THE FOOTSTOOL

I hear 

each day is a new day let us rejoice and be glad! So in the midst of things sometimes being difficult, I want to live this out.

I realize I can't do it on my own. I need God to show up.

I recently was reminded by author Kristi McClelland that we "Kingdom Adventures".

Immediately I reacted with, huh? Adventure. I didn't like that word for us moms who are holding down the fort, caring for the sick, feeling sometimes sick ourselves, relational dealings...on and on. But as I was reading the bible and then remember my own adventures (sometimes daily), I reframed the biblical definition in which I choose to live and the word can work.

After all as a teacher, I started my preschoolers day to run around singing in cowboy hates getting our minds and bodies going for a new day with the song, "The Greatest Adventure" by Steven Curtis Chapman. I believed sharing that Jesus makes a way where there seems to be no way and that is an adventure.

Like. 

Sitting reading my bible and a thought pops in my mind. You should get a little stool to put your feet on as you read.  LOL! Then I look up on market place for one and I make an inquiry and before you know it, I kid you not, I am in my car going to pick it up! This lady and her husband were selling alot of stuff trying to downsize for a big move. They both have had very serious health issues. Her story was so inspiring to hear. I asked if I could pray for them in their next steps. They did not want to leave this farm they were on but God was leading them elsewhere. She cried as I prayed. I asked if she knew Jesus personally and she said yes! She said this was divine appointment for her day. She needed to hear from God. God used me to hear that He was with her for 20 years in this house and now He has another plan and will be with her there also.

You see I went on an adventure! She is going on a new adventure! You are going on an adventure! It to me is God's reassurance in small ways that he want to console, love and be there all the time. He uses us in organic ways to do that. I could have never imagined that would happen that day. God showed himself to me personally through meeting this women and it made my day. It dimmed and frustration I was experiencing at the time. I had my eyes on the prize, Jesus. Lift up our eyes to the heaven, where does our help come from? 

We must look into the eyes of the Father and let Him take care of the rest. 

Let's pray:

Father in your world you bring us to adventures and we need to see you. Thank you. It's in my DNA to know you and love you and want to see you! Thank you for the good you bring daily when we ask. Guide me constantly in this way. Amen.

In the end I know that Jesus is my "FOOTSTOOL" guiding me on great Adventures.

SPA TREATMENT

 As I sat in the spa quiet room. I rested and made a prayer for my time. "Lord show me how to rest and speak to me." I waited and waited, but let me add my mind raced with "When the timer goes off I will go here and do this and what about texting that....blah.blah,blah."

mind racing...

I did see in my mind-Be still and know that I am God. But I sort of thought to myself...that can't be it I know that verse that is nothing new. New I wanted something new! 

mind racing...continues

Be Still

mind racing...continues

Ahhh, I have so much that I am allowing my brain to think. Lord, help me with my thoughts.

Each time a racing thought came to my mind, I thought, no! stop it! It took sometime to stop. But I was persistent in asking God to help me. Help me I got a problem here. I sensed this, God was showing me that I do this all the time and don't allow my brain to be quiet. I continue to examine my heart with tears in my eyes. Then I really did rest in a worship song and the flashing ticker tape in my mind... BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

It is a week later and my beautiful moment with the Lord continues to teach me and resonate with my heart. The Holy Spirit shows me this in a loving, gentle way!

Priceless! The spa treatment was the best I could have asked or ordered up! No other treatment needed! I wanted other treatments but I needed this one.

God as you spread your word over the world asking us to be still and know, help many in the world to respond. Respond and be healed. We have a epic problem. Thank you for your healing power.

This story continues. I was fixed on determination and realized what verse do you give me Lord. I open up my bible study homework and there it was. 

Luke 9:51 When the days were coming to a close for Him (Lord Jesus)  to be taken up, He determined, to journey to Jerusalem. 

determination, resolution, steadfast, set your face to go

All of these words are used in different versions of the bible. Jesus had just cast out demons and he knew His time was short. He was determined to finish His work here on earth. He took His disciples through Samaria to go to Jerusalem. Everywhere He was going was becoming more dangerous. People loved Him or hated Him. He goes on to say, "For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

Just like Jesus we must pray for strength and ask God to help us complete the work here on earth with determination.

Jesus truly is the best "Spa treatment" for all eternity in fact.

GRAPPLE YET GROW

I thanked God that he creates space where I am vulnerable allowing me to "grapple yet grow".

This is what I wrote in a 2 minute speech. Recently I prayed about this speech and I woke up on Nov. 12 at 5 am and it was time. Time to write with no edits the catch phrase, GRAPPLE YET GROW. God is so good. Amongst all the words God was helping convey this came out of no where.

