Content: Waiting

Have you ever been in a season of "waiting"?

Where you are waiting on God to show you what is next?

Or are you waiting for His answer to a prayer? 

Or are you waiting, but you are not quiet sure what it is you are waiting for?

Sometimes I am playing the waiting game for some reason. And more times than not, its a game I am playing on my own. Because what I am actually waiting on is right before my very eyes. So many times I am looking for bigger or better and God has placed something before me and I have chosen to ignore it, or overlook it in my impatience.

 Yet in my selfishness I have tried to go ahead of God, or try to do my own thing, thinking and saying that I am serving the Lord in.......... whatever it may be.

In reality, I need to call it what it really is..... S I N! My impatience = SIN.

I have been given so much by God. And I push some of it aside waiting on Him to give me something else.

Our family has lots to pray about right now. We need God's guidance in many areas. In praying for God's will, we are waiting for Him. One thing He has shown me is that while I am waiting on Him, I need to know that He is for me.

God has placed so much before me in my daily life and sometimes, most of the time I forget what awesome responsibilities He has given me.... and lately I am failing at the jobs I have been given. 

In my impatience~

• I fail at my relationship with HIM. I need to be still before HIM and just spend some one on one time with HIM. Just worshiping who HE really is!
• I fail at being the wife that I should be. God has given me a wonderful loving husband and I need to work at being the wife God has called me to be. 
• I fail at being the Mom I think I should be.....God has given me our children. What a responsibility?!!! He chose me to be their mother! (Thanks D for that reminder!) A ministry that I take advantage of too often. Too many times I have beat myself up when I mess up as a Mom. It's not about the mother I think I should be, its about who HE wants me to be! I want to leave a Godly heritage to my children and continually point them to Christ. Thank God for His mercies are new every day!

In my quest to be CONTENT, I realize these are things that are of MOST importance. I must not forget what God has placed right under my roof. These are my first ministries and if I cannot keep up with what I have already been given, why should He give me anything else? Why would I want more? I have a long way to go in learning how to wait, but I will chose to press on right where God has me. How could I ask for more? 

I am waiting on Him to work in the above areas of my life. If it were up to me, the answers would come quickly, but it is not up to me. So as I wait, I will chose to:

Worship Him

Acknowledge Him

Invite Him to take control

Thank Him

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Are you waiting?

CONTENT: An Opportunity

Wow... its been over a week since I posted! Where does time go?? The last few weeks of school are busy, along with baseball, baseball, and, well, it leaves a Momma ready to lay her head down at night. By the time I slow down at night, I am a vegetable, so there is no way that I could possible put ONE thought together much less a post! 

With the word CONTENT that God gave me for this year, I have mentioned that in my quest to be content in my life, I do not want to be content in my walk with the Lord. This past weekend God opened a door for me to walk closer to Him. We had the opportunity to go on a Youth Retreat. I have to admit that I was thinking, whew, can I really handle this... along with everything else that is going on? I chose to STOP that train of thought and began asking ....

• God to prepare my heart for the weekend. 
• What He wanted for the Youth? 
• What could I do to point them to Him?
• What He wanted me to bring back home with me? 
• Asking for Him to change me! I wanted to be different than when I left!

Sometimes I do things, and I fail to ask Him what He wants. 'Cause I am a little, a lot wrapped up in ME. And I did chose to look to Him, read His Word, really listen to the words in praise music as well as did my best to stay focused on Him. Oh, the enemy was at work (isn't he always when you are doing something the Lord wants of you??) yet, I prayed that God would just fill me so there was no room for anything else. 

I have to say the weekend was AWESOME... God worked in so many ways. I love, love how He puts things together, in His Way and His Time. HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER!! 

Some things that I brought back and am clinging to and pondering on....(yeah, I know that this was a Youth Retreat, but I can say that it wasn't just for the Youth!) I could go on and on about every one of the following thoughts...but, I don't have time to write a book so.... you can dig in for yourself!

