I hope you'll join me.

 

 

I'm writing over at Joli Blog today. 

 

I'm sharing our amazing journey to this cutie-patootie...

 

 

 

I hope you'll join me!

 

He makes a way, where there is no way.

 

Be blessed!



Bridegroom.

 

Well, hi everyone.
 I am sure most of you are well aquainted with me, at least my name.

Haha.

 I am the daughter of the famous blogger, Tammy Stelly.

 Not only is it an honor to be writing a blog on her blog page,
but it is pretty sweet to be her daughter as well.
 She is the best mother that I could ask for.
 If I was stuck with someone else, well, it would be interesting, to say the least.

Anyways, moving on.

I would like to share a little bit about what God has been doing inside me
and through me in the past seven months.

As some of you know,
I am in Master's Commission,
a college program designed to get to know the heart of God while learning how to make Him known.

I began my second year in September.
The first year of Master's Commission is all about you being poured into by awesome women of God and just figuring out who you are in God,
 although I believe you are never done figuring that out.
(That's just me though.)


The second year is dedicated to coming back as a leader and being a disciple in training.

 Disciple in training.

That's what God is molding me into these past seven months.

What a difficult thing it is!
Don't get me wrong guys, it's beautiful.
 Everytime I see these amazing women of God growing, changing, and transforming,
I look up to God and say, "Lord, thank you."

 However, I have to say recently I forgot that I needed to be filled up to pour out.

Then, I thought I got things right.
 I was praying. I was reading His word. I was loving His people.

 I said that I loved Him, but I felt like I was missing something.

 Sometime in March,
 I found myself being so distracted by future plans, by people, and by the opinions of others.
Anything that could get me off of His face, that's what I was looking at.

 There was a song I wrote in the beginning of my year, and it was about God telling me to keep my eyes on Him because there was nothing better to see....
He reminded me of this song and I couldn't help but feel convicted.

 I asked God to forgive me and to help me.
Then, He told me that He wanted me to be intimate with Him.

 Intimacy.
What does that even look like?

I remember feeling literally afraid of failing.
 I told God ,
"I don't know how to be intimate with people, much less you."

 It was a moment of honesty with myself.
How scary is it to just be honest to God, not in our thoughts, but out loud, vulnerable, saying...

 "Here I am God. Even though you already know my condition. This is where I am at."

 

The definition of intimacy is close familiarity or friendship; closeness.

Now that I knew what He wanted from me, I had to figure out how to give it to Him.

"Father, I love you!" I cried.

 "But how do I fall in love with you? I've only seen you as a Father, a friend, a comforter. But my love, my husband? "

My first year of Master's Commission, I was influenced by a girl named Mallory.
 She always talked about being in love with Jesus.

I got what she was saying.
I respected it and believed it to be absolutely true that God is our first love, but the idea of me feeling that way or experiencing God in this romance type way was just out of the question for me.

I am the girl with the walls.
I am the one who is stubborn.
I am the one who runs to the altars last, because I don't always want people to see me.
 I am not the falling in love with Jesus type.
I fear Him. I love Him.
 I don't fall in love.

Besides, every time I thought I was in love, I got it all wrong.
Intimacy was a fear of mine.
 Kinda still is.

But I must tell you, things are changing.

A few weeks ago, I was praying about being intimate with God.
I was also reading one of my books from Westcoast,
the online Bible college that I am a part of.

 I came upon a single paragraph titled "Intimacy with God."

Of course.

God is so crazy sometimes.

I read the first sentence.

It said,
 "The reason that people are afraid of intimacy is because they are scared that once that person sees everything about them, they will no longer like them."

I mean...what else is there to say?

 That statement was everything I needed to face.
Not only was it true, but it was me.

 I told God,
"Okay, this is me.
I am scared that You won't like me too much if I start drawing close to you
 in an intimate way.
I know that You will always love me God.
 But what about me is appealing? I sorta suck without You."

