God’s Grace and Mercy Shown

 

Again God showed his grace and mercy on Mike and I. Last night we went to the local corner store to get gas. It was late at night and they were just about to close. Mike always pumps the gas and I go in to pay for it. So, just as I was about to take two steps towards the store to prepay for our gas I noticed a car pull up to the door, a young man got out of the car and started to walk in the store. I saw a HUGE gun in his pants. I turned around immediately and walked towards Mike and calmly said “That guy has a gun in his pants.” Mike set the gas pump back in its coral and got in the car; I hopped in the car and started to drive. Mike dialed 911 and we told the emergency operator what we had just seen. Then we went home.

 

This morning I stopped at the gas station again because I still needed gas in my car. I asked the woman behind the counter “Did anything happen here last night?” and she said “Yes.” And went on to explain that the cops arrived before anyone was hurt and they caught the guy just down the street.

 

Thank the lord that nobody was hurt! Who would have thought this would happen to us? We live in a decent neighborhood in Eagan. Never would we suspect that we’d be in the midst of an armed robbery!!!

Seek Forgiveness

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

-1 Timothy 1:15-16 

I have made pleanty of mistakes in my past. I’ve said and have done vicious things to people that I cared for.  I’ve lied, cheated, and hurt. I’ve been selfish and brash. I’ve struggled to forgive other’s, and myself.

How does one find forgiveness? The first step is to explore your own inner faults, accept them, and apologize to the people that have been hurt due to those faults. It may not have been an intention to hurt anyone. Therefore, to find true forgivness I must be able to forgive others so that I may forgive myself. This by no means is easy-LIFE is not easy.  It’s a challenge to change the faults you know about…think about the ones you aren’t even aware of! Well, that’s an overwhelming thought. So,  just take it one step at a time!

The secrets of the christian are revealed to expose God

A couple of weeks ago I was in the bathroom.  I sometimes will light some candles and turn the lights off. I brought my lap top in and put on some praise & worship music and began to sing and praise our Father. I keep a whiteboard marker in the bathroom so that Mike and I can leave notes for each other on things that need to get done. We also put positive quotes to help remind us of what we are working on spiritually. While I was praising and singing, something inside of me made me pick up the marker (I now know this was the Holy Spirit) and I began to write without thinking much of it at all. The spirit guided me to write “The secrets of the Christian are revealed to expose God”

 

I pondered on this confusing statement for quite some time. Now, after everything that we have gone through this past weekend, I realize what God was trying to tell me. All of Mike’s and my struggles and challenges were about to be revealed to all our family and friends so that God might be exposed to them.

 

As we went through everything this pas weekend, I was in awe of the blessing God provided. Our true family and friends came to our sides and helped us through this. They lifted us up in prayer. They showed their support without even saying words, but just by being there.

 

After we had bailed Mike out of Jail on Sunday, we had a BBQ to celebrate that he was home again with us. We were thankful just to have him. Everyone was sitting in the living room eating their steak and chicken and discussing GOD! They each shared their stories of how God has worked in their lives. They shared their personal views on faith and religion. I couldn’t contain myself; I went into the back room and wept. I thanked God for sending me the message weeks earlier to help me understand that this trial was purposed in our lives to help other’s find him!

 

Mike and I have lots of challenges ahead of us. There will be a lot of hard work to be done. But, we are both in agreement that God purposed this in our lives to expose him to us and to our family and friends. All praise, honor, and glory are to God our maker!

God sent us an Angel!

Through all our trials this past weekend, my strength and hope has come from Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. He has forgiven us for all that we have done wrong (our sins) and has reminded us that our wrong doings are no greater or less severe than those of another child of God. I am redeemed because of my faith in God the father, son, and Holy Spirit.

 

While Mike was in Jail I had prayed to God. Well, I had prayed the entire weekend all weekend long 24 hours a day (or close to that). If I wasn’t praying, I was praising him for purposing this trial in our life that we would learn from and grow in our marriage and as individuals.

 

On Saturday, I crawled into bed humbled by the mighty works of our Lord. I pleaded with God… “God, is there any way possible, is this a request I can make? If so, please send an Angel to Mike to comfort him since I am not able to be there to console him” I slept soundly that night in peace.

 

The next morning I got up early to visit Mike in jail. We were allowed to visit for 20 minutes a day. Before I could even tell him that I had prayed the night before that God might send him an Angel, Mike blurted out “I had a Guardian Angel last night” All glory, and honor, and praise be to God! He had fulfilled my request.

 

Mike said that he had been feeling sick in his cell. He has lots of stomach problems and was not allowed to have his stomach medications. He was also having a lot of anxiety and panic attacks. A woman guard had come to comfort him in his cell and check on him. She took his heart rate and blood pressure and said “You are experiencing a panic attack. Stay calm, you can work through this. You’re strong enough to handle this.” He instantly felt calm! Mike thanked her for her for being so nice to him and said “You’re my guardian angel!”

 

Praise God!

The “Honeymoon” is over!

