The Shore Baptisms!

So baptisms were last night for the Shore Church; TJ had preached Sunday morning on really giving your all to God, being all in as TJ said; so it was a perfect end to the day to watch as 4 showed publicly that they were giving & trusting their lives to God. I admit to being a very proud Momma as I watched my son TJ baptized my daughter Mallory, a very moving moment for me, yet I managed to keep it all together. Surprising – I know.

Now, for the four baptized, could be the hard part.  Staying in the euphoric, top of the mountain feeling they have now.  That feeling that you will never fall away from God.  But they can stack the deck against that falling away.  They need more than a Sunday ”fix” of worship & teachings, they will quiet time with God, and they will need Christian friends to meet with regularly. A small group, or connect group as we call them at the Shore Church.  Groups where they will feel safe to share what they are going through pray with and have fun too. 

There are many of us that think we don’t need anyone, that we can do it all on our own, but life can be tough and when that happens we can become discouraged and slowly fade out sight.  Truth is no one will ever be an effective Christian if you try to do it alone.  We need each other. 

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their hard work. If either should fall, one can pick up the other. But how miserable are those who fall and don’t have a companion to help them up! Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Surround yourself with other that will encourage you to be your very best for the kingdom.

 Don’t stop meeting together with other believers, which some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other, especially as you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:25

Guilty Yet Forgiven

Imagine being acquitted of a crime and then told you are being retried for the same crime, years later.  This is happening to Amanda Knox.  Accused of murdering her room mate 6 years ago and spending 4 years of that time in an Italian prison, the Italian courts had decided she was innocent, yet now a new trial will begin, once again they decide her fate. 

How would you feel? Frightened, depressed, would you want to give up on life?

Amanda being retried for the same crime hardly seems fair, does it?  Yet so many of us do the same thing to ourselves everyday.  We ask God for forgiveness of our sins, then we replay them over & over again like an old movie in our heads; we relive the pain and anguish very time, it’s gut wrenching torture. Why?  Well, I believe most just cannot believe they have been forgiven therefore cannot forgive themselves.

"It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah." Ephesians 2:1-6 The Message

I love that it says God didn’t lose His temper, but with so much love & mercy for us He forgave us.  Now we have to do our part. Take these words deep in our soul; really feel God’s forgiveness. Let it replace that gut wrenching guilt and stop the torture. Forgive yourself and stop replaying the movie in your head. The Message bible, in Psalms 103, says

"And as far as sunrise is from sunset, He has separated us from our sins."

If God can forgive & forget your sin to this great extent, so should you.  It may take some work, perhaps even on a daily basis, but you’ll get it! 

Lysa Terkeurst has a great way to phrase this- 

“Imperfect progress is still progress” 

I am sure Amanda is frightened and maybe a little depressed, but she is not giving up, she is fighting. Let that inspire you to turn off that movie, take a deep breath and fight to forgive yourself of everything. 

No more Masks

No more masks. For years I wore the mask of happiness and confidence.  Having difficulties in my marriage, my job and finances, anytime I had to be in public I put on the mask so no one could see my faults, insecurities or what I considered to be my failures.  It was exhausting and took its toll on me mentally and physically.  My doctor prescribed drugs for depression, and after losing three days I began to function with the drugs in my system. That’s pretty scary in it’s self right?  Life was good for a while; but then the same tune started playing in my head -  doot doot, doodle, doodle, doot, doot, do do… You can hear it can’t you…. the three-ring circus,  well out comes the masks.

“ Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

James 5:16

 Perhaps if I had lived out this verse, things could have been different.  But I didn’t feel like I had anyone I could “confess” to and well, who wants to do that anyway?

It is in the darkness we hide, (mask) our sins (faults, insecurities and failures).  Look for a trusted friend that you can share your feelings with; someone that will pray with you, heartfelt prayers for your healing and restoration. Confessing these things, bringing light the dark areas of your life, is freeing and opens you up for God to use you to heal & help others that may be going through the same thing. 

Since I have lost my job, my home is in short sale and my finances are much, much lower than they have ever been, I feel freer than I ever have. I should be hearing the pipe organ for the three-ring circus, but I feel peace! It’s all out in the open and no mask required. I have trusted friends I have asked for prayer. 

I am trusting God, doing my part and knowing that whatever the outcome, God is in control and has my interests - because I am on His best list ( Insert Big Smile Here).

Is it an earworm or is it God?

There is a song that has been playing in my head for the last week. Every morning I wake with the chorus playing over & over again. I do love the song, so I don’t mind.

If there’s a road I should walk


Help me find it


If I need to be still


Give me peace for the moment


Whatever Your will


Whatever Your will


Can you help me find it


Can you help me find it  

                Sidewalk Prophets

Two verses in Psalms come to mind when I hear this,

"Be still and know that I am God…” Psalms 46:20

"Your word is a lamp at feet, a light for my path." Psalms 119:105

Being still and trusting God on is a learned experience. Especially if you happen to be a person that likes to pick up the ball & run with it like me.  There were hard lessons along the road for me, some that cost me money, others my pride.

