He Sees. He Knows. He Has Experienced It.

I recently read this by Mary DeMuth (from her book, "EVERYTHING," that comes out TODAY):

"Everything that hurts us on earth has the potential, when we let God put His hands in the conflict, to bless the world. In short, we hurt, God heals, we become an agent of healing. In other words, when we're brave enough to let God transform our pain, we bring heaven to earth. And when He stretches His arm from heaven to earth, blessing us with comfort, we, in turn, touch the world with heaven's touch."

And then, this morning, I heard an interview on the radio with Mark Shultz. I don't remember his exact words, but Mark said something like this, "If God isn't moving the mountain, it's because He's giving you the strength to go over it."

And then I remembered seeing this:

"The quickest way to forget about your pain is to help someone who hurts more." ~Matthew Barnett

So many times we find ourselves in places we'd rather not be, in circumstances we would've never chosen for ourselves, and pain (physical, mental, emotional) we wish would just. please. go. away.

But what if our circumstances don't change and the pain does not go away?

What if we use our faith and we pray every day and we stand on scriptures and nothing changes?

Maybe something IS changing.

Maybe WE are changing on the inside.

Maybe we are being prepared to help someone who hurts more.

Maybe we are becoming an agent of healing.

Maybe we are healing from the inside out.

Maybe our faith is growing and our hearts are being softened.

I don't understand everything, but I know God never changes.

I know Jesus loves me so much He died on the cross so I can live.

So when I don't get I answers, I remember, God has my life in His hands.

He sees the big picture. He knows the number of my days. And His ways are perfect.

So I keep walking.

I keep celebrating.

I keep praying.

I give thanks.

I keep believing.

I share.

I keep praising.

I chose joy.

And I remind myself His love never gives up on me. He knows me better than anyone. And He promises that no matter what, NO MATTER WHAT, He will never leave me nor forsake me.

In that hard place? Yep. He's there.

When my pain is more than I can bear? Yes. He is there, too.

He sees, He knows, He has experienced it.

Keep pressing forward, sister. Keep going. Don't give up! Your story isn't finished yet, and neither is mine!

Please let me pray with you today. Let me keep standing and keep believing with you. Leave a comment below or feel free to send me a private message: shellyafaust@gmail.com

His love never fails!

Praise the Lord! He is good. God’s love never fails. Praise the God of all gods. God’s love never fails. Praise the Lord of lords. God’s love never fails. ~Psalms 136:1-3

Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. ~Psalms 105:4

Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee. ~Psalms 63:3

Hear It On Sunday, Use It On Monday & A Tribute

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. We will not fear. Psalm 4:1-2

At the beginning of service this morning, the congregation rose, hand over heart, eyes fixed on our American flag displayed proudly at the front of the stage. In unison, voices pledged allegiance to the red, white and blue and sang of the land of the free and the home of the brave.

A Tribute to lives lost ten years ago, on the day that forever changed America and left hearts aching

In the middle of crisis, the fierceness of the storm, the heat of the battle, it is easy to give in and give up. But the victory comes with digging in heels and drawing strength from the inner depths of your being, strength you never knew you had, strength that overcomes the greatest evil...His strength in our weakness. We continue to rise above this tragedy and pray for America to remember who she is, to take her rightful place, to once again stand for truths upon which she was founded ...and to trust in God.

A Tribute to Fallen Soldiers, a moment of silence and prayer for hurting families

A Tribute to active/retired soldiers abroad and in our own congregation

Below is Retired Sgt. Brian Fleming - our guest speaker.

http://www.blownupguy.com/

He gives a powerful testimony of one soldier's journey from being blown up twice in Afghanistan to using his story to bring hope to others and his voice to tell of the love of Christ all across the world.

We are the United States of America. We are the land of the free, the home of the brave.

God Bless America!