Up until this point I have been in a “honeymoon” phase of my spiritual life. God protected me with grace, but now he is drawing back a little so that I can begin to see that I can do nothing without him. Absolutely everything depends on him! My marriage, my home, my family, my friends… EVERYTHING I have is not possible with out him!

 

But, why now? Why now does he want me to realize this… I have been praying for humility. My prayer has been that he might make me righteous and humble through him. God designs suffering, he purposes suffering in our lives only when it is necessary. Many times, trials, are God’s way of showing us something we need to change in ourselves.

How does one find Peace?

God gives it, Jesus has it, The Holy Spirit dispenses it… We want it.

What is it? Peace!

It has been proven that when you worry you become physically ill and emotionally ill. So, how can we stop the vicious cycle of worry? The answer is simple yet complex to implement–humble yourself to God.

“Are you humble enough to be care free? Humility is an emptiness to be confessed to God.”  -John Piper

Submit yourself to God. Admit that you are not enough to handle all of life’s problems, all of life’s anxieties. Then, do not worry about what tomorrow will bring or what yesterday brought. Solve the problems that you face today. There is something to be said about preparing. Plan ahead so that your problems are fewer, but do not worry or dwell on the future or the past.

When we have peace, we are able to affect the circumstances of our problems. Circumstances and situations no longer have the control over you. You control the problem and how you handle the situation. You are no longer a victim of your problems.

Keeping your emotions in check

“In the last decade or so, science has discovered a tremendous amount about the role emotions play in our lives. Researches have found that even more than IQ, your emotional awareness and abilities to handle feelings will determine your success and happiness in all walks of life, including family relationships.” –John Gotman, Ph.D. Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child, p. 20

We are only able to control our own actions. So, the next time you get angry with someone ask yourself this question… “Am I trying to control this person through my anger?” I have found that if I’m able to practice poise and calmness in every situation that I’m hurled into, I actually gain more control of the situation.  The other person no longer has control of my emotions! Remember, you do not have control over what the person did to you or said to you.  You do have control of your own thoughts, words, and actions. I don’t know about you but that’s a very freeing thought! I’m only responsible for me!

One way I’ve been able to accomplish this is by admitting that I’m wrong.  It’s ok to admit defeat in my quest to succeed in life. Learning from your mistakes is even more powerful than actually succeeding at it.Wisdom is guarded by problems. Solve the problems and you gain wisdom. So, when I find myself frustrated or angry I ask myself these questions “What did I do wrong in all of this? Did I keep my cool? Did I keep my calm? Did I keep my poise?  How can I change my unwanted behaviors?”

“Feeling relaxed, confident and upbeat keeps frustration and anger in check” –Author unknown

This idea will be challenging to implement. It is extremely difficult to keep your poise when someone has manipulated your emotions, but it’s not impossible. It will require lots of practice and you’ll probably fail at it several times before you’re able to maintain your cool in the midst of your strong emotions of anger. You may even succeed at it a few times and then slip back into your old habits. Don’t let anger win. Keep trying, keep practicing and eventually it will become natural. People will start to wonder what has changed within you. That’s when you have the power to influence others, not control them.

The life quest that God has assigned to me

“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.” Ephesians 1:18

I have been blessed since I was a teenager with the ability to write. I enjoyed writing poetry and lyrics. I would close myself in my bedroom and journal about my feelings when I was a young adult. Then,  a couple of major emotional tragedies happened to me and I stopped writing.  

For over a year I feel that God has been calling me back to write. I ignored his calling blatently setting it to the side and moving on with my daily life. I didn’t know what to write about. I was afraid that my writing skills were not strong enough. I was filled with self-doubt that the skills God has given to me from the beginning were not enough.

Recently however, I had an overwhelming experience with God. He held me and comforted me in a time that I needed him most. I felt so alone in this world and felt nobody understands me here on earth. I cryed out to him in desperation and he said “Nobody can ever fully understand you like I do. They are not designed to understand. Only I can fully know who you are and understand you. This is so that you turn to me in times like these; times when you feel alone and casted out. Turn to me so that I may comfort you and give you peace. Turn to me so that I can share my plans that I have for you.”

This blog is my life quest that God has assigned to me…

“God sent a man, John the Baptist,^[c] to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” John 1:6-9

Seeking discovery in myself

Foggy Path Through Jesus Green

Cambridge in Clour -Photography by Sean T. McHugh-

www.cambridgeincolour.com

“We choose the thoughts we wish to dominate our lives” -Author unknown

I asked myself the question “What thoughts am I allowing to dominate my life?” This is my journey in seeking to find that answer…

“Be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new nature” Ephesians 4:23-24 

We can change the thoughts we’re allowing to dominate our minds and our spirits. We have the opportunity everyday to be the kind of person we want to be, just by changing our own attitudes and inner thought philosophies. All it takes is one new thought at a time.However long it takes you to accept the new thought and change your behaviors accordingly is completely up to you. It could be over night and you may never struggle with it again. It could also be challenging and a daily fight to change your attitudes. It’s still your choice if you’re going to allow your old thoughts to take control of your life and defeat you. Wither it takes you a day, a month, or years to change just one thought is perfectly acceptable. Really, what’s the hurry? Just take your time so that it really sinks in!