christmas. Well, he passed away January 5th at 4:45 am as his heart slowed and finally just stopped. My husband and I, along with my sisters(and Mark), flew to Florida to try and take care of things there and Steve and I drove daddy's car back. It was a whirlwind and I feel as though I'm still whirling! I miss him so and I'm thankful I had the opportunity to talk to him and tell him I loved him but somehow it just doesn't seem to be enough. Realizing it is just part of the process, this is where the yielding comes in and where it is hard and uncomfortable being pinched, smooshed and flattened it seems! I have to trust in the Lord. I also hear a few old sayings such as, "This too shall pass" and "It is the process of being processed" and my favorite "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger."
Saturday we'll be having a memorial service and I need to prepare for that. We didn't get to do that for momma and I think it is important that we do it now. I'm sure you'll be hearing from me after that. Thanks for listening to me rant and I hope it made sense.
~Blessings!
It isn't always easy to be clay in the Potter's hands but I have to remember the beautiful person that will be when He is finished if I will just yield to the process.
The last few weeks have been tough..as in my last post I talked about how my father had been admitted to the hospital the day after Christmas. Well, he passed away January 5th at 4:45 am as his heart slowed and finally just stopped. My husband and I, along with my sisters(and Mark), flew to Florida to try and take care of things there and Steve and I drove daddy's car back. It was a whirlwind and I feel as though I'm still whirling! I miss him so and I'm thankful I had the opportunity to talk to him and tell him I loved him but somehow it just doesn't seem to be enough. Realizing it is just part of the process, this is where the yielding comes in and where it is hard and uncomfortable being pinched, smooshed and flattened it seems! I have to trust in the Lord. I also hear a few old sayings such as, "This too shall pass" and "It is the process of being processed" and my favorite "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger."
Saturday we'll be having a memorial service and I need to prepare for that. We didn't get to do that for momma and I think it is important that we do it now. I'm sure you'll be hearing from me after that. Thanks for listening to me rant and I hope it made sense.
~Blessings!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Week 2
If first you don't succeed, analyze what went wrong and try a new approach!
Last week didn't go so great :( Actually it wasn't a total loss because I ate acceptable foods, but I overate and didn't fill out my food journal consistently.
The day after Christmas my father ended up in ICU with congestive heart failure and I just fell apart. I've been struggling with depression for some time now and this incident was the straw that broke the camels back so to speak. Through all of this and the holiday season I've seen the Lord's hand at work in my life. He's so good to me and His love continues to amaze me!
It's a new week, new day and I'm not going to let the enemy discourage me!
Already this morning the Spirit has been speaking to me and for that I'm truly grateful! One very important verse jumped off the page at me which I want to share with you.
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11. I've read this verse many times before, but today it reminded me that discipline is necessary. Many people I talk to and share with about what I'm doing say that it is too rigid or strict, another form of bondage! I use to feel that way too, but I'm reminded that my way hasn't achieved for me the results I want (or what I believe the Lord wants for me) therefore, it's time to follow someone with the fruit on the tree! Of course the people with the negative opinions don't have the fruit I'm looking for. There's a shocker!
For some time now, I've been led to live a different life from the the way the world lives and have gotten much grief because of it, but the Word promises that if we obey the Lord and follow His ways we will be blessed. It also promises that we will have tribulation and persecution just as the Lord himself had and that we should rejoice and be glad to share in His sufferings. I'm not quite there yet I must confess, but my desire is to please Him and that is what I am focusing on, not what the world thinks! I've followed the way of the world most of my life and we all know where that has gotten me! Again, If at first you don't succeed, analyze what went wrong and try a new approach. Hmmm....follow God or the world?
Last week didn't go so great :( Actually it wasn't a total loss because I ate acceptable foods, but I overate and didn't fill out my food journal consistently.
