The Plan I Have For You

1 Kings 19 11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. For the past year, I have been reading through Karen Kingsbury's books. As I finished one the other night, she referenced this passage. I've read and reread it many times over the past week. How many times in our lives, do we expect to see God's answer as a huge event such as wind...or earthquake...or fire? After all, he is GOD...he can do those things if he wanted to. But here Elijah received his answe...

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. Luke 6:38 NLT The picture running through my mind reading this was me in the kitchen last night, trying to fit a five pound bag of flour into my canister. Its just one of those things for me...I can't stand having an open bag of flour in my cupboard. So I shake and pour, shake and pour, trying to get as much in as I can. Often it pours out on the counter and all over the place! What a great verse! The New Living Translation amplifies the quantity with which God blesses our lives...pressed down, shaken together to make room for more...running over, and poured out...We are full to overflowing (kind of like the closets in my house, and my garage)! But read it again in a different version Luke 6:38 (New International Version) Give, and it wi...

I've spent a lot of quality time with my computer this weekend...and last week. Its that time of the year with my job where we close the books on one year, then plan and prepare for the next. I've been evaluating reports, crunching numbers and typing like a mad woman. Admittedly, the 2009 season was one I was glad to close the books on. It was a difficult year. So as I sat working on 2010 plans it hit me, what if every time we had a tough season in our lives, wouldn't it be great if we could close the books on that part of our life and start over? Well guess what? We can. Its called Grace. Our Father forgives us for our mistakes and shortcomings. He takes out his big eraser and wipes them all away. The harder part is allowing ourselves to do the same thing. I'm the worst at forgiving myself and moving on. This week on one of my road warrior days, I was priviledged to hear David Crowder sing and talk about one of his new songs "Oh, How He Loves Us" The...

This morning, I sit listening to my oldest hacking away on the couch, we're missing worship in God's house today...but he certainly made sure I worshiped. Thank you God for grabbing a hold of me again a few weeks ago, shaking me from the numbness in which I had been walking. I've kept a journal for a long time, for the better part of three years. About a year ago, I made it private after someone I lost their job over prayer requests they had included in their blog. Scared, I locked my thoughts up and made my journal private. Recently, God has been pressing on my heart to return to public blogging...to minister through the lessons he teaches me. So here it is, open to those who choose to read in the hopes that the little lessons He teaches me through my dear children, my prayer warrior friends, or the amazing people in which I come in contact with every day will allow you to see his mark on your life too.