Thursday, January 28, 2010

January 28

Sleep has now become a luxury. Instead of exercising, I am going to take a nap so I can function for the rest of the day.

So in my favorite spot by the window I sit with my Bible open to my favorite Chapter. These are my “comfort foods”. This is my opening prayer – the first 5 verses of Psalm 25. That’s about all the prayer I could muster up at this point. Have you ever felt your soul so weary, you can’t even pray? The Bible says the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and the cry of our heart is heard through the cry of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8: 26, 27. Thank you, Lord!

And so, as I continue in the Chapter, my mind is drifting to one situation and another trouble. But then my eyes land on the tear stained section in verse 14. “The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them”. And I pause. Confides. A confidant. This means to entrust, to place in somebody’s care, to reveal, open your heart to. For those that fear the Lord, this is what HE does for us. Have you ever confided in someone a special part of you? A secret, a dream that is very special to you? When you intimately sit with that person, think of the closeness, think of the hushed tone of the conversation. That is what God does with us WHEN we have fear of Him. He entrusts His inner most confidence in US! Who are we that we deserve such honor? And that whisper session is God placing His plan for your life in your heart. How beautiful! And so this is why I praise the Lord and love Him! To read a real life example, check out Genesis 18: 17-19.

The other aspect of this verse is “the fear of the Lord”. The New International Version of the Bible gives this explanation, “Those who honor God and order their lives in accordance with his will because of their reverence for him; a sense of reverential trust in God that includes commitment to his revealed will”. Not the same fear we have of the IRS. Reverence means: respect, admiration, awe, worship.

So then I pray: Oh, Lord, have mercy on me and allow me into Your presence. Take pity on me and give me Your beyond all comprehension peace. (With my hands raised) I am desperate for You. I am so lost without You.
I continued in prayer sharing and asking for help in many things, which concluded in praising His Name!


Where is God going to show off today?

January 27

This post is an addition to yesterdays.
After I posted, I went for a walk in the beautiful sunshiny day. I was thinking about what I posted about sin. This is the way I like to think about it. When we accept the Gift that God has given in His Son, we are redeemed and our eternity begins. The purpose and reason God has for us begins. The more we become consumed and filled up with that purpose – whatever it may be – the more connected we are with God. When we are pregnant with our purpose and task in life, there is no room for sin.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

January 26

I’m not feeling so well today. I’m tired, bloated, crampy and truth be told, I don’t want to do much today. But there is one thing I refuse to pass up today – that is getting alone with God. I simply cannot live without pausing and soaking up His love, grace, peace and forgiveness.
Oh Lord, here I am at Your throne of grace. I am humbled before You. I am Yours to do with as You please and see fit. Holy Spirit, I pray that You will cleanse my heart and mind. Make me worthy to be drawn closer to You. Touch my mind and my heart so that I am see how Your word applies to my life today. I thank You for this time to spend in Your presence. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Reading today: Romans 6: 1-14 Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
This section is so jam packed with Truth, I could spend days just reading sentence by sentence. But the whole section is like a nice full plate – all of it to be enjoyed. This answers the question one of my elementary age students asked last week, “If Jesus died for us then why do we still have to die”? In just 14 short verses Paul answers this question. I’m not going to specifically address this – read it for yourself and see what God says. What caught my eye in the Scripture is the truth of being dead to sin. Sin is that temptation we all fall into. We all have a temptation. Yours may be different than mine, and not affect me at all. Be careful though, this is not the idea of what is good for you is good for you, and what is good for me is good for me. Sin is sin. It may look different, but it is still sin. The other aspect of sin is selfishness. I have been thinking lately about the Old Testament happenings. People then weren’t distracted like we are today. Their lives were a lot more simple. TV, email, blogs, didn’t exist to take their minds away from God. We are selfish people. And in our society today, we are 100% wrapped up in ourselves. That is the basis for most sin. If we are so concerned about ourselves, we can’t be completely concerned about God. And that sin of selfishness separates us from God. Verse 6, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin”. Allowing sin to die from us is what baptism symbolizes. When I surrender my life to God every morning, I am dying to sin, so that God will reign and not sin. So today – I am alive. Alive for God, alive through God, alive because the Holy Spirit lives within me.

