Jesus and Me- Sabbatical Ends

 

 I learned a few things over the course of May, as I unplugged in an unconventional way from my normal routines and instead spent a sabbatical time with Jesus. I wasn't sure why it was time to unplug from my friendships or what God wanted to teach me. I wasn't sure at all what God was calling me to, but knew that I could trust Him.  I highly recommend it, (especially if He is calling), as it refreshed me like only fasting (from food- long term) has done for me in the past. 

I feel much more settled, more peace filled, less afraid, I feel released from what I have come to term as oppression that had sunk its evil claws into my life, I feel rested, I feel expectant, I feel hopeful of new joys in friendship to come, I am confident that He who called me is working in my life and deeply cares about what is on my heart and mind.

A few *other* things I learned...

• you can spend time alone with Jesus!

• certainly the Father and the Holy Spirit are intertwined with Jesus, but Jesus was calling me into a new level of friendship with Him.
• Jesus is a manifestation of God's great Mercy and Love
• He is the giver of Peace

• Jesus intercedes for us, even better than we can for ourselves...His desire is that we receive wholeness and restoration.

• Jesus indeed does love me and has been carefully listening to and storing up my prayers over the past years...in His perfect timing He decided to say *NOW* in opening up the blessing storehouse for me.

He has many names that I never thought of as being Jesus...

the Alpha and Omega (from the Greek first and last alphabet letters-

somehow in my mind this was the Father God), 

Counselor (which is one who gives wisdom and guides you in your life choices and decisions),

Wonderful (need I say more?), the Almighty (somehow I thought this referred to the Father God), 

the Upholder of All Things, 

the Power of God, the Wisdom of God,

and the Gift of God. 

These names of Jesus became real to me in a new way in our time alone.
In my next post I will share the prophetic dream God sent me during the last few days of my time with Jesus.  The dream came...I knew it was from God, like all the other times since my childhood that I just knew that God was speaking to me in a dream.  Suddenly 3 days later, He began to tell me what all of it meant. It was *and IS* very cool!

  Good stuff..hope you'll check back in and see what He had to say to me.

Intercession on Behalf of our Children

Lamentations 2:19

Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. 

Lift your hands toward Him for 

the life of your young children.

Parenting is a hard job.

  There is no time off for good behavior 

and it is not only for our young children who we need to be praying. 

Praying for our children, for their life, for their salvation, for their future, 

for their hearts is our duty as their parent~no matter whether they are young or old.

It is not a job for the weak, but for those who 

are humble before God standing in the strength He gives us daily.  

Come before Him and ask Him how it is you should 

be lifting your children up before Him.  

He is so generous in His grace and mercy that He will certainly guide you in this. 

Those who trust Him are never disappointed.  

Ask Him to reveal to you anything that needs to be addressed in their hearts and lives,

you know our enemy is always lurking to kill, steal and destroy whatever or whoever He can.

Let's take our prayer for our children to a new level of faith this season.

  Let's lay them before Him like Abraham did 

and see the blessings He pours out over us (and them) 

as we surrender to Him what is already His.

A Little Wednesday Cheer

 

 Need an encouraging word today

...try this on for size...

 (and remember if you are His...you are in His family: you belong to Royalty!  As you go through your day remind yourself that you are a princess or a prince from the Kingdom of God! You are not of this world, but are here to do His purposes.)

 

Job 8:21

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
   and your lips with shouts of joy. 

 

Psalm 51:12

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation 

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

 

Jesus and Me-Removing Evil

As I have been spending this month in prayer and time with Jesus, I have been learning that truly there is power in words.  The words that a friend spoke to me not only hurt me in that moment that they were spoken, but they have clung to me and have oppressed me.  I began to see that the words were not only mean, but injurious to my very spirit.  

The words began to torment me and cause a great sadness to fill my heart.  All of this I brought before God.  I humbled myself under His hand and asked Him to reveal anything in me that needed to be confessed; anything that was sin in His eyes regarding the way I had conducted myself within this friendship.  He brought no charges against me, but has showed me that I only spoke what He had shown me.

It is definitely hard to do the right thing.  Sometimes it can bring injury to your very spirit.  

Last night as I was coming home from a prayer class I am taking at my church, my girlfriend said she could not only see the oppression I have been under, but she could actually feel it.  She began to speak wisdom to me, to pour confidence back into my heart.  She prayed over me release.  Something I hadn't prayed for for myself, but agreed that it is time.  I have spent enough of myself, perhaps more than was asked of me in holding this injurious friend up.  Instead of cursing, I chose to bless her in my heart and in my prayers.  Though I had a growing fear of her rising over me, which I guess I was unaware.

However, it began to consume me and my heart became heavier and heavier under the burden.  I do think it is good to have your heart broken for the things that break God's heart, but there is also a time to remove yourself from evil (things that are hurtful, and injurious to your being).  

