Phony Facade

As I look at my Facebook profile and cover picture I just shake my head in disbelief of the phony facade that I am portraying.  Sure it is the holidays, sure my house looks festive…over the top festive even, and yes I am having moments here and there that have me excited and happy.  But the truth of the matter is that I am not.  There has not been a day this past week that I haven’t cried (sobbed) in loneliness and heartbreak.

I am a wife, mother of three, grandmother of six…about to be seven, I have lots of friends, I have a ministry that loves on lots and lots of folks.  I have people that smile when they see me and give me a hug telling me that they are glad they ran into me.   And yet I sit here in tears aching from the loneliness of the holidays.

I'm putting my foot down, I’m done being lonely!  I have family and yet I am alone during my favorite time of the year!  No need to explain the circumstances as too many others would be hurt if the situation changed so that I could have my family around me.  So we let it be.  Kids grow up, have family and plans...it is just how it is.

There are lots of folks that have invited me over for Christmas.  I have been adopted by several families.  Why do I need to be adopted?  I have family!  Why Papa, why?

I sat here crying out to Papa God, begging Him to heal my broken heart and to wipe my tears.  To help me not feel so lonely as I have Him.  Isn’t that enough?

He tells me that I am never alone and forsaken.  That He has plans for me.  That it is okay.  It gets better.  He tells me that I am tired and that I need to rest.  I hear him say...Rest in Me and let Me rejuvenate me.  Enjoy this time when it is just you and I, soak Me in.  It won’t always be this way, enjoy Me.  Soon there will be a time that you are surrounded with your earthly family…enjoy this alone time with Me.  I love you!

Okay…I am breathing now.  The tears are dried.  And I feel His overwhelming love! The loneliness has faded into the background.  The joy of the Lord is my strength!  AMEN!

I am reminded of my friend Charity’s drawing she drew yesterday in Church.  It is the picture above with this word she was given, “God goes before you, and He will never abandon you!  God is bringing family restoration to His church body, healing hearts and drawing the body together as a family.  He is also bringing restoration to individual families!!! Amen!”

I am standing on that word.  I am believing God for that promise!  Amen!

If you are alone this Christmas season (or everyday), please know that you are really never alone.  God loves you.  You don’t need to put on the phony façade.  Tell Him how you are feeling and He will make you feel better.  It might not be what you think will make you feel better, but it is better.  As He will give you Himself.  What more could we ask for?!?!

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Hunt for the One

Every year I have a Christmas luncheon for the ladies in my life.  Celebrating our love and friendship as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.  My favorite part of the luncheon is the ornament exchange game.  I love that game!  The only time that stealing is allowed and really encouraged.  Lots of fun.  

What is even more fun for me than my favorite party game is the hunt for the perfect ornament.  I start looking for the "ONE" in October when the stores first start displaying Christmas decorations.  

It is all about the hunt for the one.  The one that everyone wants.  The one that will be stolen in great fun.  

I hit all the craft fairs and expos searching for the one.  I hit all the stores and even venture into the mall.  I am not a mall person so you know that finding the one is important to me.  Until I find it, I don't stop shopping for it.  I buy back ups, but until the one is found...I keep hunting and searching.

This year was no different except that the luncheon was in less than a week and I hadn't found the one.  I had lots of ornaments to give out at the party but I hadn't found the one that would be mine for the game.

It was Tuesday before my party, running out of time I went to the mall.  I don't like using my lunch hour during the holidays to shop the mall.  It is crowded and I will be in a hurry to get back to work in time.  

I started with JCPennys they had some good contenders but not the one.  Next was Macy's Home Store.  They had some that I really liked for individuals, but not the one for my party.  For the first time going to Bed, Bath and Beyond I was highly disenchanted with their Christmas selection.  Moving on.  I went to Evangel, if for nothing else I needed a gift for a dear friend.

As I was perusing the tree, I found some nice ones.  Some that could be the one, but it was not obvious.  At the back of the tree I saw a pretty blue ornament with holly leaves on it, with a Dr. Suess type hanger on it.  Very cute.  I felt a strong urge to take a closer look at this cute Dr. Suess-esque type feel to it.  As I turned it around I read the front, "Christmas is not about the presents, it's about His Presence."  

THAT'S IT!  THAT IS THE ONE!  I HAVE FOUND THE ONE!!!  

The cute ball that I really wasn't really giving a second thought to, turned out to be the perfect one, the one that I had been hunting for.  The search was over I had found for what I was searching for.

