First and foremost, God has been working on me.   Showing me what I should be...  In my SS study this week, He is again showing me that I am His, body and soul, inside and outside!!!  Just listen to this...

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.                Romans 12:1-2  (NIV)

Wow!!!  As I have said in past bloggings, I dedicate myself to Him each morning, praying that my actions, thoughts, and feelings will glorify Him.  I am realizing more and more that as I am "transformed by the renewing" of my mind, that I can "see" His will so much more clearly.  PTL!!!  I can hear the Holy Spirit speaking to me on so many different things; sometimes I am being chastized, other times I am being uplifted by my choices.  But, always, I feel His guidance and involvement in my life, minute by minute. 

As I grow daily in Him, I enjoy listening for His guidance.  I have been getting an email update each morning on the 40 Days for Life campaign that has been going on here in the US.  It is basically prayer vigils outside of abortion clinics around the US, not protests in the extreme sense of the word but peaceful and dedicated praying for all the unborn babies.  My husband and I are very concerned and saddened by all the abortions going on around the world.     This is one of the utmost issues for us in the upcoming election, regarding who will be placed on the Supreme Court in the next 4 years.  I told my husband one evening last week as we were driving home from church that if there was a clinic near us that did abortions, I would go and be a part of the prayer vigil.   Well, the Holy Spirit prompted me and I had the thought that there was one in Lufkin so I searched and searched online to find it, but I couldn't.  The next day, I got an email from David with 40 Days for Life and he encouraged us to read his blog.  I did and I found the Lufkin location of Planned Parenthood.  They do not do surgical abortions but they give the Morning After Pill, IUD's and birth control pills.  I contacted the lady in Lufkin that was the contact person for 40 Days for Life.  And...............on Friday, I meet with her in front of PP for a prayer vigil!!!!!!  I took Houston and Delanie with me.  We prayed, the kids sang "Jesus loves me" and we read the Bible together.  It was the most wonderful experience!!   

I spoke Sunday at church during the morning service, telling others my experience.  Bro. Randy has said so often that "this isn't the service (Sunday morning preaching), your service begins when you walk through those doors as you leave..."   He is so right.  I hope that this blog will be an encouragement to each of you to dedicate yourself to God's will.  Get involved where He guides you!!!  We must stop being a passive Christian body, we must stand up for His will each and everyday!!!

May the Lord bless you all today   as you go about doing His will!!!

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I am staying very busy today.  The Lord has me on a Spring cleaning (in the Fall) mission.  I had been praying that the Lord would help my days be filled with joy.  As John 10:10 (KJV) says, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."  I know that Satan is here, ready at every moment, to suck the joy right out of my day.  But, I want to be joyful!  I chose to be joyful!!   I chose to live life more abundantly.  In order for me to do this, the Lord has shown me that I must purge my life of anything that "sucks the joy" from it.  For me, that is clutter.    I can't stand clutter.  And, He's also shown me that I will live life more abundantly and joyful if I will keep up with my cleaning/organizing.  So, for the past 2 weeks, I have been cleaning and organizing and de-cluttering like mad!  Trying to find any and everything I can to keep up with all the day to day "must do's".  I've gotten my weekly chore lists updated and now I'm down to the de-cluttering.   

I've also found joy in this verse, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands..." 1 Thessalonians 4:11 (NIV)

I see work now as a way I can glorify God.  I know without a doubt that the Lord wants me to work diligently taking care of my children, my husband and my home.  How blessed I am to have a home to clean and de-clutter.  How blessed I am to have children and a husband to take care of and love.    It also helps when I listen to praise music as I do my "chores".  This helps me to use the time for praising God and realizing all the blessings He has brought to my life. 

So, today I praise the Lord that He has shown me how to do all these things more abundantly through Him.  I chose to glorify Him by working with my hands as I de-clutter!   What a great way to begin finding that extra joy in my life!  

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Each morning, normally before my feet hit the floor, I pray and dedicate my day, body and soul, to the Lord.  I have such trouble during my day when things don't go as they should.  Like those times when I've just finished mopping the floors and here come my kids running through with dirty feet.   Or, when my daughter comes in and has changed clothes again.  My children know not to do these things but they do...time for correction and teaching, again.   These are the times that I desperately need the Lord's help.  Help to respond as Galatians 5:22-23 shows us, "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law."  (NIV)  But, the KJV really speaks to me where it says "long-suffering" instead of patience and "meekness" instead of gentleness.  Wow, long-suffering!  So, this is what I long for and cry out for God to help me attain during my day. But, I fail so often.    So this morning, when one of my devotionals challenged me to put on my spirital armor, the "armor of God", each morning I immediately felt drawn to this scripture!

