#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,

 

 

 

 

#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,

#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