Touched By The Fathers Love!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

What a wonderful time of year this is. Most of us are heading out or inviting others in for a time of celebration and friendship. A time when we gather together and share a meal and some laughs.

In the spirit of sharing, I thought we could share with one another our love stories. The story of how, when and where we met Jesus. The story of what your life was like before Him, and what it is like with Him.

I joined in last year to "Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving" hosted by my friend Heather over at Swallowing A Moose, and my heart was so touched, I thought it would be great to share again!

We all have a story, a good story! There are no dull stories, so whether you have known Jesus your whole life or you just met Him yesterday, we would love to hear about it!

Knowing the love and favor of our Father, is most definitely worthy of praise and A thankful heart. I hope you will join us.

Post your testimony on your blog page. Entitle it "Touched By The Fathers Love!; Whatever the title of your post is." Then, add your post (copy and paste the address of that particular post so that the widget links directly to it) to the Mr. Linky widget below. Make sure you start your post explaining what we are all sharing and add a link back here so that others can join in.

I know we are all busy this week, so we will continue sharing our stories through next week. I hope we find this time of sharing to be a way of drawing us closer to each other, through the Fathers love in each of our hearts and lives. There is nothing better than being Touched by the Fathers Love!

Join in below and continue down to read about how I have been Touched By The Fathers Love!




Touched By The Fathers L0ve!; To Good To Be True


Before I knew Jesus:
I was born into dysfunction, as so many of us are. My childhood was not filled with security or an overwhelming sense of love and acceptance. As a matter of fact, I recall feeling quite insecure and unsure of myself the majority of the time. As I grew older all of these feelings grew along with me. I became a mom at the age of sixteen and started out into the "real world" for a taste of bitter sweet reality. Even with child in tow, and a new set of circumstances, I simply wanted to fit in. I wanted to be accepted, but try as I might, I never felt as though I was good enough. I hung out with the wrong crowd for the most part, doing the wrong things at the wrong times. But even the wrong crowd could not make me feel right about myself. I would not have recognized or known real love if it had knocked me upside the head and flat on my behind!

I eventually woke up one morning and realized that once upon a time, when I was a very little girl, I had dreams and I was going to do something great someday! I looked around and realized that "great" did not describe the life that I was living. It also, did not describe the life I was giving my son. So, I made some changes. Then,a few Months after my Ah-Ha moment, I met a great guy, got married,and had another baby. Yet, with all of this greatness in my life, that emptiness still nagged away at the inside of me, taunting me to not trust in love or happiness. My marriage was struggling, and I was feeling as though I could not get anything right. I felt as though it was inevitable, If I could mess up a good thing, I would.

When I met Jesus:
I was pregnant with my third child when a friend invited me to church. I wanted to go, but continued to put it off and put it off for weeks. Finally one cold, March morning, I decided it's now or never. I got my 8yr old ready, bundled up my baby and off we went. My friend met me in the lobby, showed me where to take my children, and ushered me to my seat. I remember thinking "This is church?" It was so unlike the stuffy images I had painted in my head. The worship was energizing and refreshing, and the people were all friendly and seemed to genuinely be glad to make my acquaintance. I decided fairly quick that I loved it. I returned the following Wednesday evening, and the following Sunday, and the Wednesday after that, I gave my life to the Lord.

I remember the moment so very clearly. I was watching a woman worship on stage and thought to myself "How can she be so full of joy? I want whatever it is she has!" you see, I knew this woman had suffered the loss of a child, and yet, she had more joy than I had ever even imagined having. I prayed that night, from the bottom of my heart, and asked God to come into my life. I have been running toward Him, feet going as fast as they can, ever since. Unfortunately, my husband was not as thrilled about my new found faith as I was. But, the story is not yet over.

After I met Jesus:
God began house cleaning in my heart from day one. The first of many areas was my marriage. God has done, and is still doing, an incredible work in both of us. He has blessed us with a wonderful marriage that is filled with the beauty of friendship. My husband has become my very best friend, and we have a relationship built on love, support, honesty and acceptance. My husband and I, even after all these years, are still not completely on the same page spiritually. However, we are getting there, and I have learned that God is faithful, the work that He has done in both of us, is irreversible, and there is no where to go but forward.

God has taken my insecurities and turned them into promises. He has taken my fear of messing up and turned it into an excitement that awaits the next step of our journey together. He has shown me that the love I have always longed for is found in His eyes, and He has turned my "little girl dreams" into realities that are within reach. Through Jesus I have learned who I really am, Who I was meant to be, and what I am capable of accomplishing through Him. I no longer feel unaccepted, I feel as though I am right where I was always meant to be. And, I know for the first time in my life that this is one good, no, great thing, I will never mess up. It is not about me and how well I am able to perform, but about Jesus and what He has already done!

All of my "trying" got me no where, but trusting in the gospel saved my life. "Gospel" is actually associated with a Greek word that means to good to be true. God has an abundant life of, to good to be true, just waiting for each of us. This is something we can all be grateful for this Thanksgiving. As we draw close to Jesus He will show us how to receive everything that has been accomplished for us on the cross.

Where Freedom Begins

Have you ever, or do you ever feel jealous?

If we are all being honest, I think it would be fair to say that at some point in our lives, we have all felt the feeling of jealousy. When I was a kid I used to get jealous when one of my friends wanted to spend time with someone besides me. I felt jealous when someone got the new boots that I had been wanting for 4 months. I felt jealous over a lot of stuff.

I think as kids, we trick ourselves into thinking that when we "grow-up" we won't feel jealous anymore. We trick ourselves into thinking that when we grow up we will be more confident, bold, satisfied, etc...but, that's not really the truth, is it?

No matter how much older we get the only way we truly "grow-up" is to "grow-in" the Fathers love. If this doesn't happen we will be just as jealous and insecure at 35 as we were at 15.

The Father has been teaching me a very freeing lesson about jealousy. It has changed me, and it has helped me to truly be happy for others when they are blessed.

I have always had this tendency to feel jealous when other people get to travel to wonderful places. Well, truth be told I used to be jealous over many things, but this is what Father used to teach me in a big way, so, this is my example.

Anyway...

One day I found myself saying, "I am so jealous! I wish I could go there!" When I felt Father speak to my heart in the following way.

Father "Daveda, don't you know how much I love you?"

Me "Sure, I know you love me."

Father "You must not REALLY believe that I love you or you wouldn't feel jealous. You would know in your heart that my desire is to bless you. Give your heart to me"

Me *lightbulb* "Ahhhhhh, I see"

Do you see? The only reason we have to feel jealous is if we believe that Father loves someone else better than us. We only feel jealous when we believe that's why they got this wonderful blessing, and we didn't. He must like them, love them, more than me.

But, that's not the truth, it's a lie.

The truth is, God wants to bless us too. We just don't believe that He does, so we don't think to ask Him.

Shortly after the Lord spoke to my heart about this, I was looking through some pictures that were posted online of a wonderful trip overseas, taken by a friend, and I found myself thinking "Wow! This must be really amazing, I wish I could go somewhere like this." When I felt this overwhelming peace come to my heart as I turned to Jesus and said "Thank you Jesus that you love me, just as much as this person, and if you can send her to this wonderful place, you can send me somewhere someday too. I know you love me Lord"

You see, we only feel jealous when we do not know Fathers love and His heart to give to us. We only feel jealous when we believe the lie that says - God must love them better than me-.

The truth is that God loves you and wants to bless you. This work of being set free and experiencing life in abundance starts in our hearts as we begin to believe in His love for us, as we begin to turn to Him and ask Him to help us trust in His love, His power, His favor at work in our lives.

Freedom from jealousy is found in Jesus. It is found in learning to live in the wonderful gift of right standing He gave to us!

Turn your heart to Jesus and ask Him for a fresh revelation of His love for you today!

This is where Freedom Begins!

Now, That is GOOD NEWS!

Who are you? Or, at least, who do you think you are?

Who we believe ourselves to be will widely determine how we live our lives. It will determine how we see ourselves, and how we believe that God sees us.