The day after Christmas my father ended up in ICU with congestive heart failure and I just fell apart. I've been struggling with depression for some time now and this incident was the straw that broke the camels back so to speak. Through all of this and the holiday season I've seen the Lord's hand at work in my life. He's so good to me and His love continues to amaze me!
It's a new week, new day and I'm not going to let the enemy discourage me!
Already this morning the Spirit has been speaking to me and for that I'm truly grateful! One very important verse jumped off the page at me which I want to share with you.
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11. I've read this verse many times before, but today it reminded me that discipline is necessary. Many people I talk to and share with about what I'm doing say that it is too rigid or strict, another form of bondage! I use to feel that way too, but I'm reminded that my way hasn't achieved for me the results I want (or what I believe the Lord wants for me) therefore, it's time to follow someone with the fruit on the tree! Of course the people with the negative opinions don't have the fruit I'm looking for. There's a shocker!
For some time now, I've been led to live a different life from the the way the world lives and have gotten much grief because of it, but the Word promises that if we obey the Lord and follow His ways we will be blessed. It also promises that we will have tribulation and persecution just as the Lord himself had and that we should rejoice and be glad to share in His sufferings. I'm not quite there yet I must confess, but my desire is to please Him and that is what I am focusing on, not what the world thinks! I've followed the way of the world most of my life and we all know where that has gotten me! Again, If at first you don't succeed, analyze what went wrong and try a new approach. Hmmm....follow God or the world?
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Week 1 Accomplished!
This week went by pretty fast. I was feeling good about going to the meeting last night, proud of myself for the job I'd done this past week when I was softly reminded by the Spirit that it was He who brings any and all success of mine to pass! Granted, it does take my willingness, but it is His power alone that brings about victory in my life. I have to also remind myself that it is not so much about the weight I lose or what size I wish to be, but about being obedient to the Spirit's leading and listening to Him when I hear Him say, "do you really need to eat that?" It's about eating to live and not living to eat. It's about filling that void with Him and not with food. "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." As long as I keep that at the front of my mind, victory will follow!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Today Is The Day!
Good morning! I've finally made this blog! Funny how before I started typing I had all kinds of thoughts of what to say. I still do. I just have to sort them out. Well here we go....
This blog will be about lots of things but today I'm concentrating on weight loss! Anyone who knows me is probably thinking, "Here she goes again," as I have been here many times before. It is okay though. They would be right. Today is the day I stop whining and complaining about how things are and actually get busy doing something about it! I've done it before and I know what it takes so it really shouldn't be that difficult, right? HA! Knowing what it takes and how difficult it truly is is why I've decided to join a group. I hear an old friend in my ear saying, "You don't have to do it alone." Why is it that many of us think that way? That there is something wrong with asking for help? Well, I'm convinced that being a part of a group will make the difference. Just knowing that you're not alone and others are experiencing what you are really helps. There really is power in numbers so tonight at 6pm I'll be attending my first meeting. I'm filled with many different feelings. This is the heaviest I've ever been and I know what a long road I have ahead of me but God is good and will be with me all the way! Well, I'm off to weigh, measure and take a before picture. Yippee!
~Blessings
This blog will be about lots of things but today I'm concentrating on weight loss! Anyone who knows me is probably thinking, "Here she goes again," as I have been here many times before. It is okay though. They would be right. Today is the day I stop whining and complaining about how things are and actually get busy doing something about it! I've done it before and I know what it takes so it really shouldn't be that difficult, right? HA! Knowing what it takes and how difficult it truly is is why I've decided to join a group. I hear an old friend in my ear saying, "You don't have to do it alone." Why is it that many of us think that way? That there is something wrong with asking for help? Well, I'm convinced that being a part of a group will make the difference. Just knowing that you're not alone and others are experiencing what you are really helps. There really is power in numbers so tonight at 6pm I'll be attending my first meeting. I'm filled with many different feelings. This is the heaviest I've ever been and I know what a long road I have ahead of me but God is good and will be with me all the way! Well, I'm off to weigh, measure and take a before picture. Yippee!
~Blessings
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