"Talking Jesus!"

He died for me. I live for Him.

That’s what the t-shirt said on the gentleman that came to do some upholstery work for me today.

I thought, “This is my opportunity.” And I’m a better person because of it.

We stood in my front yard and “talked Jesus.” It was some of the purest 20 minutes I have ever spent.

He told me how he will fail his wife, his child, his parents, his friends, and God, but God is so awesome – He will never forsake us or leave us.

He told me how heartbroken he is because his parents don’t live for God. He prays every day for them to be saved. He fears that when he is home in Heaven, the best place there is, he will look down at his parents in the darkest, worst place possible. I could see the hurt in his eyes.

It made me wonder how he chose God. So I asked him. I asked him how he was saved – how he came to know, love, and live for Jesus.

He responded quietly, “A 4-foot building.”

With tears in my eyes, I listened to his story of the dark place he was in when he fell off the top floor of a 4-foot building. As he was falling, he cried out to Jesus. He cried, “I’m a sinner, but Jesus, please save me.”

And to see how this gentleman turned his life around is truly amazing. His spirit touched my heart more than I will ever be able to describe. I am smiling now. I am genuinely changed by the time God allowed us to spend together “talking Jesus” as he called it. He had that child-like faith and spirit that I long for. I know that God is working on me, though. God plants seeds all around us, all the time. I love recognizing His works.

He died for me.
I am learning to live for Him.

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine.

Ephesians 3:20

I want Jesus

I want Jesus. I want more of Him. I want to surrender myself totally and completely to God's purposes. I know that only He will bring me the most pleasure and satisfaction in this life here on Earth and in Heaven.

I don't want to be a "lukewarm" Christian. God doesn't want me some of the time ... halfhearted. He doesn't want me on Sunday mornings, and when I am going through a hard or stressful time. He wants ALL of me.

But how do I get there? In all reality, as a mom of 2 young children, I am finding it a struggle to find the time and passion I need to really grow in His word and truly shine for Him. My desire is present, but I am struggling.

How do you do it?

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine.

Ephesians 3:20

A Little Nudge

I enjoyed a wonderful, much needed conversation with a special mentor last night. In our talking, she made me realize that God is nudging me in several areas of my life right now. Sometimes these little nudges are obvious, and other times it takes us awhile to acknowledge them.

I am struggling with a few areas of my life right now, and I am so grateful that I am able to see and recognize God nudging me in ways to learn more about Him and has opened my heart more every day to have that burning desire to shine for Him.

I learned of a great growing activity from a dear & beautiful blogging friend, Amy, of which I admire so much. She has been such an inspiration to me and pushes me to grow in my daily walk with the Lord. I have decided to join her in participating in the SSMT (Siesta (Sister) Scripture Memory Team). I am going to learn 26 Bible Verses throughout the year and I would love for you to share in this exciting journey along with me.

The Bible Verse that first came to mind was one of the most powerful verses I can think of and I hold it so close to me each day.

"God is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine."

Ephesians 3:20

I will close each of my posts with my SSMT verse as a reminder to both you and me. I would love to hear some verses that are extra meaningful to you.

I am going to leave you with an excerpt from The LPM Blog who created the SSMT. And stop over and say hey to sweet Amy. Let her know that I sent you. You will love her!

"The hard part is not the start. It’s pressing on all the way through the year to the finish. But, then, like all runners that make it across that beautiful line, we get to celebrate a huge victory that only comes to those who sweat it out. We give all praise and glory to our empowering, sustaining God and sit back for a reflective moment, take a deep breath, and feel His glorious good pleasure. Community will become more and more essential as we realize that, without making a public commitment and running the race beside a host of others in this Scripture memory marathon, we’ll probably fizzle out. There is no doubt in my mind that we’re more successful at this together than we are separately. It’s God’s way."

God's Land, Birthday Wish, and Silhouettes

Ella said to me last night, "Momma, did you know that all the clouds, the stars, and the whole earth is God's land? It's His land, Momma."

Yes it is, Ella. It sure is.

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground‑‑trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:8-9

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

Psalm 95:1-7

VOTE in the new Bible Verse poll. This is my way of encouraging both myself and you to open our Bibles and learn just a little bit more. Write these verses down so you can refer back to them later, maybe when you need some uplifting words or some extra encouragement.

I would love to hear from you as to what your favorite verse is. The verse from last week that had the most votes last week was one that I absolutely love and refer back to often ...

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

A very special Birthday wish to my adorable niece, Anna Chapman, on her FIRST birthday today. I cannot believe it's been an entire year! I think about what an exciting day it was for us all this time last year. And she will be welcoming a sibling in March! We are so blessed.

For this child, I have prayed.

1 Samuel 1:27

And lastly, these are my silhouettes I had done of my children by Clay Rice. I'm trying to figure out where to hang them.

He is an extremely talented artist and it was absolutely amazing to watch how he does these. You should look him up. He also wrote and illustrated this book, which is beautiful. You should look him up and have him come to your town!

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine.

Ephesians 3:20