From the category archives:

faith

Updates…

Well it’s been 2 weeks since my last update here… but for good reason!

The trip to the Dominican Republic was amazing — here are some photo highlights!

During the week, we worked to build a duplex for 2 families that didn’t have homes. One couple was in their 70’s and had never owned a home before, the other was a family of 6 (i think) whose husband/father works on the other side of the island for 2 weeks at a time.

On Friday we visited a beach and then went shopping in downtown Santo Domingo… the beach was great — look how beautiful — paradise!

We saw this gorgeous rainbow as we were headed back to our hotel
after our day in Santo Domingo on Friday!
Here’s the team and the happy new homeowners!

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Leaving today…


Well everyone… the day has finally arrived. Today at 4:45p ET, the Dominican Republic mission team will leave for Chicago and tomorrow morning (bright & early) we will be boarding a plane bound for the Dominican Republic (via Miami). I really can’t believe it, just all seems so surreal. But I am excited.

I am excited to get to know my team so much better. I am excited to see a country I’ve never been to. I am excited to take a week out of my “normal” life and dedicate it to serving others. I am excited about what God is going to do through our team. I am excited to see how God is going to change lives. And most of all, I am excited about what God is going to show me through all of this.

This whole experiece thus far has been a true blessing and I can’t begin to thank the people who supported me financially – and everyone who is supporting me and the team in prayer. I woke up this morning feeling so very grateful for both. Without both componants, this trip would not have been possible for myself or my teammates.

In the coming days, please lift up my team in your thoughts and prayers – for both safety and health – while we travel and are at the worksite. Please also pray that God will move hearts and speak to those that need to hear from Him.

When I return (or maybe a couple days after I return), I will be sure to update you all with some pictures from the trip & what we did.

Thanks for your support & prayers! :)

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The Words I Would Say

I have a new favorite song. I don’t usually post these, but this one I just had to. The words strike me everytime I hear it…

The song is called “The Words I Would Say” by the Sidewalk Prophets. I heard it on the radio one night and immediately went home and bought it. There are only a handful of other songs that I have done that with. (Usually my music purchases involve me lamenting for at least 24 hours about the purchase… after all, it is a whole 99 cents I will not be able to recoup.)

Here are the words to the song…

Three in the morning,
and I’m still awake
So I picked up a pen and a page
And I started writing just what I’d say
If we were face to face
I’d tell you just what you mean to me
Tell you these simple truths

CHORUS
Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You’re gonna do great things
I already know
God’s got His hand on You
So don’t live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say

Last time we spoke you said you were hurting
And I felt your pain in my heart
I want to tell you that I keep on praying
That love will find you where you are
I know cause I’ve already been there
So please hear these simple truths

CHORUS

Say… from one simple life to another
I will say… come find peace in the Father

Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You’re gonna do great things
I already know
God’s got His hand on You
So don’t live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don’t forget why you’re here
Take your time and pray
And thank God for each day
His love will find a way
These are the words I would say

And this link will take you to the story behind the song.

I hope you hear it sometime… I am apparently not tech-savvy enough today to find it so you can here it on the blog. Someday I will figure that out!

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Lose for Good…

I can’t believe I forgot this the other day… but I have an announcement to make about the Lose for Good campaign that Weight Watcher’s is doing.

First – a little about what Lose for Good is all about… in case you don’t know. Weight Watchers is teaming up with Share our Strength & Action Against Hunger and committed to donate the equivalent of what the member’s lose (up to a million pounds of food). How Awesome is that. Well… in addition, the local Weight Watcher’s centers are teaming up with local food pantries and encouraging their members (if they are able to) also donate food equivalent to what they lose during the campaign.

I love this campaign and am so glad that Weight Watcher’s is doing it. Not only are they teaching people to live a more healthy lifestyle, but they are encouraging us to look outside ourselves to help our neighbors that are hungry.

Which brings me to what I am doing… after a lot of consideration, I have decided during the last week of the campaign to donate 160 pounds of food to my center. Yes, 160… the total amount that I have lost. I have been truly blessed by what Weight Watchers has done in my life… as well as the fact that God has blessed me in many other ways. I feel that this is only a small way for me to give back and try to make a difference in my community as well.

Will you consider donating food equal what you have lost during this 7 week campaign… or maybe even your total losses???

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Ambitious this fall…

My church is offering 2 classes this fall that I wanted to participate in… 2!! I hate to say it, but in the past I have found that many times there aren’t any classes that I want to do… so YAY!!!

As many of you all know, I have a great respect for Beth Moore and the calling that God has placed on her to write and lead studies through His Word. I have done one study and read part of one book (still working on it…) and love what I have been shown about the Word as well as what I need to change in my own life.

So this fall, I’m participating in the study of Esther as well as a church-wide challenge of reading the Bible in 90 days.

I have to say… I am SO excited to hear what God is going to tell & show me through all of this – and what my next steps might be in the coming months, years and beyond. As I’ve said before, he has blessed me beyond anything that I can even comprehend… and that was during times when I wasn’t even in His Word very much or often. (<--- Ashamed to say that, but it's true!!)

I am just so thankful that he is now blessing me with these opportunities… and look forward to what more I will learn.

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Siesta Scripture time again…

I have been truly blessed learning these verses this past few weeks. It’s so refreshing knowing that God’s Word is being stored inside me… and that I can recall it at times that I truly need to hear it. Whether through times of trial or rejoicing, it’s just been a great way for me to trust Him in new ways.

The scripture that I am choosing to memorize is going to be part of a larger passage this time – Psalm 103:1-5 NIV. It might take me a month or more to do this one… but I am going to perservere.

