You Are Never Alone!

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8 This is one of my favorite scriptures. So many times in life we feel alone but the Word of God says that we are never alone. Praise God! Once again I am reminded that it is not how you feel but what you know. This is why reading the Word is powerful. It reminds us of God's promises. We can't stand on them if we don't know them. Although this is a life changing point, it is not my main reason for writing today. I want to remind you that there are others who have gone through or are going through a similar trial as you may be walking through. The enemy gets us by making us think that we are the only ones who have ever dealt with our particular problem. It is a lie. But when you believe the lie, you keep your thoughts to yourself. You don't want anyone to know your struggles. You tell yourself that no one will understand. "They might think I am crazy." "I will just deal with it on my own." But the truth is, you don't have to make your journey alone. There are fellow Christians who have gone through the same fire as you and they have words of Wisdom to share. They can stand with you in prayer. They can fight alongside you. Ask the Lord to show you someone in your life who can be a safe place to run. If you are the one who has the testimony, don't be afraid to share that with others. Your testimony can change the life of another. It can keep someone from having to go to the depths that you once visited. God should be our first cry for help but don't forget that He will use others to encourage you along the way. "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12

A New Year!

The new year has just begun. I'm not one to make a New Years' Resolution but I do believe in moving forward. I am so grateful for the blessings in my life. It is a time to reflect and appreciate what God has given us. My number one desire is to continue to die to myself and to live for Christ. I want more of him and less of me. But this is my prayer every day not just the month of January. I am excited to see what God is going to do this next year. I have an expectant heart. Cigi made a comment at staff this week that she is going to buy rain boots. Hobbs is not really known for a large amount of moisture. But she says she is expecting rain. She is expecting to get wet. Not in the natural but in the supernatural. I remember that old song I grew up singing. "I feel the rain, I feel the rain and it's falling down on me." I feel the same way. It is as if the smell of rain is in the air. God loves it when we are expecting great things. This is called Faith. What are you believing for in your life this year? What are you claiming for your family? Let's be dreaming big in 2010. Let's expect God to change hearts and lives this coming year. Even if things around you seem dry and there is not a cloud in the sky, expect rain. Let this be the year that we see the mountains in our life move. You serve a big God and His plan for your life is to prosper you and not harm you. He wants to give you a hope and a future. When you know His Word, your faith will increase. When our faith increases, look out everybody because nothing is impossible. Love you guys and I am excited to hear about what God is doing in your life. I promise you will hear what He is doing for me.

Holding Out

I have to share with you the commentary in my bible reading time this morning. There is no way I could say it better than Joel and Victoria Osteen did in this side note. They were sharing their thoughts on the text of scripture found in Psalm 27:13. They write, "In Psalm 27, David wonders what would have happened if he had not believed he would see the goodness of God. No matter what comes your way, let this take root. You have to believe you're going to see God's goodness again. You've got to believe you 're going to see God turn it around. Believe you're going to see God open up new doors. There's something captivating about a person filled with hope. I've learned when you feel like dying, you've got to talk about living. When you feel like giving up, you've got to talk about pressing forward. When you don't see any way out, you've got to talk about how God can make a way. And know this, the enemy always fights you the hardest when he knows God has something great in store. When the bottom falls out and it looks like you've hit an all-time low and it couldn't get any worse, that's not the time to get bitter. That's the time to think better! That's not the time to get negative. That's the time to put your shoulders back and boldly declare, 'My time is coming. I am a victor and not a victim.'" Wow! I don't know about you but this was definitely for me. We have got to hold out, hold on and do whatever it takes to not give in. Don't give satan an inch because he will take a mile. Press on and speak life. Take the authority God has given you and use it. We can overcome and we will overcome. I hope this encourages you as it did me.

Does it Matter?

Last night, my family was leaving Thriftway grocery store. We had just finished getting all the best deals for our big Christmas meal. After I finished buckling Hudson into his car seat, I removed the paper from his orange push up ice cream. He was so excited to get this special treat. I shut his door and headed to the other side of the car to get in my seat. As I was walking I was wadding the trash from the ice cream in my hand. I noticed all of the litter covering the parking lot and I asked myself a question. Will one more piece of paper matter? Before I could even finish my thought I had my answer. Absolutely it will matter. If everyone has the attitude that it doesn't matter, then we would be swimming in a sea of trash. Someone has to care. What does this mean for our life? Well for me I am reminded of the ministry that God has called me to. Sometimes I wonder if what I do can really make a difference in this world. I have to remind myself that with every life I touch, a difference is made. You may be living in an unhappy marriage. No love or kind word is ever displayed. Would one compliment make a difference? You tell me. I think it would. Someone has to be willing to start. Even if it is the smallest effort. There are so many other examples of how the small things in life can be the start of something great. A snowman is built by starting with one snowflake sticking to another. Don't think that the actions you take in this life don't matter. Every word you speak and every step you take can change the course of your life. Think before you litter and think before you speak. You can make a difference even if no one notices.

