Stand Still

The last few weeks of my life have been a little more stressful than normal. Recently my Poppaw was told that they had found some cancer cells in his lymphnodes and so its been a whirlwind of doctor visits for him and uncertainity of having to deal with that awful word called cancer.

This morning as I was sitting talking to my Mommaw the phone rang here at their house and it was one of my aunts. As they were talking Mommaw mentioned a song that she has been standing on lately and the words of that song just begin to resonate in my heart and mind. Its a song that the Isaacs sing and it is so true of where I am living my life right now.

The song says Stand still and let God move, standing still is hard to do, when you feel that you have reached the end He'll make a way for you so stand still and let God move.

I don't know where you are in your life or what you are going through but let me just take the time to encourage you this morning and say no matter what you are going through, just stand still and let God move. You know that He sees the bigger picture and He is really making a way for you. Ephesians 6:13 in the Message Bible says "Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shoutin you'll be on your feet." That scripture this morning just spoke to me -- can't you just see in your mind God standing in Heaven just feeding you one weapon after another to fight off the attacks of the enemy and the weaker you get the closer he comes and the bigger the weapon He gives you to fight the attack off - then when you have been fighting all of a sudden you feel it and begin to see it -- there's the breakthrough - and as tired and battle weary as you are - you are still standing on your feet -- maybe not in your own power -- maybe God has you propped up in His arms -- but your standing and your safe and you've fought through the battle -- and victory is just in sight!

STAND STILL AND LET GOD MOVE!!!

Trish D

So it's defintely been a while since I've gotten to sit down and just blog my thought to you. It's not that I have been overly busy but things have just been happening that I will go into details later about. For those who know me know that for the last year I have been unemployed and have not had any luck whatsoever finding a job or even getting an interview for a job. I have cried and been frustrated over this but at the same time I have been in full God trusting mode. I haven't felt worried over not having a job maybe I should be I mean yes I have been frustrated and did a lot of crying about it but I've not been worried because I know that God is taking care of me and I fully and completely trust Him. I have always known and find that when I'm feeling down about not having a job that usually God places someone in my life to say an encouraging word, or a hear a song, or I read a scripture in the Bible and I know that it's God's way of continuing to show me that He cares.
God is always showing how He cares for me and for that I am so grateful because with the being down about being unemployed it restores my faith in myself which I don't have a lot of.
No matter what you are going through or facing all we need to do is put our trust and our faith in Jesus Christ. I know that because I have a relationship with Him and I live for Him that He is taking care of me and He will defintely do the same for you if you just allow Him to.


Trish D

Cry out to Jesus

"And to all of the people with burdens and pains. Keeping you back from your life. You believe that there's nothing and there is no one, Who can make it right. There is hope for the helpless, Rest for the weary, Love for the broken heart, There is grace and forgiveness, Mercy and healing, He'll meet you wherever you areCry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus"

As I sit and read these words its only a portion of the lyrics to this song. Somehow today it's where I'm at. I'm (like everyone else at some point) one with burdens and pains. Burden of being jobless and while I'm working a temporary job feeling that it will soon end and I will once again have to rely on unemployment. Burdens because issues arising with your health can't be resolved because of no money coming in because of unemployment. Pain that isn't just physical aches and pains which I have thanks to being fat (trust me I've been trying to do something about that) and pains from my feet from old basketball injuries and just being clumsy. It's dealing with pain that is much farther into my personal life than I want to dive right now but maybe one day!

So I sit and today in particular two things happened with two different people and while I'm happy for them at the same time I think when's it gonna be my turn. I know ya'll aren't human you don't ever think those thoughts, do you?

So told when I'm feeling hopeless and helpless and weary and broken hearted. I'm just looking up and crying out to Jesus. While others seem to have it together I'll just be honest and say without God I don't have anything and so I sit here and yes internally but also physically and to the outside I sit and I CRY OUT TO JESUS!

Soothing the soul....

