Kids are a Blessing

No folks, I have not yet been blessed with children. However, I have and do spend A LOT of time with these beautiful treasures that will shape the future of the Earth.

That being said, if you have read more than one entry of my blog, I'm pretty sure you have figured out that I find words pretty important. I take care by God's grace to speak life giving things from my mouth, things that will encourage, uplift and edify people. I repent when I say things that do not align with God's heart and move forward into love.

I had a dear friend ask advice for their darling little girl that isn't quite 2. She is in the phase of exploration of boundaries. This little one has discovered that she has a will, as all of us do, and choices to make. Right now she is choosing to disobey sometimes and obey sometimes. I'm not going to go into child-rearing philosophy but suggest Danny Silk's Loving Our Kids on Purpose book for that. (SO GOOD - I want to read it every year)


I do however want to offering a little spoken word of advice. Let us declare over our children their destinies, who God has called them to be. The Lord wants to give you insight into each of your children. They are so unique and just like God has a beautiful plan for your life, He has a plan for theirs too.

Please pray and seek the Lord, read the Bible, find the blessings and speak them over yourselves, your spouses, your kids, listen to Abba.

Here is a short little Blessing I put together, but I encourage you to seek out more. But start somewhere. The more you get used to speaking blessings, the more natural it becomes, and things will shift in the natural. It is wonderful to pray for your children, and let us ADD blessing them too.

Thanks for reading! Have a blessed day.

Our Story: Part 7 Proposal

Don't know what is going on? Start with Part 1

This next section of courtship was full of confusion, I had lots of peace and knew that Bren was it. But then he started to have lots of doubts and in the way he normally hears from God was being told I was not the one to marry. This made for some interesting times.

 ---> Sidenote: If you are dealing with lots of confusion read Overcoming Confusion by Rick Joyner. It will help a lot.

But now I had so much peace, I just told him not to worry. At this point neither of us used the word marry because I was trying really hard not to lead. This can be difficult at times. But is was important for our relationship that he lead the steps. My job was to lean into the Lord and remain in shalom. We did stay together and he worked through the confusion and was waiting on an angelic sign before proposing... =) He didn't exactly get as bright a sign as he was hoping for, but he did come to the conclusion it was very important to God that he, Bren, chose me. Important for me to, you know love can be a feeling, a beautiful one. But mostly love is a chose. I chose love or I don't. This is a daily choice. Even now in our marriage 5 years later I'm very aware of the times I am choosing love or not. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that we agree with or not. Lord help us agree with love.
Anyhow, so around the time of March a Conference was happening at Morningstar. In the morning I was with Bren in an office of people and the girl made a joke and then said, "As long as you invite me to the wedding." I froze and Bren was behind me, so I couldn't see his face and uttered not a peep waiting for his commentary. Then she said, "Oh no, did I say something wrong?" Finally Bren spoke up and said, "You are fine don't worry about it."
Remember dear reader we have not spoken about marriage or engagement at this point because I'm not leading, lol.

About an hour or so later we were downstairs and Bren introduced me to a friend, as his girlfriend, from the Caribbean. And he said, "Oh she is your wife?" And I said, "I'm his girlfriend."


(I am making no comments and we are not discussing them)

Later that day we were sitting on a couch in the lobby and a guy walked by and said, " Hi Bren, Hi Bren's girl. " I said, "Amber Joy. " (A little on the sarcastic side, like I have a name=/  ) Then he stopped and looking confused said, "You're his wife?"  I said, "No, I'm his girlfriend". To which he shrugged and kept going. (A week later we saw him and he said he heard me say I'm his wife with extreme clarity...)




The next day I told my Mom that he was going to propose before we ever talked about it and how on all these shows people act so surprised even though they already knew. I wanted the element of surprise.

The next evening I was working on fundraiser things and Bren came to help after we put together a bunk bed for some friends. We were on the couch and I finally said, "So what did you think about Thursday?" (The day where people indicated we were getting married mentioned above) To which he replied, " The conference was great." (Ok, ok wise guy ) I didn't say anything else and kept punching away at the computer.
Finally he sat up and said, "You know the first time I met you I wanted to marry you. " (Heart leaping, he had never said "marry" to me ) "So, will you marry Him (meaning God) and me?" He took of his promise ring to God that he had worn 10 years and held it out to me. I said, " Yes." And I happily wore the ring on my thumb til I got a different engagement ring.  He wasn't expecting to propose that night and I wasn't expecting to be proposed to.
Very happy lady I was, but I couldn't tell anybody because he wanted to ask my Dad's permission before it was official, which he did the next day. Whoops! And Daddy said yes of course!

We got married about 4 months later. Yes, there was lots of eventful things and lessons following, but I think this is where I'm ending the Our Story series=) Thanks for reading!



Part 1

Deeper Healing from Offense

I already made a blogpost about offense... "Beware of a Fence Between you and Heaven".
This morning I looked up some sermons by Katie Souza and she took what I said a step further.

