Desire and Delight

What an AWESOME weekend this has been!!!

The Beth Moore Simulcast was such a blessing. It seems like just yesterday that my SisterChick Tracy challenged the ladies in my Bible Study with these questions: What has God placed on your heart to do? What is He calling you to do? Are you being obedient to Him? Being a host church for the simulcast came out of those little questions and God blessed our obedience tremendously! What began in March as a simple question of obedience transformed into 178 women being blessed by God's Word inside The Bridge Community Church. We were able to be part of over 90,000 women world wide in 45 states and 5 countries experiencing the message of "Coming Home to the Desires of Your Heart" delivered by Beth on Friday night and Saturday morning.

Find your delight in the Lord and He will give you your heart's desire. Psalm 37:4

I learned:

The desires of God's heart need to be the desires of my heart!

Nothing dictates our lives like our desires. In my natural state I will always do what I want.

Beneath the desires of our hearts is the heart of our desire. Glory and destiny are at stake.

Delighting in God adapts our desires into inevitabilities. When we are living consistantly in His will and delighting in His presence, it is inevitable that our desires will be in line with His.

Nothing external can steal our right to delight.
If I am missing out on the desires I need to check my JAW - Am I...
J - jealous - Do I have any jealousy?
A - angry - What am I mad about?
W - worried - What am I worrying or fretting about?
These things can take a bite out of my desire!

Repression will make me sick - Rebellion will make me stupid - Reverance will make me real!

To make room for delight, I must commit.

Nothing is passive about patiently waiting for desire to turn into delight. Sometimes God wants me to shut up and listen to Him. Sometimes He wants me to praise Him in the pain.

Till faith becomes sight trust God and do good.

I am called to be a mighty woman of God.

It amazes me that Beth could get all of that out of 1 verse!!

It was a blessing to feel God's presence during the Simulcast.

It was a huge blessing to see 178 women blessed by His presence!

But words cannot explain the blessing of obedience!

Lord,
Thank You for the message I received from You this weekend. Thank You for Tracy and her urging me to obedience. Thank You for a church that supported the dream You gave me. Thank You for the lessons I learned during the preparation - the lesson of focusing on Your plans - about not allowing Satan to get me side-tracked with the pettiness of this world. It was a challenge but it was Your power that gave me the strength to look outside of myself and keep my eyes focused on You. I know that I failed several times but I am so greatful for Your gentle reminders! Thank You! I am Yours!


Then - today - Celebration was AWESOME!!! Tim's conclusion to the Summer on the Mount was fantastic!!! Our God is amazing and He will not let go of me! I want to continue to live for Him, to be obedient to Him on this earth, and to anticipate eternity with Him!

Fresh Appreciation

You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before. You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you. This new life brings you the true knowledge of God. Colossians 3:10

Hmm - I have left my old sinful life and the things I did before. That is so true and it was a long time ago! I need to think about those 'things' I did; not because I want to think about the 'good ole days' but because I am desiring a fresh appreciation for what Abba has done for me.

I was in the dark - now I'm in the light.
I was living to please others - now I live to praise Him!
I was dirty - now I'm pure as a fresh snow.
I was lost - now I'm found.
I was ashamed - now I'm forgiven.
I was sick of myself and hated myself - now I'm full of my Father's love.
I was full of sin - now I am redeemed!
I was chained by my sins - now I'm free in Jesus!!

Thank you, Jesus, for not leaving me to my own destruction! Thank you for delivering me from the pit of sin I was in. Lord, don't let me forget where I was - not because I want to remember it, but because I want a fresh appreciation for the life I have in You. Keep moving me forward in the plans You have for me.

Back to School with a New Attitude

Well, it's 'Back to School' time! Time for new 'sharp' crayons, new 'clean' folders, new 'unchewed' pencils, new clothes, new names, new faces, new smiles, new relationships, and LOTS of prayers.

Everyday on my 25 minute drive to school I sing praises to my Lord and spend time in prayer for my 'little ones', reminding myself that I don't know what each one has endured since I last saw them and at the same time beating myself up for my failures the day before. "I wasn't as patient as I should have been." - "Why didn't I really listen and look at little Suzy when she wanted to tell me that story?" - "Did I laugh with the class at all?" - "Did I praise Joey enough?" So, I would pray for a 'fresh attitude' and go do it all over again. And always feeling like a failure for all the things I had done wrong.

So I am asking myself if I truly want to touch each child with my Father's love and I am asking for the ability to make a difference on a daily basis, why am I failing? Why do I not turn to Him in the stressful moment and then berate myself later?

Well, yesterday's sermon was on prayer and God taught me a few things.



