response

Taken from my friend Rachels blog... "If you have seen God's Providence work in your life, will you share it?  God wants us to shout it out when He works miracles for us and it helps other people build their faith as well."


Gods providence.... hmmm.  I know it's huge in my life.  Actually, ironically it is so huge that it is even in little things. Gods Providence guides me... even through the day to day, mundane, sometimes boring, life that I lead.  Yet, I am blessed.  And, I will shout it out.  Can I hear a little "WootWoot"?


I go before the King of the Universe daily.... not just daily, but hourly...   You know the verse, "Pray without ceasing." It's not that I really strive for that.  It's just that it is.  I do it.  It is one of those things that is natural for me.  It's kind of like breathing to some.  I don't mean to come across as arrogant, pious, or a "holier than thou" person.  It's just that I've got this amazing relationship with Jesus to where I really do feel that I am in conversation with the maker of the universe all the time.  It's crazy when I think about it.  The creator of the Universe cares about me.  He loves me.  He loves that I am in communion with him.  He will guide direct me.  The creator of the universe, folks.  That's one pretty amazing guy.  The Savior.  The all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving GOD... He loves ME!  And, I get to rest in that.  


The above question brings to mind the times that I have forgotten that.  Those "hard days" when I feel alone, overwhelmed, exhausted, and just weak.  Yet, even in those days God is with me.  But, sometimes I forget.  Sometimes I get so busy thinking, pondering, even praying about what is wrong that I forget who I am praying to.  I forget that God REALLY, REALLY does just want me to rest in Him.   Fortunately, it doesn't take to long for me to remember, 'Oh yeah.  God loves me.  I'm here for a reason.'


Thank you Father for loving me.  Thank you for letting me rest in you, even when I am weak.  Thank you for letting me just be.  Thank you.


And thanks Rachel for reminding me that Gods Providence can be a daily part of our lives.

The Velveteen Bible

This Bible was given to me through a site called BookSneeze.  I review the books, and then I get to keep them.

The Velveteen Bible is NKJV.  I found it interesting that by the picuture I would have thought it was a story book/bible.  I understand it says Holy Bible right on it, but it seemed younger than the actual Bible.  I pulled it out of the package and it was in this box(that you see above).  Inside of the box is a "velveteen Bible."  It's cute.  It's got the bunny in velvet along with some velvet accents.  My 4 year old son enjoyed feeling the "velvet Bible" :)

We began by openning it up and looking at some of the pictures.  They had verses and pictures of animals.  I think my son may have gotten the wrong impression by seeing a picture of 3 ducks waddling when I read to him, "whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done unto me."  I think he was thinking about doing things to ducks.  But, what can I say?  He's 4.

I asked him if he wanted to read about that story, and sure enough, he did.  So, I flipped to Matthew 25 and read it to him:

Matthew 25:31-46 (New King James Version)

The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations

 
³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy^[a] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You,or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer Him,^[b] saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

I think I would have been a bit confused too, but he rolled with the punches (so to speak), and heard the story.  It was a good teaching moment anyway.

If I were looking for a son for my son I would not buy the "Velveteen Bible," but I don't think that's what the producers had in mind anyway.  This would be a great Bible for an elementary aged girl.

The Velveteen Bible

This Bible was given to me through a site called BookSneeze.  I review the books, and then I get to keep them.

The Velveteen Bible is NKJV.  I found it interesting that by the picuture I would have thought it was a story book/bible.  I understand it says Holy Bible right on it, but it seemed younger than the actual Bible.  I pulled it out of the package and it was in this box. (that you see above)  Inside of the box is a "velveteen Bible."  It's cute.  It's got the bunny in velvet along with some velvet accents.  My 4 year old son enjoyed feeling the "velvet Bible" :)

We began by openning it up and looking at some of the pictures.  They had verses and pictures of animals.  I think my son may have gotten the wrong impression by seeing a picture of 3 ducks waddling when I read to him, "whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done unto me."  I think he was thinking about doing things to ducks.  But, what can I say?  He's 4.