I tried to end in prayer but I was so distracted. All I could do was think of all the things that I needed to do today. So I grabbed a pad and pencil and jotted them down as they came to mind – one after another. Oh brother! The battle was against sleepiness too! Even worse! Then a song came on: Byron Cage, This is the Air I Breathe. Look it up! That snapped me out of my funk. So I closed by praying that song. “And I...I’m desperate for You….And I ….can’t live without You…this is my daily Bread”. Refreshed!

I desire to walk in the Power of God today!
I prayed for many people and circumstances. I asked God to guide me every step of the day. And I prayed that the Holy Spirit will reach far through this blog to touch many lives.

Be blessed and refreshed today!

Monday, January 25, 2010

January 25

Wow! Where have I been? So many things can happen and change in just a few weeks. There is much to share, so this is going to be a long one…
Before I can begin to journal all that has taken place, I first need to begin with my devotional time. I have been able to spend time with God throughout all these days. It has been sporadic. One day while I was cleaning my house, I put my praise music on and worshiped the Lord and prayed. I was worshipping the Lord by being responsible with the things He has given me – my home. I was also worshipping by praying and singing praises to His Name!
The song that played on my CD: Natalie Grant and Friends, High and Exalted.
Prayer: Oh Lord, how good it feels to curl up with Your good Book. How blessed I am to pause this day and spend time with You. You are high and exalted and worthy of all praise! I give you my mind and my heart. Touch me so that I may see Your power through Your Word today. Bless me with Your presence. I repent my sin to You and ask for forgiveness. Thank you and Amen.
So for today, I read in 1 Samuel again. This section is so powerful! God is so powerful!! He demonstrates that power every day; it’s up to us to recognize it and walk in it. The Scripture is 1 Samuel 4: 12 – 5: 12. Eli the Prophet dies, his sons are killed, and the Ark of the Covenant is captured in battle. We meet a pregnant woman in this section that is married to one of Eli’s sons that died in battle. She is so upset about the Ark being captured and her husband and Eli are dead that she cannot see the blessing in the midst of all of this. She gives birth to a boy, but feels all hope is lost because of her circumstances. How many times I have felt all hope was lost because I could not understand or “feel” God’s presence? But God is so much bigger than circumstances, and He is so much bigger than a gold box! So God shows up with great power in Chapter 5. The Philistines who took the Ark of the Covenant put it into their god Dagon’s temple. I just can’t help but giggle reading this. The first morning they find their god Dagon knocked over before the Ark! Fallen, face down! A big old probably stone statue – knocked down! So what do they do? They lift it back into place. Now my giggle has turned into a full blown laugh because the next day Dagon is knocked over again but this time his face and hands are broken!! HAHAHA! Our God cannot be messed with! End of story. There is a lot more to the situation here, but just thinking about how God can take care of Himself. He doesn’t need us to worry about His Name being questioned or tainted. What also strikes me about the character of God in this situation is how Just He is. All this took place because of Israel’s disobedience. And with all that was happening, He kept His Word and punished Israel still. But He remained Faithful through it all. THIS is why I praise Him!
My ending prayer: Praise You Lord for how wonderful, powerful, faithful and holy You are!!
I continued the prayer by giving to Jesus all my concerns, excitement for what took place the past few weeks, my sorrows, and those that are so close to my heart that need a touch from Him. But one thing I know, God is still on His Throne and in control. That is all that matters!! I just need to trust and have faith in that alone.
By the way – does Dagon sound familiar? Those who grew up in the 80’s, remember Ghost Busters? One of the evil “ghosts” was named Dagon. Look it up. Funny, right?
Now for the second part of this blog: I have been seeking God’s Will in my life for a long time now. The fact of the matter is that God is far more interested in showing us more of Him in the process of learning to follow His Will. With a completely surrendered heart, God showed me more of who He is and His perfect Will for my life. Jesus was teaching me patience, reliance, peace, studying the Bible, prayer, silence, waiting. I could go on. And so in all of that I changed my direction in school. See, I have been taking classes toward a Master’s in Education Supervision and Administration. Not anymore. I became so desperate and at a cross road. I asked Jesus (again) to take away all that was within me that did not belong. The joy and excitement for something new that He placed in my heart is beyond words! To have the road map of exactly what it is we are purposed for and to know the power before it, behind it and within it – this is what we are to live for! Nothing more. Nothing less.
The following week was complete with a roller coaster of emotions. Does anyone see the pattern here? But OH the peace…..when all troubles, decisions, excitement are placed before Him, truly surrendered to Him, I mean lay at His throne, completely. I felt Him say to me, it’s all right. All is taken care of. That was enough for me. That is faith. Now, I still pray about all these circumstances. I still think about all these circumstances. Are they giving me more gray hair than I already have? Ha, NO! One thing is for sure, He vindicates those that are truly His!
I was sitting in the car with my beautiful daughter, about to make a very big decision regarding her future. She read my favorite Scripture. I must have read it a thousand times. But yesterday, something spoke to me, “Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land”. His descendants will inherit the land! My children are blessed!!! What peace that Scripture gave – both of us!
God is good and faithful! All of this expression, how God ministers is for all people! And THIS is why I praise His Name!
Spread the Word….