 Then, I thought about the relationships I had been a part of in my past,
 and the way that they drew me.

They took me on dates. They bought me flowers.

 So, I asked God to help me fall in love with Him.
 I need God to even want God.
Crazy concept.
We need God to want Him.
 Our flesh doesn't desire intimacy with God.

Intimacy with God is the exact thing that Adam and Eve had with Him in a perfect world,
yet abandoned it.
 
But why is it treated as though it was never given back?

The devil's plan is that his daughters and sons would never know intimacy with Him.
God created me to love Him,
but to also know intimacy with Him.

Like most Christian women my age, I have been thinking about marriage lately.
 But the more I think about it, the more I need to draw near to God.
If I don't understand intimacy with my Creator,
 I shall never be able to be intimate with a man.
 It will fail.
The marriage will fail.
 Being cutesy will only get me so far.
Being respectful will only get me so far.
 But intimacy...
 Intimacy is what will build the relationship.
 A closeness.

 The thing about intimacy though, is that no matter how much your groom pursues you,
 you must be willing to go with Him to the secret place.
 He can't make you come closer, but He can draw you.

 

I was reading Ezekiel 16,
which is God talking to Jerusalem,
the adulterous wife He calls her, because of all of her sins against Him.

 I thought it was such a beautiful picture of God's love for me.

 It's Ezekiel 16:8-14

 "Later, I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you
and covered your naked body.
 I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you,
declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.
 I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you
 and put ointments on you.
I clothed you with an embroidered dress
and put sandals of fine leather on you.
 I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments.
 I adorned you with jewelry:
 I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck,
and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears,
and a beautiful crown on your head.
 So you were adorned with gold and silver;
 your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth.
Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour.
You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.
And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty,
 because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect,
declares the Sovereign Lord."

He goes on to say how she has taken all of the items of beauty He gave her and prostituted them to "anyone who passed by."

As I read this, I was so burdened.
I thought God, how many times do I give my heart out to random people and witness, but I am hesitant to be intimate with You.
I am afraid.
 Wow.
Afraid of what He has given to me, the gift of intimacy.
 It is a gift!
I had been missing out on this entire characteristic of God because of my own fear.

Intimacy with God is something that I am experiencing lately.
 It is one of the most amazing things I have ever known.
It is not based on an emotion either.
 I am not always giddy to be in God's presence,
but I am finding myself more and more in love with His character.

 

 The emotions raging inside me are so incredibly flimsy, but God is my constant love.

 
Not only is He drawing me closer, He is whispering things to me in the secret place.

He is establishing me as a woman.

He is telling me that I am loved. And that is enough.

No amount of makeup, weight loss, hair product,
or anything can make me more appealing to God.

He saw me from the beginning and called me His own.

 

The question He has been asking me, I will pose to you who are reading this...

 

 "Love, why are you afraid? You were naked from the start. "

Exposing ourselves before God is not something to be scorned.
 

 When we show Him who we are, we are walking in complete freedom.

 
 

Psalm 139:1-24.

 "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit down and rise up.
You discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down and
 are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue, before O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in behind and before and lay your hand upon me."

 

I do not believe that David ever regretted dancing before God.

 I can't imagine Mary feeling shame for washing Jesus' feet.

 

 Worship is not shameful.

 

I believe that by God calling me to intimacy with Him,

He is calling me to a place of deeper worship.

 

 Let's go there.
Let's stop being afraid of Him not liking what He sees.

He has seen everything already.

 It is time to take the coverings off and dance unashamed with our Groom.

 It is time for intimacy.

And with that, these are the lyrics to one of my songs titled "Bridegroom."

You may click the link below the lyrics to listen to the song.

 I pray that this has ministered to someone today.

 

 

 White dress

walking down the aisle

bouquet in hand

heart on fire

here I am

polished and new

ready to follow you

unveil me

unveil me so gently

Bridegroom, I do I do.