WOW! It's so true the saying I've heard for years that music soothes the savage beast! It amazes me how God works through music, things I always find soothing to the soul. Yesterday at church I was privy to be able to sing on the praise team, which is something I haven't done since changing churches, which was totally a thing not by choice, but something maybe I'll be able to talk about later. In any case, the praise team song last night was "I exalt thee", the words are so simple and they roll off the tounge so smooth, "I exalt thee, I exalt thee, I exalt thee, oh Lord!" the songs that had been sang prior to the praise team coming to sing had all been about having a thankful heart, and how heaven is so close, and as we began to sing I exalt thee, the first part of the verse says for thou oh Lord art high above the earth, I began to think about this and a beautiful time of worship which was already going on in our service seemed to become charged even more with just simple words, exaltation to the Lord, our Reedemer. A song that in these days when so many have a "troubled soul" it becomes like a soothing ointment on a wound, when physically you can't see the pain that a person is in - the words to a song or the words of a friend can be so soothing and do more healing in a moment than one will ever know. I exalt thee oh Lord - your high above the Heavens, you are our Reedemer, you rule and you reign, and though our trials may be great here on this earth, they are nothing compared to what you endured on the cross to take away our sins! So simply today, I hope you will join me, and just Exalt Him! He is worthy of all exaltation!


Trish

Special Guest Post --- Fire of God

We often hear today a phrase in church, it goes like this: we are praying for the fire of God or we want the fire of God in our churches.

When a fire starts it burns all that can be burnt unless put out, as we look what happens when a fire occurs change happens. It takes what was and reduces it down and even changes the appearance of it. Fire is also used for cleansing out or cleaning for new growth.

So there is this word that is within me, that goes as follows. When we are on fire from God we will be reduced down from out own will to his. There will be a cleansing that may hurt our flesh for awhile but it will be for new growth. New growth is what we want in our individual lives to bring glory and honor to God. So let the fire of God burn.

Submitted by: Rev Charles DeBord

(Very proud to say this special guest post was written by one of my uncles Rev Charles DeBord. Thanks so much for you insight Charles!)

Somebody Like Me....

In this crazy, mixed up world that I live in, I can't help but wonder sometimes when the drama will end. I know that God has everything in complete control and I trust Him beyond measure! With that being said I was sitting at a family members house this week and thinking about all the things that I have been going through lately and decided - pitty party - table for me - I was feeling really sorry for numero uno!! Is it not amazing how we as human beings think that the world strickly revolves around us and that even though we care about others - our problems just seem way more than theirs. Ever had one of those times? Who hasn't right?

Well in my pitty party moment at the family members house, I started to look around me and I saw somethings that touched my heart! I saw a couple family members who stepped up and took care of things - just to help the other one out -- I mean that's what families do -- well at least my family, but it was in this and then coming to another family members house and hearing a song that somethings just clicked in this hard headed round thing attached to my shoulders!

I was listening to the song by Jason Crabb called "Somebody Like Me" and the words seemed to just jump out at me that day. It made me sit and think, when are we as Christians going to quit with the pitty parties and the looking out for numero uno and when are we going to become the Church that Christ taught us in His word to be. The song paints a picture for me - a ole drunk comes to church - fully knowing that's where he needs to be - but the self righteousness of the congregation gets in the way and he realizes they don't want him there so he gets up and leaves and no one stops him. Can you imagine what might have happened at that church - if somebody would have gotten up and came and sat down beside that man and welcomed him to that church or when he felt uncomfortable would have met him at the door and asked him not to leave and sat back down with him. I pray God give us the boldness to be a somebody who will take a stand - to go against the grain - be a difference maker -- I think I'm going to have to use this song as my new daily thought -- somebody like me -- Lord let this somebody like me - reflect you - let this somebody like me do your will -- not mine -- take the me out and let this somebody be your reflection and your hands extended. True to the words of that song if we would be the somebody like me - that ole drunk would have probably stayed in that service and became a beautiful new creature - just an ole sinner saved by grace!

Let's be that "somebody like me" be the somebody who reflects Christ in everything that we do!

Trish D

Going to be a brighter day....

I'm sure it's safe to say that everyone of us at some point in our life have struggled with feelings of insecurities and other horrible thoughts, if you haven't WOW can you tell how you've done that. I have struggled for years with my weight and with just feeling like I'm not worth alot. So recently I have had several things knock me to the ground with my feelings and I have been fighting and praying my way out of that area.

I know that as a child of God I completely trust and rely on my Savior Jesus Christ. So when feelings of insecurity come how do we handle it. For me I turn on the radio or my mp3 player and look for a song to lift my spirits. So recently when I was having a moment this song begin to play, it ministered to me so much. I am so thankful that no matter what we go through and no matter what we face in life there is going to be a brighter day.

Through Christ we can always have a brighter day. I realize that life is not always going to be roses, but I do know that as it says in Philippians 4:19 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I also love what it says in Luke 18:27 - I learned this when I was in Honduras so I learned it first in Spanish which says "Lo que es imposible para los hombres es posible para Dios" which translated says "What it impossible for man is possible for God!"

So through Christ we can have brighter days!

Trish D