Matthew 13:25
New King James Version (NKJV)
25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
We have a small rock garden in the front of our house. There are a few plants in there too. For weeks I have watched this ivy-looking weed just strangle the heck out of this one particular bush by our front door. Well not anymore, today was the day! I finally took some action. I put on some of those latex medical gloves (because I'm not a gardener and I don't have the proper gardening gloves) and I went to town pulling this never ending weed off of the bush. It obviously had some spiritual significance for me today, as I too am allowing God to pull some weeds from my spiritual garden. I've been experiencing a season of worry which has been causing feelings of anxiety to come over me as of late and I have a tendency to isolate myself when I'm stressed out. Do you ever have those nights where you just can't imagine that the morning will ever come? The nights seem so long when you can't sleep and you are thinking about how you are going to fix all of your life's problems. If I am unable to sleep, I've learned to stop trying and instead, I just go out on the couch and try to get comfortable in my little "corner of the world" but nothing has been soothing me lately. I had become overly preoccupied mentally. I have been unable to stop the "thought freight train" from running me over. The thoughts just kept coming full steam ahead. I wanted to fix everything and everyone that I was worrying about but I can't. Once again, I have been brought back to the realization that I'm just a person who needs Jesus, A LOT. I can't live without Him. I have realized that the peace He blesses me with is like a drug. I run to Him to soothe my pain. Sometimes the pain still remains, but in His timing, He comforts me and I am able to get through my struggles. The weeds of doubt and/or lack of trust may creep in at times but only He is able to pull these weeds from my garden. I have to allow Him to do this work in me. The bush has finally been freed and so has my spirit. It's a process. We have an enemy who wants to destroy us and our families but more importantly, we have a Savior that already took care of defeating him on the cross through His death and resurrection. The ivy-looking weed in our rock garden may reappear again one day soon and so may some of my spiritual weeds, so I will have to continue to tend both gardens. I can sleep again. I'm glad the weeds are gone, for the time being anyway....
Luke 4:13
New King James Version (NKJV)
13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day... It's also my Anniversary!
Ephesians 3:20
New King James Version (NKJV)
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
It is 1997 and I'm working as a waitress/bartender at Chili's Bar & Grill and it's Valentine's Day. I'm a single, divorced Mom with two young children. I was lost but I have been found. I was blind, but now I see. I had been brought by a neighbor to church and was introduced to Jesus recently. I confessed my sin, repented and received Jesus as my Lord and Savior on July 31, 1996. I'm now a "new believer" and the Lord is teaching me daily about Himself. I begin attending Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale with my little ones regularly on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. I also begin to attend a group for Mom's of young kids and I'm taking a few classes to learn more about my new faith. I can't get enough of Jesus and His Word. I live from church service to church service. I can't wait for Wednesdays to come around and then I can't wait for Sundays to come. God now has my full attention, love and my devotion. I don't completely understand what salvation is at this point in time yet, but I know enough to be grateful for it and I want to know God more. I find it odd that the bible that was given to me is becoming easier for me to read and understand. If I had ever looked inside a bible before, it looked like a foreign language to me. As I read it now, it seems to come to life. I read it by the pool as I lay out in the sun before going to work and I'm enjoying it. The first significant change that I notice in myself is that God has made me overly aware of my potty mouth. My foul language and the blasphemy was beginning to leave me. I'm not quite sure if it is due to a specific sermon that I have heard or if the Holy Spirit is just convicting me. I long to know God better. I am a new creation in Christ and oh, I am so grateful for my new beginning!