I asked him if he wanted to read about that story, and sure enough, he did.  So, I flipped to Matthew 25 and read it to him:

Matthew 25:31-46 (New King James Version)

The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations

  
³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy^[a] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You,or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer Him,^[b] saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

I think I would have been a bit confused too, but he rolled with the punches (so to speak), and heard the story.  It was a good teaching moment anyway.

If I were looking for a son for my son I would not buy the "Velveteen Bible," but I don't think that's what the producers had in mind anyway.  This would be a great Bible for an elementary aged girl.

CS Lewis said

"you don't have a soul.  you are a soul.  you have a body."

Michael W Smith - I Will be here for You (original music vid) HQ

it's true.... my friends have been, well, picking on me for my taste in music. but, what can i say? i'm a sucker. it's some good stuff :) this one goes out to you, michael hullinger :)

love...

disclaimer....  this might be sappy...



some of the best songs are now considered cheesy contemporary christian music that we listened to in the "90s" oh no!  how dare i bring back something that was amazing then, and lyrically, still is amazing.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN-vgjs__gk&feature=player_detailpage

heavy on my heart

so lately i've been really focused on the following verses....

philippians 4:4-9
  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

especially this...

*whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.*

so, i'm trying to set my mind on true things... noble things... right things... pure things...  lovely things...  admirable things...  excellent or praiseworthy things...

what about you?  does this ring a bell?  bring anything to mind?

Life, In Spite of Me

Wow!  I'd heard about this young lady from my mom.  I didn't realize she had a book.  My mom is a Christian Speaker, and she gets to know a lot of people.  She is also writing a book.  She told me she had lunch with a girl that had tried to commit suicide by laying in front of a train.  I thought, "how in the world would you not die from that?!"  I knew that this young lady must be writing a book because my mom met her at a book writers conference.

And, then I saw the book on Multnomahs review page.  I was so excited.  I'd get to hear the story from Kristen herself!

So, I told Multnomah that I would love to review the book for them.  They sent me a free copy (to keep) so that I would write a review for them.

I read the book in 3 settings.  I read it until I couldn't stay awake any longer, and picked it up first thing in the morning so I could finish it.  It's an excellent read!

I wasn't 3 pages into the book when I was calling my friends and telling them I couldn't wait until I finished it so I could pass it around!  This book captures your heart that quickly!  We already know the premise for the story, but to hear it from the actual person is amazing.  It kept my attention the whole time.  It made me laugh.  It made me cry.  It made me understand the importance of telling people of their worth, TODAY.  Don't wait until it's too late.  Don't wait until tragedy strikes.  Tell others how much they mean to you and God right now.  Don't wait another minute.  Pick up the phone and call them.

Thank you Kristen for sharing your story so that peoples lives can be changed.  You've changed my life.  You've helped me to know that helping is important, even if it's just a phone call or a letter.  Thank you!

wordless wednesday

i'm noticing a lot of people do a wordless wednesday, or a wordless, tuesday, or monday.  anyway, i've decided to have my own sort of wordless kind of day....  only it won't be completely wordless.  because what's a blog for if not for words, right?  anyway, this next picture goes out to my amazing husband michael...
love ya babe!

what deserves your passionate prayer?

just listened to an excellent sermon...

check it out here if you're interested...  it's my friend tara :)

this morning i woke up to mazerick coming to my bedside and saying, "mom, i can't breath."

i have been praying fervently for him ever since.  it was about 6 am when he told me.  i went and got him some medicine, prayed for him, and he went back to sleep after that.  it's 8:18 and he's still sleeping.  that's awesome.  i will not stop praying though.  i am praying for him like crazy.

these are the verses that are urging me to continue doing so.

