She Stands

Another New Year is upon us.  In just a few short days will ring in 2013 and say goodbye to 2012. Time seems to fly by.... We blink and it's gone.... ~sigh~ In 2011 I wrote a post about "Endure". It was short,sweet and to the point. You can read it here Here That was my word for the year 2012.... To endure...... And endure I have~ I have endured many changes this past year... Many lessons learned..... Some hard, some easy..... Several growth periods in my walk with the Lord.... To a higher level of faith....... Humbling forgiveness..... and patience in some areas. A stronger understanding of His word...... His promises...... His instructions.... His teachings. And many blessings as well. My daughter home from Afghanistan unharmed.... My babygirl learning the true meaning of forgiveness and grace...... Seeing His provision in our lives when it looked as though there was none..... I endure...

How much of our lives are spent waiting? We wait at red lights and stop signs, we wait in line at the grocery store, and if you work outside of your home, you know how much we wait for the weekend to get here! All of the above things have a specific time we have to wait. Whether it be 3 seconds at a stop sign, 2 minutes at a red light, 5 minutes at the grocer or 5 days for the weekend. What else do we wait for? What about when we are waiting on God? The Word says "his thoughts are not out thoughts and his ways are higher than are ways". Where we say, "Lord, we need this now"....He says, "Not yet". So what do we do "in the waiting"? Its easy to get discouraged "in the waiting". When we are waiting on God to show us the manifestation of a promise, when our bills are due, when our loved ones are running from God, the waiting seems endless. But God is a good and merciful God and his timing is always perfect and ALWAYS on time! ...

There are no words to describe or express the sorrow from the events that took place in Newtown Conn.  As a mom, I too grieve with all the parents who have lost their child. As a woman, I grieve with the loss of the amazing adults who stood to protect their "children" in the midst of such a horrific tragedy. I believe with all my heart, Jesus met each and every one with open arms........ As we continue to mourn as a nation, and continue to ask "why" such a thing could happen..... I ask that we all continue to lift these families up in prayer, to stand in the gap for the whole town, to be the prayer warriors God has called us all to be. May God bless each and everyone who are suffering..... May He surround them with a peace that surpasses all understanding...... May He carry them, when they have no more strength to walk..... And most of all...... May He allow them to feel His love like no other love before. Much love in His nam...

Have you ever been around those who seemed to be able to look straight through you? The ones who seem as though they can see every failure, mistake and down fall  you have experienced in life........... What about those who you have shared some of life's trials and they just simply nod their head, put on a fake smile and simply say "Ohhhhhhh".... Or my favorite...." Hummm bless your heart" .... And the whole time you know they are making their own assumptions and judging every aspect of your life. They automatically deem you unworthy of their time......  And of their friendship...... I have had those moments in time when I wanted to just crawl in a hole and hid. I was ashamed to bear my heart and soul..... I was fearful of the sneers and judgmental conversations that proceed concerning my life.... I didn't want to be the example of who NOT to be in this life..... I didn't want my children labeled as failures because...

Friendships have taken on different meanings as I’ve journeyed through life.   As a child and teen, the friends in my neighborhood made up my world.   We were an eclectic bunch, much like the Breakfast Club of Smalltown USA in the 1980’s.   We didn’t all agree on morality, religion, or politics, but even today we respect and love each other in our own way.   There is strength in growing up being respected for who you are. As a young parent, my friendships revolved other stay-at-home moms.   We raised our kids together, shopped together, spent hours at McDonald Playlands together, went to bible studies, made homemade applesauce, and were exhausted together.   Different paths in life have brought many of us to different churches, schools, jobs, and stages with our own families as we have entered the parenting stage of family life.   But when tragedy or celebration strikes, each one of us picks up the phone, drives a child to practice, or sits and cr...

Gosh, where to begin today??...... It seems our little congregation has been hit from every angle hard over the past few months. From our pastor having open heart surgery and complications upon complications that followed..... The numerous trips back to the emergency room has taken a toll on him and his precious wife. Our darling sound lady aka Aunt Sally, fell and injured herself.... Thank you Jesus nothing real serious as far as injuries go...... I have had numerous fires come up since the day before Thanksgiving and it seemed as if ALL the walls in my world were caving in all at once........ From an unexpected move, to the flu hitting me with all it's rage and several other of life's unwanted issues...... My best friend and sister of 33 years has had her share of fires blazing a trail through her world and it seems no matter which way she turns there is a wall of heat starring her down........ At this point all I can say is ......REALL...