Even though my party is over and the ornament has a new home with a family that I dearly love, I can't stop thinking about it.  In particular the hunt for it.  

You see life is like my ornament hunt.  We all are searching for something, someone.  We have a deep, deep desire to find it.  We may not know what it is, but we know that it is out there.  We can feel it calling us, deep to deep.  Drawing us out of where ever we are to find it.

We all were created to be in relationship with God.  We are searching for Him even if we don't know it.  He is calling us.  Those times that we can't sleep at 2:00 in the morning, He wants to talk.  He wants to love on us.  He wants US!  

He is our One that we are searching for.  He is the One that we need.  He is the Hole in our lives that we are trying to fill.  

Oh, we try to fill that hole with the might-be's.  Nothing is quite right, we are still searching.  

Maybe this person is the one.  

Maybe this drug is the one.  

Maybe I will find the one in the bottom of this bottle.  

How about...nope keep searching.

We will try to shove that square peg into that round hole until we find the one to fill that hole.  Nope that doesn't fit right, keep looking.  Keep searching.

However there is only One that is meant to fill our hole.  His name is Jesus.  He is what we all are searching for.  He is the One!  

I pray that if you are on the hunt for the One, the search is over.  He is here for you.  His arms are outstretched to welcome you home.  All you need to do is ask Him.  

"Father God, I have recognized that I am a sinner.  I repent of all my sins.  I confess with my mouth, that Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior.  Jesus come into my heart, AMEN, AMEN, AMEN!!!"

I love you.  Welcome to the Royal Family of God.  We now are on a new hunt.  We are now searching for those that are lost.  Bringing them back to the One they are seeking.  

Until Next Time, God Bless!!!

Here is a picture of the front of the "one" ornament.  

Asking for Help

I woke up from a dream about my 10-speed bicycle "Charlie" that I had as a young teenager. The memories that hit me were of when I had to work on Charlie. I was getting flat tires regularly. I was getting pretty good at patching tires and changing out inner tubes when patching was no longer an option. 

The back tires used to give me a hard time when I would go to put them back on the bicycle. I would get so frustrated that I would end up in tears.

Going to my mom was not an option as she was not mechanically inclined. Her response would have been, "Sorry sweetie you will just have to ride the bus."

My step-dad would have been great to go to but during the week he was working out of town taking care of his mother after her stroke.

So if I didn't want to take the bus I had to fix Charlie myself. The first time that it happened a boy who I went to school with past by and asked if I would like some help. I said sure and watched him like a hawk so that I would know what to do the next time that Charlie would get a flat. He fixed it in no time flat, I thanked him and he went on his way.

A couple weeks later I had another flat on the back tire. I fixed up the tire but when I went to put it back on the bike I had the same problem as before...I couldn't get the chain to stay on.

I was getting frustrated and I knew I had to go ask the boy for help again. I was not happy about that because I "wanted" to do it "myself". I didn't want to have to rely on anyone to fix my Charlie.

I had to swallow my pride and go ask the boy to help me. I told him that I was sorry but I needed his help again. This time I also asked if he could he teach me how to put the back wheel on myself. The boy was glad to help by showing me the proper way to fix Charlie up.

God gave me a visual of Charlie and his chain this morning to remind me that it is okay to ask for help, He wants to help. You see it has been a rough week. I was asking God for help but my independent nature was rearing its ugly head...by wanting to help God fix my problems.

Isn't that funny? As if God needs my help - there I am trying to do things that He wants to help me with. Or worse, not asking at all thinking that I can do it on my own without Him.

Whether consciously or subconsciously independence from God is not good, actually it is very bad! We need to be intentional in our relationship with Him. He comes before everything and everyone...especially us!

I hadn't thought about Charlie in years and here God was using him in my dreams as an illustration that I needed first thing this morning.

What's God trying to get across to you? I pray you are open to His help and obedient to His instructions.

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Remove the Labels

I have never been one that really bought into designer labels.  If you had something Gucci or Prada, good for you but it does nothing for me.  My desires have always been on performance.  Can that bag hold my stuff the way I need, is it going to be able to hold up to the strenuous use that I tend to put things through?  I also buy things on looks. Is it pretty?  Can I get Snoopy on it to reflect my fun loving, childlike personality?  

But the brand label doesn’t matter to me as I really don't want it there.  I actually want to rip off all labels once I purchase it to make it mine.  I paid you your money; it is now mine and no longer yours.  It belongs to me and I can do with it what I want.