Linking today with Michelle at Nebraska Graceful

and counting gifts with Ann at A Holy Experience

76 freedom to worship

77 men and women who risk their lives for our freedom

78 the ability to forgive

79 courage to press on

80 hope to become better

81 love that covers and heals

82 His strength in my weakness

83 gentle reminders that keep things in perspective

84 grace for this journey

85 mercies new in the morning

On the Outside It's Hard to Tell...

God stands knocking at the door of our soul, waiting for an invitation.


And He beckons us to come to Him.


He tugs at our heartstrings, gently pulling at the most tender places, wanting to heal and mend our brokenness, take away our unforgiveness, replace our hatred, forgive our sins, and fill our emptiness with His all-consuming love that we do not deserve.


But oftentimes, we isolate ourselves from Him.


On the outside it's hard to tell.


It's so easy to get caught up in the lingo and jargon that we, as Christians, are so familiar with.  The words roll off of our tongue effortlessly, but void of passion and meaning. 


Rituals replace relationship, and superficiality thwarts spiritual growth, pushing intimacy out of our reach.


We become Professional Christians, or participate in Christian Professionalism, or Professional Christianism....or whatever you might call it...you get the idea.


Reading our bible becomes something we check off of our to-do list instead of something we long for because we love spending time with Him Who is the Word.


Praying feels obligatory instead of a privilege to commune with, know and fellowship in the presence of the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Creator of the Universe, Savior.


We wear ourselves out trying to "prove" our worth instead of allowing God to bring out the best in us.


As my friend Sharon said, "Faithful becomes Sunday worship."


Our lives become filled with unworthy substitutes, everything but the One for Whom we were created.


We have turned our backs and we don't even know it, because we have fooled even ourselves.


I have been there more than once before and it is a lonely, dry, unsatisfying place. 


Being a Christian is more.


It is more than Sunday worship.


It is more than an appearance.


It is more than a life "style."


It is our life.  Our being.  Our reason for existence.  Our hope when there is no hope.


Accept His invitation today.


Worship and know Him, offer your heart and the whole of your being.


Let us lose our professionalism and be real with God....so He can be real through us.

Not as Good, but Good Enough?

This morning as I was making preparations for tonight's dinner, I realized I was out of cooking oil.  I didn't have a back up plan and since my family expects to eat every night, I HAD to make things work somehow.  So.....what could I use in place of the oil? 

Butter. 

After choosing butter, I began to think of other substitutes that I had used and other times I had improvised.  And then Holy Spirit began speaking.

One definition for improvise is to make do with whatever materials are on hand.  Some synonyms are fake, make do, invent, throw together, wing it, extemporize.

A substitute is a person or thing acting or serving in the place of another

There have been many (many) instances when I have had to improvise or find a substitute.  Some things have worked well, others.....not so much. 

Like the time I was out of detergent for my dishwasher. (You know what I'm going to say here, don't you?) Yes, ....I did.  Being young and inexperienced in the dishwasher department (because growing up I WAS the dishwasher), I thought surely a little bit of regular dish soap would work just as well.  Unfortunately (as those of you who will admit ever doing this know), that was not the case.  Imagine my surprise when I saw the detergent bubbling out of my dishwasher like molten lava from a volcano!  Overflow would not quite describe what happened in my kitchen that day!  I'm not sure I ever told my husband about it, but I"m sure he noticed how clean and shiny the floor was that particular evening.

Unlike my dishwasher story, the butter proved to be a more worthy substitute.  Not as good, but good enough.

As Holy Spirit began to speak to me, He, once again, challenged me to examine my life.  How often do I substitute things for my time with God?  How many times have I found myself lacking in an area or in need of something and instead of getting exactly what I needed, I improvised?  How many times have I settled for not as good, but good enough?

Don't get me wrong....improvising can be a great and useful tool when it comes to things like using a stick of my kids school glue when I run out of my scrapbooking glue, hand drawing a poster when my printer runs out of ink or using white thread when I would rather have light pink.  But when it comes to our relationship with God, there is no substitute that compares, nothing that fills our heart or completes us the way He does.

