Thursday, November 14, 2013

#IAmNot going to let the rats win!

Years ago when my husband and I were just getting the Ranch started, we were living in a single wide trailer house that was infested with RATS!  That's right, you read that right.  I was so ready to quit doing what we were doing and get a "REAL" job so we could afford something else.  I remember several nights getting up and jumping up and down or doing dances on the floor to try to scare them away.  I couldn't stand hearing them gnaw on the wood.  There were times that I felt like a failure because trying to start a faith ministry from ground zero is hard, the "rats" just kept showing up.  Seemed like things would start going good then another "rat" would show up. 

Just getting another ministry of speaking started, last week I wrote about the rat of doubt that showed up.  That letter to myself about "His goodness makes me good enough" helped tremendously.  I have probably read that 5 or 6 times in the past week!  Another thing I found myself doing last week was I got up out of the chair and stomped on the floor to let the "rats" know that they were not going to take up resident here in this home.  I did this because a friend told me to stop letting the enemy have his way...stand up...stomp your feet and tell him he is NOT welcome in your place...in your home...this is the home that Christ built...that by His blood you are saved and redeemed...he is NOT welcome here...right now...do it! So in saying all that. 

#IAmNot going to let the "rats" win. 

So thankful for all the tools that we are learning in #AConfidentHeart OBS at Proverbs 31 ministries.

I'm going to continue to prepare for the rats to show up by reading all those courage verses again in the Bible.  You see being in this ministry the rats are going to show up, because the enemy doesn't like it when the "STAR" (rats spelled backwards) is turning lives around.  So I will PREPARE and set the TRAP so I don't fall into the TRAP of I'm not good enough, because I AM good enough so......


 
 

#IAmNot going to let the "rats" win!
 
 
2 Timothy "And I know the Lord will continue to rescue me from every trip, trap, snare, and pitfall of evil and carry me safely to His heavenly kingdom. May He be glorified throughout eternity. Amen." THE VOICE
 

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

His Goodness Makes Me Good Enough!

This chapter of Renee Swope's book "A Confident Heart" could not have come at a better time in my life.  While doing this online Bible Study, God has been building my confident up BIG TIME so that I could be ready for a talk from a mother's heart that I was to give this last Monday night. 

I felt really good on that day about how He was giving me so much courage to share my story about my son's one night choice of putting God on a shelf that found him in prison.  I even felt good about how I looked that night, even though I know I'm over weight right now, I just felt good! I even survived the talk without becoming an emotional mess while sharing from my heart!  I talked about whether you have Elephants or Rats show up in your life to trip you up, God is right there to help you through if you just hand that baton off to HIM.

Then a rat showed up the next day with the words of doubt of how it must have not been good enough.  I had a really bad, no good, rotten, very bad, horrible day.  I did a lot of crying, and was wondering what did I do wrong?  I realized early on that it was the enemy trying to discourage me but I still stayed in a whirlwind of negative thoughts all day.  I was even getting very encouraging emails, throughout the day and facebook messages that were very positive but the one small rat set the stage for the whole day. 

So here is my letter that we were suppose to write to myself about "HIS goodness makes ME good enough!"

Cathy,

You are a child of the King, you are beautiful and precious in HIS eyes.  You are good enough because JESUS says.   You may be rejected by man, but you are accepted and adored by HIM.   HE knew you before you were born and knew you were going to be speaking from a mother's heart at this very time in your life.  You belong to HIM, and no small rat, can destroy that.  You are a princess.  You are HIS DAUGHTER.  He is for you, not against you like the devil that is roaring around like a lion trying to devour you.  He says you are his masterpiece, created to do good things HE planned long ago.  He says all things work together for the good of those who love HIM. His GOODNESS makes YOU GOOD ENOUGH!  Don't ever forget that.  Keep on running that race, by handing that baton off to HIM, even when the Elephants or the Rats show up.  You can do this and we all know who the winner is.  So Run Sister Run and don't STOP!  I love you! HIS daughter Cathy

What about you?  Can you say that HIS goodness makes you good enough!  If not, don't sit there and believe the enemy because GOD loves you and YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH!  HE wants you to be confident and courageous for HIM!