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests...                Ephesians 6:14-18

As I dedicate myself each morning to God, body and soul, I will also pray for the Lord to "fit" me with each of the items mentioned above.  Wow!!!  I love the imagery of being clothed in "God's armor"!!  And, praying "in the Spirit" just reinforces all the wonderful attributes that Gal. 5:22-23 speaks of!!  I had such a wonderful time with God's word this morning!!!

Lord, I love You!  I praise You for all You are in my life.  Thank You for opening my eyes this morning and giving me "extra" strength and peace as I put on Your armor!!  You are everything to me.  I dedicate my life to You, body and soul.  I pray You will honored today in everything I do.  In Christ's name I pray, Amen.

May the Lord hold you and keep you all today!! 

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Oh, do I have a story to tell….   For many years, I have wanted a sewing machine.  I don’t really know how to sew, but I did sew curtains for my classroom about 8 years ago with the help of my sweet MIL – THANKS Mom!    I have been a member of Momys for nearly 3 years now and so many of them are talented seamstresses, it has made me want to sew even more.  As the years have passed, I have so wanted to be able to sew clothes, make things for my home, or give a home-sewn gift.  The Momys have had a couple of Sew A-long’s that I really wanted to do but no machine.  Well, a couple of weeks ago, I felt that the Lord was urging me to put a “wanted” post on Freecycle for a sewing machine.  I thought, “Yea right, I’ll get a machine all right… a monstrosity of a thing that won’t work and then I’ll have it sitting around adding to all my clutter” so I just pushed the thought aside.  Then, a day or so later, again I really felt the Lord was prompting me to put a post on Freecycle.  So, I did.  Several days later I got an email from a lady asking if I still wanted a sewing machine.  I replied that I did but at the same time I was wondering what I was getting myself into.  I asked her if she had one I could give a “loving” home.  She said she did have one that she wanted to give me…a brand-new still-in-the-box machine that her MIL had given her.  She said she had never used it and never would.  WOW!!!!  I couldn’t believe it and thought that it can’t “really” be a “real” sewing machine.   We met the next week and here’s what she blessed me with….

Yes, it was brand new and never used... Thank you, Daina.  God bless you!!!   I am so grateful!!

As I went through these past two weeks exchanging emails with Daina and being amazed with God’s goodness, I thought of a couple of scriptures…

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.     John 16:24

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.        Matthew 21:22

I praise the Lord for this wonderful gift, for the wonderful Daina that He wrought and for her preacher daddy that taught her "not to be selfish with her material possesions".  I pray the Lord will give me the opportunity to bless someone like Daina did me!!!    I never actually prayed that the Lord would provide a sewing machine, but He does know my heart.  This was a blessing to me and my whole family.  I can learn to sew and so can my children! 

But, as I thought about this blessing, I must say the Lord had me thinking of other things too!!    My thoughts and prayers were on Aaron and Morieen who just lost their 3 yo son Cole from cancer, Corrine & Pete who lost their precious Rachael, the Drews family who lost their beautiful Christian, Cathy (who right now is in the fight of her life against the cancer that might take her home), precious Baby Emmy who is playing at the feet of Jesus right now and so many more.  The list goes on and on…  I don’t know them IRL but I love them.  Some I know better than others, but the Lord has given me a love for each of them that is indescribable!!!  As tears pour down my face, I just don’t understand why the Lord didn’t bless them with their hearts desire.  I have prayed so many prayers for these wonderful people.  Oh, if I could have just given them their hearts desire….  I will never understand these things this side of heaven.  But, I do know that God loves them with all His heart.  And, I know this…

“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.”          Jeremiah 29:11

That is one of my favorite verses.  In my life, when I don’t understand God’s ways, I hold on to that verse with everything in me.  It gives me hope and comfort.

I also know that God gave His own son for each of us.  Jesus Christ died in my place…in your place.   How I wish that the Lord had given each of these families their heart’s desire and I am praying for that very thing for Cathy.  But, without a doubt His will is perfect, even if I do not understand it.  I will continue to pray for God’s comforting arms to be wrapped around these families and all the others in our world that are hurting….  May God bless each and every one of you!   

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