😎🐫🎤 Do you ever have those moments when you just want/need to be in God’s presence?  This past weekend was one of those times for me, so I knew right where to go to find Him.  As I’m walking through a season shadowed with uncertainty, I find comfort and peace in what God had to share with me. 

Walking along this path, I found beauty all around me.  The sun is shining brightly to light and warm my way.  But there are also shadows being cast upon my path. Those temporary moments of darkness that I must walk through in order to get back into the light.  And, the path isn’t straight, which keeps what lies ahead just out of sight. 

Which will I focus on, the light or the shadows?  Depending on how I navigate my steps will determine how quickly I’ll reach the next pocket of light, that glimmer of hope in the darkness.  And notice how much light is just around the bend.  Don’t let the shadows of life keep you in the dark.  Focus on the one true Light to carry you through. Bless others and be blessed. 

#HillsongUNITED – Not Today

😎🐫🎤 Last Thursday I experienced one of those random, by design, chance meetings with someone.  It was a meeting in which I could feel God the Father’s presence so strongly that I was hanging on every word this man spoke, to see where God was leading me. At one point this gentleman told me, as I could see the physical excitement grow in him: “One person I’m excited to meet when I get to heaven is Daniel.”  He then went on to explain why. 

Friday evening Brian and I watched a movie titled A Matter of Faith, which asked the question: When you accepted God into your life, was it by addition or submission?  That’s a question worth reflecting on….Did you just add Him into the life you were already living or did you turn your life over and submit to His will for your life?  Where are you today?

Pondering the movie question and the Thursday conversation, Saturday morning God told me: “I want you to read Daniel.”  Okay, it doesn’t get much clearer than that.  I jumped on the treadmill and started reading.  10 miles later, I complete the Book of Daniel. So was it any real surprise when I went to Mass Saturday evening that one of the readings was from Daniel…NO.  

Daniel is a great example of what submitting ourselves to God’s will is like.  The faith. The challenges. The rewards. Seriously, who gets thrown into the lion’s den not once, but twice, and walks away each time a greater, more faithful man and servant of God?  Crack open The Book, peek into Daniel’s life and see where God is leading you. Bless others and be blessed. 

#Unspoken – Life In The Death Of Me

😎🐫🎤 Enjoying a campfire Sunday night, I was contemplating the value of friendships. What an incredibly important part of our lives they are and the blessings that are brought forth by them are immeasurable. Some friendships are like the kindling we use to start a fire; quick to ignite, leave their mark, but are also quick to burn out.  Then there are those medium sized logs that can sustain a fire and typically make up the majority of the flame.  Occasionally you’ll run across a larger, sold, thick piece of wood.  It may be in the fire awhile before it really takes off, but when it does, it gives great warmth and offers a pleasing popping and cracking sound. They are slow and steady burning, and not easily turned to ash.  

Each and every relationship we experience has a distinct place, time, and purpose along our journey.  This drew me to the thought: How do I honor God in these relationships He’s gifted me with?  Hmmm, that’s not a question I’ve really thought about before.  Realizing that each relationship is unique and will have a different answer, I thought a good starting point would be to consider:

1) How do I bring God’s presence into the relationship?

2) What else do I bring to the relationship? 

3) What do I receive from the relationship?

As we approach this season of thanksgiving, maybe take a few moments to thank God for the friendships He’s gifted you with and consider how you honor Him through them.  Maybe even consider sharing those thoughts with your friend. It just may be what they need to hear at that very moment.  Bless others and be blessed. 

😎🐫🎤 As I was reflecting on a frustration I’ve been working through this week, God put it pretty clearly to me. “Are you living in the present or in My presence?”  Great question!  I guess I thought I had the situation under control and I could handle it on my own. Wrong!  You know, it doesn’t take much for pride to make its home in us and for us to allow it to stay. It’s like a spiritual cancer that starts in one area of our life and when left untreated will spread out of control through our entire being, words, and actions. It’s only by letting go of ourselves and living fully in His presence that we can fight this cancer within our spirit.  As the old saying goes: Choose your battles wisely.  This is one fight I was made to fight. Bless others and be blessed. 