Thursday, October 31, 2013

#movingforward

God has a way of showing up in an awesome way.  He is amazing.   I wasn't sure what I was going to blog about this week for my Online Bible Study #AConfidentHeart by Renee Swope and then God gave me exactly what to write about. There are days that I feel like I'm moving forward with my confidence.  However, there are other days that I feel I'm that little girl being called names, belittled and rejected by friends. I need to just take it one day at a time and trust in HIS #perfect and #priceless love. Tonight he showed me that I need to be like a little child and let JESUS be right by my side and move on!

I asked the boys (from the boys ranch) to write a paragraph so I could use it in the November Newsletter.  The end of the night I received a paragraph that two of them wrote together.  Just to give you a little background; one of these boys came to the ranch the end of April and the other the first of June. This was written at just the right time for me. This is what they came up with:


#movingforward
~ In the past four to five months we have been through some tough times. It has been hard to make changes to our lives, but we know that with help, encouragement and prayer we can get through this one step at a time. We were negative when we first got here until we excepted Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior. We have made a lot of good and bad choices, and learned from all of them and we are moving on with our lives with Jesus by our side. ~ Jordan & Brandon

I need to remember even as a Christian of 25 years I'm going to make good and bad choices, and I need to learn from them and move on with Jesus by my side. He will always be by my side so I need to trust HIM and except the help, encouragement and prayers from sisters and brothers in Christ. 


Matthew 21:16 The Voice "Priests and Scribes: Do you hear what these children are saying?
Jesus: Yes. Haven’t you read your own psalter? “From the mouths and souls of infants and toddlers, the most innocent, You have decreed praises for Yourself.”
 
These boys showed me what they learned from "me" and "the other adults here in their life" that they can move on with Jesus by their side.  I Praise HIM for allowing me to pour into these boys lives so they can move forward and in turn they can remind me to move forward!

What about you are you ready to move forward?  He is waiting for you to hand the baton off to him and move forward in your life. 
 
Continually #movingforward and,
 
 
 
 

Thursday, October 24, 2013

#priceless


Last week I shared about God's perfect love.  HE got us through a situation that my husband and I could not comprehend.  We made it through and He continues to show us he is in this situation.  Our son has been out of prison, and speaking all over about CHOICES, C.hoosing H.im O.ver I. C.hanges E.very S.ituation.  We are very proud of him for the lives that he has touched both inside those walls and out here.

The other day  I received a call from a stranger and she asked if she could stop by and see me so she could give me a hug.  She had met my son, his wife and mother-in-law last weekend and she just wanted to come visit with me.  She stopped in after driving a couple hours and sat in my living room, listening, sharing and connecting.  It seemed like we had known each other for quite sometime.  I don't know what God has in store for the future but to me this was HIM showing me once again how priceless his unfailing love is!  She brought me a beautiful necklace, a book "More Joy for the journey", cookies, and some lavender essential oils.  Isn't she sweet?  In the first page of the book it says:  "Living in complete joy requires living in complete confidence in God." ~Dee Brestin~ There is that word confidence!  Wow, do you see why I'm saying not sure where God is going to go with this, but HE is definitely wanting to keep me experiencing HIS PERFECT and PRICELESS love.  I know now that HE is going to give me the confidence to go out and share with women of all ages about running the race with perseverance. 

I am so thankful that in a very dark time in my life I could take refuge in the shadow of HIS wings. 

Psalm 36:7 "How Priceless is your unfailing love, O God!  People take refuge in the shadow of your wings."

What about you have you experienced HIS priceless unfailing love this week?  Have you been able to take refuge in the shadow of HIS wings?  If you haven't, HE is waiting with HIS ARMS (wings) wide open waiting for you to run to him and feel his unfailing love!

I also wrote about taking refuge in HIS wings this week over at MIRACLES DO HAPPEN blog also.  Stop on over there and read about the ministry my husband and I have been in for the last 21 years.

