Tidbits from "Jesus Calling"

It's been a long time since I wrote my last blog - lots of things have happened in my life and I just had a hard time bringing myself to blog.  Amidst the storms of life, God does provide a ray of sunshine and I keep looking for those rays of sunshine that brighten my life and give me courage to go on.  A good friend of mine gave me the book "Jesus Calling" which has been my devotional and it has spoken tons to me and given me verses to carry me through each day.  This morning as I was reading it said...beware of seeing yourself through other people's eyes.  Then it went on to say  as if God was talking to me..."through My eyes you can see yourself as one who is deeply, eternally loved."  The tears started streaming down my cheeks - how comforting to know that my Jesus loves me and I could feel that love and it felt so good.  And then it went on to say "Rest in My loving gaze, and you will receive deep PEACE."  I could relate cause I am a visual person and when I think of Jesus face I always see his kind and loving eyes looking at me that bring a peace to my life.  Here are a couple other things that were in my Jesus Calling devotional that gave me lots to think about this week:

• The one thing you absolutely need is the one thing you can never lose: My Presence with you.
• Trust Me enough to let things happen without striving to predict or control them.  Learn to rely on Me in every situation.
• There is one thing, however, that displeases Me: your tendency to complain. Complaining to others is another matter altogether.  It opens the door to deadly sins such as self-pity and rage.  Whenever you are tempted to grumble, come to Me and talk it out.  As you open up to Me, I will put My thoughts in your mind and My song in your heart. 

I serve a great God and He has been revealing new things to me.  He has placed people in my life that have spoken truth, courage and love to me at the times when I felt I couldn't go on.  I continue to trust Him and BELIEVE that everything is possible for him who believes. 

Negativity vs. Positivity

The Lady Hawks are going to State!  What an accomplishment; especially with the season they had and hearing all the negativity and "nonsense" which I call it.  It was a busy week with getting people to write encouragement note cards for Emily and fixing goody bags, feeding the team and decorating the bus all before they leave on Wednesday @ 5.  But it was worth it; the point I wanted to bring out was on Thursday morning in my devotional I read Deuteronomy 31:8, The Lord is the One who will  go before you.  He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  I felt a peace come over me as I read this because #1 the date is March 15, the birthday of my 1st husband  and #2 I prayed this verse for the basketball girls that they can feel this power from God.  I had a peace that whole day that was so soothing and comforting - the Lady Hawks did win there game that day.  As I read through  my devotional reading it said - He is a God of possibility, not negativity(what the basketball girls had to hear for most of their season). He will help you count your blessings instead of your hardships(losing my husband). I leave you with this thought:  With a renewed spirit of optimism and hope, you go out there and thank your Father in heaven for the many blessings, for His love and for giving you His Son.  Be Positive!

Psalm 139

Have you ever had a God moment where you can totally feel His presence?  The other morning I was reading Psalm 139 and I have read this chapter many times but this morning it ministered to me in such a powerful way as if God were standing beside me and talking to me.  ...you know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar...before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely...if I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me...for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; ...how precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them...when I awake I am still with you.  Search me God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. The tears just rolled down my cheeks; just the thought of God caring so much for me from the time I was created in my mother's womb to now!  Isn't that amazing!  That's a Shout Out to God!  I am so thankful that I have a Savior who loves me and is with me all the time.  Have a wonderful week!

Greater Things

*There are greater things than you can IMAGINE ahead of you - and there's a great God walking beside you.

*I know His purpose is at work within you, as He's guiding your life with wisdom and love.

*God can do anything, you know - far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!  Eph. 3:20 (The Message)

*"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."   Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)

Lately it seems like satan is attacking right and left and about the time I feel like I might be over the hump another thing smacks me in the face.  Right now I am trying to keep my head up and covering myself and my family with the blood of Jesus and I truly BELIEVE there are Greater Things ahead for us. 

Precious in the sight...

