12/21/12

Today is 12/20/12..the day before 12/21/12. Many are speculating that the end of the world will be tomorrow since the that's the end of the Mayan Calendar. The bible states that no one knows the day or the hour and that only the Father knows. I do not believe the world will end tomorrow but it could happen at any min or any second. That's why Jesus states to stay awake and be on guard, to be ready when he does come back!! Some intresting things happened today though that I would like to share..#1: It's supposed to be 33 degrees tonight. #2: My dinner bill at Thai place was $33.71. #3: if you add 2 plus 1 you get 3..so tomorrow is 333. See previous posts about 3:33 and the significance..

school hope

Last Thursday December 13th 2012, Lily came home to work on a project for Martin Luther King JR poster competition for her school. She drew a picture of a girl and an American flag. She needed quotes from Martin Luther so she looked some up on the internet and chose one that states "I Have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together, and so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream." She turned the poster in the next day, on fri the 14th. As we are all aware that was the day of the horrible school shooting in CT. My heart just broke and broke and it's still breaking for those precious kids and families. My cousin went to school there 20 years ago in K and 1st grade..so I guess it really hit me. On Sunday I went to my church at Niceville UMC and Pastor Jeremy preached on "Hope." He was talking about our hope is not in this world but in Eternity and In Jesus ALONE! He alone is our hope and salvation!!! Praise GOD for that!!!!!! He also talked about Zechariah and how he was mute after seeing the Angel and then became unmute and said he Praised God in Luke Chapter 3. I started reading his praise to God and it was exactly what lily had printed on her poster! I didn't even know that it was a scripture verse at the time. I am so proud of Lily standing up and being a witness for her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in her public school. Many people were saying our nation as a whole has gotten away from God and they wonder then why bad things happen. It's called God gives us all free will and that guy made the wrong decision and so doing many lives were lost. Jesus by no means didn't want this to happen. He wants us all to choose him and to do the right thing. I personally think this man didn't know Jesus and maybe never knew what it's like to feel love.. Now I have more zeal to share/show my love for others as Jesus would have me do and make sure My kids know that I love them. On monday the announcement was made over the PA at lily's school that she got honorable mention on her poster!!! I was so excited. What is the chance of that being turned in on the day of a school catastrophe and then her choosing that quote and then it turned out to be a verse from the bible and then her getting honorable mention? It's totally a God thing!!! He's reminding us all that it's all about him!! He's in control and we are not. I also feel like the enemy is prowling around seeking someone to devour..he may think that he has won by sapping everyone of their joy around the celebration of Jesus' birth. He wants to distract us from what we are meant to celebrate at this time of year, to take our eyes off Jesus and to focus on this tragedy and the crazy news. We all need to keep our eyes on our Savior and he gives us HOPE, JOY, PEACE, LOVE, PATIENCE. Thank you God for sending us your son who shines his light in the darkness. In Him we move and have our being!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