God led me to Psalm 37 this morning, as Jesus beckoned me out of bed to spend time with him. 

I have a new understanding of this verse:

27  Depart from evil, and do good, and dwell for evermore

Depart (from Noah Webster 1828 dictionary) : to go or move from, to separate from, to remove

Evil:  having bad qualities of a natural kind, qualities that lead to injury, that which brings sorrow or calamity or loss, that which disturbs your peace, which impairs happiness, and destroys perfection of natural beings.  That which brings pain or distress.

It is clearly time to let go.  Time to move forward and not to carry the baggage any longer.  The words she had spoken became an oppression to my spirit.  Perhaps even a spirit was attached to those harmful words spoken to me, that last night I suddenly became aware of in my tears.  I realized that beyond the pain, that I could feel a spirit of oppression sitting on me.

  Quickly I commanded it to go- with the authority I have been given in Christ.  I am covered not only by my loving God and Savior, but by my true friends.  

I am seeking God for His wisdom, for strength and for Him to help me not walk in fear (worry, fret, anxiety) in this situation, but to now walk in courage and in boldness in it.  

Courage is a decision...

boldness begins in the heart and flows out into our actions. 

Courage is knowing who our confidence is in, 

boldness is executing that courage from within to without (how we choose to live and be).

In courage and in boldness (from Him) comes freedom.  

 Certainly it gives a liberty from oppression caused by evil.

I am living my life to please Him, I am walking forward in a new strength, with hope, courage and expectation that He is not only the keeper of my head, heart, soul and spirit; but also that He is giving me peace from that which has been controlling me this past year.

Walk with Us in the Woods

 

We walked,

we took 300 some pictures...

mostly of my piratey girl and her guy.  JoJo was given a week leave from the Air Force

and we decided it was time that we introduced him to our favorite little piece (or peace) 

of Heaven here on earth.

Any time in the woods is always a good time in my book.  

Unfortunately at the end of the trip our little Princess Mercy took a stumble

and got a pretty big gash across the bridge of her nose to the very edge of her eye.

It didn't need stitches, but boy was it a close call. 

Weeks later and we still have a pretty big mark, slowly it is fading.

It has rained so much over the past few weeks

that we haven't had any woods time. 

I am feeling the need to get outside and enjoy another spring time stroll through the forest. I find it helps to center my heart and bring me back to a place of great peace within my soul, after all of life's commitments and busyness.  

I wonder why that is?

Feasting on His Goodness

Feasting on His Goodness!

my current Thank Offering to the Lord:

81.  For gray nail polish, I love it on my toes!

82.  For answered prayer...

I asked God for a new pair of platform sandals

and He blessed me with a pair I love for $5!

83.  For tissues that have lotion in them 

(my poor sore nose says thank you!)

 84.  For my friend Julie S. 

who sent me an allegory that reflects

what God is currently doing 

in my Jesus and Me time

85.  For being blessed with 2 churches 

to dwell in on Sundays

(our home church and our Ethiopian church)

Psalm 27:4 (AMPLIFIED BIBLE)

 

 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.

86.  For my vacuum cleaner...Mr. Dyson thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Your vacuum for those who have pets...or 8 children is such a gift to my days!

87.  For finding Daniel Boone the T.V. series 

from the 1960's for my children to watch 

88.  For quiet time tucked into nap time 

when Mama sometimes finds time to sit down and rest

89.  For my new favorite cookbook Baking Illustrated

I am borrowing it from the library...

but I am pondering buying it as it is such 

good little cooking class at home

90.  For the end of all activities that my children 

have been involved in for the homeschool year...

Mama is done and is ready to chill

Hallelujah!

Wisdom from God's Heart

Did you ever have that moment when you are reading God's Word (the Bible) and it screams for you to insert your name into the passage to make it your own.  

Well, yesterday as I was reading through my Chronological Bible Reading Plan that happened to ME!

1 Chronicles 29:9-10

And you my son, Solomon (insert: daughter/Kimmie), acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.  If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.  Consider now, for the LORD (Yahweh) has chosen you (Kimmie) to build a temple (your very body given to Me as a dwelling place) sanctuary. 
Be strong and do the work.

How big is God's love for me (and YOU) that He loves us, calls us, fill us, leads us, even when He knows the worst about us, but loves us with His great LOVE anyway.  sigh...pressing in for more...

Want to join me?

Some principles we can live by from this passage:

1.  We need to get to know God personally

2.  We need to learn God's commands and ask Him what it is He wants us to do

3.  We need to worship God with complete undivided hearts (wholehearted!)

4.  We need to be faithful and keep at our Christian walk

(meaning it is not just about getting saved, but learning daily to live for Him)

5.  We need to serve Him with eagerness and willingness

6.  Don't let fear sneak in: discouragement is a form of fear. NO discouragement allowed!

(I know, but it is what HE tells us!)