Experiencing HIS priceless love and still,

Thursday, October 17, 2013

#PERFECTLOVE

I have started an online bible study this week with Proverbs 31 and I had a few topics to choose from for this blogpost.  I chose #perfectlove. 
1 John 4:17 - 19

"And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.  Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.  We love each other because he loved us first." NLT
 
One of my personal experiences with God demonstrating his perfectlove to me was back in February of 2008.  My son was arrested on Friday the 8th for 2nd degree murder after going out for his 21st birthday.  My husband and I were facing a situation that we could not comprehend.  Our son, had hardly ever drank before that night and had never been in a fight his whole life.  How could this have happened.  The news was saying that our son beat a man to death.  NO, this can't be true.  We have been in ministry for 17 years before this happened helping abandoned, abused and wayward boys.  Our son is not wayward, he is a very responsible young man of God.  However, he decided to put God on a shelf one night to go celebrate like the world would for his 21st birthday.  On Saturday night, the 9th, I could not sleep again, so I researched the internet all over for encouragement.  I looked up a book that somebody had recommended and read a little about it.  I was going to order it, but then I thought how in the world will I be able to focus to read right now.  So I didn't order it.  The next morning I got in the shower and prayed to God "Lord, I'm going to tackle this today, and I am not going to cry all day.  I can do this."  Well, I went out to the kitchen and there on my island was a book with a bow around it.  I knew exactly what book it was.  God showed me this day that HE was in the middle of this situation.  He showed me his perfectlove, when I had so much fear for our son's future. 
I ended up reading the book "When I lay my Isaac Down" by Carol Kent that first week of our situation we found ourselves in.  Carol was a far away mentor to me when she didn't even know it.  I thought if she can get through what she was going through with her only son, then I can do this.  God showed up that morning by delivering that book to help me through.  Was it super easy after that?  No, by no means.  But I knew that God was in the middle of this situation.  He is still in the middle of this situation 5 years later.  He continues to show me HIS perfectlove!  I'm so thankful that HE is MY #PERFECTLOVE! 
As I started reading this Bible Study I realized this study is another one of God's perfectlove.  I've been feeling led for a couple years now to share with mom's or ladies all over that are hurting.  However, everytime I start to go forward with it I hear these thoughts of "you aren't good enough to do that, you can't do that.  It will never work."  Well, guess what I know who the winner is and it isn't the enemy.  He is the one putting these negative thoughts in my head.  So I'm very thankful for this study that has come at just the right time. I'm speaking at a ladies soup supper on November 4th to 100 - 150 women.  If you think of it pray for me that my perfectlove will give me the courage to share. 
How about you?  Who is your perfectlove?  Are you going to let HIM who LOVES you unconditionally give you hope even if times get hard? 
Resting in his #perfectlove and

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

YOU are LOVED!

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

So thankful that I am loved.  He loved me so much that HE died for ME.  I am HIS princess! 

Do you know HIM?  He loves you more than you will ever know! 

A Daughter of the King....





Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Are you Great worth in HIS sight?



When I look at this picture from our most recent camping trip I think of God's beauty!  What a SIGHT!  This is of great worth in my eyes, I love looking at his beauty. 
 
What about you?  Do you love looking at his beauty?  Do you take the time to thank him for what HE has created for YOU?  I know I don't do it as much as I should! 
 
As I was looking at this photo it made me think of what God thinks when he looks at me?  I really want to have him see the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, because that is of GREAT WORTH in HIS SIGHT!  However, I know that some days I fail at that.  I'm so thankful that he is a loving and forgiving God so that he can still look at me as GREAT WORTH in HIS SIGHT!
 
 
I Peter 3:4 "Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight."
 
Lord,  Help me to work on my inner self, and work on the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.  I want to shine for you, everyday, even when I don't feel like it.  Help me to be beautiful inside just like this beautiful scenery you gave me this last weekend while camping with my hubby that you have gifted me with.  I ask that you forgive me for not thanking you as much as I should for what you have created for me to enjoy.  I love you Lord and I thank you for loving me even the days that I'm not looking very beautiful on the inside.  I trust you in advance for the way you are going to work on me so that I can continue to be GREAT WORTH in YOUR sight!  In Jesus Name, AMEN
 
 
 

Thursday, March 21, 2013

It takes work to maintain peace!

I Peter 3:10 -11 "For the scriptures say, "If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.  Turn away from evil and do good.  Search for peace, and work to maintain it."

I really want to enjoy life....what about you?  I'm sure you do too....!  In his word it tells us that if we want to enjoy life and see many happy days...all we have to do is keep our tongue from speaking evil and don't tell lies.  Some days it's so easy to control my tongue and other days it's not.  It such a small part of our body that sometimes is very hard to control.  I don't want to talk evil about anyone because I know how it hurts when someone speaks evil of me.  So why do I do it at times?  I remember days way back when I was in school I would go home crying because of what other kids said to me.  I would try my hardest to be the nice girl to somebody else to try to cover up my hurts.

