Listening

It's kind of funny how God works...repeating the same lesson over again until you finally get it! It's like "Duh! Got it God thanks! Sorry for being so slow!" lol That happened to me today!

I try to be good at doing devotions everyday. And for a while I was doing them at least every night, and sometimes also during the day. It was great. I felt better. I felt more calm and peaceful. It's pretty amazing what spending some time alone with God can do for a person! I live a busy life like many other people these days. On the go always Involved in lots of different things, and I love it! This week I kind of felt like "Whoa horsey! Slow down!" Like I was on some grand adventure on horse back and the horse was full speed ahead not wanting to slow down at all. With the busyness of life I had gotten away from spending time everyday, for personal reflection and devotion, in God's word. It's kind of ironic how God is the first thing pushed from the schedule when he was tortured, and gave his life to save me...and I shove him off first...not cool! He is kindly reminding me of that today!

Tonight at bible study we were talking about opening up our ears and listening. Isaiah 55:3 says this, "Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David." Yeah, well if you know me...I might like to talk a little bit ;) Being quiet is not something that is easy for me! It's something I need to work on more! We had further discussion tonight and we mentioned listening with open ears more than one time. I had that rolling around in the my thoughts as I came home tonight.

I watched some TV and did some work on my computer, and I subscribe to a blog of a Christian woman who I found out about just after I was raped. She was speaking on the radio and telling her testimony of how she was raped by a masked man that was hiding in her apartment years ago. Someone called me to listen to her story. I couldn't listen to all of it, but I later went back to look her up and read her story. Ever since, I have participated in her online bible studies. I new one started today. So I was starting this weeks lesson tonight before I headed to bed. We are looking at Mary and Martha tonight. Martha who was so busy with the details of preparing a big meal and worried about all of the details, and then there was Mary, who quietly sat at the feet of Jesus learning what he was teaching.

HELLO! I think I'm getting the picture here! I need to start to carve more time out for God in my everyday schedule and not push him to the back burner. God has some subtle hints sometimes doesn't he.....

I hope this finds you doing well, enjoying the beautiful weather!

Today, Michael and I talked with the family of Jessica Herringa who is still missing from being abducted from Exxon 12 days ago now. They are hopeful still, with the three girls being gone for a decade in Ohio being found that gave them brighter lights of hope. We prayed with them, for Jessica, and the man that took her, and her whole family. Continue to prayer for her situation that it gets resolved quickly and that they find her alive.

Much love!

Peace

 

My heart has been full lately. People are disappearing, being stolen, being sold, people are shooting people over drugs, money, and material things, people are homeless, people are stealing resources pretending to be homeless, people are dying while fighting for our country. This is such a sad sad world. The news focuses mostly on the bad things that are going on, there are good things, there are students taking a stand for the injustices in the world, there are people adopting children who don't have an earthly family, there are people helping people. 

I'm sad that Jessica was abducted from the gas station the other night and that no one can find her. I'm sad that little girls are being sold every sixty seconds in sex slavery, I'm sad people are abusing people and hurting one another. I'm sad that people don't know God, and don't know or don't care the outcome their horrible actions have on people around them. The people who are causing the pain and doing the horrible acts to people in this world, raping, beating, shooting, stealing, selling, torturing, bullying, ect. they need prayer so badly. They need to see the light. We need to be the ones to share God's love to everyone we come in contact with. We need to shine Christs light all over this world. We need peace, God provides peace, God is peace. 

I'm not saying any of this is easy.....it's not. Growing up my parents went through a horrible divorce, it was horrible my whole life. Always fighting, over pennies...foolish! Claiming one house to be better than the other. Putting my brother and I in the middle of all of it. They used us as bate to get back at each other. They knew it pissed the other one off to have the kids. I was sexually abuse for nine years of my life by my mom's second husband, I was raped as an adult by a co worker. Trust me when I say it's not easy! I couldn't show them Christ's light, because I couldn't forgive them. They hurt me horribly! It made me sick! I was always so mad at God thinking "God, how can you do this too me, I can't endure anymore pain! Why do I keep getting this horrible end of life!" I was MAD! One day I opened my heart up to God for real, fully opened and he filled it with peace, and love and life! It is so amazing. But when that happened I realized that I shouldn't have been mad at God, I should have been on my knees thanking him. God put amazing, absolutely amazing people in my life to help me through they challenges that come from people acting on their own freewill. I pray for them, often. I pray that they can see God in their lives, and know that I have forgiven them for their actions. I know that they need Jesus so much. And it's my job to share Jesus with everyone through words but also by my actions. It's hard, I'm only human, but I try to make the right choices, and make the right choices with my freewill that no one suffer my from choices. 

People need peace, this world needs peace. I'm ready for positive stories on the news, sharing God's love everywhere! 

Today is national day of prayer. We should all be praying more...myself included. This is my prayer tonight as I close:
God, I pray for all those who are hurting, who are suffering, who are hungry, who are homeless, who are mourning, who are lost, who are rejoicing, who are singing your praise, who are risking their lives to do your will on earth. God, move in this place, bring peace, happiness, joy, love, kindness, smiles. Surround those who don't know you that they may know you and have a relationship with you. God prepare us with what we need to shine as bright as possible in this dark world. I know that I just want my light to shine! Shine bright! I want people to experience what I have in my life, you, your love and your grace and forgiveness! Bless this place, move Lord, move big! Make it noticeable to everyone!  Be with those we love, and be with those we hate, until we can no longer see a difference. Amen

I wish peace for all of you in your lives, and that you can share your peace with others who might not otherwise experience it! 

Much love!