For many years I lived my Christian life feeling as though I didn't really measure up. I believed that I was a wretched person still driven by my sinful nature, therefore, I never had the peace that passes all understanding, and I did not lived my life in the rest that Jesus says is mine (Hebrews 4) to live in.

How could I? I was constantly placing the flood light of my attention on all of the things that I thought I was not. I questioned my motives and my heart at every turn.

I am not saying that it is never right to ask the Lord to examine our hearts or our motives, only that I ALWAYS thought mine had to be somehow rooted in evil. After all, there was no good in me, right?

WRONG!!

"Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

When we become one with Jesus, we are given a new nature. We are no longer the same as we were before.

NOW, THAT IS GOOD NEWS!

Our outward behaviors and habits won't change overnight, however, as we begin to agree with and trust the Lord, our outward attitudes and behaviors will begin to line up with the work that has been done inside of us.

If we continue to see ourselves as wretched sinners, saved by grace, trying with all of our might to just live as best as we can, then we will not live in the rest or the peace that Jesus came for us to have.

All of our trying to be good enough will exhaust us. If it does not exhaust us, then it will cause us to become prideful, thinking that we, in our own strength and determination can make ourselves acceptable and favorable in God's eyes.

But God says that our righteousness (right standing with Him), attained by self-effort is as filthy rags before Him. The only true righteousness, is a free gift, given to us by Jesus...

Complete with a new nature and a new heart.

A new creation.


Once I began to see myself as hidden in Christ, I began to live in peace, joy, rest and favor. This in no way means that I think I am perfect or have no room for improvement. But, it does mean that I am learning more and more everyday, how to see myself the way that God sees me.

I no longer live as a wretched sinner, just trying to serve God and live as best as I can to please Him.

I now live as a daughter of the King. I live as if I am hidden in Christ, and He lives His life through me. Through my new desires, and my new heart.

Through my NEW NATURE...

I can trust Him to live through me. I no longer feel as though I have to try to be good enough to please Him.

Because I know that I already do. Just as you do.

God is pleased with you today, because of Jesus!!

Knowing who you are, because of what He has done for you, is the only way to live in freedom.

Amazing Freedom!

The work the Lord does in our hearts, as we begin to believe Him is amazing. When we receive Jesus our spirits are completely renewed, we are given a new identity in Christ, complete with a new nature and a new heart. However, we do not walk in the fullness of our new identity immediately, it is a life long process.

The Lord has been teaching me more and more about who I really am. He uses the situations in our lives to strengthen us and help us learn to turn to Him during the times that we feel less that who He says we are.

I never saw myself as an insecure person. However, when the Lord moved my family 320 miles away from home, I began to see that I had many, many insecurities! The last four years I have been placed in situation after situation that brought out the lies inside.

Have you ever been in a group of people and had thoughts like this;

I don't think they like me.

They must think what I said was stupid.

I hope they didn't misunderstand what I said.

I wonder if they are talking about me when I am not around.

I wonder what they are laughing about; Is it about me?

I have, many, many, many times! But, not so much any more.

It isn't that the lies of the enemy don't still come, it's just that I have learned what to do with them.

I am learning to believe what Jesus says is the truth about me so, when I hear these things I take them to Jesus!!

I continually ask the Lord daily, to give me fresh revelation of His love for me. I thank Him for the favor that He has given me with Himself and with others and I ask Him to help me believe that I have that favor.

I am not trying to prove myself to those around me and I am not trying to be good enough to get it. I am just being the best me I can be, and leaving the rest up to God. Its HIM that gives me the favor.

When words are spoken or attitudes or detected (or assumed) I say "Lord this is how I am feeling, remind me of the truth about myself, remind me of your opinion and help me trust that what you say about me is the truth."

I also just assume that everyone likes me. I have spent way to many minutes, hours and days worrying about what others think and feel about who I am. So, unless someone tells me they have a problem, I assume that they don't. I assume that I have favor with them, Like the Lord says I do.

Learning to believe and trust in the righteousness Jesus has given us, is a process that we gradually learn to walk in. None of us hear the truth about our righteousness and walk in the fullness of it over night.

We will all continually see areas where we may not believe God's truth in our lives, and that's okay. We just need to turn to Jesus and ask Him to help us. We need to ask Him to develop the fruit of what He has placed inside of us.

As we begin to turn to, trust in, and agree with Jesus, He will help us believe what He says is truth. As this happens, we will walk in freedom from the opinion of others (or what we think is the opinion of others).

I have recently been placed in an new situation, with new people and the work that the Lord has done/is doing, is amazing! I am sharing all of this with you because learning to agree with Jesus and what He says is the truth really does set you free!!

And, I gotta say, freedom feels GREAT!

Fruits of Righteousness

For many years I went to church, studied the Word, grew closer to the Lord and was continually healed from a lot of emotional pain, yet, I still found myself just as insecure as I was before I became a believer.

Much of the time I felt like I was not good enough. Sure, there were days when I felt like I had done everything I was supposed to, so I was able to feel good about myself (prideful) that day. However, the roller coaster that travels in between condemnation and pride is a very exhausting ride to be on.

Then, the Lord began teaching me about resting in His finished work. He began teaching me the truth about what (who) Grace really is, and who I really am because of it (Him).

This is the truth that has set me free!

I had heard parts of the truth before, however, I did not realize that all truth that helps us grow is rooted in the person and the finished work of Jesus. It is rooted in His grace operating in our lives. Without this understanding, no amount of truth can help us to see our new identity. We will still felt like we have to earn all that God has for us.

God's Grace is also His power, it is His ability to change everything about us that needs to be changed.

It is His truth, love and favor working in us, from the inside out.

When we say yes to Jesus, our spirits are completely renewed. God places every good attribute of His inside of us, and we become the righteousness of Christ in Jesus. The Father now sees us without blemish, without fault, perfect in His eyes, in right standing with Him.

It is as if we had never sinned.

Amazing, right!?

The problem is we get tripped up on all the stuff we still see in our character that does not seem to line up with this (His) righteousness. But, when we begin to see ourselves the way that God sees us, and we begin to turn to Him as we see our faults and flaws, trusting Him to bring what is inside out, then we can begin to walk in our new identity.

"May you abound in and be filled with the fruits of righteousness (of right standing with God and right doing) which come through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One), to the honor and praise of God [that His glory may be both manifested and recognized]." Philippians 1:11 AMP

Doing the right things on the outside is fruit that is developed as we begin to see our righteousness on the inside. As we begin to believe and agree with God about who we are in Jesus, we will begin to walk in who He says we are.

Of course, I am not saying that any of us have attained or will attain perfection while we are on this earth, but we are clothed with His robe of righteousness, and when we wear this robe, God works ALL things together for our good. Even our mistakes, our faults and our weaknesses!

AMEN! Now, that is good news!

Shoes of Peace

I have been thinking about peace a lot this week. I used to think peace was just a feeling on the inside; a quiet, content, undisturbed feeling about making decisions. I still think this is a definition of peace, a small part of all that peace entails, but I also believe that the Lord is showing me that it is so much more.

"Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]" John 14:27 AMP

Jesus left us HIS peace. The Hebrew word for peace is Shalowm, pronounced Shaw-lome'.

It means completeness, soundness, welfare, safety, health, prosperity, tranquility, and contentment. All of the things we can only find in Jesus.

How do we get to a place where we can walk out and live in peace, in complete lack of the things mentioned above: troubled hearts, fear, agitation, a disturbed state of mind and heart, intimidation, cowardliness and an unsettled soul?

The Answer...

By beginning to agree with what Jesus says is the truth about us. By beginning to recognize the lies of the enemy for what they are, LIES. What a wonderful revelation to realize the difference between conviction and accusation.

Accusation is from the enemy and always points to our faults, our lack, what we think we are not. Conviction, reminds us of our righteousness in Christ and reminds us of all we are because of Jesus. ~ Daveda

When God shows us areas of weakness, He shows them to us in the light of His peace that He left us. He shows them to us wanting us to agree with Him about them. Agree with Him is saying...

"Thank you Lord that I do not have to feel condemned about what I see because my weakness is made perfect in your strength. Thank you Lord that I do not have to be afraid of my weakness because you have already perfected this, you have perfected me and you have the ability and the power to continue to change me. You love me just as I am and your opinion of me is the right one, the true one. I believe what you say about me Jesus and I know that you will enable me to walk in your truth in every area of my life."

