Before I went to sleep, during the night, and again this morning I prayed for pastors. I prayed specifically for Nazarene pastors blessed with being at General Assembly. I remember being in the Sunday morning service in past Assemblies with thousands gathered. What a blessing it is to gather at such events. I also prayed specifically for those filling pulpits around the world so the pastor can be at Assembly. I prayed not only for the church business happening at Assembly but for the spiritual business that needs to happen. I prayed for pastors to have their tank filled so they can not only minister to their congregation when they return home but they can minister to those of us who were not able to attend Assembly. I am so thankful for the Church of the Nazarene. I am one blessed pastor to have the privilege to stand upon the doctrine of holiness and proclaim it boldly. Sometimes I feel like I am living a dream. As a little girl I wanted to go to the beach. Now here I am living on an island being the hands and feet of Jesus. Yesterday when we went to Hunting Island I looked out into the water and was so blessed. When we went to see the sunset last night, I once again was in awe of where God has me in life. Doug is such a blessing to me. He was promised to me a year before we connected and we both knew from the first hug we are where we are to be. Woo hoo, God! Brandon Lake's song "Gratitude" is on my mind this morning. This is exactly how I feel. The first couple verses of Psalm 9 are on my heart this morning as I praise God for Who He is in my life.
So I throw up my hands And praise You again and again 'Cause all that I have is a Hallelujah, hallelujah And I know it's not much But I've nothing else fit for a king Except for a heart singing Hallelujah, hallelujah
Dear Jesus, Thank You for the work Doug and I accomplished at the church yesterday and for the time to 'stop and smell the roses' in the afternoon and evening! Thank You for the privilege many of my fellow pastors have to be at General Assembly! I pray blessings over them as they worship together. I pray healing over my dear friend Judy who experienced medical issues while there. May her and Jay feel an abundance of Your peace. I pray that peace over many going through difficult days. My sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Rhonda; Mike; Norma Hall; Jack and Paula; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; April; families in turmoil; Gay and Doug; Sherry; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many dealing with ‘c’ and/or going through treatments…Audrey; Chrissy’s cousin; Shirley Jones; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Little Roselynn; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer; a lady diagnosed with throat cancer; Mr Mullett; Marybeth's friend; David; and Damon. I pray for: Rebecca as she awaits surgery; Dan as he awaits biopsy results; Sue with the loss of her husband; the Long family; Becky; Russ; and a couple having marital issues. Thank You for continued healing for Pastor Tommy and Pam and for Dee's granddaughter! I pray special blessings of strength and peace over Leslie and her family. Cleanse me so You can fill me. May I preach boldly what You have given me to share today. May You flow out of my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts throughout this day. Thank You for being My Praise Maker! Amen.
I woke up this morning with "Goodness of God" going through my mind. God is so, so good! He is the best Daddy a person could ever have. I feel so blessed to be His daughter. Last evening Doug and I went out to the beach for a couple hours. It was so relaxing. He took a nap and I read a bit. We took a walk and people watched. Earlier in the day he took me for another trip to the DMV before we worked at the church. The DMV trip was mentally taxing and the church was physical work. I was so ready for some beach time and praised God for it. While there I had a phone call from a distraught church member and a text from another one. I thanked God for today's technology that keeps me connected even when away from home/office. We didn't get to see the sunset in it's glory due to the phone call but we still got to see a glimpse of it. Once again I thanked God for another blessing in the day. When we got home, I thanked God for leftovers to heat up before turning in for the night. This morning I thanked Him for eight hours of sleep. It seems like my body is still playing catch-up from all the trips to Ohio over the last few months. The emotional times can play havoc on my physical body. Every day I thank God for bringing Doug into my life at the perfect time. Before going to bed last night he was in the freezer getting out what he was going to make for us to eat today. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to have him in my life caring for me. I would have to say though being cared is just one aspect of my new life I enjoy. Our conversations about the Bible and him praying over me are the best. Last night when we got our chairs set-up at the beach he grabbed my hands and prayed the most beautiful prayer thanking God for giving us a couple hours there to 'stop and smell the roses' which blessed me in abundance. I truly believe when we live a life of gratefulness we will receive more blessings. It does no one, including ourselves, any good to grumble and complain. When we look for things to be grateful for, we will realize God is in the midst of the 'good' and the 'bad' times in life. He is there for us at all time but sometimes we get in the way of Him being able to love us through 'tough' times. We become self-centered which takes away from Him. I am so thankful for the words to "Goodness of God" which remind me to stay focused on Him...
