Journey To Praise

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name."

Psalm 100:4

The other day I woke up and felt a little disconnected...okay maybe more like a lot disconnected. I began the day as I often do--reading my devotional. But even as I read I still couldn't shake that feeling. There are times when, even in the midst of going to church or reading our bibles, we simply aren't "feelin it" and definitely can't put our finger on what's missing. Sometimes we simply need a little nudge from the Lord to help us get back on track. I was searching for my nudge.

As I read I Chronicles 6, something jumped off the page in verses 55-57. It wasn't a phrase that anyone would really take note of beyond me. It wasn't one of our many super-quoted verses that stuck out. Instead in the midst of talk about lineage and 'who begot who' and the division of property was a part that said "They gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, with its surrounding common-lands...one of the cities of refuge". A smile grew on my face as I felt the nudging of God. You see, in my current journey away from what had been my home for 13 years, God told me to come to Hebron. I hadn't heard of such a place until my brother and his family moved to a neighboring city of Hebron, KY. The significance of this may mean nothing to anyone else. However upon closer look at the verses showed that Hebron (the biblical one) was a city in Judah and "Judah" means praise. I smiled even greater as I left my room to hear that my family made plans for us to go visit with another family member who lives in Hebron proper that day. And so...in the midst of my disconnect, the Lord reached through the pages of His Word and nudged me into a space of refuge and a place of praise.

I can't tell you where your "nudge" will come from. It probably won't look like mine. But what I do know is that when we commit to the process of devoting time to Him in prayer and reading his Word, He will meet us right where we are. He wants to take us to places of refuge in Him. He doesn't have to shout from the rooftops. He doesn't have to beat us over the head with it. At the end of the day, the thing that reconnects us all from that place of disconnect is plain and simple...PRAISE.

Be encouraged on your journey to praise.

Blessings,
PastorA

Next Step Only

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."  (Matthew 6:34)

I've been trying to get in shape. Today's goal? Do at least 2 miles and jog most of that. I'm good at walking but I set a goal to amp up my jog-factor today and was determined to make that happen. It was a good day for it. The sun was hiding behind some clouds but it didn't look menacing, so I set out on my trek. About a half mile in, the clouds opened up and sprinkles began to fall. I knew it could get worse and thought that it may be a good idea to turn around while I was still somewhat dry. But I remembered my goal and kept going. And sure enough, the heavens decided to shower me with moist blessings just about the point where I turned around to head back home for the second half of my jog. The rain pelted in my face and I decided that the best way for me to make it (and not pull over and call someone to come get me) was to simply focus on my feet.

You see, when I looked ahead, the road seemed a bit ominous--like the end would not come soon enough. However, when I focused on my feet, all I was concerned about was the next step. Though the rain was pouring, I just needed to take the next step. Though the cars were wooshing buy angrily spitting more water in my face, it was all about the next step. Though my clothes began to cling to my curves in ways I wasn't trying to show the world, my focus was on the task at hand.

And the Lord spoke in the midst saying that, right now, that's what He needs me to do in my life. I spent the last few days getting frustrated about things I could only minimally control. I had begun to get overwhelmed by the larger task and that made me want to sit it out and do nothing (well except eat ice cream, that is). Today's lesson was about putting one step in front of the other. Sometimes we get so long-sighted...we are so focused on the big thing that's to come (the bills that need to be paid, the wedding we're planning, the house we're buying, the raise we want, the career move that's around the corner, the move we're making, etc.) that we fail to simply live in the moment. I know that God has shown me the ultimate goal, but today I can only be concerned about today. Today, I can only put one foot in front of the other. Today, despite what obstacles may come my way and despite whatever storm is brewing, I can only do what I can do.

Today, I encourage you to do what you can and leave the rest up to God. Today, focus on the task at hand and don't allow the ultimate goal to weigh you down. Get your mind right and focus.

Blessings,
PastorA

P.S. Don't forget that, if this said something to you, don't forget to "pay it forward" and send it along to a friend or family member who may just need a bit of encouragement.

Special Announcement

Greetings All!

I'm so very excited to announce that, as I celebrate 4 years since it was written, I finally have made my book, In The Process of Time: Victory Through Your Waiting Season available for digital release on Amazon.com and Kindle devices. I do hope that you will spread the word and share with a friend. No matter who you are, if you know me or not...I think God has a Word fr you in this book. The book was definitely a labor of love and faith...one whose words even sometimes come back to minister to me every now and again. I hope the same can be said for you.

Blessings,
PastorA

Faith = "Do It Scared"

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed 

from faith to faith; as it is written, 

“The just shall live by faith.” 

Romans 1:17

The other week, I got a chance to spend some wonderful "catch up" time with my friend Cassandra. I'm not a big phone girl, but every once and a while I get on these marathon chats with dear friends from near or far and really catch up on life. And as we chatted and testified one to another, she said something that stuck with me. She called what I'm going through and what she's going through by name. She said we are "doing it scared". 

Came across this painting by Herschberger that says it all

I haven't been able to shake her words. I told her then that I would steal it but in reality I just think that it's worth repeating. You see, both of us have had so many people ask us "how are you doing this?" People look at her incredulously as she explains that she's an older woman who has decided to go to medical school when most are deciding to retire. People look at me like I've lost my mind when I say that I'm not exactly sure what the next step is but that I just heard God say "go" so I'm doing it. It's an unnerving space to be in. Though fear sometimes tries to sneak in and steal a piece of my heart, I remind myself constantly that my faith must overpower it...that 'greater is He that is within me' (1 John 4:4). I described it as feeling like I'm floating through life with God alone as my safety net.

At the end of the day, there's no massive secret to this space we're in. You see, what it boils down to plain and simple 'ole faith. And I'm sure you're tired of hearing about it, but I can't preach/teach faith enough. It's more than a way to describe your religion...It's more than a principle, it's a lifestyle. You can't decide to embrace faith one day and shake it off the next day. Well you can but it doesn't do you much good. When you've really embedded yourself in faith and faith embedded itself in you, it means that you don't always understand what's ahead of you but it's alright. You don't always know where the resources are going to come from. You don't always know what people will stick around, who will go by the wayside, or who will resurface. You can't predict how it's all going to end. But WHEN GOD SAYS IT, YOU JUST DO IT anyway. Do it despite the fact that you don't understand and are shaking in your boots. Do it scared!

God will honor your faith. Be encouraged today to take that step closer towards Him despite your fears.

Blessings,
PastorA

P.S. If this spoke to you, praise God. If not...then perhaps it's for your friend so be a gem and forward it along. :) Thanks!