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants" Ps. 116:15 - I read this verse the morning my former mother-in-law passed away.  This lady lived life to the fullest. She truly lived out her God given gift of hospitality and giving.  She was strong in her faith in God and committed in her marriage.  Feb. 14th, sitting at her funeral there were many thoughts, memories and tears, thinking of a part of my life where my last name was Miller.  There were so many good memories filled with love, quality time, relationships, laughter, visits, letters, phone calls, camping, 4 wheeling, farming and the list could go on; then on the other hand a flood of sad memories came too filled with many tears, death of a loved one, the roller coaster ride in the hospital not knowing if he would make it or not, the phone call.  Through it all the Miller Family has always made me feel like I am still a part of the family and through the calling hours and funeral of dear Mary, they still made me feel like I belonged.  Before I left that day I gave John a hug and thanked him for making me feel a part of them and his reply was "you will always be a part of us".  Tears.  Oh what a happy reunion in heaven when Mom got to see her 3 boys who had gone on before her.  Heaven seems so much closer when we have loved ones there.  Let's live each day as if it were our last!

Captivating

I am reading the book Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge.  This book has been inspiring to me in the fact that "I am free to be me" and God views me as beautiful.  I just wanted to quote a little of what I recently read.  A woman in her glory, a woman of beauty, is a woman who is not striving to become beautiful or worthy or enough.  She knows in her quiet center where God dwells that he finds her beautiful, has deemed her worthy, and in him, she is enough.  A woman of true beauty is a woman who in the depths of her soul is at rest, trusting God because she has come to know him to be worthy of her trust.  This is why we must keep asking.  Ask Jesus to show you your beauty.  Ask him what he thinks of you as a woman.  His words to us let us rest and unveil our beauty.  "The scariest thing for women is to offer our beauty into situations where we don't know if it will make any difference.  Or worse, that we will be rejected.  For our question is "Am I lovely?" Remember in God's sight you are Beautiful - let your spirit be free to be who God wants you to be and your beauty will shine through. 

Miracles

Let me just tell you, my God is a God of miracles.  Let me tell you of one.  The beginning of 2011 I did a Beth Moore Bible Study called "Believe God".  That Bible Study had a big impact on my life.  The verse that stood out to me throughout the whole study was Mark 9:23 - Everything is possible for him who believes.  The night I read that verse I cried on my way home from Bible Study.  It talked about miracles and all we need to do is Believe.  Well, BELIEVE, became my word for 2011 and I gave Joe, and each of the kids a little stone that said Believe on it.  The other thought that kept coming to me throughout the Bible Study was that "I need to get out of the way" so God can work in Joe's life.  Well, life kept going on and things in our family life between my husband and I did not get better; it actually got worse.  I kept telling God, well, I am out of the way - what else do you want?  My life came to a point where I had to make a decision - I could not go on living the way I did with so much turmoil and stress in my life.  So, the girls and I moved out of the house and moved in the basement at my Mom's house.  I had a real peace about it all even though I didn't know what would happen but I felt this is what God had been telling me (Sally, you need to get out of the way so I can do my work).  After moving out for about a month, miracles started to happen.  Joe started to make changes in his life for the good - starting meeting with Pastor Larry for accountibility; reading and studying his Bible; praying; Joe became a different man and I became a different person.  God, has brought healing to both of our lives and is continuing to pour the ointment of healing in the cracks and crevices that still need it.  It has been 7 weeks and no, I am still not moved back home, but that will come with time. God is good - God is Faithful - and don't ever forget  Mark 9:23 - Everything is possible for him who Believes.  Thank You Jesus!

Special Verses

"God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of POWER and of LOVE and of        a SOUND MIND."  2 Tim. 1:7

*Fear causes tension and blocks the flow of God's power.

"I have no fear, for perfect love casts out all fear."  I John 4:18

*Approximately 80% of all illnesses, both mental and physical, are believed to be the result of fear!

