This is the Day!

Well, this is the day!  I am flying to Grand Rapids, Michigan!  Beleive me, I have asked myself, "Who flys north in the winter?!"  But when God opens a door and provides an opportunity, you go.  His Word is filled with examples of men and women doing just that!  For one whole weekend, I get to enjoy the company of my friend, Cindy.  Here is picture of us from November 2010 when she was invited to fly to speak at a women's ministry event in Knoxville, TN.

God has placed some amazing opportunities in Cindy's life and I can't wait to go and hear all about them Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Think we can talk that long?!  Oh you just can't imagine!!!  We praise the Lord for free long distance since she is in Michigan and I am in Virginia!

Now, before you think this is all fun and games.  Take a look at Cindy's week.  And as for me and my house,...kinda the same...but we are choosing to serve the Lord and continue to go where He leads.  Our week has had a wrecked car in the snow, complicated negotiations with car insurance, complicated one car scheduling, multiple days of errands, a chruch event, a cold sore, computer glitches, and a smashed and bleeding finger in the door at work.  I can't make this stuff up...it is painful to type (my fingers still hurt!)

Then, I get up this morning to check the weather for my son's school project (charting the temp and checking to see if the cup of water on our deck is water or ice every morning), and the Weather Channel mentions Grand Rapids BY NAME in TODAY's national forecast sharing there is a "lake effect snow warning."  We DON'T HAVE THOSE IN VIRGINIA!  I can only imagine what THAT means!

But, one of the first verses I learned in song and I sing alot around the house with our 5-year old is  "This is the day that the Lord has made, but I will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

Because I have to tell you the other things that happened this week (many just last night)!

An 8th grade girl from our Bible Study class brought me a gift into my office at the church and said, "This is for your trip!"  The card was addressed to me and Cindy, even though they have never met.  Another card was signed, "Your Bible Study Buddies" in support of the editing that we will be doing.

Thank you!

Another friend returned a platter (shared cinnamon rolls! YUM!) and with it was a wrapped gift that said, "For your Trip!"  It was the biggest cookbook for bread machine recipes that I have ever seen!  Thank you!

My buddies have agreed to take me to the airport today and pick me up Sunday!  Thank you!

Other friends have agreed to pray for me, my family, and safety while I am gone!  Thank you!  Don't stop!

My mom agreed and was available to come down and spending time with Jeremiah while I finished up things at work.  We had a nice visit and I appreciated her help!  Thank you!

Then, late last night, I check my e-mail and found a link to this article.  I have told my friend, Theresa, that she has a "Forwarding Ministry" through e-mail.  She has encouraged me (and I know of many others) with forwarding e-mails of the Word at the EXACT time that I have needed it MORE than even she KNOWS!  This article was about SNOW and SHARING.  How perfect is that?!  For the WORDS, that I again needed to hear, THANK YOU!

But most of all, I want to thank my hubby and little one who will brave the weekend without me so that I can follow the Lord.  And they are looking forward to it!!  THEY minister to ME, too!  THANK YOU!

So when I count my blessings and witness the Lord moving in other people's hearts to come along side of me as I go and do something that ignites my heart, how can I not celebrate this day?! 

Again, this is the day (planned long ago) that the Lord had made (for me and you...those who support  and love me), I will rejoice (by choice no mater what) and be glad (truly cheerful and grateful) in it ~ a little April amplified!

Prayerfully rejoicing!

April

 

The Awake Word

Tonight, with my new One Word for 2012 being "Words," my newly created snazzy blog button (I love my new blog button, thank you so much Melanie! What a generous year-long gift!) and only 5-Minutes before the timer goes off on the bread machine, I join in 5-Minute Fridays! In case you have forgotten how it works...



1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most important: comment and encourage the person who linked up before you.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:


Awake…

GO!

When do you awake? No, not like an A.M. time, but what stirs you, excites you, makes you stay up late into the night and not care the next day?

I don't like the artificial highs that wake me up like coffee, diet Coke, and sugar that slowly ebb off and don't last (although I am a frequent consumer). That is not really "awake" that is more like "pushing." You "push" someone out of bed on most days, but you see them come "awake" on Christmas morning! I long for those time where I feel more refreshed and awake. Very little can distract me in those moments (or fortunate seasons).