I have been thinking a lot lately about perspective!  My husband bought me a camera for Christmas (yes, it is early but I am enjoying it thoroughly) and I cannot go anywhere without looking at things differently.  I see flowers and I think about how awesome they would look if I had my camera on me.  I take pictures and I try to catch the insides of the flower because I want to show God's creativity.  I see a beautiful sunrise or sunset and I cannot wait to dive down the passage to grab my camera to start clicking away.  I have even started a blog dedicated to the favourites of my pictures, sort of like an on-line album.   But what this is teaching me is that perspective is very important.  If you have the wrong angle, or the wrong light, or (if like me) you lack experience in photo taking, the whole picture can come out wrong. So, what is my point?   The thing is, perspective in our day to day lives is very important too. ...

I woke up last Friday with James 1 swirling in my head: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." I didn't realize how much that verse would really mean to me that day. See, I had just had to leave my new job after two separate episodes of anaphylaxis. (Severe allergic reaction). I was allergic to something at my work place. So, I lost my paycheck and my benefits for myself and my children. This just topped off a string of things going on in my life right now. As I said, I woke up with this scripture on Friday morning, about an hour before they called to tell me that Worker's Comp was NOT going to pay for my time off and medications, etc. Now, I'm going to keep it real here-- Was my first reaction to praise the Lord or was my first reaction to stress and wonder what I ...

This lovely lady has been my best friend and soul sister since the age of 11. Boy could we tell some stories about each other..... And then some!!  To try and write about her and what she means to me in just a few words is impossible. We have been through so many of life's trials and victories together, a few words could not do her  or our relationship justice. Diana's stories of Godly favor, redemption and healing through out her life will keep you glued to your seat and rejoicing at the top of your lungs!! Her " keeping it real style" allows many to see, it doesn't matter where you have been in life, God does and has always loved you and been there in the midst of your every storm. I have been blessed to have witness her stand in places of life that most could not and in doing so brings a testimony of God's love, grace, mercy and strength that is beyond on natural minds. Her stories will encourage you and strengthen you to keep pushi...

Once again I have the honor of introducing yet another fabulous lady to the "She Stands" family!! Tracy is a wife, mother and passionate woman of God. She is the author of "My daily walk in His grace" blog.  You can find her Here I have been blessed to call this beautiful woman of God my friend and sister in Christ. Tracy's charm and witty personality will touch your heart,  put a smile on your face and some pep in your daily steps. A lover of nature and animals, Tracy's love for God and encouraging others is amazing! ( Meet Blossom, Tracy's pup ) She shines the love of Christ in all that she writes to minister to hearts all over the world. So grab yourself a cup of coffee, or for Tracy a cup of tea, and help me welcome her as she will be guest blogging once a month here at "She Stands" I promise you will be blessed.... I am :) xoxoxoxo

"Men who never change their ways have no fear of God." Psalm 55:19 I've shaken my fist at God before, wondering why He's pointing out yet another thing in my life needing to be changed.  "I'm tired, Lord. Are there really that many things about me that are wrong? Is there anything in me that is right?" Have you ever had conversations like that with God? Thinking about my first post for "She Stands," words from Psalm 55:19 came to mind.  Fear of God and the resolve to change behavior are the reasons I can stand after battling the enemy in life's trials. After coming through years of conflict and turmoil, our family is standing today. What began in me as reactionary responses to a strong-willed child in early years of parenting turned into explosive power struggles during rebellious teen years with one of my children.I never dreamed I had such anger inside of me, but it poured over my soul and spirit, coming out in hurtful...

Are we there yet? We were so tired of riding, we had been in the car for probably thirty minutes and all five of us were squished in the back seat.  My younger brother was laying on floor of the car and my youngest sister was laying next to the back window.  I asked my Dad "are we there yet?"  To which he replied "no and don't ask me again!"  Isn't it just like us as we go to our Daddy God asking " are we there yet?" But in His loving kindness He continues to direct our steps and encourage us along the way. I can remember so many times seeking God with a prayer request that I needed a response to and having that tired, anxious feeling again as I did as a child riding in that car.  Why when I was little did my Dad not give me a breakdown of where we were and if he planned on stopping along the way and exactly what time we would arrive at our destination?  For the same reason I didn't give my children explicit answers to their inquiry ...