The Patti Pages, Stages and Praises

Trouble Sleeping?

2009-09-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've had trouble sleeping. Many excuses come to mind and they could be very valid ones at that. Truth is, there's too much going on in my mind to concentrate on sleep. What's the next phase going to be like? How many trials do I have coming up this week? When will I feel as if I am in this WITH GOD instead of without?
I start to feel a conviction unlike one from the usual "sin" in need of repentance. Some days I can actually hear my heart cry out, "God, where are you?" Only to hear a voice whisper,"No child, where are you?" I ignore it and let the rest of the world make me calloused to the things that surround me.
I have looked everywhere for a solution. Here's what I have come up with: without starting with myself, there is no solution. Truth is, I am the source of my own problem. We all are.
In that case is it safe to state that I have not crucified myself unto Christ. I therefore do not believe He is sufficient for me. With this said, do I go on to say that I don't believe the unfailing Word that was left to instruct us? It has been a lingering thought in my mind. Do I go on as we all do and let our thoughts take captive of what we have faith in? If so, we are all fat, stupid, inadequate and lacking everything that society says we need to "make it".
I tried to get sleep earlier today from a strained, sleepless few days. Before I dozed off for about 5 minutes, I was reading Romans 6. Verse 18 shot out of the page as if I were wearing 3D glasses at the iMax Theater.

Romans 6:18 "and you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness."

“Faith is rest, not toil.” - Horatius Bonar

Bonar is on point indeed! We allow Christ in the crevasses and figure we would tuck him away until we need him. When the toil reaches an unacceptable level. As Romans 6:18 states, we are "slaves to righteousness". If this is so, than wouldn't our faith in Christ in fact be rest? I have to take this to a level of answering every possible question. Any question left unanswered can make me feel like a "staggering buffoon" unwilling to seek out the answer to my my problem while I chug on the alcohol in my hand.

So, the problem that is apparent above can only have one solution. That I cling to Christ! Rest in Christ, in whom faith comes. Toil not in things unnecessary. Let Christ be the physician. Matthew 9:12; Mark 2:17.

"Jesus is a wise physician.
Skillful and exceeding kind;
Through hims sinners find remission,
And enjoy sweet peace of mind.
Moved with tenderest compassion,
He relieves the wounded heart;
And the richest consolation
His blest Spirit does impart.
This physician understandeth
All disorders of the soul;
And no payment he demandeth,
When he makes the wounded whole.
Come, ye souls, who now are sighing
Under guilt's distressing chains,
To the Saviour now be flying;
He will ease you of your pains.
What though bad is your condition,
And your wounds you can't endure?
He, the sinner's wise Physician,
Will effect a perfect cure."

-R. Burnham

Psalm 16:7-8 "I will praise the Lord who counsels me, even at night my conscience instructs me. I keep the Lord in my mind always, because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

Pressing on and "rewriting my face so others can see Christ in me"....

My Friends Are Engaged!(Photo Sneak Peek)

2009-08-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

Congrats Chris & Mel!!

Taking It Back...

2009-06-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

Psalm 116 "1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. 2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: "O Lord, save me!" 5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 6 The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. 7 Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. 8 For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, 9 that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

10 I believed; therefore I said, "I am greatly afflicted." 11 And in my dismay I said, "All men are liars." 12 How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. 14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 16 O Lord, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. 17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord-- in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord."

This morning I woke up and I was thinking about a person who had really hurt me in the past. I realized that I hadn't thought about them in a while, and I was happy about that because I used to dwell on what happened and replay it in my head. I realized that in my heart I had truly come to a place of forgiveness and it was very liberating. The revelation of the power of forgiveness hit me, and I thought about things that I had recently been meditating on that I would like to be free from. I have had a lot of trouble sleeping at night (partially from thoughts of more recent people who have hurt me and the prednisone I've been taking), and it hit me this morning: I was over complicating these issues in my life! All I needed to do was forgive these people and move on! Verse six says that the Lord protects the simple-hearted and also relates it to rest for the soul. Isn't that powerful that when we keep things simple, they will be simple?!