 

Bridegroom

http://youtu.be/9QLv3ZNJE2w

(Song and lyrics protected by U.S. Copyright)


It has been an amazing two years for Amber in her XMC experience!

God has given her the opporunity to reach out to people all over the United States
and also countries abroad, such as Romania and Italy,
 with the Gospel and the Love of Jesus.

God is pursuing His children!

As with any other mission field,
at home or abroad,
there is an expense.
            
Amber is in need of either sponsors or donations to continue her journey through Master's Commission to receive her Bachelors degree in Biblical Counseling.


There is a balance of $2,500.00
and we are believing God to provide the rest of her tuition by the deadline,
 which falls at the beginning of May.

If we could get 25 people to donate $100.00--it would pay off her balance.

We know God is capable of this!

If you are interested in sponsoring Amber or giving a donation towards her tuition,
(of any amount)
and have a question about anything,
please email me at tammy.stelly@yahoo.com.

If you can not give at this time, we would appreciate your prayers!


Sponsorships or donations can be mailed to:

Crossroads Church
150 Verona Drive
Lafayette, LA 70507

Please make checks payable to Crossroads Master's Commission
and
put Amber Stelly-XMC in the memo section.


Thank you!






She praised Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I move around today in my home,

scurrying to get the last minute details completed,

preparing for our Christmas Eve dinner,

our evening with family and friends, 

and all of the festivities of Christmas Day,

 

I can't help but think of Mary.

 

Mary, the mother of our Savior.

 

I wonder...

how did she prepare for the coming of her Son's birth?

 

What was going through her heart

 and her mind,

 as she knew she would soon be holding the Savior of the world in her arms.

The Christ child who would be the miracle that is Christmas. 

 

As I read in Luke today,

I realized exactly what she did to prepare...

 

 

Luke 1:46-55

 

And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”

 

 

Mary praised Him.

 

With song and with the words of her mouth.

 

She praised the Savior within her.

 

She didn't scurry all around and busy herself with things.

 

She simply praised Him.

 

 

May you praise Him with your whole heart

 and with your song

 and with the words of your mouth today.

May His praises fill your home

as we prepare to celebrate our Savior's birth.

 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

May it be filled with all the goodness that only He can bring.

 

 

 

Isaiah 9:6,7 (The MSG)
 

His names will be;

 Amazing Counselor, Strong God, Eternal Father, Prince of Wholeness. His ruling authority will grow, and there'll be no limits to the wholeness He brings.

 

 



I'm over it.

 

 

 



As I sit here with my fingers on the keys of my laptop,

I'm not quite sure what to write about.

My feelings and emotions are all over the place right now.

It's been quite an overwhelming and emotionally draining few days.

I thought of not writing at all,

but then I remembered why I started writing in the first place.

 

He whispered into my heart and He said,

"Write your story. Write. Write it down."

 

 

I realized, that on days like today--when I am overwhelmed with emotion,

and my heart has been slung out on the floor somewhere,

and I'm trying to find it to assess the damage,

while feeling the pain of two emotional black eyes,

and the hurt of being kicked in the gut...

it's the perfect time to write.

 

 

Because,

this is when I am most raw and honest with you,

and we can connect in a way that we may not have before.

 

Because we all feel this way at one time or another...

when life has bullied you around and you feel like giving up.

As I look back on the last few days,
 and see the debris that this emotional fight has left,

it angers me.

The enemy thinks he is a slick one,

but he is not.

 

 

I can see his scaley fingerprints all over the past few days.

I can smell his stench all around me,

and I can almost picture his beety little eyes poking out in excitement,

the moment he thought he had me in his grip.

 

 

The enemy comes in the form of a person,

or a fear, or a doubt, or a weakness,

or within words that he knows will harm me the most,

knocking me back into my past to taste the ashes in the dirt.

 

 

But, God's word speaks into my heart again and again,

 

Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

 

He goes on to remind me,

 

 

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

 

 

Yesterday I felt wrestled,

 defeated,

 and I wanted to give up.

