You're my inspiration...

I wish to say to all of the ladies in my life... thank you for your inspiration!

So many of you have touched my life in ways that you may never know... and I never seem to find the words to tell you. "Words of Affirmation" is NOT on of my love languages. I do not speak it... and I prefer not to hear it. Sorry... that's just me. I'm working on changing that... but it's a slow, painful process... lol

There are a few I would like to mention but I will not name you specifically... only to protect your privacy in the "internet" world. I will use descriptions or initials. This is by no means every one that has touched me... and I apologize for leaving anyone out but here goes...

So... first to my Mom.
You are my best friend. I love the time we spend together and I am proud of who you are. Many people misunderstand you... they may find you bold or sarcastic but those are the people that have never taken the time to truly get to know you. You are the most generous, loving person in all of our family and my prayer for you is that you will be appreciated for the awesome woman that you are.

To my sister in BC,
When are you moving here? We are too close in heart to be this far apart! I love you!... It's that simple!

To my Pastor's wife,
Oh, that I could one day be half the woman you are... my parents would rejoice!... lol You truly are the epitome of what I strive to be in my life. I've got a long way to go, but with your example, there is hope! I admire your humble, loving spirit and I pray that God would give me the strength to one day be an example as you are.

To Sis. S.L.,
The laughs we have enjoyed across your table or mine mean the world to me. You understand me (and that's no easy feat!) and you accept me exactly the way I am. I love you and I am proud to call you my friend.

To Sis. L.S.,
Words fail me when it comes to describing what you mean to me. I will never forget the day we returned to the church after being gone for a year. You literally ran to me and wrapped your arms around me to welcome me home. I cry as I type this because your love from that moment is still felt to this day. Thank you and your family for loving us so unconditionally and so completely.

To Sis. C.B.,
I admire your sensitivity to God's voice. Your support and wisdom has lifted me up more times than I can count. Whether it be gardening together or just sitting with our feet up... there is a comfort being in your presence. (except for those times when you made me to the "five miles" with you... lol Just kidding!) I love you and your family more than I could ever tell you. You have become our family and for that I thank you.

To Sis. C.J.,
You are one of the quietest women in our church but you never fail to smile and greet me when we pass. You have a beautiful voice and we miss hearing you sing. You and I have never really gotten to know each other but I want you to know that you have touched my life on more than one occasion. There have been times when your beautiful smile has brought light into darkness for me and I wanted to tell you... Thank You!

To Sis. T.H.,
A couple weeks ago, I felt someone wrap their arm around my shoulders and pray for me. I did not know it was you until later. I want to thank you for doing that. I have always admired you from afar. I'm not sure what held me back from getting to know you but whatever it was... I pray that it "was" and no longer "is". Keeping your family in prayer...

To Sis. T.W. and Sis. C.S.,
What can I say? You two were the ones that held my hand when I returned to the church after 20+ years of being a backslider. I can still see Sis. C. coming back the aisle holding out her hand to take mine and lead me to an altar of repentance and refilling of the Holy Ghost. You both have suffered tremendously in the past few months and I wanted you to know that you are both in my prayers. As with our Pastor's wife, I strive to be a woman of God that you have been such an example of.

To Sis. E. (E.M.),
We miss you... when are you coming home? As quiet and seemingly shy as you are... your heart is bigger than all of outdoors. You were so easy to love and you are SOOO missed. We look forward to having you home.

To Sis. M.J.,
We have had many conversations about the goodness and mercy of God. You show a strength that you may not even recognize in yourself but it shines from you. I admire your spirit and love for God. He pulled us from the muck and set our feet on stone. You stand so tall and proud for Jesus and I wanted to tell you that it shows!

To Sis. S.K.,
Your Mom did a wonderful job raising you and your siblings. You have an absolutely beautiful spirit. I have watched you mentor many of our youth and I know that it's not just the position of being a Pastor's wife that makes you do it. You do it because of the Love for them that God has given you. Stay strong... we're behind you 100%.

To Sis. B.L.,
Through your trials including your daughter turning away from God, you have never faltered in giving me a hug and asking how I'm doing. You have prayed with me and for me more times than I can count. You have kept my brother in your prayers and that truly means the world to me. I know that one day, God will take control and everything will be ok... because that's what He has promised.

To. Sis. M.G.,
You are a beautiful person with an electrifying smile and a humble heart. I love that we have been put together in our work for God. You always know the right words to say to lift my spirits! p.s. I'm sorry I ditched you two Sundays in a row!... I'm sure you'll find occasion to pay me back. lol

To. Sis. V.L.,
Our songbird... I have to tell you that you and your Mom are so precious! I love you both. I love your sense of humor (and that scares me a little... lol) and your spiritual energy. Your strength in God shows even when you think it's not there!