I so often think about the right words I need to pray for that person, the correct scripture to speak over the situation or how I need to spend more time worshiping so that I will see results. All those things are great, but sometimes the answer is so simple! Forgive and let go! Move on for the sake of finding rest for your soul. Forgiving doesn't mean that you put the stamp of approval on what they did, it just means you refuse to let it have any further control over you and your life.

Update!

2009-05-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

Many of you wanted to know how my place looks and I figured, I would take you all on a tour of my place :)

This is my walkway, I just put these new solar lights in and I love them!

Here's the awesome bird feeder I purchased with Kristen on our monthly WalMart adventure!

This is what Devotion time looks like when it's a pretty morning.. other times, I sit at my kitchen table or the couch and catch up with God :)

This is Moe... he always sits at the screen door when it's nice out... and it's pretty nice to know that he gets excited when I come home.. he's a good little guy!

This is my living room :) equipped with Moes toys and plenty of windows :)

The kitchen

Bathroom

Bedroom... it's way bigger than it looks... it's actually a little bigger than the living room.

So, that's it really... I love my place, love my neighbors and the realization that God has blessed me beyond measure leaves me standing in awe.

Speaking of blessings... here's another pretty sweet blessing.... everyone... meet Sean :) the pursuit lasted about 2 months before the Lord opened the door to make things official and it's been about a month now... I couldn't ask for more... Praise God! :)

That's it... God's hand is at work here and it's beautiful!! I love it!! ;) blog ya later!

I Shall Be A Woman Of Prayer!

2009-04-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

Psalm 109
"1 O God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, 2 for wicked and deceitful men have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. 3 With words of hatred they surround me; they attack me without cause. 4 In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. 5 They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my friendship.

6 Appoint an evil man to oppose him; let an accuser stand at his right hand. 7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. 8 May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. 9 May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. 10 May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. 11 May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. 12 May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. 13 May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. 14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out. 15 May their sins always remain before the Lord, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. 16 For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted. 17 He loved to pronounce a curse-- may it come on him; he found no pleasure in blessing-- may it be far from him. 18 He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil. 19 May it be like a cloak wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him. 20 May this be the Lord's payment to my accusers, to those who speak evil of me.

21 But you, O Sovereign Lord, deal well with me for your name's sake; out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. 22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. 23 I fade away like an evening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. 24 My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt. 25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads. 26 Help me, O Lord my God; save me in accordance with your love. 27 Let them know that it is your hand, that you, O Lord, have done it. 28 They may curse, but you will bless; when they attack they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice. 29 My accusers will be clothed with disgrace and wrapped in shame as in a cloak. 30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng I will praise him. 31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him."

There is nothing worse for a woman than feeling out of control. We usually like to have things figured out, scheduled or planned (or maybe that's just me?!). Sometimes I can feel so out of control of my circumstances, or out of control in regards to what people say or think about me. The best I can do is to keep my heart and my mouth pure, and to be myself. If someone chooses to attack me, speak poorly about me or be rude...it's really out of my control! This psalm is comforting to me because David finds himself being spoken against and under attack and he says...but I am a man of prayer.

It was as if David was saying..."I might not be able to control what they think or say about me, but I can do one thing: Pray!" I can pray for them (and it is really hard to stay mad at someone your praying for, by the way), I can pray protection over myself and I can pray and cancel the devil's assignment in this situation. He might be scheming up something nasty. Division in family, church or friendship perhaps. Although I have not been left empty handed by God. I have a powerful weapon: Prayer!

James ......

2009-04-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

The testing of our faith in a nutshell is simply pressure. The pressures of finances, relationships, worry, health, circumstances...it is all just an opportunity to see what we are made of. Are we strong enough to hold up for the ride or do we have a leak somewhere? I have found that as the pressure has been put on this past year, I have found many little leaks. I leak faith, trust, patience, perseverance...the list goes on.

I thank God that He doesn't just take me on the ride regardless of if I am ready or not. We all know that riding on a leaky tire just ruins both the ride and the tire. God is gracious and with a great purpose that he has for us in mind, he is patient as he waits for us to be firm, steady and filled up with the spirit.