Think about this. Do you think awake can just happen at the snap of the finger, or do you think awakening comes after rest, slumbering, or snoozing? Is that good or bad? (Can my 5-minutes just be filled with questions?! HA HA)

I took a long rest this past fall, too long. It might not have felt like it with committing to a part-time job as our church's secretary, but after finishing a 4-year long (should have been 2, or 3 for most) Bible course, I took a break from any formal Bible Study. Left to my own devices, I stumbled, turned sluggish, and slumbered. I tried quick fixes, but for me it just wasn't the same as having a routine and motivation. After Christmas was over, literally and figuratively, and by the end of the year, I did not understand what was wrong. It was only after the new year when I started reading the Bible through chronologically did I even open my eyes to see what had happened.

I awake in the Word. Nothing causes my eyes to open more that hearing God's voice speak to me. Something stirs in me that I can not explain. It isn't so much what happens in me, but it is that the Word itself is alive. It is always awake. The Holy Spirit is always ready to illuminate from it. No pre-setting required. I was the one who was hitting the snooze button.

Awaking Again,
April

STOP!

Enjoying Fridays and linking up with Gypsy Momma!

My ONE WORD for 2012!

My friends have shared, “April, you have the gift of words.” Not always what comes to mind when I am trying to tell encourage our 5-year old to do something like “let’s draw pictures for thank you notes for your Christmas gifts,” or “time to clean up your room before going to bed,” or “drink your milk PLEASE!”

But words do have power, even when we feel powerless. That is not because of gifting, that is because of the Gifter! To quote Beth Moore, “Without exception the most powerful built in instrument God has given us is our mouths.” Re-reading some notes I took while watching her Believing God Bible Study DVDs, she said, “For reasons ultimately know to God alone, He has ordained that SPOKEN words carry a power, authority, and effectiveness that exceed words we simply THINK.” Words are important and powerful.

Oh how it has blessed me when a friend TELLS me that she has been praying for me! How it encourages me when a friend SHARES that she was blessed by a blog post! How it humbles me to have a friend CALL and share when she is just plain stuck! So just imagine how God rejoices and is glorified when we SPEAK to Him and share from our hearts and our mouths, or simply REPEAT His powerful Word to a friend or over a situation! On the other hand, how He must hurt when we ignore it or go against it. Ever know someone’s small words to hurt you?

That is why I am giving a lot of thought to my ONE WORD for 2012. You can learn more about it here. Simply, you pick 1 word to focus on for 365 days, instead of 365 resolutions to focus on for 1 year.

You would be so shocked to learn how quickly I can come up with a 365-item “to better myself” list, yet I have struggled, yes S-T-R-U-G-G-L-E-D to think of just 1 word to focus on this year. I have thought of this ONE WORD for 11 days now, ever since I read everyone else‘s and wanted to join in.

The wait is over.

My ONE WORD for 2012 is (drum roll, please) “Words!”
Before you think this is just a cop-out or super cheesy, I did some self-inventory before make my decision:

I thought of GRACE for days even wrote the word in my day planner to think and pray about it being “the one!” Then, what about LOVE? “Lord, help me with my failure to LOVE like you can!” Even thought about SERVE. “Am I SERVING where you want me to, Lord?”…the list could go on and on, and trust me it did!

In the end, I thought of how I love words and so many words have a waterfall of emotion for me. But then again, how perfect are God’s Words! Pop! (in my head, wish you could have heard it!): Do “my words” match “God’s Word?” Can they? All the time?

First, took a look at God’s Word. Do I know His Word? Am I reading it? Daily? A duty or delight? Are His Words in my heart? Memorized? How am I meditate on them? Do I speak them over my husband and son? What does God want to say to me? Through me?
Next, took a look at my words. What am I saying? Do my words help or hinder? What is the motive of what I say? What is the tone of my words? What is coming out of the abundance of my heart (Matt. 12:34)? What are God’s plans for my words? Do my words reflect God’s Word? Am I courageous enough to speak His Word to those that do not know it? (Is anyone else getting hot in here?)
I just laughed out loud thinking that I just signed up for Beth Moore’s new Bible Study called, James: Mercy Triumphs! Not familiar with it? Oh, it is the one where there is an entire chapter (Chapter 3) about “controlling the tongue!” HA HA!! Please encourage TELL me to do my homework!

What is your ONE WORD for 2012? Got ONE? Think about it!
I look forward to your wonderful words,
April