MORE NUGGETS

Here is another round of nuggets that God has spoken to me over the last few months!  ENJOY!

~He has provided a place of peace and rest for us in the shadow of His wing, nestled safely and
securely under His loving hand, and we never have to move from that spot. Why we do is
beyond me.~

~Lord, give me eyes to see people through Your heart of absolute and unconditional love. Give
me ears to really listen to their hurts and struggles. Give me a mouth to speak not my opinion or
pious educated answers, but only words of hope and healing and restoration. Give me a mind to
comprehend the fact that it is ONLY by Your undeserved grace and mercy that I am saved,
and not by anything I have ever done or will do, that I may not think more highly of myself
than I ought to. Give me feet that are willing to GO to wherever it is that I am needed to share
your love with others, whatever that may look like. Give me hands willing to reach out and
touch hurts and hearts with your healing, comfort and peace. Give me a heart filled with Your
love for Your people, regardless of race, economic stature, or cultural background; A heart that
is absent of piety and pride and judgement; and filled with Your endless compassion,
unconditional love and boundless mercy. Lord, make me like You.~

~Be careful to follow God's lead in all of life's decisions. Some of our ways may look 'right',
and we may even be able to justify them with very convincing arguments, but in the end the
consequences for not following His lead might just last a lifetime.~

~When we are fully engaged in whatever it is God is doing in and through us at any point, we
have little time on our hands to spend worried about other people's affairs.~

~I'm just done with masks, they never fit right and I can't breathe behind them.~

~~Truth be known,I am just like that rag tag bunch of misfits Jesus CHOSE to be His disciples.
. . the ones He used to turn the world upside down and establish HIS Church! It's amazing what
knowing Jesus and being filled with His Spirit will accomplish! Every one of us would have
taken one look at those disciples, and counted them out of the game for EVER doing anything
worthwhile.Watch out! He's 'bout to surprise ya!~

~ Really, REALLY thankful that God sent the Holy Spirit to help us to do this thing.~

~is allergic to plastic. . . plastic smiles, plastic personalities, plastic hearts, plastic masks. . . . it
seems to cause adverse reactions that are not favorable for a healthy walk with Christ.~

~When we realize that our enemy FEARS what it is we are destined to do and be in this world,
and the impact God has ordained us to have, then we will understand the relentless attacks that
try to keep us paralyzed and not moving forward. Our response to knowing that will cause us
to, by the power of the Holy Spirit, STAND UP and forge our way forward in relentless pursuit
of fulfilling ALL God has called us to do!~

~Did you know that you can be legalistic about not being legalistic;and you can be religious
about not being religious. . .and you can be judgmental about not being judgmental;these are
virus' in the Body of Christ, and the cure is the fruit of the Spirit, lived out in humility and
gratefulness and the knowledge that it is by His UNMERITED favor, and nothing we do that
we are in right standing with God!~

~We must have our 'default setting' on intentional love. It's easy to love those who love you, it's
a natural reciprical response. But when people criticize you and resent you (we all have this
inner radar that senses the displeasure of others even behind their smiles) THEN you must be
INTENTIONAL about love! You must CHOOSE to love, even when. . . no, ESPECIALLY
when people don't love you back. Matthew 5:43-45 THAT is how the world will know we are
TRUE Christ Followers! ? ~

~When you are committed to the work of God in a place, you will be far less likely to jump
ship when something becomes uncomfortable, or downright painful; because your commitment
is to what GOD is doing, not what people are doing.~

~When the storms are raging outside, and we are in our houses, warm and snug and safe. . .
that's what it's like to be in the shadow of His wings! To be in the shelter of the Almighty! But
instead of relaxing and snuggling in while He shelters us, we keep walking outside to see what
the storm is doing and ... See Morewe get wet and cold and the rain beats us. Sure, when we are
in our houses we can sometimes hear the storms outside, but even with all the thunder and
noise they make, we know we are safe inside. That is the rest God wants to give us as we take
shelter in Him. We just need to learn to relax and stop looking out the windows and stepping
out the door.:-)

~Prayer is a relationship. And no intimate relationship can survive without regular one-on-one
face time consisting of speaking your heart, and being quiet and listening to His heart. Think
how you would feel if someone you loved dearly only spoke to you as they were rushing past
you to do something else, with someone else. PONDER!~

~There is something so wonderfully amazing and spiritually fulfilling about watching a new life
come into the world. Something that makes you feel like you have just had a front row seat to
watching one of God's greatest miracles take place. Something that makes you feel like you
have just touched a part of Heaven. I ...will NEVER get tired of being a part of birth. I was
born to DOULA!~

~When you are following the Lord's lead in your life, you HAVE to stay focused and resolute.
Set your face like flint! Many distractions and discouragement will come from all kinds of
sources to try to instill doubt and cause you to get off track of what HE is calling you to. HIS
voice MUST be the final authority in yo...ur life, or the enemy will have you running in circles
accomplishing nothing for the Kingdom.~

~We have a tendency to think that when everything runs smoothly, the way we think it should,
that God is in it. I believe when things don't go the way we planned, or cause us to have to
stretch our faith a bit, that God is just as much in that, if not more. Stretching us, causing us to
seek Him more, growing our faith by actually having to exercise it, and learning to trust that
HE knows best, not us.~

~Some of our gravest mistakes are made when we are so moved by a need that we toss
discernment out the window and act on the first opportunity to fill that need. There is MUCH
to be said about wisdom and discernment gained in prayer and patience and trusting GOD to
fill the need in HIS time!~

~The sovereignty of God is NOT a rug for us to sweep our failures under with the broom of
pride. His sovereignty will NEVER contradict His Word. NEVER!~

