Psalm 145:8 Monday – Source of Gratitude

Monday Soap Verse Psalm 145:8 (ESV) “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Yahweh is gracious, he shows us divine grace, even when we feel undeserved. God is merciful to us, his children. He, our father is slow to anger meaning He prefers not to show His wrath to us, his children. He, through his mercy gives us time to repent. He simply loves us in an unwavering way that is so much more that we can fathom. This was a verse I needed to let truly sink in today. Even though I feel underserving, I feel as though I have failed, God is a gracious, merciful loving Father. What are your thoughts? sm

Rethinking & Changing our Strongholds

I wish life was a bit easier. Years of just having enough money makes one weary but anxious just waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. Yet faith should remove that anxious worry feeling, but I am human, and despite my prayers, my pleas, my faith, it seems worrying & fears just creep back in.

So I listen, I pray, I read the His word.

You know our minds are our own worst enemy. We think more about the negative words that have been spoken to us, seemingly ignoring any positive ones. We keep replaying the negative when we need to remind ourselves of Gods positive truths. I am thankful that God continues to nudge my spirit reminding me of all the provisions he has provided. I continue to remind myself if I am complaining, then I need to be thankful for what I do have.

We also tend focus on the problem, what we want to change, allowing this to become the idol. We create a stronghold. “As long as our minds rehearse the strength of our stronghold more than the strength of our God, we will be impotent.” Beth Moore. Each day I worry about money. I remind myself just how bad I am with money and then think of the things we need and want…my idol, my stronghold.

My challenge:

1)      Rethink and replace the negative with God’s truth constantly! Remind myself of God’s continued provision continuously.

2)      Acknowledge the strongholds, the idols which I have allowed before God.

How do you manage the negative thoughts? Do you replace them with Gods truth immediately? Or do you allow them to linger and manifest? What do you do when problems arise? Hard times come knocking? Do you play over and over what YOU can do, what YOU should do, instead of going directly to God?

Rethink & Change your thoughts & strongholds by prioritizing and placing God 1^st.

sm

Top 10 Post of 2013

Looking back over the year, these are the top post of the year:

1. Those answered prayers
2. So this is Christmas
3. Chains are Gone – New Year
4. Play it again Sam
5. Slow down
6. Praise, Blame and Trials
7. Pray often
8. Less is more
9. Thank You
10. Marriage Advice? Really?

Word of the Year

The past few days I have been thinking about my word for 2014. Last year I focused on Less, and Letting Go. With each step God has been there telling me where to use less, and what I need to let go of. Even up until a few days ago I heard, Let Go and let God. Letting God has been one of the hardest challenges this year, but the most rewarding. The hardest part? Letting Go and Letting God! So many things I hold onto - past hurts, past let downs, past mistakes...the list can go on and on, but one by one I have been giving them to God. I have learned (over and over) that the past makes us who we are, and if we continue to hold onto it, we cannot grow. Good or bad, we have to accept the past, learn from it, give it to God, and let it go. 

So with that I need to find a word/phrase for 2014

The word/phrases I have been thinking about:
Cleansing - cleaning out the mind, body and soul.
Detoxing - taking out the negative & the bad
Renew - Refilling my mind, body and soul with good words, good thoughts, and good nourishment.

I would love to hear about your word/s, phrase for 2013. Also what you have decided on what your word/s, phrase will be for 2014.  

sm

So this is Christmas

A year has almost come and gone again...Christmas is literally right around the corner. People hustling to get those last minute gifts, get the food for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day feast, and get presents wrapped...

I have never been a fan of Christmas, its too commercialized, too much of trying to outdo the Joneses, and over spending. Yet for the first time is well over 20 years, Christmas is different this year, much different in my mind and my heart. God's been working on me....

This year my attitude has changed. This year I have been learning to let go, and learned to have less. This year my kids have seen, and lived with less. My kids have also joined right in making homemade laundry detergent, and shop for cloths at the second hand store...

This Christmas I decided that their would be less gifts, realizing my kids really do not "need" anything! So I let them my kids know, their will not be lots of gifts this year. Their response, all I really want is...Each one has a gift or two they really want that is not expense. 

I will get to spend Christmas Eve with my 5 kids (yes, I gained a son 12/14/13 when my daughter got married) Nothing more to ask for this year!

God's been working on each of us (well most definitely me)

Joy, Peace and Hope...

sm

And That is That!

Once again its been awhile since I have blogged…I get side-tracked, busy, and this goes to the bottom of my list and on most days lost in my brain of never-never land…

I have been trying to take classes towards my Masters in Accounting. I actually have a few of them under my belt through Liberty University. However due to my GPA being a 2.8, at Liberty U I was placed on Academic Suspension. I was actually enrolled in a class when I was dropped the first day. I fumed a bit (Over a month) and pushed it to the side, and finally (months later) decided to give Liberty a call. You see during that time while I fumed I had decided to just go back to Strayer U and get a degree in Forensic Accounting. When I talked to Liberty I realized that even though I only had 1 C-, the 2 B-‘s (which are below a 3.0) was enough to bring my GPA down to a 2.8….Nothing like pride to bring you crashing down.

Well for the past 1 ½ months I have been trying to get my transcripts from Liberty U to prove to Staryer U that yes I did graduate with my Accounting Degree and yes I can take graduate classes. The problem here, I am on suspension, and until things get cleared up academically and financially, there will be no official transcripts. Well about a month ago I really thought things got cleared up and they (Strayer) would accept the letter from Liberty, so I continued with the one class I was enrolled in.