"The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace." Psalm 29:11 AMP

True peace is strength to us. When we find our completeness in Jesus and we look to Him as our Prince of Peace, and we agree with Him, we can walk and live in all He says is true about us.

When we are trying to find peace, by making outward changes, trying to please others, or trying harder to be who we think we should be, all we will find is frustration.

When we agree with Jesus and all He says is truth about us, when we trust in His power, His grace and favor at work in our lives, then, we will walk in an undisturbed state of peace, the same peace Jesus walked in. When we walk in His shoes, there will be no situation, or person, that will leave us feeling defeated, because we will know we are complete in Christ.

The way to defeat the enemies lies, is by believing and standing in the Gospel of Peace.

It is by believing that you are hidden in Christ favored by God and man because of the righteousness Jesus has given you. This enables you to stand in our new identity, our new nature, our new shoes.

"And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace."
Ephesians 6:15 AMP

This gives new meaning to the phrase "Walk a mile in someone else's shoes." doesn't it?

Rambling On...

Another Rambling on post...about a whole lot...but about nothing specific at all.

1.) My in-laws are in town this week. I love it when they visit, and it makes the kids so happy. Plus we take grandparents days off of school. Have you ever tried to keep a school schedule with grandma and grandpa in town? HA!

2.) I got a job!! I have been wanting to do something for awhile now. I do go to different events as a guest speaker occasionally, and I am working on a book project, but I want to do something that will help out financially around the house, and give me an outlet to be me...you know? Anyway, months ago I asked the Lord if there was something I could do that would fit well into my family life. I don't want to give up homeschooling, and I don't want it to prevent me from doing what I love, speaking. I just asked Him if there was something He had for me, for Him to open up the opportunity and bring it to me.

Last week my friend was telling me about this chiropractor she just got a job with and she mentioned that they asked her if she knew anyone else that was looking for a part time job, I said..."I might be interested in that." So she proceeded to tell me about the job...I have to admit, I had some hesitation, the hours were not ideal and neither were the days. However, she could not remember if what she was telling me was exactly right, so I though "It can't hurt to at least call and ask, right." RIGHT!

As it turns out they were hiring for two positions and the other position is PERFECT for me! Hand picked I tell ya, the hours and days fit my family beautifully! I will be working 27hrs a week in 31/2 days.

I feel really good about this and I think God is up to something here...His fingerprints are all over this!

3.) At this point I decided not to publish my other blog about dyslexia, which I named Dyscussing Dyslexia With Daveda...if I do I think it will be private. Matt and I decided not to tell the boys what it is we are dealing with until they have some success under their belt. So, I figure if they don't know, they may not appreciate the rest of the world knowing...

4.) The Lord, over the last few months, has made it clear to Matt and I that it is time for us to move on from the church we were attending. We really love the people and I have preached there several times...yet, its time to move on. He has not yet shown us what direction we are going, however, I do know that I am supposed to pursue nothing at this time. I know it's right, yet it feels very foreign...

I can say that I also feel lead to simply pursue relationships with the people the Lord has blessed me with. Not for any reason, not because we attend the same church or serve in the same ministry or think just alike, but just because the Lord has placed us in each others lives.

I think true discipleship is not me trying make you just like me, but us being friends opens up opportunity for the Holy Spirit to take what He has done in me and make a deposit in you, and vice versa.

I know that the Lord is doing a work in my heart He is showing me things about the way I have always done and saw "church" that I never saw before. I am excited about what the Lord is doing, but I have to be honest I am also nervous...nervous about what people will think...nervous about what they will say...but, then again that's another work the Lord is doing...

Helping me to become stronger in Him. Helping me to know that I hear His voice and that He is faithful to lead me. I don't need to know where, and I don't need to please others along the way...I only need to please Him, and I do...Not because I am so great, please don't think I mean that LOL...

But because Jesus is so great and because of what He has done for me, and what He has given me, the Holy Spirit living right inside of me...we the people are the church, no matter where we are.

Pay It Forward Winner!

AND THE WINNER IS... BETHANY, from over at HAPPYASCANB

Please stop by HAPPYASCANB and congratulate Bethany! She has a very sweet personality that shines through in her writing. Her posts are real and down to earth, she has a way of making you feel like you really know her. You will enjoy a visit to her blog page!

A Big Thank You to everyone who left a comment and participated in this give-a-way.

I really enjoyed receiving my package and I hope that Bethany will enjoy hers as well.

Being Loved By Him, With You,
Daveda

Pay It Forward

LOOK WHAT I GOT!

I received this wonderful package from Ana, over at The Writer Today.
If you have never visited Ana's blog page, you just have to check it out! She has wonderful advice and tips for anyone who enjoys writing. It doesn't matter if you are a published author or a dabbling blogger, her advice and tips will bless you.

Are you wondering why Ana sent me this package? Are you thinking that you would like to receive a wonderful package like this? Well, you can!

This is a little give-a-way called Pay It Forward, and you could be next! How you ask?

Just leave me a comment, telling me that you would like to participate in Pay It Forward. There is a catch...if you want to receive, you must also want to give.

So, here is how it works.

1. Leave me a comment and let me know if you want to participate.

2. In two days (Thursday) I will pick a winner.

3. With in the next few weeks you will receive a package full of goodies

4. Then, put up your own post about Pay It Forward, and choose a new recipient.

Oh, and do not forget to go visit Ana over at The Writer Today!

Never Travel Alone

*This post has been edited, from the original. After a comment from Karen, and a reread, I realized I may have stated a couple of things in such a way that it could leave you misunderstanding my point*

Most everyone on this earth, has heard that God loves us. Many have even sang songs with lyrics such as...

"Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

I wonder though, when we are really struggling, does someone telling us that God loves us really help us to believe that He does?

Does reading Jesus loves me, even in the Bible, help us to truly walk in the love that came and died for each of us, personally?

I don't think so, not when we are struggling. It might help us feel better for the moment, or it might not.

Now, I am not saying that it is wrong to read the Bible for help or share the truth about Gods love with others; nor is it wrong to remind each other of this great unchanging love. God has given us the gift of friendship, so that we can come along side one another on this journey and impart hope and truth.

This love, however, is received and acknowledged through experience with God.

This love is received and acknowledged as we continually turn to Jesus and ask Him to help us live, walk, and breath in the revelation of His love active in our lives.

To say "Oh, I know God loves me." and leave it at that, is by far short changing ourselves.

I have realized that in many ways, I do not know God's love for me.

In some areas of my life, I still question. I still doubt.

If I truly believed, and had a redemptive revelation of His love in every imaginable area of my life, my heart and my soul, I would always be fully aware of His heart toward me. I would never worry or doubt that He is working on my behalf, through the power of His Spirit.

I am learning and growing though. I am learning that when I question or feel worry come into my heart, to turn to Jesus and ask Him to give me a revelation of His love for me in that particular area.

I am learning that as I trust in HIM to do this work in me it enables me to love Him, and trust Him more.

I have many times heard people tell others that they just need to know God loves them, trust God more, believe God.

I used to be one of the people who would try to encourage others with statement such as these. But, not anymore...When someone is struggling, statements like these can leave them feeling condemned and less then. If it were that easy, if they could make themselves believe, if they could make themselves trust...don't you think they would have already?

I could TELL you all day long, but it has to be God that does this work in our hearts. Now, I am not saying we should not encourage one another, just that I have realized some of what we think is encouraging...is not.

Instead of telling a friend, "you need to believe that God loves you", I would say "lets ask God to give you a revelation of His love for you."

Instead of saying "you just need to trust God" I would say "Lets ask God to help you develop an unshakable trust in His power and ability at work in your life."

It is simply taking the focus off of the person doing more, trying harder, to looking to God and asking Him to do this work in us, for us.

The wonderful thing is that God knows none of us completely arrived in any of these areas, and there is no condemnation in that. He doesn't expect us to meet Him on the playing field of almost perfect, or got it all together.