~So I was just thinking, (go figure), if Jesus Christ is the Word (John 1:1), then any accurate
interpretation of scripture will always line up with His life and ministry here on the earth. That
sounds too simple, yet it is resounding in my spirit. If we interpret scripture and it clashes with
His life and ministry, then we can be sure we are in error. That makes it all so easy!
Hmmmmm~

~There is no such thing as a "Lone Ranger" Christian. We are a BODY. We function together
as one. We need one another. Isolation weakens and destroys us because we are not created to
walk alone. There is not one part of the human body that can be separated from the rest and
still function. God knew what He was doing, maybe we should follow HIS lead.~

~Jesus said "Come." Many times before He said "Go!"~

~You can only make the wrongs right in your life that you are willing to see. Our hearts can be
deceptive and make excuses for things we know we need to change. Until we are willing to
take a long, hard, honest look in the mirror (His Word), and do what needs to be done to
correct it, we are paralyzed and ineffective, no matter how well we disguise it.~


~NO great move of God goes forth uncontended by the enemy. Our adversary will be on the
scene early to plant his IED's in our path. Be awake and watchful and pray! Let nothing slip
past you. Use your armor, open your mouth, and take authority!~

~When we are mothers we find ourselves experiencing a love so deep we never imagined we
were capable of. It's indescribable! And to think that God loves us so very, VERY much more
than that. . . makes you wonder why we ever doubt Him.~

~Only when we are fully engaged with God will we no longer be enticed by the wiles of the
enemy; his seductive ways will have no effect on us, we will not look to the right or left to see
what he has to offer us. Death disguised. No more compromise; no more flirting with what we
know is sin. Our hearts and eyes will se...e God alone, and in His light ALL darkness will be
exposed! It's time to FULLY engage God!~

A Marine Mom's Crucible

The following is a transcript of a chat room conversation between several Marine mothers as our sons and daughters came in from their Crucible and were pinned United States Marines.  One mother (nics mom) was on the phone with a friend of hers who was on the Marine Base at Parris Island, SC when the ceremony took place.  Most of us had not slept much the past two nights knowing our kids were on their Crucible.  We had many conversations in the wee hours of the night together, holding each other up, praying for one another.  But this morning we had the priviledge of being as close as we could to our kids as they became United States Marines, thanks to cell phones and good friends willing to relay all the happenings as they took place!  Enjoy, and remember we hadn't had much sleep!

  August 16, 2008


Nicsmom - There are there



Wjfamily - The corps put extra weight on me



Nicsmom - I know for a fact



RhodyMel - FIRST TO FIGHT FOR RIGHS AND FREEDOM



RhodyMel - AND TO KEEP OUR HONOR CLAN



RhodyMel - CLEAN



Cjsmom - And to keekp our honor clean



Nicsmom - They are getting pinned right now



Nicsmom - Flags just went up



RhodyMel - WE ARE PROUD TO CLAIM THE TITLE



Mdpmom - We are proud to claim the title



Nicsmom - All walked out



Wjfamily - How u know?



Nicsmom - Look good



RhodyMel - OF UNITED STATES MARINES



Mdpmom - Of UNITED STATES MARINES



Cjsmom - Proud to claim the title of UNiTEd STATES MARINES



RhodyMel - OOOOOOOOOOOOH RAHHHHHHHHH



Crhmom - Of UNITED STATES MARINE!!!!!



Mdpmom - YES



Cynthiaw - OORAH!!!



Nicsmom - I have someone on the phone



Andi - SERIOUSLY??



RCTPMMJUNE - ' WELL DONE, MARINE" That's what I just heard! OOOOOOHHHHHH RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



Nicsmom - Flag is going up



Wjfamily - UNITED STATES MARINE MOM



Cjsmom - Wow



TAC4SMOM - Wooo Hooo Ooh Rah!



Nicsmom - Listen I will give you play by play



Mdpmom - Ok



Cynthiaw - Do you see PLT 3068?



Nicsmom - Officers there in dress uniform



Cjsmom - All ears



Nicsmom - Yes



TAC4SMOM - Listening



Vpm2marines - Lets hear it



Sernfam11 - Oh my goodness



Nicsmom - I am not there someone is



RhodyMel - You have someone down there watching?



Vpm2marines - Nics



Wjfamily - Ur kidding



Nicsmom - All companies are in



RCTPMMJUNE - Oh My - This is a happy hen house!



Nicsmom - Yes



RhodyMel - Oh you are good tamera



RhodyMel - You are GOOD



Andi - Crying



Nicsmom - Momma hen at your service



Mdpmom - We love Tamers



Nicsmom - I can hear them



Wjfamily - Are u serious???



Nicsmom - Yes



Crhmom - Ok - I'm gonna cry



Nicsmom - I promise I would not lie



Rhunt13 - Ican too thru you. Thank you Tamera, I am crying



Cjsmom - Oh I'm crying



Andi - I AM crying!



Kokopelli325 - Me too!!



TAC4SMOM - Tamera gets the news reporter pin



Mdpmom - Tears again



Wjfamily - too late my dam just broke



fnocella - They sound awesome dont they



RCTPMMJUNE - What are you talking about Tamera?



nicsmom - They are at the statue waiting for pins



cjsmom - omg



nicsmom - I have friend



mdpmom - she is on the phone



RhodyMel - she gets the resourcefulness pin!!!



cynthiaw - How do they look?



nicsmom - National anthem playing



mdpmom - I'm standing



fnocella - OMG



vpm2marines - me to



wjfamily - where is you friend?



mdpmom - hand on heart



nicsmom - i cant see them but she says good came in at good pace




rhunt13 - Congrats moms grandmothers, dads and all family members that have all gone thru this we love ya



nicsmom - a distance away



khobbs - OMMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG:'(



wjfamily - where?



