Busy, Busy, Busy

Ask a woman nowadays how they are and most will answer busy, busy, busy or some form of letting everyone know they are busy!  Is it not true?  Do we wear it like a badge of honor or something?

I got to thinking this morning about the story of Martha and Mary and picturing Martha running around that house preparing for Jesus to come and visit.  Imagine it for yourself you would want your house looking good after all it wasn't just anybody coming over for dinner it was Jesus!  I always feel a little bit sorry for Martha and the bum rap she gets from everybody, because out of all the women I know and it's a few - after all I minister to women.  We like to be busy and we like to make sure our houses are welcoming and nice for special guest and Jesus would definitely fit into both categories.  Martha, wanted to be sure the pillows were plumped and ready for Jesus to rest against, she wanted the food to be fabulous after all this was and is the Messiah and He had been busy healing, preaching, and taking care of everybody.  I don't think many of the women I know would have been clever enough to figure out like Mary did to take the time and sit at His feet.  

Okay, maybe 1 out of 5 would have sat down at His feet and taken it all in.  Think about it.  We wouldn't dare let someone think we were being lazy and not doing our portion of the job, we wouldn't dare let someone think they were better cooking (now I would let this one go), we wouldn't let them complain about us when they weren't looking - look at Debbie in there sitting on down on the job.  No we worry so much about what others think that we miss out on some good stuff!  Oops, sorry and listen I'm not talking to anybody more than I am myself.  We girls worry too much about what others think - it's true!  After all, most of the time they are going to think it anyway and it doesn't matter what we do!!!!

We truthfully need to realize like Martha did what was important and not worry about what others think!  We need to sit at Jesus feet and spend time with Him.  Growing, learning, and becoming the women that He intends for each of us to be.  Not the women the world wants us to be - no the women that God made us to be!  His daughters!

Listen to this quote that I thought was fabulous that goes along with this thought today ~

"Note well the words of Jesus...it is not, "Go, labor on," as perhaps you imagine, (but)..."Come to me and rest,: Never, never did Christ send a heavy laden one to work; never, never did He send... a weary one, a sick or sorrowing one away on any service. For such the Bible only says, "Come, come, come." J. H. Taylor

I love it!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Understanding

Lord,

I know that you tell me over and over that your ways are not my ways and that I must trust, but... Don't you love the way we always include but or if in our prayers Lord?  I know without a doubt you love us otherwise we would have been wiped away an awfully long time ago or least I would have been...

I take two steps forward and at least three backwards daily in my relationship with you.  I try so hard and truthfully I fail so hard at the same time.  I know You see me and know in my heart I am giving it my all ( at least on my terms) and suddenly I allow doubt to enter the equation and suddenly I am behind where I started in the beginning.

I get the phone call that shares something that comes at me out of the blue.  Unexpected problems or interruption that You knew was coming, but I didn't and you know I like to calendar even problems!  Yes, it helps to see things coming, but lately I haven't seen anything coming at me.

I want to thank you for sending me the study of Nehemiah at a time I so closely needed to look at a person like Nehemiah.  A man of prayer!  A man that is so close to you that absolutely nothing will stop his mission for You.  You are teaching me so much LORD through this book in the bible that I need to hear.  Such eye opening truth to do I really care about my fellow human beings that are hurting and am I really spending the time with You before I make decisions.  Nehemiah never made a move without spending time with You.  Never any doubt because He knew Your desires!

Phone calls that the enemy sends my way should have brought me immediately to my knees and especially now going through this study about Nehemiah!  Instead, doubt filled my mind.  After several days of listening to Your word I realized that the situation happened because I still insist on trying to do things my way instead of Yours.  Oh I try to incorporate your desires into my plans, but it should be the other way around.  Finally, I am beginning to realize that the situations that arise are because I haven't fully embraced Your desires for me.  I've resisted because I feel a lot like Noah, but LORD send someone that speaks better than me.  Send someone that enjoys standing in front of people speaking about their stuff and You have shown me that it is all excuses because it wasn't really what I had in mind.  Oh, I'll do a little bit but...

Lord, I am trying to remove the buts and place YES in its place.  Forgive me when I fail and let me learn from Nehemiah to trust you and to know You so well that I never take my eyes off You.  After all I've learned that if I keep my eyes on You that its not me anyway it is ALL YOU!  ALL YOU LORD always,

I love you so much and ask forgiveness for the times I fail You!

Sweet blessings,
Debbie

It's Friday!

I am so excited it's Friday!  

Overwhelmed is a good word for me today!  Ready to change it - right now to - let's see - fabulous

What would be your word?

Busy weekend, but the weather is suppose to be fabulous.  Sunshine, laughter, God's Word, friends, family, baseball games, just a few of the things I have on my calendar for the weekend and that  sounds pretty fabulous, doesn't it?