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

January 12

I have spent the past few days working at church and being a mother and a wife. Yes, busy busy days. But good busy. Productive busy. This week I am at a conference, so I may not get to blog as much as I would like. This is time and energy well invested, I'm sure.

It felt so good this morning to put aside everything. My computer, this blog, the dishes, the laundry, phone calls. To put aside all of this in order to draw close to God. Oh, so refreshing! I turned on my knees with the Bible next to me. It's at that point, nothing else matters except - God. This is my time of peace and worship. So here it goes:

On my knees before God, as His child I asked for permission to enter into His presence. Tears in my eyes because of the reality of the Creator accepting me, I continued to worship. I praised Him for who He is: Redeemer, Savior, King of my life, Creator, Merciful, Just, and Righetous. I asked Him for forgiveness for falling into my temptation once again. I also confessed my unwillingness to walk in faith. Forgiven, I asked for wisdom and understanding in reading the Word. "In the Name of the One who saved my life, and the One who gave it to save and the One who breathed the breath of Life into us both, Amen.

So the song I listened to is Kirk Franklin on the Hero CD, "Brokenhearted". Find it on the internet and listen. It's wonderful!

Reading: 1 Samuel 2: 12 - 36
Samuel reminds me of Daniel. They both had integrity. They both followed after God as young men despite the corruption around them. This section is about the priest Eli's sons. They were no good, corrupt men. God was about to judge them. But Samuel found favor with God. Read verse 35. This is another prophet coming to Eli to tell him what God says; so this is God speaking really, "I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind". Imagine that! God allows us to know, have a piece of and follow after his own heart and mind. I can not even grasp how wonderful that is! Can you? But it is true. Do you believe there is a God? Well, this is what God is looking for all over the world. People who will submit themselves to Him and truly seek after Him. When we do this, He gives us His heart and mind! The Creator. The One and only true God! He wants to do this with us. He does not need us, but He chooses us. Who is willing to be made worthy?
The other verse I like, verse 21, "And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord". Hannah was faithful to the Lord, recognizing that He was the only one who could bless her. And God blessed her indeed with many other children. She went to visit Samuel every year. That must have been wonderful for her to see her son grow.

Reading: Romans 5: 1-11
After reading this, all I could think of was: faith, justified, perseverance, powerless, reconciliation, access, stand, rejoice, saved...
Let me know how this passage speaks to you.

I finished devotional time in prayer. Sitting, by the window. Looking out into the sky. I prayed for people that I know that are struggling; people that I met yesterday; my pastor; my husband; my children; and my family. I also prayed for you and future readers. I prayed that God would make Himself popular and be glorified through this blog. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would touch the hearts of those who will read this in the future.

