Greetings!

Today, God is leading me to discuss one of my passions…music. I absolutely love how God speaks to me through song. God will use whatever means necessary to reach his children. Gospel music will often help usher in the Holy Spirit…not that He needs any help, but it helps till the soil so to speak. Lately, God has been speaking to my heart through a particular song, and I’ve been singing it over and over.

In part, the lyrics say, “…there’s a pressing in the spirit…” I love that song. Every time I hear it I’m reminded of how much God loves me. I woke up singing that song the other day, and sang it all the way to work. I know that whenever that happens God has taught my spirit something as I slept. The funny thing is that a lot of times He doesn’t reveal it to me right away. I have grown to trust Him so much that I no longer try to figure it out.

I know that part of it is because I was asked to do something that He didn’t want me to do….yet. I have a tendency to get caught up in someone else’s excitement. God has given them a vision and, our spirits will connect and the next thing you know, I’m knee-deep in a place I shouldn’t be. This time, God was saying that I have something for you and it’s not that, and this time I listened.

My brothers and sisters…know that when God has something for you not even your procrastination can stop it. We will oftentimes prolong our journey by taking turns we shouldn’t take. God is so patient with us. He loves us and wants to bless us…so, He waits for us to realize our place and then He moves us into it.  For me, that means that He waits until I sleep, because that is when my heart is open to Him. His way of letting me know everything is going to be alright is He will wake me with a song. That lets me know that He heard...He knows...and He is still in control. I love when He does that....

Until next time…

Be blessed!

Greetings!

I was blessed recently to be part of a training seminar conducted by employees of Good Soil Evangelism & Discipleship. I had seen information about this organization at other events, but never took time to find out more about them. When one of the associate ministers at my church went to a training session, he came back on fire to carry the gospel to unbelievers. His enthusiasm was contagious, and I found myself looking forward to the seminar. My pastor thought it was so important that the church paid for all of the associate ministers to take the training—so I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

Our church theme last year was evangelism, so this was perfect for reinforcing the messages we received during the previous year.  Even though we have a different theme this year, the work of evangelism doesn’t stop. We are all called to carry the message of Jesus Christ…especially to those who may not know Him.

Good Soil gets its name from the parable of the seeds. The seed is the message of the gospel. The goal of this organization is to make sure that the gospel is presented in a way that it can be understood, embraced, and retained.

 One of the breakout sessions involved pairing up with another person to “evangelize.” My assignment was to explain “The Rapture.”  Ok, I don’t know if you have ever tried to explain that to an unbeliever, but I found out how totally inadequate my words were. The more I tried to explain, the more confused my unbeliever became. I realized that even though I understood the concept, explaining it to someone else was no easy feat. The exercise let me know that I still had a lot of work to do. My personal mission is to learn how to communicate the "good news" in a way that will help others seek a closer relationship with the Lord. I am so grateful to my brother for bringing this organization to our church and for his passion for reaching the unsaved.

I pray that God will use each of us to help reach others with the message of Jesus Christ, and that we will be able to “plant seeds” that will reap a harvest for the Kingdom of God.

For information on this evangelism and discipleship program, go to www.goodsoil.com.  

Until next time…

Be blessed!

Greetings!

On Thursday, I was invited as an Alumni Author at my alma mater. I was so nervous, I almost didn’t go, but the Holy Spirit reminded me that God gave me a gift to share with others, and that someone was waiting for me. God does that for me often. My prayer is that God will allow me to be a blessing to someone every day, and He never disappoints me.

I was one of the first to arrive. I set up my books on the table reserved for the authors, and began speaking to some of the others there. As people began to come in they were directed to speak to anyone with a blue name badge. So, students and faculty began to approach us and ask questions about our writing experience. It was so awesome. It actually made me want to take classes again, and I realize that may have been the point.

I have been struggling with going back to school…if it was really necessary, and I think God wanted me to experience what it was like to be in an atmosphere of learning. I am so glad that I went. I saw someone I had been in class with and met some up-and-coming writers who actually encouraged me to pursue the thing that was pursuing me. I have always loved learning…and writing is my passion.

I don’t know what God has planned for me in this season, but I do know that I only want to be where He leads me. So, right now…I’m praying and waiting for direction. I know that if that is what God wants for me, He will clear the way.

Until next time…

Be blessed!