He simply wants us to turn to Him, He wants us to ask Him to help us know His love personally through our own experiences with Him.

He wants us to ask Him to help us believe all of His truth and His promises, through His work in our hearts.

He wants us to ask Him to help us to trust as we take His hand and allow Him to lead the way through our doubts.

We do not need to have it all together, even in theses areas. The areas where so many are caught in bondage or condemnation if they feel they are lacking.

After all, what kind of a Christian would admit,

that they do not always know God loves them in a persoanl way,

that they find themselves doubting God's truth and many times find it easier to believe in God's promises in the lives of others than their own.

that there are some days they worry and do not trust that God is going to come through for them in their situations and circumstance?

I will tell you what kind of a Christian, the kind that...

needs the love of the Father, Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Anyone who tells you they have never struggled in these areas is lying. We all are on a journey. None of us have arrived and it's okay to be honest and real about that.

Otherwise we denying the one thing that we do need to have...

the acknowledgement that we need Him and cannot travel this road without Him working in our hearts.

"[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!"
Ephesians 3:19

Where is Your Focus?

Do you believe God?

I mean really believe Him?

Do you believe that you are a new creation in Christ Jesus, OR
are you still focusing more on your behavior and ways of living?

Do you believe that you are the righteousness of Christ in Jesus, OR
do you still see yourself as a pitiful sinner trying to do whats right?

Do you believe that when God looks at you He see's you covered in the blood of His Son, that He sees you perfect without spot or blemish, OR
do you believe that God is still waiting for you to clean up your act and get some things right before He can look at YOU this way?

I used to live in such bondage! I thought I believed God, I really did. Yet, I did not see myself through the light of any of the truths I just shared above, I always saw what comes after OR.

I thought that if I did not focus on cleaning up my act, God would certainly become displeased with me, if He wasn't already. I thought that the way to become better, more like Jesus, was to TRY HARDER...but I found after years of frustration and condemnation that this is completely WRONG!

Under the Old Covenant, yes, try harder, follow all of the laws, and then God would be pleased with you. Even then, they could not do it, they could not perfectly follow all of God's commands, or righteous ways of living.

But, under the New Covenant His life flows and lives through us as we begin to BELIEVE Him and what He says is truth about us!

If we focus on changing behavior, we will find ourselves in a vicious cycle of pride when we get it right, or think we got it right and condemnation when we feel that we have failed.

If we focus on Jesus and the truth, grace and freedom He came to give us, we find ourselves walking in those truths as we begin to REALLY believe them.

I forget where it is at this moment, but somewhere God tells us

"As a man thinks in His heart so is he."

So I ask, what do you think in your heart? What do you believe about yourself? Do you believe what Jesus says or do you believe what you think you see?

This truth has and is continually setting me free! The more I believe I am who Jesus says I am, because of what HE has done for me, the more I find myself walking in truth. Not because I am trying harder, I am actually not trying at all...yes, you read that right. I am learning to not try at all, but to trust.

To trust Him to flow in me and through me as I learn to believe Him. To trust that He has given me His Holy Spirit to work in me changing me from glory to glory one moment, one day, one year at a time.

Now, you might be thinking..."Come on Daveda, we can't just stop trying, we have to do things."

Sure we do, but they will naturally flow out us.

See, I have discovered that if we believe God, then we believe we are who God says we are. We are His! We have a new nature. We have been given new life and a new heart. It is only natural that we will be and act upon who we truly are!

Tigers instinctively do what tigers were created to do, they hunt, they sleep, they play, they mate, etc...

As they grow they mature in their ways, just as we do.

The question is...

Do you believe that you have a new nature, a new heart, a new instinct if you will, OR
do you still believe that you are the old person?

I am no way saying that I or anyone else for that matter, has it all right, or is skating on close to perfect.

I get many things wrong ALL THE TIME, everyday. I make mistakes, I yell at my kids, I get mad, I get frustrated with my husband, God reveals places in my heart where I still believe lies, etc...Just like you.

Only now, I do not get into a state of condemnation when I see these habits or unhealthy ways. Now, I do not look to God saying "How can you love me, I am a horrible person. Please, please forgive me and my sinfulness against you. If you will forgive me I will to never do that again. How can you ever use me when I make so many mistakes...ALL THE TIME"

Nope, not any more!

Now,I look to Jesus saying "Lord I know you love me, thank you for forgiving me Lord. I know you can change me and I know you want to. Help me believe what you say is truth. Give me a revelation of your love for me in this area and help me to be in tune with your Spirit as you bring about the changes that will set me free!"

See the difference?

A change of focus...

From what I could never do, to what He has already done and is bringing to maturity and fulfillment more and more everyday.

A Natural

Have you ever had one of those days...no seasons, when you just knew that God was doing a work in you? You know what I am talking about, when the land you seem to be trudging through feels thick and the next step must weigh a million pounds, yet you just know that it is going to work for the good?

WHEW! That has been my season. God has been bringing, change after change after change. I will admit there have been days that I went to my room and cried. There have been days that I thought about going back to bed. I feel like I must not be getting this right, or that right.

The good news is that those thoughts only last for a moment...well, okay sometimes longer than a moment. My point is...Jesus quickly reminds me of what the truth is about me because of Him and I am back on my way...eyes on the lover of my soul.

I was tempted to accept defeat this week. I was tempted to say, I just don't know how to do this. This situation is too big for me! Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of my righteousness, and I remembered that nothing is to big for Him, He is my teacher.

I have to admit, I made several mistake this week with my son. We seem to be going through many challenges together. As a matter of fact, as I am writing this he is sitting on the couch across from me unable to let go of a situation. A part of me wants to cry, another thing, another situation in a line of the many challenges we are facing.

Jesus does not expect me to get it all right...that makes me smile. Not only do I not have to get it right, but He will use my mistakes to benefit me! He will work ALL things together for good. This includes what I do when I get it wrong.

I may not feel like I am a natural at many of the things I am faced with in this moment. My Jesus however, is. He is a natural at everything, and He has sent His Spirit to guide me and lead me in them all.

So, though the steps seem heavy and the rain some days matches my heart, I will not accept defeat. I will not lay down and cry...(well, maybe a little *grin*) because I know that His grace is enough.

His power, favor and love operating in my life makes me victorious because Jesus is victory.

I am not trying to get to a place where I can get God to move in my life so that I can have success in this area. No, the work has been done and victory already belongs to me. Victory belongs to my son as well.

Not because we are going to get this all right.

Not because we are never going to make mistakes.

But because Jesus has already declared...

IT IS FINISHED!!

He is a natural, at all I put my hand to.

Rambling On's...Oregano?

This is not a repeat post from a couple of weeks ago, in case you are wondering. No, this is a new Rambling On's...I quite enjoyed posting the last hodge podge post, so I thought I would do it again. I may try and do this every Friday, as time allows.

So, here are a few of the thoughts and such that are floating through my my head and heart this week.

1. I am wondering what kind of a day it is going to be when you reach into the cupboard and accidentally sprinkle oregano into your coffee instead of cinnamon?!? Well, it made me laugh at myself, so maybe that means it will be a good day after all :)

2. My husband decided 2 days ago that we were going to sell a few things in the community garage sale this weekend...yeah me! jk, I am trying to convince myself that it will be good, and maybe it will be. It could be a great opportunity to get to know some new neighbors.

3. I have not only found out that my sons reading problem is contributed to dyslexia, but he also has some eye convergance problems. We will be going for that testing in two weeks. Many of the symptoms are the same, not all but many. So my hope is, as we start the new new reading, writing and spelling program, along with the eye therapy, we will see great improvement!

4. My oldest son had his first treatment of laser surgery on the tattoos placed on his hands...OUCH! I hope the Airforce is worth it! LOL

5. My Jesus loves me! He loves you too!

6. We are not righteous because of what we do or do not do. We are righteous because of what Jesus has done. The behavior we see in our lives, and the lives of others, is nothing more or less than the fruit of what we believe or do not believe. This truth has set me free, and continues to do so. I love the truth of grace. Increasingly so...everyday.