"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. " Matthew 7:7-8 (TNIV)

"My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. And friends, once that's taken care of and we're no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we're bold and free before God! We're able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we're doing what he said, doing what pleases him." 1 John 3:18-22 (The Message)



Yesterday as I sat in church listening to the sermon I jotted the following notes:



"Pleasing God gets His ear"



"We must ask! God wants to bless us - but we MUST ask! Ask daily for: wisdom & Holy Spirit's power"



"Prayers for us should be to magnify Him"



"He sits and waits for us to ask for more of Him"



"God loves persistance, but He especially loves persistance in His will"


So, once again I am asking myself "If I truly want to make a difference in the lives of my 'little ones' and I am persistantly asking for more of Him what is the problem?" Well...if I am really honest I have to ask myself the following questions:

Do I really want Him to be magnified or do I want to be known as a 'great teacher'?

I may be persistant, but am I persistant in His will?

As 1 John 3 says I need to stop beating myself up for my daily failures and I need to truly love others. I may not like everything about everybody but I can love the people God created - with His help of course. If I truly love others just because He made them (after all, who am I to criticize what He created) and I stop beating myself up for failing (because I am NOT perfect and I WILL fail) then I will be bold and free before God. Then I will be able to stretch my hands out and receive what I ask for because I will be pleasing Him.

Well, that sounds simple enough - don't you think? Just love others and forgive myself. Okay God, here we go...

Father, I am asking that for this new school year I receive a new attitude - an attitude of love and forgiveness. Love (real agape love) for others and the ability to forgive myself of my failures. You know I am a perfectionist and I want to be the perfect teacher. Help me to turn lose of this perfection rope that binds me and instead cling to You and the freedom I can have in You. I want it to be all about You, Lord! Give me an attitude that pleases You! Make Your desires my desires! May You be glorified through Your work in my life! I love You and I want this new school year to be about You and how You will mold me and make me more like Jesus. Empty me of me and fill me with You!

The Finished Dining Room

It's Done!!! I am so excited - the dining room is finally finished!

This wall of crosses holds the inspiration for the entire room. Kate gave it to me for Mother's Day and I loved the wrought iron look.

I found the sage frame over the piano at Jour de Fete in Ste. Gen over the weekend. It will hold our family picture that we had taken at Engler Park.

While Seth, Jessica, Colby & Carson were here, we had a celebration dinner of the new dining room. We enjoyed salad, spaghetti (Colby's favorite) and garlic bread - yummy and fun!!!

Your kingdom is built on what is right and fair. Love and truth are in all you do. Psalm 89:14

Love is a difficult pursuit and truth is a tough one, too. According to Max Lucado, "put them together, pursue truth and love at the same time and hang on baby, you're in for the ride of your life. Love in truth. Truth in love. Never one at the expense of the other. Never the embrace of love without the torch of truth. Never the heat of truth without the warmth of love..."

This seems like a hard task - to be loving and honest at the same time. I'm not sure if I have ever been able to accomplish this. I pray that as I grow everyday to be more like my Savior, Jesus Christ, that I will experience the ability to embrace truth with love. What a sense of peace to know that God is able to handle both - He is love and He is truth!

Father, teach me what it means to pursue truth and love at the same time. May I be able to show others what it means to combine these two tasks into one singular task.

Captured

As a single woman it is very easy to get depressed about being alone. Everywhere I go I see couples - young couples in the early stages of love - older couples who have been together for 50 years and they are still holding hands - grandparents relishing their grandchildren together - and families with a mom and a dad together. All of these can be painful and if I am not careful I will fall into the trap of feeling sorry for myself and thinking one or more of the following, "I did not sign up for this life!" "How did I end up alone?" "I am going to grow old alone and die alone!" "Who is going to take care of me in my old age?" "What is wrong with me that I am alone and rejected?" and on and on and on. This state of mind is not a good place to be and it is definitely NOT what God wants for me. I was reminded of this today!

LOOK, YOUR SAVIOR COMES!

Regarding, Zion, I can't keep my mouth shut,
regarding Jerusalem, I can't hold my tongue,
Until her righteousness blazes down like the sun
and her salvation flames up like a torch.
Foreign countries will see your righteousness,
and world leaders your glory.
You'll get a brand-new name
straight from the mouth of God.
You'll be a stunning crown in the palm of God's hand,
a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God.
No more will anyone call you Rejected,
and your country will no more be called ruined.
You'll be call Hephzibah (My Delight),
and your land Beaulah (Married),
Because God delights in you
and your land will be like a wedding celebration.
For as a young man marries his virgin bride,
so your builder marries you,
And as a bridegroom is happy in his bride,
so your God is happy with you.
Isaiah 62:1-5 (The Message)

That is awesome!! I am not rejected! I have captured God's heart! My God is my bridegroom! He loves me and is happy with me! You can't get any better than that!!!

Lord Jesus,
Thank you for Your word! You knew I needed to hear these very words today and you placed them in front of me. You have a new name for me! You hold me in Your hand! I am not rejected because You love me and You have plans for me. You delight in me! I am Yours, Your beloved, Your bride and I will live for You!