strength and joy

Last Wednesday as I was going to church I was feeling extremely run down, no energy, etc. I had just gone to Disney the week before with my precious family and my husband!!! He got home from Afghanistan 1 week before Thanksgiving and surprised me :)...so needless to say we got home on a Thursday from Disney (exactly at 3:33 by the way) and then the next day I had to start my On call rotation from work, which totally drained me..so any energy I did have was taken away by that). So back to my story..I was crossing the street to go into the CLC at church for dinner and I just said aloud "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." I just happened to look down at the shirt that I forgot that I had put on and I said " Oh my Gosh, It matches my shirt!!" My shirt said the same verse. So I go up to bible study after dinner and we begin our study and Amanda our leader is reading out of our bible study book "Christian to the Core" and read "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." I guess he really wanted me to know that yes I can do all things through him who gives me strength! I usually notice that God usually says things 3 times to get our attention in case we don't get it the first 2 times :) The next day I was reading my bible/devotionals that is part of my routine in the mornings and I was fixing to go hear our Pastor speak on "JOY" at my bible study group for the Christmas Luncheon. I also had been feeling that my Joy has been sucked out of me due to hustle and bustle of life, our house on the market, and just trying to get back to a sense of normalcy since Josh had returned..don't get me wrong I am/was super happy that he was back but other things have just worn me down to complete and utter exhaustion! So I start reading my Jesus Calling devotional and this is what it said: "Stay ever so close to me, and you will not deviate from my path I have prepared for you. This is the most efficient way to stay on track; it is also the most enjoyable way. Men tend to multiply duties in their observance of religion. This practice enables them to give me money, time, and work without yielding to me what I desire the most-their hearts. Rules can be observed mechanically. Once they become habitual, they can be following with minimal effort and almost no thought. These habit forming rules provide a false sense of security, lulling the soul into a comatose condition. What I search for in my children is an awakened soul that thrills to the JOY of my presence!I created mankind to glorify me and enjoy me forever. I provide the JOY; your part is to glorify me by living close to me." (Deuteronomy 6:5, Colossians 3:23, Psalm 16:11) So of course I was super excited since it was about JOY so I posted it on facebook and then I went to my other devotional called Jesus Today..by the same Author but slightly different. Anyway, here is what that page said for that day..."You can find JOY in the midst of brokenness. One of the hardest times to be joyful is when you're dealing with multiple problems-seeking solutions but finding none-and then several new difficulties beset you. If you focus too much on finding solutions, you will sink under the weight of your problems. So it's vital to remember that I am present with you in adversity. I am at work in your situation, and my matchless wisdom enables me to bring good out of evil-ultimately outsmarting evil with good! The way to find JOY in adversity is to encounter ME. You can pray "Jesus, help me find you in the midst of this mess!" As you unplug your emotions from all the problems and plug them into my presence, good things start to happen. Your dark mood grows steadily lighter and brighter. Also, as you remain in me-plugged into my presence-I enable you to see things from my perspective. You can be JOYFUL in the midst of brokenness by staying connected to me." Then she quotes the following from scripture.(James 1:2-3, Romans 11:33, and John 15:4) So Now i'm really excited and can't wait to hear the pastor preach about JOY!!Here are some of the things Pastor Jeremy preached on about Joy.. "I"m not going to let that steal my Joy." "The Joy of the Lord is my Strength." Hebrews 12:2 How do we get JOY? 1: God's Joy is for US! God loves us just because we are his son/daughter! Not by anything we do..Just because we are his!! 2: Joy from being With God! we have more fruit of the spirit when we are spending time with him! Rejoice in the Lord Always! Pray without ceasing! when you are with God you can enJOY him!! 3: Joy from pleasing God! Being with God resulted in Jesus being Obedient! We want to please others that we love and care for, and do it with Joyful obedience! How does God see you? : Daughters in whom he is well pleased; the Joy of his heart! Desires us to be with him and walk in Joy and Strength that he has given us to endure ANY circumstance! I was completely overcome..how did I let myself get so overcome by sense of duty/responsiblity that I lost sight of what it's about...I felt like God was telling me it's not about doing..just be still and know that I am God ..You derive your Joy and strength from ME!! Thank you Lord for the reminder that I don't have to do it all..I can just bask in your presence and know that you are in control and that I am not and in you I have my JOY and Strength!! This past Sunday, Pastor Ausley preached on our Priorities. Is it really a priority to mail Christmas cards this year?? He said it, not me :) I have gone back and forth on this but then i think of all the people that are poor and needy and I feel that the money I could spend on cards really should go to help others..so that's what I decided again this year to do..now I will send a few cards to those that aren't on facebook (such as my grandma) but really nowadays everything is online! Also the main priority is God!! I do know I need to be spending more time with him and as I do I continue to seek him in all things and he continues to show/reveal things to me and he can to you as well if you truly ask him and seek him with all your heart! So My prayer is this..that we all take time out of our to do list..to focus on God and what the true meaning of Christmas is all about!!!