Fashion Bug

There I sat all by myself swinging shyly back and forth on the playground swing set watching as some of my 4th grade classmates played four square and tether ball, while others ran around laughing and screaming, chasing each other in a game of tag. I always hated recess, it was a crowded lonely place where it became all to clear that I didn't fit in. Oh how I longed to be like the popular kids, confident and stylish in their cute jeans and white sneakers. 

My dad had just divorced his second wife.  I asked if I could stay and live with my grandma and grandpa during a visit to their house shortly after that. I was nine years old at the time and if I continued to live with my father then I would be alone most of the time, or at the mercy of my very bigger and stronger brother, which by the way, was very little to no mercy at all.  Life was difficult for him too and I was the only one around for him to take his frustrations out on. Looking back, as an adult, I don't blame him for making me his target, after all we were just kids and to this day I love him very much! 

My grandparents agreed it would be best if I came to live with them so with my dad's permission I moved right in. It was peaceful at grandma's house. No yelling or screaming, and I hardly ever got in trouble.  Grandma was a wonderful cook and every week she would make grandpa these rich moist delicious dark chocolate cakes to put in his lunch box. I licked all the frosting off of one of those cakes when know one was looking, it was soooo good ha ha, but that's a different story. My diet was quite restricted prior to living with grandma, so my new found freedom to eat...well... let's say I became pleasantly plump.

 My dad didn't give my grandparents money to buy me school clothes that year so I was stuck wearing hideous hand me downs from my step-mom. I'm talking those ugly wool-like plaid bell bottomed pants that  were in style (if you can imagine) in the early 70's, but not anymore. I had a red pair and a green pair. Some would call that being frugal, I call it child abuse ha ha! What a vision I was with my long stringy hair, pleasantly plump body, wearing hand me down plaid bell bottom pants! It was a fourth grade nightmare!

I've come a long way since then. I have never been able to get it right in the fashion department but I'm okay with that now. To some I might look like a lowly worm on the outside, but by the love of God, my insides have metamorphosed  into a beautiful butterfly. Jesus Loves me just the way I am! When all is well and beautiful on the inside from the Love of God,  it doesn't matter so much what things look like on the outside.

The rejection I've encountered in life doesn't hold a candle to God, the Creator of mankind being rejected by His own creation! He knew what He was going to go through before He ever went through it and He did it any, crucified by His own, all for Love, all for you and me!

Thank You dear Lord for all the rejection and humiliation you endured for my sake. Thank You for creating me to be me so that I can have this relationship with You!  Thank You for setting me free from the pain of rejection. I will praise You forever! And I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with You!!

What is something that happened in your life that God turned around for good? I would love it if you would share with me! God bless you my blogger friends!

  

Can You See Him?

What a mess! 

That was my first thought when my husband brought home not one, not two, but three pallet fulls of old used ceramic molds he bought indirectly from a storage auction.  It seems we constantly either have cars that don't work or stacks of unwanted junk hiding under tarps waiting for a trip to Goodwill clogging up our carport. Now we have all these molds taking up valuable space! :/ 

Instead of getting mad about it, It dawned on me that God just might have a plan in all this clutter. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have learned my job is to love and support my husband and God will be the one to direct his steps.  Uhg...so hard sometimes!  Anyway, I start thinking, (via Holy Spirit prompting cause honestly, I'm not that good lol), this must be a test,  I think it's a lesson in trust.  I know God is in this mess, but where?

When I found out my husband only paid $100 for all these molds plus several containers of paint, paint brushes, and a firing kiln, I realized this definitely has God's fingerprints on it! We could turn around and make some good money on all this wonderful stuff the Lord laid in front us. Funny how everything changes when I see God amidst the rubble. This mess just turned to treasure right before my eyes! Glory to God! It's amazing what He will do with what we would call junk if we would give Him the chance.