Andi - <~~~BAWLING!



nicsmom - they are yelling song must of ended



doubleM - does she see any WOMEN??????



nicsmom - Yes



wjfamily - if national anthem i have to stand



RhodyMel - GO EAT MEN



nicsmom - she is far now she saw them 15 minutes ago coming in



RhodyMel - YOU DESERVE IT



nicsmom - i hear a speech



cynthiaw - Warrior's breakfast!



rhunt13 - wow can't believe we are here finally



nicsmom - pride..arriving on parris island...proud men



wjfamily - she was going in?



nicsmom - and women



nicsmom - (Marines are)Yelling



mdpmom - woooo hoooo



nicsmom - many of weeks ago you answered the call



nicsmom - young americas have answered the call for years



nicsmom - and made their nation proud



nicsmom - through sacrifice



nicsmom - and team work






nicsmom - take a great sense of accom



wjfamily - is that what she hears



nicsmom - so it is fitting you recieve



nicsmom - your EGA



mdpmom - yes, she is on the phone



nicsmom - for the past 11 weeks become a marine hard



rhunt13 - yeeeee haaaa



wjfamily - oh my god



nicsmom - History...



khobbs - OMG THIS IS LIKE WE ARE THERE.... I AM SO THANKFUL



nicsmom - value teamwork and freedom



wjfamily - i cant read the tears are blinding me



mdpmom - me too



Andi - me too



nicsmom - during last three days your courage and teamwork have been challenged



fnocella - me three



cjsmom - Me too





nicsmom - culm of evenets have been challenge



nicsmom - you are worthy of the title



nicsmom - today is the day you will always remember



nicsmom - because you start your life as Marines



rhunt13 - yes we will



nicsmom - feel pride



rhunt13 - yes



mdpmom - I do



nicsmom - and put the deep value in your soul



nicsmom - always remember that each of you...



TAC4SMOM - How in the world are you listeing, typing and crying at the same time Tamera



nicsmom - in a few moments your DI will award your EGA



cjsmom - omg.............................



nicsmom - you have beencome part of deep organization



mdpmom - OMG



nicsmom - all Marines will uphold our values



khobbs - :'(



rhunt13 - Tnank you Lord



nicsmom - always remember when you leave people will look and say you are Marines



mdpmom - AMEN



cjsmom - this is the most moving experience of my life



wjfamily - (Lima) pride



nicsmom - they are getting their pins



mdpmom - YES



crhmom - crying



nicsmom - each and everyone



cjsmom - crying openly now



marinemomma - g'morning all! goooooooooo lima!



khobbs - :'(:'(



kokopelli325 - wow - I can hardly see for the tears



rhunt13 - allllllllllright ooh rah



cynthiaw - Beautiful. Thank ou so much...



Andi - I am bawling



mdpmom - me too



rhunt13 - me too



cjsmom - me too



rhunt13 - Semper Fi y'all



Andi - Thank you Tamera for relaying that!!



wjfamily - oh LORD



khobbs - me too



nicsmom - DI's are approaching



mdpmom - Tamera you are awesome



RhodyMel - THat was amazzing mommahen



cynthiaw - crying here too.



marinemomma - yayyyyyyy



crhmom - thank you, thank you!!!!!



RhodyMel - you are fabulous



doubleM - me too



fnocella - IS lee greenwood playing Proud to be an amrican



Andi - KIM!! I bet our boys are side by side!!



nicsmom - they are swearing in again in mass



wjfamily - speechless



nicsmom - i can hear her pledging them



khobbs - thats where they stand andii.... yes our boys are side by side



nicsmom - a female is doing it



mdpmom - an I'm proud to be an american



mdpmom - where at least I know I'm free



marinemomma -im crying and it isnt for my rct, i am so proud of all your MEN



mdpmom - and I won't forget the men who died



mdpmom - and gave that right to me



fnocella - who gave that right to me



wjfamily - under God



marinemomma - sing it mdp



nicsmom - eagles are passing out now!



crhmom - and i won't forget the men/women whogave that right to me



cjsmom - and i proudly stnd up



nicsmom - Now



doubleM - and i'll gladly stand up



nicsmom - they are Marines



mdpmom - and I'll proudly stand up, next to you and defend her still today



cjsmom - woooooooooooooooooooooooo hooooooooooooooooooo



rhunt13 - hip hip horeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee



cynthiaw - HALLELUJAH!!!!



mdpmom - cause there ain't no doubt I love this land



nicsmom - Marine Corps hymn playing sing ladies



RhodyMel - these are the moments they will nevwr forget,



cjsmom - oohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh rahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh



wjfamily - hooraay



doubleM - wooooo hoooooooooooo!!!!!



mdpmom - God bless the USA



crhmom - yipppeeeee



nicsmom - sorry about all the spelling



fnocella - GOD BLESS THE USA



RhodyMel - its so great you are all sharing with them



marinemomma - amen



kokopelli325 - my son has 3 weeks before Crucible - but I am SOOOOOOOOOO proud of those who have just received their EGA



Andi - Oh man, thank you soooo much Tamera!!



mdpmom - From the halls of montezuma



nicsmom - all look good came in at a good speed losts of smiles



RhodyMel - they are getting them now koko



marinemomma - i am so glad i joined in at this moment!



wjfamily - again speechless



cjsmom - are you kidding who cares about the speilling



RhodyMel - me too



cynthiaw - tHANK YOU NICSMOM...YOU MADE IT POSSIBLE FORUS TO SHARE THIS AMAZING MOMENT!



mdpmom - the tears are running down my cheeks



rhunt13 - wow you did awesome tam, typing and all so fast, we were all speechless like listening to a radio speech. thank you so much for sharing



Andi - I am so glad I am here!!