I am so thankful that I am no longer focused on my behavior and everything I think I am not. I am now focused on Jesus and how much He loves me. The more I realize this, the more truth I believe and the more I change. Trying has gotten me no where, but to the dry and dead land of frustration, but trusting has lead me to the land of promise.

To the promise of His power actively at work in my life daily. His promise is shaping me and guiding me, transforming me into all I truly am in God's eyes. He see me as perfect, without flaw or blemish.

I don't know about you, but I think that believing what God believes takes faith in Jesus.

Believing what we see about ourselves, or what we think is wrong with us, doesn't require any faith at all. I am asking God everyday, to help me believe what He believes!

7. You are perfect in God's eyes, perfect because of Jesus! So, go sprinkle some oregano, I mean cinnamon, in your coffee and have a great weekend!

One Person at a Time

I just started reading a book, recommended by my sister, called Unchristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. I can't say whether or not this book is worth reading, as I have just started it, and am only in chapter 2. I can say however, that I am intrigued by the subtitle and topic of the book.

"What A New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity

...And Why It Matters."

So far, this book has been used as confirmation to what I have been thinking, feeling, and sensing for a while now.

Many people no longer see Christians as representatives of a loving God who sees them as the object of His affection.

Sad.

Heartbreaking, actually.

No, according to the research done for Unchristian, what many people have come to think is that we are hypocritical, insensitive and judgemental.

It is not even close to my hearts cry to impact anyone in those ways.

On page 26 paragraph 3 states that there is growing hostility toward Christians and that it is a reflection of what people feel they get from us.

QUOTE: "They say their aggression simply matches the over sized opinions and egos of Christians. One outsider put it this way: "Most people I meet assume that Christian means very conservative, entrenched in their thinking, antigay, antichoice, angry, violent, illogical, empire builders; they want to convert everyone, and they generally cannot live peacefully with anyone who doesn't believe as they believe."

WOW! Is this the message that the church is sending to the world?

I may be prolife, but I am not antipeople who disagree with me.

Nor do I want to be seen that way..

This book is not written from an opinion only standpoint, there have been countless hours of research and interviewing that has gone into this project.

I am intrigued. Captured, if you will.

I only hope that I will be further enlightened, and forever changed.

Jesus said "I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another." John 13:34

According to the research in this book, and from what I have seen with my own eyes and heart at times...

This is, much of the time, not the message others are receiving from us.

I do realize that Jesus told us to expect persecution. But, I do not believe that this, is all about that.

Some of it, maybe, but not entirely.

I am asking God daily to give me a fresh revelation of His love for me.

This is the only way we will be able to love others as He does.

This is the only way to show people that we represent a love, not a religion.

We can change this.

One person at a time...

Jesus will show us how.

Who has God placed in your path to love today?

Calling Out For Help

I have written my first post for my new blog page about our journey with dyslexia, but I seem to be having a problem...

I can't decide on a name!

I started off with...

Overcoming Dyslexia...

But, then I thought BLAH, be more original!

I am stuck, so I am calling in my wonderful blog land friends for help.

HELP! please :)

So, let me give you a brief synopsis for why the blog in the first place and maybe you can help me?!?

I want to start this page because I know that even though we are faced with what at times, seems to be a mountain, I know God can move mountains (maybe that's a good name, no one would know what it's about though). I want to share with others our journey in hopes that it will help and encourage someone else out there, going through something similar. I also want to keep a record of our journey, for the future, so I never forget what it was like, and how God was faithful.

So, friends, what do you think? anything come to mind? Even if it's just a hogde podge of words that come to mind, please share them with me.


I want the name to declare God's glory, yet show that it's about dyslexia.

"Never Forget"

As we began our school day this morning, the boys and I said a prayer for all of those who were, and still are, so affected by the devastation of 9/11.

It seems that as human beings, it is a natural tendency for us to forget about things once the feelings of emotion have subsided. But, I hope that the Lord will help each and every one of us to "Never Forget" about the pain and the loss that was suffered by so many on that horrific day, eight years ago.

As, they will "Never Forget" for their lives have been forever altered.

There are still so many people being affected by the aftermath of what happened in our country that day. There are families with loved ones overseas, fighting for our freedoms. There are families who are heartbroken over the loss of someone who died fighting for those freedoms.

This is not intended to a "political" post. But, a post about people caring for people. A post about encouragement for those who are feeling lost with no hope. A post about remembering that people need others, to help and pray in times of crisis, pain and heartache.

I do not claim to be a politically savvy person. In my opinion it is sometimes hard to have an opinion, when all we hear is monitored. We rarely hear what someone, somewhere, has not deemed okay, fit for civilian ears. Just my opinion.

My prayer as we move forward as a country, a nation, but more importantly God's Children, is that we would know and see his unmerited favor in our lives. That each of us would receive fresh revelation of His love daily. That we would move forward unafraid, knowing that who ever thinks they are in control, are mistaken, as sovereign control belongs to the Lord!

As I think back to the story of Joseph, I am reminded that even when it does not look as if God's plan is in motion, we can trust and rest assured that it is. Even when tragedy strikes, as it did on 9/11, we can know and trust that God will "Never Forget", He will never leave us or forsake us.

When all seems lost and we just don't seem to be able to make heads or tails out of this crazy world that we live in, we must stand together and remember HIS faithfulness. He will never fall short of HIS promises, may this be something we...

"Never Forget"

What Does Jesus Say

This past weekend was a fun one for our family. My husband and I went on a motorcycle ride, we took the boys to see G.I.Joe, went to the free zoo in Madison WI, had a Bonfire (with smores of course), got ice cream from Sonic, and I practiced riding the dirt bikes so I could get better at shifting as I have decided to get my motorcycle license, Woot Woot!

Yet, this weekend was also filled with some mixed emotions for me. On Friday I posted a rambling on post, in which I shared a hodge podge (which is a word!) of thoughts. One of those was about my son Chase and his struggle with reading. Through this post and a couple of other ways, the Lord lead me to read up on Dyslexia. This is where I give a shout out to my friend Kat over at Art's Chili Pepper for mentioning it in her comment. The Lord used her comment to begin leading me in the right direction. Isn't He Awesome!

As I began reading up on Dyslexia, I have to admit, I sat at my computer and cried. my son has so many of the signs and symptoms that his picture could have been on the web page. I found myself thinking..."How could I have missed ALL of this." so many things were registering, even things from years ago, such as not being able to tie to his shoes until he was 7,even to this day, he would prefer not to.

As I read through some of this information with my husband, he too, felt astounded, as he has struggled with this his whole life, yet has gone undiagnosed. Not only does this affect my husband, but my 12 year old struggles with the same issues.

I felt sad and angry for my husband. Not at anyone, but just for the injustice of school systems, that allow children to go through believing that they are less than.

I also learned that if in the school system a child with Dyslexia is tested for a learning disability , the majority of the time they will not qualify for help. Reason being, the test they use is not suitable for diagnosing a child who struggles with Dyslexia.

This too, makes me a bit choked up, as my 12 year old son Shane was tested in the school system, two of them in fact. Both times we were told, "He is really on the fence here, and doesn't really qualify." At which point during the second time around, was followed up with a suggestion of pure laziness. Humph!

This discovery has caused my emotions to roller coaster a bit this weekend. I have felt sad, angry, relieved, and overwhelmed. Yet, I know my Jesus loves us!

As I was pondering this with the Lord, I thought "Dyslexic...my family is Dyslexic...?!?! Chase having the worst of it, so it seems..." and I heard the Lord ask me this question "Daveda, what do I say about your family? Who do I say they are?"

I sat for a minute as the Holy Spirit reminded me of the truth. The truth is that my children (and my husband) are not labeled "Dyslexic" they are labeled "Victorious" because of Jesus!

They are BOLD and CONFIDENT people in this world, and EVERYTHING they put their hand to will prosper and come to maturity.

So, as we begin this new leg of our journey, overcoming dyslexia, I will remember what Jesus says. I will look to Him as my source, not people, or resources, but the wisdom of the Holy Spirit will guide us (not that God won't use people or resources, I just won't be looking to them, but Him.) I am actually considering starting a new blog, in addition to this one. A blog dedicated to following the journey of victory over Dyslexia. Maybe it will help someone else out there. No one wants to journey alone.

