~ My Soul Longs for You, God ~

‎"As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!"

Psalms 42:1, 2, 8, 11 (NLT)

What Will You Do Today?

The day has just begun and before me stands a day full of opportunities! Opportunities to love my Lord, through worship and praise; opportunities to serve my Lord, through word or deed; opportunities to grow in my Lord, through prayer and his Word.  It is a brand new day! What will I do with it?

Inside me there is a burning desire to see others come to the realization that a life without Christ is meaningless.  It is a desire for those who do not know Christ and are in need of this Savior who offers hope and eternal life and for those who have accepted Christ but live their lives putting him on the backburner. He is an afterthought to them. He is only sought when there is an immediate need in their lives. 

This is where my burden is this morning.

Oh my dear friends, please hear me out!  Christ should never be the afterthought of your day! He is the PURPOSE and MEANING of your day….of your LIFE!  Every day I come in contact with people, believers, who profess to love their Lord but do not want to give God the proper place in their lives.  God comes after all the other day-to-day activities; work, school, sports, etc.  This makes my heart ache.  This amazing God is an afterthought, put on hold only when “needed”. 

Today, I urge any of you who are reading this to put Christ in first place!  Make time today to get to know him. Spend time in his Word and feed your soul.  Talk to him and let his Spirit fill you to overflowing.  Make your time with him more than just an item to be checked off your “to-do” list.  It is a new day! A day where you can turn your life around by surrendering to the ONE who can make a difference! The ONE in whom grace abounds and hope is eternal! 

What will you do today?

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God! What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem. O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob. O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield! Show favor to the one you have anointed. A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in you.”

Psalm 84 (NLT)

~ Daily Joy ~

"Hallelujah! O my soul, praise God! All my life long I'll praise God, singing songs to my God as long as I live."

Psalm 146:1-2 (MSG)

I love to be around joyful people! I love to see people enjoy life and be grateful for it. I love to see people grab hold of the opportunities that have been placed before them and do something good with it instead of complain and look for every negative thing that could possibly happen. I think we all know that we aren't guaranteed an easy road but the people that can take the road they are on, whether it be filled with potholes or speed bumps, and make the best of it earn my respect. I encounter a lot of people in a day. Those at work, church, school, the grocery store, restaurants, and many other places and I can tell you that there are those who really do enjoy life. Those people who can take the simplest task and make it special just because of their attitude. I can also tell you there are those that need a good dose of "happy pills" too but for now I focus on the other!

I have a very large family! I am the youngest of five children and between us there are 14 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. We are also a very close family and get together quite often, especially whenever someone has a birthday. So as you can imagine, we are together a lot! Lol! Now, our family is not perfect, by any means. We have had our share of trials and difficulties but we have always remained close and love to be together. Usually we occupy a little pizza place in town when we get together. We, of course, pack the place out but we love it. There is a special little waitress, named Queena, who works there and she really has become an "adopted" member of our family. What makes Queena so special is that she is always smiling, loves her job, and gives each person attention as if she knows them personally. Most of the time she is the only waitress on duty and just handles all the chaos with ease and grace. My kids even ask if Queena is going to be working because they love her as well.

You know, Queena could very easily have a bad attitude. She is a single mother with 4 boys and works hard to make ends meet. She sacrifices a lot of her time with her boys to provide necessities for them and she does so at a pizza place. What has blesses my heart though is the attitude at which she does it. She looks at the opportunity to work hard to provide for her family as a blessing and it shows. She has made an impact on our family and we look forward to those days when we can share a smile with her.

How do you go about your day? When people cross your path during the day what do they see? What do they hear?

Wow! What an eye opener this morning!

I want to be first to tell my Lord, "Good morning"! I want to give him praise before my feet hit the ground! I want to greet my husband with a smile and kiss as he wakes up. I want to open the door to my kids rooms and be the first to say, "Good morning, sunshine!" I want to go to work and smile and welcome each and every sweet sister I work with. I want to be a face of comfort and love to each preschooler and their parents as they come for a day of learning and fun. I want to laugh with my kids as we do homeschool together because learning together can be fun. I want to smile to the barista at my favorite coffee shop and ask them how they are doing. I want to show others the hope of Christ as they come to me for prayer. I want to be at the door when my hubby comes home from his long day at work, wrap my arms around his neck, and welcome him home. I want to lay my head down at the end of this day and praise my God for the opportunities he gave me to be a blessing to someone else today.