Goodbye Braces!

Our Hungarian beauty finally got to say
GOODBYE to her braces. 

Poor thing wore them for over 3 years. 
Prior to braces she had big teeth trouble,

so much so that the orthodontist said she was going to be perhaps
her biggest challenge to date. 

(wish I could say I have a picture available to show you,
but alas...tonight I don't)

Her teeth were crossed over each other, some were missing and much trouble was a brewing in regards to pain and problems if we didn't go the braces route.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I am not advocating for every child to have braces, as seems to be the way here in America.  I believe we are the only country that is so obsessed with straight super white teeth (why is that)?  

But when your kids are in pain, to the orthodontist you must go, 

even when you have no dental. 

So after 2 oral surgeries included in the 3 year trips back and forth to the orthodontist...

well we have lovely straight teeth to show for it. 

Happy, happy girl too!

Jesus and Me

I have to say that my time with Jesus has been sweet and very healing to my heart.

  For those of you who are new to this series, 

Jesus called me back in the end of February to take a month alone with Him. 

He asked me to push aside everything else

and to press in to Him. 

For me this meant I needed to let go of my friendship time with my girlfriends.  

Though I didn't jump right in 

(I don't know WHAT I was thinking),

I did follow Him in May into this quiet place.

At times I found myself wondering

IF you could spend time alone with Jesus.  

Everything I understood 

said that you come to the Father through Jesus-

so most of my early time was doing just that.

I'd pray to the Father and ask Him if Jesus could come to me. 

But then I got kind of stuck, because really Jesus 

said He'd send the Holy Spirit to us in His absence.

John 14:26

But the Advocate, 

the Holy Spirit,

whom the Father will send in my name,

will teach you all things

and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

So I did a lot of praying, 

searching

and sent an email to my friend Karla-

who said God had her in the same place, asking the same thing.  

Then I remembered two things...

1. That the reason Jesus was calling me to a sabbatical of sorts was that I was weary. 

I had been on a roller coaster rides of sorts with my heart and friendship.  I don't know if it is because we have just finished another adoption and maybe I am tired from all the emotions that this brings you through, or maybe that in this course of time I just needed deeper friendships-that just didn't seem to be available.  

Don't misunderstand

I have friends,

I love my friends,

but I just wanted more than they could give me. 

I found myself lonely and hurting inside, 

weary from hope for more that just didn't seem to be coming.

2.  That verse that I memorized as a teen...

Matthew 11: 28 (29-30 too!)

²⁸Come to me, all you that labour, 

and are burdened, and I will refresh you.

    ²⁹Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls.

    ³⁰For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.

I figured this was my invitation to go straight to Jesus. 

To rest in His arms and find my heavy heart's burden lifted into His loving arms.  

My heart has been lighter, as I read the Bible I find myself at a new level of worship.

Honestly, even the wild three that He sent me

(because He knew just what would fill that lonely hurting place in my heart)

- has sent me into worship. 

I hold them, nurse them, care for them and I see Him. 

He knew I wanted to flee into the woods

to escape the pain I was feeling not only from the broken friendship

I endured this past year, 

but from the ache of wanting or needing more. 

But instead of letting me run to the woods (i.e. escape the pain), 

Jesus lovingly brought the woods to me.  They make me smile,

they cause me to cry and to worship Him more. 

Strange to you probably, but an act of a loving God to me.  

Psalm 34:18

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
   and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 

 

So I continue on, resting in His arms, listening for His voice

and expect good to come out of our time together.

I pray that if you are following Him too, 

that you are richly blessed;

and enter in to an new level of faith and worship!

   

Prayer Request Sunday

Want prayer? 

Leave me a comment or send me a private email.  

May God be your delight

and

in Christ may you know who you were created to be.

Psalm 17:5

Uphold my steps in Your paths,

That my footsteps may not slip.

Feasting on His Goodness!

My thank offering to the Lord...

won't you join me?

71.  for the LOUD purr that comes when I nurse my wee gifts from Jesus

(see above photo)

72.  For waking up this morning to a clean kitchen

  ~that my Knight blessed me with 

(I went to bed last night at 7:00 pm, due to the sinus infection I am suffering from).

73.  For my time daily with Jesus  

(He is teaching me so much).

74. For the Internet and its ability to help me study God's word.

Blue Letter Bible

Bible Gateway

75. For pajama pants...comfy and so good!

76.  For a daughter that wants to spend the morning with me at Savers...

as she has a 30% coupon off all purchased today

...so we are off on a date

...after a great night sleep

...I AM READY!

(bring on the deals!)

77.  For 3 weeks without meeting up with my friends...

(Jesus and Me is the reason)

but the fact that 2 of them have taken the time to check on me.

