questions

Who cares what clothes designer that you're wearing? Whichever person does, why does their opinion matter to you? Why do some people's opinion matter more than others? What exactly makes someone cool and why is that so important? Is it important enough to be something you're not?

Here's my opinion: God made you to be a certain type of person, in HIS image and not someone off of an Ambercrombie billboard...I believe you don't need to act like your friend down the street... you're living a lie if you are. You need to be you. And if someone doesn't like it, so what? Be true to yourself and God, that's what matters. You are so amazing in Christ, God made you so awesome. I don't care how ugly you are to "the world", You were made in His image and that makes you sweet. Anybody that makes fun of you for your looks or how smart you are, or dumb, or how you act, laugh, if you're emotional (I wish more people in this world were emotional and moved with compassion), they are making fun of God because you were made in His image! Remember that also if you are tempted to sling a comment along about someone. I'm guilty and I repent right now. I'm sorry, Jesus. You are what matters. It's all about you and it's all for God's people. We need to be better brothers and sisters so the world will stop seeing a church full of hypocrites. Just be the best "you" that you can be. Confidence is prettier that designer mascara. Know who you are in Christ.

Today is day 8 on my fast

Lots of fasting questions from girls at work. Don't wanna give them stuff they wouldn't understand yet I want this to be an opportunity to magnify my sweet Lord. I'm not preachy and tend to really weigh things out as I do not want to come across holier-than-thou, I cannot get into that here. BUT this is so dear to me and I'm not going to take any of the importance away from it. I wish no one would have known really. But I believe it was brought up for a reason and I'm simply going to make sure He gets Glory. I love Him so; He's my everything.

Today's Focus...In Christ

2 Corinthians 5 (The Message)

1-5For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we'll never have to relocate our "tents" again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less.
6-8That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we'll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming.

9-10But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that's what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions. Sooner or later we'll all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what's coming to us as a result of our actions, either good or bad.

11-14That keeps us vigilant, you can be sure. It's no light thing to know that we'll all one day stand in that place of Judgment. That's why we work urgently with everyone we meet to get them ready to face God. God alone knows how well we do this, but I hope you realize how much and deeply we care. We're not saying this to make ourselves look good to you. We just thought it would make you feel good, proud even, that we're on your side and not just nice to your face as so many people are. If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.

14-15Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.
16-20Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.
21How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

Such excitement!! A born again Christian should be excited! Look what we have to look forward to! The world is here and spinning the way it has since....forever. Icky circumstances are not new; we are living in them the same way these guys lived in them. BUT did it drag them down? NO! They kept their focus on the One that delivered them; they are pleasing God and not dwelling on the junk tied to this world; they are remembering that because of Jesus, they are now FRIENDS with God and they choose to live that way. Does your life reflect the fact that God is your friend? The excitement of that should be emanating from you every day! Read this chapter again (and again if you need to!) and know that because of Christ, all is RIGHT with you and God! That's exciting! :)

Monday, Day 5 of this fast

Today went well. There were a few hungry times but who cares? Drank a lot of h2o, I cut back somewhat on my coffee which is a good thing, had a sf red bull (yukky). I like the regular so much better. I heated up a small bowl of stew for dinner. I got full pretty quickly & didn't feel very well while eating so I didn't finish. Today I prayed for: our family, my church, my pastors & LFC leaders and their families, God's Grace, our finances, wisdom, peace, revelation, boldness. I prayed for past, present, and future LFC youth members, the new youth building, Ironwood's water, and my pets too. I also prayed for GVH. I didn't spend as much time in God's Word this morning as I would've liked but I did make it to Bible study tonight. We bought 3 books for the next series beginning next Monday. sooooooo,ya! That's my day today!

new direction?

I think I may have boxed up God a little with 'my vision' for missionary work. So, to fix this little dilemma, I am backing up a bit and writing down a few things that I need to do to open the path in my life for God's way to take over. I mean, Nunavut is MY dream because it just is. But my mission for now is leading my husband to a real relationship with Christ, aiming my kids to Him, getting that youth building up at LFC(!!!!!!), so much more.
THe 21 day fast is going to help clear things up. I'm journaling along and taking it one step at a time. We shall see...

Pre-fast

I began a pre-fast fast on Thursday. I am allowing one simple meal daily not to be consumed before 5pm and never eating after 6:00. I drink lots of fluids during the day limiting my coffee, allowing a dairy product, and only one energy drink. Nothing with HFCS either. I still take my vitamins and make sure I exercise. I have a specific prayer list that am fasting and praying for. I need to find out what Pastor Tom wants us as a church to be praying for. It's EXCITING!! I'm really excited for it which is why I started early. I just had to. I KNOW what God can do for a person physically and spiritually when you fast. I know what God can do for a church too. I have something very special that happened to me that I have as the #1 thing in my "book of memorials". I will never forget it as long as I live. I know it was because of the 21 day fast I did along with my church a few years ago. I'm just so very excited this year!

2009: Love

Love is not a gushy feeling for someone special, that's attraction.

Love, biblically, is not really a feeling..............it is a verb. We love. It is something we do, it is a choice. Sometimes it is easier to do than other times. The Bible says to walk in love. God knew we would experience circumstances and people that are not lovely. But we need to love them. He told husbands to love their wives;she is a good thing. (what if she was the kind of wife in Proverbs that was contentious?Nagging?Annoying?) Love her, He says. God is love so we can actually say "Walk in God".

I believe we should keep the whole love-attraction thing going in marriage; it's important to fan those flames and serve each other, showing one another that even though life can become busy, your partner is still important deserving some of your time and energy. My husband and I are on vacation together this week. We work opposite shifts and there are many days in a row in which we may not see each other. By week's end, there are times when he may call home and when I hear his voice, my heart aches because I want to see him! (love attraction still burning after 18+ years of marriage) This week has been a wonderful time for us. When I noticed him so comfy in his chair, I would ask him if he wanted me to get him something to drink or eat so he didn't have to move. Omgsh, he appreciated that so much! Before I knew it when I was lounging reading with my feet up, he would appear with a nice mug of yummy coffee. Reciprocate. Plant seeds. Love on each other. Now don't think this is everyday life for us. There are times when I am with him and he is annoying me and I'd be hoping he would go for coffee somewhere. There were times when I would experience strong feelings of intense dislike. I know he has felt things similar towards me, believe it or not. lol haha But then we'd work it out and I'd in an instant experience feelings exactly opposite. The point is, feelings come and go, feelings change, circumstances can wreck havoc with the best of us. But our wonderful, all-knowing God knows it best and tells us to walk in love. Still don't really know what love really is? It's best said in 1 Corinthians 13(Message):

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

In 2009, I am going to really step it up in the Love Dept. The unlikeable, know-it-alls are going to be loved on. God gives us grace plus He knows my heart, I can do this. I will walk in God, I will walk in Love. And I believe it will come back a hundred-fold!