Conformed or Transformed?

This has been an exciting month for us. I have been working toward ordination in the Wesleyan Church. I have been learning so much in my classes and preached twice this month, my first sermons. Both went very well and I was amazed to see God at work in the hearts of people. What an awesome responsibility and privilege. Last night, as Brian and I sat around our little (Brian built it, so you know it wasn't THAT little) campfire in the back yard, I got a call from our Asst. District Superintendent informing me that he had received my paperwork and I was now a licensed Minister. I now have only a few classes left for ordination. I love God's timing in revealing HIS plan for our lives. He continues to show himself and bring us back to the "roots" of the initial call. I think if He gave us the whole picture all at once, we would freak out, so we get one step at a time, but no matter what the future holds for us, we know God has our best interest in mind and we tru...

"A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine." -D.L. Moody

Our hamster died over the weekend. He was a good little "Hammy" as we called him. My seven year old daughter got clean bedding and a box and buried him in the back yard with a cross with his name and date on it. I did my first funeral. We said a prayer and then got some flowers and laid them over the grave. It was sad to watch them say goodbye to their little friend that woke them up every morning. Tonight my son said to me. "Mom, I have regrets. I wish I would have held him more. I wish I would have talked to him more." We talked about the fact that life sometimes gets our eyes off from what's important to us. We need to make sure that every thing we do has been evaluated as to it's importance to us. Andrew is learning a big lesson at a young age. If we died tomorrow would we have regrets? Would we change today? I know I would. So, evaluation is in order. It's where God has been working on me lately.

I am finally home again after another great FLAME class. The classes fill your brain with knowledge that makes your head want to burst, but the networking that takes place, the time alone with God, and of course the food make it all an incredible experience. I mentioned the time alone with God. It's so nice to get away from all the busyness of life and be able to listen. I was walking on the sidewalks early one morning and I kept coming to a dead end. The sidewalks would be going along and then they would just end. There were quite a few like that. It was kinda weird, until God used that picture to speak to my heart: The avenues I have been taking, although good, are leading me to a dead end, unless I am obedient to go off the end into uncharted territory. To walk by faith and not by sight. When God first called me to ministry, this is what He asked of me. I have made every excuse in the book as to why it can't be now, and yet, that's just what it is.....an excuse. In some ...

In Romans 4:18-21 Abraham and Sarah had lost hope to become the father of many nations, as he had promised. They were old and past child bearing age and saw it as impossible at that point in their life. He didn't see how God would fulfill that promise, but believed in the promise. The key to these verse for me today was in verse 20 that says "but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God." How is it that one can praise God in dire circumstances? How can we have faith when everything around us looks tells us a different story? The answer is in this verse. The more we praise God for who He is, the more our faith increases. You see, the more we praise, the more we realize what a BIG and mighty God we serve. The more we can trust in Him. Praise increases our faith. Praise empowers our faith. So, when I praise God in the worst and impossible situations, I trust even more in the one who knows it all and has my best interest in mind....