Why are kids so cruel?  Ok...maybe I better change that wording.  Why are we as adults so cruel at times? We are suppose to turn away from evil and do good.  That sounds so easy.  So why don't we do it all the time.  When that person is telling the dirty joke why don't we get up and walk away?  When our friend is telling us something about something she heard at work today about so and so....why don't we walk away or tell her you don't care to hear about that.  What about when we are watching television and some filthy language is being spit out, why do we not shut it off or turn the channel?

In God's word He also tells us to search for peace, and work to maintain it.  Jesus is peace and HE is the Way.  Living for HIM everyday gives us a peace like we have never experienced.  But it also says WORK to MAINTAIN It!  It's not easy to do good....we have to work at it every day.  So the next time you think your tongue is going to get you in trouble...pray and ask Him to help you turn away from evil and not say what you were about to say.

Lord I want to please you everyday not just some days...help me to turn away from evil and do good.  Help me to work my hardest to maintain that peace that you give me.  I want to shine for you, in a very dark world where there is more evil than good.  Help me Lord...I Love you and want to enjoy life to the fullest.  Help me to continue on this race you have placed me in.  In Jesus Name AMEN!

What about you do you really want to enjoy life?  Are you struggling with turning away from evil and doing good?   I challenge you to read his word every day and search for that peace and then work hard to maintain it!  I promise you...you will see many happy days.  I don't think I would want to keep running this race of mine if I didn't have that peace.  So thankful that several years ago God sent his son to die on that cross for me!





Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Darkness into LIGHT!

Psalm 18:28 "You Lord keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light."

I've been laying in the dark quite a bit this last week due to bad migraines.  I tried to read when they weren't real bad.  I'm so thankful for HIS light that kept coming through my darkness.  It seemed that He would give me exactly what I needed to read, when I needed it.  Here is what he gave me to keep my lamp burning.

1.  Matthew 6:34  "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~ He is in the tomorrows.  It is tomorrow that fills men with dread.  God is there already.  All the tomorrows of our life have to pass HIm before they can get to us. ~ rev. f.b. meyer, Streams in the Desert

2.  Like a loving Father, God offers us a hand to hold in life's darkest hours.  He'll carry us through the darkness, and lead us where we need to go. 

The things I was worrying about was the fact that about 20 years ago when my migraines started I had 2 weeks of really bad migraines and then the migraines were gone and I woke up and had no strength in my legs.  I ended up in a wheel chair for a couple weeks.

When I read these two things I felt God with HIS mighty BIG hands that have held me so many times in life reach down and say I've got this...don't worry about another headache tomorrow, I will hold you then too. 

I'm so thankful that my lamp is still burning and that my God turns my darkness into light. 

When I have a migraine I don't want any light in my room accept HIM.  I am blessed to know him and see his light even in the dark times!

What about you?  Do you worry about tomorrow?  Do you wonder how you are going to get this done or that?  Do you wonder am I going to die from some disease?  I'm sure we all have at sometime or another worried about something.  That is when we start to dread tomorrow.  Try to choose JOY and know that God is already in the tomorrow's and HE's got it in his hands.  The next time when your lamp seems to be going dim, reach up and take God's hand that he is offering YOU.  Believe me you will not regret it because you will see HIS beautiful light!




Friday, January 25, 2013

He will never give up on YOU or ME!

I Corinthians 1: 7-9 "Just think--you don't need a thing, you've got it all!  All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectatly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale.  And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus.  God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus.  He will never give up on you.  Never forget that."

Wow, I really don't need a thing.  I've got it all!  He has given me the gift of life, to live at it's fullest.  He is right here beside me running this race in the lane next to me just waiting for me to fall so he can keep me from falling.  He taps me on this side and then taps me on that side keeping me on track when I am stepping out of my lane as a child of God. 

When I think of when God got me started on this spiritual adventure it amazes me that at the time I was in Junior high track and I ran hurdle relay's.  Did I continue on running hurdle relays' in High school no not literally because I hated running.  However, I think about this and realize that I kept running hurdle relay's but it was in real life.  I kept jumping hurdles for about 8 more years trying to run away from God but yet running to him in prayer when I didn't even really know him.  It amazes me that even though I hated running I still named my blog Jesus, Take my Baton. 

He has taken my baton from me so many times in this spiritual adventure that I have been on for 28 years and he has never given up on me.  I am so grateful for HIS perseverance with me because He has had to keep me steady on the right track quite a few times. 