doubleM - you were AWESOME nic



wjfamily - nicsmon HHHHUUUUUUGGGGGGG



RhodyMel - Tamera i cant believe you!!! YOU DONT CEASE TO AMAZE ME!



nicsmom - girls came in first



sernfam11 - Thank You Nic Mom!!!!!



cjsmom - I second that hug



mdpmom - Tamera we love you



nicsmom - guys 10 minutes behind them



doubleM - woooo hoooooo!!!!!!!!




fnocella - someone give that woman a crown , Shes queen for the day



TAC4SMOM - WOW!



nicsmom - all got to go to bathroom after putting packs down and then to ceremony



mdpmom - I think I'll pick one up today when I go shopping



RhodyMel - 4 stars for momma hen



doubleM - no kidding. maybe the year



cynthiaw - I'd love to print this out and save!!!



rhunt13 - okay i feel like I can go throw up



wjfamily - hahahah



marinemomma - lol



cjsmom - haha



vpm2marines - lolol



rhunt13 - got to go tell hubby. brb



nicsmom - i hear fox co cadence if we have fox in the house



wjfamily - i have a tummy ache



nicsmom - a few blisters...



mdpmom - I feel like the weight of the world just fell off my shoulders, and my sons'



RhodyMel - yeah fox



marinemomma - FOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX



RhodyMel - :)



marinemomma - my son is doing cadence wahooooo



wjfamily - I just had a Marine



mdpmom - we have some foxxy's in the house



wjfamily - and im sitting up;



RhodyMel - <----former fox:)



mdpmom - drinking coffee too



marinemomma - i know at this moment he is doing cadence



cjsmom - was it painful?



RhodyMel - ok ill be back i need coffee



marinemomma - wow



marinemomma - i need tissues



crhmom - LETHAL LIMA - moms, dads, families and firends - we are there!!!!!



Andi - I got Bounty!



mdpmom - I need bounty



wjfamily - ill drink to that i mean another cup



fnocella - a little easier then Labor Im sure



doubleM - give me a double roll



RhodyMel - CONGRATS LETHAL LIMA



cjsmom - couldn't resist



crhmom - i thinkg this is worse that Labor



Andi - Seriously, a two roll pack right next to me, compliments of my husband!



wjfamily - congratutlations to all who had Marines



crhmom - is last for 13 weeks



cjsmom - I agree....lasted longer!!



fnocella - LOL



mdpmom - did anyone wake up DI's wife yet



wjfamily - labor pains for 13 weeks



cjsmom - Thank you....we love our Marines!!!



nicsmom - drill instructor saying something personal to each recruit...so it will be about hour before breakfast then wow they clean for about 10 hours....



marinemomma - wow, this was better than sex!



mdpmom - LOL



kokopelli325 - lol



cjsmom - lol



nicsmom - tired very sweaty



vpm2marines - lolol



doubleM - rofl



fnocella - Lately Yea I agtree JK



LAK - nicsmom- claudine is trying hard for you to get pics.--just back from grauduation



vpm2marines - whats that have not had it in about 12 weeks



wjfamily - tears still streaming down my cheeks



mdpmom - me tooo wj



nicsmom - she is great



wjfamily - this is just awsome



marinemomma - i cant hardly see the screen



mdpmom - I'm so glad I stayed and didn't go shopping



wjfamily - to be able to share this excitement with other people who care this much



LAK - are your guys on the crucible now??



mdpmom - Tamera you made my day



marinemomma - no



khobbs - no they are getting pinned right now



nicsmom - okay i am off did the stuff i typed make sense i did not have time to type what you guys were saying



cjsmom - Finished....getting EGA



wjfamily - we are done with the crucible



fnocella - They are DONE



marinemomma - he was doing cadence



marinemomma - lol



mdpmom - we are Marine moms now



khobbs - NICS MOM... WONDERFUL ABSOLUTLY WONDERFUL



wjfamily - we just got pinned



doubleM - yeah you did perfect nic!!! oh my word!!!



marinemomma - lol



mdpmom - you are AWESOME



cjsmom - My heart swells with pride....nicsmom you are the greatest



kokopelli325 - that was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1



nicsmom - she just callled back



nicsmom - they are singing the hymn



nicsmom - loud very loud



Andi - Congratulations Marine parents!



marinemomma - shall we stand?



LAK - oh yay- congrats you'll enjoy everything- the graduation was unbelievable. My new Marine is in his bed at home right now



nicsmom - Yes



wjfamily - i hope he learned all the words



fnocella - Listen for the OOhrah at the end



wjfamily - thank you



nicsmom - they are getting their gear



Andi - standing!



marinemomma - lol



nicsmom - its over



mdpmom - YES



marinemomma - wahooooooooooooo



nicsmom - getting gear....drop off and too breakfast



cjsmom - and we were there amazing



kokopelli325 - congratulations to all!!!!!



Andi - warriors breakfast!!!



wjfamily - thank you Lord



doubleM - shoot i feel like i need a warriors bkfst too



Andi - People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. - George Orwell

THE POWER OF LISTENING

Have you ever been in a very emotionally difficult situation? The death of a loved one? Bad news from the doctors? A child walking in darkness? During those times, we have all experienced well-meaning, advise from those who are trying to help make us feel better. Sometimes we have even been the one rambling on with advise, and rattling off scripture in an effort to encourage those who are hurting. I have been on both sides of this fence in my lifetime, and God has taught me a simple, yet profoundly powerful lesson: LISTEN. Unless God has given you a specific word to speak, the most powerful and loving thing you can do is listen.