I love You, Lord Oh Your mercy never fails me All my days, I've been held in Your hands From the moment that I wake up Until I lay my head Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
Some days are harder than others to get through yet praising Him is the best way to live. I miss my Momma so much. I miss the phone calls that included laughter and praying. When Doug and I were talking about the holidays last night, it hit me I no longer have Momma and her house to gather with my boys and their families. So, so many changes in life. Some are wonderful and others are hard to deal with. Thankfully God is with me every step of every day. He sends me reminders such as Psalm 113 to praise Him. This Psalm was one Jesus and His disciples probably sang on the night of Passover. The repetitiveness in this Psalm was the Hebrew way to emphasize things. In this instance the Psalmist was emphasizing God is worthy of continual praise. That means we need to praise Him in the 'good' and the 'bad' times in life. When we praise Him in this manner, we will soon realize nothing is greater than God. There is no hurt on this earth that cannot be soothed by God. There is no problem faced that God does not already have the solution. Woo hoo! This knowledge gives such freedom in life. It empowers us to not just get through the 'tough' days but to glorify Him through them.
Dear Jesus, Thank You for all Doug and I accomplished yesterday and for our time at the beach last evening! Thank You for the way You are going to go before us today with what we want to get accomplished! Father, I pray we will not miss any opportunity You have for us to be Your hands and feet. Cleanse us so You can fill us. May You be seen/heard through our words, actions, attitude, and thoughts. I pray those going through 'tough' days will realize the freedom found in praising You. My sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Rhonda; Mike; Norma Hall; Jack and Paula; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; April; families in turmoil; Gay and Doug; Sherry; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many dealing with ‘c’ and/or going through treatments…Audrey; Chrissy’s cousin; Shirley Jones; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Little Roselynn; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer; a lady diagnosed with throat cancer; Mr Mullett; Marybeth's friend; David; and Damon. I pray for: Rebecca as she awaits surgery; Dan as he awaits biopsy results; Sue with the loss of her husband; the Long family; Becky; Russ; and a couple having marital issues. Thank You for continued healing for Pastor Tommy and Pam and for Dee's granddaughter! I pray special blessings of strength and peace over Leslie and her family. Thank You for being My Praise Maker! Amen.
I woke up this morning with the words to "My Jesus" going through my mind. Anne Wilson wrote this song as a tribute to the way her brother lived his life. Before his passing he was one who lived out his love for God. It reminds me of the sermon series on being the hands and feet of Jesus.