• God created ALL things..... did you get the ALL part?? 
• God has a design for everyone..... He has one for ME!!! & you TOO!!!
• The WORD was made flesh and HE is the GREAT I AM!
• Who is Jesus to me? ( I could go on & on!)
• I want to be like the Centurion and come to Him submissively, humbly, trusting, faithfully, & confidently (that one is tough for me).
• Learn to take orders before I can give orders. (ouch!)
• But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.Hebrews 11:6 ~ I need this reminder numerous times daily!
• It matters how I pray, worship, love, live.......IT ALL MATTERS!
• He's Alive! Worship HIM! HE IS WORTHY!!!!

Thank you Lord for giving me the opportunity to meet with you this past weekend, for allowing me to spend time with the youth, the counselors, our Youth Pastor and his wife. Thank you for the burden you have placed in their hearts. Lord, give them strength, liberty, mercy and grace to minister to this group of youth! Lord, thank you for the tender hearts, may you work in them so that they would desire to have a deeper relationship with you. Thank you for opening my eyes to the needs of some of those youth. Help me to point others to your Son in all I say and do!

In His Arms

Life has a way of pulling me in more directions than I can count. I allow myself to get stressed out, overwhelmed, anxious, tossed and tumbled. In all that, my focus gets off of my Savior and on my circumstances. I reach a point that I feel as if I can't take another step and I finally realize that I am depending on myself to make it. I know that I cannot do "life" alone and again I find my Heavenly Father waiting with open arms for me. Oh for HIS ENDLESS GRACE!

I ask that you pray for my mother-in-law, she is having a biopsy done today, as well as my father-in-law as he recovers from surgery. And if you will please pray for Bub, the Lord knows the situation. May GOD's hand be upon them!!

Praise the Lord for HIS MERCY AND GRACE!!!

Content: I Turn To You!

So thankful LORD that you have never left me and you never will! Even when I have those hard days, when I myself feel unlovable, when things don't seem to make since, when I am just so tired, when I think I can't take another step, YOU are there! Thank You Lord for loving me, forgiving me and never giving up on me!! You are faithful, oh so faithful!!! Thankful that no matter what, no matter where, I can TURN TO YOU!!!

Another Weekend!

Our weekends are usually full. This weekend was, but it was a good one. Friday night Kea participated in his school's Relay for Life Talent Show. He was SO nervous, but he did an awesome job! Yea, I know I am biased but I am his MOM!! It was a precious night with lots of talented kids!! Many were so stinking cute!! Please ignore the part of the video where his head is cut off.... I have never been one to be able to video and watch at the same time!! 

A sweetie from church! 

Can you say AWESOME?? Love each of these guys, they love the Lord and  WOW they were good!! 

Great Group!!

All 3 are in the same class, and each did a great job, I know their teacher is proud of them..... and for the record..... one sang Revelation Song and the other did a sign language praise dance to Awesome God (at a public school!!! )

Saturday Kea had a baseball game! AND they WON!! Yippee!!! 

 Ready to bat!

Doesn't everyone sit in a bucket when they are not in the field??

And the best part of the weekend........

We picked up this sweet little man and he stayed at Lolli-Pop's house overnight!!! He is so much fun!! (Don't you love the look on Sis' face?? Haaa!!) 

We had an awesome service at church and I love that our Pastors' preach the TRUTH!!! 

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4:17

Then this afternoon my father-in-law was taken to the emergency room and as of this post is still there. Please say a prayer for him. He has lots of health problems and the past month he has had a rough time. 

Have a great week!! 