You see, it's NOT about me! It's about my JESUS! No matter what comes my way, I can be the hands and feet of Christ to others today. Out of the overflow of thanksgiving in my heart, I can bless someone else today. No, my life is not perfect. Yes, I have struggles too. BUT, I can be joyful for I have the hope of Christ in my life and I want to share that hope with all those around me!

So, what about you today? Will you join me in being the blessing to someone else today? Will you find the joy in living a life for Christ? For today, I ask you to shake off every negative thought or attitude and bless someone with a smile or a hug. Take the focus off of your own difficulties today and focus on the hope you have in Christ! I promise it will make a huge impact on your life!

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 15:13 (NLT)

~ The Author of My Life ~

It was amazing to be back in Bible study last night with a room full of ladies ready to dig into the promises of God's Word! Even though Satan tried his hardest to malfunction every technological device in the room to hinder our study, it didn't work! Haha! He was NOT successful and of course, my God won! Oh, how I love my God! 

Yesterday was one of those "roller coster" kind of days. Anyone ever experience one of those days?? To be sure I'm not alone. It was a day where emotions were all over the place and phone calls, texts, and emails were coming at me quicker than my little fingers can go (and I'm pretty quick on the keypad). Another chapter in my life came to an end as the dawn of a new novel is beginning. So with excitement of new beginnings comes the heartache of endings but the lessons learned and life experiences will ultimately be part of a larger story.....the story that God is writing on my life. HIStory is MY story!

I'm so eternally grateful that my Heavenly Father is the Author of my life! He can write the pages so beautifully and orchestrate every word and detail so much better than I could ever attempt. At times, I'm not sure what genre of novel it is. Lol! Somedays it feels like a mystery, somedays it feels like a thriller, and some days it feels as though it could be a book of comedy. But in reality, it is a love story! It is the story of a loving Father ushering his daughter through this life on a journey as she seeks his will, making mistakes along the way, but ultimately growing in the love of her Father. The story is mine and He is still penning the pages of my life. It will never be on the New York Times Best Seller list but it is #1 on God's list and that is what matters! 

So through the drama, the mystery, the romance, the hilarity, the "real ness"...I go forward today a blank page ready to be filled with ink from the pen of my Father as he continues my story.....HIStory!

"In the morning, O Lord , you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

Psalms 5:3

~ Giving Him Praise Today! ~

The good news is that I was able to get some sleep last night and I didn't cough a lung up! For that I am grateful because I enjoy sleeping and I am quite fond of both of my lungs! Lol!

I look forward to going to work today and beginning my day with staff devotions! Tuesdays the pastors and admin staff of SHBC join us for a time of praise and the Word before we begin ministering to hundreds of families that come in our doors. Good times! Then I look forward to my morning hugs from those precious preschoolers as they come barreling in the doors ready for a day of fun and learning! All that before 9:00! Wow! Now that is a blessing! 

Now, not all mornings do I wake up that excited! Not all mornings do I wake up singing some type of "Good Morning" song whether it be a real song or one that transpired in my own mind. Well, almost all, but I do have my moments. Lol! I just love the gift of a new day! God, in his divine providence, has gifted each of us (if you are reading this that means YOU) with breath to begin a new day! How awesome is that? His Word tells us, 

"This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalms 118:24 (NKJV)

Whatever you're facing today, let me encourage you to first give praise to the very One who gave you breath! This day is new, was made by our God, and we are to rejoice in it! 

So, then what? The rest of the day comes and curveballs start coming at you, then the rain begins (if you live in Wilmington, it really will), and nothing goes as you planned. Then what do you do? 

Just give up! 

No, of course not! Dig deep down into your soul and pull out scripture that you studied to memorize for times like this. Call out to Jesus for strength in his name. Stop in the midst of the madness and pause for a moment with God. He is your God! Take time out for him! If you can't pray for yourself, call a friend and ask them to pray with you. I receive many texts and messages daily asking for prayer and I am so honored to do just that! There is help and there is hope and my friend, his name is JESUS! No other name will satisfy! No other name can brighten my day or soothe my soul as the name of JESUS! 

