Giggling is Good for the Soul: 2011

Help!

Today I entered a giveaway on a blog to win a book by Glynnis Whitwer called I Used to Be So Organized. They asked us to leave a comment by answering this question, "Which is more challenging for you--managing your time or organizing your "stuff"? Or, is it a toss-up and both throw you for a loop?"

It got me to thinking about what to write because I know my life is very disorganized, but this is what I came up with,

"I think organizing my things is a HUGE challenge for me, because organizing my time has essentially worked out to comprising lists and using my Google calendar to get me through the week.

On the other hand though, going through my mounds of papers that have been thrown into boxes and tucked away in the corner of my room never to be seen again...well to say that phrase loosely...could and probably will result in me forgetting where and why I forgot to send this and that in. Especially when I get a notice saying, "We regret to inform you..." It can be very frustrating. Granted I am oh so thankful that I have gone "paperless" when it comes to bills and oh so thankful that our technology allows us to do most things electronically otherwise I really would be in a major slump every week/month.

Unfortunately, that is just for bills. All the other stuff still remains unorganized. Sometimes when I have a spare moment I go through these boxes of what I deem "necessary" and make little piles of where each paper, letter, postcard, trinket, etc. should go, but then I get distracted by a phone call or the doorbell and I forget about the piles until later on or the next day (so sad).

I feel like a clutter queen and no matter how I try I can never fully wrap myself around organization -- ha ha..."

I had to take a step back and re-read what I posted because although I view my life as a disorganized clutter-full wreck, God sees me as complete. He sees me as [a contradiction in terms...] his Beautiful Disaster.

I am reminded of a passage in Samuel where God was appointing Samuel to choose the next King from one of the sons of Jesse. Samuel, starting with Eliab, believed that this young man must be "it" because he was so handsome, but God had other plans...

1 Samuel 16:6-7

⁶ When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab, and he thought, "Surely the Lord has appointed this person standing here before him."

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, "Don't look at how handsome Eliab is or how tall he is, because I have not chosen him. God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart."

The key here being that Samuel was so busy trying to look at what was tangible (right in front of him) that he didn't take the time to see things through God's eyes. Thanks be to God in his great mercy that he knows our heart's cry. He knows how many hairs are upon our heads. Basically he knows EVERYTHING about us.

God gives us mounds of grace to work on the "clutter" we carry around in our lives. Whether it be tangible or not. He loves broken vessels. He wants to restore them & fill them up to overflowing so that we can pass some of the overflow unto to other broken vessels that long to be filled up with a genuine and true love that only God can provide.

It is my sincere privilege to have a relationship with the one and only true God and call Him my father and for Him to extend His arms out to me and call me His precious daughter. For truly I say to you, I am a daughter of the King ♥

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Feeling of Freedom

As I sit here and think about the days of the Old Testament, when David danced in the streets before God rejoicing, I can't help but to imagine the joy he must of felt in his heart. With arms outstretched I have no doubt that he danced with a big Kool-aid grin on his face, eyes closed, spinning and twisting this way and that shouting out praises to the Lord.

♫♪With arms wide and heart abandoned

In Awe of the One who gave it all♪♫

This is the song going through my mind right now because that is the image I have of David being totally abandoned before God. How freeing is that?!?! There is no better place then the presence of God. If you don't know who Jesus is then I invite you to experience first-hand this incredible joy David felt. First you can turn to your bible in 2 Samuel 6:14-15 and if you do not have a bible then I encourage you to check out www.biblegateway.com they are a great resource.

14Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, ¹⁵ while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

David was ecstatic to have the ark of the Lord in its rightful place and the moment it was brought into the city he could not help but to give God praise.

Sometimes we get so "busy" in our daily lives that we forget a simple thing like praise and worship is important to the Lord. It should be a part of our time with the Lord. I know there are at least 3 out of 5 people that hum or sing their favorite songs out loud while cleaning or showering...so it should not be a "task" or a "chore" to just belt out one or two of your favorite Sunday worship songs. Because believe me, God is not uniform about how worship should be.

Let it come from your heart.
Be spontaneous.
Make up your own words
Sing in the Spirit.

