This State of Limbo

Greetings Everybody,
It's been a while since I posted.  Nice to see you guys again.

During the time that I was mostly silent, there has been quite a bit going on.  I didn't just forget to post...I was just being quiet. Eventually I will fill in the gaps. Not ready to talk about it all yet.

Sometimes I just need to quiet.

As it happens, today I wanted to write again.

And today I want to say that God amazes me.

Every time...every single time...that we really need His Help...He DELIVERS!

I am not going to go into detail about all of that right now, but will just say that God is so very good.

For today though, I do want to share a little bit with you.

I had a job interview last week, for a different position within my same district.  It is a Central Office job, and I would love to be a part of the project that the position encompasses.

During this interview, they told me that there would be several more interviews in this selection process, and that it would be two or three weeks before the committee makes that selection.

Since last week was the first week of school, I suspect that the committee would not have asked anyone to come in for an interview during THAT week. 

I say that because Everyone in Public Education knows that the first week of school is a total-energy-zapper and that NOBODY would be at their best for an interview that week.

Still, it's possible that they could have done so.

I just don't know yet.

But I do know this: 

If God wants me to go into this new position, it will happen. 

If He wants me to stay in the classroom, it will happen.

I just want to be in His Will.

And I am incredibly at peace with this state of limbo!

But I do kinda laugh to myself about how much energy it takes to get a school year started.

Firmly establishing the procedures & expectations of a classroom is really hard work. 

And I wonder if the benefits of all of this hard work will be something that I end up handing over to another teacher?  

Yet I am at peace about it.

And this peace is from God.

In His Time, I'll find out what He wants me to do.

But meanwhile, if He does leave me in the classroom, I have already discerned a couple of students whom I suspect He may have sent my way.  

He does that.  

Every year there are a couple of kiddo's who really need a strong Christian teacher...and I am humbled and honored when God puts me in their paths.

I'll be sure to let you guys know what God decides to do with me.

Meanwhile I will hold to this thought:
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Colossians 3:24

In Him,
Grace

God is Painting The Sky...Right NOW

Greetings Everybody,

It's nearly 3: 30 am right now.

Couldn't sleep.

I went to bed early last night, but tossed and turned.
Mostly because I wanted to be outside, on the porch, looking at the ocean tonight.
Like a little kid, I didn't WANT to go to bed, I wanted to stay up.

And understandably so.
The ocean was and still IS calling to me.
And so, I got up, brewed a cup of coffee, and went to the little table on the porch.
And I found that God had prepared quite a show for me.

We are 18 floors up.
The wind is blowing.
The sea is crashing.
There is salt in the air.
And the sky is flashing.

No we are not at home.
We are on vacation, in Florida, on the Emerald Coast.

And God is painting the night-time sky...RIGHT NOW.

There is a most delicious lightening storm on the horizon.
And God splashing all sorts of color sprays onto the darkness of the sky.

Some orange here and there, some yellow, and white...
...and a gorgeous shade of what can only be referred to as Dreamsicle.

And if you are old enough to remember Dreamsicles, then you know exactly the blend of orange & pink that I am talking about.

So here I sit.

Despite the growing storm, I find the sound of the ocean is so relaxing.
But I am conflicted because the visual effects are so exciting.

And when God added the sounds of thunder just now, my poor mind didn't know how to respond.

So I just stood up, went to the railing and cried tears of joy.

It was too much for my mind to hold.

I serve a mighty God!
I serve the maker of the ocean and sky.
I serve the one who stirs this wind and creates that booming sound.

He is big and I am small.
And I love HIM!

And now I understand why I couldn't sleep.

It wasn't the ocean calling me...
It was GOD!

And in answering HIM, I saw things in the wee hours of this morning that MOST of the people in this town probably didn't see.
What a treat and what a blessing.

Life is like that.

When we answer God's call, we are shown the glory of His Majesty.

And it makes us so incredibly glad 
that we answered His Call.

In HIM,
Grace

"The Skinny" On SENSA

Greetings Everybody,
Got a little endorsement to share with you today and its about a product called SENSA.


I bought SENSA about a 6 months ago and put it on the shelf and didn't open it.


But on July 2, I DID open the package, watch the little DVD that came with it, and start using it.


I also gathered my courage and re-dedicated myself to getting more exercise.


1. I sprinkle SENSA on everything I eat except liquids.


2. I workout 3 times a week in a pool for about 40-45 minutes.


3. I did NOT change the kinds of food I am eating. 
Still eat anything my husband eats.(Sandwiches, Tacos, Frozen Yogurt with toppings etc)


4. But I am eating less...alot less...and enjoying being FULL without over eating.


5. I started July 2 and as of July 26 (thats only 24 days)...
I have lost 9 pounds.


And the kicker is...I am NOT hungry.
The SENSA does not make me gittery, or anxious and I sleep like a baby. 


