EXCITING news.......

Wow what a great week and month is has been God is truly moving in ways I could never have imagined.

Sit back for a few and enjoy a moment of just some awesome Praise Reports.

1.   Today I helped raise funds for Anna's Army by having cards available for sale,  it was amazing to watch, see and hear the people support Anna's Army.  Not sure what Anna's Army is. Check them out at www.annas-army.com   Simply in awe of their goal to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.    I am awe of their drive, tenacity and love of this little girl.

Here is a photo from today's festivities from a friend of mine Todd Kessinger.  Check out his work here.

Next I wanted to share what this little girl has done in my life.

Jesus made choices when he was choosing who to heal and who to not heal.  I believe that even though he chooses to take our loved ones from us I believe that he does so, so we can heal ourselves.   I watched 2 parents who lost their daughter to an awful disease who could of been bitter and upset praise God for the blessing they gave them of having their daughter with them for a short time.  Life makes you realize how precious each day is.  

I choose to live each day the way God directs me.  Meaning that I make decisions that affect not only myself but those around me.   The thought of being here right now in Hillsboro is weird.    1.  I never chose to live here.  I believe God directed me here for a reason.   2.   God surely has a goal in my life to smack me down to the ground and then pick me back up again in his hand and say are you going to let me drive?    3.   God has a motivation to make change.   4.  God has the ability to make you make the choices you make.  Do you let him lead you or do you take control of the wheel and let things happen or do you openly pray for GOD to take control of you and see what he has planned for you.  

This past week has been a week of reflection.   Meeting with the worship committee about our Church Service to see how we are doing.   It was an awakening.  Am I doing enough to reach out to friends in my life to share what an awesome experience Church is in my life.  Am I reaching thru the barbed wire fence to get scratched and told NO only to find that that one reach might be reaching someone who needs to hear what He has done in my life?   I am trying and letting him lead... its kind of amazing how .... In just a few days I will have been in Hillsboro Ohio for 1 year . and some days it feels like I just moved here .. but most days it feels like I have lived here my whole life.   KIND of cool how he is doing this in my life.

So I sit here tonight after an amazing day watching an ENTIRE town come out to walk for a child who passed 3 years ago from Cystic Fibrosis and stand strong.   To stand there and think that we should be celebrating her 13th birthday instead we are celebrating her life here on earth.    So tonight as you sit here are read this and think what can I do...   Do three things...

1.   Find your kids wherever they are .... TELL THEM you LOVE them uncoditionally with no regrets.  
2.   FIND your Spouse or Signifigant other... and thank them for listening to God and finding you when there were so many other fish in the sea.
3.   FIND your spirit... Find that moment when you hear GOD speaking to you and instead of listening to him for a moment.. stop him in mid sentence and THANK him for all of your blessings in your life.  EVERYTHING and thank him for blessing you .

Many Blessings and praises...


Now on a lighter note...  GUESS what I did today :)   as well as work Anna's Army for Cystic Fibrosis.   I  opened up an Etsy Shop to sell my cards and wares..... :)

Check it out here.  www.etsy.com/shop/ladybugsonwalnut

and check out this cool card I made today for Graduation.....

Have an awesome weekend and an awesome week... See you in a few days with some more awesome news and praise reports..

Day 5 - Midnight snack

He [God] himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you with out support.  [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]  Hebrews 13:5  AMP

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."  Hebrews 13:5 NIV 

Wow lets look at this for a moment,   Today I had a friend message me on facebook, *D* D is sad, she feels abandoned by her family, her spouse and her children, she is overwhelmed and heartbroken.  She feels like God has left her.  But yet I read this today in our study and think He has not left you.. he is just waiting for you to open your ears to hear him.

Money is mentioned in the NIV version,  Money is something that drives our economy but just imagine if tomorrow when you woke up it would not be a Paper or coin that told your value but the service and deeds that you do that determine your value.   Imagine that tomorrow when you awaken from your slumber you log into your bank and replaced is an amount of $1,000,000.00 with a note from God saying Thanks for being a good and faithful servant.  What would you do with those funds?  what would you do with that money?  Imagine that it was yours would you Keep it buy a new car, house, furnish your lifestyle go to a remote island in the south pacific drink it away on 50 dollar glasses of pineapple juice?  Or would you invest it in the lives of others, Fund for example Water research in the Sahara desert to ensure the people of Africa can drink the water and be safe?  Build a school or more than one for Women to get an education in Afghanistan and feel the presence of kindness of strangers?  Find a neighbor who is down on their luck and bless them with a gift of a house to live in to keep them warm in the upcoming winter.  Go shopping for a local food bank so much so that you could feed the entire city of Chicago for weeks?  Imagine the impact that would have.

In our Sunday School class we are reading Max Lucado's book Out Live your Life.   K and I are also taking Dave Ramsey's Class to be Debt Free, a concept we only dream of.  but we are getting there.

IN Daves Class he says to Live like no one else so you can LIVE like no one else.   read it again...   Do you hear it.. We are choosing to live like this so that in a few years we can LIVE like we want..   In the book we are studying in class its about Helping others.. Dreams ...  when asked what you would do with a million dollars the thoughts come to mind of orphans in this country who need a MOM and DAD who care for them as their own.  A life that they could never have.  Its pretty amazing to think that a majority of the Foster kids in our own county live right now ... out of a Black Trash Bag because they don't even have a suit case to move from house to house.  But would it not be cool to take the ones that are up for adoption right now that feel like God has abandoned them and give them teh love that they need.   As I sit here today typing this out.. I do think that I will start praying for a journey that God is going to take me on.  It will be interesting to see where we are in 90 days. I pray that God Takes control and blesses us in ways we have no idea.  And I pray that God takes control of your life and blesses you in ways you don't know.

So todays step from the journal part is to:

Write down a time when you know God was there for you.  And then lift your Hands (really)  and thank God that being there is who HE is.  Thank HIM for always being the GOD who is always present.

And be sure of this:  I am with you always, even to the end of age.  Matthew 28:20

God I know you were with me on August 4th 1999 when my life was crashing around me. My marriage was falling apart and you spoke to me that night.  Said leave it all and go to your spouse.   one month later I arrived in Singapore with 2 kids in tow scared, alone and abandoned as every force around me was screaming your making a mistake,  We trusted you sold everything we owned and moved.  We started over fresh with you in our lives.  Prayer became a part of our marriage as well as being 1 instead of 2 people in the relationship.  I am so very thankful that that night in a church in Pineville La at an all night women's bible study you picked me out and spoke so clearly to me.   I am also thankful that at the same time you were doing that you were also speaking and healing my K's heart.  you allowed us to heal our marriage thru you you listened when no one else did and you allowed me to feel your hand guide me in ways no one can describe so God I thank you that you were there for me and I give it all to you .. in praise that you are the powerful God who can heal and mend all.   For you are the God that I know and trust.   with love..   Christy