Just close your eyes and with arms outstretched, give your heart to the Lord in song. I guarantee you that He will meet you there! ♥♥♥

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Stumbling Into Grace by Lisa Harper

First and foremost, let me say that this book could not have come at a better time in my life! I find this book enchanting and I simply cannot wait every morning to read it in my daily devotion. The author is engaging and she has the best sense of humor that is extremely relate-able.

This book is great as a solo devotional or possibly in a small group setting. Either way really. It is an easy read and definitely full of meaty morsels to apply to one's life. I think even guys might enjoy this spunky author and her quirky mix of biblical truths with modern spins on them.

I am now curious to see if this author has other books I might enjoy as well. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I most definitely recommend anyone and everyone to take the opportunity to read this lovingly put-together piece of artistry!

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Plagued with Fear

I know it has been a while since I last wrote, but I have been afraid to. Afraid of rejection, afraid of not being liked, afraid that people would find out my deep dark secrets and think the worst of me...blah blah blah...you name the fear and I probably have it. Yea, it looks like I have come down with a case of Fear-anoia

This all started about a month ago when I noticed that there was a spider on my wall. Now I am not in anyway shape or form a fan of spiders. In fact they make my skin crawl and I act like a little screaming Mimi when they are about. Suffice it to say that I was not having it. I got my tissue out ready to grab that sucker in the folds of my Kleenex and toss it in the toilet, but the moment I got up to crush it there was a much BIGGER spider directly below it and I literally shrunk back as shivers went down my spine.

I froze in fear, my mind racing as to where was the nearest shoe to clobber this mammoth beast with. I carefully moved anything blocking it's way as to get direct aim at it. After finding the right shoe I sent it hurling straight at this whopper of a spider only to have the critter fall to the floor trying to get away. Panic took over because I did not want that THING getting away!

I started to hit the floor until my shoe came into contact with the spider's body. Repeatedly I beat it to a pulp until the spider lay motionless with missing limbs. I felt bad about hurting one of God's creatures, but I was in so much fear that this animal would harm me that I was not thinking logically. It was my nature to attack it. For several nights after that I would be in fear that spiders were going to inhabit my bed or room that I would check my walls and ceiling for spiders every night before I went to sleep.

I started to pray for good to remove the fear and protect me as I slept. Every time I have prayed that prayer God has eased my fear. I also give all of my worry and anxiety to God because he says in His Good Word to Cast my cares on Him for He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7). It is so important to not dwell on those things that cause you to fear, like worry and anxiety. God calls us to Worry about nothing, but to Pray about EVERYTHING (Philippians 4:6)! Even those things we think are so insignificant. Take them to the Lord in prayer.

God has opened my eyes to the blinders I had on. To the mask of fear that has been engulfing my life. For so long I have been plagued by fear. It eats at me day and night. The Enemy works overtime to keep me in the dark, but God is there with his bright beam of light shining ever so bright and in the midst of that darkness he is like the Light of Eärendil and he will blind all my enemies with the power of His blazing light and glory.

He is starting to open up the places in my heart where fear has dwelt and for this I am thankful! Here is great Psalm to declare over your life when in doubt in fear. Use this as a prayer for you and/or your loved ones. It has brought me great comfort.

Psalm 91 (NIV)
¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
³ Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

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Living Life in the Zone - A 40-Day Spiritual Gameplan for Men By Kyle Rote and Joe Pettigrew

I wanted to give this book review blogging a chance. So I am going to review my first book. The title is above. I hope you take the opportunity to read this book as I give it 4 stars. The book is obviously meant for a man or several men to read together. Let's say in your small groups or bible study. Any men's ministry would benefit greatly from this book.

This book is an ideal map of God's plan broken down and focused on different areas of a man's life. It is the perfect companion to any small group or men focused study. It helps bring you to the core of what God has in store for your life. It is extremely relate-able due to the book speaking from sports minded individuals and most men love sports in one form or another.

Give this 40 day Spiritual Guide a try to experience growth in your faith and walk with God.. See what wonderful things God can do in these areas of your life and how he can improve them.