 Like I said in my last post, I have been sick for over two years which has really limited my ability to get out of the house. However, one day I got an overwhelming urge to get some paint and try my hand at creating something with these molds! I started with some already fired, but not yet painted ceramics that came with all the other stuff. As I was painting I realized not only do I need glasses ha ha, but also...this is so much fun! I just LOVE this new found talent I didn't even know I had! I can clearly see God now!  He has blessed me with a craft that is not only fun, rewarding, and sometimes challenging, but it also takes my mind off of my illness as I get lost in each little creation. My wonderful husband now pours most of my molds and I paint them. I think he enjoys this new hobby as much as I do! Praise the Lord!

This would have been a much different story if I hadn't listened to the Holy Spirit and waited to see what God was going to do with all this stuff in my driveway! I wouldn't have this wonderful craft that makes me feel good about myself because it keeps me busy and I have fun doing it! My husband and I wouldn't have this hobby we can enjoy together. I also wouldn't have found out that I am actually talented at something ha, what a nice surprise that was! God is such a good God, so good I can't hardly stand it sometimes. His Love truly overwhelms me! I'm so glad I listened to the Holy Spirit the day my husband brought these home!

I poured these cute little guys, as you can see it's a trial and error process of learning lol, I call them the Dent Family ha ha....

I did actually pour these myself and they came out perfect...so proud of them! :)

 My husband poured these Hummel like boys and girl and he did such a great job! He is such an awesome blessing too! 

 Do you have a mess in front of you right now? It could become one of your greatest blessings! God wants to show you what He can do! Can you see Him?

I give You all the glory Lord, You deserve all the praise and I give it to You, Yes, it belongs to You!

If I Could Give God Flowers Today...

I love it when Spring comes around each year. The new life and beautiful colors that have been hiding all winter give me happy happy joy joy. I am also filled with wonder as to what this new season has in store for me. Whatever God's plans are for me, I know they are good ones. And as I think of all the wonderful blessings He has already given me, it just makes me want to give Him something back ...something that will bring a smile to His beautiful face, like flowers and a song of praise.

As I look around at all the beautiful new Spring flowers, I think of how much I love them. Their endless shades of color and intricate designs fill me with awe over the Master Artist who created them. Such detail too great for me to understand...God's wisdom...well there just isn't a word in our vocabulary good enough to describe it! I'm so glad He chose to give us flowers, like I said before, they make me happy. :) I think they make their Creator happy too, that's why he creates so many of them! I can't wait to see what the flowers in heaven look like! I hear they sing praises to the Lord!!

If I could give God flowers today, I would choose to give Him a bouquet of those rose-like, champagne pink and creamy white Lisianthus combined with some lacy edged, pink and white, Cosmos.  Before yesterday I had no idea what those where. I found them while looking through a Burpee seed and plant catalog and I think I will have to order me some of those, they are B E A utiful!!

What is your favorite part about Spring? If you could give God anything you wanted, that you know would make Him smile, what would you give Him?

I'M HOOKED!

I have been suffering in my body for over two years with, among other things, thyroid disease. The medication I've been taking hasn't worked. I have bouts of nausea as if I were pregnant accompanied by morning sickness that doesn't discriminate against time. I am often short of breath and find myself getting winded at the simplest of tasks like folding clothes while standing at the dryer. I feel like I have the flu nearly everyday, with body aches, weakness, pain and exhaustion to name a few of my symptoms. Life is cumbersome for me right now but even so, I am happier than I have ever been in my whole life!

So how is it that I can say with all honesty that I'm happier than I have ever been?  I would love to tell you all about it. :)  Ever since Jesus rescued me from my sin and shame and became my Lord, He has spent everyday Loving me, teaching me, and repairing everything in my heart that was broken. He has made it very clear that He wants me, cares about me, and even has a good plan for me. For the first time in my life, I have a real relationship with my great and awesome God! He is my very best Friend in the whole world. There is not one single other person in the world like Him. No other loves compare to His which is why He has absolutely no competition for my heart.

My mother walked away from me when I was 2, and I was a burden to all the rest. Many people have rejected me. Then one day I found out God, the Creator of the universe, Loves me and cares deeply about what happens to me. He says my name is engraved in the palm of His hand and promises He will never ever leave me or forsake me. That is such great news! I totally understand what it means to have Jesus as my mother, brother, father.... He is my everything!  I'm so glad all those places were empty so He could fill my whole heart with His Love. I wouldn't want it any other way!

