This One Is Free!

I have been reading this little short devotional everyday about how to stay happy.  I think I paid three dollars for this little book, and I must say that was about the best three dollars I have ever spent.  It talks about simple things, to do to be happy that cost nothing.  I love this because if you guys are like me, we take way to many things for granted.  This book talks about cultivating relationships with family and friends, it talks about laughing and how good it is for you in every way.  It talks about finding a church home, and it talks about honoring your mother and father.  One post that I really liked was about Breathing.  I know it is hard to believe that breathing can make you happy because it is something that we do so natural in the first place.  This is talking about Deep Breathing.  Seventy five percent of the energy in our bodies is provided by the oxygen taken in by breathing-if it is done right.  Deep breathing is pulling air into the abdominal area, filling and emptying the lungs with each breath in and each breath out.  This is said to be one of the greatest health benefits known to man.  Here are some of the benefits of Deep Breathing.

1. Reduces stress

2. Relaxes muscles

3. Strengthens the immune system

4. Prevents premature aging by invigorating cells

5.  Assists digestion

6. Boosts energy levels

7. Stabilizes emotions and general well being

This post goes on to say that is hard to believe that something so available, so natural, and so easy to do can make such a difference in your health and overall well being.  I say, that doesn’t surprise me any considering what kind of God we serve and how He has made our bodies.  So go on, breathe deeply it is free and can be done anywhere.

40 Days of Community!

So as most of you know, we have begun this 40 Days of Community campaign at Faith Assembly.  We had our first message Sunday from Pastor and had our first group last night.  I was in small group with some pretty amazing teenage girls.  I was astounded by the questions and answers that most of these girls came up with.  They were actually quite deep in their thinking especially about God’s word.  I love God’s word, and this just naturally pumped my heart and spirit up, to see these girls diving in and getting to the nitty gritty of how everything we do has to come from love first -or it is all bogus if it does not. (1 Corinthians 13).

I think one amazing thing that I got from 1 Corinthians 13 is that this kind of love that the Lord is talking about is a supernatural thing that God is wanting us to tap into.  It is ranked higher than any act we can preform and it is also ranked higher than prophecy, tongues, and knowledge, which we all know are gifts of the Holy Spirit.  I just had the overwhelming sense that God is going to do something so deep regarding us personally, our families, our church, our nation and our world.  I am very excited about this study and I feel privileged to belong to the body of Christ, and I feel honored to be a part of Faith Assembly of God.

My Dad and Mom-The Best Parents in the World! (or at least in my opinion)

Okay, so here we go again!  Two blogs this week, I am on a roll!!!!    Now I come from two amazingly healthy parents (to God be the glory).  I would say my mom and dad are what some would call naturalist when it comes to their health.  They are both very active, have high energy levels and take lots of supplements.  They actually have me doing the same thing.  I take about 17 vitamins a day, this makes my husband and kids cringe.  Anyway, back to my parents, they don’t really go to doctors, and they pretty much resist the idea of sickness.  I am sure that most of us could say the same thing, but they really resist the idea.  My mom takes communion everyday and pleads the blood over any and everything that tries to latch on to her body.  She says the life is in the blood and she quotes God’s word over herself  everyday.  My dad is not walking with the Lord (he is a back slid -den Pastor).  However, he got enough of God’s word in him to say that he don’t allow anything to get on him.  He says, “when I am sick, I say no I am not and I resist it with everything I have in me.”  Anyway, to say all this I just wanted you guys to know what kind of stock I come from “healthy, strong and crazy-lol!”

My dad’s side of the family is probably the strangest you have ever seen.  They are the most resilient people on the face of the earth (or at least this is how it seems).   They had so much adversity growing up, until I think they are either numb or delusional.  They grew up very poor.  There were 7 kids and 2 sets of twins.  My dad was the oldest,and his father died when my dad was six, it was a very hard life.  So now, when things come their way, they shrug it off.  They have pretty much passed a lot of those attitudes to their children.  Although we didn’t have it so hard, we learned quickly in life if you can’t change it-just laugh at it and it won’t seem as bad.  So far, I think this has worked for all of us.  Some people do not understand this kind of thinking, but it is the only kind that works for us.  I believe it produces a lot of peace and joy because it makes us know that we are totally out of control of any situation-so it makes it easy to surrender.

Not really sure why I posted this today.  I was thinking though there are many things that we all have to be thankful for.  My parents are divorced, but I still have incredible relationships with both of them.  God definitely gave me the best there was to give when he gave me my parents.  They are strong, funny, encouraging, crazy. lovable and helpful- and I wouldn’t want to go through life without them.  Thanks God for two incredible gifts!

Christianity 101!