But, I woke up this morning ready to fight.

 

 

Lamentations 3:23

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

 

Isaiah 61:3

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.

 

The enemy has a plan to destroy me,

a plan to stop me in my tracks,

to keep me frozen in fear,

a plan to prevent me from fulfilling God's call on my heart to serve.

 

That's why he has attacked me where it hurts the most.

 

His plan is to harden my heart,

to make me feel not good enough,

to make me give up,

and throw in the towel of defeat.

To stop me.

But he hasn't won.

He won't win.

 

 

Phillippians 1:6

And I am sure that God who began a good work in you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.

 

 

You see,

he doesn't have anything new up his sleeve that he hasn't used before.

He's all washed up. He uses the same stuff over and over.

He wants to destroy us with old things.

He wants us all to think that he is something to fear, but he is not.

He is only allowed to harm us where we let him.

He is only able to do what we allow him to do to us.

 

 

And frankly...I'm over it.

I don't have time for his nonsense.
There is nothing new about his tricks.

 

He has nothing new because he is not the Creator.

God is.

 

 

God tells me to keep moving forward.
He tells me He is good and His goodness will not leave me.

He tells me that I am worth it.

He calls me His Beloved and says I am good enough.
His grip on me is gentle, yet strong and mighty.

He lifts my beaten face up off the mat, wipes away my tears and whispers sweetly,

"You be still, I will fight for you."

He gives me His Word to stand on and to defend myself with.

He gives me salvation and mercy anew every morning.

He pours His love over me and I can feel my emotionally beaten body reviving.

 

I begin to rise up,
His loving kindness dripping from my body.
I feel renewed.

And as I stand upright,

I see Him standing here with me.

I see that my heart,

that has been slung around and trampled on,

is in His hands...

 

protected. covered. cherished. loved.

 

I. am. His.

His love for me is a force to be reckoned with.

 

 

Song of Solomon 6:3

I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.

 

Jeremiah 29:11

 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

 

 

 



The 3D Mom

 

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
 and all these things will be given to you as well.

 

I find myself feeling very 3-dimensional lately.

 

It's much different than the usual feelings of emotion

 that move and flow through my life on a daily basis.

 

I've had the privelege of being a mom to three amazing and awesome young people.

 

They have stretched my life and heart in ways unimaginable and I am better because of it.
I should have known when they were born into my life to take space within my heart, that the stretching was bound to happen to make room for more Love.

 

Their love, in many ways, has healed me.

But, I have wondered what God is up to from time to time in this whole mothering thing.

I've asked Him...
"Ughh, are you sure I can bend that way God? Because it feels like I'm just going to break right here, right now, in this very spot."

On some days, I actually have been broken...
but He is quick to pick me up and mend my brokenness, only making me stronger because of it.

Using my weakness to bring out strength.
 

He has challenged me in ways that I did not expect,

 like where I am right now.

 

There is a 5 to 6 year gap between each of my children.

 

A gap that I have well appreciated over the years.

One that I know God planned out perfectly just for our family.

 

And lately,

it's the one thing that has made me feel 3-dimensional.

They are all so very different and require something different from me in this particular season of life.

Dimension 1:
 

My oldest daughter has been out of our house for a year and a half now.

She began her second year of Master's Commission (Bible College) this past September.

She will be 20 years old in January.

 

And as I type that number above, I let out a big sigh.

 

A sigh of... "Where has the time gone? Where did my little blonde curly haired girl go?"

 

She is an amazing young woman who is filled with such greatness.

She is determined to change the world around her and

fulfill the calling on her life no matter what the cost.

 

Her love for God runs deep and thick within her veins

and pulsates the heart that beats inside her chest.

She is creative and talented and has a true compassion for others.
She has no idea how beautiful and amazing she is, her humility is genuine.
But, she radiates. Simply radiates.
 

I am one proud Momma of that brilliant girl.