After my divorce, God blessed me with a deep longing to be purged of my sin. I knew I had sinned against God. The more I look back now, the more I realize that the conviction of sin in itself was a blessing from God. After all, I was not brought up with much of any religious beliefs or convictions. I do vividly remember knowing that I was headed for hell because of my sin though. I just had no idea how to stop that from happening. Thoughts of damnation haunted me. I was scared of dying. That night on July 31,1996, God showed me the way to eternal life through His Son, and how to have my sins forgiven and my slate cleaned. I was so excited! I was given a fresh start! I was at church so late that first night that my worried parents came over to my apartment to check on me after trying to call me numerous times. I had just gotten home from church and I had my new bible that was given to me in my hands. I was so excited that I told my parents what had just happened to me. Wow, talk about immediate boldness! A Jewish girl telling her Jewish parents that she just came home from church and had gotten saved! Shortly after that night, I purchased a pair of gold dangling cross earrings and wore them proudly. God came into my life like a whirlwind. I was on fire for Him. I began to pray. God must especially love the prayers of a new believer because my prayers were answered just enough to make Him so very real to me. Not every prayer was answered because I do clearly remember praying for an ex boyfriend of mine to come back to me. Thank God for unanswered prayers too! I thought that I knew what was best for me, but I didn't. God did though. On that Valentine's Day in 1997, as I was working at Chili's, I served a man who had been brought to my attention by a co-worker of mine. She had pointed him out to me and told me that he was "available". I had told her that he wasn't my type and that I wasn't interested. He was quite a gentleman though, and very kind to me as I served him his meal. When he paid his bill with his debit card, I noticed that his last name was "Valentine". How odd is that? I am working on Valentine's Day and serving a man named Kenneth Valentine? I thought to myself, this is weird and I hope he tips me well or it could really ruin this moment. He did tip me well.
Back then, I never took the time or had the patience to write anything down. I never kept a diary or a journal but I do remember that this Kenny Valentine did begin to come in regularly to eat dinner and our conversations were mostly about what God was doing in my life. At some point, he had written a note which included his phone number, and put it on the windshield of my little silver Honda Civic. I honestly can't remember if I ever called him or not, but it doesn't matter because he seemed to continue coming in to Chili's and hanging out with me as I worked. He would stay until well after the restaurant would close and help me close out my tickets. We were becoming very good friends. We still are to this day. At some point in time, I invited him to a concert. "The Kry", a christian band, was coming to town and I invited him to join me at their concert which was being held at the church. I can remember waiting outside for the doors to open and everyone that was waiting to get in began singing "Soon and Very Soon, We are going to see the King". It was such a beautiful time. I loved Jesus. I loved church. I loved his people and I was going to be in love with this man soon and very soon as well. We enjoyed the concert. I continued to invite him to church on different occasions after that evening. When Easter came around, he ended up attending a stadium service with Taylor, his daughter, who was just under two years old at the time. I was very sick with a high fever and strep throat that left me unable to attend with them. One night, not too long after Easter, while I was working on a Wednesday night, he came in after attending a church service, to tell me that he got saved!!! We hugged as tears streamed down our faces. Everything changed that night going forward. God's plan for us was unfolding. We were both new believers now. We were not quite walking in His ways as we should, but His grace was sufficient for us back then and it still is today. We began to spend just about every waking moment together. I remember being in my two bedroom apartment when he came over to meet my kids for one of the very first times. Matt, my son, remembers "checking him out". He actually babysat for me and watched my kids for me while I worked on occasion. One of those times, Amanda had eaten peas. Lots of peas. She ended up getting sick and throwing up everywhere. He had to clean up pea vomit from furniture, carpeting, the hallway and the bathroom. I knew I was in love. He was too good to be true. God knew what was best for me. I'm so glad he has blessed me with more than I could have ever imagined for myself. Tomorrow we will be married for 14 years! I am actually blown away by my own story as I reflect on it and write about it. It is such an amazing love story. Meeting my Valentine on Valentine's Day 1997. Marrying him on Valentine's Day 1999 and becoming Mrs. Valentine, and now celebrating 14 years tomorrow on Valentine's Day 2013. What an amazing God! I don't ever want to forget the blessings He has bestowed upon me. There are so many mistakes we have made along the way, but He doesn't condemn us. He loves us in a way that we as humans are unable to comprehend. It's just too overwhelming. I pray that even if my memory fails me due to age or illness, I won't ever forget how I met my first love, Jesus and how I met the love of my life here on earth, my wonderful husband Kenny Valentine. I thank my God and give Him ALL the glory!