"For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2:9-11 (NASB)

This day is new, it is full of hope, and it is a blessing from God! 

Now, let's go and get this party started! Woohoo!

~ A Wrecked Life ~

Well, it's 2:00 in the morning and I am still wide awake. For any of you that know me well, you  understand that this is not normal for me. I am usually falling asleep before my head actually hits the pillow at dusk.  I am not the "night owl" and this so out of my realm of norm. This could be for a couple of reasons. First, it could be from the massive amounts of medications I am currently on to knock out the bronchitis, sinus infection, fluid on the ears, and whatever else is going on. Mainly because of the prednisone, I assume. OR, my second guess could be from the fact that I have spent most of this entire weekend at the feet of my Jesus immersed in His Word and I am so totally in love with him that I am ready to shout it from the rooftop. Of course, that may awaken the neighborhood and earn me a night with Burgaw's finest in the Pender County Jail, so I will contain my excitement and just type very loudly on my iPad! 

I have to admit that Jesus has totally wrecked my life and I am HIS! I am a woman in love with her God and have spent so much time feasting on his Word this weekend to invigorate my malnourished soul that he has overwhelmed me yet again! It was a trying week for me but God is always faithful! He quenches my thirst and satisfies every longing of my heart. Always! He is amazing God!

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

John 6:35 (NIV84)

As I've shared before, I was in a valley not so long ago. I walked through that dark valley for a year and a half with mountains all around me that seemed insurmountable. But it was in the midst of that valley that the most amazing thing happened! God turned my life upside down and I experienced Him as never before. That's right! He wrecked it! You cannot actively seek him without finding him. You cannot pour out your soul to the One who created you and not be changed. You cannot ask him to show up and think your life will be the same. It just cannot happen! He showed up, my dear friend, and then he put the pieces of my life back together in only a way that he could.  Things that I used to enjoy such as movies, books, and hobbies, just don't satisfy me any longer the way spending time with him stirs my soul.  Waking up awaiting opportunities to serve him and showing the love of Christ to others consumes me. Taking every moment to share with my kids the glory of God around us is exhilarating! Sharing amazing moments of God's divine appointments with my husband at the end of the day leaves me in tears and utterly speechless. You see, he has wrecked my life! 

"God  made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start. Now I'm alert to  God 's ways; I don't take God for granted. Every day I review the ways he works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I'm watching my step.  God  rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes."

Psalm 18:20-24 (MSG)

Nothing this world has to offer will ever be good enough for me anymore than walking in his will. Everyday is a new adventure to serve him more, love him more, and praise him more! I never want to be complacent in my walk with him! He deserves my ALL! Nothing less is acceptable. It's all or nothing!

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you  turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left."

Isaiah 30:21 (NKJV)

 Oh precious Father, I am content in you. I am content to live this wrecked life because it's ALL about YOU! I am so in love with you! 

So, what do you do with this information? There are those of you out there in cyber world awake and pondering that very question. There are those of you in your own dark valley and awaiting God's presence to hurdle you over the mountain. But let me just say that walking with God up the treacherous mountain as he strengthened me was far better than being hurled over only to forget the journey. So if you are there, grab hold of his hand and go! Allow God to wreck your life! Join me in the adventure of following God wherever that may lead. Don't give in to the comfort around you, the safety of your environment. Follow Christ through the radical life he has called us to live and find real satisfaction and real contentment. Hallelujah! 

"I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment,  whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing.  I am able to do all things through the one  who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:12-13 (NET)

I am praying for you! You know who you are. God is working and chiseling this masterpiece called YOU! Just hold on!

~ Medicine for the Soul ~

My plan for today....take all my meds (and there are many) to knock out this nasty mess, do our taxes, and take care of some household chores. But for the best part (after I get all the non-fun stuff out of the way), spend some much needed time at the feet of my Jesus, reading his Word and falling in love with him over and over again! His Word is medicine for my soul and the nourishment I need to be strong in him! I need to lie at his feet, listen as He speaks, and let his Words soothe my spirit. To be in his presence and worship him is the desire of my heart!

Oh, sweet Jesus, I need you today!

“My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.”

Psalm 84:2