78.  For my Ethiopian Church 

Ebenezer Evangelical Church

On Mother's Day they ordered a huge cake~dedicated to the Mothers.

Pastor Robel gathered the Mothers around the cake and prayed over us...

He thanked us for blessing Him in how we raise our children for God

...and how it blesses His heart to be a part of our families.

He then pulled me out of our group and honored me before all the families. 

He asked me to cut the beautiful cake-

and spoke his words of love over my life and my family. 

How blessed I am.  

And HOW healing is this church to my heart.

thank you JESUS!

79.  For the first lawn mowing of the year and the smell of freshly cut grass!

80.  For healing in my heart 

 that is happening because of my time with Jesus. 

Jesus is bringing healing to my broken heart and spirit,

and bringing me back to a place where I can minister to others again.

A Muslim Cries Out to Jesus

As I watched this...

I felt I just had to share...

because this is the 

Jesus 

that I KNOW and LOVE!

Tattoos Anyone?

Sometimes bonding happens
when you go out of your way to be silly....

JoJo was home visiting us from the Air Force...

tattoos that Princess Giggles had gotten in a coloring book,

were the way chosen to spend an evening with JoJo.

JoJo was a good sport.

Silly kids ;-)

Feasting on His Goodness!

my thanks offering to God~

61. For the month of May

62. For three little gifts from God who arrived via a friend who is a landscaper

63.  For a gift of knowing how to care for orphans (of all kinds)

64.  For friends who remember that I love wild things

65.  For a Knight who says yes,

  when I ask him if I can have some wild things delivered to our home

66.  For a Knight who loves wild things as much as I do

67. For a Knight who sets the alarm for 3 a.m. to help feed the tiny orphans

68.  For a friend who calls to see if I am okay and insists we pray together even though I am currently taking a sabbatical from friendship

69.  For sons who know I am sick and offer to put lotion on my feet at night (to help make me feel better).

70.  For a 3 year old who puts her chubby arms around my head and says, 

"I lub you, Mama you're nice."

My Girl and her Guy-Courtship

When my girl was 15 she made a vow with God;

later she came to her Papa and I telling us of how she vowed with the Lord

to wait for the one He had made for her. 

Over the years her focus has been on pursuing God.  

She served Him with her life, foregoing the the route of most young girls,

Christian and not;  

our girl  never dated. 

She never even had eyes for anyone.

  She gave God her heart and trusted that He would one day meet all her heart's desires.  

As she served Him with her gifts and talents, very near to her was a boy who was doing the same.  JoJo has somewhat of the same story- vowing with God and then serving Him with his life.  In the midst of their vows they bumped elbows in their service to Him.  Over the past few months they realized that maybe there was something more.  

In February JoJo called my Knight to discuss his heart. 

My Knight listened and gave him some guidelines.  

We will revisit, over the course of their courtship, JoJo's intentions.  

Normally courtship is not longer than a year,

as by this time enough time has gone by to realize whether marriage is to be the direction or not.

Also realizing that much time together opens up both of their lives

for crossing lines that God never intended non-married couples to cross-

which leads to confusion and sin.

However, as no courtship is totally black and white 

and we are allowing for the fact that JoJo is currently serving our Country in the Air Force. 

We are looking at a longer time of courtship, but realizing too that most of this time will be not face to face.  

I can't say that I've read any books on dating versus courtship, but I know our church's youth Pastor has preaching on the dangers of dating for many years.  Personally, I think as you give your life to Christ, and as you submit more and more of who you are to Him, that He leads you on roads of righteousness for His Name's sake.  Courtship is one of these roads.

Am I proud of my girl?  Absolutely.  Am I praying for her, absolutely!  As I know that there will be great temptations for both of them along this road.  But I trust that she will continue to put God first and that she will be sensitive to His Presence within the courtship.  I also think JoJo is a young man of integrity and honor, and I know he will be doing the same, not wanting to tarnish my girl in any way.  

Where did this all begin? 

Well, I think it began when my girl was born and I asked God what He wanted her to be named.  The name He laid on our hearts meant, "Consecrated to God." 

From the beginning we asked Him to guide her steps and to help her to lead a life that would glorify Him.  Since she was a wee lass we talked about the *one* God had for her.  We talked about the world's ways versus God's way. We talked of how dating is like tasting to see if something perhaps might be the flavour that appeals to you, but how it is fleeting and not focused on allowing Him to lead. 

We talked about divorce and the solemnity of vows spoken in marriage.  

We talked about how long forever is in marriage

...until death do you part.  

Prayer has covered her from the moment we knew she was discovered within my womb. 

Prayer has paved the way for God to move in her life. 

How thankful I am to see how He is working it all out.  

It is my joy to share our lives here 

...my hope is that we can inspire you to seek Him and to see His goodness and grace in your lives too.

 

ps- the tattoo is washable and put on by one of my littles.