Hope you have a great one as well!

Celebrate this beautiful Friday!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Removing the rubble

  Recently, I've been in the book of Nehemiah learning and growing together with my girlfriends!  I absolutely love studying God's Word with my friends.  The perfect study always finds its way into the right slot of time for the time period we are in - absolutely nothing like God's Timing!  Amen

Nehemiah was a bold, brave, praying Man of God.  A man that rather than share all that he knew God was revealing to him, he pondered, he studied, he prepared and then he shared.

I am really bad about opening up right away about the things that God is doing in my journey with my girls.  I get so excited that I just have to share, but through this study God is showing me that sometimes I should wait until He is ready for me to move forward.  Sometimes perhaps He needs to remove some rubble from my life and I know perhaps I'm alone with admitting I sometimes drag rubble around with me for awhile.  Rubble like being unable to let go of a hurt that I might drag around for months, even years.  Maybe the rubble of a broken relationship that I just cling to and can't leave behind even though God is telling me to let go - leave it behind.  

Rubble probably looks different to each of us, but it is stuff that we step over, we move to another spot, but we refuse to move it and get rid of it.  Did you ever think about how this rubble is keeping you from rebuilding?  Nehemiah had to remove the rubble of the broken wall in order to rebuild the wall.  The study is really bringing back the fire of my home and how for weeks we had to step over what I once called my stuff that I treasured to rubble.  Things I loved, but I was clinging to because it was hard to let go of...just things that in order to start my life over I had to remove.

What about you?  What rubble do you need to remove?  Nehemiah was such a man of prayer and an example to each of us that to remove rubble, we need to pray about it and give it to God!  I don't know about you, but the only way I ever remove rubble is with God's Help.  So it is my prayer that you will talk to God about the rubble that is like a weight around feet that makes it difficult to take steps into God's Desired path because it is holding you back.  Give it to God!

God is showing me that before I share He wants to clean up my rubble!  He wants to start fresh and new by removing my old broken walls of rubble into a New, Fresh Rebuilt Woman of God!  Anybody want to be fresh and rebuilt with me?

Allowing God to Remove the rubble,

Debbie

Anybody else a planner?

I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.  Jeremiah 29:11

I love this verse!  Did I get it at an earlier age?  Nope.  Wish I would have?  Yes!  Do I wish on days now that I would immediately claim this verse rather than think I know what's best? Yes!  Anybody with me?

It's spring and it's ball season for my nephews.  The oldest is Vaughn and he is in his senior year with so many decisions to be made and so many questions in his head that are unanswered for him and we all just want to help him.  You see it on his sweet face at times the beginning of worry lines about will this school call, is this school going to really be here, or am I going to have to go somewhere not even on my radar list?  All the questions and you just want to tell him it's okay, but you remember the feeling.  Think back to your senior year and all the questions.  All the uneasiness of leaving the familiar rooms, teachers, and friends and we haven't even gotten to leaving home.  (I didn't do the last one)  Anyway, a lot for anyone to take in, but in someways at 18 we think we knew it all...Remember, moms you did too!?  Now you know that you didn't and you want to tell your kids that, but they don't want to hear it anymore than you did!

I remember signing up to major in political science.  I loved politics and thought I wanted to be the first female president.  Now this is so funny to me, because I still believe strongly in what I believe, but I would never want to be a politician!  Nobody stands firm anymore and its all about if you don't believe the way I believe then I'm bringing you down!  Well, I know I would have become a crying woman with the constant attacks from the other side and even your own side and all to win!  Anyway, then I went into geology.  Still not me!  Then it was education and well I love kids, but not that much!  Finally, I settled into business.  I look at it now and do you know that my favorite classes and the ones I did the best in were religion?  Yes, God knew then He had a plan, but I didn't yet.  So I graduated with a business degree.  Okay, maybe some of you knew all along your calling on your life.  Good for you, but I don't think the majority of people know at 18 what they want to do for the rest of their life and it's okay to say so!  Admit it!

I look at Vaughn and want to say relax and remember God gave you a gift.  A gift that He is going to provide the right way for you to use your gift.  Vaughn is a gifted athlete and hopefully his dreams of Professional Baseball will come true, but if they don't God still has a plan!  A plan that I just want to tell Vaughn trust Him with all your heart.  Vaughn it will work out.  He knows your path!  Trust Him!  Ask yourself Vaughn, do you feel peace with your choices?  Do you see less obstacles along a certain path?  Trust God and follow Him!  We never go anywhere that God does not go before us and I just want at this particular time in Vaughn's life to help him grasp this scripture!  It is so much easier to be okay in life when we know that God leads us that He never sends us anywhere without going before us!  He gives us the strength we need, so we just must believe the Words He gives us!  