If you really want to fulfill all that God has for you, pressure will come. Your faith will be tested and refined, but in the end you will have the strength to carry out the great destiny that God has for you. Embrace your spiritual tune-up and realize that the journey ahead will all be worth it.

Jesus - I Am Resting!

2009-04-14T20:57:00.001-07:00

I find myself at times wondering why people act as if they don't know you when you spend everyday working right beside them. It's painful at times to stop and reflect on the way that can make the baggage you thought you were rid of surface again. Then, you start to dwell on your faults. I've done that so much and sometimes tend to revert back to that. So, in light of this revealing fault I'm sharing on my unread blog.... here's what I'm excited about....... Resting In Christ! That's it!! Amazing huh? On that note.... here's a video of my buddies.... The Shelly Moore Band created by Wes Latta .... I miss y'all!!

I Have Been...The Weakest Link...How About You??

2009-04-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
-Psalm 100

Have you ever heard of that expression "You are only as strong as your weakest link?" I have found that to be very true in ministry, but more recently I have related it to personal character. I began to think about how I am really only as strong as the weakest part of my character. Past struggles with insecurity...That one character flaw that if not dealt with sticks out like a sore thumb to those around and overshadows many of personal strong points. It causes one to react to those around them in hurtful ways and lose the respect of those that once looked up to that person.
This Psalm refers to us as the sheep of the Lord's pasture. The Shepherd leads his sheep only because he wants to keep them safe. He prevents them from wandering away and keeps them within boundaries so they won't wander off into the wilderness alone. I don't want to be the sheep that is unwilling to listen to the voice of my shepherd. It is prideful to think that he doesn't know best and want the best for me, even when I don't understand why. We can choose to keep our one little thing that we can't seem to give up...but to those around us it will eventually stick out like a piece of spinach wedged between a perfect set of teeth. And we all know it takes a true friend to say, "Honey, you have a little something right there." We should listen to those around us and to our shepherd and examine the things in our life that we have been unwilling to change. When we pinpoint what it is we can then ask ourselves, "Is what I have been holding on to worth more to me than my commitment to the Lord?"

Congrats Courtney & Andrew!!!

2009-04-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

My friends Courtney and her husband, Andrew purchased a home not too long ago and I'm so happy for them!! It's a step forward in their lives. I think it's amazing how much we hold ourselves back from. Afraid of that next step, but once we take that step... we realize that God had our back the whole time.... I'm glad He does carry us through everything. So guys... this post's for you!! :) love y'all!!

The pretty invitation to the house warming party... minus the address and such :)

The Crazy police - task force couple .... Courtney... this is hilarious!!

The Up-Date on The Patti!! ;)

2009-03-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

So - Instead of rambling on about devotionals and Jesus ;) I figured I would tell you all or just "you" what has been going on as of late in my life.

Since the launch of the non-profit organization that we started, Us5 is on it's way doing things for the community of Orange County and helping out wherever we can. From going and feeding homeless, helping young pregnant women and discussing purity with them, to volunteering at Big Brothers. Big Sisters. Our small contribution is taking off and will someday turn into something big to bring all fame to Christ. We are so excited about it!

I have moved closer to the church and it's been a great transformation thus far! My neighbors are great and it's extremely beautiful!! Moe has been liking the new views and he seems to love it just as much as I do.

Work has just been amazing! I'm learning so much and the Lord is revealing so much to me. I was able to witness my brother and sister-in-law :) exchange vows and it was beautiful. Such a blessing to me.

It was my buddy, Kristen's birthday last Sunday. So, Courtney, her sister and I started making plans for a huge 60's Hippie party! It was a complete success!! Good job Courtney!! :) Happy Birthday Kristen!!

It's hard to be doing so much and focus on the negatives when the positives completely out-weigh any of the negatives. In some ways I think it's our minds natural defense to shut off the negatives and just focus on more things to do or more things to say other than dwell on anything bad. It's been good to transform that way of thinking an acting into something that will ultimately glorify God. Reading the word, absorbing, living it, and talking it..... It's the action that causes the reaction method. I like that method. It suits the Christian lifestyle for me. I just wish it hadn't taken that long to grasp the simple concept we all think is so much more deeper than that.

I miss everyone in N.C., but am somewhat content with not being there. The calls and e-mails have narrowed down to very minimal if not halted communication all together. Everyone has lives to live. A reality soap opera we create to stay in constant distance between one another. It's fun, but when things start happening in life, it will consume time and it creates a busy life.

I like to sit back and think about my days, list the things I've done and which of those things were most glorifying to God or self gratifying to me. It's funny how the latter of the two's list can be so much longer.

I think about the Old Testament a lot. Weird, I know! But what if it was life in the outer courts of the Tabernacle? Animals that were our pets we would have to sacrifice due to something we thought, said or did. Never allowed to feel the presence of God within the Holy of Holies. I thank God daily for Jesus, taking the place of the high priest on the Mercy Seat.

Think about it, we have eternal access to the Father! We can daily go into the Holy of Holies. The issue is, we never realize how easy the access really is.

Praise be to God for all He has done and all He is doing around us. I love that He shows Himself throughout so many things and in so many ways.

So - that's it on this end. That's the update. Just in awe of our Father!!

Until next time... Blog ya later!

ME

134

2009-03-17T04:40:00.000-07:00

"Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord. May the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion"

As I meditate upon this psalm I keep coming back to this concept: guard the sacred things at night. Guard the precious things God has placed in your heart during times when it is the darkest. Guard your dreams, desires, convictions, hopes and faith when they are most vulnerable to being tainted or stolen.

I am learning that the devil isn't after my health, my family, my time or my money. He is after my heart. If attacking those other things will cause my heart to drift from the Lord and to lose faith in Him, then he has succeeded in his mission. I must protect and guard those seeds that have been deposited on the inside of me, they are precious, valuable and vital to the destiny God has for me.

HILARIOUS!!!

2009-03-06T18:11:00.001-08:00

He Knows.....

2009-02-21T22:04:00.000-08:00

"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

When I feel like God is far away, this psalm reminds me that he is near.

When I am tempted to think He doesn't understand my situation, this psalm reminds me he knows everything.

When I feel like God is not listening to my prayers, this psalm encourages me that He hears the words before they even come out of my mouth.

When I feel like a failure, this psalm reminds me that God has a purpose and a plan for my life.

I am so awestruck by the beauty, life and wisdom of this psalm that for the first time I don't feel like I have anything substantial to write. I just read this psalm over and over again. It ministered to me and my situation and built my faith. I love the word of God and how alive it is.

Our America

2009-01-19T23:11:00.000-08:00

I couldn't sleep thinking about so many things. Not only about the new president we will have tomorrow, but today I had to ask myself this question,"what does America mean to me?" It's not just the "land of the free home of the brave" quote we always hear. It's so much more.

We are allowed new mercies daily by God. We are free to worship the Lord every minute of everyday without being shackled and put to death. This is Our America - if we don't see the awesome beauty in it ..... then we don't understand why we are here... we are here... to spread truth and light and love in hopes that it will all lead to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ... to not only all nations, but it starts here.... in Our America... God's America

As I was sitting on my couch playing my guitar by the light of the t.v. muted... I looked up and saw Faith Hill singing and of course I unmuted my t.v. to hear the new song, Our America.... I'm guessing it was a re-run of the show that aired earlier. Either way, I thought it was a great song... Let's start praying for our new president... that he make wise choices and that he is the man God knows he can be.... In support of that .... here's the song...

What I've Been Up To...

2009-01-17T09:48:00.000-08:00

I now understand study habits of the Bible school attendee.....

God With Us!

2008-12-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

"What, then, is the God I worship? ... You are the most hidden from us and yet the most present among us, the most beautiful and yet the most strong, ever enduring; and yet we cannot comprehend you."
-St. Augustine

Isaiah 7:14
"All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Emmanuel ('God is with us')." (NLT)

When the virgin gave birth to this Son, Emmanuel was at last present among us, yet in so many ways he was still hidden from us. Romans 11:33 says, "Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!"

Have you ever wondered why God would want to live among us and even within us, when we cannot fully comprehend him?

If you've ever gone to live some place other than what you're comfortable with, you've known the temporary loneliness and frustration of living among people who can't fully understand you and don't know you. In spite of the hardship, most likely you endured because you knew that one day you would eventually be fully understood and make friends.