I remember being in Hospital Ministry and getting calls in the wee hours of the morning to come minister to families in the ER who had just lost a loved one. The first time I was called in, I rehearsed exactly what to say on the way to the hospital, reciting just the right scriptures. . . I wanted to do this just right. After 5 minutes of me rambling on with my empty, useless 'words of wisdom', getting blank stares from the family, I took a deep breath, dropped my head and said, "I'm sorry. I'm not very good at this. Can I just sit with you all for a while?" I sat and put my arms around some of them, passed them tissues, looked in their eyes as they told stories of this family member's life. I LISTENED. And in the end we all prayed together. And each of them in their own way, let me know how much it meant to them that I did that. As I drove home a few hours later, I remembered all of the rehearsing I had done in the car on the way there, and I had to laugh. I said, "Lord, it's that easy? I mean, this takes all the pressure off. I just have to LISTEN?" And He spoke so clearly to my heart, "Andi, they don't need you to have all of the answers. They don't need you to make things better. You can't. Nothing you say will change their situation. They need love, and comfort. They need to be able to talk about and cry and deal with their deep pain. They just need you to listen."

Sometimes I think we can get so caught up in trying to have all the answers, that we forget to represent THE Answer to people. Jesus Christ. Instead we represent all of our religiousness and Bible-knowledge and piety, and we think we are doing people a favor. We have brought Jesus no where near to their pain and suffering. We have left Him completely out of it.

When my Dad passed away I was devastated. My brother called and told me and I dropped the telephone and fell in a heap on the ground sobbing. I had never hurt so deeply in my life. I couldn't stop crying. And it was from the deepest parts of my gut, crying out. I cried out to God standing in my front yard looking up at the stars. I sat on my front porch swing and held my stomach and doubled over in pain. The deepest emotional pain I can ever remember feeling. My daughter sat next to me and just put her hand on my back. She kept it there while I expressed how hurt I was, how much I loved my dad and how much I would miss him. She did not try to give me the right answers, or tell me it was going to be OK, or tell me I wasn't really trusting God. (really people?). She gently and quietly let me know she was there, and that meant more to me than any words or advise ever could.

Listening is the most powerful gift we can offer people who are facing life altering situations. But, when we do open our mouths, the most powerful words we can speak are those we have heard directly and clearly from God Himself. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Our job is not to impress people. It is to bring healing from God to their hurting hearts. Last week I found out my Marine son is training to go to war in Afghanistan. I sent out a prayer request through email to close friends and family, including my Pastor. I am so very blessed to have a Pastor who will only speak in these situations what He hears God saying. If he doesn't hear from God, he is not going to say something just to try to make you feel better. He knows the effort will be vain and the words without power to heal. He is a great listener. He sent me back an email, probably no more than 10 words, every one of them direct from Heaven. And those words gave me EXACTLY what I needed to hold on to through this deployment. And as I pray and search God's heart in those words, it is opening up so much more to me that God has in this. When I sent out the email I rambled on about the war in Afghanistan and how intense the battle is getting. I talked a lot. I needed to. I needed to express to those I am entrusting to pray for my son and for us, his family, to understand fully the gravity of the situation. He emailed back and offered the answer God gave him to give me. And it has already brought so much comfort and strength.

So, let go of "performance pressure", and become a listener. It is the most loving thing you can do for hurting people. And trust God to give you the right words to speak, IF He thinks you need to say anything at all. Trust Him to bring the comfort and healing. He will come through every time, even if all you do. . . is listen.

NUGGETS

I decided to compile a group of some of my status updates from Facebook over the past 12 or 13 months. This group consists of the updates that I wrote as God was speaking to me and teaching me. They are all mine, I decided not to use the status' where I quoted other people. So it's all original. I hope you enjoy them, and are ministered to by them!

~The world is not impressed by your words, how much you know, how spiritual you sound or how many scriptures you can quote! What impresses a lost
and unbelieving world is a demonstration of the power of God to meet their needs both physical and spiritual in miraculous, mind blowing ways! If Jesus
got people's attention through healings, deliverances, raising the dead, and performing miracles of provision, all before their eyes. . . what makes us think
we can persuade people with our smooth words and abundant head knowledge?? Maybe you haven't noticed, but it's not working!!~

~If everything we say and do is dependent on, or influenced by man's opinion of us, we will never do great things for God! Be singularly focused when
following His lead, and the world will see and hear Jesus Christ in you! Never quit!~

~While we are not to pursue signs and wonders, Jesus clearly stated that signs and wonders will pursue those of us that believe. . .then He told us what
those signs would be. . . if we are not seeing them in our lives, it's like a warning light that something is awry. Maybe we should be checking under the
hood today!!~

~DOUBLE is the LOWEST level of multiplication! God is the God of multiplication. What are you believing Him to multiply for you this year? Growth in
your relationship with Him? With others? People you reach with His Good News? Ministry opportunities? Giving opportunities? DOUBLE is the LEAST
He will do! How much can ...you believe Him for? Because He will go FAR over and above every time if you only believe!~

~No matter how cleverly disguised, gossip is poison! Have you ever found yourself treating someone differently, avoiding them, or thinking differently
about them because of something you heard from someone else? Guess what! You have tasted the poison of gossip. . . and swallowed!~

~Let people think and say what they want about you; the only thing that really matters is what God says about you. And then, well, try not to be too
creeped out that they would be that bothered with everything you say and do.~

~Knowing we are loved OUTRAGEOUSLY by the Creator of all things. . . what is our response? What should it be? Something to ponder. . ~

~I absolutely LOVE the sound of the constant *ding* *ding* *ding* as the enemy hurls his fiery arrows at me, they hit my shield of faith, and fall dead to
the ground!! *plunk* It is music to my ears!~

~~ONLY BELIEVE~~

~A difficult, sacrificial, unpopular, or inconvenient task is no excuse for failing to perform a divinely assigned duty. GOD chooses where we are called to
serve; we choose whether or not to respond in obedience to that call.~