For the first time in my life, I'm so grateful God created me to be me! I wouldn't want to be anybody else in the whole world, not for the whole world! Ya see, if I was anybody but me, I wouldn't have this incredible relationship with Him. I wouldn't want someone else's relationship with God, or even worse, no relationship with Him because I know how empty and sad I am without Him.

The Lord has taught me that He created me to love Him, not to be a burden to others, which puts a smile on my face just typing out the words.  He told me there is a place in His heart that can only be filled by me. There is a place there for you too, that can only be filled by you! If that's not something to be happy about then I don't know what is! God Loves me, He really Loves me and I understand that now.

Yes, I am miserable in my body, but I have never been happier or healthier in my spirit! I didn't even think it was possible that I could be happy in my own skin, let alone not want to trade places with anybody else in the whole world.

God really does heal the broken hearted! If you or someone you love has a broken spirit, Jesus wants to heal you! Everything He has done for me He wants to do for you too. All you have to do is come to Him, just as you are, and ask him to. You'll be so glad you did! Thank You Lord for Loving me!!! I will never be the same!!! I'm hooked!!!

If you or someone you know needs healing in their spirit, let me know if you would like me to pray for you. It would be an honor! God bless you friends! 

Flowers From God

The Bible says, "every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of heavenly lights." I didn't understand this until just a short time ago that when someone does something nice for me or gives me a gift, God is behind it. He is the One who motivated the giving of the gift, as we are His hands and feet. We are His vessels carrying out His will. So when someone gives me flowers, I know that God wanted me to have flowers that day. If someone buys me a meal, I know it was God's idea. If I'm feeling blue and someone pays me a compliment, I know that was God trying to cheer me up! And by the way, it does cheer me up to know that my Lord cares about the way I am feeling!

I used to think God was more of a disciplinarian than a gift giver. In my younger childhood years, my caretaker was heavy handed with the belt of punishment. The message that molded my framework was, "I'm bad." The more time I spend with God the more I learn that He is not like that at all. His is a message of Love and acceptance that says, "I'm fearfully and wonderfully made, I am the daughter of the King, I am a princess, and I am good!" It has been my experience, in the past few years, that the Lord actually delights in giving us gifts to brighten our day. 

The Lord puts a smile on my face everyday and I sometimes feel Him smile back at me as if to say, "I love to make you smile!" So the next time you find yourself smiling, you can know that it's from God. He Loves you so much that He wants to put a smile on your beautiful face!

Oh Yes He Can!!

It was a beautiful early Autumn day. The sun was kindly shining down on us making for a very pleasant tour of the Oregon Gardens. My husband and I had never been there before so we decided to go check it out. It was so beautiful! Just as we were visiting one of the small ponds afloat with lilly pads and cute little frogs, my cell phone rang. I looked at it to see who was calling and saw that it was my daughter, so of coarse I answered it. She said I need to call my brother, it's an emergency!

 My heart began to beat faster and faster as all the horrible things that could be wrong raced through my head. For a moment my surroundings lost it's beauty as fear began to choke me. I called him. "My wife has filed for a divorce and she won't even consider counseling," My brother said with devastation! "Wow, I can't believe it," I said, while relief that no one had died came over me, only to be replaced by the shock of this situation that no one saw coming. "But your church doesn't believe in divorce, how can this be," I said, knowing they are both very active members.

After the shock wore off and the reality of this serious problem set in, God filled me with peace. As the Lord brought to my recollection how He delivered me from a nearly 8 year addiction to alcohol, hope and faith began to rise up in me. If you would've known me then, which I'm glad you didn't, you would understand it was a pure miracle of God that set me free! If God can do that for me, He can do anything! I have no box for Him to fit in, nope, I believe God for everything! My box has been permanently shattered! Thank You Jesus!