"The Son hath made me free; therefore I am FREE INDEED"  John 8:36

START EACH DAY WITH A SMILE.  IT IS BETTER THAN A SERMON!  IT IS THE KEY THAT UNLOCKS EVEN THE HARDEST OF HEARTS!

Just Enough Light...by Stormie Omartian

Recently I needed something to read that would encourage my downcast Spirit and so I went through my books and found Stormie's book "Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On".  It has truly been a "Light" in my soul. Here is just a taste of it:  "No matter what your circumstances are, you can be sure that the Lord will be with you and help you successfully stand against whatever opposes you.  When you walk with Him in the battle, you're never alone.  The hardest part about letting God fight your battle is that He sometimes waits until the eleventh hour so you will have no doubt of where the power is coming from.  If that happens to you, hide kyourself in Him and refuse to lose faith in His ability to come to your defense." Remember, in the midst of the battle, the light you have will not only never be put out, it will be brighter than it otherwise would have been.

Praying the Scripture

Someone recently challenged me to praying scripture in my life; then I find this book laying on my desk at work that is filled with verses. On the cover of the book it says "one of the most effective ways to pray is to find out what God has said in His Word about the situation and agree with Him!"  This is truly what I want is to have God's word embedded in my life.  When fear and doubts and negative thoughts start coming in my mind I have been praying scripture out loud - let me just say God is Good! I will leave you with this verse:
God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of POWER and of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND   2 Tim. 1:7.

Mother Hen

I guess the "mother hen" nature came out in me the past couple of weeks.  I have a tendency when someone hurts my kid, I just want to slap them up side the face.  Well, I have had to do a spiritual mind check on dealing with "why does that make me angry" and dealing with it in a healthy way.  I found a book by Stormie Omartian about Stepping in the Light and it reminded me again that circumstances come our way not to bring us down but to help us grow and I was reminded that God is in control and He will lead me and help me love and not get upset.  So, I started praying in my heart and it is amazing how quickly my anger was replaced with love.  I am so thankful that God checked up on my attitude. 
So good to hear about Katelyn's trip to Africa and the impact it left on her.  The take away she took from her trip was "to be satisfied with what you have" cause in Africa they basically have nothing and they are happy and in America we want want want and think things is what makes us happy.  She loved going to the orphanages and holding the babies and she commented over and over about how kind and nice and funny the workers from Africa were.  Thank you God for giving her this opportunity!

Minor Accident to Daughter + Daughter to Africa for 2 weeks + Lack of Sleep = Tears

It's been one of those weeks but God is Faithful!  The Song... Everlasting your light will shine when all else fades..Neverending Your glory goes beyond all fame..and the cry of my heart is to bring You praise..from the inside out Lord my soul cries out. 

Thank you Lord for your Faithfulness!

You Are The God Who Performs Miracles...

You are the God who performs miracles:  You display your power among the peoples:  Ps. 77:14
Thanking God today for His protection over Emily and her 2 friends Brittany & Regina.  When you receive a phone call saying there was an accident ... my mind can't help but go back 24 years ago when I got a phone call at work about my husband being in an accident and he passed on from this life to Heaven.  Receiving a call the other day that Emily and her 2 friends were in an accident with the ranger (like a gator) just made me realize again that God is in control and I need to hand it off to Him and I just prayed on my way to the hospital that God would have His will and His way in her life.  After all was said and done there were no broken bones or stitches - but a hard bruise to her lower back and neck.  Praise the Lord and I could feel my body relax!  Emily asked the question, "why did this have to happen?"  and I just simply told her there is a purpose and reason for everything even though we can't always see it but for now, she needs to thank God every time she thinks about her accident for sparing her life and that her injuries are not worse.  Our God is an Awesome God! 

Speaking a Blessing!

Psalms 4:3 -- Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant(insert your name) for himself:  The Lord hears when I (insert name) call to Him.  Today I am so thankful that God hears me any time of night or day when I call upon Him and that He sets me apart for Himself.  Dear God... Open my eyes that I may see those around me who may need a word of encouragement, a smile, a helping hand, or maybe just sitting and listening to them.  May I speak a blessing into someones life.  Amen!