The knowledge of these words is priceless for those who have accepted Jesus into their heart and live for Him. Last night as I was praying God told me to read Psalm 50. It gives direction on how we are to live for God. We will all be accountable to God on the day of judgement. We all have choices to make and the choices we make will determine if we spend eternity in heaven or hell. Matthew Henry writes, Happy are those who come into the covenant of grace, by faith in the Redeemer's atoning sacrifice, and show the sincerity of their love by fruits of righteousness. In verses seven through fifteen of Psalm 50 the Psalmist shows how God doesn't want the sacrifices of the Old Testament or the works of today. He desires obedience to Him. Verses fourteen and fifteen read in The Passion Translation: Why don’t you bring me the sacrifices I desire? Bring me your true and sincere thanks, and show your gratitude by keeping your promises to me, the Most High. Honor me by trusting in me in your day of trouble. Cry aloud to me, and I will be there to rescue you. Matthew Henry writes: We must acknowledge him in all our ways, depend upon his wisdom, power, and goodness, and refer ourselves wholly to him, and so give him glory. Thus must we keep up communion with God; meeting him with prayers under trials, and with praises in deliverances. I love the words prayers under trials and with praises in deliverances. Paul reminds us in several scripture to pray. He gave us multiple examples of how he prayed. Ephesians 1 shows how he prayed for the Ephesians constantly, Romans 1 shows how he prayed for the Romans at all time. The book of Romans is full of his encouragement to pray and praise. Romans 12:12 reads, Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Chapter fifteen verse thirteen reads, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. This verse goes along with Psalm 50 in showing the importance of living a life filled with faith and trust. As we live such a life the Holy Spirit will empower us so we can live in obedience to God. Paul's prayers for the Philippians found in chapter one, verses nine through eleven are ones all followers of Christ should have for all people. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. The end of Psalm 50 tells us we will need to turn away from evil and live a life of righteousness while on this earth so we can live for eternity with Him. The way to live such a life is by following Paul's words in drawing deeper in love with God. Matthew Henry writes: Man's chief end is to glorify God: whoso offers praise, glorifies him, and his spiritual sacrifices shall be accepted. We must praise God, sacrifice praise, put it into the hands of the Priest, our Lord Jesus, who is also the altar: we must be fervent in spirit, praising the Lord. Let us thankfully accept God's mercy, and endeavour to glorify him in word and deed. I praise Him for the way He brings scripture and songs together to speak to me. I praise Him for His love that He lavishes down upon me every day. I strive to live a life pleasing to Him and desire to share such a life with all I meet.
Dear Jesus, Thank You for the blessings of yesterday with the accomplishment at the DMV, Doug being with me as we visited Neiderhiser's, and our time out with Billy, Sierra, and the kids! Thank You for the blessings ahead today! Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You ooze out of my words, thoughts, attitude, and actions. I pray Your peace over many going through difficult days. My sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Rhonda; Mike; Norma Hall; Jack and Paula; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; April; families in turmoil; Gay and Doug; Sherry; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many dealing with ‘c’ and/or going through treatments…Audrey; Chrissy’s cousin; Shirley Jones; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Little Roselynn; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer; a lady diagnosed with throat cancer; Mr Mullett; Marybeth's friend; David; and Damon. I pray for: Rebecca as she awaits surgery; Dan as he awaits biopsy results; Sue with the loss of her husband; the Long family; Becky; Russ; and a couple having marital issues. Thank You for continued healing for Pastor Tommy and Pam and for Dee's granddaughter! I pray special blessings of strength and peace over Leslie and her family. Thank You for being My Jesus! Amen.
What a long night or I guess maybe it was a short night if you think in the lines of sleeping. I usually do not have an issue with sleeping. There wasn't anything in particular on my mind. Just a lot of thinking done which morphed into praying. I started thinking about heaven. What it will look like? Will we know one another? I've always been taught there will be no need for daily things such as food. Jokingly I have said things about not have my chocolate anymore will be a bummer but we all know what I will have will be much better than chocolate. I am so jealous of my Momma being there before me. I wondered what she was experiencing in her new body. Being in His presence 24/7 will take on a new meaning when I will actually see Him. Hearing His voice in person will be different. I cannot even begin to imagine life there. I do think it will be more glorious than anything we could ever imagine. I have the song "I Can Only Imagine" on my mind this morning...
This song was inspired by the life and death of Bart Millard's father. As long as we have breathe on this earth we have hope in Jesus. That hope leads us into life with Him for eternity as we allow Him to be our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We read in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews of people who have gone on to be with the Lord due to their great faith on this earth. The chapter ends with speaking of something better God has in store for those who live for Him. I am blessed in the knowledge my Momma is getting her something better and look forward to the day I will be there with her. When I took this picture last night, I saw Jesus in the bright spot in the midst of the dark clouds. Woo hoo!
