Learning To Whistle

Mommy “ teach me how to whistle”, Malia yells out at me. We are in a moment of complete delight right now…woke up late due to very, very tired children and a rambunctious evening with my daughter’s first soccer game. Sleeping until nine is indescribably euphoric, not usual but amazing. I just finished eating potato chips and decided to let go and allow my sweet ones a few moments of potato bliss themselves. Returning back to my daughter’s first request, pleeease Mommy teach me how to whistle and then my moment begins. I demonstrate to Malia how to pucker up and she follows my lead as I blow hard…nothing comes from her mouth but a big smile immediately enters my face. Looking to my left a goofy, cute two year old is following suit. Why am I sharing a little story about my kids? Because I have finally achieved something I NEVER thought I would.  Knowing how to live a life with the craziness of no sleep, kids fighting, my daughter painting my two year old son’s toes pink or a husband who actually has to work,which means…some lonely times for me.  My bad times are just as plentiful as before but I can handle both my good and terrible moments by myself, when needed.

 I used to teach Kindergarten, and had a recurring experience that someone else should hear what this student just said or did, because it is too funny…too absurd.  Then after teaching, I had my own kids and wanted to share their moments with every one. I soon found out, life is busy, and people listen but have their own stories. I began to wonder, can I truly enjoy life just me, all these amazing moments ALONE with my two small children…telling no one and still watching as my child’s face lights up as she tries to explain to me what OJ stands for and then realizing she is making it up as she goes…not a clue that the simple answer is OJ  stands for orange juice. This all leads me to moments as a 34 year old mom (closing in on 35) with a real revelation.  I have more adult alone time than ever before, not truly alone (kids still hanging on me), but alone with my thoughts, emotions and life. Yet I am filled to perfection because of my precious moments.

 I make messes, I hurt friends sometimes, I have absolutely amazing moments and then very sad ones. But I know my heart is now controlled by my faith in God and the principle that I am not alone in this world, not deplete of  memories of joy and the moments I get every day with my children.   Knowing as Miley Cyrus says in her song, “It’s the Climb”, there is always going to be something waiting on the other side, the next day or next years but I don’t care anymore…I am having fun teaching my kids how to whistle today! A L O N E!

Growth is a God divine principle

This past Friday, a few women came from Hardee for Celebration women..now Sisterhood nights! It always amazes me how God works and moves in our lives.  I was sad in December of 2008 when God put on our hearts that we were moving back to Jacksonville. I knew I loved Jax and missed all my family and friends in Jax but I felt so much ministry was left to be done at Hardee campus and yet I now can look back and see the true benefits for us and Hardee campus as we live in Jax. 

I truly see HOW ABUNDANT GOD IS EVERYDAY… I have the best of both worlds even though physically I am not in Hardee. God has a way of working everything out. AND I want to thank all the Hardee campus friends..truthfully feels like family.  Each day I see the changes God has made in my life and people in general esp. at Hardee. THE WORD OF GOD IS TRUE AND GOD IS IN THE BUSINESS OF ALWAYS MAKING THINGS NEW AND BEST FOR US! What a great word to know..God wants to see growth in our lives and He positions us to grow in every area.

Growth is a God principle from the flowers and trees to humans…we were born to grow and remember  to allow times of changes to enable ourselves some slow/hard times to see the next season with greater fruit, more ABUNDANCE. Simple principle but hard to follow during our lives of ups and downs.

Thank you God for the ups and downs, highs and lows, because in us and in life You ARE MAKING ALL THINGS NEW AGAIN. May our growth be a relflection of you and your love for us.

Life is so good!

Bascially God is doing amazing things in my life. I love being back in Jacksonville, I do miss the Hardee crew greatly but it is so nice to also see my old friends in Jax. Clint and I actually had two nights out alone…go figure. The babies are doing great, Malia is still outsmarting us, just kidding and Tate is goofing off as usual. Life is good!

Thanksgiving

Ok, this may be the typical post but it is true.

I just had an amazing Thanksgiving day with my family. Besides the weather being perfect, I had a yummy breakfast, time with my dad and babies as the rest of the house slowly woke up. Clint had a late night playing Wii, he is hilarious and so much fun to watch. After our yummy breakfast, my mom and the kids/babies we went to the park. Came home and had time for a bible study out on a beautiful porch(Beth Moore study). Also, I had an awesome time chatting with my brother’s girlfriend, very fun,sweet and wise! Then we had our thanksgiving dinner and I watched Clint play with the kids, rolling down hills in the back yard…so wonderful.  Do I need to say more?? Then I took 1st place on Wii in Houla Hoop, thanks to Clint’s encouragement. Then I gave bambinos a bath, much needed! Tate and I continued on a nice walk where he feel asleep. Came back home for some good movies, Nemo and Shrek. Now kids are asleep, watched my mom read to my daughter, reminded me of when I was younger. My family is calling for me to come chat. Need to go!! Today was beautiful.