 

Our relationship has changed over the past year or so.

She needs me but doesn't need me all at the same time.

 

She needs my heart and my ears to listen to her go on and on about her days and what God has done in and through her. 

 

She explains her goings-on with such passion and zest and feeling and

I love her for that.

 

She still needs my advice and my direction,
 but done gently, sort of in the shadows,
and in a way that I haven't had to before.

She needs me... to let go, but hold on.
 

She needs me to let her find her own way now,

and be there to help her if she needs a direction every now and then.

 

Oh yes,

our relationship has changed...

but I feel it's for the better.

 

I feel it's what she needs,

what I need.

 

It's the letting go but holding on just enough.

 

 Just enough.

I remember the way I felt a little over a year ago when she left home.  On the ride home I felt as though my heart had been ripped from my chest and I could not breathe in those moments.  I cried with my entire body feeling as though my soul was being emptied out.
The days and weeks after would get worse as I saw the emptiness in our home that she once filled with her laughter, her beautiful voice echoing through the halls as she sang and played her guitar in worship to her Savior, and her sweet smile.

My heart felt torn between who she was becoming and who God was calling me to be.

I thought those feelings would last forever.

I walked into the bathroom at church this past Sunday and saw my sweet friend crying, because she too had recently saw her son off to college the same way, and her heart was still raw where it had been torn with goodbyes.

I hugged her and said,
"It's okay to feel sad right now and this too shall pass.  One day you will celebrate where he is and your heart will heal."

I realized with those few words spoken, that that is just where I was now.

Even though there are days that I miss her so very much and I find myself staring at her empty chair at the kitchen table wishing things to be the way they once were,

I can now celebrate where she is and where I am.
My heart has healed.

What a gift to be her Mom, what a gift to be right where we are today.


Dimension 2:

My second daughter is 15.

This girl has rocked my world.

She couldn't be more opposite from her older sister,
but she is every bit as great and brilliant.

I learned through this young girl that no two children are alike and no two children can be parented the same.

She is unique in every way and I love her so much for that.

She is creative and passionate in all areas of life.
She is not just the brightness of the sun,
but she is the moon...
and if she had it her way,
she'd walk it one day.

She is adventurous and clever and her sweetness is felt by everyone she comes in contact with.

Her love for God is gentle and pure,
not outspoken...
but very personal.

She's beginning to find her way in who she is in Him
 and it has unlocked even more greatness within her.

 

 She needs me in the now. Today, right here.
She needs me to keep her life balanced as it wants to toss her around with new emotions,
choices and challenges.

She needs me to tell her "no" when her strong will screams "yes" to something that might not be the best for her.

Those days aren't always my favorite,
and they tear me in bits and sometimes drain me of all my energy causing me to hold my breath in emotional exhaustion.

But when she comes to me later waving her little white flag of surrender,
sometimes hidden in a little smile
or the tiny gesture of wanting me to sit in her room with her as she folds her clothes
or even in handing me half of her Smores Pop-tart,
I know, that my heart will live another day.

That we, her and I, are growing together.

Being her Mom has blessed my heart to overflowing.
This girl, in all her wonder,
will one day change the world around her.

Dimension 3:

My son just made 10 years old.
Yes, double digits. Meaning, no more little ones in our home.
I sigh, again.

He is the sweetest, most gentle creature I have ever met.

He came to us at a time when the hope for our growing family had ceased.

You would think that by now, I would be some sort of a pro at this whole mothering thing, but the rasing of this man child has definitely stretched me.

Girls I know, well somewhat, because I am one.
But this whole boy thing?

Wow.

How does a female raise a future man, leader of his one day family and home?

How?

I'm not all sure on most days, but I'm learning a little more every day.

I've actually begun reading,
Hope for the Weary Mom: Where God Meets You in Your Mess, A Guide to Raising Godly Men.