Recognizing that taking up an offense is a sin, then repenting for it and forgiving the person that hurt you, or the one you love. This acknowledges Jesus' work on the cross, becoming sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ. Applying His blood over our sin, and releasing others to Shophet (Name of God meaning Just Judge) for Judgement.

Second Step (from Katie Souza) is to apply the Resurrection of Jesus Christ through the Dynamis Power of Holy Spirit to the part of your soul that was wounded from the offense.  Besides strength and power, Dynamis also means "moral power or excellence of soul". We have been given the power, now we apply it in Jesus' name to our soul.

What completion, she was talking about people that get sick over and over could consider going before the Lord and asking if there is an offense. Repenting if there is and applying the Blood of Jesus, and the Dynamis Power to our wounded soul to be healed.

I was recently hurt deeply by a friend and took up an offense, for 2 days I held onto the bitterness and I got a sore throat didn't start relinquishing until today. This morning is when I realized the connection and repented. I feel on the mend, but I want to grow and be aware to walk in love at all times by the Dynamis of Holy Spirit. Abba, help us walk in love and confess quickly.

Our Story Part 6 - Du dun duuuuuun to =)

Read Part 1

So we are an "established" couple at this point.. The lessons included in this section of our story have a lot to do with idealism...

According to the Webster Dictionary idealism is the attitude of a person who believes that it is possible to live according to very high standards of behavior and honesty

There is great nobility in this as it would seem. I am going to tweak the definition a little to say that idealism is having an ideal picture and wanting the surrounding people and things to fit to that picture.
Which usually creates disappointment...

Now that was a set up for something isn't it. Now for the vulnerability part of the program. =)
My beloved, Bren, has never (aside from his beautiful Mother) kissed anyone else but me. Wow!
In the beginning of January of 2009 we were having a "discussion" (keep in mind that our relationship was quite emotionally accelerated than others may have experienced) until wee hours of the morning around the fact that he had never kissed anyone, and thus had a perspective that whoever God was going to put him with would be in that same boat.
Much to his dismay, I was not in that boat. By the grace of God I had never gone "all the way", but I had kissed more than one a young man, even though I never had an official "boyfriend". Dismay was definitely present.
My beloved has a shock to his system and the result was fear. He exercised self-control his entire life leading to this point of age 26, while I had not. I had repented (confessed to God and turned from these things) and because of the blood of Jesus (so thankful) I was clean. I was pure, holy in God's sight, because of His Son. Wow, having a moment here. So grateful my Beloved and Gracious Father, truly. To have the clearing of conscious that I have experienced is one of the greatest miracles I am so excited about.
I am also thankful that my beloved, Bren, with God's grace did stay physically pure as well. I am grateful as is he.
Fear... False Evidence Appearing Real... As a result of this fear my dear, dear beloved gave me some rules... No leaning on him, no hugging friends that are guys, etc... I said, " I feel like you are saying prove to me that you are pure." To which he said, " No, I am just asking you to do this for me for a little while."
No fun. No fun at all.
I left very late/early found my roommate D.B. and prayed then and got up in a couple hours to drive to the MStar Church in Winston-Salem. Quite tired and picturing myself as a bird in a cage. "Is this what you have called me to Lord?"

One thing I enjoy now about MStar, but took some getting used to is that they emphasize writing new songs and sing them at Church. So the songs I was used to singing during services from my Baptist/Presbyterian/Community/Methodist Background are usually not heard. (I truly enjoy this now, if I want to hear those songs I worship with youtube...=) I say this because that day D.O. sang an old song that I learned at the Presbyterian Church. "Lord prepare me, to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true... with Thanksgiving, I'll be a living, sanctuary for you."
Wow! Thanks Abba! Would you please let Bren know that I am pure and holy with You????!!!!

I drove back down and went to our home group. I sat on the couch and Bren sat next to me... leg touching leg... I gave him a face that you don't want to see and moved away... He moved closer... I looked at him mad/confused and moved away. He said, "Can we talk?" I said, "Sure! (annoyed)
As soon as we got outside:
"I am so sorry" - Bren
"What for?" - me
"God showed me, you are pure and holy, I reacted from fear, and I am so sorry."
"What about the leaning?"
"I like leaning"
"??????????" ...

Wow, my beloved is so humble and wonderful. Within 24 hours God fixed it, I gave it to Him and Bren sought the Lord about the matter. And He answered. Bren is so very teachable and God is so very good.

It is really hard when we have a picture in our head of what something is going to be like... And then it doesn't turn out that way. I have seen a lot of bad fruit in my own life when I have had an "ideal" picture in my head that did not come from the Lord. Bren, gratefully, gave up his picture and got God's perspective that even though I had not remained physically pure in his sight, the blood of Jesus has washed me clean and made me new.


And Bren and I move on to the next chapter of praying together, getting to know each other and learning to love unconditionally...

