2 quotes I just read:

I am reading this book called: Mad Church Disease. It's by a pastor's daughter who is talking about how easy it is to burn out....but is talking about ways to avoid it and how important it is to keep God in the mix. I will probably write about this later on. In the mean time, here are 2 quotes that I really like from this book:


"Difficulty is the very atmosphere of miracle-it is miracle in its first stage. If it's to be a great miracle, the condition is not difficulty, but impossibility."

-Lettie B. Cowman

"If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on him, and he will make use of you every minute you live-yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of him."

-Oswald Chambers

Exciting events in the near future...

Our recent sermon series at church is called Anatomy of a Miracle. The first Sunday, Pastor Donna (aka Mom) spoke, she said, What is the one big thing you are believing God for? Well I want to share a couple things that I believe are miracles in my life that I have been believing God for over the past few months.

1.) Moving to a new apartment: I can't wait!!! Hannah (my room mate) and I have been praying for a new place to live over the past year with several specific items I wanted in the apartment or in the surrounding area as well. So we have been casually looking for some place else to live with in that time, but never really felt released to do much of anything else but look. FINALLY, in March, we heard about this new apartment building in the city. When we looked on the website, Hannah and I didn't really think we could afford it. But we both prayed and looked at our budget and realized that not only could we afford it, but felt released to look at it and sign the lease. I went and looked at it on a Thursday, the following Sunday Hannah went and looked at it and we signed the application to move in that same day. It was so God. This place has everything that Hannah and I have been desiring in an apartment building: A pool, a gym, zone 6 residency, 2 blocks from the metro, It's brand new, has 2 bathrooms, a DISHWASHER (You don't realize how much you love those things until you don't have one for 3 years.)...I mean the list goes on... We move Memorial Day weekend..YAY!!

2.) Rome, Italy: Over the past 3 months, I have been praying and asking God whether I am supposed to go to Italy for the MXG Conference in June. I wanted to go, but also wanted to use that money towards my own vacation; just me and God. I also didn't want to spend more than $600 on a plane ticket over there. To buy a ticket at that price would need a miracle in itself. So then Monday night I had a dinner with a friend and while I was talking to him about my dilemma, I had an epiphany/word from God... I can do both vacation and conference. So I searched for tickets where I could go on a mini vacation before the conference and I found one for $550, and completely felt it was God so I bought it. So I am going to be gone May 31-June 9. I get to Rome a couple days early so I can enjoy the country by myself, then I join my 2 sisters in Rome that Wednesday. I am so excited. I never would've imaged this to be possible, and God made a way. Now, I am just believing God that He will do something supernatural when I have to speak Italian. I feel so rusty. hehe

New Favorite Song

The other day I was looking at our worship team blog and they posted this video. I absolutely love it. I listened to it over and over again. As this woman was singing, I really could feel God's love.

Wheat Sifting

As I was listening to one of the segments in the Believing God series this morning, there were some things that really struck me. She referenced Luke 22:31-31.

::"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have all of you, to sift you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen and build up your brothers."

It seems that God let the sifting happen with Simon, because God knew that the end product with in Simon would be greater than if he hadn't gone through the tough time.And once he repented and turned back to Christ, he would be able to strengthen and build up other people.

One thing that Beth Moore said was "God will never give the enemey permission to sift us like wheat unless we have something that needs sifting."

If we go through that sifting period then there is something that God wants to deal with inside of us so that He can move us on to greater things. He wants us to let go of certain things that would hold us back (ie. pride, victim mentality, bitterness, offense, sexual imorality etc), so that He can move us in the amazing purpose He has for us.

The word sift in the greek is siniazo which means to sift, shake in a sieve, fig. by inward agitation to try one's faith to the verge of overthrow

WOW.... If this meaning of sift doesn't describe what I have been going through in the past few months I dont know what does. It has been hard time in my life but I am encouraged, because that means that God is bringing things to the surface that need to be dealt with so He can bring me into His awesome purpose for my life. This makes me so thankful that God loves me so much that He doesn't want me life my whole life struggling with all this, but he wants me to shed all of that. I would rather live free and in God's purpose than to carry all that extra baggage HE wants me to let go of.

Another way to look at it....is to look at an open wound...you know the kind from when you scraped your knee when you were a kid. Remember how your mom or dad would put hydrogen peroxide on it and all the impurities would bubble to the top. So the process of cleaning all that out was painful but necessary for the wound to heal. That is what God does with us. He wants to use us, but wants to clean some stuff out first that would hinder us moving forward later. He doesn't want us to live in pain, but to live free and whole.

The best part about that scripture is that Jesus said, "I will plead in prayer for you, that your faith will not fail." so that means that while we go through that uncomfortable but necessary process, that Jesus is praying for us that our faith will not fail. That also means that he hasn't left us hanging and He knows EXACTLY what is going on, even though in those times it feels like it.

So if you are going through something like that now, know that God hasn't left you, but is there praying for you. AND most importantly don't fight the process, submit everything to God. There is no way you can do it in your own strength (believe me, I've tried), but trusting God and declaring scripture will get you through it. :)

Looking Forward

Recently, I have been doing a Bible Study by Beth Moore called Believing God. Some stuff in this past week's entry really stuck out to me:


Philippians 3:12-14
::I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. (MSG)

::12I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (NLT)

I like these two versions. I know I am not perfect, though there are plenty of times that I like to say I am. I know there are plenty of times when I get distracted and start to worry about the things going on around me. There are plenty of things to stress and worry about, but I have to remember the present-active participle in this verse that says: I press on/I'm off and running. That doesn't mean that I just do it one day, but it's something that is a continual action. I have to continually remind myself to look forward and to focus on God.

I want the one-thing in life to be that I am forgetting the past (not letting it weigh me down, but releasing it) and pressing towards the goal/the prize/all that God has. My focus needs to be what lies ahead.

THEN in the study we go in to this verse:

Matthew 6:33
::30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. (MSG)

::Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. (NLT)

::But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. (CEV)

So what all this means is that as we press on towards reaching the goal, as we run the race that God has set before us, as we stay in our specific lane, as we stay on course in doing God's will, as we put God's work first, as we forget the past and move forward... God will be there to meet ALL of our needs. He will be there to give us more than enough. He will be there to meet our everyday human concerns. He will be there for us in every up and down, in every situation and circumstance. He will never leave you or me hanging.

Thank You Lord that you are my God, My Father, My Provider, The God who sees me, The God of peace. Thank you for never leaving me nor forsaking me. I know with you I need not worry about anything. As long as I seek you first, I know that all my needs will be met. I know that even though the situation I may be in is trying to weigh me down, that ALL things will work together for good, because I love you and I know that I am called according to your promises. I pray all this in Jesus Name, Amen!