To Sis. J.Bear,
A few years ago, I would never have expected to be a Mom to teenagers... let alone 4 of them!... lol You, now being my oldest "daughter" have been there with more support and love than I could have ever expected. Thank you for loving our family so completely!

To Sis. D.R.,
Thank you for your sweet spirit. Your love for God shows in your love for people. You are beautiful and I love you!

To Sis. A.R.,
I love you because you make it so easy. Your smile and your prayers radiate through the church and they are both a welcome port in life's storms. I am sorry to see you move but I also know how much your family loves having you near. If and when you go, you will be missed.

To Sis. J.H.,
I've seen you rise from a public rebuking to being a strength in God. Don't ever lose that sweet, loving spirit. (I'm sure Bro. J. will appreciate it in his wife... lol) Keeping you in prayer...

To Sis. C.R.,
We have rarely spent time together in all of my years at the church but I wanted to tell you that I truly admire you. You and your husband were the first people that had us over for fellowship in your home. Your humble spirit is an inspiration to me and I wanted to tell you how much you mean to me.

I know that there are more of you out there that I have missed and the order in which I typed this is no reflection of significance. I just want to tell the women in my life... thank you for being an inspiration! The things that you may feel are nothing... are really something! I love you all!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON!!!

I know this is a few days late... but !
Happy 18th Birthday (on the 17th) Christopher
Your Dad and I are very proud of the young man you are becoming. This past year has been difficult for your Dad... you graduated, got your license, turned 18.

You'll have to slow down a bit or you'll give your Dad heart failure... lol

Can't wait to see you! Love you lots and lots... Mom

God is worth the effort...

My sister once made a comment that has stuck with me for a few years now. She said, "If I could take two hours to do my hair for a Christmas party or going to the bar when I lived in the world, why can't I put just as much effort into my hair before going to church. Isn't God worth more?"

I have to admit. I do not spend a lot of time on my hair. I am ashamed of myself for that. Most times, it gets the tangles combed out and it's pulled back into a clip and away I go!

I have read many blog posts over the past few days regarding New Years resolutions. I have thought a lot about which direction I am going to take in 2009 and my list goes something like this...

1. Draw closer to God and do more work for His Kingdom.
2. Be a better wife... more understanding and more supportive.
3. Read my Bible through.
4. Become physically healthier... lose weight, eat right, exercise more.
5. Make more effort regarding my appearance... not just for church but every day.
6. Spend more time in fellowship.
7. Finish at least one quilt... and not just a wall hanging... lol
8. Be a mentor

Like many I've read, this is an incomplete list but I'm working on it. Just like Pastor King said on Sunday, we need to continually adjust and make new resolutions. It's time for me to create higher expectations so that I can strive to be a better child of God.

God Bless you all. I pray that 2009 sets the bar for years to come!

Do We Limit Our God?

I was sitting in church last night when the thought struck me that we limit our God. How many times have we had a worship service or heard preaching that we go home and we discuss it for days because it was an "awesome" service? We have had worship services that never allow time for preaching because God moves in and takes control and the worship and prayer just goes on and on. People are touched in ways that they have not been touched in a long time.

But what if those "awesome" services became the norm? What if we worshipped like that every time? What if the preaching touched each and every one of us like that every time? What would God do to get our attention then?

We totally limit our God!

If "awesome" happened so often that it became "normal", can you imagine what God would do then?

I think we limit ourselves in our blessings by not striving for "awesome" to become "normal". We do it in our church services and we do it in our personal lives. We pray for God to help us pay our bills and put food on our tables and put a roof over our heads. He meets those needs because we have asked but are we limiting ourselves? Do we believe that He can provide everything we ask for and more?

I believe that in order for Him to do so, we have to make the first step. When has He ever failed to meet us when we've called on Him? I'll admit, there are church services that I don't feel Him. They are getting fewer and farther between but they still exist. When I am not feeling Him, I have often prayed "God, I need to feel you!". There has not been one time that He did not wash over me and bless me with His presence.

"Ask and ye shall receive"... pretty simple. "Seek and ye shall find"... not rocket science. "Ask and it shall be given unto you"... "Knock and the door shall be opened"...

God is not complicated. I believe that we get our output according to our input. The more we put in, the more we get out. The more we give, the more we get. The more we strive, the higher we soar. The more we use our blessings toward the Kingdom, the more blessings are bestowed upon us.

So... as both Pastors preached yesterday, now is the time to reach for more. Pray harder, read our Bibles more, love one another like we've never done before, strive for more... by doing and giving more of ourselves. I'm sure God will meet us and bless us like we've never been blessed before!

Let's not limit God in 2009. Let us challenge Him by challenging ourselves.

Let's make last years "awesome" into this year's "normal" and see what "awesome" really looks like!

God Bless!