#Carrollton – Made For This

😎🐫🎤 This past week as I celebrated my 51st birthday, I experienced a few firsts in my life which opened my eyes to a greater understanding of God’s love. On Thursday my daughter Crystal and her family call from North Carolina and for the first time I her one of my grandchildren say “Happy Birthday”.  Caylex’s words sent a feeling of deep love and excitement through my body while at the same time I hear God say, “That’s how I feel when you call My name.”  WOW!

The following day after dinner I got to hear one of my other grandchildren, Cece sing happy birthday to me. Another first. 

Then I received the best birthday gift I ever remember receiving. It was actually a group gift that my daughter, Diana organized and an incredible gift of agape.  She contacted family and friends with a unique request for my birthday. Would they be willing to offer up spiritual gifts in my honor?  I was overwhelmed and humbled as I read through all the cards attached to a spiritual bouquets: Praying the rosary, attending Mass/church, visit the Blessed Sacrament, attend additional church services, pray a novena, a day of fasting, random acts of kindness, having family prayer time, bedtime prayers, cleaning up toys, and praying for me. All in my honor. It was and still is a surreal feeling. I can’t help but smile as these gifts bring tears to my eyes, even now.  

The gift of God’s love is incredible. Just when I think I really understand it, He introduces me to an even deeper level of understanding, through those He’s blessed me to walk this journey with.  And the thing is…I know He still has so much more love to offer me, if I’m willing to accept His gift. I’m absolutely in awe.  Lord, to know You is to want to know You more. Bless others and be blessed. 

#CastingCrowns – To Know You

😎🐫🎤 Distractions and inconveniences. That’s what Satan uses to keep us from where we need to be. This past week Satan was working overtime in my life. Monday I started training someone to replace me in my current job position, which is a good thing.  But as you know, training someone properly takes time, which in the beginning will cause you to get behind on your work. Wednesday morning I woke up at 2:30 AM and wrestled with Satan the rest of the morning, until I got up at 5:06 AM to get ready for work. Wednesday evening our neighborhood had a gas outage, which meant the furnace, water heater, and stove were not working. Thursday morning I woke up at 1:30 AM and wrestled with Satan again until sometime after 3 AM and then was awoken at 4 AM and 4:20 AM by calls from Vectren about our gas still being out. Then up at 5:06 AM to get ready for work. We finally had our gas service restored at 10 PM Friday night.  Just when I thought things were back to normal and I finally got some sleep, around 3:30 PM Saturday we lost our electric service.  We went to 5 o’clock Mass, dinner, visited with my parents, and when we got home our electric was back on.  Thank you Lord!  

In the big scheme of life these were all really minor things.  But at the same time, I can’t help but think that God had some important foundational things happening in my life this week that Satan was trying hard to keep me distracted from receiving. What those foundations will turn into are yet to be seen. One day at a time will reveal His wisdom and glory.  No matter how many distraction Satan throws my way, I can’t help but look for God’s presence in the mix.  Training a coworker = using and passing along the talents, knowledge, and patience God has given me. Sleepless nights = time spent praying and fighting for God’s will at a time I normally wouldn’t.  Gas outage = family and friends opening their homes to us.  Also, we were part of the first group to get our gas restored which allowed me to make three pots of soup for a dinner next Friday.  Power outage = time spent at Mass and with family.  God is present in everything.  You will see Him if you choose to focus on Him instead of the negative in life, which is often easier to focus on. 

Distractions and inconveniences. That’s what Satan uses to keep us from where we need to be.  But God is always greater. He can use anything that Satan throws at us to make us stronger and better equipped to be a glorious light in the kingdom of God here on this earth.  Bless others and be blessed. 

#TobyMac – Everything

😎🐫🎤 Fear of God. That’s a saying I just can’t seem to wrap my brain around. Growing up I learned respect for those of authority and power in my life and that’s how I experience God. A friend and authority in my life that I respect, not a deity that “demands” my respect or fear. He is such a loving Father, Brother and Spirit. Why would/should I fear Him?  As an adult and parent, one of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is that we can’t always fix or takeaway our child’s trials, pain, and hurt.  Sometimes we have to allow them to fall, based on their own choices and it flat out hurts to watch them suffer. But just because I don’t jump in to make everything better doesn’t mean I’m punishing my child for their unwise choices. In my humble ability to love, I know that God’s love for us is to a depth that I can’t even fathom, which tells me that the depth of hurt He feels for us when we turn away from Him, make unwise choices and struggle to find our way back to Him is heartbreaking.  Just because God doesn’t jump in to “save” us (He already did that once) doesn’t mean He’s punishing us. We punish ourselves enough.  God doesn’t need or want to punish us.  The pain and scars we choose to carry come with a price. And that price is separation from the love of our Heavenly Father.  Every second we focus on and hold those scars close is a moment we choose distance from the love of our Father. As you reach your arms toward and walk/run to The Father, you will find that those hurts and pains you’ve been holding so tightly to will fall to the ground behind you.  Every second you choose joy with The Father is a thousand times better than a second in bitterness, pain, or anger. Choose joy in the presence and arms of our Lord and Savior. Bless others and be blessed. 