Our Story Part 5 - Christmas

Read Our Story Part 1

Yes, I would like to live free from fear.
"Perfect love casts out fear." If I want to walk in the perfect love of God, I cannot walk in fear. Fear of man, fear of failure, fear of death, fear of being loved... So I repented something like this.

God, I am so sorry for yielding to the fear of being loved, for agreeing with fear. I ask for Your forgiveness and I claim remission of sin. Thank You for sending anything away that came from my agreement in Jesus' name.

Within the next couple days I started to love Bren from my heart. He looked more attractive to me and I wanted to be with him and around him more and more. And my knowing that he was going to be my husband after the first date became a joy, instead of something to cry in despair about.

Then I decided to ask Bren to come home with me for Christmas;) (Thus meeting my wonderful familia).
He said yes and we drove down with my friend Z.I. who we dropped off in Orlando. Bren and I started holding hands on the way down and when we hit Lakeland, where I was planning to drop by and see my Daddy I asked Bren... "So, how should I introduce you to my family?" At this point there was no established relationship "status".
He responded that he didn't like labels. So, I pulled my hand back over to my side and essentially I said this is my friend Bren... Hmmph;)

At my Uncle's for Christmas.

My family received him warmly with winks and such. But that's ok... Bren was concerned that there would be pressure towards marriage if "boyfriend" was used. We had a good Christmas and my family was very loving. Bren was a little on the nervous side and kinda quiet, but that is understandable. It can be hard to be ourselves when you know you are being "observed".;) Until we are fully free in the Lord=) At this point I was trying really hard to allow Bren to be the pursuer and to be pursued. Meaning I don't take the lead. This can be difficult for me, anyone who has taking Ballroom with me knows that I prefer to lead and teach. But it is so important, especially with the Lord, to learn to be a good follower as well. A good leader can follow.

Christmas Eve at Mom and Dad's

When we returned to SC we hung out some more with people and had good conversations and such, and on Dec. 29th he had been initiating the "holding of hands" more so I finally asked, "So am I your girlfriend?" He said, " I certainly hope so."
"Well, you were supposed to ask me..."
"Oh, I didn't know. Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Yes, I will." ::Smile smile::
Now,  you may consider this leading... but he asked the question;) Lol.


But pretty soon, the most intense conversation I had had to that point in my life occurred, and it has some great life lessons...

Part 6

Our Story Part IV - December continues

Read Part I

... When I was at my internship at CSCL the following day, I felt the gentle nudging of God to go down to Bren's office. (It is down the hall=/ ) I responded, "But I told him I would take a few days to think about things..."
Nudge Nudge
I began to slowly walk down the hallway and mustered up all the courage I had to knock on the door, which immediately flew open (as if he was waiting for me - this part of the story will be in Bren's version).
"hello"
"hello" ::I am looking down and NOT in his eyeballs::
"how's it going"
"good"
"you"
"good"
Then he looked at me with such sincerity as he said, " You are so beautiful."
A flood of heat went from my head to my toe as I responded in a deflecting tone, "Thanks, well God made me"
"But it is true."
"Well, thanks..."
Insert awkward spray and I left shortly.
My complaint (the night before) to God had been that Bren did not think I was beautiful... And Bren responded the following day. Pretty interesting, pretty interesting...

Ice Skating in Uptown Charlotte

A few days later Bren and  I went ice skating with friends and after I dropped him off I was quite frustrated. I had been embarrassed the whole evening because he was being so kind to me. He bought me water, gave me skating tips, made sure I was alright, walked beside me ... and I didn't feel any happy giggly bubbly emotions towards him whatsoever. I said to God, " I don't think it is fair to Bren or to me that you would lead me to date someone and not give me any feelings to go with it."
I received a thought to turn on the radio... and what song is playing? A song that has NEVER made sense to me before but explained my current situation perfectly!

He's Everything you Want by Vertical Horizon... I'm posting the lyrics that were relevant to me...

He's everything you want

He's everything you need

He's everything inside of you

That you wish you could be

He says all the right things

At exactly the right time

But he means nothing to you

And you don't know why 

You're waiting for someone

To put you together

You're waiting for someone to push you away

There's always another wound to discover

There's always something more you wish he'd say 

[Chorus]

But you'll just sit tight

And watch it unwind

It's only what you're asking for

And you'll be just fine

With all of your time

It's only what you're waiting for 

Wow! I was amazed and decided to trust that God knew what he was doing=)

A few days later I was at a Home Group reunion when I ever so triumphantly mentioned to the leaders that I had been on my first date! Ha! How 'bout them apples? ;)
The Husband asked with who and I told him, not ever thinking that he would know who he was... To which C.A. said, " Bren Eifler?! You are going to have a ring on your finger in 3 months. He will be faithful to you and treasure you and ..." - he proceed to list kind things a fella might do for a gal as I began to yell stop it! stop it! stop it! and burst into tears.
C.A. hugged me while chuckling. Issues, man, issues.
I relayed this HG Reunion experience to J.G. and he said, "Why did you react like that?"
"I don't know"
Then privately asked the hard question, "Why did I react like that?"
fear of being loved
Oh... Hhhhmmmm and It started bringing me a lot of clarity as I looked back on the past few years. Why I felt so numb, so unloved... because I was not allowing people to love me truly, not allowing God to love me. It was a form of self-protection or self-preservation and in that moment I has a choice to make...
Was I willing to get rid of this fear?