Rambling On's...(I know that's not a word:)

I was trying to decide what to blog about today, and I could not seem to narrow down the many thoughts and themes floating and shifting through my head. I figured this would be a good day for a hodge podge post, if you will. A post about nothing...and a little bit of several things.

1. My spell checker tells me hodge podge is not a word...hmmmm, any suggestions? Did I spell it wrong.

2. I am becoming more and more aware of the fact that so many of the things I once thought were important to my walk with the Lord, pale in comparison to the simple Gospel. All of the things I once thought I needed to be, or had to try to do, are falling into place as I continually grow in Christ. Sometimes seemingly good ideas, concepts or even truths, can steal our focus away from Jesus and place it onto ourselves.

Let me give you an example, I used to spend so much time "trying" to make myself more disciplined. Only to feel like a failure time and time again. When I stopped focusing on discipline and place my focus back on Jesus and starting believing and saying "Lord you say I am all I need to be because of you. I trust you to change me Lord and bring about any disciplines in my life that you want me to have." As I began to do this the things I used to "try" so hard at simply started falling into place. Grace...it's a beautiful thing; God's unmerited, undeserved favor and POWER at work in our lives. You cannot have an undersatnding of grace without realizing it is the power to change us.

3. I just got my manuscript back from a friend. I was encouraged that she is about the sixth person to read it and love it, yet I can't help feeling like it's not done yet, even though everyone says it's great. I have the opportunity to send it to a new friend, who is an author and copy editor, yet again, I feel like maybe I'm not ready??? So, that leaves me wondering...do all writers feel this way? Or, will there come a time when you just know it's finished. Oh well...I keep reminding myself that it's the Fathers book, I will simply continue to write what He gives me, walk through the open doors, and trust that He will help me continually trust Him.

4. There are some people moving in close to this area where I live, Poplar Grove IL, about an hour from Chicago,who are starting a radical grace ministry. I am excited about that, I am excited to meet them. As of yet, I have only connected with them over Facebook. Isn't it amazing how God can use technology to make these connections?!? I think it will be nice to have some new friends near by, who seem to have a revelation of the same Grace (Jesus) the Father has revealed to me to set me free from the bondages of religion.

5. We started school this week, I homeschool my two youngest boys. Most of the time I like it. Both of my kids struggle academically. When I pulled them out of school for that reason and various others, they were both behind. My main concern is my 10 year old, he really just doesn't seem to get the concept of reading. Don't get me wrong, he reads, but not at a level I am happy with. Not to mention he hates reading and has no desire to do it. This makes it difficult because he is very smart and able to comprehend age appropriate material in every subject, he just can't seem to read it by himself....Hmmm. Prayer is powerful and the Holy Spirit is active. God keeps telling me He's got this not to worry, okay Lord, help me to trust you :) I think I might get his eyes checked...

6. My oldest son, is in the process of going into the Airforce. However, he made a stupid decision awhile back and let a friend practice tattooing...on his hands... and that disqualifies him. So, that means on Tuesday I am taking him to see about having them removed...hopefully they can do it quickly and as inexspensive as possible, as the recruiter is only waiting on that to get him sworn in...Lord let your favor be upon us!

7.I am wondering what you guys think of the stuff I write about. The content, style, is it personable, etc..? I am a teacher at heart, that's what I do, speak, teach and write about the word of God ..who is a person, JESUS!. See what I mean, when I write it comes out that way, teachie...(ya, that's not a word either LOL)

well, you are probably about tired of listening to me ramble on this morning...wait...I think it's almost afternoon, well, anyhow, you are probably tired of it regardless. I hope you all have a great Labor Day week end!

Righteous Apart From the Law

Do you ever find yourself standing in judgment of another believer based on something they do or do not do? Have you ever found yourself thinking "I must be a better christian than that person because I would never do that!" It may be something as simple as what kind of movies we watch, music we listen to, books we read, where we shop, the people we are friends with, what we eat or drink, what we wear, how we entertain ourselves, how often we read our Bible, pray, go to a church service, etc...the list is endless. And, if we are all really honest with ourselves, we have all done it.

The Bible tell us to not judge and criticize.

"Do NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourself."
Matthew 7:1

For years I knew this. I knew the Bible said it, yet I continually made judgments about people based on what I saw on the outside. I formed my opinions about anothers walk with the Lord according to "The Gospel of Daveda." If we agreed on at least the majority of the choices I listed above, among a few others, then in my book you were okay, for the most part. This is how I thought God judged me, therefore this is how I judged others.

I have discovered something wonderful and freeing. The Lord has set me free from this crazy judgmental way of thinking. I can't even begin to tell you how great it is to be able to love people in spite our different opinions or believes. But, as I said knowing that we are not supposed to judge, being told that we are not supposed to judge, does not make our hearts any less judgmental. So how do we get there?

"But now the righteousness of God has been revealed independently and altogether apart from the law, although actually it is attested by the law and prophets. Namely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah). [And it is meant] for all who believe, there is no distinction." Romans 3:21-22

As we begin to see that we are righteous not because of what we do (the law) but because of Jesus and our trusting, relying, and believing Him, we begin to see others as righteous because of Him as well, apart from the law.

I have discovered that the more I realize that the Father is not condemning me or judging me, the less I feel the need to condemn and judge others. I realize that the love and grace of God, His power moving in our hearts and lives, is what brings true change and I am free to love them, and accept them for who they are.

Just as God loves and accepts me.

Laugh and Learn

I have discovered and learned a lot of new lessons over the last few weeks. I love that every day, every situation, is an opportunity for Father to teach us new lessons, each one drawing us closer to the heart of Himself.

Sometimes we learn lessons from watching and listening to others. We feel, see, and hear how what they do affects us and we quickly realize this is something I never want to make someone else feel, see or hear.

I had a few of these happen to me during the time of my grandmas showing and funeral. As I think back to them I have to laugh a little, as I wonder "what were these people thinking?" So, I thought I would share with you three wonderful things that you should never say to someone when they have just lost a loved one...yes, that was a hint of sarcasm you detected...

1. Now this one I realize is probably pretty common, people mean well, and in these types of sad circumstance many simply do not know what to say. But, telling someone that "It's okay, she is in a better place." does not make them feel better. When Jesus said "weep with those who weep" I think that's what He really meant . The people who helped me the most did not try to minimize my grief, but cried with me and understood that even though I KNOW she is in a better place, I will still miss her, my tears were for me.

2. I had one person tell me that of all the people they could think of I had the most faith, so come on now...you can do this! Ummmm...okay?!?! Sure, but this still bites, it has nothing to do with faith. Having faith gives you hope, but it does not make your heart stop hurting.

3. This is classic..my favorite; at my grandmas showing a man (a rude man) walked up to me, hugged me and said "Hi Daveda, wow, you look like you have put on a little weight?" Mind you there were six people sitting around listening...things got very quiet all of a sudden. I was stunned as I responded with "Oh, wow, that's really nice of you, thanks..." (yes, another hint of sarcasm) It's my grandmas funeral, and that's the nicest thing he could think of to say to me...Oh my!

I guess if nothing else, these are three things I will never say to someone. As I look back, I can now laugh about these comments. Laugh and learn, what else can you do...

Blog Award

I want to say thank you, to my friend Christy over at The Secret Life of an American wife and Mom for giving me this Loyal Friend and Visitor award. Christy is not only my blogging friend but, my real life friend as well. If you have never been by her blog for a visit please take the time to do so. She has a wonderful teaching gift, and the love and grace she lives in comes through in her writing in a way that touches and transforms you.

Now it's my turn to give away the Loyal Friend and Visitor Award. The following are 10 people who not only come and visit my blog regularly, but also have wonderful blogs that I love to read. They are encouraging and wonderful to have as friends. Please stop by and visit them.

Rosel
Sarah
Warren
Kat
Kee
Sarah Dawn
Jhazmyn
Michelle
Tracy
Shanda

The Hope of Suffering

If you have been reading my blog as of late, then you know my grandmother just passed away on August 20th, 2009, of terminal lung cancer. As hard as it was to watch her die, it was also very peaceful, as I saw God's hand upon her and the rest of us.

