#blessed

I am doing an online Bible Study through Facebook.
http://melissataylor.org/

We are using the book Stressed-Less Living by Tracie Miles
http://www.traciemiles.blogspot.com/

The subject for today is blessed.  Counting your blessings.  If you're counting your blessings, then who has time to be stressed, right?  haha!!!!

So today, I just prayed a prayer of thankfulness to God for all that's in my life and all He's done.

Thankful for my husband - Sticking with me, being patient, loving me.
Thankful for my children - Giving me such joy and teaching me to love more fully than I knew possible.
Thankful for my job - I'm able to work from home now and have Emma with me.  What a blessing that has been.  I don't want to miss anything!
Thankful for friends - I have just a few that stuck by me and loved me through my mess.

Thankful especially for God.  Oh my.
His mercy
His grace
His patience
His everlasting love
His pursuit of me

When I think of where I've been the past 2 years.
Such turmoil, such pain and grief.
And to now, feel blessed beyond measure.
Happy, content.

Oh God is so good!  He never left me.  Never forsake me.  Never gave up on me.

It's April!

What a great month so far!

Celebrated Easter, Christ's birth and resurrection.
New season, a time for new beginnings.
Things are really good on the home front. Best they've been in a while. Definitely a prayer answered!

Tomorrow, I begin working at home with Emma. Oh boy... That's going to be a challenge for sure. I pray I can get my work done, make enough money and especially spend some good time with my baby girl. Not to mention being able to be there more for the boys. Such an important time for them both. It's a blessing that I can do this.

Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. (Isaiah 41:8-10 MSG)

Claiming this as I start this new adventure with my family. Hoping that I can be able to minister also. I know God has a plan there. Just waiting to see what it is.

Lessons on spring break

Spring break started off fine, but poor Emma brought home a stomach virus. So, I've been home with her and Jon. Troy is home today. :-(

So, yesterday something happened that I'd like to share.

Emma has a tendency to walk without looking where she is going. Lol. She falls, cries and then gets back up again. Yesterday, that happened as I was laying on the couch. I put my arms out to her, but she wouldn't come. So, Jon picked her up and brought her to me. I snuggled her a bit and she got over it and got back down. Then, not one minute later, same thing happens! This time, I held my arms out and she came to me.

Isn't that how we are with God? We fall down, get hurt and instead of going to our Father, we stay right where we are. A lot of times wallowing in our pain, refusing his love and comfort. Sometimes, we stay there way too long!
I was fortunate to have someone that helped pick me up and bring me back to God. The cool thing is we walked back to God together. My sweet friend, Sara, in her pain and hurt brought me back to Christ.
I've had plenty of friends and family praying, I'm very blessed. But it took someone I met on Facebook that God told me to buy a book for.

Don't stay down. Don't resist God. I wasted so much time not accepting His love and forgiveness. It is freely given! No strings attached. Nothing you have to do but accept it.

Today's reading.

I LOVE You fervently and devotedly, O Lord, my Strength.

The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower.

(Psalm 18:1, 2 AMP)

How do you start your day?

I'm so guilty of starting my day with Facebook. What did I miss? Who's doing what? What drama has unfolded while I was sleeping?

Does it really matter??
No.

I've found myself having some rough mornings. Trying to get myself ready with a 14 month old running around is quite a challenge! I get angry. I get frustrated. The littlest things can set me off.

Well, duh.

So this week, I'm going to make the effort to check my Bible first. It's too easy. Pick up my phone, open my Bible app and there ya go. I've started a devotional on that same app. How handy is that?

Not too say that from now on I will have the perfect mornings, but my reactions , I hope will be better.

Today's reading was from 1 Corinthians 1 where Paul teaches how God uses the people others think are foolish.
To expand on this, God uses people who are flawed and broken. You may think I've done this or that, I haven't gotten a good education, I have too much wrong with me for God to use me. We are exactly who God wants to use. He chooses us because of those flaws and shortcomings because then we can't say we did it in our own power. It was all God! He gets the glory as He should. Not us.
And I don't know about you, but I'm ok with that. He's God, He can handle the praise and glory. I can't. It would be too much for me to live up to.

God, use me.
In my weakness, use me.
In my brokenness, use me.
With all my flaws, use me.
I want to be used by You.
I want You to get the glory.
You deserve it!
You are mighty, God!
You are awesome, God!

Don't conform, transform

Romans 12:2 

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

I feel like all my life I've tried to conform, tried to be what whoever needed me to be at that time.  I've put so much pressure on myself that I've driven myself nuts.
When you see the first part of that verse, the first thing that comes to mind is "Don't conform to the world".  That's what the NIV says and the KJV.  That's what I've been taught.  Don't conform to the world.  Don't drink, don't smoke, don't dance and don't hang out with those who do.  Stay in our box.  Do what we do.


But what if it means, more than just the "world", but means anyone or anything?  What if it means so-called, "Christians"?  Should I do what they do?  Should I just listen to what they say?  No.  They fail.  They sin.  Sure, we should try to live our lives right and be an example, but they are not the plumb line.  They are not the standard.  They are not NOT who we should be looking too.

It's Christ.  It's the Son of God.  It's the only perfect, sinless, blameless human being that's ever walked this earth.  

I have got to stop thinking I have to measure up to whoever and just focus on God.  
THEN, I will be able to see what His will is for me.  For Nickie.  Not for Pastor Joe or Sister Susie, but Nickie.  God has a plan for ME.  It may not be the same path others have taken.  

Did Christ walk the same path as the religious of his age?  Nope!  He allowed His Father to make a way and he followed it.  Jesus was focused on His Father.  No one else.

Micah 6:8 

Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you:to act justly,to love faithfulness,and to walk humbly with your God.

Matthew 22 

34 When the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test Him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

It all comes down to Love God, walk with Him and love others.  

A New Thing...

Isaiah 43:18-19  


“Forget the former things;   
  do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing! 
Now it springs up; 
do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness    
and streams in the wasteland.

This is a Scripture that God gave me back in 2007 when our church split.  It was such a hard time.  My church family meant a lot to me and to see us split like that was heartbreaking.  We made it through that.  God did bring some new things in my life.  There was Seminary and I was working almost full time.

Then I fell.

It's been almost 2 years that we've been going through this.  Trying to recover from the fall.  Problem is we, Troy and I, have been expecting things to go back to what they were.  It's not going to happen.  The past is gone.  God is doing a new thing.  Things are changing, I have changed.  

Biggest change, of course, is the new life in our family.  Little Emma, big impact!  Such a joy!  Her brothers love her, her daddy loves her and I just adore her.  She may  not have been planned by us, but she was God given.  She has brought a lot of healing to our family.

Time to figure out who Nickie is now.  Wife, mother, daughter, Christian...check check check check...

What's my purpose now?  What's God's plan now that I'm on another path?  Would love to get back in to school.  Ministry?  I don't know...

Ok, God.  Let's see what happens.