I love to hear Vaughn say DeDe and it's like I've gone back in time to that place when he was three, four, five and he knew his DeDe was someone that  without a doubt he could trust and I believe he still knows it!  I want to help Vaughn learn that as much as he knows his mom and dad, brothers, grandparents, and his DeDe love him God loves him more!  I want to say this goes for all my nephews and nieces believe all of this and trust!  I'm writing this more to Vaughn because he is at this place in his life, but you will all be here soon.  It gets here so quickly, so these words are for you too!

Life would have been so much easier, if I had known all of this for myself at the time I was a senior in high school.  Oh, we all have to learn it for ourselves and in God's timing, but it's okay to share these truths with our young people that we treasure so much!  Trust and believe God knows the way!  Truly He does give us a peace that we just don't understand when we finally truly believe He plans our paths and it is so much better than the one we try to plan.  DeDe didn't get this until her forties!  It's my prayer you all get it earlier, because I want only the best for all of you!

I love you Vaughn, Kyle, Blake, Samantha, Sara, Sadie, Holt simply beyond words, but God loves you all more than you can possibly imagine!  Trust Him with your moments, with your minutes, with your hours, and with your days and your life will be a joy!

Love,

DeDe 

Words of Love

Words, words, words...Do they help to tell them you love them?  Does it help to just hug and not offer anything, but a hug?  Do they know you are hugging them for Jesus?  

I know her heart is broken.  I know that she is struggling.  I know that she feels so alone.  I know because I know her.  I lift her in prayers and ask that you reading this will lift this unknown woman to the LORD.

My heart is breaking as well for her pain.  She only wanted to feel loved, so she allowed herself to believe it was love.  She believed the words, which in turn causes her not to believe words now.  Causing so much loneliness when she needs to know at this moment just how much she is loved.  She needs to know that God feels her pain and truly feels it right along with her.  She is mourning the loss of a child.  A child that she chose to abort, because the ones she desired to love her told her to and now the pain is so deep.  Pray for this little one that is now with the LORD.

No judgment from me.  I make mistakes moment to moment how can I judge, but my heart is breaking.  Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing going through the losses all over again that monthly I felt when I would realize that I wasn't going to have a little one and now God places me to work with young girls that I try to mother and help them realize that someone will love their little ones.  I try to be that face that they will realize someone will love their child so very much, because they so desperately want one.  Oh how I want to be the face to help them realize not to make that choice of abortion, please allow that special couple to take your baby and give it a life they deserve.  The couple that offers to give your baby so much love, encouragement, and a home will be complete.  No longer a hole in their hearts or their homes, because you give them a gift that is beyond words.

Lord, please give me the words of love that this special woman needs to hear now.  Healing words that will allow her to know that she is never alone.  Words that show love drawing her closer to the LORD and not further away and alone.  Lord, please give me wisdom to be your arms comforting and loving and showing only YOU and Lord help my aching heart.  A heart that is breaking, because I feel her pain. Lord, allow her to believe the words we share about You!  The words that she needs to hear right now!

We love you LORD!  Amen

Sweet blessings,

Debbie 

What do you feel towards others?

Leviticus 14, Mark 8: 1 -21

What feeling do you have toward situations that you just don't understand?  A person on the street homeless, what is the first thought that goes through your mind?  A young teenage girl that is going to have a baby?  A person that just looks differently than you do?  Is it a feeling of disdain?  A feeling of why?  Compassion? Fear?  If they wanted to do better they could?

Perhaps, you have felt all of these at one time or another for some of the situations mentioned above or none of them.  Reading from Mark 8 this morning the words that jumped off the page at me were Jesus felt compassion.  He wanted to help the feelings of hunger that they would have been feeling after 3 days with nothing to eat.  These people were so caught up in the things Jesus was saying and doing they had not realized that huge rumbling was their bellies, but I guess Jesus heard them and wanted to help the situation.  When we hear the rumblings around us do we want to help them?

Jesus knew if they left Him they would collapse on the way home.  Isn't this true of us?  Without Him our life falls to shambles all around us?  We need the nourishment that only He provides.  The story goes on to share that He fed that crowd of four thousand and that is only counting the men, so no telling how many women and children were also there!  He was quite the host!  Even providing a place to sit and eat and they were satisfied! Satisfied means content!  I imagine they were after all they had been fed by Jesus physically and spiritually for three days!  Jesus had shown them so much about how to help those suffering around them, to take care of them without judgment to feed off of Him!

Yet in just a few verses we read that the disciples were already worried about Jesus providing for them...How often do we forget just as quickly?  Jesus provides way more than we will ever need and just like the disciples not realizing how much leftovers there were - we don't either!  He gives us way more than we could possibly ever need and yet we allow worry, doubt, fear to creep in and steal our satisfaction!

Believe!  Believe!  Believe!  Jesus provides our contention and we do not need to look anywhere else or to anyone else...everything else will definitely disappoint us!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie