Greetings!

I praise God for His loving presence, and for the care He takes with us. I love how He watches over our hearts. He understands our pain and our struggles. He also knows just what we need and when we need it.

Losing my sister and niece earlier this year was a devastating blow for my family, but with the grace of God each day is getting better and better. The thing that helps to make it a little easier is that they both loved the Lord…and when you think about it, we are all just passing through. They both lived their lives in service to others. They enjoyed working with children, and giving back to the community. Their love for others have sewn seeds into the lives of our family that will prayerfully pass on from generation to generation.

Yesterday, my family participated in a musical fundraiser for a local inner-city school. The event was in honor of my sister and niece who both loved children, and music. The atmosphere was filled with people who loved them. It was really a blessing to be among folks who could see the vision. Everyone there understood that it takes a village to help raise our children, and they didn’t mind dedicating their time, their talents, and their funds in helping to make this organization successful. The organization is called Positive Youth Expressions, Incorporated, and their mission is to help children reach their full potential musically and academically.

We were all blessed by the performers who donated their time and talents to this event, and I pray that everyone who participated will reap a harvest of God’s blessings. I am already looking forward to doing this again next year!

Until next time…

Be blessed!

Greetings!

Last weekend I went on a spiritual retreat with about 40 other women. The retreat was in St. Michaels, Maryland. It was a great time to relax and get refreshed. The theme for the weekend was TEA (Time to Empower and Act), and it was all about women being motivated to do those things God has called them to do.  The funny thing is the most empowering part for me wasn’t at the retreat…it was getting to the retreat.

See, the thing is I have never driven across the Bay Bridge, and I was a little nervous to say the least. Satan used my nervousness against me, and I was starting to feel those old feelings of fear again. I know that God has delivered me from fear, but every now and then that old way of thinking takes over. It’s hard to put into words, but it is almost like fear was familiar for me. Even though I had worked hard to rid myself of it…here I was being comfortable with it again.

The awesome thing about God is that He never gives up on us. He knew that I needed help even though I was too stubborn to ask for it. He used a friend to remind me that I needed to trust what I knew about Him. I had to have faith that no matter what happened; God would never take His hand off me.  I know that God has a plan for my life, and that plan has not been accomplished yet so nothing could happen to me. I didn’t need to fear anything or anyone…God was still in control. God had to remind me that He had made me a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), and once I remembered that, fear lost some of it's sting.

The ride across was a little tricky, but with God’s help I was able to face my fear. On the way back I was half way across the bridge before I even realized I was on it!

What an awesome God we serve!

Until next time…

Be blessed!

Greetings!

Lately, I have been meditating on how we hear God’s voice. I have heard people say that they sometimes struggle with whether they are hearing from God or just hearing their own voices. God’s way of speaking to us is unique to us. We don’t ever have to doubt who we are hearing from, because when God wants to get a word to us, He will speak to us in a way that we will understand…in a way that leaves no room for doubt. Stay close to God’s word. That’s the only way we are going to know His voice. God’s word says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” I think many times we doubt what we hear because the Holy Spirit is trying to lead us out of our comfort zones, and that because it’s a new experience…we doubt.

As children of God, He needs us to be His representatives in the earth. We have to be able to speak for Him, and to carry His message of salvation to the lost, but if our enemy (Satan) can keep us focused on whether we are hearing God or not, then he has won. He wants to shut down our witness, so he definitely wants to keep us doubting what we hear…and who we are hearing. The only way to combat that is to make sure that we have more of the word in us than the world in us.

One of the things I have learned in this walk with God is that we can expect the unexpected. As soon as we get to a place we feel is comfortable, we can expect to be moved. God doesn’t do that to hurt us, but rather to help us. He wants us to depend on Him…not only in the things we can’t handle, but in e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.  

Trust God…He knows when you are struggling, and He knows when you need to hear from Him. Don’t let the enemy steal your joy and peace. God is still in control.

Until next time…

Be blessed!