So far the only side effect has been my ability to feel full on MUCH less food than I normally consume.


(Just so ya know...I am not getting a dime for doing this endorsement. The SENSA folks don't know me from ADAM.
I bought my first box of the stuff at Costco, so I am nameless consumer to them.)


Furthermore and FOR THE RECORD, I have no idea if it will work for YOU...wouldn't dare try to assume that.


The whole purpose of this post is just for me to tell you that SENSA is working for ME.


It's pretty cool to be losing weight, and NOT be hungry or feel like I am depriving myself of yummy stuff.


To me, There IS NO MAGIC BULLET for weight loss.
And I am significantly skeptical of products that claim miraculous weight loss powers.  


But for me...this stuff works.
SENSA is helping me reduce my portion size...
and I am doing more exercise...
and thats a formula for success to me.


It's Basic Math!

Ingesting fewer Calories 

+ 

Burning more Calories with Exercise

= Skinnier Me :)

Doing So Comfortably= HAPPIER ME TOO!

YAY  for SENSA

Just thought I'd Share!

In Him, 

Grace

The Spiritual Night-Vision Goggles of Discernment

Greetings Everybody,
I have been quiet for a few days...typically I tend to do that when storing up energy in preparation for something.
And although I DON'T always know what that something is, I DO know that generally God leads me to "the still waters" prior to something that will call for concentrated effort on my part.


Don't know what it is yet.
And it really doesn't matter.


I am content to know that this is a time of being still and knowing that He is in control.  Like the scripture says...

"He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalms 46:10

Perhaps as an extension of my own struggles, it is appropriate that I feel compelled to talk with you guys about how to deal with negativity and darkness in our lives.

Let's begin with this statement:

Christ Rescues Us From Darkness.

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." 

Colassians 1:13-14

But we Christians are not exempt from having to contend with darkness in our daily lives. 
In fact we are told to be wary of the evil one  
who is on the prowl .

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 

I Peter 5:8

And if indeed our enemy is Satan, and we are called on to be Self-controlled and Alert, then we need weapons to use in this fight. 

Today I want to share with you that one of those 

Spiritual Weapons is Discernment.


And we need Discernment because 
we ARE engaged in that battle 
of Light against Dark 
and everybody knows that
 its HARD to see in the DARK!

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12

Discernment works like Spiritual Night-Vision Goggles.

It helps us see what 
is Of The Dark 
as we 
go about 
our every day lives.

And make no mistake, 
this is all about Light and Dark.

And as Christians it's all about 
Choosing 

 The Light.

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." I John 1:7

Now as I begin to further unfold this lesson, let me also share with you 
that I have come to believe 
that our lives are very much like 
a giant tapestry 
that starts when we are born 
and ends when we die.

You could say that 
the Threads of that Tapestry 
are made up of 
our Thoughts,
our Words, 
and our Actions.

So what does Discernment have to do with a Life Tapestry?

Here's What:

-I believe we must use the skill of DISCERNMENT in selecting the threads we USE in that Life Tapestry.

-I believe that we should DISCERN the Light threads from the Dark ones.

-I believe that once we learn how to tell them apart we should then Purposefully CHOOSE the Light threads instead of the Dark ones.

-I believe that failure to Discern and Purposefully Choose Light over Dark will lead to a really sad life with many dark and knotted threads, and could lead to eternal damnation.

I recently found myself just weaving away 

with a collection of Dark Threads 

known as disgust, revulsion, dread, fear, and anger.

The more I worked with those threads, 

trying diligently to justify the use of them, 

the worse I felt.

It was hard to realize that I had been 
CHOOSING to work with them.

I HAD other options.

But I had defiantly CHOSEN to select the Dark threads.

Once having chosen to weave with the Dark Threads, 
I found that it was difficult to put them down.

It was difficult because the 

Dark Threads are sticky.

They try to cling to you.

And they get all knotted up.

And they cause confusion, and chaos, and cloudy thinking.

It is my opinion that the only way 
to get rid of these Dark threads 
is to ask Jesus 
to take them away from you.

It is also my opinion 
that at a certain point 
we All have to simply Lift Up our tangled hands, 
and Show Him our knotted Tapestries, 
and Ask HIM to Repair Us.

He has a way of repairing Life Tapestries.