During her last day here on earth, I recall sitting there, watching her breath, wondering with each one, if this would be the last. My heart began to ache and tears welled up in my eyes as I whispered in my heart "Jesus, help us, I am not sure how much more of this we can take."

Later on this same day, my mom and I, along with my sisters, gathered around grandmas bedside and prayed. We prayed for God's mercy and His wonderful grace to flood my family. We prayed that grandmas suffering would end soon, and that she would be wrapped in the arms of Jesus.

As we were praying something I had just read came to my heart and I felt lead to read it out loud to grandma. This is what it was...

"My beloved speaks and says to me, rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

For, behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing [of the birds] has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth and ripens her green figs, and the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance.

Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away." Song of Songs 2:10-13

I cried as I read it because I knew that Father was calling her home. I cried because I knew I would miss her. I cried because I knew that when I thought of her not being here for me, it would make me sad for what I would miss.

I smiled when I thought of her with Jesus. I smiled when I thought of her holding her precious daughter who had passed away at 7 months old, more than 50 years ago. I smiled when I thought of her with no more tears, no more pain. I smiled when I thought of her being in a place so wonderful that it is actually outside of time, and I knew for her it would only be a moment until she saw me again.

As weird as this may sound, as odd as it feels to say it, this was actually a good experience. Don't get me wrong it was hard. There are moments when it still is. Like when I put on grandmas flannel that I took from her closet and I smelled her scent as it flowed from the shirt into my nostrils. When I think about Christmas and her not being here. When I look at her photo, or even when someone says a word that reminds me of her.

Grandma is everywhere.

Yet, so is God's peace and that is why this has been good. Precious, wonderful, Jesus, has been there for us, and He still is.

Everyone suffers at some point in their life. Everyone goes through the rough and tough days when it feels like it would be easier to just quit.

Everyone does.

It's not a matter of will I ever suffer, but, where is my hope when I do.

My hope is in Jesus, the Lover of my soul. He will be with us through the good and the bad. With Him, even the the things that are meant to ruin and crush us will be used for good.

Meeting Jesus

I have, after a long two and a half weeks, returned home from my trip to to visit Granny.

The first week of my trip was spent spending time with and caring for my grandma, who was on in-home hospice and living at my moms house. I am so glad I was able to be there and help care for her. Her desire was to remain at home as long as she could, and because we all pulled together, we were able to make that happen.

Grandma passed away on August 20, 2009, and will be sadly missed.

God brought our family together during this time, and reminded me of how important relationships are, and that they will not be around forever. He reminded me that the most important thing I will leave behind when I leave this earth is...

the way I loved others.

I pray that everyday, I will receive more of a revelation of His love for me, so that I am able to love Him and others more fully and completely.

After all, we cannot give what we have not received, and,
life is to short, not to love.

I know that grandma has finally met Jesus and is dancing on golden streets with Him. I know that she is finally complete and whole, no more suffering, every tear wiped away. I can only imagine what she must have felt meeting Jesus...WOW!

I do know that I will be with her, much longer than I have to be with out her.

However, Knowing this does not make me miss her any less.

I want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart to all you who left me encouraging comments and prayed with and for me and my family during this time. Your prayers were definitely felt and welcomed over the last weeks.

Now, that I am home, I will be getting back into the swing of things and I will soon be posting again regularly. I am also looking forward to coming by to visit you all again soon.

Many Blessings,
Daveda

Going To VIsit Granny

It is time for me to once again, pack the clothes, pile everything and everyone in the car and make the 5 to 6 hour drive back to Ohio. The time really depends on how nice the traffic in Chicago decides to be to me today.

I previously told you all a little about my sweet granny having terminal lung cancer, well...she is not doing well, not at all. Her condition is rapidly going down hill and it is believed that the cancer has/is spreading to other parts of her body. She has no appetite and due to not eating, she has lost a tremendous amount of weight. She is becoming very confused and is staying in bed 98% of the time.

I would share more, but I am typing this in a bit of a rush to get out the door. My mom just called yesterday and said that if I want to spend any time, while she still knows whats going on, I had better come fast. So I am going...getting there as fast as I can!

I do not know how long I will be gone, I intend to stay as long as I am needed there. Please pray for my family. And, know that if you do not hear from me for awhile, if I do not post or visit you, it is not because I have forgotten about you.

Being Loved By Him, With You,
Daveda

Grace is Enough

Have you ever woke up with a heavy heart, feeling as though you had the weight of the world on your shoulders and it was too much to bear? This is how I felt as my eyes slowly rolled open and I contemplated getting out of bed this morning.

I refuse to start my day this way, so before my feet touched the floor, I reached for God's wonderful Word of Grace and asked Him to remind me of the Truth. I asked Him to give me a revelation of His love for me.

When we focus on our problems or what we think we may not be doing right, we will always find a reason to feel condemned. But when we focus on Jesus, God's provision for our problems, the One who did everything right, and we remember that we are hidden in Him, we are reminded that we are righteous!

There is nothing happening in my life or yours, that God does not already have taken care of. God's Grace (Jesus) is enough!

Job and financial situation...check!

Health issues...check!

Issues with the kids...check!

A healthy spiritual life...check!

Whatever else that may come up...check!

When we are reminded of God's perfect love for us, we can live in His rest knowing that the hope of His great love taking care of our every need is enough. When we are resting we are not worrying about what to do, trying to work harder at resolving our problems or trying to figure out a perfect solution.

No, we are allowing His love to surround us, and we are trusting Him to make a way. We are trusting that all of God's promises are YES and AMEN!

When God looks at His children He does not see the imperfections and the shortcomings that we tend to see, He sees Jesus! When we realize this, we can rest, knowing that He is not trying to decide if we deserve for Him to come through for us. None of us deserve it, but Jesus does!

The righteousness and perfect obedience of Jesus is what our Father sees when He looks upon us! Now, that is good news!

I came across this video entitled The Good-O-Meter over at Amy Deardon's blog page. It is a WONDERFUL video that gives a beautiful example of the Grace I am referring to in this post. Please leave a comment as usual, but then PLEASE, PLEASE take the time to stop by Amy's blog and watch this video, leave her a comment and say hello, tell her I sent you :) it's worth it, I promise!

The Power To Make Coleslaw

My last post was about the the towers that we tend to build in our lives that obstruct our view of relationship with Christ. It was inspired by a Veggie Tales episode I watched with my niece. If you did not read it, you may want to scroll down and do so before moving on.

I would just like to add to that post and clarify, that I believe the knocking down part is done in love, with no condemnation. I do not believe that these areas of our lives need to be removed in great pain staking agony. This would mean that I believe God's Grace (Jesus) is insufficient to take care of these "towers".

Yes, I think that sometimes the emotions we experience during these times can be difficult to sift through. However, if I am keeping my eyes on Jesus, and asking Him to remind me of His great love for me, it makes this sifting that much easier.

We are ALL growing and changing daily, none of us have arrived, and we ALL have some kind of "tower" that needs to be knocked down. Yet, it is not our job or our responsibility to "figure out" what the towers are, what they look like and how to get rid of them. As we rest in His finished work and trust Him to continue to work in our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, who is...God's gift and promise to us, the Father will guide us and lead us closer and closer to Him.

If we were able to see for ourselves the areas where we are not walking in God's best, in our own strength and understanding, what would we need this wonderful gift for? If we were able to "fix" ourselves, what would we need this wonderful gift for?

I have come to realize that I have no power to remove towers or change myself in any way, nor do I have the ability to see and recognize these areas or towers without revelation from the Holy Spirit. For me the "Fight of Faith" has become a simple question asked everyday in every situation.

"Do I believe that what He has done for me is enough?"

"Do I believe that what Jesus has already done for me is enough to take care of all the details of my life and my person?"

YES! I do believe that He is. In that I can thank Him when He shows me these areas I can respond with "Thank You Jesus, that you love me enough to not leave me the same!" I can trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about any necessary changes and flow in and with Him as He does.

