A "New Day" Prayer~

 As this day begins, 

we thank you, Lord. 

Thank you for blessings 

that will lift our spirits 

and bring a smile. 

Thank you, too,

for "blessings" 

 that will challenge our patience, 

required more strength than we think possible,

 catch us unaware and unprepared.

 In all of these, 

You will be there - 

stirring up our faith, 

renewing our hope,

 supplying our needs,

 blessing your children. 

Thank you, Father.

 In Jesus' name, Amen~♥

 

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Christ-centered Servanthood~

 

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The Invitation~

 God has invited us unto Himself, but sometimes, we forget to extend an invitation to Him.

Invite God into your heart. 

Invite God into your home. 

Invite God into your marriage. 

Invite God into your relationship with your children. 

Invite God into your workplace. 

Invite God into your neighborhood. 

Invite God into your temptations. 

Invite God into your trials. 

Invite God into your successes and triumphs. 

Invite God into your circumstances and situations. 

Invite God into your fear and failures. 

Invite God into your coming and your going. 

Invite God into your decisions - your "yes" and your "no". 

Invite God into your responses and your reactions. 

Invite God into your dreams and goals. 

Invite God into your thoughts and your words.

God stands with open arms bidding you to come unto Him.
Have you invited God to do the same?~♥

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Tell HIS Story~

When Satan tries to remind you of your past - 
and he will, 
over and over and over again, 
don't waste one moment of time answering him back. 

Instead, 
thank Jesus for 
saving you, 
forgiving you, 
redeeming you, 
and transforming you. 

Thank God that the wounds of your past 
can now be used to bring healing to another. 

Thank God that the sins and mistakes that once sought to bring you death 
can now be the very door through which God can speak words of grace and words of life into another.

Don't ever let the enemy convince you that your past can somehow limit or effect your kingdom usefulness. 
Take your story, now HIS story, and turn this world upside down for the Kingdom of God.~♥

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Affliction??? Good???

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Who We Are~

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Spiritual Eyes~

What a difference a new pair of prescription glasses can make!
Even though I was "seeing" before my new glasses, I realize now, 
after wearing my new ones for a few days, that sometimes, 
we aren't always seeing things as clearly as we think we are.

The same is true spiritually.

So often we look at life through human eyes. 
We observe this,
and take in that, 
watch this situation, 
and look on as that plays out . . . 
and we think we are seeing it all. 

And yet, most times, we are probably not seeing things as clearly as we think we are. 

Without the Holy Spirit, we are not able to see things from a "heavenly perspective". 
Without praying for our eyes to be opened to spiritual things, we are walking through life half blind.

God is all around us, actively working in every situation, forever present in all that is happening around us. Not everything is as it first appears. 
Not all that is happening around us is what we see it to be.

Today, pray for God to open your eyes so that you might see things with a "heavenly perspective". 
Pray that you would see beyond your human vision
 and be able instead to focus on the world as it appears through spiritual eyes. 
Look deeper and you will find God in the midst of all that is happening. 
Look beyond the natural and you will discover the supernatural working of our God.~♥

Elisha’s servant got up early, and when he went out, 

he saw an army with horses and chariots all around the city. 

The servant said to Elisha, “Oh, my master, what can we do?”

Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us.” 

Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, open my servant’s eyes, and let him see.” 

The Lord opened the eyes of the young man, 

and he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

~ 2 Kings 6:15-17 

 

