Finding Church

John Eldredge just posted a blog entry titled "Finding Church". Click here to read it. Wonderful insight.

God is AMAZING! He is working & moving!

I am amazed at how God gets my attention, how He speaks, how He works and moves, how He times things perfectly. He truly blows my mind. My God (the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob... The "I AM THAT I AM") is truly amazing! HE IS REAL!
He is up to some huge things in my heart right now. Messy, painful, hard things. But He is with me. He is near.

I heard a song last night on the radio sung by someone I've never heard of (Kristy Starling)... "I NEED YOU"
Here are some of the lyrics...
"I NEED YOU like water, like breath, like rain... You're the HOPE that moves me to COURAGE again... You're the LOVE that rescues me when the cold winter rages... I can't turn back now! You've brought me too far!"

Let me tell you...
I have felt like turning back & just going into HIDING!
My God has brought me way too far to do that.
I NEED GOD MORE THAN I KNOW!
HE is Love & I praise Him that He does rescue me...
HE IS MY HOPE!!!
HE will move me to COURAGE again.

I started the ESTHER study by Beth Moore last week. And Beth said something in the introductory session that I believe. God has something strategically planned during this journey of studying Esther the next 9 weeks that will do with MY destiny. There is something He is calling me to, and it is going to take COURAGE & PERSEVERANCE!

One thing I learned in the introductory session is that the book of Esther "offers tremendous HOPE", and "it extends a vital perspective on the PROVIDENCE OF GOD."

Romans 15:4 - "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Jeremiah 29:11 - " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.' "

I also learned last night during the Week 1 video session that Esther means "star".
Today I am seeing the word "star" everywhere... literally.
Actually it started last night on the way home with the artist's name Kristy STARling :-)
I was writing in my journal this morning, and the quote at the top of the page...

"To us also, through every STAR, through every blade of grass, is not God made visible if we will open our minds and our eyes?" - Thomas Carlyle

As of right this minute, I also don't think it's a coincidence that Tim and I have been staring at the night sky and the stars more often than we ever have. (It really started this past fall.)

As I was watching Life Today... the TIMING of the message today was unbelievable!... With the things going on in my heart and my mind.... I really couldn't believe it! The verse Beth was sharing has been before me all week long... (Isaiah 26:3 - "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You." I have to share verse 4 too - "Trust in the LORD forever, For in God the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.")
He was meeting me right where I was at.
He was exposing some areas where I don't trust Him... the areas where I have vain imaginations, fears, anxiety, and insecurity.... the areas where "my mind spews"...

Right after, I read this verse...
"He heals the heartbroken and binds up their wounds. He counts the STARS and assigns each a name. Our LORD is great, with limitless strength; we'll never comprehend what He knows and does." - Psalm 147:3-5

I know this post is all over the place, and it's probably not going to make a whole lot of sense to anyone reading it, but I was just too amazed to not at least try to document some of this stuff God is stirring up in me and putting before me. It's impossible to explain or put into words, so I didn't expound or put a lot of detail here. All I know is He is up to something. I know it's going to be good. I know that HE is God and I am not. His understanding is infinite. I LOVE HIM!

MY NEW BOOKCASES!!! :-)

Timmy has built me the most wonderful bookcases in the whole world!!! Talk about the most memorable, wonderful Christmas present ever! He had started them in early December with the goal to finish them way before Christmas, but his work schedule had made that impossible. So our basement has been a construction zone since then, but I was too excited about the reason it was a construction zone to care :-) They are ALMOST finished now! The only thing that has not been done is the mantle / top piece. But praise the Lord, that does not affect me being able to stock them with books!!! So in my book, they are finished :-) Stocking the shelves and going through my books has been thrilling, exciting, tiring, nostalgic, rewarding, and SO much fun! What a trip down memory lane as I unloaded TOTE AFTER TOTE of books I had not laid my hands on since middle school (& before). What a relief to see all my books finally at home on display where I can get to them & use them. I know they are relieved to be at home finally ;-) It has also been nice to take some pressure off my overloaded bookcases upstairs. They are breathing a sigh of relief as well & look SO much better! I would love to post a picture right now, but our camera is broken. As soon as I can get a picture, I will post it!
A big THANK YOU to my wonderful husband who now has a new name... "Master CraftsTim"

2008 was just the BEGINNING!