So, I do believe we all have "towers" and I do believe that when God removes the unnecessary we are left with "coleslaw" something much better than what we started with. But, I wanted to clarify How I believe we get there. Through His Grace, His power working in our lives.

Coleslaw

I was watching Veggie Tales with my niece this morning when I heard Larry say the following.

"Go ahead smash that tower (of cabbage), you might just make coleslaw."


He was telling a tale of oddities about a man who had built a tower of cabbage with a mayonnaise stand at the bottom. Unfortunately the tower was blocking a neighbors window and one night, the neighbor, knocked the tower down, destroying it. Upon discovering the deconstruction of his wonderful tower the man was angry. That is, until he realized that his misfortune had caused him to accidentally discover coleslaw.

It made me think of the towers we build in our lives and the discoveries we make upon them being knocked down. These towers can be many things, anything that we place value and security in besides Jesus. Many times we do not even realize our areas of insecurity, or what the towers we have built are, until God comes along and begins knocking them down.

Many times deconstruction is not something we welcome, it can be hard and challenging. Yet, I have come to realize that when I keep my eyes on Jesus and ask Him to remind me of the truth, to remind me of what He says about me and my life, I can walk through the deconstruction process with peace and joy.

As I grow in my relationship with Jesus, and I continually learn to trust in Him, I learn that "deconstruction" is simply the first step in Him building something new that He has promised me.

There are many things I have looked to besides Jesus, on this journey. Many times the substitutes we look to are the very things that are seemingly good. The deeds we get involved in, the careers we choose, the people in our lives, the church we might attend, the teaching of others. All of these can be good, however they should never replace our individual relationship with Jesus. They should never be what defines us or gives us a sense of worth and value.

When these become bigger in our lives than our oneness with Jesus, they become towers that block the view of Christ in our lives. Many times it is the times of trial we go thorough that God uses to show us areas we are not trusting Him in. He uses these times to show us the "towers" we have built, and then He begins knocking them down.

I have learned, and am continuing to learn, how to embrace times of "deconstruction." Those times when God removes what is unnecessary, and mixes all the right ingredients together. Only through embracing these times and learning to trust in the Lord, will I find my coleslaw.

Lets Talk Grace! What Towers have you built on your journey? Is God knocking down any towers in your life? Please leave a comment, and tell us what you think. Lets Talk Grace!

Blog Hop -Encouragement

I am very encouraged today. I hope to encourage you by sharing my story.

I have always wanted to have a close relationship with my sister, but until recent years, we always seemed to be hit and miss with one another. Even though we have always loved on another, our relationship had very little depth.

We are seven years apart and I am the older sister. I remember after I got married, my sister was only fourteen, I would have her over and not want to take her home. She would get so frustrated with me and eventually she stopped coming.

There were many other times over the years where I tried to push myself on her. I realize now that I was trying to force her into a relationship with me and in doing so, I pushed her away.

The Lord helped me to just let go and hope that one day, He would bring us together to build a relationship that was based on a mutual love, respect, admiration and trust in one another. It has been almost 13 years and I can finally say that my sister is becoming one of my very best friends.

This never would have happened if I had continued to try and change her heart toward me. When we trust the Lord to do what we cannot, in us and in others, the seemingly impossible can happen. God is able to do above and beyond what we can only imagine.

"Now to Him, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do super-abundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]-" Ephesians 3:20AMP

My sister and my niece came from Ohio, to visit us this week. Our relationship is growing. I trust that the lord will continue to do beyond what I could ever hope for!

Lets talk Grace! Please leave a comment and share something encouraging, or a way this post encourages you! I try to respond to the comments you leave, so please check back. Lets talk Grace!

Jesus Is Wisdom

I recently heard a teaching on asking God for wisdom and my mind and heart continued to remember these verses.

1 Corinthians 1:22-24 "For while Jews [demandingly] ask for signs and miracles and Greeks pursue philosophy and wisdom, We preach Christ (the messiah) crucified, [preaching which] to the Jews is a scandal and an offensive stumbling block [that springs a snare or trap], and to the Gentiles it is absurd and utterly unphilosophical nonsense, But to those who are called, whether Jew or Greek (Gentile) Christ [is] the power of God and the Wisdom of God."

Jesus is the wisdom of God.

When we need wisdom we go to God and He gives us that wisdom, but our answer is always found in Jesus.

When we learn to agree with what Jesus says is the truth about us and our situations, we are flowing in God's wisdom. When we know God's truth for our lives and we align our thinking with His, we are flowing in God's wisdom. When we refuse to believe the lies of the enemy, and stand on what Jesus has done for us, we are flowing in God's wisdom.

I used to read the Bible looking for answers to my life. I am now learning to ask the Father to show me the person of Jesus. In Him I will find wisdom. In Him I will find answers.

I recently had some question arise in my heart concerning church, and as I went to the Bible I found myself intent on finding a fact or a clear description of what I was looking for. When God revealed to me what was in my heart, I closed my Bible to take a minute and ask my Father to change my heart. I want my only desire be that I see Jesus.

The Bible is not an encyclopedia, a place where we go just to find information. It is a place where we go to have a person revealed to us. In this person, this wonderful Christ, we will find wisdom.

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. When we see Him as our answer we will flow in Grace and Truth. We will flow in His power, and wisdom.

Are you seeking answers today? Ask the Father to show you Jesus. You are hidden in Him, this is where we find the wisdom and answers we are looking for.

Lets Talk Grace! Please leave a comment. I try to respond to the comments you leave here on Grace Talk, as often as I can, so please check back. Lets Talk Grace!

Perception

What do you think of when you think of perception? We all have one, especially when it comes to life and how we see or heavenly Father. How we perceive Him will largely define how we see ourselves and how we treat others.

Perceive means to become conscious or aware of something. Perception is the process of perceiving, a way of conceiving something, and or the representation of what is perceived.

What we perceive to be the truth about God's love for us, will be the same as what we are able to give.

If we see God as a demanding, scornful, waiting to punish you, rub your face in the dirt, type of father, this is how we will treat others, this is the perception we will give others about who God is.

If we see God as a giver, a loving caring Father who wants to come along side of us and not excuse the sin in our lives, but give us the desire, motivation and power to be free of its reign, this is the perception we will give others.

In the Greek the word perceive can also mean to intimately get to know someone, in the book of Matthew the word virgin, when talking about Mary being kept, is also translated as perceive.

I love the fact that God is not after us simply modifying our outward behavior, but He wants to have an intimate connection with us. He wants our obedience to freely flow out of our connection with Him. This is my perception.

How much of our perception of God is influenced by "religion" and our society here in the U.S., or anywhere else for that matter.

There is a place in my heart that wishes, I could have been "kept" for a time, away from the influence of who others perceived God to be, until I really truly saw the heart of my Father.

Paul says that after He met the Lord He went away for a time and did not immediately consult the other disciples. Could it be that He took this time to get to know for himself, the One who had called him?

Don't get me wrong, I know we learn from each other and I LOVE talking about Jesus with the people God has placed in my life. I just know, that much of what I used to believe, much of my being in bondage for so long, was introduced into my life from my not truly knowing the heart of my Father, yet trying to "do" all that I was told I should.

Even the famous quote "What Would Jesus Do?" also know as "WWJD" is only answered based on perception. Is it not really saying "What Do You Think Jesus Would Do?" Our perception of what He would do, how He would handle a person, or a situation is based on our perception of Him, and how we think He perceives us. Is it not?

I know we have the Bible to guide us in truth, yet we all perceive that differently as well. We can each read the same passage and come up with a different perception of what it means. I once read (paraphrase) that the Bible was like a gem, with many different sides, all shining and glittering in their own special way. Each side holding a different angle of truth, to show the multifaceted love of God.

I believe that the Bible is a love story, it is a story where I can find Jesus hidden in the pages and lines. It is a story that shows me all of the horrid things that I have been saved from, rescued from and delivered from. It is a story of God's love and passion.

Could it be that none of us have it all right? We are all on a journey, are we not? I can tell you that five years ago, I did not perceive God the way I do today. If you would have told me then, many of the things that I perceive to be truth now, I would not have believed you. And, I hope in five years five years from now, my perception of God is not the same as it is today.

What is your perception?

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