acts 4:30, 31... stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.  after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.  and they were all filled with the Holy Spiirit and spoke the word boldly.  (that's where i want to be....  Lord, i believe, help my unbelief)

luke 22:44  and being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.  (this is what i'm doing....  praying earnestly)

isaiah 62:1  for zions sake i will not keep silent, for jeruselems sake i will not remain silent, till her vindication shines like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.  (right now...  i will not remain silet for mazericks healing, until it happens)

i believe this is not just a call for a few of us.  i believe this is a call for every believer.  take some time right now and think about it.  what will God put on your heart?  what is it that you will not keep silent for?

live webcast event... feb. 17th at 2 pm

if you've got the opportunity you won't want to miss this webcast event!  i'm going to join them!  you will want to as well.

Watch live streaming video from waterbrookmultnomah at livestream.com

Watch live streaming video from waterbrookmultnomah at livestream.com

good quotes

*the greatest thing you can do for your kids is pursue your own character...

*God is more important than changing you than changing your circumstance... God loves you so much He doesn't want you to stay where you're at.

*is the desire of your heart for God to do this or do that?  or is it, "i want to change?"

*what's more important to you?  your comfort or your character?

do you know who said them?

Deadly Ties by Vicki Hinze

*multnomah sent me this book for free to review.  the opinions are solely mine, and i was not paid to review this book.

I love books that draw you in with the first few pages.  Unfortunately, this book did not do that.  However, once I got into it I literally could NOT put the book down.  It was a great read.  Very informative in an entertaining way.  I love that about books!

I have a few favorite passages.  Let me share one,

"you've got this weird notion that you have to earn her love, when love can't be earned.  She's got to give it, just like Christ himself's given you redemption by taking on the Cross.
     Christ had redeemed him.  Logically, he knew it.  But, knowing it, and feeling redeemed in your heart were 2 different things.  And, try as he might, he hadn't figured out the key to the second one."

Overall this story was awesome.

Thank you Vicki Hinze for writing this book, and thank you multnomah for allowing me a chance to review it!

on love and redemption

the following is from a book i'm reading, but man... it's something worth dwelling on.

a girl is speaking to a guy about love and redemption...

     "you've got this weird notion that you have to earn her love, when love can't be earned.  She's got to give it, just like Christ himself's given you redemption by taking on the Cross.
     Christ had redeemed him.  Logically, he knew it.  But, knowing it, and feeling redeemed in your heart were 2 different things.  And, try as he might, he hadn't figured out the key to the second one."  

i suggest inserting your name wherever it says he.  go back and reread it.  insert your name where it says he.  act like it's directed towards you... i did, and, wow, am i pondering.  i'll share more later on it.  i'd love to hear what it brings to your mind as well.

why did i get married?

 today is our anniversary.  we have been married 8 years today.

my husband is amazing.  we met at a bowling alley on feb. 14th, 2002.  we were married on feb. 7th, 2003.

the first thing i noticed about him when i met him was his eyes.  he has beautiful eyes.  and, he's a great hugger.  and, he loves Jesus.  

my roommate in college came home from work one day and said, "you've got to meet this guy i work with.  he's just like you.  he loves Jesus.  he's happy.  and, he loves kids."  i was like, "okay."  so she said she was going to ask him if he wanted to go on a double date on valentines day.  

she came home from work the next day and said, "he says he'll have to pray about it."  i was like, "WHAT?!"  this is the guy for me.   he's praying about it?  sweet.  turn on number one :)  well, she goes to work and comes home again and says, he said it sounds like fun.  so, on valentines day i met michael hullinger at chippewa bowling alley and then we went to steak and shake.  then we talked in his car for about 3 hours.  it was pretty much love at first hangout for me.  time went on, and it seemed like there were a lot of periods of waiting on my end, but we did get married less than a year later so really...  i must never have waited too long :)

reasons i am in love with michael hullinger.

*he loves Jesus.

*he loves me.

*he loves my son.

*he is funny.

*he is smart.

*he is cute.

*he is witty.

*he is sensitive.

*he has a good memory.