I know I won't find all the answers I seek within the pages of this book.
That can only be found in hiding myself in His grace, in His Word and in His presence,
but I do hope to find something that makes me feel a little more normal in my worry of what to do, or what to say, or how to breathe in all of this.


I've definitely mellowed out a bit with my son and have allowed my own mistakes to embrace the Grace that God has so freely given to me.

My little guy has made me smile until my face hurts.
He has the most contagious laugh.
He gives the best hugs.

He, has been my friend.

He is intelligent, yet quiet and courageous and very eager to find his way.

He asks me all the time what his gift is.

He wants so much to know his God-given purpose.
Even at such a young age,
he desires to know God and make Him known.

He lives and breathes video games and soccer,
 from the time he wakes up until the time he goes to bed at night.

The other day we were at soccer practice.
I watched him from my lawn chair as he listened intently at the other children talking around him.

He is so much like his father...a man of few words.

But when he speaks, you'd better believe what he says will have great depth, emotion and meaning.

I watch him listening to them, and I see the love in his eyes for his friend as one of them begins to down himself and his ability to be goalie in the next soccer game.

His little blue eyes filled with compassion stare on as he listens to his friend, never interupting him.

And then I see him put his little hand on the space behind his friend's neck rubbing his back, comforting him.

I hear him quietly say,
"You are a great goalie. You just have to believe in yourself."

My heart melts.

He holds the same characteristic as His Savior.
He is a friend among men.
An encourager.

He needs me, all of me, every day, all the time.

He has been this Momma's heart's delight.


So here I am, the 3D Mom.

Raising and loving three kids, who are all very different in mind, emotion, needs and age.
Whose life and heart is being stretched and pulled on some days...
yet fulfilled and blessed on most.

I find comfort in knowing that God is here with me every step of the way,
gently drawing me closer to Him,
 as I gently guide them closer to Him.

Being 3-dimensional means having more depth in the way you
 see and feel something. It gives you the opportunity of embracing something from all angles and all areas. 

3D allows you to have the full effect of something.

The full effect.

God has surely given me the full 3D effect as their Mom.
They have made me challenge myself, doubt myself, and love myself all in the same day.
They have brought out dimensions that I never even knew existed.
They have caused me to feel emotions I never knew I could.
They have caused me to love harder and feel stronger.
I would not be who I am without them.
 I feel blessed to embrace all of 3 of them in every season of their life and mine.

These 3 kids of mine have awakened my soul to new heights and more love than I could ever imagine.

They take up space within my heart and my life and
I wouldn't have it any other way.

We are heart roomies for life!

I want to embrace and see and feel it all.
Every ounce.

So, I'll continue doing my best to find my way in this whole mothering thing.
This wonderful and crazy journey, that shifts and winds and turns on the blink of an eye.

This unimaginable path, I have been honored to be on.

This Mom thing...them needing me to LOVE them with all that I am,
is the best thing,
ever.


Micah 6:8

But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women.
It's quite simple:
Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don't take yourself too seriously--take God seriously.

How has motherhood stretched you?

Do you ever feel like a 3D Mom?

Please feel free to share in the comment section below.











 

 

 

 



Whole again.

Proverbs 18:21 (The MSG)
Words kill, words give life;
they're either poison or fruit--you choose.

 

I've had one of those weeks.

 

The kind where you check the calendar every day to see if you've made it to the end yet.

Then when you realize it's only Tuesday, you let out a huge painful sigh.

 

 Sigh...
 

Something happened this past weekend
 that would throw me to a place in my past that I didn't want to revisit.

 

Old whispers became loud echoes 

until they were screaming at me and pounding at my spirit.

 

Words.

Hurtful, painful words.

 

The ones that tell you that you aren't good enough.
The ones that make you doubt who He says you are.

The ones that pound you into the dirt.
The ones that weigh heavy and cause you to walk lop-sided or slumped.

The ones that leave bruises and create small tears
 where you begin to slowly bleed out all of your confidence and truth.

 

Words.