Fall is officially here.  We have put out the mums and the pumpkins and we are anxiously anticipating what the new season is going to bring.  I love this time of year because it comes with such relief.  Not just physically from the summer heat, but spiritually as the Fall Feasts get here.  God really begins kicking it up a notch in the Fall season.  So if you have noticed that not only naturally but spiritually you have been feeling an expectation, this is the reason why.  I think it is perfectly fitting that we are having 40 Days of Community right now.  When we see these divine opportunities we have to take them because if we don’t we will miss our time of visitation.  God’s presence is very much on us now-so we have to seize the moment!  Don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today.  Today is the day of salvation which not only means being saved, but being healed, delivered and totally whole.  God is wanting to do some incredible things right now, but we have got to get over ourselves and move into what he has for us.  So love with all of your being not only God, but also all of those around you-love them as much as you love yourself!  That is what God’s word commands.  It sounds hard, but really it is not.  Just start by treating others with respect-like how you want to be treated.  They don’t call this the Golden Rule for nothing.  They asked Jesus what do I have to do to please God and Jesus took those hard to follow laws called the 10 Commandments and he put them into two very doable categories: He said love the Lord your God with all of your heart, all of your soul and all of your mind, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.  This is  Christianity in a nutshell!  Now what is so hard about that?

Flow?

I haven’t blogged in so long, not even sure if I remember how.  I have been so lazy lately.  It is summertime, so everything in life kinda gets a little layed back at our house, we even finished ball early this year.  I don’t ever remember having a summer without being out at the ballfield until atleast mid to late July.  This year though things have been different.  I could say that about a lot of stuff lately-nothing seems to be the same.  I know it is the way things are, but some changes are hard ones.  I just feel like that is where we have kind of all been.  Nothing we can do about change though-we either go with the flow or we drown.  I choose to flow!  I have always thought the worst way to die would either be in a fire or to drown.  Not really sure why I have thought this because a person would probably lose consciousness before dying anyway, but I would just rather not go that way.  So flow it is!  Who wants to flow with me?

DADS!

I saw the sweetest thing yesterday.  It was a dad taking his car full of kids to the crossing guard so they could cross the road to get to school.  Each child got out of the car, and they each one had some special form of interaction with their dad.  He was so sweet and took time to give them all what they needed from him.  You could tell that he paid special attention to make sure that each one felt that individual connection from their dad.  I watched with a smile in my heart because this is not a normal scene these days.

Somewhere along the way dad’s have missed the mark.  I am not sure if it has just been the pressures of the world or if they have just become dead beats as the world has proclaimed, but I want to say, what a shame I think it all is.

Today, television shows project “dad” as being some dumb character that just takes up space in the home.  This is such a contrast to the way television and the world used to perceive dad.  Such shows as “Father knows best” and “My three sons,”  or even “Leave it to Beaver,”  made dad to be the voice of the family, who always knew what to do and how to handle all of life’s problems.  This view has probably changed as more women have entered the work force and now have a big input to not only family matters, but financial contributions as well.   I am not really sure if this change has been worth the sacrifice that has been made, especially when our homes become somewhat out of order, especially at the expense of our husbands and children.

I know things can never go back to the way that they were, and we really should not want them too, but somehow we have got to find a balance.  I know that many women have to work nowadays and that is fine.  We all have to do what fits our needs the most.  However, the thing we have to do especially as women is bring back respect to our husbands and our children’s  fathers.   This comes with such a blessing.  In Malachi 4:6 b it says, “In that day He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.  Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”  I know that this turning has to be a work of the Spirit, but I would like to propose to women (especially wives and mothers), that we could do a lot more in this area of our home.    This whole book of Malachi is such a great read.  This is the book where it talks about the tithe and says “Test me in this,”  I would also like to say maybe we should give God a try in this matter too.  After God says “Test me in this,”  He goes on to say, “And see if I will not open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing so great you won’t have room enough to take it in.”  I want God’s blessing!  Nothing else will do!  However, His blessing comes with an action, and that action is giving.  So whether in money, time, actions or words,  we have a responsibility as the people of God to live lives with Kingdom Agenda, not as the world lives or acts, but the way we live is opposite because we don’t take, we give.  We don’t hate, we love.  We don’t get even, we pray.  Not easily done this Kingdom way of life, but well worth the effort.

Too Busy To Blog

I am so sorry.  I have too busy to blog.  In the last week in a half, I have attended the National Day of Prayer Meeting, An Academic Banquet, Samantha had her prom which I did not attend, but it wore me out getting ready for it,  A Graduation for College of Charleston, A Graduation Party, Mother’s Day (2 Services this Day), 2 Ballgames, 2 Ball Practices, A Thursday Morning Class on Christlikeness, Had a Garage Sale, Attended 3 Services of Church on Sunday with a Ladies Planning Meeting squeezed in.  With all that being said, I just wanted to let everyone know that I still am here, but just been crazy busy.