Read Part 5
Read Part I

Scriptures/Prayers for my Husband

I picked this piece of paper up in 2005 and started praying these things for my future husband and over myself. Although I don't believe I have "done my husband only good" I do believe I am being transformed from glory to glory and that it will happen by God's grace and my agreement. Be free to pray if you are single or married. For any new readers - I ended up meeting my Beloved in 2008 and we have been married 3 1/2 years at the point of this blog. And he is more than I prayed for.

Who is after your soul?

Paul Keith Davis said, "The sin of self-pity is one of the most devastating enemies of our soul, although not as seemingly apparent as lust, greed, or addictions. It will lead to many issues of the soul that will steal our destiny and keep us from the high calling of God."

I have been witnessing in myself and all around me this evil thing: self-pity. God help us. How do we recognize it?
How come they get ___________ and not me? Fill in the blank with an object, a person, a revelation...
Everytime I focus on what I don't have... I make room for lack.

I repent for listening to self pity, I repent for NOT taking my thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. I repent for catering to self-pity.
Self -pity requires looking at ourselves. If I want to change, and oh boy! do I want to change! The bible says in 2 Corinthians 3 16but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.18But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
To get these veils that do not have a clear perception of Father God, Jesus and/or Holy Spirit, I need to turn and look at Him. 
Read about Jesus through the lens of love in the Bible, meditate on Jesus, picture Him in Your mind. Focus on Jesus. When we do this our veils are "taken away"!! Yippee i o ki ay! We change!

I was in worship one day and I had an inner vision of the back of Jesus after He was ripped by the cat o nine tails. It was barely acknowledge-able as a back. And I asked the Lord, "Why is the blood of Jesus so powerful?" The verse "Greater love has no one than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends" came to me. I thought, "So, the blood of Jesus represents the ultimate love." When I plead the blood of Jesus I am in a sense pleading love, true love over them.

There was more to the vision that I may share at another point. However, after this I saw Heaven's perspective a little more. One more layer off... God help us see through Your perspective in Jesus' name and deliver us from self-pity. 
Love lens, help me see through it.

Happenings in my life...

It has been a long time since my last blog... So sorry=) The store keeps me occupied. So today will just be some randomness of happenings:

Kid's Church is Awesome!

• Dr. Suuquiina, a Native American chief who is a Hebrew scholar spoke at my shop and talked about how the Hebrew letters correspond to musical notes. He said you can play the names of God using song! We sang Yahweh e-g-a-g and he started do his native thing and it sounded awesome.
• I am helping with Ages 3-6 at my church, and that has been super fun! Especially when my Beloved is with me=) I love how ages 3-4 don't quite understand questions yet..."So what did we talk about last week?" - [Which automatically to the 3-4 year old mind means I have just given an invitation to share anything that's on their mind] to which, 3 weeks in a row now, the same little boy raises his hand and delightfully declares, "I'm a boy!" - to which I smile and say, "Yes, you are a boy!=)" To which the other young ones pipe up excitedly sharing their gender. Gotta love it!
• I meet so many really awesome people at United Artisans of America. Everyday is different and I am excited for what is coming. Jenny from the Fort Mill Times interviewed me recently and she is super sweet! So grateful for the support I have received. I really have discovered that word of mouth is key! Hurray for the internet and the news. Evidently I was on CN2 news also, but I still haven't been able to find it to watch it. [One of the few moments I wish I had TV;) - I have now lived almost 5 years without TV channels in my dwelling place! Amazing thought considering how much I watched it before!]
• I met this amazing woman, Shelley, who is teaching a BUNCH of kid classes this summer! She is very good with children and art, so tis a great combination;) I'm excited about summertime!

Be prepared with tissues...

http://youtu.be/7y2KsU_dhwI?hd=1
This is not a kid friendly video...

Dedicated to my Grandy

Cheers to my Grandy... a man who stood for Jesus, integrity, considering others above himself, love, kindness, laughter, hug-erugerugers whenever you came in the room, crepes with marshmallows and chocolate chips, tire swings, fishing, games, reading to his children and grandchildren, prayer, church, singing, ladies first (even on the fishing boat!), fixing problems, finding solutions, faith, joy, forgiveness, God, truth, wisdom, family, speaking life, creating, giving, living...
 I am so grateful for... my Grandy...
helping me build a lazy susan for my college class...
making us Grandy Breakfast... yum!
treating me like a princess...
helping me build a mail box for my family...
showing me that love looks like something...
loving his wife so dearly, and talking about her so sweetly...
taking me fishing and giving me the first shrimp, and letting me pick where I wanted to cast from on the boat...
helping me build and cut frames to put canvas over...
asking and giving me so many hugs and kisses...
for showing me what integrity looks like...
I am most grateful and thankful that Grandy led me to receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was 10 years old.
Father, please tell Grandy thanks for me=) So glad he is with You and Jesus!