Dear Jesus, Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead today! Thank You for the work Doug and I accomplished at the church and the insurance agency yesterday! Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May people see/hear You through my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts. I pray Your strength over many going through difficult days. My sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Rhonda; Mike; Norma Hall; Jack and Paula; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; April; families in turmoil; Gay and Doug; Sherry; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many dealing with ‘c’ and/or going through treatments…Audrey; Chrissy’s cousin; Shirley Jones; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Little Roselynn; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer; a lady diagnosed with throat cancer; Mr Mullett; Marybeth's friend; David; and Damon. I pray for: Rebecca as she awaits surgery; Dan as he awaits biopsy results; Sue with the loss of her husband; the Long family; Becky; Russ; and a couple having marital issues. Thank You for continued healing for Pastor Tommy and Pam and for Dee's granddaughter! I pray special blessings of strength and peace over Leslie and her family. Thank You for being My Something Better! Amen.
God woke me this morning with the prompting to read Psalm 3. David wrote this Psalm at a time he had to flee his son Absolum. There were so many times David felt 'beat up' by his enemies and yet he never gave up trusting God. This Psalm begins with him humbling himself before the Lord in the first two verses. Verses three and four show him realizing how God helps him and then verses five and six show how he realizes God is his safe place. The last two verses are entitled "The Secret of Strength" in The Passion Translation. God is our strength no matter what we go through. A 'secret' in that strength is allowing Him to be who He desires to be in our life. He desires to stretch our faith through difficult days so we will trust Him more. When our enemies seem to not want to back down, He is there to give us exactly what we need to glorify Him. In Psalm 3 there are breaks between each section entitled "Pause in His presence" which is exactly what we need to do. It is in His presence we find more of Him. We will experience more of His love when we stop and bask in His presence. We will experience more of His wisdom when we stop and listen. We will receive more of His clarity when we stop and be still before Him. Enemies come in so many different ways. Some come in people who are out to hurt us. Others come in the thoughts the enemy puts in our mind. Others come in the expectations we put upon ourselves. I felt 'icky' yesterday and wanted to cry all day long. I miss hearing my Momma's voice. I miss being able to call her when I'm having MS tingling and her making things all better. Yesterday as I started getting mad at myself for the tears and the feeling down the Lord reminded me it had only been a week yesterday since she took her last breath on this earth. One week. I know from past experience grieving will continue but I also know it gets lesser as time goes on. One week is not long and I need to remember that. I had my Momma for sixty-one plus years. She was a constant in my life that will no longer be. Even though I do not have her physically with me I do have memories to reflect upon which I am thankful. Not everyone has what I had in my Momma. I must remember that and be thankful for the gift God gave me in her. David began Psalm 3 lamenting but ends it with glorifying God. I lamented throughout the day yesterday and I pray I ended the day as David. Today is a new day. I pray it is a day full of God-blessed memories and that I make God proud of me. I know the way to do that is to be in His presence and allow Him to be my strength. I am reminded of a song Vertical Worship sings called "Strength of My Life" and feeling very blessed...
You are the strength of my life You flood the darkness with light I throw myself on Your never failing love You are the strength of my heart I'm running into Your arms I throw myself on Your never failing love I will walk and, not grow faint Through the valley, You will make a way You are always, holding onto me
Dear Jesus, Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead today! Thank You for bringing Doug into my life at the perfect time! Thank You for wiping my tears and being here in these 'hard' days without my Momma! Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May people see/hear You through my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts. I pray Your strength over many going through difficult days. My sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Rhonda; Mike; Norma Hall; Jack and Paula; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; April; families in turmoil; Gay and Doug; Sherry; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many dealing with ‘c’ and/or going through treatments…Audrey; Chrissy’s cousin; Shirley Jones; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Little Roselynn; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer; a lady diagnosed with throat cancer; Mr Mullett; Marybeth's friend; David; and Damon. I pray for: Rebecca as she awaits surgery; Sue with the loss of her husband; the Long family; Becky; Russ; and a couple having marital issues. Thank You for continued healing for Pastor Tommy and Pam! Thank You for being My Strength! Amen.