1 Corinthians 13:12 promises a day when we will no longer see through imperfect eyes: "Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely."

Could it be that Emmanuel—God With Us—is looking forward to that day just as much as we are, that day when we see him with perfect clarity and know him completely?

Wednesday - Thursday

2008-12-10T23:28:00.000-08:00

"41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. 43 "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." 44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'" 45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

It must have sounded ridiculous to Ahab when Elijah told him that there was a sound of heavy rain. In the natural, there is not a cloud in sight. The skies are clear and blue, and Ahab's report was that there was nothing there. Was Elijah hearing things? Is he going cuckoo? Actually, Elijah was rather in tune. He could see what was not yet seen, and hear what could not yet be heard. But he was the only one.

Isn't it funny that many times when the Lord speaks to you about something, you are the only one to hear it? He puts a dream or a desire in your heart that leaves your family and friends perplexed? If everyone around heard the sound of rain, then it wouldn't be prophetic. It was one man sensing something from the Lord that had not yet been manifested in the slightest.

When Elijah climbed up the mountain and sent his servant down towards the sea to look for rain, the reports just kept coming back negative. In the meanwhile he was praying so hard he was in the fetal position with his face down to the ground.

Nope, no rain.
Go Back.

Still nothing.
Go Back.

Elijah, really. The sky is still clear.
Go Back.

Nothing.
Go Back.

Come on, Elijah. I'm tired of going back up and down. It's not going to rain.
Go Back

No rain Elijah. Are you sure you heard right?
Go Back.

Well, it's not much. It's a tiny little cloud about the size of my fist....
You better get your chariot ready before the rain stops you.

Stops me? Even if it does rain, it will just be a little drizzle. It surely won't "stop" me...
Skies grew black, winds rose, rain pours.

What Elijah heard was bigger than he could explain to anyone who lacked faith. It was bigger than what could be comprehended by the natural mind considering the circumstances. If it were me I would have questioned if I heard right. I would have considered the possibility that it wasn't "God's will" because there was just too much disappointment and no indication that it would come to pass. Many times we allow the disappointment of natural circumstances to affect our perseverance and faith. After the first, second or third "nothing yet" we throw in the towel and assume we heard God wrong.

There will always come a season in between when God speaks and what He speaks manifests. That season is the testing of your faith. Will you believe and continue believing? Will you contend and keep on contending? Will you persevere and keep on persevering?

My word for myself and anyone else feeling weary today is Go Back. When you lack faith and direction just go back to the last thing God spoke to you. The last thing you thought you heard, but later questioned. It may have been months ago, or even years but when you don't feel God's current direction go back to the last thing you heard and stay there. He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Don't stop contending, don't stop believing and keep trusting that He will do what He promised. When that negative report comes back, Go Back. Go back to that word, go back to that promise and go back to that place of unwavering faith that you first had when you heard it.

IN YO FACE!

2008-12-05T04:32:00.000-08:00

It's that time again isn't it? Well aside from time for me to update this thing, it's certainly time for the cheesy sayings, good ole Christmas movies and that radio station that plays the same Christmas songs for the 25 days in December. You know, I try not to get annoyed, but they keep playing the same songs over and over again - by the 15th of December, I think something in my brain goes, "that's enough!" so - I wind up changing the station and going back to it on Christmas eve due to my feelings of guilt and the fact that I may have been acting like a scrooge!

Things have been crazy on my end. My furnace broke down and I had no heat for a few days. That was not good due to the frigid temperatures outside, it felt as if it were colder inside. After getting to a whopping 28 degrees in the house, I decided that there needed to be something done. Indeed - something was done! The company came out and sparing you from details of Carbon Monoxide poisoning and adventures of my life - the heat was fixed and gas line was replaced. I still lost heat the other day though - they didn't ever tell my why, just said, "well - your up and running again!" A sincere thank you from my end and that was that - at about 2 a.m.!

Other than the norm., it's been pretty quiet in the drama area and that's just fine by me. I have my bible study group of which I love! The gals are great and we're really all there for one another. It's comforting to know that you have not only friends close to where you live, but sisters-in-Christ!