12/5/1927- 10/6/2011

To see a slide show click here.

Beware of a fence between you and Heaven...

Ok, so the title is a pun=) Oh puns! =) Anyhoo...
The Lord has been impressing upon me these last couple months the importance of repenting for taking an offense, in addition to forgiving people.
I don't know if it has ever happened to you, but I have forgiven someone for something, released them to Jesus for judgment and then still feel pain if the incident comes back to my mind. I started feeling the weight of offense a couple months ago, and so I repented for taking an offense.

Then I went to a prophetic teams meeting at my church and this lovely lady C. M. was talking about something someone had did while she was on teams that really hurt her. She walked through forgiveness, but she was still very hurt whenever she would think of it. And many times when she was trying to enter into God's presence during worship she kept thinking about this person and what they did. Finally, she mentioned it to some leaders and someone asked if she had forgiven the person, and she said yes. And later she had the revelation that she had taken up an offense with this person. So she quickly repented (Father, I repent for taking an offense and I ask for forgiveness). Then she thought there were probably a bunch of people that she had taken an offense with, so she asked the Lord to bring people to her mind and they did! And she repented! And she said she has experienced the greatest open heaven and joy in her life ever since!!! Glory to God, who wants so much for us to know Him intimately!!!

So needless to say, hearing this was very encouraging, because it was exactly what the Lord was taking me through as well!!! Yee haw!
So what is offense?
skandalizō - Greek - Strongs 4624

1) to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, metaph. to offend

a) to entice to sin

b) to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey

  1) to cause to fall away

  2) to be offended in one, i.e. to see in another what I disapprove of and what hinders me from acknowledging his authority

  3) to cause one to judge unfavourably or unjustly of another

c) since one who stumbles or whose foot gets entangled feels annoyed

  1) to cause one displeasure at a thing

  2) to make indignant

  3) to be displeased, indignant

Used:

Matthew 11:6: "And blessed is he who does not take offense⁴⁶²⁴ at Me" - Jesus is speaking

Matthew 17:27: "However, so that we do⁴⁶²⁴ not offend⁴⁶²⁴ them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me ." - again Jesus is speaking 

pasha - Hebrew - Strongs 6586

Proverbs 18:19: A brother offended⁶⁵⁸⁶ is harder to be won than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a citadel.

One thing I conclude from the definition, is that we don't want to be offended with anyone, especially Jesus, God, Holy Spirit=) I have found that some of the veils spoken of in 2 Corinthians 3:18 are offenses with God, veils that we have where we do not see God as He truly is...

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

When we behold the face of the Lord, we are transformed and veils between us are removed!!! 

Father, I ask for myself and everyone who reads this, that we may encounter You and see Your face. I ask for more interactions with Heaven. I pray off veils and scales in Jesus' name from our eyes, that we can see clearly. I praise You and I thank You so much for all You are working and doing. I bless You Abba, I bless You! 

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

And so, Beloved ones in whom God loves, loves, loves. Let us continue to forgive and release people to Jesus for judgment and to change them, and no longer hold them  in bitterness and offense. Repent if needed and listen to the Robinson's - KEEP MOVING FORWARD into love!!!!

Birthday at Lazy 5 Ranch

Turning 27 in about 2 hours here=) But today we went to celebrate at the Lazy 5 Ranch. Had a great time, it is always such a blessing to be with wonderful people and see God's beautiful creation.

Eland - type of Antelope

G. M.

J.J. and A.J.

Don't' remember what these are, but love the baby=)

Grandpa Giraffe - check out those wrinkles!

Cuteness Z=)

Strong like OX...

Mama Llama

Here's a few photos from today's adventures.

Monkey H.G.

Mi Amor

What a good daddy=)

Cute Family J.

B.R.