Precious in the sight...

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (Psalms 116:15).  I came across this verse the other day in my devotions and had to think of my dear friend Mary Hummel.  This was one of Mary's verses she liked at the end of her life.  Mary was like a second Mom to me and such a dear saint who had a heart of gold.  Thank you Mary for your example of loving Jesus and sharing the love of Jesus to those around you.  One day we will meet our loved ones again and that will be a "shout'in time". 

You Can Make a Difference

A man on the beach where thousands of starfish lay dying in the sun saw a girl tossing them into the sea, one by one.  "Why bother?"  he asked.  "You won't make much of a difference."  Tossing yet another starfish into the sea, the girl said, "I made a difference to that one."  I recently heard this story at a Hospice Volunteer Breakfast and it really spoke to me -- sometimes going through life you wonder if you ever make a difference in someone else's life.  Answering that back - Yes Yes Yes - you and I make a difference.  Don't ever get bogged down with the thought that you don't. 
Speaking of Hospice, I am now officially a volunteer for Hospice.  Ever since my Dad passed away 5 years ago, becoming a volunteer for Hospice has been on my heart.  So, this spring I received a letter in the mail for the training and  I responded and am excited to see what God has in store for me.  Of course my family is "when are you going to fit that in your schedule? - the kids asked "do you get paid for this?" but then on the other hand they give me confirmation that they can definitely see me being a volunteer and enjoying it. 
The thought I leave with you is "Change your thoughts, and you Change your world."

Rainbow of Promise

I was reminded recently of God's Promise in a Rainbow.  Early one morning, I was quite annoyed with my dog, cause he ran over to my sister's and I had to go get him; Driving the short distance back to my house, I looked up and there was a beautiful rainbow - it was amazing and I thanked God for reminding me that I had a promise of a new day to live for Him.  I also like to think of my life as a colorful rainbow where God blends the colors of life's experiences together to create the person I am.  Remember you are Special and God Cares about everything in your Life!

I Believe...

I believe... "I can do all things through Christ"!
Joshua 1:5 -- "I will be with you.  I will not fail you". 
These two verses are so powerful - Claim them for yourself today - see what God will do in your life!

A "WOW" Moment

Have you ever prayed and asked God to help you find something? or have you prayed for healing? Well, this past week there were 2 different times that I asked God to help me find something; the first one was finding an earring that belonged to my daughter that I had been wearing and the other was finding my husband's belt.  It was pretty amazing how God answered those two prayers (not instantly) but I found them at a moment when I wasn't really looking for them. WOW!  Then yesterday Emily woke up feeling sick to her stomach - weak and just couldn't shake it and yet she knew she needed to go to basketball practice, since it's tournament time.  Well, she is a stickler for taking medicine, so on the way to practice I just reached over and prayed for her (which I had prayed earlier in my devotions too); she got out of the van, not looking too healthy, but I left it at that.  Awhile later I get a text from her saying: feelin pretty good, pray! later I get a text saying, we're on our way home,  feelin fine!  WOW!  What a Faith Builder!  "Everything is Possible for him who Believes!  Mark 9:23;  "You are the God who performs miracles: you display your power among the peoples;"  Ps. 77:14. 

B E L I E V E

Welcome to Sally's Blog - Hope you will enjoy some sweet stuff as well as some sassy  (at times) as you read my blogs.  This week I went to Bible Study for the first time and it was a "wow" for me.  The verse that really stood out to me was:  "Everything is Possible for him who Believes" Mark 9:23.  Feeling a bit down and out on Tuesday with about 3 different places I could be that night; I decided that Bible Study was what I needed and it was so encouraging - I throw out this challenge to you:  Believe in a Miracle and don't let unbelief or doubt put a damper on your miracle because remember "Everything is Possible for him who Believes!"