 

The Bible says that words have power.

 

The power to do good, or the power to do harm.

The power to build up, or the power to tear down.

 

The power to create, or the power to destroy.

 

And for a few days,

I felt destroyed.

 

Literally destroyed.

 

But then...

 

I began hearing other Words.

 

His Words...

 

and they tell me that I am something to be cherished.

They tell me that I am worth it.
 All of it.

They tell me that there is nothing I can do to change His steadfast perfect pursuing love for me.

They tell me that it's okay to cry, to feel sad for a moment...because  He will catch every tear that falls and He will hold me when I need it.

They tell me to let those hurtful words go, that He will fight for me if I be still in Him.

They tell me to brush off the dirt I have been thrown in and stand tall for He will make me strong, clean and new again.
They tell me that I am His.

They tell me that I am forgiven.
They remind me who I am in Him.

 They whisper healing grace over me.
They speak life into me.

Song of Solomon 2:4 (NLT)
He escorts me to the banquet hall; it's obvious how much he loves me.


The more I begin to listen and hear These Words, His Words,
the more those other words slowly begin to fade and disappear.

They aren't as loud and they don't matter like they did before.
They lose their sting.

They have been replaced, covered, shut out by His Truth.

Sometimes...
you just have to stop listening to the words of others,
so that you can hear His Words of Love speak life over you.

And His Words will make you whole again.


Matthew 9:22

Daughter, be of good comfort for your faith makes you WHOLE.

 

 

 



What do you do?

What do you do when He whispers something into your heart,

that just seems all wrong?

What do you do when what He asks you to do goes against what you know?

What do you do when what He asks of you seems impossible?

What do you do when He wants you to do something that seems crazy and far beyond what your mind can comprehend?

What if what He asks of you is all too unimaginable?

What if you look crazy?

What do you do when He tells you to just go with the flow of the tide even when you can hear the rushing colliding sounds of the waterfall that waits at the end?

What do you do when the world pulls you one way,

and He directs you another?

What do you do?

Noah was a simple man.

Living his life out with his family.

The Bible says, "he was a good man, a man of integrity in his community."

"Noah walked with God",  It says.

But God had plans for Noah.

Plans, that most likely broad sided Noah and brought about questions in his mind.

Plans that made Noah look a little crazy.

Plans that would change the world that Noah knew.
Possibly bring him out of his "comfy spot".

What do you do when God asks you to build a boat?

But, not just any boat...

a human race saving ark.

A boat measuring at 450 ft. long, 75 ft. wide, and 45 ft. high.

A boat with three levels.
A boat as tall as a skyrise.

We're not talking a little canoe here.

We're talking a boat big enough to carry and keep comfortable a fleet of animals.
Two of every kind of unclean, and seven of every kind of clean.
Some as tall as a tree and big as a tank!
Some that crawled and others that flew.
Then he was told to tell all the people in his community that the Lord was going to bring a great flood.

One big enough to wipe out mankind!


Noah, was over 500 years old at the time.

I'm imagining, with his children having children of their own, he was very much close to retirement and not at all looking for such a huge assignment.

He was no young wipper-snapper!

What would you do?

What would you do,
 when the mocking and snickering and laughing and finger pointing would begin?

What would you do?


Noah...
built a boat,
and waited for the rain.


Genesis 6: 14-17
  "Build yourself a ship from teakwood. Make rooms in it. Coat it with pitch inside and out. Make it 450 feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. Build a roof for it and put in a window eighteen inches from the top; put in a door on the side of the ship; and make three decks, lower, middle, and upper.
  I'm going to bring a flood on the Earth that will destroy everything alive under Heaven. Total destruction."

What do you do when He tells you to ask your husband to move out after 17 years of marriage, so that He can restore it, and trust Him to do it?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then watch Him bind up the broken hearted and heal a love lost.

What do you do when He tells you to quit your job, stay home with your kids, and trust Him to take care of you?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then watch Him provide.