   Hope you enjoyed the photos, have a fabulous day!
Blessings to you! If you want a beautiful and inspirational song I just heard this one today and LOVE it. John Waller- Bless us and Keep us

Doing things WITH God

I have heard it said and agree it is best to do things with God rather than for God.
This is the essence of the "Mary Martha" story. The best thing we can do is to find out what God is doing and join Him in that work.
Read Luke 10:38-42
There are many layers of lessons in this story, I am merely highlighting one.=) 
You notice at the end Jesus says to Martha, " Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
Many have interpreted this to mean we shouldn't be busy serving and just sit with Jesus all day. I challenge you that perhaps it is because Mary chose to be with Him when Martha was serving Him.
In other words, many of us after being getting saved strive to do everything possible to serve Jesus. He gave His life for us, so we work and work and work to try and please Him and Father God. When in fact He doesn't love us anymore today than before we were saved. So if you are reading this and are not yet saved, God loves you too!!!! Whoo hoo! The favor with God will change as we learn to be obedient to Him, but not His love. I strove to get God's attention and love because I couldn't feel Him tangibly like it seemed so many of my friends did. But the reality is that He was with me all the time. Which He has shown me.
What God desires is a relationship with His creation, you and me. And the thing that will never be taken from us are the times and things that we do with God, not necessarily for Him. God has works He has written in the Volume I perfect will for your life and mine. Jesus did what He saw the Father doing. Jesus had visions, we can have visions. Lord sanctify our hearts and minds and imaginations in Jesus' name. We can ask Abba what He is doing and join Him in what He shows us or tells us, then we are doing it with Him. There are times God leads us with the still small voice, thoughts, impressions, feelings, and more and when we follow we are joining Him too.
Feeling example:
One day while I was at Morningstar Church when they were having Break Out meetings my right ear began to get VERY warm. A few moments later a family of 4 walked in front of me and I just knew what I was experiencing was for 1 of them. I followed them and tapped the Dad on the shoulder and asked if anyone was having ear troubles. He said, "Yes, my ear has been in pain for a few days." So I prayed with the family and agreed for his healing and voila! Holy Spirit healed his ear with us.

Impression and Thought Example:
I was praying with a dear friend of mine who had been experiencing EXTREME pain during her monthly visit. So much so that she would actually scream in pain. She knew it was demonic and had prayed about it, but it was still happening. So we sat down and asked God to show us what was going on. We both got the same picture in our minds' eye. So we asked for further revelation and got what each meant. We prayed it through, and then I thought of a man's name. It is an unusual name and I didn't think she knew anyone by that name so I ignored it. We prayed through some other things and I said, "Lord is there anything else?" The name came back to my head. I thought, well I suppose I better give it a shot. I asked her if she knew anyone named _________. Her eyes got real big and she told me a story related to this person that was VERY significant. We broke off ungodly souls between her and her family and the gentlemen and we both felt something tangible happen in the room. She felt a weight lift off of her, and she hasn't ever had any episodes again. Praise You Father for revealing to us the keys for her healing!!!!

Both instances are examples of joining with God. So let us do that today!!! Father what are You doing?

Funny Chicken Story

This happened over last Christmas (my first Christmas with my husband's family- who have a little farm)...
I REALLY wanted to pet a chicken, so...

With my chicken hat on, I open the gate...

I squat down out front and patiently wait...

They are not coming out, for I am too near...

So I wait, and wait, for them to appear.

Finally, a brave hen emerges...

Oh boy! My energy surges!

But alas, the chicken was too fast.  At least my Beloved was there, to comfort my loss and give me some care=)

But, a day or so later I did get to HOLD a chicken!!! Which was so great, she was so soft. Sadly, the reason I got to hold her is because I witnessed the neighbor's dog attacking her and ran outside to save her and she had gone into shock. So I picked her up and brought her inside. We spoke life over her, and live she did=) Hurray!!! Sorry I didn't think to get pictures of her=(
Hope I made you smile=)

Gettin' Ready

Well, after the very strange hail storm a couple days ago I am really motivated to be prepared to leave in disaster or stay in disaster. Before I continue let me say, whatever we do (preparedness-wise) we do by faith, not fear. My faith is not in the stuff, but in Yahweh Jireh - the Lord our Provider... the one who made me and takes care of the sparrows. I was not given a spirit of fear, but power love and a sound mind.
So when struggling with fear, let us go further into God's love and who Jesus is, who Holy Spirit is. Today I was reading in Matthew about Jesus healing ALL the sick who came to Him. The compassion that He walked with. I tell you, friends, the more time we spend with Jesus the more perfect love casts out fear.
Brad McClendon spoke at Church Sunday a REALLY good message. Today is the last free day to watch it on http://morningstartv.com if you are interested. He starts about an hour into the service. He was talking about how he used to read the bible to get something, an answer, or such... But he asked the Lord to deliver him so that he can read the Bible to be with Jesus and find out who He is. I love that. Let's get to know Jesus.
My friend was given the task of reading Leviticus and Deuteronomy while at IHOP in Kansas City and seeing how each rule represented the love of God! She saw amazing things in the scripture she never noticed before.
Anyways... ha ha, the tangents... So my point is, when preparing, which is wisdom- unless God has specifically told you not to prepare, let us do so in faith and love, not fear. Hurray! Exciting times ahead.

I am making a list of what I would need to go and stay and getting it together. I already have a nice backpack I used for hiking that I will turn into our "go" bag.
I am using the options from http://www.zebgear.com/catalog/zeb-gear-products/be-prepared-to-leave-gear/zeb-gear-go-bags/build-your-own-go-bag to help design what I need.