*he is an awesome dad.

*he is an awesome husband.

*he is strong in the Lord.

*he is continually looking for ways in which to be closer to Him.

*he is a leader.

*he loves people.

*he is strong.

*he is awesome with kids.

*he listens to his music with headphones on.

*he is nice to me.

*he listens to music that i will enjoy without headphones on.

*he loves music.

*he lets me go on vacations sometimes... and he stays home to work.

*he provides for me.

*he's a safe driver.

*he picks up after himself.

*he lets me use his things. (i just broke his computer bag while on vacation)

*he's got an awesome tattoo.

*he's got a cute smile.  i love it when he smiles.

*he's got a really good heart.

*he likes me more than the tv. (and the tv is pretty awesome)

*he is a good listener.

*he is a good story teller.

*he is an excellent writer.

*he gets me really nice cards.

*he's good at trivia.

i could go on and on.  i am more in love with michael hullinger today than i was the day that we met.  i love him more than tacos.  i love him more than my really comfortable couch.  i love  him more than my computer. i love him more than life itself.  i can't imagine life without him.  

thanks God, 

for giving me a best friend in my husband, michael.

i love you,

melissa

and thank you michael... for being my best friend.  i love you.

influential people

You know, most of us don't even realize that we are influencing people all of the time.  Let me tell you a true story.  It's the reason my son has the name Mazerick.

My husband Michael was going to a church when he was 17 or 18.  He was talked into counseling at Camp Raybird.  Someone convinced him that it was his "christian duty."  (not that that's always a bad thing, just made me laugh)   Well, he hesitated because in all reality he was not a fan of kids.  Actually he wasn't fond of them... at all.  Anyway, he did it.... because it was his "christian duty" you know?  He counseled at this camp.

The first kid he met from his cabin was a little boy of 8 or 9 (i think) named Mazerick.  This little boy was blond and full of life.  He was all boy.  He loved looking for frogs, picking up sticks, skipping rocks, you name it.  Anyway, my Michael had a change of heart this week.  He watched Mazerick, and well...  God changed his heart.  And, it was because of the inluence of a little boy that was just being a little boy...  

I don't think that Michael thought about it a ton at the time, but he did end up going into youth ministry.  And, it all started when he met that little boy.  

When I met Michael he said, "There are 2 things I want out of life.  2 things I live for.  I live to be a good husband and father."  (He obviously wants God, and I saw that, but I think you get the picture)  Anyway, I love that about him.  He desires to be a good husband and father.  Those are the 2 things that God has put in his heart.  And, I can assure you that he is.

About a year ago I was at church (The Vineyard), and I was calling Mazerick out of class.  (my Mazerick)  A girl off to the side of the room looked at a guy on the side of the room and said, "Did she just call him Mazerick?  No way!"  Anyway, I walked over to this girl and guy and said to the guy, "Is your name Mazerick?"  And, he said, "yeah.  I've never known anyone else with my name."  We got to talking and I asked him if he had been to this camp that my husband counseled at and had him as a counselor.  And, Mazerick said, "yeah."  We talked for a bit more.

I left church that Sunday amazed that I had just met the kid that my husband had told me about for years...  It actually took years of convincing me to name my own kid that, but now that I know the guy it makes it that much more meaningful to me.  

So, remember.... what you do today might influence people you have no clue about.  Live a good life.

God is good, isn't he?

inc

stuck on vacation

sounds great, doesn't it?  i'm sure a lot of people would love being stuck on vacation.  think about it.  there's a snow storm at home.  everything has been cancelled because of the bad weather.  including your flight to get home.  the thing is...  my husband and son are at home, and i was supposed to be home yesterday afternoon.  i came on vacation not to get away from my husband and son, but to enjoy my friends out here in california.  and, honestly, it's beautiful out here.  the weather is nice.  everything about this vacation has been smooth.  so, no real complaints on this end.  it's been a great vacation.  but really... i was ready to come home to my fam yesterday.  well, when i found out that i couldn't make it there because the airport was closed i had to make a choice.  i could either wallow in self pity...  or pity for my husband and son that don't get to see me... (sounds pretty arrogant)  or i could enjoy this warm weather and go see some more sites...  unfortunately my friends had to resume life as they know it so i couldn't hang out with them any longer.  but, fortunately my mom came on this trip with me, so i am not alone!  so, i did it... i went into hollywood yesterday.  it was a lot of fun.