New King James Version (NKJV)
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
It is 1997 and I'm working as a waitress/bartender at Chili's Bar & Grill and it's Valentine's Day. I'm a single, divorced Mom with two young children. I was lost but I have been found. I was blind, but now I see. I had been brought by a neighbor to church and was introduced to Jesus recently. I confessed my sin, repented and received Jesus as my Lord and Savior on July 31, 1996. I'm now a "new believer" and the Lord is teaching me daily about Himself. I begin attending Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale with my little ones regularly on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. I also begin to attend a group for Mom's of young kids and I'm taking a few classes to learn more about my new faith. I can't get enough of Jesus and His Word. I live from church service to church service. I can't wait for Wednesdays to come around and then I can't wait for Sundays to come. God now has my full attention, love and my devotion. I don't completely understand what salvation is at this point in time yet, but I know enough to be grateful for it and I want to know God more. I find it odd that the bible that was given to me is becoming easier for me to read and understand. If I had ever looked inside a bible before, it looked like a foreign language to me. As I read it now, it seems to come to life. I read it by the pool as I lay out in the sun before going to work and I'm enjoying it. The first significant change that I notice in myself is that God has made me overly aware of my potty mouth. My foul language and the blasphemy was beginning to leave me. I'm not quite sure if it is due to a specific sermon that I have heard or if the Holy Spirit is just convicting me. I long to know God better. I am a new creation in Christ and oh, I am so grateful for my new beginning!
After my divorce, God blessed me with a deep longing to be purged of my sin. I knew I had sinned against God. The more I look back now, the more I realize that the conviction of sin in itself was a blessing from God. After all, I was not brought up with much of any religious beliefs or convictions. I do vividly remember knowing that I was headed for hell because of my sin though. I just had no idea how to stop that from happening. Thoughts of damnation haunted me. I was scared of dying. That night on July 31,1996, God showed me the way to eternal life through His Son, and how to have my sins forgiven and my slate cleaned. I was so excited! I was given a fresh start! I was at church so late that first night that my worried parents came over to my apartment to check on me after trying to call me numerous times. I had just gotten home from church and I had my new bible that was given to me in my hands. I was so excited that I told my parents what had just happened to me. Wow, talk about immediate boldness! A Jewish girl telling her Jewish parents that she just came home from church and had gotten saved! Shortly after that night, I purchased a pair of gold dangling cross earrings and wore them proudly. God came into my life like a whirlwind. I was on fire for Him. I began to pray. God must especially love the prayers of a new believer because my prayers were answered just enough to make Him so very real to me. Not every prayer was answered because I do clearly remember praying for an ex boyfriend of mine to come back to me. Thank God for unanswered prayers too! I thought that I knew what was best for me, but I didn't. God did though. On that Valentine's Day in 1997, as I was working at Chili's, I served a man who had been brought to my attention by a co-worker of mine. She had pointed him out to me and told me that he was "available". I had told her that he wasn't my type and that I wasn't interested. He was quite a gentleman though, and very kind to me as I served him his meal. When he paid his bill with his debit card, I noticed that his last name was "Valentine". How odd is that? I am working on Valentine's Day and serving a man named Kenneth Valentine? I thought to myself, this is weird and I hope he tips me well or it could really ruin this moment. He did tip me well.
Back then, I never took the time or had the patience to write anything down. I never kept a diary or a journal but I do remember that this Kenny Valentine did begin to come in regularly to eat dinner and our conversations were mostly about what God was doing in my life. At some point, he had written a note which included his phone number, and put it on the windshield of my little silver Honda Civic. I honestly can't remember if I ever called him or not, but it doesn't matter because he seemed to continue coming in to Chili's and hanging out with me as I worked. He would stay until well after the restaurant would close and help me close out my tickets. We were becoming very good friends. We still are to this day. At some point in time, I invited him to a concert. "The Kry", a christian band, was coming to town and I invited him to join me at their concert which was being held at the church. I can remember waiting outside for the doors to open and everyone that was waiting to get in began singing "Soon and Very Soon, We are going to see the King". It was such a beautiful time. I loved Jesus. I loved church. I loved his people and I was going to be in love with this man soon and very soon as well. We enjoyed the concert. I continued to invite him to church on different occasions after that evening. When Easter came around, he ended up attending a stadium service with Taylor, his daughter, who was just under two years old at the time. I was very sick with a high fever and strep throat that left me unable to attend with them. One night, not too long after Easter, while I was working on a Wednesday