In entering a new year & looking back to 2008, I honestly couldn't believe that 2008 was OVER already! I felt disappointed. I had high hopes for 2008. It was the year of NEW BEGINNINGS & RESURRECTION LIFE! I just knew it was going to be such a special year... a year God was going to transform our lives completely in big & amazing ways. We were going to be living completely different by the end of the year.
Well, it's over... 2008 is gone... And..disappointment. UNTIL....
God encouraged me & let me know that 2008 was indeed JUST THE BEGINNING!!! It was completely OK that none of the big things/changes that were started got brought to completion! 2008 was only the BEGINNING! God is going to continue the works He started. I pray that he will put to death any works of the flesh "I" started. So thankful for perspective!

Between Sundays

This book is set in the NFL & is a fictional story about the star quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and a foster child. This book deals with the foster care system as well. It's a story of finding faith, romance, and what matters most in life. ...And what matters most is who you are, what you do, WHOSE you are, and how you live life "BETWEEN SUNDAYS".

I read this book over the weekend. I feel like one of the "themes" in my life right now is WAITING. (I'll write more about this later.) Another theme has been HOPE. As I was nearing the end of the book, the connection between WAITING and HOPE jumped off the page. The 2 things are connected in a big way!!! I will be researching/exploring this further.

Celebrating 10 Years!!!

It is our 10th anniversary today!!! We had our first date exactly 11 years ago on a Friday night. We were married exactly one year later on January 16, 1999 -- 10 years ago!

It seems like forever ago & just like yesterday.
Our love for each other has grown.
It has not been all peaches & cream... We have had some rough patches... (WHO DOESN'T!)
But the LORD has brought us through!
(Lord, we praise You for being so faithful and keeping us and protecting us!!! You alone have brought us to this point. Your love has sustained us. Thank You for Your amazing love that flows through us to each other.)

This is an "Ebenezer" moment... Like from the hymn Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing "Here I raise my Ebenezer; Here by Thy great help I’ve come!".... Like 1 Samuel 7:12 "Then Samuel [Gen 35:14; Josh 4:9; 24:26] took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it [I.e. The stone of help] Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far the LORD has helped us.'"

What a 10 years this has been & I know God has good plans for us during the next 10 years! What an adventure!

I LOVE MY WONDERFUL, AMAZING, SEXY, HARDWORKING MAN! YOU ARE THE BEST HUSBAND EVER! YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND! YOU ARE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE! I love the way you love me. (I know those are words in a song, but I mean them from the bottom of my heart. You know they are true.) You truly love me, just as I truly love you, and you know how to show it! Thank you for not only telling me all the time, but SHOWING it!!! You know how to put a smile on my face when I feel like frowning. You know how to cheer me up. I love it when you are giddy with excitement. I love singing with you and sharing music together. I love dancing with you. I love watching God working in your heart, my reader :-) I love laughing with you. I love BEING with you, even when you are in your "nothing" box :-) I love living life with you. You light up my life. I know this is going to sound random, but thank you for taking me to that book sale a while back. That meant SO much to me! Thank you for all the little things you do to help out the ShuTeam, even the stuff I don't notice or appreciate like I should. Thank you for always extending me grace, my love.
Forever and always,
Shubaby, Precious, Sweet Peach, and J (Only some of my special names, I know, but I'll spare the readers the rest & we'll just leave them between us :-)

Rejoice in Every Day of Life!

Ecclesiastes 11:8 "Rejoice in every day of life."

I had no idea this scripture existed until last Saturday, but I have a feeling the Lord wants me to know it now. I was with my mom on Saturday morning getting ready to start my sewing lesson, when she receives a package. Among the items she had ordered were some file folders with scripture, and this was one of the scriptures. I decided I had to have these file folders, so I immediately ordered these folders for myself :-)

Later that evening, I was at The Open Door Christian Bookstore with Tim's discipleship group that our former pastor (James Black) leads once a month. It was the first "joint" meeting where the ladies were invited as well. I just have to say that I was SO thankful to be there! It was such a privilege... a huge blessing!!! I love James & Judy! And the lesson that night was so timely. Anyway, at the bookstore were 2 small canvas prints that were black & white with a touch of red that were perfect for my home office! The verse on one of them was Ecclesiastes 11:8! I couldn't believe it! I knew the Lord was bringing my attention to this verse. Now it's sitting on my desk where I can be reminded all day long to REJOICE!
Some of the things it means to me already...
Rejoice every day.
Rejoice in the midst of the "dailiness" of life.
Rejoice in every single day regardless of what it holds or how I feel...

To be continued...