Needless to say, God has been doing some pretty amazing stuff in my life. So - with all of the things I've been dealing with - believe me - (there's always way more than I write on here) I will leave you with the best advice I know.....

Proverbs 16:9 (CEV) "We Make Plans....But The Lord Decides!" I like to picture God doing a "touch-down dance" and saying, "in yo FACE!" when I read that - haha

Thanks God! - I certainly did need that!! What an awesome God we serve!!

Until next time -

P

Make Ripples

2008-11-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

"God chose the weak things" - 1 Corinthians 1:27

The story's told of Elzeard Bouffier, a 55 year old widower who lived in a French village in 1910, surrounded by poverty and despair. So, he did something.....He collected acorns - thousands of them and planted the acorns throughout the area. When they took root, he cultivated beeches. When they became saplings, he planted birches.

One day, amidst the death and devastation of World War I, a mysterious grey mist appeared on the horizon. It was the oaks of 1910, below them the adolescent beeches, and below them - the tiny birch seedlings. Bouffier kept planting, and at the end of World War II, French environmentalists announced that a "natural forest" had "mysteriously" sprung up, flourishing amidst it's barren surroundings.

The story doesn't end there. The forest started a chain reaction. Water flowed in brooks that had dried up. The wind scattered seeds and willows, rushes and meadows and gardens sprang up. People came to live there, bringing with them hope of peace.

Elzeard Bouffier found acorns, planted them - and God did the rest.

God can do much with little. Look at what He did for David with a sling and a stone. Watch Him feed 5000 with a boy's lunch. Why couldn't He do the same for us?

Our lives are like a pebble - it may not look like much, but drop it into a pond and watch the ripples spread in every direction. Everyday we live, we have 3 options:

(A.) Think only of yourself and your own interests.
(B.) Since success doesn't come without the possibility of failure, take no risks and go no further.
(C.) Ask God to show you what you've got, then use it to make ripples.

Shelly Moore Band's New CD!! Coming out in November!!

2008-10-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

The past few years have been filled with music by my favorite artists. There seems to be that one song or that one band that the Spirit really speaks to people through. It never fails, when I put in a Shelly Moore Band CD or my ipod shuffles to an SMB song, I find myself praising God through words that speak directly to me. I know most songs aren't written for us specifically, but are they? I think that's why I am so excited to get my hands on Shelly Moore's new CD, A Hymn Project. Old hymns that we all love, but with a new beat and Shelly's amazing voice accompanying the guitar maestro, Mike.... I'm sure we will all sing along once again, to the extremely talented and anointed .... Shelly Moore Band! So spread the word and share the love about this awesome upcoming CD!!! :) I know I will....

-Worthy-

2008-09-28T02:24:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking of how amazing God really is. Now, I'm not just now realizIng this. I've just been really thinking about this more in-depth.

Romans 1:20 basically says that through creation, we see God's "invisible qualities" and "devine nature".

Psalm 19:1-4 states, " the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world"

I ask as a sort of "checking myself","do I love and adore God for the amazing - all knowing - ever loving - ever present - forgiving Father, He is?", " am I genuinely in love with Him or do I love Him because I have to?"

Think about that for a moment. It's all around us. Most times we pass by a flower - a living- breathing flower with the strength to produce oxygen and the whole pollination process that boggles my mind. All in a flower! To think, we were created with a much greater purpose than that flower.

I have made it a point to not forget the little things and since that diligence - my prayer life has been fruitful. I have begun to truly fall in love with Christ moreso now than ever.

A Tozer quote: "what comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

"It's not in what we do, but how we do it." - I say that before I do anything. If we have a poor attitude doing anything - why did we even bother? But - if we do it remembering that Christ was sent to complete what we could never fathom doing - and He did willingly - why can't we be willing to be humble and get rid of a pride born from our own flesh? We are better than that.

It may seem crazy that all of this comes from one thought into my attitude, action and love for Christ. I make it a point to think that much because it reminds me of why I love my Daddy God and why He is so worthy of all praise and glory!!!!

Thanks for reading
- P.

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THE MAZE!