night, he came in after attending a church service, to tell me that he got saved!!! We hugged as tears streamed down our faces. Everything changed that night going forward. God's plan for us was unfolding. We were both new believers now. We were not quite walking in His ways as we should, but His grace was sufficient for us back then and it still is today. We began to spend just about every waking moment together. I remember being in my two bedroom apartment when he came over to meet my kids for one of the very first times. Matt, my son, remembers "checking him out". He actually babysat for me and watched my kids for me while I worked on occasion. One of those times, Amanda had eaten peas. Lots of peas. She ended up getting sick and throwing up everywhere. He had to clean up pea vomit from furniture, carpeting, the hallway and the bathroom. I knew I was in love. He was too good to be true. God knew what was best for me. I'm so glad he has blessed me with more than I could have ever imagined for myself. Tomorrow we will be married for 14 years! I am actually blown away by my own story as I reflect on it and write about it. It is such an amazing love story. Meeting my Valentine on Valentine's Day 1997. Marrying him on Valentine's Day 1999 and becoming Mrs. Valentine, and now celebrating 14 years tomorrow on Valentine's Day 2013. What an amazing God! I don't ever want to forget the blessings He has bestowed upon me. There are so many mistakes we have made along the way, but He doesn't condemn us. He loves us in a way that we as humans are unable to comprehend. It's just too overwhelming. I pray that even if my memory fails me due to age or illness, I won't ever forget how I met my first love, Jesus and how I met the love of my life here on earth, my wonderful husband Kenny Valentine. I thank my God and give Him ALL the glory!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Pointed back to Christ...
Galatians 6:2
New King James Version (NKJV)
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
The past few weeks have been stormy. The winds are blowing in hurricane force when it comes to trials that have been rolling in as regularly as getting dressed. Yesterday, my body was in full anxiety mode. My normal repertoire was just not working to relieve my feelings of stress. I lifted up a prayer and asked God if I could please cast my burdens on Him. I then attempted to read my bible and some devotions but I found myself unable to concentrate on anything other than my troubles. It was at this point that I reached out to my sister and some of my closest friends for spiritual support. Many years ago I prayed for christian sisters to come along side of me and for God to bless me with good solid friendships. I went many years before God answered that prayer. Over the last few years, He has blessed me with some of the most amazing woman in my life. I make a point to go to Him first, but when I need a human shoulder to cry on, or an ear to listen, I have been blessed richly. We weren't called to do this thing called life alone. We are the body of Christ. We each play a different role, but we are all equally necessary. I have been a witness to the perfect example of bearing each another's burdens over the last few days. Although my circumstances haven't changed, my perspective has been renewed and I have been pointed back in the right direction. Good friends lead each other to Christ, not self help books. Thank you to all of my friends who have helped me bear my burdens as of late. I couldn't get through some of my days without you...
I thank You God for each and every friend that you have blessed me with...
Romans 12:5
New King James Version (NKJV)
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
Romans 12:10
New King James Version (NKJV)
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
New King James Version (NKJV)
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
The past few weeks have been stormy. The winds are blowing in hurricane force when it comes to trials that have been rolling in as regularly as getting dressed. Yesterday, my body was in full anxiety mode. My normal repertoire was just not working to relieve my feelings of stress. I lifted up a prayer and asked God if I could please cast my burdens on Him. I then attempted to read my bible and some devotions but I found myself unable to concentrate on anything other than my troubles. It was at this point that I reached out to my sister and some of my closest friends for spiritual support. Many years ago I prayed for christian sisters to come along side of me and for God to bless me with good solid friendships. I went many years before God answered that prayer. Over the last few years, He has blessed me with some of the most amazing woman in my life. I make a point to go to Him first, but when I need a human shoulder to cry on, or an ear to listen, I have been blessed richly. We weren't called to do this thing called life alone. We are the body of Christ. We each play a different role, but we are all equally necessary. I have been a witness to the perfect example of bearing each another's burdens over the last few days. Although my circumstances haven't changed, my perspective has been renewed and I have been pointed back in the right direction. Good friends lead each other to Christ, not self help books. Thank you to all of my friends who have helped me bear my burdens as of late. I couldn't get through some of my days without you...
I thank You God for each and every friend that you have blessed me with...
Romans 12:5
New King James Version (NKJV)
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
Romans 12:10
New King James Version (NKJV)
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
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