Thankful during Thanksgiving!

I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am today. I am sitting in my parents home in Hobbs (not San Angelo) by the fire. Most of you know that sitting by a fire is on my top 5 list of things to do. Number one on my list is being with my family. Today there were 14 of us enjoying Ty's amazing fried turkey, Haley's incredible sweet potatoes, my homemade honey yeast rolls and mom's pecan pie and fruit salad. Wow! But the thing I am most thankful for is my health. I have had a rough month but today I feel almost normal. I have put my trust in God and He has been with me through it all. I know that for a season there may be medications and doctors appointments ahead of me but I also know that I am a child of the King of Kings. The Great Physician gets the last word. What are you thankful for this year? I have learned that everyone goes through the seasons of life. But during each season there is still something you can be thankful for. You may feel like you are in your darkest hour but there is something you can rejoice about. If you can see these words that I am typing, you should be thankful for your sight. There are those who would love to see. You may not like your family but there are those who are lonely. They would love to be a part of any family (even yours). I know most of this is so cliche but sometimes we need to be reminded. Take your focus off of what you don't have and put it on what you do have. We are all blessed in some form or fashion. God loves you and He wants the best for you. Thank him for what He has already done for you and thank Him in advance for what He has in store for your future. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I love you !!!

The View From My Seat!!

What a great service this weekend at Cowboy Junction. We are growing like crazy. We almost had 300 in attendance this weekend. We had 30 in children's church Sunday morning and 17 Monday night. That is not including our preschool department, nursery and Youth group. They had 40 in youth last week and 30 this week. WOW! God is moving in a mighty way. Ty's message was so encouraging to all of us. We have to expand our circle. We have to BELIEVE more than we ever have before. We have to allow our faith to grow. We have to get "I can't" out of our vocabulary. I know for me, I have to get control over my thought life. I am reading two books right now. One is by Joyce Meyer, "Be Anxious for Nothing" and the other is by Jerry Savelle, "Thoughts, The Battle Between Your Ears." For me, I am at war with my mind. I can sit back and accept that my thoughts, my anxieties and my fears are just a part of my make up. I was born a "type A" personality and I will die a "type A" personality. But I choose to believe the Word. "For God has not given me a Spirit of fear but of Power, of Love and of a Sound Mind" 2 Timothy 1:7. David writes in Psalm 34:4, "I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all of my fears." I am encouraged by Isaiah 41:10 that says, "Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." And the last scripture that I read time and time again is found in Philippians 4:6-7, "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Just like Ty said, we may not be able to control the situations that come at us but we can choose the circles in which we stand. Our faith has got to grow. How does that happen? "Faith comes by hearing the Word of God." BELIEVE for more. Remember that God is on your side and that He has great plans for you. TRUST Him more. He can handle your life if you just give it to Him. Open your heart and allow the circles you stand in to be expanded. Great things are in store for us all. Don't try to do it own your own. Let God fill you and then be willing to pour yourself out. But remember, once you pour yourself out, you need to be filled once again. Spend some quality time with your Father and REFRESH.

Being Transparent!

Is it possible that someone can be too real? It may sound like a crazy question but it popped in my head earlier today. I laughed as I thought about it because the title of my blog is "Keeping it Real." I've always been one to tell all my thoughts, show all my emotions and hide nothing from no one. But in my being real I fear disappointing those who see who I truly am. As a Pastor's wife, I am a leader and one that others look to for advice. When I show others that I don't always have it all together, am I letting them down? If a young lady finds out 20 years into her marriage that her beautiful diamond she has worn to represent the unending love of her husband was actually a cubic zirconia; how would she feel? All these years what she thought was real was actually fake. Does fake only hurt when it is exposed? Is it better to pretend for appearance sake? I live in a glass house and I could pretend that I never had a problem in the world. I could pretend that my children always behaved and that Ty and I never had an argument. But pretending is not who I am. I don't know if it is a blessing or a curse but I don't know any other way than to be real. I talk too much, I share everything and I give my heart away daily. I trust all the time, I care all the time and I forgive all the time . But living in this glass house I often fear the stones that may fly through my walls. I have lived my life in a way that puts me on a platform no higher than those around me. I am not your typical pastor's wife who claims to never have issues. I deal with life's curve balls just like the rest of you. And sometimes I swing with all of my might and I miss big time. I may even fall on my behind. But if there is any encouragement I have for you in this blog, it is that I get back up. I fail often but I try daily. You too, need to be you. Don't be afraid to fall and let those around you see. Just get back up and dust yourself off. I would love to never disappoint another person the rest of my life but more importantly I don't ever want to miss being who God created me to be. I do ask you one favor; please do not put me on a pedestal that I have never chosen to climb. Well, there it is once again. I guess I knew the answer to my own question. I just wanted to know what you thought. Because being me is all I know how to be.