~If the sin in your own heart, whatever that may be, does not grieve you more than that which you so easily see in others, something is gravely wrong.~

~My God is Semper Fi!~

~Strategic frontline intercession! The first to engage the enemy, and th last to leave, cleaning up the mess left after slaughtering the forces of darkness!~

~Unforgiveness is a spiritual poison. . . are you partaking today?~

~One of the greatest and most widespread deceptions in the Church today is that of self-importance.~

~Criticism of other's words or actions is at best the polar opposite of love and springs from the very roots of pride and unforgiveness.~

~I think we do people a real disservice when we judge them before we find out what they might possibly be facing in their life at any given time.~

~Stop looking for ministry opportunities inside the church building or off in another land. . . look around you and you will find you are smack dab in the
middle of a mission field right where you are!~

~The best advise my daddy ever gave me: "Close your mouth, you'll look more intelligent."~
~Every day God gives us choices; to follow His way, or our way. . . the way we choose tells Him MUCH about how deeply we love Him. . . or not. ~

~SOMEBODY has to be a demonstration to the World that the Word of God WORKS!~
~God is up to something BIG! It's the way He does things!~

~Flaky is not a fruit of the Spirit. . . it is a fruit of self-importance!~

~We are not truly free, until we are free from the need to impress other people.~

~ Crisis + Worship = no more crisis!~

~ I QUIT!! I quit trying to be perfect! I quit wearing a mask! I quit trying to please people! I quit worrying about what others think of me! I QUIT!!~

~Well will you just look at what the Lord has done?~

~ It may be simple and plain, or it may be elaborately decorated; it may be dirty, or it may look sparkling clean; it may be made of paper, or of the finest
godl; it may be small, or very big and roomy. . .but the bottom line is a box is a box and God won't fit in it! Not mine, or yours!~

~Hey! I have a great idea! Let's find out what God meant when He said NOTHING is impossible to them who believe!~

~When the church becomes an institution, we, as the Body of Christ run the risk of becoming institutionalized. . . prisoners embedded within the
organization or business of that structure. Focus on Christ, and Christ alone will ensure our freedom from the chains of imprisonment to anyone or
anything but Him! TRUE freedom can only be found in giving CHRIST our all!~

~When you determine to see people through the Cross and Blood of Jesus Christ that has redeemed and cleansed them from ALL sin, it is impossible to
see their faults. If what you do see when you look at them is their faults and failures, as God for a new vision, HIS vision, that sees us all through the shed
blood of Christ that by faith sees those lives transformed.!~

~What do I want, need and crave more than the very air I breathe? The Person of the Holy Spirit dwelling in me, on me, around me. . . filling me with the
very life and breath of God! Without Him I spiritually suffocate. Breathe upon me Breath of God!~

~To presume to know the heart motives behind anyone's actions or words is prideful judgement at it's worst.~

~Before we can walk in the fulness of our destinywe must have the revelation of who we are and Whose we are.~

~When my children need me, as their mother I don't sit back and tally what they have done for me, or whether or not they have lived up to my
expectations, or if they deserve my attention. . . my children have my ear and my heart because they are my children. . . they don't have to 'earn' that.
That is their BIRTHRIGHT!. How much greater a parent is the Father God!?~

~Your personal experiences neither serve to prove or disprove the Word of God. It stands as TRUTH. Yet, when men fail to recieve God's promises
for theirs or their loved ones lives, they choose to twist the Word of God, make their own interpretation of it, and create a new doctrine; excusing their
own failure in exchange for blaming and compromising God's Name and character in their words and declarations.~

~STOP signing for the packages the enemy keeps sending you! 'MY arthritis; MY diabetes; MY bad knee; I HAVE the flu; MY OCD, MY depression.
. . WAKE UP!! You are signing on the dotted line with your mouth!~

~God is in the business of breaking strongholds and bringing freedom!~

~A true passion for Christ will will always result in a passion for His Bride! We will not let worldly things keep us from her, we will pursue with fiery
determination to be a part of her through fellowship with her members. Not for religious appearances, but because we cannot help ourselves but be
outrageously in love with her, as Jesus is!~

~If you leave a newborn baby to feed itself, you can't very well blame it for the mess it makes, and for eating things it shouldn't. Newborns need parents.
Church, who is watching the babies?~

~Press in! There is much, MUCH more!~

~When you ask the Lord to open your eyes to see, you had better be ready for it! Because when He does it will slam you on your face in travailing
intercession!~

~Sometimes I wish I could pray the sugary sweet, flowery, eloquent prayers that I hear so often. But God put a sword in my hand, combat boots on my
feet, set me on the frontlines of the battlefield and said, "Tear it up girl!" And tear it up I will! Running TO it!~

~So what are you doing with the message you heard in church this week? There are two choices; application or apathy. . .choose wisely!~

~There is no need to know the details of a situation to pray for it. That's what the Holy Spirit does! Pray in the Spirit and you are like a sniper hitting
targets NO ONE knew were there with deadly precision! And another plus. . . you are also not tempted to gossip and brag about what you know! See
how God's got our backs all the way around?~

~YOU are important to God!! There is no such thing as insignificant in His family! There is no 'least' except in man's eyes; and if you feel that is how
people see you, REJOICE! Because God says the 'least' is the GREATEST where He is concerned! People create 'levels' of importance and
significance, but GOD created us all equal! Men, women, black, white, tall short, it doesn't matter. . . YOU are important to God!~

~There are two sides to every story, and you can count on 99.9% of both sides being exaggerated significantly, any guilt being denied and projected on
the other party; and a sob story so dramatized you'd swear you can hear violins playing off in the distance. My advise. . . .find the humor in it all and stay
out of the line of fire! SANITY 101~