Praise Him!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

January 8

Secrets revealed!!!

I did not do a devotional today. Today is cleaning day for me. All day. Did I get everything done? Nope. I will work on it throughout the weekend in between many other responsibilities.
But what I did do today was play my music while I was working around the house. By myself. So nice. Twice I had to stop what I was doing, right in the middle of washing dishes and sweeping. A praise song came on and I just had to stop and praise my God! Wow. It felt so good.

The first song: Byron Cage, This is the Air I Breathe
I stopped what I was doing, went over to the couch, got down on my knees, and just prayed the words to that song. It felt so good to just get on my knees before my God and Ruler of my life.

The second song: Lisa McClendon, You are Holy
One of my favorite - can't live without songs. Ok, now for the secret for all my readers. :)
I sing - no, belt- this song out! When I am all by myself, and really want to worship, I sing this song so loud and so strong. It's amazing! Yeah, my voice cracks - a bit. :) But I just love singing this song. It's a love song to God. It's private just between the two of us. Today, I sang it twice.

Well, this weekend is going to be very busy. I'm not sure that I will get to do a devotional at all. But I will pray. Maybe I will just post that.

God bless you all!
Nicole.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

January 7

Reflection day today! It's been a complete week that I've been writing this blog. This is so exciting!

So, I've been thinking about this blog and it's purpose and direction. The reason for me writing my thougts for all the world to hear is to expose authentic Christian living - all it's wonderful experiences and trials. See, too many times having a relationship with God seems far, confusing, rule oriented and up to our own determination. So, the plan is to take you with me through a year of living as a Christian; to be open, honest and real. And by doing this you can experience all this with me; ask questions; and look for yourself. At the end of the year, I know we will all grow.

The first reflection:
Many nights this week I really did not want to post anything. I said to myself that I would just simply write - NOTHING TO POST - just so something would be there. HA! Joke was on me.
But then I started thinking about why I was posting when I really didn't want to. And it was simply for the sake of posting something. That concerned me.

(Because) second reflection:
The blog post is supposed to be my devotional time for the day. The time of day when I sit and get into the Bible, pray and journal. It's supposed to be my intimate relationship with God only blogged. And so I thought, wow, if I am only going to do my devotional time just so I can say I posted something each day - my motives are not right. Do you know what that is called? The sin of PRIDE, folks. So it's time to repent and get my relationship right with Jesus.

The third reflection:
I am doing this blog because it is part of a book that I am writing. Through prayer, I realized that blogging is a powerful way to connect with people and get some feedback. I think Jesus wants everyone to see that having a personal relationship with Him is something incredible not something crazy or impossible. I am so excited to see where this whole experience is going. I'm praying for all of you that are reading. And I'm praying that God will bring more people that need to connect.

Please spread the word. The more the merrier!

So, I will leave you with this:
Tonight a prayer service, my friend shared this thought -
"Why do we have to go through difficult things? It would be easier for God to reveal what He wants us to do so we can do it. But God is much more interested in revealing more of Himself to us and our relationship with Him. Not details".
Ponder on that a bit folks, and let me know what you think.

Goodnight!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

January 6

So, tonight I'm not going to post the usual devotional.
Today is Youth Group night. I direct the youth programs at my church, and Wednesday night is when all the classes meet.

The Primary Youth Group meets first. I love those little ones. They are so open and trusting. I thank God for the responsibility and privilege to teach them about God. So anyway, we started the conversation, I'm not sure how, about the movie 2012. (Which by the way, I have not seen. I really wanted to when it first came out, then I lost interest. I probably will, eventually.) Oh, I remember how we started on that subject. I asked the students (all in elementary school) if they were excited about a new year - 2010? Some of them actually said no. They went on to explain that some of their friends were saying that they are not excited about a new year because the world is going to end in 2012. And so, I took that opportunity to jump right in and clear all sillyness up for them. :)

I love conversations like this. If any of my readers want to challenge or ask me some hard questions about my faith, I (honestly) welcome the conversation. I'm not looking for an arguement, I just like to talk with people who have a different opinion than me. So please, feel free.

