Healing and prayer room M-Sa 10-12 Pst

Monday, May 23, 2011

Is God calling you?

Is God calling you to go beyond what you normally would do?  Is He stretching you beyond your comfort zone?  Yippee!

I am reminded over the weekend of last year when I was diligently seeking God's way of preparing me to go to Uganda.  About the same time some personal things were going on with a family member that tore my emotions to the core. 

When I was eight years old, I lost my birth mom to complications to diabetes.  At age eleven I began praying for a brother. (God had a sense of humor with my prayers at a young age!)  A few months later, my dad remarried a wonderful lady who adopted my sister and I and she had two sons from a previous marriage who became my brothers.

For the first six months of the past year I was riding a roller coaster of former emotions from the young child losing her mother and watching my father revert a little to his bacholor state as he was taking care of her.  At the same time I was planning a trip to Uganda. 

As I'm walking this path of faith I am discovering that this event was a distraction.  I'm not being callous over my mom's illness, but I learned yesterday as I was listening to my pastor's sermon how much I understood what my feelings at the time were along with confusion and comments from others during that time.

My mom led me to know Christ when I was 12 years old beyond to what I was taught in Catholism.   One thing I've learned over the years from her is that there is a joy that comes from a sorrow that only the Holy Spirit can provide at a time when it seems all is lost.  She knew where she was going if her time came.  She was ready. 

In that light, it didn't make sense for me to really be sad, even though I was.  She's been my mom for over 38 years and took on the responsiblity with all the gusto she had!  She had her call from God.  I had mine. I called her every day for six months or close to it.

I believe that whatever she was going through last June to the next several months, God healed her of it in January.  In the same manner had I used the distraction to change my plans of going to Uganda and stayed home it wouldn't have changed the plans God had for her or for me.  We each had our own journey at that time to walk through. 

This life is not our own as much as we'd like it to be.  Some day we will have a judgement day.  We will be judged in how we conducted ourselves in the walk God has led us on.  All He asks is that we submit to His will and His call.  It makes life so much easier and sweeter when we do.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

When did I become this person?

I was wondering that sometime yesterday.  When did I become this person (or still becoming)? This person who when she looks at the Word realizes that sitting back and reading it trying to figure out how to fit it in with the life she was leading as young girl to teen to wife to mother to empty nester wasn't what God intended?  He wants walking, breathing, living people to walk, breath and live His Word because it is walking, breathing and living. 

Its a lifestyle.  It means taking out that which hinders us from doing the walking, breathing and living His Word.  It means leaving behind that which we once had control.  Its not just a Sunday thing.  Its is a lifestyle.  

Sometime I became this person.  I don't know how it happened or when it happened.  It just did. 

Yes I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 11.  I've known who He was most of my life from that point on, however now I KNOW HIM! (or knowing Him daily).

It causes strife when you are around those that don't know Him but only know of Him.  They don't know that He truly loves them, that He truly will provide all that they need. They really won't lack for anything.  However, what they truly need, they won't have until they totally give it all to Him.

I haven't become all that I'm to be, and there's plenty of room to grow.  Today I'm this person, tomorrow is another of walking, breathing and living a life that He's given me.  I am truly blessed to belong to Him and to those He's given me.

Friday, May 13, 2011

One of the aspects I love about our God...

I've used this term "God knows our hearts", and there are times where some take it out of context from what I am expressing. 

He knows when we are truely seeking Him with all of our hearts, and He knows when we are not, and just playing a game.

I'm glad that when He calls me to something, He is faithful to complete it.  During the time that He has called me to something, I still have to live on the earth walking through that which He called me to do.  I may not do it in the manner that others would like or think that its the way to do it.  I'm walking in His steps and He's told me over and over again that is what I am doing.  He's set the path for me and I am walking in it. 

On the other spectrum of my statement that God knows our hearts, He knows when you are just playing the game.  When you refuse to give up that which is hindering the relationship that He desires with you and say that you have time to serve Him later. Yes there are still areas like that in my life that I am working on but because my heart is set on Him, He is working that out of me.

Its who your heart is set on that makes the difference. 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exr3GK_8kbU

Dreams-

I believe God speaks to us in dreams.  Sometimes we can remember clearly and its so lifelike that you wonder if it is truly from God or not until you can pinpoint areas that do show God's speaking to you.  Other times it could be very foggy and you are wondering why you are wearing large yellow plastic fish earrings to your own graduation.

At night before I fall asleep, I do ask God to take me to His Throne Room.  For some that means a time of intimacy with the Father.  For me, its usually a lesson to be learned, and I find myself walking through steps, or its insight to circumstances where I am feeling overwhelmed and confused by what people say or do.  I do have the intimacy along with the lesson, and I'm sure thats with a lot of people as well.

Throughout the Bible God spoke in dreams to Joseph, and others.  It was His plan, His way to communicate to use through the quiet and resting time.   I don't see anything wrong with writing down what you dreamed and researching it for yourself. 

God does have a sense of humor when He talks to us.  For example when my sewing machine was on the fritz, and I didn't know how to put the tension back together, I went to take a nap.  Yes I know it was out of the frustration that I dreamed about the sewing machine tension, but when I woke up, I put the whole part together with in a couple of minutes. 

I know there are skeptics on this topic.  And this isn't the place to argue about it.  Its just where I'm at in my journey seeking the heart of God.  If that's His desire for me as well, I accept the manners in which He choses to talk to me and to share with me.

