Going Beyond

"Act immediately and fearlessly in response to God" - Priscilla Shirer.

Brother, Sister it is time for us to take up our beds and walk.

This weekend I attended the "Going Beyond" Conference with Priscilla Shirer. It was called a "spiritual reawakening for women." God definitely jolted me from my spiritual slumber to confirm the direction He is taking me. Priscilla talked about leaving a place of comfort and leaving behind what we are used to doing. She illustrated this by expounding on the journey the Israelites took out of Egypt into Canaan (the land flowing with milk & honey).

Going Beyond is exactly what God wants for us to do. When He speaks to you, you must respond to Him quickly and do whatever it is he has for you to do. God is calling me to go some places I have never been and do some things this year that I have never done. I don't have all the experience. He has not given me Google Map street by street directions and I don't have a satellite view of the big picture.

John 5 explains where I have been to the tee. I have been sitting at the pool of Bethesda with the sick, blind, and lame waiting on the water to be stirred. Waiting for all the right signs, for all the lights to be green, for that perfect opportunity. I, like the man with the infirmity for 38 years, have made up excuses as to why I can't do what God wants me to do.

Jn. 5:7 says... The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."

I have thought there are a lot of people who are better at these things than me. Or we say I don't have enough money, I am not worthy enough and what about my past. We find ourselves always coming up with one excuse after another. This is just the adversary putting fear in us, so that we will not do what thus says the Lord. But we must remember that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of Power, Love and a sound mind. If you have truly accepted the Lord as your Savior, he has moved beyond your past, so why don't you.

In verse 8 Jesus tells the man to "Rise, take up your bed and walk" and immediately he was healed. I am encouraging you Right Now, Today, to just pick up your bed and walk. Whether it be a sick bed, a bed of abuse, or a bed of financial problems, whatever your issue, just pick it up and walk. God will take care of it. Let us go beyond what we are use to and stop making excuses as to why we can't do something. God has said GO and I am going to take up my cross and follow Him.

I went to the conference with Kim Long. She is the mother of Tre's friend Kayla. Kayla also had Trisomy 18 and died only 4 months before Tre'. Kim and I met back in 2003 when Tre' was first born. She and her husband Juan gave us HOPE when the doctors didn't. They showed us what is was like to take care of a baby with Edward's Syndrome and also raise 2 other children. The strength and courage that Kim displayed was out of this world. I could truly see God in her and the love she showed her children. Both of us losing our precious babies only months apart wasn't just a coincidence. God has put us in each other's path for a reason. So that we can encourage each other through this journey that we are on. I thank you Kim and Juan for showing us how to love Tre', Joshua, Elijah, & Victoria and for giving us Hope.

Connecting The Dots

It's easy to get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or to take unimportant events too seriously. You may not be looking at life from the right perspective.

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to His people. Eph. 1:18 (NIV)

The theme of my blog is about how our circumstances and relationships in life help us determine His purpose for our life. Think of any life altering event as a dot in a 'Connect the Dot' puzzle. As you think about your past, you will begin to see the path and purpose God has for you. The stranger you sat beside on a flight to California. The loss of a family pet as a small child. The sickness of a child. Diagnosis of a disease. Death of a loved one. A shattered childhood dream. Divorce. Estranged/Broken relationship with a loved one or friend. Child abuse. All these things draw a path towards Him. As we draw closer to Him we should obtain Hope for our future.

For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel. Col. 1:5 (KJV)

Even though we are being tried we must look inside our circumstances and seek God. He is there because He said He would never leave us or forsake us. God is wanting to see our faithfulness and how he keeps his promises to those that are true to him.

Pressed But Not Crushed

This past year I have been pressed from every side of my life as a Wife and Mom to Work and even as a servant in our church. As the old commercial says..."Calgon take me away...". (I designed the image on the left as a ministry tool to remind us of those refreshing times.)

It seems as though I add 2 to 3 pages to my ToDo list everyday. I have started to feel a little overloaded. I have to constantly remind myself that I am not superwomen. As the song goes ... "I can bring home the bacon. Fry it up in a pan And never let you forget you're a man 'Cuz I'm a woman!" NOT! (The song was used in Enjoli perfume commercials of the 1970s.)

When we begin to feel overwhelmed, we need to make sure that we are trying to fulfill God's purpose for our lives. Jer. 6:16 (NIV) says..."This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. "

I remember 2 Cor. 4:7-9 which says...Although we may be pressed, we are not crushed. Although we may be perplexed, we are not in despair. Although we may be persecuted,we are not forsaken. Though struck down, we are not destroyed. Our power does not come from ourselves but from God. When we are weak he surly is strong.

As I reflect back on March 30, 2007, when we gave Tre' back to God, a tremor of fear goes through me. How was I able to endure? Through His gift of courage. How was I able to hold my lifeless 4 year old for 5 hours? It was His strength. How was I able to walk away as my son was wheeled down the hospital hallway by the funeral home? It was His Peace. I thank God or His Strength, Courage, and Peace. I rely on Him now in much the same way I did then.