One of the things that I hate about labels is that most of the time that the adhesive used it so strong that you can't get the entire label off.  It is now mine; I don't need to have your label on it for the rest of its existence.  

Yesterday, in a class that I am taking, the module came up about "Stigmas and Labels".  The feelings that rose up in me (in a strong, passionate manner) were rage, pain, hurt and the list goes on.  As I expressed this the leader of the group said, "Don't let it steal your peace, you aren't that anymore."  

However my old labels weren't the ones that were bringing up those strong negative feelings.  The labels that used to belong to me, I was free from.  After I wrote them down (with a vengeance) I was able to breathe and thank God that I am not that anymore.  I even got to tear up and throw that paper away that I wrote those on freeing myself from those past labels.

My problem was the labels that are placed on my family and friends that struggle with those issues.  As I stared at those labels under each category and my heart broke.  I wanted to scratch out all those labels and scream, "NO!  NO MORE!! NO MORE LABELS!!!"  

Whether or not someone is suffering from drug addiction, alcoholism, mental illness or something else, who are we to put labels on them?  We aren't walking in their shoes; we don't know what they are going through.  We don't know what trauma they are suffering from.  

God doesn't see us by our past, but our future.  He called Abraham father of all nations prior to him ever having a child in his old age.  God changed Jacob's name to Israel meaning May God Prevail.  Jesus called Simon, Peter before he ever be came the rock solid pillar of the church.  He allowed Saul to change his name to Paul as he was no longer the Christian killing Pharisee that humbled himself living out his life for God.  

When God speaks things come into existence agreeing with His words, not just in Creation but for all time.  God's words are forever.  His words give life!  

We are told in the Bible to speak life and not death.  Why do we insist on calling people bad names?  You tell someone they are bad long enough they will believe it and become bad.  You tell someone they are stupid long enough they will believe they are not capable of learning.  You call someone unworthy long enough and they will come to believe it.

We need to retrain our brains to think like our Papa God.   Stop calling people by their past or even their present.  Speak life into them.  Speak their future!

My understanding of speaking life change a couple years ago when I attended a prophetic conference.  The speaker told us how (in a previous conference) he called on a person that was in the back of the sanctuary.  He told the man that God loved Him and that He was a mighty warrior for God.  The speaker didn't know the person or even that the person wasn't there on his own.  The man was a heroin addict.  His friend brought him to this conference against his will as he had just shot up.  He was loaded, but that didn't stop God from using the speaker to speak life into this man that was in the grips of heroin addiction.  The man didn't hear much of anything of the conference except that he was loved by God and called "A Mighty Warrior for God".  He fell to the floor right there giving his life to Jesus.  

What that man needed was words of affirmation.  He needed life spoken into him.  He didn't need to be called a druggie or anything else as he was living it.  He knew it better than anyone what he was. He didn't need more words that he already knew.  He needed words that he didn't know.  He didn't know that God loved him and that God saw him as a mighty warrior.  Hearing those words changed his life.  He left that conference, checked himself into rehab, got cleaned and became a mighty warrior for God.  He became how God saw him and not how the world had labeled him.    

What labels are we putting on people that we need to stop labeling them with?  What labels have been ingrained so deep that they aren't fully coming off...leaving scars that don't fully heal?

Please put down the label gun that fires off labels faster than an M16.  The casualty loss is more devastating than the actual war on drugs and addiction.  The destruction that is caused by words and labels needs to stop and it needs to stop now!  

Next time that you want to call someone a name (other than their given name) please ask yourself if calling them this name is this going to help or hurt this person.  Is this meant to build them up or tear them down?  Growing up we all heard, if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all.  Do you need to keep your mouth shut?

If you insist on labeling people, maybe you could label them with one of God's designer labels.  He is the one that Created each of us, He is the only one that has the right to label us.  He calls us by our future, He calls us to the promises that are listed in His word, but He also calls us His children.  

We are sons and daughters of the God most High.  We are His kids; He loves us and has sealed us with the Blood covenant of the Cross.  We are LOVED BY GOD!   Now that label, I can live with.

Until Next Time, God Bless!!!

Play Ball

I am currently in a season of learning.  Not only am I taking classes that are training me for my future but I am stepping out and doing things that are stepping stones to my destiny.

Last night was the class "Kingdom Create" where I am learning to create supernaturally.  I love how God has me doing things that are against my grain in the natural.  I love to create.  I love taking the ordinary and making it pretty.  That is one of my favorite things to do.  