He gives us new threads 
and shows us how to use the Light threads 
in a way that brings 
depth, understanding and significant perspective 
to our Lives. 

He tells us to LIVE in the LIGHT by choosing Threads of Goodness, Righteousness, and Truth.

He warns us 
to have nothing 
to do with darkness.

God doesn't mince words here...He doesn't leave us to ponder if a certain THREAD SELECTION is OK or not.

He gives us the litmus test for our 

Thoughts, Words and Actions:  

-Is is Good?

-Is it Righteous?

-Is it Truth?
-Does it please The Lord?

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."  Ephesians 5:8-11

It's true every decision we make is not a moral one.

(For example, I don't think I have to ponder whether trimming  my toenails 

is Good, Righteous, Truthful, or if it pleases The Lord.)  

But MANY of our daily decision 
DO have moral elements to them.

Like:

-Choosing to dwell on harsh words someone said to you

IS a moral choice!

-Choosing to dwell on hardships that life has handed you 

IS a moral choice!

-Choosing to focus on the past, instead of claiming God's blessings in the future. 

Yeah THAT'S a MORAL CHOICE too!

There IS a Right and a Wrong here.

And Choosing The Dark over The Light is sinful.

We are to have "nothing" to do 
with the Fruitless Deeds of Darkness. 


And that concept of "nothing" includes 
mentally dwelling on those
fruitless deeds as well.

If we want to Choose The Light 
then Christians MUST 
use Discernment in these matters, 
because scripture tell us 
that sin can easily entangle us.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1

So how do we gain access to Discernment?

Is there a Template? A Pattern? 
a Sample to go by?

Yes, there is.

But it is one that you must come to 
based on your OWN by reading His Word 
and your OWN daily walk with Christ.

It's NOT simple.

But it IS effective.

Today I will share with you 
ONE way 
that I practice 
Discernment in the Matters of Darkness.

When I find myself dwelling on feeling angry, sad, hurt or any number of other negative emotions,  I have learned to stop and simply ask God...

"Father is this feeling coming from YOU?"
(I ask this question of God because I must find out if the feeling is a natural response to some type of guilt on my part or if it is actually a spirit of Darkness sent to undermine my faithwalk?)


"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." 
1 John 1:5

If I submit my heart to HIM, 

and I receive a the answer YES, then...

- I may be feeling guilty about something and need to repent and ask forgiveness. 
- I may need to take some action to correct something that I have done wrong. 
- I may need to go humble myself and ask somebody to forgive me.

But If my heart is tuned to HIM,

and I receive the answer NO, then... 

well then THIS is a whole different thing.

Cause if it's not from God, it has be from satan.

This issue is pretty clear.

God is LIGHT.

Satan is DARK.

IT'S OF GOD or IT'S NOT.

Sometimes I think we need to find the courage to be able to just call a the devil by his name 

and then kick him off the sofa of our minds.

Scripture talks about this concept.

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. 

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." 

James 4:7

Get the order on this one...

First we must Submit. 

Then we must Resist.

In order to have the power to Resist, we need God's Help.

And we must ASK for that help by submitting to His Power.

That scripture is near and dear to my heart.

There have been plenty of times when I have had to lay down my pride, and submit to God.

And today I share with you that I have had to learn to ACTIVELY resist the Devil and his Dark Entangling Threads.

-By Faith,I have learned to SEEK DISCERNMENT in my daily life


-By Faith, I have learned to check my emotions and feelings to see if they are of HIM or not.


-By Faith, I have learned that some things are bigger than me and that I need help.


-By Faith, I have learned to have the courage to Call on GOD for that help.


-By Faith, I have had to learn to speak about prayers uttered in private in which I call on 
The POWER of JEHOVAH and JESUS CHRIST as I ask for  protection from darkness.


-By Faith,and based on James 4:7, I have learned to say OUTLOUD,

"In the name of Jehovah God, 

Jesus Christ his Son, 

The Holy Spirit, 

and all the ministering angels of Heaven,  

I command you Satan to LEAVE ME."

And afterwards I have felt relief.
And I have felt God's Peace flood over me. 

I can not tell you that if you do this, 
every burden that you carry will be lifted. 

I can not promise you that if you do this, 
it will stop all sadness in your life, 
for many of us have

 "thorns in the flesh".

But I CAN tell you that 
drawing closer to God 
is always a good thing.

And I can tell you that My God Is ABLE, 
and if you need HIM, 
you need to submit yourself to Him 

and talk with HIM yourself.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." 

Ephesians 3:21

May these words lead you to Seek God Today!

Blessings to you and yours.

In Him,

Grace