I'm also going to get food grade 55 gallon barrels. There is a guy on craigslist.org (in the Charlotte, NC area) selling them for $22 a piece if you buy 3 or more. That is cheaper than anything else I have found online. To store things in, and rain.

We have also started a garden on our porch. =)
Bren found a video on how to make a rocket oven from adobe bricks How to Make Your Own Rocket Stove...
Although, I really like the idea of a solar oven. This is a how to make video also. Solar Oven from cardboard and AL

Spending time listening to the LORD would be very good, b/c only He knows what you need=)Aw, for shalom=)
Shalom to you!

Our Story Part III -first date and the Christmas Party

...but, I convinced myself to start walking down the stairs. I smiled cheerfully, hoping he didn't feel my mixed feelings, and gave him a hug. We got in my car and headed to Best China.
The 2 things I noted from this date, my first official date of my life (excluding school dances), was that Bren ministered to the waiter before I did, and he prayed that the Lord would give me the desires of my heart. Of course I was thinking, and you think that's you buddy boy, don't you...=)
We came home and I flipped out and emotionally told my roommates I knew who my husband was and I cried from distress. It doesn't really make a lot of sense friends, but that is the thing about fear, it usually isn't in line with reason.
We continued hanging out weekly, but didn't have anymore official dates the next couple weeks. Then the Morningstar Staff Christmas Party rolls around. Bren had recently become staff for this ministry but I was hoping he was not going to be there since he wasn't terribly social. I asked a friend of mine to take me as his "date" so I could go and dance. I love to dance. =) And he said sure, and picked me and my roommate D.B. up to go.
We arrive and behold, Bren is there. He comes over to me smiling and excited saying, "I didn't know you were staff."
I said, "Oh, I'm not, I just came as [so - in so]'s date" - I said "date" as I physically made the quotations signal... That didn't seem to help. I could' ve just punched him in the gut and it would have been better. Oh, his face showed such hurt=(
Now, dear reader, keep in mind that I knew it was the wrong thing to do to ask my friend to take me. Inherently I do not think it is wrong to take friends out as a date, but I knew when I asked my friend it was not the right thing to do...

Bren went back to his seat and I went to mine. I confided in a leader at my table and his wife and told them I did a bad thing and he told me to calm down and it wasn't that big a deal.
I glanced back to see Bren... he was gone.
Oh, no... I tried to push it out of my head, said a little prayer for him and "participated" in the games.
About 30 minutes later I got a tap on my shoulder, it was him! I smiled, as if everything was right as rain (Oh drama person that I am), hello=)
"Could we talk outside for a minute?" -Bren
I agreed and went outside.
He then asked me if I disliked him, but using a much stronger word.
I felt so bad, "No, no, I don't dislike you. It's just that my whole life if a man liked me or pursued me I would run, or avoid, or push away until they changed their mind. It isn't as much you as it is you being a man that likes me that is the problem..."
We were out there for probably another hour and a half and essentially he told me he loved me. Yes, dear friends, he said, "I love you"! After being on 1 date with me! But I had a peace inside of me, Holy Spirit telling me everything was going to be alright during the whole thing. Bren said he hadn't changed his mind about pursuing me, I told him I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to him, but did NOT have the feelings to go with it. He said that was fine...!?
I went back inside and he went home. I went to my guy friend and D.B. crying because I had hurt Bren, and he said it would be fine. We went home and I kept crying because I wanted to face my fears, but it was so hard. I went inside with D.B. and cried some more because I knew who my husband was.
As I was going to sleep I complained to the Lord: he is just doing this because You told him to! He doesn't even think I'm pretty or beautiful, he didn't say a word about it on our first date...! Read Part IV
Read Part I

Wisconsin Recall? Money Now...

I'm not sure why, but somehow I got on a "Bold Progressive" mailing list and I received an e-mail about a victory in Wisconsin. I looked at it and saw it was something against budget cuts in the school system. $425,000 had been raised for this campaign.
Beloved people of the United States of America, we NEED budget cuts, or we are TOAST. If we keep spending the way we are spending and don't turn things around there will be a collapse of our entire economy. The education of our children should NOT be the governments job and expense. That $425,000 could have been used towards the actual school system in Wisconsin-  instead of attacking the people that are trying to save our country from economic destruction. There is a SERIOUS problem.
One of the Senators for my state is downright scared at the numbers that have been disclosed to him. If we want our children to be educated, we can invest in the schools as we can. If we pull together we can get through. Public School is not bad, but it started with the COMMUNITY coming together to pay the town school teacher to teach their children. This is our responsibility, not the government's.
These 5 or 6 Republicans in Wisconsin fighting to keep America afloat are NOT saying education is not important. They are looking at the grave situation at hand and trying to make a better USA for our children.