However Joela without God has not been a person who could draw at least in my mind.  I still struggle with the concept but I am stepping outside of my box and letting God show me what He can do through me.  AMEN!

Last night when Papa God was speaking to me He was telling me that He likes that I will play catch with Him.  As I saw a baseball, He was telling me that He loves that I am not afraid of trying to catch the ball. 

This vision threw me for a loop.  I love baseball!  I wasn't very good at it, but I loved to play baseball.  I loved to play catch.  Some of my favorite memories are of me and my brother  Jerome playing catch in the front yard of the house in Dos Palos.  When I was living with my mom in Fresno, I had no one to play catch with and always felt I was missing out on an essential piece of my childhood... and here was God showing me that He loves playing catch with me.  (It was emotional to say the least...)

As my friend and I were driving home from the class she was telling me that there are a lot of balls that God throws at me that she wouldn't want to try and catch.  "Oh no God, not that ball, nope not that one either. I would strike out as I would just let those balls fly right by"  I was sitting there listening to her tell me her thoughts, my mind drifted to the balls that she catches that I am grateful that God doesn't throw at me...(Charity, you are braver than you think you are!)

This morning as I was typing out my "Daddy Play Ball With Me" vision, I was meditating on our walk with God.  I was envisioning Him playing catch...(with not only me but all of us - we are His kids, we are His Family, He is a good, good Father and He loves us!)  

I am craving more and more of Him.  I not only want His comfort, His love, His presence, but I want to play catch with Him.  

Each ball is an instruction or assignment.  Not only do I want to be the catcher of the balls He throws at me, I want to be the batter hitting them out of the park.  I want my singles, doubles, grand slams and even my grounders.  Papa God, do I need to bunt here, do You need me to sacrifice?  I WILL!  Just tell me what You want and I will do it for You!  

I not only want to be the MVP, I want to aid my team in their performance in the game so that everyone is the MVP.  I am not to compete with my teammates, I am to complete them.  There is no "I" in team.   

We are a team (family) and we are to be in unity.  We are to lift each other up and not tear each other down.  We are to love one another as family.  

I pray that you know that the balls that God is throwing at you are for you.  He won't throw me your ball and He won't throw mine to you.  Don't be afraid to catch the ball.  It is scary at first as you don't want to get hurt by the ball if you miss it.  It is okay, Papa God is there and He will comfort you if you miss it.  You will get better and better with each throw/catch.  Soon you will be excited to play, getting up before the alarm running to Papa asking to play ball.  He will never turn you away as you are His delight.

Enjoy your time with Him...PLAY BALL!

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Cleaning House

Most people "spring-clean". I "Hunting-Season-Clean". While my husband is out of the house for 1-1/2 weeks hunting, that is when the majority of the house gets not only cleaned and prettied up, but organized!!

Things that don't have a home get one while other items are either recycled, given or thrown away (depending on their condition). Decluttering and pretty-fying are my main objectives. Not only am I getting my surroundings in tip top shape so I can breathe, I am preparing for the upcoming Christmas gatherings.

There is such peace and joy when you are in a clean and clutter free area.

When I was in the Beth Moore Bible Study, Living Beyond Yourself - Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit. She said something interesting to start the study. As we are seeking the Holy Spirit to fill us up and lead our lives...we start by POURING OUT, then POURING IN, so we can be POURING FORTH.

We start the pouring out by confessing our sins. We have to get rid of the unwanted sin in order for the Holy Spirit to enter us. He cannot reside where sin is. (We purge the trash, get rid of it). Once you have cleansed yourself of the sin, claim that you are clean, holy and ready for the Holy Spirit to come in and have His way, filling all the nooks and crannies of your being.

As He starts pouring in, He fills you up, you can breathe. No more anxieties of the garbage that was around you. No more searching for the unknown want. No more wandering, lost. Being filled with such joy and peace...wow.

When you are full of the Holy Spirit, He starts pouring forth through you, blessing others. Isn't that what our faith is all about? Loving one another!

You start by cleaning your house, purging all the trash, inviting the God of all comfort in, He organizes you, He declutters you (and your mind), He removes the distractions that cause the anxieties, He breathes new life into you, giving you the Joy and Peace that your heart longs for. Then you can go out of your house (yourself) renewed by the spirit.

The fruit of the spirit will grow in you, becoming a fruitful orchard. Being able to bless others with your fruit.

