Afternoon!  I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather.  I am afraid of getting to accustomed to it.  We could use a good snow, however, to clean out the air.  There are a lot of allergies going around.  This is the first year I have ever suffered with allergies, but there are some days when they simply kick my butt.

I have to share this with you guys.  It is so unbelievable but then again it is not.  I am not sure why I am so surprised by it!

​I lost my job in December due to them closing their doors.  The first few weeks I sought other positions and tried to work my Mary Kay business as much as possible.  An opportunity presented itself to me ... something which has been on my heart for years ... to attend classes to become a peer counsel for the Pregnancy Center.  I enrolled not knowing if I would actually be able to do this because if I returned to work, then it would not afford me the time I would need to do this volunteer counseling.  I also wanted to volunteer with another organization, but I have also been afraid to pursue this desire because of my uncertainty of my work schedule.

​As I attended the classes at the Pregnancy Center, my heart became real heavy with concern as to the uncertainty of my future.  I knew without a doubt what God wanted from me, but I was not certain if He was presenting these opportunities to me now or exactly what was happening.

​While all of this was transpiring, my Mary Kay business had picked up enough where I felt I could afford to only work part-time.  I then interviewed for a part-time position that I feel confident I will get.  However, through all of this, again I was fumbling with what I was supposed to be doing.

Finally, I just laid it all out before God.  I basically prayed, ​"God, it seems to me that opportunities are crossing my path daily which are desires You placed in my heart years ago.  I so want to pursue these, however, I am uncertain as to what I am to do in order to pay my bills and maintain my lifestyle.  God, I know what Your design is for me but I need to see something ... I need to know without a doubt that You are blessing the works of my hands and I am in alignment with your will for my life.  God, if I am to pursue this counseling position and be able to do more works to glorify You, then You so need to increase my Mary Kay business to provide for me." 

​Everyone, listen to me!!!!  It seemed as if the following day my world in Mary Kay simply turned in another direction.  Within a few days, my sales increased, I recruited 3 consultants as new team members, and things are looking up.  I am in awe!  What an awesome God we serve.

​I am far from being confident about the road I am currently on, but I strive daily to glorify Him each step of the way, continue to seek His face, and walk in faith knowing He has my future in His hands.  Where better could I be?

​I ask that you continue to pray for me.  Pray that I will never allow the blessings He is bestowing on me to take precedence over Him.  I need to always know that all good things come from above, and I am but a vessel to be used of Him for His glory.

​God bless!

First off let me say, "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY"!!!!  I truly hope you have a blessed day and remember that today is about love ... not stuff ... but love!  Just love one another and all else will be good!

​This morning as I was studying the Word in Deuteronomy it struck me just how little credit we give to God.  Though I have read this book in the Bible many times, today it dawned on me just how much I lack faith when struggling during difficult situations.  Ponder on this for a minute or two:

Deuteronomy 3:3-6  ​So the Lord our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his people, and we smote him until not one was left to him.  And we took all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we did not take from them, sixty cities, the whole region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.  All these cities were fortified with high and haughty walls, gates, and bars, besides a great many unwalled villages.  And we utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying every city - men, women, and children.

​​Really think about this ... let it get down deep on the inside of you!  The Israelites overcame HUGE obstacles simply because they believed God would go ahead of them and make them victorious.  They came against great warriors ... against cities which were protected on all sides by big walls ... yet they overcame them.  Why?  Simply because God went ahead of them and prepared the way!!!  WOW!

​If they had kept their eyes on the circumstances of the matter and not on their God, then they would have failed miserably.  Yet, we doubt each day that God can bring us out of a financial mess ... we doubt that God can carry us during our times of grief ... we doubt God can restore broken relationships or mend our marriages ... we doubt God can provide for us when we lose our jobs or find ourselves in need.  Hear this ... if our God can take over big cities and make the lesser of the peoples victorious, then He can overcome any situation you may find yourself enduring.  It is our lack of faith that causes us to fail. 

Today be determined to keep your eyes on Him and not on your circumstances.  Walk in faith no matter what others are saying.  Watch your God lead you to victory!!!!

​I am praying for all of you today and please do the same for me!

I cannot believe I have not written a blog since December.  Time can so quickly escape us, and before you know it, it is gone.  I have so many things I desire to do, and they all require time ... great amounts of time.

​I will not be long as I have a full schedule today, but I have felt so led to share something with you.  I have to admit that I have been resisting the nudge from the Lord to share this out of fear and judgment.  Yes, I still struggle at times in those areas, as I am sure we all do.  However, why should I care how this is taken?  I mean "I care" but I do not!  I am sure you grasp this concept.  If God wants me to do something or share something, then by gosh I should not hesitate to do it.  I should be wholly seeking His approval and not the world's approval.

​Last Sunday at church, during our praise and worship time, we were singing the song, "Holy Spirit" by Francesca Battistelli.  I was so in the moment.  I was engrossed in worshipping Him and begging for His Presence to sweep over the congregation.  In my head, as the music was playing, I was saying things as "Thank you, Lord" ... "Yes, Holy Spirit, sweep through this entire congregation like a wind".  Some time during my praising Him, I was nudged on the right shoulder.  I was ... for a split second ... a bit irritated as it brought me out of the realm of worship I was in and distracted me from focusing solely on Him. 

​I turned my head to see who had tapped me ever so lightly, and it was then that the moment became priceless.  For a split second ... no more than this ... I saw a shadow as it was leaving my presence.  I was so overwhelmed I was left speechless and overwhelmed beyond words.  I could have just dropped to my knees at this point and cried.  Not tears of sadness, but tears at the awesomeness of our God.  They would have been tears of joy ... joy in the purest of forms.  I knew that I knew the Holy Spirit, at that exact moment, made His presence known to me.  My heart was in such a place and very tender seeking Him, and He showed Himself to me. 

​Just thinking of this now is a reminder to me of the other times in my life when He has manifested Himself to me.  Once with His audible voice ... once in the form of an angel ... and now through a shadow.  I cannot say it enough ... What an awesome God we serve!!!!!

During each of these times I was at a very difficult stage in life.  His presence reassured me He was always hearing the cries of my heart.  It also gave me the strength and peace I needed to press on.  It allowed me to be a blessing to others and rely on Him to be my blessing.  When you seek out what you can do for others when you are in the midst of storms yourself, it is uplifting and joyful.  Taking your eyes off of you and placing them where He wants them to be is very rewarding and it glorifies Him in the biggest of ways!

​Have a great day!