Now that I feel I am (for the most part) on the other side of that learning process I have a more “peaceful” spirit.

Do I fall back into the, “I can do it myself” mode? Yes occasionally I do, and sometimes what I think God is telling me is wrong.  I don’t always get it right, but that is OK.  

Usually when I have a song repeating in my head I'm sure God is trying to tell me something, like an earworm put there by God to get my attention...so the chorus has been my prayer;  I ask Him to help me find the path He has chosen for me. God already knows I'm not that smart sometimes,  Hummm, maybe that's why I hear a song for weeks on end- He's just makin' sure I get the message. 

Surrendering to God

Starting over is hard, and I admit a bit humbling to say the least. Realizing at fifty-__ (insert mumble here) that I (or we) have messed up our finances and I (we) need a second chance is tough.

Years ago God had checked my spirit with- “Get out of Debt.” We didn’t; instead we just tried to control our situation.  That didn’t work so we tied to manipulate things to our favor in order to force our agenda. All the while saying we had surrendered our life to God. That’s not surrender.

Surrendering is not a bad word; though we have associated it with weakness, surrendering to God takes a lot of strength.

Surrendering to God means this-

You will go where God asks without knowing where that will be.

You will wait for God's perfect timing without knowing when it will come.

You will trust God’s purpose without knowing the outcome.

You will expect a miracle without knowing how it is possible.

Be still. Be patient. Expect the Eternal to arrive and set things right. Don’t get upset when you see the worldly ones rising up the ladder. Don’t be bothered by those who are anchored in wicked ways. Psalms 37:7 The Voice

Once I realized I wasn’t fully surrendered and really started to let God take control of everything, including our finances, I had more peace about the stressful situation we had gotten ourselves into.  

So we start over, sold our house and will be renting a home. We are working on being debt free. I still tried to control the situation- and almost rented a larger more expensive home, but I surrendered to God’s urging and rented the smaller, less expensive one.  Sigh, I'm a work in progress.

Looking to make your home on Happy Peaceful Street? Try surrendering to Him instead of relying on yourself.

What you need vs What you desire

This week I have been looking for a home to rent.  It’s a little frustrating for me since I don’t have a job…yet, which makes it hard to know what we can afford. We have a small 14-year-old Italian Greyhound, Steve wants a place for all his tools and “stuff”, he also hates leaving the vehicles out doors. I want 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and of course would love a pool. Sarasota rent has gone up considerably since I last rented- oh, 25 years ago (Yes, I last rented when I was 5). 

What we desire

God has shown me so much grace throughout my life; I know I can trust Him to find the right house & the right job at just the right time.  The house will be just want we need, though perhaps not what we desire. The job will provide the amount of money we need, though maybe not as much as I would like, and of course, it will be in God's timing though I think I need this now rather than later….

What we might get

"You, beloved, are worth so much more than a whole flock of sparrows. God knows everything about you, even the number of hairs on your head. So do not fear." Matthew 10:30,31 (The Voice)

Not knowing is tough, waiting is tough, not having what the world says you need is tough.  But trusting God with all this is easier for me at this point in my life than ever before.  Why?

I have given myself (my life) totally over to God.  I couldn’t surrender my life to Him without trusting, neither could I trust with out loving Him and knowing He loves me.  I trust He loves me because of all the promises God has made, and the instructions from his word. 

"Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete." Romans 12:2 The Voice

So we wait and watch, I know if God finds it good, pleasing and complete, so will I.

A Father's Love

Thursday was a wonderfully happy day at our house; we welcomed our fifth grand baby.  She is beautiful, and the most alert newborn I have ever seen. She was 2 1/2 hours old, had a bath and diaper change, and fully alert as I held her. Her eyes wide open, perfect little pink lips pursed; she was staring up at me desperately trying to focus on my face to see where she was.  Then my son walks up and begins speaking to her; she turns her head to the familiar sound of her father’s voice; as he is   making promises to always love her and care for her. 

"My sheep respond as they hear My voice; I know them intimately, and they follow Me." 

John 10:27 The Voice

 Would you know God, our Father’s voice if He was speaking to you? Do you know that God has made the same promises to you that my son made to his newborn daughter?
Knowing God is not a religion, it is a relationship. A relationship built by spending time with God, learning about Him and His love for us through reading the bible. Sometimes God speaks through a feeling, or through circumstances. Sometimes it is a small voice in our heads. I have often prayed - 

“God I need to hear your voice, and please be clear because as you know, sometimes, I’m just not that bright.” 

Once you develop the relationship and know the character of God it will become easier to hear Him, but you have to watch and listen.
Just as my son promised to love and care for my new granddaughter, God has promises for you too- promises that could not be stated without Him loving  & caring for us.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. "' 

Jeremiah 29:11

Yes, Thursday was a happy day for this JjaJja.  I am excited to see where this new little one will go; I have this feeling she will be a world changer; I know she changed our world on Thursday.

Sweet Cece just 2 hours old