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Break the Bonds

I don't remember the date, but I remember the day.  I was alone at work, sitting at my desk.  It had been an overly stressful day.  When the stress kicked into overdrive, so did the binge eating.  I wasn't hungry; in fact my stomach ached from all that I had consumed that day.  However I was cramming handfuls of baby pretzels in my face like I was starving to death.

In my head I was screaming, "STOP! You are killing yourself!"  But my hand kept shoveling the food in like it was the last I would ever eat.  I sat there crying to God, "Help me, PLEASE HELP ME!"  Still the hand wouldn't stop; it was as if is it had a mind of its own.  Why? Why won't you stop?  Please stop!

The memory of that day is what keeps me strong.  You see, I am a food addict.  A recovering food addict, but an addict all the same.  There is no such thing as portion control when it comes to my eating.  If it is something that I crave and love...there is no stopping until there is no more to be had.

May 23, 2015 changed my life.  I had recently come back from a trip to see my spiritual parents in England.  It was an amazing trip to say the least.  It was my first time traveling out of the United States.  (My first passport stamp!)  I got to visit with my Mateola family whom I dearly missed, I got to see how they lived in the UK and I got to see the London sights that had me in awe.  It was the most adventurous trip I had ever been on in my life.  (Traveling the world is my future in Jesus name!!!)  

However the most memorable part of the trip was the fact that I wasn't hungry.  I wasn't thinking about food my every waking moment.  It was the most fabulous feeling ever!  Back then, there wasn't a moment that I wasn't thinking about the next time I got to eat.  It didn't matter if I just finished eating the most spectacular meal ever, my thoughts would be consumed by the next scheduled time that I could eat something.  

It was a never ending cycle.  Eat, think about food, eat, think about food...  I always had junk food at my desk.  I was munching on pretzels, chips and other assorted crap all day long...all the while thinking about the next real meal I would get to eat.

I was not just an over eater.  I was truly addicted to the taste.  I was always seeking the next yummiest taste I could find.

I had lost 10 pounds while I was off on my 13 day trip to England.  However once I was back home, I was back to the binge eating.  In 3 days I had gained back my 10 pounds that I had lost in 13.  

I cried to God, "I thought You healed me, what happened?!?!"  

His response was simple, "I gave you a taste of what could be if you changed your mindset on food.  Until you change how you think about food, you cannot change how much it controls you.  Are you desperate enough to change?"

I humbly replied, "Yes God, please tell me what to do and I will do it."

I felt His loving embrace as He told me in no uncertain terms, "Child you are addicted to food.  Food has become your drug of choice.  Until you change your mind, your situation will not change.  You must stop eating Sugar, Wheat and Flour...forever.  You cannot go back.  You must look at it as what it is to you...drugs.  This is not a temporary change, this is forever.  No more.  Are you ready to change your life?"

That was the day that God called me to the carpet on my food addiction.  The road has not been an easy one.  The first two weeks were the worst two weeks of my life.  The DTs from quitting sugar was... there are no words to describe how horrible it really was!

About a month into my new lifestyle I was meditating on the phrase that addicts know all too well, "One is too many and a thousand is not enough."  My boss and I had a discussion on how you have to stick to your guns and not take that first taste.  Telling me that once you take that first taste, it will lead to the justification of the 2nd which will lead to the justification of the 3rd and so on...  Until you have gone down the path of no return.

That is when God told me that if I take that first taste of my forbidden foods, I will end up back in bondage seven times worse that was I was being delivered from.  

WHAT?!?!?  Seven?!?!?!  Seven times worse than not being about to stop my hand from shoveling food in my face?!?!?  SEVEN times worse that sitting there begging myself to stop and not being able to?!?!?  SEVEN times worse than being a size 4x heading for a 5x?!?!?  NO!!!! 

As He told me that, I relived that dreadful day in my head.  The day of me crying at my desk not being able to control the urge of stuffing food in my face.  Yep that revelation stays in the forefront of my mind.  Can't go back there...much less seven times worse!

I have my days that I struggle.  I am an addict, it happens.  However that visual keeps me holding strong to the boundaries that God placed on me.  I don't waiver.  

I thank God each day that He brought me out of that pit.  That dreadful food pit. 

People tell me, I don't know how you do it - I could never give up sugar (or what ever it is that they love that God told me that I cannot eat).  As the visual of that day pops into my head, my response is, "If you are desperate enough you would be determined enough to give up whatever you had to."  (I don't judge those that can't give up what I had to.  My struggles are not necessarily their struggles.  We all are different!)