So anyways, back to the babies...
I explained to them about what the Bible has to say about the end of the world as we know it. Ready? Here it goes:

In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus talks about the last days of the world.
But more specifically, Matthew 24: 36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father".
Because of this, we can not say that the world will fall apart in the year 2012. No matter the prediction. Yes, there have been many prophesies that have come true, but this one can NOT be determined.

More importantly, for Christians - people who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and we have life through Him - this does not matter. Let me explain. The Bible teaches that when Jesus comes again, His believers will be caught up in the sky with Him and go to Heaven. After this, the Earth will be in turmoil. So that is why Christians (if you know any), want you to believe in Jesus. Yes, partially for your "get out of dodge free card". Please understand that is NOT the only benefit of having a personal relationship with Christ. More information on that later.

So, continuing...one of my more energenic and talkative students shouts out, "But Ms. Nicole! Sometimes I'm bad and what if I'm bad when Jesus comes again"!
How powerful! I thanked her so much for asking the question!

So, I directed her to John 3:16. Another heavily quoted verse. But when you take the time to read it and think about what it says - or rather doesn't say, it's amazing.

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life".

It says, those who believe in Jesus and ask Him to be Lord over their life receive life forever. What it does not say is that we must be "good" or "perfect" in order to receive such a wonderful blessing. See, the point is that there is NOTHING we can do on our own to make God love us. We can't give enough to the poor, we can't love and care for our aging parents enough, we can't shovel our neighbor's driveway for them into Heaven. It doesn't work like that. When we accept Jesus, the first thing He does is give us HIS righteousness. We did not earn it or deserve it. He died and rose again in order to do this for us. Anyone who loves Him. It's really so simple. And this is why I praise Him!

Now for my little friend, I explained to her that if she is telling a lie when Jesus comes back again, she will go to Heaven. BUT...she will also have to answer to Jesus for her actions. We are still held accountable for what we do and do not confess - to Him by the way, no one else.

The Bible speaks Truth. Look it up for yourself. See what God is so desperately trying to say to each one of us. And don't be scared of 2012. Have peace and know that He is God and He is in control!! Which may open another can of worms...

And by the way: I am not a good speller, so I keep a word document open so I can spell check any words I'm concerned about. HA!!

Spread the word,
Nicole M.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

January 5

Writer's block.
Today was an ok day. I'm dealing with some emotions. I can't wait to see how God works this one out.
I'm a little distracted right now because of the TV. When I sit down to read and pray, I need quiet. Everyone is asleep, which is nice.
Tonight is going to be a short devotional.

I'm not going to listen to a song on CD tonight. I like the one the Praise and Worship Team sang on Sunday:

Holines, holiness is what I long for
Holiness is what I need
Holiness, holiness is what You want from me.

Faithfulness, faithfulness is what I long for
Faithfulness is what I need
Faithfulness, faithfulness is what you want from me.

Righteousness, righteousness is what I long for
Righteousness, is what I need
Righteousness, righteousness is what you want from me.

So take my life and hold it.
Take my mind and mold it.
Take my will, conform it, to Your's, to Your's O Lord.

Dear Lord,
I submit myself to you. I bring to You in trust and in faith, all that concerns me. Today, I don't know if I can lay down all my troubles. I don't know how just yet. I know that You and I have been through a lot, and You have shown me grace and mercy in the past. You have shown me Your power. Have patience with me Lord. Please. Thank you, that You are a God that does not change and does not turn away. You are faithful and wonderful! I trust in You! As I begin to read your Word, I ask for understanding and wisdom. Your Word is alive and relevant for me today. Help me to draw closer to you through the reading of this Word right now.
Amen.

Reading: 1 Samuel 2: 1-11
You know something? The Bible is such a comfort. My heart just now was so full of yuck! But after reading Hannah's prayer, I feel so refreshed! Can anyone understand? Does anyone not, and want to?! I mean really. Way deep down inside where the hurt is so deep and protected. God just touched me there. Thank you Lord. I felt His arms around me, saying it's going to be alright. What peace! Friends, this is why the Bible is so cherished by Christians.
verse 2, "There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God". Oh yes!!! There is no Rock like our God! Thank you Jesus, with you I can face anything.