#ForKing&Country – Joy

😎🐫🎤 The events of this past week forced me to do some purging. It’s incredible how adding one thing here and another thing there can clog up our lives.  No joke, I’ve already spent three hours clearing contacts out of my phone and I’ve only made it to S.  Why do we hold on so tightly to these things that clog our lives?  They take up our phone storage, fill our cars and homes. But those things aren’t near as important as purging the unforgiveness, pride, toxic relationships, lack of contentment, and other sins that we allow to consume our mind, time, actions, and peace.  Every moment, even if it’s just a few seconds here and there, that we focus on this negative stuff, draws us away from our relationship with our Lord.  It clogs our minds, our hearts, our sight to what God is calling and drawing us to be in relationship with Him.  A few years back when I found myself in a toxic friendship, a good friend of mine, with love in her heart, looked me square in the eyes and said “Shelly, it’s okay to let it go.”  Those words were incredibly freeing.  Whatever it is that is clogging up your life today, I’m telling you with love in my heart, “It’s okay to let it go.”  I hope you’re ready to move this morning, because I know I can’t sit still to this song. Bless others and be blessed. 

#MattMaher – What a Friend

😎🐫🎤 Lately I’ve been challenged with trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. As I was contemplating that Sunday, God said “Work in your strengths, but grow in your weakness.”  His response brought me back to the first reading at Mass this weekend Numbers 11: 25-29. I have been given the Spirit of God (aka my strengths) to be a prophet (aka my weakness) to those God has placed beside me on this journey. You may have a similar experience as me in the fact that looking back you can see that as you mature in your journey with the Lord, you have more freely accepted and acted upon your role as a prophet. But there is still much room for growth. 

Every person we encounter is at a different step in their journey with the Lord.  He is guiding us to reach out to others, listen for His promptings, and act to help His Spirit move and flow through our interactions and relationships, to help others and ourselves move to the next step in our journey with Him. When you think about it, that’s an incredible responsibility we all carry.  Probably not one you think of very often and talk about even less.  But it is something that binds us together as one because we have all been given and called to this same glorious task. It’s not something that can be left solely to the ordained, the youth leaders, the singers. They are great sources, but they aren’t with you in your child’s room at night. They aren’t with you when your coworker is struggling. They aren’t with you when you’re driving with a friend. These are the moments that God is calling you and you alone to be His words.  His Spirit.  His love.  His laughter.  His shoulder.  When He next calls you to be His prophet, how will you answer?  Bless others and be blessed. 

#CastingCrowns – Love You with the Truth

😎🐫🎤 If you’re like me, at times you don’t want to share with anyone what’s going on in your life because you don’t want to look and feel like a failure when you don’t follow through and they hold you accountable.  What I find in those situations is that I make it all about me and how I will look. Wrong answer, I know. Over the past 18 months I’ve had multiple people suggest that I publishing my writings on my walk with God. I keep kind of ignoring those promptings, but this past week I asked myself: Why?  It only took a second for me to answer…and yes, sometimes I talk to myself. 1) FEAR of failure.  2) I don’t want to have the pressure of “performing”.  What if God stops talking to me, then what?  Well, God won’t stop talking with me.  It would be a matter of am I listening, not is He speaking.  And why am I so focused on myself anyway?  God of course shed some of His light on the subject. “My words are not for you alone.  So don’t hide the light under a basket. Let it shine bright for all to see.”  Fear can blind us, but God’s word will always bring light and truth. Matthew 5: 14-16 are verses that God often reminds me of when I’m at similar crossroads. Allow His light and truth to be magnified in and through you. Bless others and be blessed. 

#FrancescaBattistelli – The Breakup Song