I woke up this morning with a song I heard yesterday on the radio that I can relate to. It's called "Truth Be Told" by Matthew West. He wrote of the song:
“I grow up and I become a public figure, and I sing and I write books and I have a podcast and my voice is heard by a lot of people,” West reflects. “There’s a tendency once again to pretend, even if you’re struggling, because it’s not easy for anybody, let alone having a public platform to admit when you’re struggling in any area of your life. That really brings about kind of this nagging feeling in your life that you’re living something less than an authentic version of who you are."
I do not want to ever live "something less than an authentic version" of myself. Sometimes that is hard such as with the loss of my Momma. I not only lost my Momma but my friend and confidant. I lost someone who even though we were seven hundred miles apart we were still connected daily through phone conversations until she went into the nursing home. I am feeling such loss. There is so many things that were put off over the last couple of months due to being in Ohio a lot, scheduling her night care while she was still home, making sure she was taking her medicine and eating even from across the miles, etc. I am overwhelmed with trying to play 'catch up' and get things accomplished yet still figure out this grieving process. You would think I would have it 'down pat' by now with all the losses I have experienced in less than three years. Part of me feels like wanting to run away from life and sleep, rest, do nothing, etc. I know that is not possible but I also know I have to have some self-care in my daily routine in order to grieve. Yesterday as I waited on Doug at the DMV I walked. I was determined to get a walk in at the water later in the day but that didn't happen with many phone calls happening and then board meeting last night. I was disappointed in the outcome of the day in many ways but especially with not getting a 'real' walk. God speaks to me through nature and I know if I would have been out in it yesterday my disposition would have been so much better. Today is another day. Once again I will strive to have self-care in my day. God desires us to take care of ourselves. His Word tells us in Proverbs 4:23,Above all else, guardyour heart, for everything you do flows from it. These words show the importance of taking care of ourselves. I was thinking this morning about how we must love ourselves in order to take care of ourselves. That may sound strange to people but when you think about Luke 10:27 it tells us we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. We can't love others if we don't love ourselves first. I was reading an article that talked about how it is essential we take time to make sure our physical, mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual bodies are healthy. When we do this, we will realize the ability to love others better. God's Word gives many examples of Him practicing self-care. Exodus 31:17 and Mark 6:30-45 tells us He rested. Sometimes, as a pastor, I feel like I can't take time for myself because people need me. Mark 4:35-41 shows Jesus resting even though there were many who needed Him. The words to this song are what I'm feeling these days...
I say, "I'm fine, yeah, I'm fine, oh, I'm fine, hey, I'm fine" But I'm not, I'm broken
This picture Doug took of me Saturday at Stan Hywet Gardens has great meaning. God has told me many times over these last three years that I will be 'fine' as I lean into His strength. He gave me Isaiah 43:18-19 to ponder upon. Right now I feel like I am in the wilderness in these days without my Momma on this earth. I do not want to just 'wander around' but I also know I need to allow God to do something new in me. I know I need to be open to His healing. I think about the caterpillar who thinks life is over only to emerge into something more beautiful. I know I will come out stronger after experiencing this loss. I also know God is here to encourage me through these tough days. I know these things but my heart aches. To think I will never hear my Momma say, 'I love you Sheila Babe!' brings tears.
Dear Jesus, Thank You for my husband who loves me well! Thank You for another day of life ahead! May I carve out time for self-care today. Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May people see/hear You through my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts. I pray for many going through difficult days to realize the need for self-care. My sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Rhonda; Mike; Norma Hall; Jack and Paula; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; April; families in turmoil; Gay and Doug; Sherry; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many dealing with ‘c’ and/or going through treatments…Audrey; Chrissy’s cousin; Shirley Jones; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Little Roselynn; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer; a lady diagnosed with throat cancer; Mr Mullett; Marybeth's friend; David; and Damon. I pray for: Rebecca as she awaits surgery; Sue with the loss of her husband; the Long family; Becky; Russ; and a couple having marital issues. Thank You for continued healing for Pastor Tommy and Pam! Thank You for being My Care Taker! Amen.