I wanted to give a sidenote about my kids here.  Samantha has done so great in school.  She is getting ready to Graduate very soon.  Her grades have been incredible.  Kim graduated College of  Charleston in 3 years, even with transferring from Winthrop, just to be closer to Jonathon.  My kids were all very sweet to me on Mother’s Day.  I received beautiful flowers, a gift certificate for a Pedicure, and a gift card to Red Lobster, not to mention the cards.  I believe they were the sweetest cards I have ever received.  I also have to brag on my Husband.  He is such a sentimental card signer.  He always writes the sweetest notes when he signs his cards.  He is a wonderful Husband and Father.   Okay, I think I have brought you all up to speed.  I am going to try to do better.

God’s Heart!

I was thinking today about God and what was on his heart.  I thought again and thought souls was probably the number one issue of God’s heart.  He tells us time and time again, whenever Jesus is giving an analogy or a parable about how important the ‘Lost’ are to him.  We went over some of this in our Mother/Daughter banquet this past Saturday- in the Parable of the Lost Coin.  I thought about this parable since Saturday, and it came to me that God is constantly looking for the lost.  He never stops, he never grows tired of looking, he never looses hope when dealing with the lost either, like I sometimes do.  I have some children who are lost and let me tell you, it is very painful as a parent because the very thing that you believe in with all of your heart, they disregard as just being something that they can live without.  However, the Lord told me today that he wants me to be like the lady in this parable.  He wants me to shine the light of the Holy Spirit with my prayers and with my actions.  He wants me to take out the broom (his word) and begin to sweep (confess and believe) my house clean, until I find the coin (which means until my lost love ones are found), and to not stop until I see the manifestation of the coin (my loved ones come into the kingdom).   I believe that an end time harvest has begun.  I believe it is on the heart of God more than what we even realize.  I was startled today by the reality of God’s heart for souls, as sometimes I don’t think about all the world, like he does.  I get so caught up with my own house, until I forget about his.  I had to repent and ask him to soften my heart for souls and to give me a burden for the lost like I have never had.  He came to seek and save that which was lost.  He won’t stop until they are ALL found!

Kicking and Screaming!

I have been taking a class on Thursday mornings about Christlikeness.  I have been so challenged!  Every week we have a two session lesson, that just goes right to the heart of the matter.  Needless to say, I have felt a little undone.  What I learned this week is, that Christ is not wanting to change me, or for me to undergo some transformation, as I have ignorantly thought  in the past, but Christ is wanting to completely remove me.  I had this revelation this week, and it really messed with me.  All this time I have been wanting to be changed from glory to glory, but my flesh can have no part in his glory.  I actually seen my life pass before my eyes, as I knew the Lord’s ultimate goal is to get rid of me, and I have not really wanted to let go.    I wonder if this class is going to get any easier,  or if I am going to be kicking and screaming all the way through it?   We shall see.

Inquire of the Lord!

I was reading my Daily Bible reading today and read the story of Joshua and the Gibeonites.  These people with other nearby cities, came and deceived Joshua and the Israelite s by telling them that they were from a distant country, and  that they had heard of the Lord their God and wanted to ask to be their servants-instead of being killed, like all the surrounding cities were.  In other words, they wanted peace.  They were great deceivers.  They came with dry and moldy bread, worn and cracked wine skins, and clothing and shoes that were worn out.  It says that Joshua finally believed them.  They did not bother to ask of the Lord, but went ahead and signed a peace treaty.  Needless to say, three days later they found out these men were close neighbors.

You see, the problem with this was, that God told Joshua and the Israelites to completely get rid of all the neighboring cities.  God wanted to give them this land-it was to be theirs, and theirs alone because God knew one day this would come back to trouble them.  He was trying to make the way clear for them for the future.

It is the same with us.  We don’t ask of the Lord.  We go by what we see.  If it looks good we buy the whole lot.  I felt impressed that we are in a season now where we have to “Inquire of the Lord.”  There are always going to be those who have dry, moldy bread (stale word) and those that are going to have old wineskins of tradition, and even those whose clothing and shoes are worn from walking the wrong paths, that are going to be trying to deceive us, but all we have to do is ask of the Lord.  He wants to tell us.  The word even says, “He does nothing unless he first tells his prophets.”  So in saying all of that, I want to warn us to be very careful right now (not suspicious), but discerning because the enemy is very crafty, and unfortunately he uses the very things we would never expect to deceive us.