What do you do when He tells you to give up your big brick house, move back into a much smaller space with your growing family, and trust Him to make things new?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then you watch Him turn that small space into a home.

What do you do when He tells you to homeschool your children, when you haven't a clue what you are doing, and trust Him to teach you?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then watch your children grow and learn in ways you never thought possible.

What do you do when your husband has a stroke, he can't work for six weeks and everything in your mind says, "You have to get a job and support your family", but God says, "Stay home with your family and love your husband through this", and trust Him, just trust Him?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then watch Him provide abundance from the nothing.

Genesis 6:18-22
 "But I'm going to establish a covenant with you: You'll board the ship, and your sons, your wife and your sons' wives will come on board with you. You are also to take two of each living creature, a male and a female, on board the ship, to preserve their lives with you: two of every species of bird, mammal, and reptile—two of everything so as to preserve their lives along with yours. Also get all the food you'll need and store it up for you and them.
  Noah did everything God commanded him to do."

What do you do when your husband doesn't know Him like you do, and you desire more than anything for him to know God and find freedom, but He tells you to wait, love him, and trust Him to love Him just as He loves you?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then watch Him restore a heart to His fullness after 38 years of wandering and searching for His love.

What do you do when He asks you to take in that one that wanders alone, and love them with all of your heart as they search for an Honest Love, and trust Him to make it right?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

then watch Him pour His love on hopeless hearts.

Genesis 7:1-5
  Next God said to Noah, "Now board the ship, you and all your family—out of everyone in this generation, you're the righteous one.
  Take on board with you seven pairs of every clean animal, a male and a female; one pair of every unclean animal, a male and a female; and seven pairs of every kind of bird, a male and a female, to insure their survival on Earth. In just seven days I will dump rain on Earth for forty days and forty nights. I'll make a clean sweep of everything that I've made. Noah did everything God commanded him."

What do you do when your dreams seem unreachable and they begin to fade, but He continues to tell you, "I have great plans for your life. Be patient. In due time. Trust me to fulfill them."


You build a boat, wait for the rain...
and watch His promises unfold for you.



What do you do when the voices from the past remind you of your mistakes, but He reminds you of who you are and how much He loves you, to trust Him and know?


You build a boat, wait for the rain...
and let His love flow over you.

What do you do when He asks you to give all that's left of you, and trust Him to fill you up?

What do you do when He whispers to your heart, as your hands are lifted high...

"Would you give it all up for Me and trust Me?"

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

and trust Him.

What do you do when He asks you to take Him into your heart,

letting Him have Lordship over your life, and trust Him?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

and ask Him in.

What do you do when everything inside you is telling you to give up,
but He whispers softly, "Hold on. I'm right here. I'll never let you go. Trust Me."

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

and trust Him.

Genesis 7:6-12
" Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters covered the Earth. Noah and his wife and sons and their wives boarded the ship to escape the flood. Clean and unclean animals, birds, and all the crawling creatures came in pairs to Noah and to the ship, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah. In seven days the floodwaters came.
  It was the six-hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month that it happened: all the underground springs erupted and all the windows of Heaven were thrown open. Rain poured for forty days and forty nights."

What do you do when He tells you to just go with the flow of the tide even when you can hear the rushing colliding sounds of the waterfall that waits at the end of that flow?

You build a boat, wait for the rain...

and hold onto Him with all of your might.

Genesis 8:13-17
 In the six-hundred-first year of Noah's life, on the first day of the first month, the flood had dried up. Noah opened the hatch of the ship and saw dry ground. By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the Earth was completely dry.
 God spoke to Noah: "Leave the ship, you and your wife and your sons and your sons' wives. And take all the animals with you, the whole menagerie of birds and mammals and crawling creatures, all that brimming prodigality of life, so they can reproduce and flourish on the Earth."



When you know nothing else...
Build your boat, and wait for His rain.



It's not about how well or how much you can believe,
but WHO you believe.