Grapple-engage in a close fight or struggle without weapon; wrestle

Many of our faith founders in the bible grappled. We as believers are grappling many things at once. 

I picture it like a juggler and his colorful balls, each ball with a name on it like:

grappling with; friendships, family, health, co-workers.

Each of my balls as it gets tossed up seems to constantly be going round and stirring me up. I pray no weapon formed against me will prosper. 

I love that some answers of these come fast! Yet others continue to go around. When the answered prayer comes and that ball get tossed out of the game, don't you know another ball gets added. But like the word grapple defines, they aren't real weapons, it is a struggle.

I was praying for the chance to meet new people. It seemed for ever life was stagnant, a struggle. Can you believe my husband and I were sitting in a restaurant and the couple next to us starting talking or maybe I talked first, but anyway, we had so much in common that we have gone out for months now meeting and catching up. Wait for it! Their names are Mary and Joseph. I love saying we are meeting up with Mary and Joseph.

I found a item on marketplace FB and when I picked it up I talked with the lady and was so blessed it led to us praying for her and her husband's health. That happened all in a day that began with prayer, reflection and asking for opportunities to share. As I was driving over to pick up the item I was excited to see if God would use me. That morning I was reading that the word angel appears in the bible more than the word love. Not that we worship angels. In context it means God uses them for revealing, conveying and administering to His people. Just like He commissions us to do. God uses the testimony for His glory. 

I am writing all this to say, at the same time we are grappling, God is moving to answer prayer, grow us up in Him. It is His amazing grace that stretches us to pay attention to His word and gives us a chance to not rely on ourselves and our emotions. 

The Holy Spirit's timing is perfect. We will be able to say the things that need to be said in difficult situations if we hang in there and wait on Him.

There is so much to be said about every day living and grappling. But me telling all my stories may inspire you but it's really your journey and His leading that will grow you. Get with someone and pray about everything. 

It will open the door of love and make your path straight just as the Lord promised. Proverbs. 3:6-7

Let's pray:

Lord I am grappling with.......help me to wait on you and your opportunities where we will figure things out and grow. IN Jesus name I pray Amen.

Juggling is something that is learned and you get better with time so it is with Grapple yet Grow.

THIS IS A DAY

Sitting, Thinking, praying, being, doing the right thing, watching, listening, waiting...all things we do in a day. 

Making a cup of coffee I looked down at the tea cup with tulips, hydrangeas, and lilacs a very nice gift I recently received for my birthday. I had received a vcry pretty similar tea cup. Which should I use?

Once again another decision to make in my day. 

I could think of it as a tea cups for two. 

The world brings us to many decisions in a day. What a good problem to have two delightful tea cups.

At times I can be critical, analyzing so many things:  the news, the dress someone is wearing, my class I'm in (what went wrong, what they should have done).

Do you ever catch yourself being critical? Our family catches one another and when they do they yell, "Critical spirit or you are stirring the pot."

As I catch myself doing it, I pray Lord stop this critical spirit. 

I tell you a story. I realized while waiting to buy a cup of coffee at camp, what could I be doing right now? I was convicted asking, "What I was doing in the line of the coffee shop."

1. complaining- trying to understand why so many kids were in the line for coffee! This is what's wrong with our country. Why do parents supply the money for kids to get over $5 coffee? Why do so many kids need coffee?

2.  I feel crazy. I'm an adult I'm justified to have coffee, I should ask to move in front of them. I kept picturing myself asking to move ahead in the line.

3.  Then I stopped and in the moment remembering I'm here at camp as a student leader. This is their time. Ugh! Hit my head! (not really but really)

4.  I turned to a boy behind me and started up a conversation; where are you from, how are you liking camp, what do you like about camp. I was delighted to learn so much about him Before I knew it I was at the beginning of the line ordering my coffee with my new friend. 

Do you know every time I saw this boy around camp we connected and talked. It made camp even more than I expected.

Establish our purpose. Serve others. Care for others. Stop focusing on myself.

 I would like to add another camp story. I went to camp with sixth grade girls after hearing the gospel completely the camp speaker sent the students outside in the beauty of nature for ten minutes of quiet time. At the end of the time we went to the cabin to talk. Many of the girls were deeply considering their quiet time. 

Here is what one girl said, "I felt clean. I felt a desire to talk to God. I felt cleansed. Sin was taken out of me. I get like a second chance. I asked, "What's the feeling?" To which she replied, "It's inexplainable. I felt something come into me. I felt peace."

That declaration meant so much to me, I have been telling so many this precious commitment this young girl made. What a delight.