Please know that not all folks that are overweight are food addicts.  Those that are, truly need help to overcome the bondage of food addiction.  Our demons are just acceptable in this society and are the hardest to break as we all need food to survive.  

As boring as it sounds, I dream of a day when I can look at food as mere fuel.    I dream of the day when I can just eat what I need to fuel my body and continue on with my day without being consumed with thoughts of my next meal.  I dream of when I can attend a family gathering and not just have the urge to graze as we sit around talking.  I dream of any function that is not surrounded by food.  I dream of a day that I can watch others eat and not feel deprived, being punished for my past behaviors. I dream of the day when a bag of chips is not chasing me down the grocery aisle.  I dream...

I am not there yet, but that day is coming in Jesus name!  I know that I am not alone in my struggle.  I know that there are others out there that hate the fact that cookies and cake own them.  Your vice might be chips and dip, or even ice cream.  Your drug dealer is the local market that doesn't judge you for your cart full of the smack that has you jonesin' to eat once you get out to the car...if you even make it that far.  

I've been there my friend, I've been there.  You want help, there is Someone that can help you, His name is Jesus.  He cares that you are hurting.  He knows that you are stuck and that you need help, He wants to help you break those chains of food addiction.  Call on Him.  Tell Him that you can't do this on your own, because you can't.  Tell Him that the only craving you want is Him.  Talk to Him, He will not only listen to your cries, He will walk you through to the other side.  You don't have to go through this alone.  You got this if you want it.

I would love to hear from you.  If for no other reason than for the reassurance that I am not alone in this battle to break the stronghold of food addiction.  I love you and I thank God for your life.

Until Next Time, God Bless!!!

© Comfort the Crave

What's In It For Me?

After the message, "Wants & Needs" we were challenged to ask ourselves the followings questions. 

What is it that I want from:

• Church
• Marriage / Relationship
• My Job
• Ministry
• Life
• etc.

I have been asked that question a lot lately.  

• "What's in it for you?"  
• "Why do you work such long hours Monday through Thursday, to get Fridays off to work all day for free serving the homeless?"  
• "Why do you go to church so much?"  
• "Why do you do what you do?"

The easy answer that joyfully flows out is, "Because I want to."  However, to be frank, "I desire to do what I do, I feel I need to do them."

I go to three different churches for three different reasons.  All three are different, they are on different days at different times and they happen to fit into my busy life.  I don't think it is coincidence (which I don't believe in, but that is a discussion for a later time), I believe that God has set it up that way.  I receive different things from each of them.  

Fridays at noon, if I am done serving the homeless there is a worship service down the street from where I serve.  I have a deep, deep desire…an explainable need to just drop to my knees and worship God.  Thank Him for using me.  Thank Him for bringing those in need to the place where they can not only be fed but ministered to.  They not only have physical needs to be filled, but spiritual.  Fridays are my favorite day of the week.  I get to serve God by serving His people.  I get to love on folks that need it the most.  I can't help but worship God when I am done.  He is so worthy of praise that I just have to!  No one knows me there, they probably don’t even notice if I am there or not.  That is okay, I am not there for anything except to worship God and thank Him for being such a good, good Father!

Saturday evenings I get to attend church, pray and take communion with my husband. (This alone means the world to me!)  Before church I get the honor of setting up communion.  I get to bake rolls for the after service fellowship. I also get to minister to folks that I wouldn't meet if I wasn't there.  One of the things that I get out of it that is for me is that I get challenged (every service) to act upon the heard word.  The following week we are asked about it. "Do you remember what we talked about last week?  How did you implement it?" (Etc.)  I love to be challenged.  I feed upon it as I know I am going to grow for the better.  I also love the en-depth conversations that take place after service.  Dissecting what we heard.  Getting the perspective of others.  Going deeper.  Discussing God with others is something I could do for hours if time permitted.  

Sunday mornings is where I get to go to my deepest worship of the Lord.  I get to be in His very presence.  I used to have holy jealousy of those that got to experience God during worship and now that it is happening to me...I want more!  I love the visions He gives me.  Most are just for me, however there are those that are corporate that are to be shared.  I am taught about intimacy with God and manifesting of God's power through the Holy Spirit in me.  One of my deepest desires is bringing Heaven down to earth just as Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer.  I have been given a platform in which to grow in my gifts and experience others growing in theirs.  It is awesome!