i thought of my friends and familly a lot... i found spiderman, and was immediately thinking about my son.  so, i  took this picture for Mazerick...  Spiderman was walking around, and he posed with me!

i saw bigfoot and thought of my friend jeff.  so, i took a picture of my hand in his.

i saw samual jackson and thought of my friend byron, and all of my friends and family at church and the good times we have!

and i saw robin williams, and well... i just love robin williiams so i took my picture with him!

and, the last picture that i'm posting on my blog made me think of all of my friends and family that are back home freezing in the SNOWpocolipse...  wish i was there with you.... kind of...

glad i get to come home to all the smiling faces in the midwest... i've missed everyone!!!!  but, man... this weather is nothing to complain about :)

so, yesterday we missed our plane... but, we got to go into hollywood, california with no agenda.  it was relaxing.  my plane leaves in a few hours and i'm more than ready to see some smiling faces in the freezing cold.

Blessings everyone!

reflecting on the Spirit

i'm in love.  it's true.  and, i truly believe it wouldn't even be possible without the Spirit....  the Holy Spirit that is.  that's right.  even my relationship with my husband is based on the Spirit.  i wouldn't be where i'm at today if it weren't because of the Spirit.

i hadn't given the Spirit a ton of thought until recently.  i mean sure, the Spirit is God.  the Spirit is why we have a personal relationship with God.  the Spirit is.  it just is... but, is it really?  is it just a spirit?  no.  it is not even an it. the Holy Spirit is a person.  He is not an impersonal force or thing.  the Bible constantly describes the Spirit as a person.  matthew 28 talks about how the Spirit is a member of the Godhead, and ephesians 4 talks about how the Spirit is grieved... he has emotions.  would an IT have emotions?  i think not.

there's a ton more about who the Spirit is, but what i'm really focused on is who the Spirit is IN ME...  (at least who he could be in me)

i'm focused today on one specific thing in regards to Him... the Holy Spirit...  okay... here i go again.  my one thing has turned into a million, but let me lay it all out.  let me start from the beginning :)

in mark chapter 13 (i suggest you check it out for yourself as well) there are signs for the end of the age.  at least thats the description in the NIV...  the message describes it as "doomsday deceivers".  a bunch of disciples are asking Jesus... what will the signs be that the end is near?  and Jesus gives them a bunch of signs...  wars, rumors of wars, a bunch of people claiming to be (or Jesus), nations rising against nations, earthquakes, famines, etc. (my paraphrase)  He tells them to be on their guard (or He tells us to be on our guards)  He tells us we will be brought before officials and brought to trial.  and then He says not to worry about it.  it almost seems paradoxical, but the more i think about it the less i think so... because if we put all of our trust in the Spirit then our minds automatically depend on Him to give us exactly what we need... the exact words.... and He promises as much.  

now i don't think that means to sit on our butts and do nothing.  just expect Jesus to give us the Spirit to save the day.  i think that means that we must seek Him.  we must KNOW him.  we must allow Him to guide us.  if He tells us to go, then we must go.  if he tells us to sit, then we must sit.  if he tells us to do, then we must do.  basically, we must know his voice.  we must listen to it, and obey.  and, well... i'm in.  i'm listening.  i'm obeying.

in looking at these scriptures (there are many more) i am reminded to continue seeking and listening...  and doing whatever it is i am hearing.

"Lord, i know i'm a jerk sometimes, but fill me with your Spirit so that the world will see your work in my life.  i love you."