Guest Post - Inconvenienced... by Charity

A few posts ago I wrote about my brother and his family here. His wife Charity wrote the following post and she allowed me to share on my blog.   When I read this post I was so convicted. I have thought about it all week. How many times have I missed God, because I was to busy, too focused on my to do list, worrying about little ol' me, looking where I was headed or just plain out wasn't paying attention?  I will be honest and tell you, when my agenda or my plan for the day is the least bit off, I tend to get irritated, and inconvenience comes with a price, and sometimes the cost is too high. I would like to say that I have become more aware of those that are around me this week, I mean I have more so than usual, but not as much as I should. This sentence really hits me..... "The moments where we can be "Jesus with skin on" to someone in need are all around us.  Inconvenienced... Posted: 27 Apr 2012 10:54 AM PDT Post #3 in a week. I'm on a roll now! ;D I've been thinking about something I heard last fall at our District Women's Conference. The special speaker shared a statement that has been bouncing around in my head for over 6 months now. She said..."We are only limited by our willingness to be inconvenienced." Are we willing to be inconvenienced by the Holy Spirit? Are we willing to take time out of our day to do what He is leading us to do? Are we willing to listen and obey? We have had this opportunity presented twice in the last week. The first time was on Sunday, after a wonderful church service and delicious pot-luck with the church family. We were heading down the mountain still dressed in our Sunday clothes and we passed an older couple with their three grandchildren stopped on the side of the mountain attempting to change a tire. Scott quickly turned around and we headed back to help them. They had tried to call AAA, but could get no service that high on the mountain. The older gentleman was having trouble finding the jack and once Scott began trying to loosen the lug nuts, we both realized this gentleman would have never been able to loosen them on his own. Scott was fighting with them pretty hard. Within 15 minutes, Scott was done and we were preparing to head on down the mountain. Before we could leave, they insisted we take money from them. It was such a sweet surprise as we expected nothing in return. It was one of those moments when God spoke to Scott's heart and in obedience he responded...yes. Yesterday, we experienced the second opportunity. We were sitting in a Wendy's in Asheville eating a late lunch and as we sat there, I observed a young woman sitting by herself alternating between texting and making calls on her phone. Eventually she moved to the counter, and I listened as she asked where the closest bus stop was located. The ladies told her it was downtown. And to top it off, it was pouring rain. I began feeling the Holy Spirit's tug on my heart, the whispered words of..."Are you willing to be inconvenienced?" If that were not enough, Christian music was playing throughout the restaurant and at that very moment one of my favorites, Francesca Battistelli's "It's Your Life" began to play. The lyrics pounded in my head as I sat there weighing my options, knowing there was only one. This is the moment It’s on the line Which way you gonna fall? In the middle between Wrong and right But you know after all It’s your life What you gonna do? The world is watching you Every day the choices you make Say what you are and who Your heart beats for It’s an open door It’s your life Are you who you always said you would be? With a sinking feeling in your chest Always waiting for someone else to fix you Tell me when did you forget To live the way that you believe This is your opportunity To let your life be one that lights the way What else could we do? So I looked at Scott and said, "Find out if she needs a ride." He immediately knew what was going on inside of me and walked over to her. She did need a ride to the bus station and we were ready when she was.  The ironic thing was...two other people came up and offered her a ride during this time. It reminded me of the Scripture in Esther where she is facing life or death as she prepares to go before the king. Mordecai simply reminds her... "For if you remain silent at this time,  relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place,  but you and your father’s family will perish.  And who knows but that you have come to royal position  for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 Had I not been obedient, God had a plan in place to take care of this young woman, but He wanted to use me and He wanted my obedience. We drove her the few miles to the bus station and told her just a little about our family as she shared about her little girl and showed us her beautiful picture.  We gave her our prayer card and told her to keep in touch. She promised she would and while I was typing this blog, not 3 hours later, she emailed us. She thanked us for the ride, wished us well on our journey to Venezuela, told us of how she would like to come and visit our church one day, and requested our prayers for her and her family. Of course, we will pray for her!  God asked us to be a part of an opportunity that He presented to bless another and we said yes.  I am ashamed to say we haven't always said yes. I'm not really sure how many times God has spoken to our hearts and we have either not heard him, or worse, ignored His promptings. I don't share these two stories to pat ourselves on the back or brag about what we are "doing for God." I share because I can't help but tell you what God is teaching me...us on this journey.  The moments where we can be "Jesus with skin on" to someone in need are all around us.  Are we willing to open our eyes to those opportunities...to be blessed beyond measure when we see how God can use us to minister to others? The first couple was able to bless us back, the second young lady...well, we got to bless her without strings attached. And in the process, God blessed us with the the knowledge that...this time, we listened to His still small voice and were willing to be inconvenienced for Him! “Then the King will say to those on his right,  ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father;  take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you  since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,  I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,  I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me,  I was sick and you looked after me,  I was in prison and you came to visit me.’    “Then the righteous will answer him,  ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,  or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in,  or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’     “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth,  whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine,  you did for me.’ Matthew 25:34-40 Visit http://thevenezuelanvoice.blogspot.com/ to learn more about their Journey! God is good!