Monday, May 9, 2011

"Don't allow yourself to be hurt to avoid hurting the slug"

A few weeks ago when I was setting up for  a Dag sewfest at my church, I noticed a slug on the front window when I was leaving the building.  When I opened the door, it fell off and was in the way of me trying to get out of the building and I didn't want it squished by the door so I eased my way out of the door, saved the slug, but wrenched my hip by straddling the door.

Lesson learned.  And Devo developed. 

The lesson:  Slugs ruin things, plants, leave their slimy mess as a trail to where they have been.  The squishy mess is small compared to the damage a slug does to a garden.  We don't have to care about them.  I know my friend has a slug race every year, and I'll leave that option open for them as it helps her business and others at the port during this event. 

But for the rest of the time, slugs have no place in the garden of our lives.  Metaphorically speaking, they will destroy the Garden that God has placed you.  Like the cunning snake, they will continue to leave their slimy mess behind them if you let them get away with it.  They will distract you from your purpose of providing for those you care about if you let them rule your garden space.  There is a place for slugs, but not in the garden where substance is provided.  . 

When approacing the slug, remove it.  Don't let what its brought with him to pollute what God has already set in place for you.  They carry with them  diseases from other plants and transfer them to your own garden.  If God has already told you what to do, do it. 

What happens if you let the slug continue to roam in your garden?  Manipulation, deceit, resentment, bitterness and rejection start to grow because you've started to make a place for the slug to thrive where it really doesn't belong.  Soon you won't even reconize your garden because the slug has taken over.  The plants that you planted are ruined because of the attention you gave the slug.  There's not life left in the garden. 

So today, get the slug out.  Do whatever you have to do to make sure it doesn't return.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

My wake up call-placing my health back into top priority

I finally had the wake up call.

For the last year and a half  I felt the Lord tell me to not do make-up until the time was right.  It was not a great struggle as I haven't made a habit of it for quite a while.   This morning I believe He said to start again.  That was the first wake up call.

The second was due to my procedure this past Thursday.  I am changing my eating lifestyle back to vegetarian and throughout the day I had been feeling more and more to follow Jethro Kloss's "Back to Eden" book for devo and learning how to obtain a healthier lifestyle. And I'm thinking of adding in the Daniel Fast Cookbook by Grace Bass and Lynda Anderson, a vegan cookbook and working with the two primarily.   I'm seem to always have some sort of challenge going on in my life. 

I set a goal of working toward losing 10 pounds a month for the next couple of months.  Looking at the "comfortable" wardrobe of jeans, t-shirt and sweats kind of showed me that I was in need of a change. 

Some of why I've been living this lifestyle is due to the career I have being an in home caregiver.  You get used to seeing just one or two people a day outside of family and then develop a who cares attitude as you get more relaxed in the work environment.  For the past four years I've been wearing sweats or jeans and t-shirts as primarily I was working nights for about three of the four years and sleeping during the day.   Not that it was that great of an excuse.

Other changes are taking place and not knowing where this leg of my journey is taking me, its best to put my health first at this time.

Friday, May 6, 2011

It wasn't about the procedure.....

Yesterday, I had my first colonoscopy. 

About a couple of months ago, I was having severe stomach and constipation issues and a consistent sore throat.  This went on for several weeks and I reluctantly went to the doctors office.

While there being examined it was determined that they would do a  Hypolori Breath test to see if it was a virus.  While waiting for the test to be completed I was able to share with a lab tech who almost a year ago had to deal with the death of her husband in one of the worst accidents that our area has ever had.  There were things that I can't share that took place, but I knew that I was "on assignment" to bring Heaven to her.   The test turned out to be negative for the virus.

The issues subsided for about a week before I went in for my pre op appointment with the doctor. We scheduled the procedure for the next month,  

I went back and forth on whether to continue as I knew part of why I was feeling like this was because I'd gone off my vegetarian lifestyle from the pervious year.  I had started out this year to do it again and I'm not sure why I quit in early January.  

I still kept getting the feeling that it wasn't so much about the procedure as it was about leaning on Him and doing what He called me to do.  I know that's a really hard concept to grasp when you think of the cost of going through something like this, but when you do what He has called you to do He will take care of the cost.   That is was Proverbs 3:5-6 is about "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."  

So Wednesday as I did the prep work at home, I was able to spend time praying and preparing for the next day for the work He was calling me to do.

Thursday morning, we arrived at the hospital at 8:30 and I was taken into short stay unit while I sent Dale out to go get a mop at Walmart. (Its cheaper to shop in Cresent City Walmart then Brookings Fred Meyer even with the sales tax.  Enough said).  I went into the room to get ready and talked with the volunteer about what I do with SoDAG ( During my interview I had talked with a lady about what I did in Uganda and SoDag and she is gather supplies for me).  She in turn shared about the prayer shawl ministry she is involved in at her church that is so dear to me also.   Later a friend that is one of the nurses took me on to my procedure and when it was over it was discovered that I do have Diverticulosis, which primarily means I need to each high fiber foods and more fluids.  So back to being a Vegetarian!

All I heard during this time was God saying "It's not about the procedure".  It was about sharing Him, bringing heaven to those that need it.  God is so gracious to us in His plan and we are the ones that like to complicate it.  We worry about the cost of everything, not realizing that the situation goes beyond the procedure to the hands and hearts of the ones that are taking care of you.  That's what God cares about.  He'll take care of the rest!