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Who Would Have Thought?~

I hadn't been in church more than a couple of minutes before I was completely swallowed up in a human hug comprised of four precious young girls. "Happy Mother's Day!!! Happy Mother's Day, Ms. Stacy!!! Thanks for being our 'Holy Mother'!!! We love you!!! Happy Mother's Day!!!" More hugging, more smiles, and in my eyes, more tears, just like the ones that had appeared on Mother's Day a year ago. "They remembered!", I thought. "I can't believe they remembered!" It had all started last year when - - - They caught up to me as I rounded the corner near the church nursery. Three young girls, faces all aglow, excited and full of hugs. "Ms. Stacy! Ms. Stacy! Look! We have something for you!" As one of the girls handed me the beautiful card they had made with me in mind, the other two wrapped their arms around me in a bear hug. "It's your Mother's Day Card!" one proudly announced. "Yay! Happy Mother's Day!" another chimed in. "Happy Mother's Day!" all three said in unison. "Thank you, girls! It's beautiful, just like all of you, and I absolutely love it!" "Well, it's Mother's Day, and even though you're not reeeeeeeeeeally a mom, you're still a mom to us." "Yep! You are all of our moms." "That's right. We are all your kids and your the mom of all of us." Then, one precious girl, jumping up and down, her eyes sparkling with a new revelation she just couldn't wait to share yelled out, "That's it! You're our HOLY mom." With that comment, onlookers in the hall, smiled and chuckled out loud. The girls all seemed to agree and hugged me some more. "Yeah! You ARE our HOLY mom because you tell us about Jesus." "Thank you, girls. I love my card and I love each of you more than you know." "We love you, too." More hugs, and then they were off as fast as they had arrived. I stood there holding their card, wiping a tiny tear from my eye, completely humbled by their words. A HOLY mom. What a title. To be a spiritual mom to these precious children. Is there a higher calling that that? All my life, I wanted nothing more than to be a mother. To have one of my own to hug and hold, to teach and inspire, to nurture, guide and protect. God in His infinite love for me, went above and beyond my dearest desire, and gave me instead a whole world of children. In my position as teacher, and now, Director of Children's Ministries, I have been given the greatest calling of all: teaching precious young hearts about Jesus. A HOLY mom. I smiled as I made my way up the hall toward my office. "Thank you, Lord. Thank you for these precious children. Thank you for their mothers (and fathers) who faithfully bring them to church and are nurturing them to walk in Your ways. Thank you for the privilege of sharing in their lives. What a joy to be the one to lift their eyes heavenward to gaze upon You. What a delight to be the one to pour Your love into their heart. What an awesome, humbling, honor to be the one they look up to as their "Holy mom". Lord, may You equip me for this calling. May You fill me with Your Spirit and empty me of all that isn't You, so when they see me, all they see is You. I love you, Lord. Thank you for giving me the dearest desires of my heart." A HOLY mom. Who would have thought?~♥

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A Family Resemblance~

 I’ve always been told, “You look just like your mother.”
I suppose even I can see the similarities which invite the remark.

Our eyes, a blueish gray, 
look out into the world from oval shaped faces.
Our noses, both petite, turn up at the end.
Our lips, when smiling, breathe life into dimples.

From an outward appearance, I may indeed look like my mother. But, the old adage which reminds us looks can be deceiving definitely comes into play in this "like mother, like daughter" observation.

For while my physical features mirror those of my mother,
on the inside, I am “all Daddy”.

My mother is strong, independent, and bold.
A rock that is solid, unchanging, untouched.

I am not.
I am weak, dependant, and timid.
A sandcastle that is fragile, impressionable, easily crushed.

My mother is unshakable, unbreakable, not to come undone.

I am not.
I am shakable, breakable, and easily undone.

And, so was my father.

Don't get me wrong.
He was a man's man.
But, he was also a very gentle man -
tender-hearted and easily wounded.

While I would have loved to have been born with the strength of my mother, I am thankful to have been blessed with the tenderness of my father. Being a Daddy's girl was a title I wore (and still do!) with pride.

I am my mother on the outside, and my father on the inside.

But,
when the world looks at me now,
as a daughter of the most High God,
it is my Heavenly Father I want them to see shining through.

Loving,
kind,
bold,
compassionate,
giving,
tender,
forgiving,
merciful,
gracious.

I may look like my mom,
and act like my dad,
but my heart longs to be
a true reflection of my God.

When others see me now, I long to hear them say,

"Oh Stacy, you look just like your Jesus."







 

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JOY Comes in the Morning~

 

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Genuine~

"Formal"

"Traditional"

"Contemporary"

"In keeping with what is expected"

"The normal order of service"

All words and phrases often used to describe "Worship" and what worship should "look like".

Sometimes, I think we lose our focus.
Sometimes, I think we forget what worship is and WHO it is for.

We allow man's ways to dictate, overrule and spell it out it for us.

"Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, the Author and Finisher of our faith, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Lover of our Soul, Our Redeemer - what does worship look like to You?"

As I sought HIS heart for an answer,
one word began to echo over and over again in my heart -
one word and one word alone:

Genuine.~♥

A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers.
~ John 4:23 (AMP)

 “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”
~John 4:23-24 (MSG) 
 





 

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Our Personal God~

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