For the past month I have prayed off and on about classes and college. I really want to get my Masters in Accounting, but there was always that little nagging in the back of my head…not knowing. Sometimes I just wonder, too much? My family, a business, wanting to blog, having a Girl Scout Brownie Troop and Class.. On Saturday afternoon I realized I was no longer able to access my class. Wasn’t sure what was going on, so I was like OK God, you can have it, my classes, my schooling. So I emailed 2 people at Strayer and just waited. So this am I prayed, well I actually talked to God, and honestly asked “I need a definite answer to school...what I am doing? Taking classes? Not taking classes?” On my way home I thought it odd that I had not received an email. They were always good about responding promptly, so I gave them a call. Well it would seem that yes I had been dropped from my class. My “Letter from Liberty” had not been accepted. I couldn’t prove that I could take graduate classes…And that is that! For the moment my class taking is done. (Though I do have a few grand I now owe…)

Now I have talked, prayed, and asked God things before, and God truly answers prayers in His way and His time. However, I have never had the answer that quick and without a doubt. Well let me be honest, I am a bit hard-headed and will go on my own path. I know God tried to halt me taking classes a few months ago with Liberty, but I didn’t listen. After today, the no doubt answer, all I can think is - and that is that! So a bit hesitant I asked God, “Ok, so what do you have planned?”

Yeah I am at that moment of taking another leap into the unknown! 

Get into the community and help

This writing a blog every single day, has been bit of a struggle. Between working, working on school work, and girl scouts it seems like I have no time to write and post a blog….I begin, but get easily distracted by life. Then there is that nagging little voice…failure…Lots has been going on so I seem to be unfocused again and I think that’s the plan of the evil one. It dawned on me last week, as I am getting closer to God, the evil one is attacking…I am unfocused and at times selfish. I am not using my time wisely…Every time I try to sit and blog, the distractions come…Just as he wants, pulling me away from God.

For months and months I have had this small little voice in the back of my head…Help those in need in the community...Get into the community and help… It’s almost a constant, and I keep pushing it away. I mean what can I really do? We are struggling ourselves.  Some weeks ago the minster mentioned helping those in the community. In a part of his sermon he shared about a family years and years ago that was struggling. The dad would sell his products and most times instead of taking money, he took what they could pay, food, clothing, etc. Eventually as time passed they could no longer afford the rent/mortgage and the family was to be kicked out. The town came together and actually purchased the house, and rented it back to the family for next to nothing. So as I have gone on my walks I have seen many empty house with for sale signs or for rent signs. Why is it that in our community we have homeless people, families living in hotels, but we have empty vacant house? Why it that kids have multiple electronics like iPads, iPods, telephones, computers, laptops…but we have families in our community in need? Yet that voice rises again, what can I really do since we are struggling ourselves? Yet I know some way I could help…Help those in need in the community…Get into the community and help…

A week or so ago I read a blog from a lady that blogs about her husband’s battle with ALS and how her family is adjusting to the inevitable end. On the particular day she blogged about making meals for those in need. A family, or person makes a simple meal and takes it to the family. A very simple jester that goes a long way. Once again I am reminded…Help those in need in the community…Get into the community and help……Yet again that voice, what can I do, I really don’t like to cook, and my grocery budget is stretched as it is….

Then we have the whole Government shut down which really got me thinking more….In our community, whether it is a street, a block, a court, a row of townhouses, we should be working together to make sure no one in our community is in need nor in fear of losing their home due to lack of money or going without water, or heat or AC. There needs to be a home or a garage, or a shed, where the community can store daily necessity’s to help those in need. A safe for donated money. We need families who can take turns making a meal for the family that is living in a tent in the woods, or the family that is living in a hotel….We need the community to purchase a house that can be rented out to a family without a home…Yup that voice pops in again…what can I do? We are selves are struggling? Yet the voice is clear… Help those in need in the community…Get into the community and help…

Yet what we have is selfish people too busy thinking about their needs or judging the reason someone is in need. Seriously, we are a nation of excess, and we have people in our county that are homeless, that do not have what they need daily (like shelter, food, water, heat). Regardless of what led them to their current position, is not our concern, it’s not our business, it is NOT our place to judge and walk away from them. Yet we all do…

This country is so focused on making money that an abandoned building or a house will sit abandoned for over a year because that cannot rent it for a set price…Hmmm $500 a month until a real buyer comes along is a hell of a lot more than $0.00 a month…. Where does this start? How does this start? Prayer of course. I can say that I have pushed this aside because this is simply way out of my comfort zone. I do not have the means to fund this nor am I the one that could get up in front of a crowd asking for help and donations NOR do I have a clue to how to start this.

My idea…is almost like a community adopting families, helping them until they can do it on their own. Steering them away from government assistance….Providing them with help beyond food and clothing…This is helping a girl find the perfect homecoming dress. This is helping the boy play on a team. This is providing a family with a membership at the indoor pool.  This is helping a family build onto their home. This is helping a single parent with the mortgage/rent. This is providing meals for those who need a hot meal. This is making sure electric or water is not cut off and a family has heat and ac…

Regardless of how much money we have or don’t have, we all waste $20…$50...$200 or more a month.