2008-09-23T13:58:00.001-07:00

My Happy Day

2008-09-17T20:42:00.001-07:00

I was sitting at a pizza shop and waiting for the large pie and side order of wings my brother ordered for me to puck up earlier today.

During this time I look out of the window and just watch people walk by or listen to the pizza man and the other guy helping at the counter chat about baseball or football.

Instead of doing the "norm" I started to think about my birthday this year. The past few days, I had been feeling a little drained and lonely. I'm used to my friends back in NC going out to eat and joking and just all the good stuff that comes along with your birthday. Then, I suddenly got overwhelmed by how much God has taught me and changed me for Himself.

God has been teaching me so much about second chances and grace! The Spirit is now moving into a new area and that's my heart. Weeding out all of those loose ends and getting control of where I need to be for God not myself. Remembering that it is certainly NOT about me, but ALL about Him!

A sincere prayer from my last post that I can repeat for a long time - "Lord, rewrite my face, so when people look at me they see You!"

There's certainly no limit to what He is capable of. I love not knowing what's next. I love watching Him work and I love that He shaped and molded my life for a specific reason.

Thank You Lord for creating me to serve You!

This is certainly a Happy Birthday - just knowing that You will never leave, nor forsake me.

:)

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Delighting In My Father's Lesson For Me....

2008-09-06T21:46:00.000-07:00

I thought this was awesome!!:

In the year 1847, a doctor from Edinburgh, Sir James Simpson, discovered that chloroform could be used as an anesthetic to render people insensible to the pain of surgery. From his early experiments, Dr. Simpson made it possible for people to go through the most dangerous operations without fear of pain and suffering. Some people even claim that his was one of the most significant discoveries of modern medicine.

Some years later, while lecturing at the University of Edinburgh, Dr. Simpson was asked by one of his students, "What do you consider to be the most valuable discovery of your lifetime?" To the surprise of his students, who had expected him to refer to chloroform, Dr. Simpson replied, "My most valuable discovery was when I discovered myself a sinner and that Jesus Christ was my Savior."

-I love hearing stories such as this one! There are so many people who strive to make Christ the center of their lives.

The Zondervan Bible Dictionary says the word Christian comes directly from the Greek word Χριστίανος (Christianos). The Latin suffix “ianos” on this word was widely used throughout the Roman Empire of that time to designate a slave to the person’s name it was compounded onto (to designate an owner’s slave). What this says to us is that during the time of the apostles, to be called a Christian was to be understood that you were a slave to Christ.

Romans 6:22 NIV says “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

1 Peter 2:16 NIV says “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”

I've had battles with the way I portray my attitude at times. Saying the right words, with bad tones and frequent facial expressions that would just give away my feelings, it's been easy to not pay attention to that until I remember that I am a servant of the Creator.

God depends on us to be a light (Matthew 5:16 KJV, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.)

What a patient God we serve!

I often picture Jesus coming down and smacking the crap out of the back of my head saying,"HELLO MCFLY!!" haha

He doesn't - that's how much He loves us..... we get chance, after chance, after chance - etc.

Amazing!

"God, rewrite my face. So, when people look at me they see You."

A Change Will Do You Good...

2008-08-06T21:04:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking about change and how much of my life has changed in the past 2 1/2 years.

I don't quite know where to begin or how to explain the changes and the blessings.

I was teaching the Xample class about "making God your addiction", and it was then I realized how much God has matured me in so many ways.

After leaving Xample I started to think that I didn't do a good job delivering the message I knew helped me even when I was preparing it.
I went through so many lessons. I interviewed people and made this awesome power point presentation. Then I woke up one morning last week and something was telling me that it was just not right - I didn't know what to do until I was editing the video from CampMeeting. One of the guest speakers did a sermon on the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I won't go into detail right now about it - but it was amazing!

He basically said,"it's not about you!" it's about God and connecting with Him. It was so good!

It was a lot to take in. The discussion in Xample went all over the place - taking us on a roller coaster of questions - answers - and opinions - it was so great. Do I still think I did a bad job?
--no ....I just need to trust that still small voice and listen to what He's saying more often.

He's such a great great great great God!! :)

Change is not so bad after all!

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