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

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Siesta Scripture – from Sept 1…

Oops… I just realized in the last day or so that I totally forgot to put up my memory verse for the last few days. Not only that, but I will call myself out and tell you all that I haven’t even worked on it that hard.

That stops now. I will memorize this verse by the 14th. Because I am committing to it.

The verse I chose for September 1 is…

“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
~Proverbs 16:3 TNIV

For those of you that don’t know… I got this idea from Beth Moore’s blog a few months ago when I started reading regularly. She will actually be hosting a conference in Houston to celebrate the group’s scripture memory in January. I, however, will not be there… and am a little bummed about that! :-(

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What’s happening…

So this week has been a busy one… one that I am glad to have though.

Wednesday – I made it to a Weight Watcher’s meeting (so glad I did!) for the first time in August. It was a good meeting… and good to see my fellow Wed Night groupies again. :) After that I walked with my aunt and had good chat time with her!

Thursday… well, I kept my promise that I would make it to the gym that day at 6am… and I did. I’m not quite sure how I dragged myself out of bed with so little sleep, but I got a really good workout in and am really happy with the results thus far. That night I had a meeting at church for the mission trip I will be going on in October (more info to come soon!). I’m going to the Dominican Republic with 11 others… I am a little nervous about what I’ll be seeing and experiencing, but I know that God is with me all the way on this!

Tonight I’m going with my mom to the Beth Moore event at her church. I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am. I’ve been following the LPM blog now for a while and have been so blessed by it… not only the writings by Beth, Melissa & Amanda… but also by the comments made by the Siesta’s out there all over the country. And I can’t wait to see them tonight on a screen from a church in my hometown. I can’t wait to learn more from God’s word and what he’s showing me right now.

Tomorrow morning is a continuation of the Beth Moore event – and then at night I’m going to a Whitecaps baseball game with my family. I’ve been looking forward to this for at least a month now… and it’s finally here!

Sunday will be another fun-filled action-packed day for me (does it ever stop?!?!) Church, family gathering and then walking & watching Project Runway with a friend at night. Oh yeah, weigh in for Weight Watcher’s will be on Sunday also… hoping that I can “squeek” in an acceptable weight for August so that I can get my additional “lifetime key” in December!

So there the recap of where I’ve been, and why I haven’t been doing any writing here…

…but I have to say – the light at the end of the tunnel about how busy I am and have been this week – I have hardly any time to eat! I guess it’s a good thing huh!?!

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I’m thankful for God’s leading…

Throughout the year this year, I have been led to change many things in my life. Over the last couple of years, I have felt God lead and change me through the weight loss that I have experienced, my adventures on the 3-day last year and how I am supposed to live throughout past years. But now, this year, I have not only seen Him leading me to go on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, but also to explore more of the world around me. To get to know people I might not have known before… to learn and expand my horizons so that I can use my gifts for Him more effectively… and to place my trust in Him like I never have before. And while I might not be getting the “answers” I want right now… I know that God is working to prepare me for these “answers”. I just have to keep praying about them.

How do I know God is talking to me? Earlier this year, I told God that I wanted to follow Him. I wanted Him to show me what path I was to take, how I was supposed to get to where He wanted me, and live the life that I am to life. That prayer was said before I started my first Beth Moore Bible Study on the Psalms of Ascent. Through this study, I learned more about what God wanted me to be. Then this summer, I “participated” (and I use that term VERY loosely) in the online Bible study of Jennifer Rothschild – “Me, Myself & Lies”.

Wow. Now that study blew me away.

Here I thought I was optimistic about myself and my life. I thought I had overcome issues of self-doubt and self-ridicule. Turns out that I just put them into “storage”… because as soon as I started that study, Satan began attacking me with it and everything suffered. I gained a little weight because all of a sudden I didn’t know how to deal with these feelings. Yup, I will admit it… my feelings over took me with this. And when I finally dealt with them (or I should say some of them… as I am still dealing with others), I finally felt like I was gaining ground. And by the way… I am back on the weight loss (or maintenance) track too!

I could go into so much more of what happened in my real life during that study (specifically events at work) – because it’s remarkable how God used it and boosted me up when I needed it. I know that God will keep working in my life and I am more excited about what is to come than ever before. I feel like the world is just opening up to me. And I like it…
Here are some verses that have been shown to me through my own study of the Bible, from listening to the radio, and the studies I’ve mentioned above. I hope you all can see God working in these verses as much as I can…

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
James 1:2-4 MSG

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.
Hebrews 11:1 NLT

And it is so: All who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.
Galatians 3:9 NLT

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17 NIV

Take delight in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4 TNIV

God is able to do far more than we could ever ask for or imagine. He does everything by His power that is working in us.
Ephesians 3:20 NIRV

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7 TNIV

Search me 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.
Psalm 139:23-24 TNIV

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Matthew 6:34 MSG

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. See His will in all you do, and He will show you witch path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.
Proverbs 16:3 TNIV

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.
Philippeans 1:9-11 TNIV

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Siesta Scripture Memory

I’ve been following Beth Moore’s LPM blog for a while and am now publicly committing to learn scripture with them. Each month on the 1st & the 15th the “siestas” (followers of the blog) post the scripture that we memorize. The cool thing about it is that we each get to choose the verse we want. Why? Because God is working in each of in different ways and is speaking to us through these verses.

The verse I have chosen is one that has been speaking to me for quite sometime. I’ve actually been pretty humbled by it a number of times in the past few months.

“God is able to do far more than we could ever ask for or imagine. He does everything by His power that is working in us.”

~Ephesians 3:20 NIRV

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