What about marriage, what do I want from my marriage?  I love my husband with all of my being.  He is my best friend.  I can't imagine life without him.  I look forward to having coffee with him in the morning, meal time at the table, and even watching TV with him. I love talking with him.  I may not always care for the conversations, but I love hearing about what he thinks about.  I love hearing about his hopes and dreams for the future.  I love how someone who is so quiet out in the world has so much to say to me.  I like how he is the chatty one in this relationship.  Don't get me wrong, I do get my chance to utilize my gift for gab, but he is the one who talks the most.  I find it amusing that he doesn't realize it.  I also like how he wants my opinion even if I don't think I have one.  I like how he knows me so well that he can react to what is going on with me without me having to tell him.  I love being with him.  What do I want from him/our marriage?  His love, his companionship, his friendship…I want us to grow together in our love, in God and in our lives together. 

As I go through this life I look for the three "E's".

• Expected
• Exceptional
• Extraordinary

Expected - Taking the easy route, doing the same old, same old that is accepted as the normal thing to do.  Live the ordinary life.

Exceptional - Stepping out of the comfort zone, doing the unexpected.  Rising above the norm to do what Jesus would do.

Extraordinary - What God does when you do the exceptional in His name!

These last few years doing the same old, same old wasn't/isn't enough for me.  I want to do more.  My desire is to "do" and "live" the word.  Jesus said that we are to love God and love people.  That right there is my ministry, to love on folks like I love God, "With My All!"  My personal motto is, "I am blessed, not just to say that I am blessed, but to BE a blessing!"

What do I get out of life?  What's in it for me?

I get to love on folks, I get to share Jesus with them, and I get to do the exceptional so that God can do the extraordinary.  I get to see God bless folks that need it the most.  As I do, God blesses my socks off.  There is not a day that goes by that I don't have a new testimony of what God has done for/through me or blessed me with.

In the Bible we are told, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Basically where you spend your money and your time is what you value.

I value God, I value doing what God wants me to do.  I know that I add value to the Kingdom of Heaven because God gave me the gifts to do what I do.   Being who I am is why I do what I do.  I'm about doing the Father's Business.  What's in it for me, an inheritance greater than this world can even comprehend.  

I get God and all the promises that He has given me/us.  

Do you know who you are?  Do you know why you want/need what you want/need?  

Are you willing today to take action?  Fulfill your wants with your needs.  Start by asking yourself the above challenge questions. 

I pray that God shows you how valuable you are and that you take each area to the next level.  Each time growing into the next level and the next.  Growing in Him as you grow in this life to do the exceptional so that He can do the extraordinary in/through you.

Until Next Time, God Bless!

Perspective

In business you learn that, “If both parties walk way smiling, it was a good transaction.”  It didn’t matter if the seller sold the product for too little or the buyer paid too much.  If they both were happy with the exchange, it was a good deal.  It is all a matter of perspective.

Just as there are many facets to a diamond, there are many ways to look at a situation.  However I would like to suggest we look at it through God’s eyes.  God is All Seeing, All Knowing, Ever Present and is All Powerful.  He doesn’t need a jeweler’s loupe to see all of our flaws.  He sees the big picture looking at the true value according to the Kingdom of Heaven’s rate of exchange.      

Take the little, one chapter book of Philemon for example.  There are several ways to look at the situation that happened.  Slave ran off, more than likely ripped off his master as he left, ran into Paul (who by the way, was in prison), slave was converted, Paul asks his friend and spiritual son Philemon (slave owner) to take back the slave…not as a slave but as a brother in the faith.

(Many lessons to be learnt from that one page in the Bible – I encourage you to check it out in its un-Joela-ized / unabridged version.) 

We can look at this situation from all three person’s perspectives, but let’s look at it from a fourth view point, God’s.  Yes the slave ran off, but his path took him to Paul.  Paul witnessed to Onesimus the slave, the slave accepts Jesus as his Lord and savior.  There was a party in Heaven (Luke 15:7, 10) as Onesimus was saved and became a believer.  God now could then use the new convert to really assist Philemon in the spread of the gospel.  Onesimus was able to start fulfilling the plan that God had for His life.

God was thrilled to have another child back home.  He had another child to be about the “Father’s Business”.  Onesimus past was just that, the past.  Didn’t matter what he did as the slate was wiped clean.

God doesn’t see us by our past, He sees us by our future.  Think about that for a moment.  He doesn’t see you as the drug addicted mess, He sees you as the person that has been freed from that bondage and will help others to break that bondage.  He doesn’t see you as that abused child, He sees you as the angel on earth that is going to rescue others from abuse.  He doesn’t see you as worthless at all.  He sent His Son to save you, He thinks you are WORTH it ALL!  Isn’t that awesome?!?!