Here is the article by Mick Mulvaney:

"Telling the Truth

What is Washington doing with our money?  This is one of the most basic – and important – questions that folks have asked me since I have been in Congress.  It’s also one of the most difficult to answer.
  Of course, we always hear a lot of quick answers:  “They’re wasting it!” or “They’re throwing it away on earmarks!” or “They’re giving it away to other countries.”  And to a certain extent, every one of those statements is true. 

But those explanations don’t come close to telling the whole story.  That’s because the federal government has gotten so big that it literally spends more money than any person can comprehend.
  Consider this, if you were to spend a million dollars every single day – from the birth of Christ until today – you still would not have spent one trillion dollars.  (In fact, you would still have almost $300 billion left over.)  This year, the federal government will spend about one trillion every 120 days. 

More discouragingly, the country has fourteen times that amount in national debt.  It’s an absolutely obscene amount of money.  But this still doesn’t explain what the government is doing with all the money.  It only explains how much money is being spent.
  To explain where all the money is going, it’s easier to at least start the conversation if you take the numbers down to something that makes more sense.  For example, if our nation was just one family, then, as a family, we made around $43,000 last year.  But we spent $69,000.  That means we had to put $26,000 on the credit card.  And the big problem with the credit card is this: its balance is $284,000.
  Using that example, if Washington were to save all the money that was wasted last year (wouldn’t that be nice!) out of next year’s budget, we would save about $1,300.  That’s nothing to turn your nose up at, but it’s a far cry from the $26,000 we need to save for a balanced budget.

•   How about all the earmarks?  Suppose we were to eliminate all funding for earmarks – something else I completely agree with.  Some reports estimated that Congress spent $16.5 billion on earmarks last year.  That saves us $330 out of the family budget example.  Still a long, long way to go before we make up the $26,000 that we borrowed. 

As for all the money we give away to other countries: using our family budget example, eliminating all Foreign Aid would only save us about $920.

But my favorite example is the $35 million that Congress cut from our own budgets this year.  Yes, it was a 5% cut for us, and it is important to lead by example, but that $35 million represents less than one dollar out of the $26,000 we need to save.

So right now, after taking out all waste, earmarks, and foreign assistance, we have cut the amount we borrowed down from $26,000 to about $23,449.  As you can see, digging ourselves out of this spending hole will not be easy.
  Both parties like to talk about saving taxpayer dollars, but when it comes down to actually reducing what we’ve been borrowing, the “quick fixes” that are thrown around don’t even come close.  The fact is that we are past the point of just saying no to bad programs and wasteful spending.  At this point, we have to say no to some good programs too. In fact, we probably have to start saying no to everything, at least a little."

 
Father, give us wisdom in Jesus' name.

Redemption for Mama Squirrel

I have a nice little porch and backyard that I LOVE! Thank You Lord!
And I was sitting out there in December and noticed a big squirrel carrying twigs and small branches up a tree. And then going and getting more, she kept getting stuck on other branches since she had them horizontally in her mouth. It was quite entertaining - almost as entertaining as My Squirrel-i-gig.

I noticed it looked lie quite the unstable place she was making her nest so I prayed God would protect her and their nest. 2 maybe 3 seconds later it all came tumbling down! I thought, well Lord, that was kind of the opposite of what I prayed. But my husband said God was answering my prayer because that wasn't a good spot for them.

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago. I heard some rustling between my fence and my neighbors fence. I got up on a chair to look over and I saw a nest and a bunch of baby squirrels in it!!!!! They were so cute. I noticed some red fabric in there and didn't think anything of it. (I am a fabric Queen by the way=)

And today, after being gone about 5 days I went to check on them and the Mama squirrel has made a very tight nest! I looked closer and saw that the red fabric was a rectangle fleece piece that I had embroidered the word SHALOM onto!!! I hadn't even realized it was missing! I had put it on my porch and she used it for her nest. What delight!!! That makes me happy it had such a good use, keepin' the babies warm.
Hurray!! Sorry I don't have a picture of the baby squirrels, I hope to get one soon.
So the point is, even though exactly what I prayed for didn't happen, the best thing did. God knows our hearts and answers them too. Mama Squirrel and her babies would not have been safe where she was building, but she ended up having a VERY safe spot to birth her babies with SHALOM=)

Worms for our Garden!

So we are officially composting in our backyard! I made my own worm inn based off of Rainbow Worm Inn.  Except I just put a tie at the bottom.
The red worms just came today. My hubby ordered 2 lbs! Did you know that you can put paper towel inserts, paper egg cartons and cardboard into your compost?? I am very excited about our in home recycling. Plus, since we are having a vegetable garden this year, we can feed our plants without having to buy more stuff at the store.

The start to our garden=)

I also found out that too much citrus is not good for the acidity of the worm castings. But egg shells help to bring your ph to balance! What a new thing I have discovered. But I am super excited about the recycling aspect of this! Let's save the planet, one family at a time! Amazing.