There have been times when I have been stressed out, in need of peace, joy or comfort and turned to dark chocolate or a large stuffed crust pepperoni lovers pizza with extra cheese dipped in ranch to make me feel better.  (Note to self: ...this would be one of those not so much times.....)

I don't want anything concerning my walk with my Savior, my journey with the King of Kings to be just good enough.  Jesus gave everything for me.  I don't want something that is not quite as good, but good enough, I want a real relationship with the One true God, my heavenly Father. 

There is nothing, or no one who compares.

"Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works." Psalm 86:8 (NIV)

*All definitions/synonyms found at dictionary.com.

Compelled into His Presence

This weekend as we celebrated Easter, we were surrounded by lots of family. We are truly blessed. And yesterday, as we sat down in the restaurant for lunch, Logan (my five year old) grabbed our hands and announced that he would be the one to give thanks for our meal. As he prayed, my sister and I sat in awe and with tears in our eyes at the words coming from his mouth. I know He hears God speaking and he understood what that day so long ago was all about....

God ( Gaaaawwwwd - long and drawn out, Texas style)....thank you for the birds. Thank you for the trees. Thank you, God, for my mom and my Aunt Vicki. (long pause and thinking.......) Jesus, you died for us! (in a loud 5 yr old voice) You died on the cross for our sins! And today you are alive! Thank you, Jesus, for what you did for us! We celebrate You today! Thank You Jesus for dying on the cross! And God (Gaaawwwwd), thank you for our food. In Jesus' name I pray....Amen.

A powerful prayer full of emotion from my five year old. Thank You, God, for my children who love you.

For the last couple of days, I've heard the word compel. I know what this word means, and how to use it in a sentence, don't worry (smile) but, being the word nerd that I am, I looked it up for it's exact dictionary meaning. (And yes, I am still a member of the dictionary.com word of the day club.) There were several definitions but here are the ones I particularly liked:

compel - to have a powerful and irresistible effect, influence, etc

compelling - requiring acute admiration, attention, or respect

I feel like God speaks to me sometimes through words, or a single word. I can hear a word over and over in my spirit, and then it seems that everywhere I look or everything I read the word is there..... and I know that He is trying to tell me something. It is exciting to search for the meaning like a hidden treasure and then feel the confirmation in my spirit when His message is opened up and revealed to me. He is so good and He loves to speak to His children.

So with this word, I feel like God is saying that He requires acute (extremely great or serious; sensitive even to slight details or impressions) admiration (the act of looking on or contemplating with pleasure), attention (observant care and consideration) and respect (the condition of being esteemed or honored) from me. And He wants to have a powerful and irresistible effect and influence over my life, every moment of every day. But I must answer when He calls (no matter what I'm doing at the moment). The Father is jealous of my time and desires my exclusive, fixed, undivided attention.

One moment with Him is unlike anything on this earth. I truly am complete when I am in His presence.

Is He compelling you today? Won't you answer Your Father and allow Him to speak to you this moment? He has secrets to tell and treasure to give.............

Father....I surrender my time to You. Order my day and fill it with Your presence. Let me be sensitive to Your voice above everything. In the midst of my busyness, let me hear Your call and answer without hesitation.........Your love overwhelms me......Thank you for desiring my attention, thank you that You still speak to Your children..........

Your Word Have I Hidden in My Heart...

Your word I have hidden in my heart,

That I might not sin against You.

Psalm 119:11

I was reading a blog this morning that I follow from time to time, and the author is challenging her readers to memorize Ps. 139 by the first of the year. This just so happens to be one of my favorite Psalms so I thought I would take the challenge! It is so important to have the Word of God hidden in our hearts! Memorizing and meditating on scriptures are ways to make that happen! :-)

PSALM 139 (NKJV)

1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

2 You know my sitting down and my rising up. You understand my thought afar off.

3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

5 You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

9 If I take the wings of morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 Even there Your hand shall lead me.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," Even the night shall be light about me;

12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.

19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.

20 For they speak against you wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way of everlasting.