One of my prayers is to see people through God’s eyes.  Not just see what the person looks like with my physical eyes or even what the person wants me to see about them.  But to see who God sees.  I don’t want to look at life through rose colored glasses; I want to have God-vision!  I want to have God’s perspective on life and those in mine. 

In order to have God’s perspective we have to know what He is thinking.  How do we do that?  It is easy.  We have an intimate relationship with Him.  When we get to know Him as we know our spouse and closest friend(s), we will come to know what is on His mind.  We will begin to see our world the way He does and know our role in the Family Business. 

Everyone is a winner in dealing with God.  Jesus paid the ultimate price for your freedom from the enemy that wants you to pay with your life.  No one will walk away smiling dealing with the devil.  Satan’s business is all about stealing, killing and destroying everyone and everything…period!

Having God’s perspective will also bring you closer to Him.  It will cause you to love Him more.  When you love Him more you will love yourself more and then you will be able to love others more.  Isn’t that was He is all about, Love?!?  He is love and that is His perspective toward life.  He sees the people He loves.  He will turn that mess around into a message through love.  That perspective is the one to have, don’t you think?

I pray that you will seek the Father’s Perspective and have it for yourself.

Until Next Time; God Bless!

He is Able

Worship was already taking place last night as I arrived late to bible study.  The atmosphere was thick as God was not only present, He was having His way.  I had to rush to put my stuff down as the Spirit had me drop to my knees in worship.  It was awesome!

One of the songs that was sang was one God had recently gave me a vision on, however this time He showed me something different.  Please bear with me as I try to relate what was shown as I know this was not just for me.

The words of the song that started this vision of God's conversation with me was, "You are able, more than able to carry me through."

I saw Jesus carrying a person.  The sky was dark as the storm was in full rage.  The clouds were as dark as they could be, filled with the anger as it was releasing its full wrath upon the earth.  Booming thunder was immediately followed by the cracks of lightning.  There was no chance to count one Mississippi, to see how far the storm was, as we were right in the middle of it.  The rain was coming down hard and fast.  The wind was having its say as it wailed and pushed against us.  The storm waters rose and Jesus kept going, walking through this storm as it raged on.  I felt as if the person in His arms knew that they were safe as peace enveloped them/me. It didn't matter that the waters were rising and that the lightning was inches away, peace was wrapping them in a comforting hug.

I kept hearing the lyrics, "He is able, more than able to carry me through."

God showed me that Jesus could have told the storm, "Peace, Be Still!" as He did in Mark 4:39.  He showed me that He was more than able to stop the storm, however He wanted me (or the person) to go through the storm knowing that Jesus was keeping them safe.  

This vision was more powerful to me than the famous "Footprints" poem that used to hang in my house.  This was more than just him carrying me through the bad times.  He wanted me to experience His Peace as the destructive storm was having its way with the earth.

He wanted to show me that there are different seasons in this life that will feel like nothing will survive or withstand the destructive force that is taking place.  He wanted to show that He not only carried the person through the storm, but that they had complete peace through it.

Think about that for a moment with me. 

He is able, MORE than ABLE to make the storms disappear.  However He WANTED to carry the person through it.  He wanted them to know that not only did they survive the storm they were at peace through the storm.  If they would have moved the slightest bit to the right or the left the lightning would have taken them out and yet they were in absolute peace.  

I have been in storms where the lightning hit the power pole across the street from where I was sitting watching nature take anger out on the world.   When that bolt hit that pole, it scared me and I ran inside.  That was too close for comfort for this girl.  So imagine how one would feel if the bolt was an inch from their head?!?!  Peace would not be what was felt!  

There are different storms that we will go through in this life.  Some more terrifying than others.  Some God will need us to walk through, taking the steps of faith to get to the other side.  However know that He will be right there holding our hand.  We are safe.  

This vision was specifically to show that, just as Jesus was at such peace that He was able to sleep on the boat during the storm, we can also have that peace.  We can rest in His arms in His perfect peace.

After all He is called the Prince of Peace!  

I want to leave you with this.  Know that He loves you, cares for you, He is not going to leave you or forsake you.  He is not mad at you, He is not punishing you.  He did not cause the troubles you are in or going through.   He does not want harm to come to you.  He is your Father.  As your Father He wants to take care of you, but also wants you to know that you can experience His peace as life carries on as it does.

Know that He is able, more than able to carry you through all you have to do is let Him.  

Until Next Time, God Bless!