The last few days have been filled with so many emotions. Sadness yet joy. Frustration yet understanding. So, so many emotions have been experienced and so much physical energy spent. After getting in at 4:45 AM from a delayed flight I wasn't sure how I was going to present the sermon God gave me yet once again He provided the strength needed. After napping/resting in the afternoon we went into town for a walk and of course some ice cream. Returning home I worked on board stuff while Doug made dinner. As soon as dinner was over I climbed into bed and woke feeling better after eleven hours of sleep. Today is another day. There are two 'must do' tasks and the rest of the day will be used to rest. The last few months have been hard on my body with multiple trips to Ohio. They have been hard on my emotional being with getting married and then losing my Momma. They have been hard on my mental being because my brain is effected by tiredness. They have stretched my financial being but I know my husband has everything under control so I do not have to fret. The one part of my being that I can honestly say is solid is my spiritual being. I am so thankful for the way God speaks to me through other people, things I read, etc. I am especially thankful for Him speaking to me through nature. Doug and I have started a self-guided devotional centered on nature and how God speaks to us. I am so excited for this new part of our journey. I am excited to focus on God's Word with my husband and to expand both of our ways of thinking. I believe God brought us together for many reasons and one of them is to grow both of us spiritually. Matthew 28:18-20 was given as the commission for the new church year for not only my church family as a whole but for each of us individually. When I took this picture on our walk last night, I thought about how God makes us all different. These flowers are the same type yet they each have their own different color. They were planted at the same time yet they are of different sizes. That is exactly how God creates each of us. We may be the same race, sex, age, etc. yet we are different. God will use each one of us as we allow Him. He will open doors that need opened and close those that need closed as we allow Him. The 'secret' to a full relationship with God is us being submissive and willing to walk in obedience to His will. The day I realized that was a glorious day. Woo hoo! As I begin a new day I look forward to wherever God takes me. I am excited to see how I can make an eternal impact on people. Sometimes seeds are planted in lives and we never know the outcome. This last week when we received a note from a waitress that said, "I truly feel the strength inside of you" I was blessed in abundance. We prayed for her situation and immediately God answered those prayers. Not only were the prayers answered but she saw God in the midst of the answers. This is why I desire to he His hands and feet. I want to make a difference in people's lives. Something as simple as asking someone how you can pray for them can change their day but can more importantly change their life. There is the old saying about today being the start of the rest of your life. I want to make sure if there is anything I have missed in the past for God I do not miss it today. If there is anything He desires of me to say or do, I will realize it. The song "The Commission" is on my mind this morning...
Don't forget the things that I taught you
I′ve conquered death and I hold the keys
Where I go you will go too, someday
But there′s much to do here before you leave
Dear Jesus, Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace! Thank You for the rest received last night and for Doug taking such good care of me! Thank You for the way You will go before me today as I go to the DMV to get business taken care of and tonight as I lead the board meeting! Thank You for empowering me through this newness without my Momma here on this earth! Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May people/see You through my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts. I pray Your peace over many going through difficult days. My sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Rhonda; Mike; Norma Hall; Jack and Paula; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; April; families in turmoil; Gay and Doug; Sherry; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many dealing with ‘c’ and/or going through treatments…Audrey; Chrissy’s cousin; Shirley Jones; my pastor friend with daily chemo; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Little Roselynn; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer; a lady diagnosed with throat cancer; Mr Mullett; Marybeth's friend; David; and Damon. I pray for: Rebecca as she awaits surgery; Sue with the loss of her husband; the Long family; Becky; Russ; a couple having marital issues. Thank You for continued healing for Pastor Tommy and Pam and for the little one with seizures discharged from the hospital! Thank You for being My Commissioner! Amen.