I'm going to fall asleep with that song in my head. That is my prayer tonight.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I might not get to blog. If you are reading, I appreciate you.

Lord, keep us all safe from harm.
-Nicole

Monday, January 4, 2010

January 4

Life sure is funny. Some days I feel like everything is all set, I know the plan and I'm moving forward. Then there are days or moments when all seems to be upside down. It's so easy to get lost in the uncertainty of life. But then I remember that my God is constant, never changing, and in control. Days like this I need to find that and cling to it. Never let it go.

So. I have been eating gluten free (mostly) for two days now. Let's see how this effects my body. I didn't hit the gym or shovel like I wanted. That was going to be my exercise today. I was supposed to be in bed a few hours ago. But I was late getting home tonight. My plan is to get to bed early so I can function in the morning and have my prayer and Bible time after I bring the kids to school. Well, this week is going to be a bit different. Late nights pretty much every night. So for now, I'll blog late at night. I'll make the most of it. I have to. I need my prayer and Bible time. I crave it sometimes.

So earlier today Nicole Mullen's song Blessed and Broken randomly played on my CD. I really needed to hear that song today.
It's about the time when Jesus fed thousands of people from a boy's lunch of bread and fish. She sings: take it, hold it, bless it, break it. Then the song transforms to: take me, hold me, bless me and break me. Cuz only then, I'll multiply.
So that's my prayer today. If you look up the song, listen to the words. Deep.

I prayed a few times already today. Mostly prayers of desperation. Desperate to be smack in the middle of God's Will and Power.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for another opportunity to come to you in prayer. You are faithful and merciful. Praise You, Jesus! Before I read your Word tonight, I pray that you will open up my heart and my mind. Allow me to understand all that I will read. Allow me to draw closer to you through you Holy Word tonight. I love you Jesus. Amen.

Reading: Romans chapter 4
This passage is about faith. What is faith? We know people named Faith. To have faith in something is to believe in it. I guess. The modern definition of faith changes.
But in this passage, Abraham is used as an example of faith. Faith is believing that God will allow to happen what He promises. Ha! The key is to know what He promises. This is how we know what God promises and how to follow it. By praying, reading and obeying.
So. Back to Abraham. Righteousness. It's not what we do to earn being called "good". It's simply believing in an everlasting God. Calling on the Name of Jesus credits us righteousness. That plain and simple.
Verse 15 is very interesting. "because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression". In other words, rules bring correction. So if there are no rules, no one can be held accountable. That's the mindset of many people today. Nothing can be further from the truth! There are rules. There are guidelines. Everything on this planet has boundaries. God is the ultimate line drawer.

Closing prayer: 7 Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him. Thank you Lord for calling me blessed. Thank you also for your righteousness. I pray that I am worthy of wearing your righteousness. Help me tomorrow to be more like you, and less like me. Help my eyes to see where you are working around me. Give me the courage to step into your Will. I pray for those that are reading this blog. I thank you for this opportunity to honor You. I am trusting in You. I lift up my husband to you. Touch his heart and mind. Bless him. In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

So I will read a little in 1 Samuel and a little in Romans.

Good night. XO!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

January 3

Snow. It's so pretty. But man, it can be dangerous.
Well, nothing really to post tonight.
Great sermon Pastor gave today. Whether you're a Christian or not...it was very helpful.
He was talking about living your life better, and for what reasons.
So many people are searching for something better and new. Anything different than what they are feeling now. I think Christians and non-Christians alike are needing something better.
Our church theme for the year is Romans 12:2.
I need to remember that because I believe that there is a Heaven, that means my whole perspective must change. I'm passing through and so are you.
The question is: how many people can we love and affect while we are here.
That's what Jesus did and wants us to do. Love each other. And follow Him.

Well, back to the grind tomorrow.
I love schedules...they make my life so much easier.