After many phone calls, prayers, and words of encouragement, I told my brother, "God can fix this."  There was just one problem, my brother was now very angry and had lost all desire to reconcile. He had become adamant that this marriage was over!  That did not change my mind, it just broadened the magnitude of the miracle God would have to preform in order to save this family from divorce. They have a daughter that was around 4 years old at the time. I did not want to see her thrown into being a child of divorced parents. And neither did God! He did exactly what I prayed for! My brother and his bride have fallen in love more than they have ever been before. The divorce was called off and they are a very happy family to this day! Praise the Lord!!! Nothing is too hard for God!!! He can do anything! Oh yes He can!!!

My brother sent his wife these beautiful flowers for Valentine's Day, remembering she loves daisies, he had the florist incorporate them into this gorgeous arrangement! :)

GLORY TO GOD!!!

What are you believing God for? If you will share it with me, I will agree with you. God says if two of us come together and agree upon anything, it will be done for us! I believe Him!

Handle With Care

Okay, I'm just going to come right out and say it, "I'm more affectionate towards my sweet little, adorable, beautiful, huggable, kissable, Yorkie, princess, can do no wrong, cute even when she does naughty naughty potty, most awesome doggie ever, than I am my husband." Can't tell from the adjectives, and lack of adjectives can you? I mean, what can I say, just look at that face!

The man I once referred to as my soul mate, hero, best friend, and the love of my life, has over time and circumstances become the one I am the hardest on. He is the one I am least patient with, least kind too, and expect the most out of. The Lord has revealed to me that I am selfish and full of pride where my husband is concerned. This man is the very person I am commanded to love, honor, and obey. He is a priceless gift from God, and I have not treated him that way in a very long time.

I received two pieces of profoundly great advice shortly after my husband and I were both saved. The first one came  from a kind, elderly, very godly man and pastor, before Sunday service one day. He said, "always treat your husband as if he is Jesus Himself." I nodded my head as if in agreement, and smiled sweetly all the while thinking to myself, "well, that would be so much easier if He actually was Jesus! I think I might have tried it once or twice, but unsuccessful in making it a lifestyle change :/

The next most valuable piece of advice I received was from a kind and very wise lady I had recently met at church. We were dining out for our first lunch date, getting to know one another a little bit. She told me that early on in her marriage, God told her, "you are not the Holy Spirit to your husband."  Oh man, I can't tell you how many times I've tried to be Him and tell my husband what's what. The more I did that, the more distant and repelled he became to me and the things of God. This is not the effect I was looking for, and it's definitely not helping the Lord any. Slowly but surely I am learning to hold my tongue as I hear those words in my head, "Lori, you are not the Holy Spirit."

It doesn't bring glory to the Lord when I'm not obeying what He has asked me to do. God has told me that my job is to love, honor, and obey my husband and He will be the One to instruct him. After all, He is God, not me! That is such great news, as He does a much better job of it! What a burden lifted that is!

So it all boils down to this, Jesus told me today, "bring Me your mess and I will fix it." So that is exactly what I am going to do, with you as my witness. :)

 "Lord, I admit to You that I have been selfish and prideful in my relationship with my husband. I humbly come before You and ask for Your forgiveness. I would also like to ask for Your divine help in removing every bit of pride and selfishness that keeps me from bringing the glory to Your beautiful Name that You so fully deserve. Lord, please remind me when I start to loose my temper, or speak unkindly to my husband, that I want to bring glory to You and the only way to do that is to fully obey what You have commanded of me. My husband is a precious gift to me, and I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful man in my life who loves me just the way I am. Please help me to handle him with great care. Thank You dear Lord for loving me enough to show me the error of my ways. Thank You for fixing the messes I make in life. In Your wonderful Name I pray Jesus. Amen

I like what Joyce Meyer says, "I'm not where I want to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be!" I'm so grateful for the promise that, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Hallelujah!

I'm very happy to say that my husband and I are about to celebrate our 10 year anniversary on the 23rd of this month. The exciting part about that is, now that we have God in our lives, our best years are ahead of us! Praise the Lord!!!


*What is the most helpful piece of advice you have ever received?*