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A Closer Walk with Thee

I said I would continue where I left off in regards to my weight struggles and I will get to that, but first I want to tell you just what a wonderful week this has been. This would be in terms of my spiritual fitness being increased.

You see we had a conference at our church this last weekend. It was from Friday eve to Sunday eve. Each day was filled with something new. We had lovely spirit-filled; anointed; passionate speakers like Wes and Stacy Campbell and Heidi Baker, as well as, magnificent worship from Sean Feucht and Kristene Mueller - DiMarco.

The worship brought me closer to God then I had ever experienced before. I felt God's touch several times. I was glued to my seat listening to the speakers. I mean God really had my full attention. To tell you the truth I didn't want the weekend to end. I fell deeper in love with God and He brought me peace and joy throughout the weekend.

To get back to this week though. I wanted to be in God's presence more and more. He was drawing me closer to Him. It was magnetic. I have really grown so much in this past week by communing with Him, spending time in constant prayer, talking to Him, allowing Him to have more access to my heart, spending time in worship and reading His word. This has really shed a lot of light on things I need to work on in my life. Starting with the junk I carry around inside.

He has brought to my attention things that I should be aware of in regards to my lifestyle, how to pray for forgiveness and not pull away from Him when I do something wrong, how to not speak out of anger, but to turn the other cheek or walk away and cool off...the list could go on and on.

I am thankful to my God. He is a loving and Gracious God.

Deuteronomy 4:29-30

²⁹But if from there you will seek (inquire for and require as necessity) the Lord your God, you will find Him if you [truly] seek Him with all your heart [and mind] and soul and life.³⁰When you are in tribulation and all these things come upon you, in the latter days you will turn to the Lord your God and be obedient to His voice.

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There's a Lesson In It

As most of you already know things have severely been hard for me financially. I have struggled most of my adult life to try to make ends meet. Being a parent, let alone a single parent, is definitely a hard job. Though most of the time I have relied on myself to figure out a way through my messes, when I could have easily leaned on someone much greater then myself. That someone being God.

I am so thankful to have such a merciful God that he would see my plight on a daily basis and make it His mission to help me through each and every month. Of course it takes my trust and faith in Him to make it all work, but I tell you the biggest roadblock I have in my life is ME. Always getting in the way. Trying to take back my will and do everything in my own strength only to fall on my face every single time. You would think I would know by now that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result never worked for anyone. Hello, McFly?!?!

My Lord is gracious though and He has fresh mercy every day for little old me. I am thankful that He cares that deeply for me. So deeply in fact that He scoops me up, dusts me off and lets me start over again, time after time.

I tell you all of this with a point in mind. I have been a worry-wort about my finances as of late. I have been stressed to the max. Crying out to the Lord for help. I have been a mess. I turned to my Pastor and he prayed with me. When he prayed that we need to claim the promise that God would never leave us or forsake us then my burden began to lighten a bit.

This same day I was given an opportunity to receive the money I sorely needed from some loving people in my life. I believe God put it on their heart to give. I am thankful to God for these people He has put in my life and I pray for an over-abundance of blessings to those people for their love and kindness.

Here is a verse to reflect on:

Psalm 55:22 (Amplified Bible)

²²Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail).

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Struggling For My Life

I have been overweight since I was about 10 years old. At least that is how far back I remember. This has been an issue for me. Not only because I was teased for being the fat girl, but because emotionally I was a real mess. Feeling like an outcast, but wanting so badly to fit in, I tried several different diets with little or no success rate.

As a young Christian I struggled with my identity in Christ. I felt His love, but I never knew how to accept it. I was torn, but wanted so much to cling to my one true relationship [with Him] that wasn't spiraling out of control. You see my father had been out of the picture for so long that I desired this attention whether it was negative or positive.

This behavior of dieting and wanting to look good [and fill that void] went on for years, but after High School I lost about 50 lbs and began getting attention...the wrong attention. I didn't care though. I felt high like I was finally being treated as an equal. My adult friends were now inviting me to parties and out just to let loose and have fun. I had guys interested in me and I just could not get enough of the attention...

Luke 7:47-48
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

To be continued...

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