Love and Always,
Nikki, y'all.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

January 2

Welcome to Day 2! ( and hi to my "friends")

The first time I prayed today (1:30 pm) was when I was sitting outside a church on Prov with my daughter. She was about to do something for the first time. Very exciting. I thanked God for His Faithfulness. That is why I praise Him.
The day continued with the usual busy activity of a wife and mother. I try to keep the perspective of being blessed with a beautiful family to take care of.
You know, facebook is a funny thing. I have been going down memory lane this past week. I found so many old friends (friends from the past anyways...LOL). Some friends I had were really good to me. I am sorry that I was a jerk to them sometimes. The church that we were at earlier today was close to an apartment I used to live in. Not good memories there either.
So here I am now, at the end of a long but productive day.

I just put in Lisa McClendon, More Than A...
Dear Lord,
You are so much more to me than anything I care about...
More than a dream. More than a finish line. More than my future. More than my past.
And as hard as it is to comprehend, more than my family. You have to be more than my family. Please help me to understand how much more You need to be in my life than anything else. Help me to understand how to worship You in such a greater way.
I love you Jesus. Please forgive me for all that I have done to make you shake your head in sorrow. Please help me tomorrow.
As I read Your Word now, I ask for wisdom to understand what I am about to read. Holy Spirit, draw me close to you through the Scripture. Amen.

So, I'm reading 1 Samuel 1. I turn to the page bookmarked by my uncle's picture.
Poor Hannah. She had no children but the other wife of her husband did. I can't help but think how empty and quiet her house must have been. What a loud silence.
The strength of a woman is amazing. The Bible says she was pouring out her soul to the Lord. She gave God all her sorrow and pain of not being able to bear a child. God listened to her prayer and granted her a son. But as I read verse 20 I couldn't help but think of Moses' mother, and Mary and Hannah. And how they each were so overjoyed when they realized they were pregnant. But each woman knew she had to give up her son. How bittersweet. How precious those early years were. The strength of these women to follow through with what they knew they were called to do. And the trust they had in God, to give up their children. For Him.
Like I started with prayer, I too need to be able to trust God completely with my most treasured possesions. And make Him, and my worship and love for Him so much bigger. Because then, it's in the Perfect Hands.

Lord, help me to be like Hannah and Mary and Moses' mother. Make me a strong woman to love and trust You with my life and all that is important to me.
Give me Your strength and courage and wisdom. In the precious and powerful Name above all Names, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

(Dear Readers, please understand that I did not read the Bible passage before I started to pray. This is the amazing happenings of personal devotional time.)

Well, off to sleep now. Tomorrow is another day. Time to get back on schedule cuz the daily rush is on again in 36 hours. :) LOL!
XO. I love you guys...

Smiles and hugs,
Nikki.

Friday, January 1, 2010

January 1

Well, hello there everyone.
So, I've decided to be a completely open book and share my life with the world. Ouch. But kind of cool.
The truth is - I'm excited for this adventure. Anything that someone commits to do every day for a whole year is a huge undertaking.
I hope to learn a lot about myself and other people through this experience.
Ok. So. What's this all about?
Let's just say....we'll all find out as time goes by.

I woke up this morning thinking...this is it. This is the year. But then again, I have said that before. Why is it different this time? Well, I feel like I have learned some things about life and about myself and my relationship with God and...well...I want to give it all a chance to actually practice what I have learned.
Between thoughts of all that had to be done today, I remembered my favorite verse: Psalm 25:4. Help me Lord. Help my eyes to see what you are up to. Help me to be connected to where you are at work around me so that I can adjust myself to Your Will.
My feet hit the floor, and all the days activities began.
My day ends with my daughter having a party at home. Brings me back to when I was a kid. I wish I had the kind of life to invite my friends to hang out. Hm. The memories of what it was like when I was a teenager. Not very good memories. But I thank God it's all different now.
I'll share the why and how the difference came about as time goes on.

To all my readers: please have patience and hang in there with me. I promise this will be the most interesting adventure for us all.

Take care until tomorrow.
(this is exciting and a little scary)

Author in the making,
Nicole M.