~False humility is pride in it's very worst form, for it is claoked in the robes of deception.~

~God, Your Word leaves us with no excuse.~

~When you have been with God, there is no need to announce it; When He is doing a deep work in your life, you won't need to tell people; The evidence
will be undeniable to everyone who comes in contact with you. . . and the evidence will not be in words. . . .Shhhhhhhh. . .let HIM shine!~

~If you have ever been present when God performed a miracle or healing, you know how praise just absolutely erupts! You can't help it! I was thinking
today about the thousands that followed Jesus, and He was doing miracles, healing ALL manner of disease and raising the dead. . . I am willing to bet it
was quite noisy around Him! I have serious doubts that it was quiet and reserved. . . . I'm just sayin. . .~

~Never, never, NEVER get caught up in defending the call that God has placed on your life! That is not your job. No, not even when it is questioned by
the critics! Jesus never defended His call and purpose on this earth, He just kept DOING IT! When you get into a defense mode, your heart will
become hardened and your effectiveness in that call is compromised greatly. JUST KEEP WALKING IT OUT! God will take care of the rest!~

~Do you realize that as a Christ Follower your resources are INEXHAUSTABLE!?~

~When we choose to walk in forgiveness, not only are we obeying a command of God, and setting ourselves free from the burden and chains that
unforgiveness brings; But as we forgive and forget the past we help to keep the Body of Christ strong, walking in unity, and knit together in LOVE, so
that we can actually be accurate representatives of a forgiving Savior to the world!~

PRIDE is like BAD BREATH. . . .

I saw this saying today while reading a devotional on line. . ."Pride is like bad breath. . .everyone knows you have it, but you!" How true that is! I remember when the Lord revealed that spirit of pride to me! I was floored! I was on my face praying and asking God to "GET IT OFF ME!!" And He was faithful to remove it! I can't tell you how thankful I am!

As I was reading this statement God began to show me just how DEEPLY true this statement is! Let's look at one of the biggest causes and think about how it may apply to us spiritually:

Accumulation of plaque on the teeth is a major cause of bad breath.

**Plaque is a result of improper or lack of CLEANSING. Have you ever been in a hurry and took about 20 seconds to brush your teeth? As long as they did not feel like they were wearing little sweaters any more you were good! I've done it! But were they REALLY clean? Or was it just enough to make them FEEL clean and put a minty scent in your mouth for a little while? YOU felt better about it anyway, right? How often do we do that in our walk with God? Just a quick confession of sin, a quick trip to the altar and we have cleaned it up a little bit. . . enough to cover the stench of sin. . .the stench of pride. . . and make us feel better . . . for a little bit. When what we really need is to get before God and let him SCRUB all over, especially in the 'hard to reach' places, that may take a little more time and effort, and where the traces of pride and sin love to hide and try to go unnoticed! Have you ever had a dental cleaning? Call me weird, but I LOVE going to the dentist for cleanings! Yes, sometimes it irritates, sometimes it downright hurts, and a lot of times you bleed. . .but when that Hygienist is finished, you KNOW that your mouth is CLEAN! We need to allow God to do that to us regularly. Get in there and dig and scrape and get us completely clean and free of pride. Then, He can polish us up and make us SHINE!
If plaque is allowed to stay, it WILL cause tooth decay! DECAY! When the sin of pride is allowed to stay in your life, through denial or just ignoring it, it does not lay dormant. Oh no, it is not the same pride you covered up and ignored a year ago. . .it slowly but surely eats away and damages and destroys!

Recently I had to have a tooth extracted. I had only been having a toothache for about a week before I went to the dentist. But because I had not been for my regular cleanings( because of lack of insurance), some decay had gotten in at the back side of a molar up near the gum line between the teeth. So I was not aware of it. Because I had not had an EXAMINATION, and allowed the dentist to get in there and really look around for problems, it progressed to the point of having to have it extracted. I was not happy! While I love getting dental cleanings, I am not a fan of having to have CORRECTIVE PROCEDURES performed. It took them an HOUR to get this tooth out and they had to cut it in 3 pieces to get it out because the roots were not letting go! it turned into a traumatic oral SURGERY! Dental procedures have always proven to be painful to some degree during the actual procedure, at the very least uncomfortable. . .and there was usually an aching and tenderness afterward for a while as the area heals. . . Are you keeping up with the spiritual side of all of this? I hope so because this is GOOD! Is it fun to have let pride get to the point of having to have a CORRECTIVE PROCEDURE implemented by the Holy Spirit? Of course not! It means there has to be humility, admission, asking forgiveness, righting the wrongs, and then healing begins! If it has been let go for a long period of time, believe me, your breath is repelling a LOT of people! I am talking about PRIDE now! It repels and makes those in it's path sick to be around you. Have you ever talked with someone who has all kinds of dental decaying all over their teeth?? It not only smells horrible, but it looks hideous! Do we look hideous spiritually? If you have allowed pride access to live and grow within you, you do! I am not trying to be harsh, I am speaking from experience! The only people it doesn't look hideous to, is those who look just like you! Like the couple who both have rotten teeth! Misery loves company! Have you ever had a sin that plagued you over and over and you just could not seem to get past it? Once you found someone else who struggled with the same thing, all of a sudden you felt a lot better, and the struggling against it stopped. All of a sudden you felt like you were OK because so-and-so looks just like you (spiritually) and they have this ministry or do that ministry. We need to open our eyes and hearts and allow God to show us the TRUTH of our spiritual condition and stop trying to deny it and point fingers at everyone else.