In saying all this if He is never going to give up on ME....then He also won't give up on YOU.  So where are you today in your spiritual adventure are you running away from him and don't really know him?  Or are you running to him daily and building that relationship with him?  Have you totally handed that baton off to him and asked him into your life as your savior so he can help you with this race called life?  I will be honest, I don't know where I would be today if I hadn't of handed that baton off to him.  I was probably in a point in my life when I handed it off that I could of very easily turned to drugs or alcohol to try to fill that void and I am so thankful that I heard him next to me saying "just give me the baton, this race is to hard for you alone."

Thank you Jesus for keeping me steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by you!  Even though you have to help me daily with that!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

He crowns ME with LOVE and MERCY!

Psalm 103:4 & 5 "He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.  He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal. He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence."

So thankful that my God crowns me with love and mercy.....He wraps me in goodness.....and He renews my youth.  Somedays I question does he really love me....is he really holding me....am I really young in his presence? 

Then he gently reminds me by some small gesture from someone, or a call, or just something I read.  I feel his love when I get to hug on some of my grandkids even if it is for a short time because they all live far away. 

He shows me his goodness when I look at these little ones and think that I may have not even been a part of their lives if He hadn't shown me his love and mercy 28 years ago.   You see He crowned me with His love and mercy 28 years ago when I accepted him as my personal savior.  Then 20 years ago My hubby and I founded The Ranch and approximately 8 years ago the daddy of these 4 little ones started calling me mom (adopted me) when he was 16 years old and has not stopped since.  God showed me Love and mercy so that I could share that with Dustin. 

After having these 4 with us this weekend and then reading this scripture I was reminded that he really does love me, he is wrapping me in his goodness and HE renews my youth in HIS presence. 

I love you Lord and I thank you for Lilly, Emma, Kynsley & Madison.

So glad we got some time with them this weekend!


 

Monday, January 7, 2013

Pure Gold, proved pure! Genuine faith, proved genuine!

I Peter 1:6-7 "I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory." The message

I am so thankful that when Jesus wraps it all up....it's my faith, not my gold, that He will have on display as evidence of his victory. 

Some days there are so many distractions in this thing called life and we have to put up with things that we would like to never have to put up with, but through it all in the end we are proved genuine.  So no matter what you are going through right now in your life, keep on keepin on....and let God get the GLORY!  Because in the end HE has the victory.  I'm so grateful I know the end of my story.

God....help me to shine your light even when I go through the fire.  Help me to reach out to those that are hurting and give me strength to persevere even when the tough gets going.  I want to display genuine faith, take my baton so I can do that.  I love you and I am so grateful you adopted me as your daughter 28 years ago.  In Jesus Name, AMEN


Running for HIM,

Cathy

 

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

I'm thankful for all these grandchildren!

 This picture was taken this summer but as I look back at it I think of how amazed I was that we were sitting at the same table with all these blessings from God.  These blessings ranged from the age 2 - 8 and everyone of them sat there and were very well behaved.  I am a proud NANA!

 
That same day we had taken this picture, they may have not all been looking at the camera, but they were all sitting there and not throwing fits.  I am blessed!
 
 
I just pray that Jim and I can continue to display our God
 to these little ones as HE continues to work within us. 
He can do anything.....more than I could ever imagine in my
wildest dreams! 
Ephesians 3:20 - 21: "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!

Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!
 
 
Glory to his generations,
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2013...I am going to try hard to write more!

II Corinthians 5:17-21  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

After just celebrating Jesus' Birth and now bringing in the NEW YEAR....I am going to try my hardest to be a better ambassador for HIM this year.  I want to make a difference in this hurting world.  I remember when I first came to Christ and how excited I was that the old had gone and I was a new creation!  I'm excited to have 2012 be gone and ready to see what God has in store for the year 2013.  I'm thinking HE has something pretty big just around the corner.

Lord,

Help me to use my time better for you this year.  I really want to live as a better ambassador for you.  I love you with all my heart and I want your light to shine through me everyday.  I love you and I thank you for sending your son down to this earth to die for me.  Please help me to make your appeal through me this year. 

In Jesus Name,

Amen




Climb that "thang!"

I wrote this post back in January of 2007  and I still have those pesky bugs and the enemy is still trying to rob me of my joy on a weekly ...