Ask GOD if your breath stinks! And then be prepared for an honest answer!! Then let him get out his brushes and floss and picks and scrapers. . . and GET IT OUT OF YOU, OFF OF YOU, AWAY FROM YOU AS FAR AS IT CAN GO! It may be uncomfortable, or even painful at times, and yes even humiliating to realize others saw it all along and have been repelled by it. But when He is done scrubbing, scraping, digging, drilling and EXTRACTING, let Him get that polisher out and buff you up to a nice SHINE! Then smile, because you are reflecting Him!

2 Corinthians 7:1
THEREFORE, SINCE these [great] promises are ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring [our] consecration to completeness in the [reverential] fear of God.

ARE YOU MOVING?

The words popped off the outside back cover of the latest ministry magazine. It wasn't the front cover. No one wrote an article on it. The magazine was just laying on the coffee table. But there it was, right next to the form you would fill out if you were moving to a new address. But God had something to say! ARE YOU MOVING?

Initially I thought, "Lord, we are all moving. We are going to church, and we are involved in this ministry or that ministry. . ." "ARE YOU MOVING?" I had to sit and think for a minute and then God spoke to me and said, "Andi, much of my Church is spinning it's wheels. They are ministering and reaching out to those who already know Me. Some of that is needed, but there is a world of people dying and going to Hell! And the Church is initiating yet another 'program' or 'ministry', that only reaches as far as the four walls of the building." OK, now I had to start taking inventory of my own life, and even though I have opened myself up and made myself available in my everyday life to be His hands, His feet, His voice to the world around me. . .I KNOW there is so much more.

Jesus gave us The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, and I love how it reads in the Message Bible:
Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

He said 'GO OUT'. He did not say sit in the church and wait for them to come in. I hate to tell you, but they are not coming in unless you GO OUT and bring them in! That is MOVING! ARE YOU MOVING? We have this treasure, this great, wonderful, fulfilling, life giving, full-of-love, astounding, AMAZING TREASURE called salvation. A LOVING, INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with the Creator of the Universe! If it means as much to us as we say it does, if it is as wonderful as we say it is, I have just one question. . . ARE YOU MOVING?? Because the Kingdom of God is only advanced as much as WE move forward, as the Body of Christ!

Hey everyone! I have an announcement to make!! I'M MOVING!!! Who's with me??

HE IS CHEERING US ON!

On our way home from a job this morning, I was doing my usual gazing out the window and having my own private conversation with God, when we passed a local pool. Being before noon, it was a very familiar sight for me to see the rope floats stretched across the length of the pool marking off the individual swim lanes for the swim team practice that morning. As a young teenager my summers were spent getting up at 6:30am every weekday to be at swim practice by 7am, and swimming countless laps in the pool until around 9:30 or 10am. . . or until our coach felt we had put forth the effort he knew we were capable of. As I stared out the car window at this pool, memories of swim practices, and swim meets came to mind. I was constantly working hard to beat pool records for my age group everywhere we went, and usually succeeded. I was a fish! And I loved competitive swimming with a passion!

One particularly wonderful experience came to mind this morning as we passed that pool. I believe I was 13 or 14 years old spending the summer with my Dad in Chicago and swimming on the team there. We were in a swim meet against a team that we knew we probably would not beat as they were a Triple A team, and we were not. But we agreed to the meet on an off Saturday for both teams just to challenge us, and most likely to amuse them.

Surprisingly, the meet was a very close one throughout, and we were all shocked that we were doing so well against them, and also pushed to do our very best by the sheer closeness of the scores. The very last event would determine the winner and was the 13/14 girls Medley Relay. That is where you have 4 people from each team swimming a relay race that involves each of the four swim strokes. Usually the order was Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle. The last swimmer doing freestyle is usually the strongest swimmer, and that was always my position. I was a fish I tell ya!

The race started and through each swimmers course the Triple A team gained more and more of an advantage. By the time my teammate hit the wall signaling me to take off, the other teams anchor was 3/4 of the way to the other side, and just had to flip-turn and come back to win. Diving in the water to race I knew we had lost, but was determined to close the gap on the distance between their swimmer and me. At least I wouldn't be swimming for what seemed like an eternity when the competition was well out of the water! I made it to the other side and flipped, taking advantage of my underwater time and dolphin kicking my way to almost the middle of the pool coming back. As I surfaced into my front crawl and took a breath, I heard loud cheering. With the next stroke I peeked up as I took a breath without losing my momentum, to see my whole team, coaches and parents at the end of my lane shouting and jumping and cheering me on. It confused me for a second until my next stroke when I saw under the water that I was actually neck and neck with this other swimmer!! I couldn't believe it! I was moving like a bullet in that water and leaving that girl. . . that triple A team girl. . . in the dust!

I flew past her to touch the wall and before I knew it I was being hoisted out of the water by my coaches and surrounded by my teammates cheering and hugging me and patting me on the back. What a day that was! I will never forget it!

And as I thought about that moment I smiled at how good it felt to have my whole team cheering me on as I raced to the finish line, and when the race was won, how we celebrated a great victory that by all standards we should not have won. . . I heard His still small voice. . ."I am cheering for you Andi, every day, with every challenge, in this race you are running for Me. I am at the finish line cheering you, encouraging you. . . and I am behind you, pushing you, strengthening you, giving you the ability to keep at it! I am there celebrating with you the victories! Hugging you, patting you on the back, letting you know 'I knew you could do it'! Your life is like that race Andi. And the victory is yours, and I am there cheering you on every step of the way! Keep swimming! Keep pushing! Keep moving forward! You've got this! WE've got this!"

What a wonderful, WONDERFUL God we serve!! He is cheering us on brothers and sisters!! He is rooting for us, and assuring us the victory!! He is strengthening us and giving us the ability, and then cheering us on until we reach that finish line!! Stay with it!! Don't give up!! It doesn't matter what the circumstances look like. . . you are destined to WIN!

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.