Extreme Changes

Wow, it is amazing all that God has done since I began my journey of moving to Central Florida. Hardee campus has become more than I could have imagined and I continue to learn more about myself and God each day.

Truly God did plan for Clint and I to move here.

So if you want the meat of my life right now..what is really going on..this past Sat., we had our first Family Fun day in Bowling Green, a town right next to Wauchula. We’ve had many sucessful family fun days in Wauchula but I had no idea what to expect in BG. I saw over 245 people/families come to this little park, all from different backgrounds. It took a few hundred flyers, one awesome cook, servants for God(to hand out the flyers door to door) and what began was amazing… I personally was able to talk to serveral women and as usual it leads me to appreciate how good God is and how much He cares for every person. I also was able to hold this one little boy..not sure why, but he ended up in my arms and just by holding Him I know God did some awesome things for him. He needed to feel special..well that is what we are all about at Celebration and Hardee campus. You want to feel welcomed and loved and special…hopefully you will begin to see that as you enter our church doors. One woman I met was definitely on my path by God, you could see she knew just by our converstation that God was watching over her…waiting to show HIMSELF faithful and loving.

IF I could pick two things that stand out as we minister here in Hardee-here it is:

God truly does want to help the lost, broken hearted and the poor. Words cannot explain the faces I see every day…I see their hurts, I see their hearts and the wounded souls……….AND YET I AM SO ENCOURAGED because every day I get to see healing take place as they choose to rely on GOD.

The second part that stands out, living so close to poverty every day IS A HUGE BLESSING to me and my family.  I become a person who cannot turn from what is happening in people’s lives. We have so many testimonies and stories I could share and yet it is not fair to reveal other’s stories(personal trials) but hopefully those people choose to tell all God has done in their lives because in the end ALL THE GLORY will go to God and we are just vessels for His kingdom.

As we move forward on this journey, I encourage everyone to take time to support Hardee whether it is through prayer or visiting. These people will bring JOY to your life.

 I can’t say all this with out mentioning how beautiful it is to be a part of Celebration Church with our Senior pastors(STOVALL AND KERRI) who support us in some many ways!! We love you guys.

Princess Malia and Princess Mommy

Today I had a wonderful time with my daughter…We played dress up and as always God showed me new things about Him.

Malia has three beautiful dress up princess outfits, as with most toddlers she wore them everywhere and then a few days later she began playing with other toys. Well, today I asked her if she wanted to play dress up and be a princess. She said yes,of course, and made me also dress up. Sad to say but I had not worn a dress in probably 2 months. It turned out to be fun getting dressed up and Malia loved it, we even wore crowns. During dress up time we had tea and played music, which was awesome worship music. Malia asked me to do a princess dance with her, I watched as she raised her hands to God and twirled. Nothing beats that!!!

As Malia and I twirled God reminded me of something; for many of us we have the beautiful dresses in our closet, WE JUST CHOOSE  not to wear them. God has so much beauty for us, including loving every ounce of who he made us to be. I believe many never go to the closet to get the dress which basically means…do you like your nose? hair? thighs? do you even feel beautiful?? It’s how you perceive yourself. BECAUSE we are all made by God. Yes, that’s right we are truly beautiful…as for me HE made me with curly hair, muscular thighs and silly freckles.  My desire would be to accept every part and start enjoying life as a child of His…wrinkles and all. But as for anyone reading this…is it really crazy to believe that God who made us all…made YOU perfectly beautiful..no mistakes(God is the big guy who made everything)..You were formed in His image.  I pray you would face that reality and feel the joy I do (when I am not consumed with insecurity) but feel peace knowing each feature is unique on me for a reason.  We are each a picture of God…I pray you would stop destroying His masterpiece(that’s YOU) with lies from some men, media and especially the voices in your head. SO go ahead and start wearing your princess dress..you don’t have to play dress up… you are already beautiful start believing it, you were created by a KING……..

OH, one more thing…Malia has been calling me “Princess Mommy” all day..yep..I hope that sticks. It sounds soo good esp. from her.

THE MOVE

So much has happened since I last blogged! I recently moved to Hardee county and we started a Spanish service last week. Hardee campus and my life has been changing so much.

God has been teaching me to Never Lose Heart because over the past weeks I’ve faced numerous challenges, I am finding great happiness in a life completely different than I ever planned. God really loves to take us out of our box and makes us solely rely on Him.  Thankfully, I am changing and seeing life in a whole new light.

First, I have to give a HUGE SHOUT OUT to Hardee campus last week we started our Spanish service at 11:30 and WOW! We had over 200 people for the first service and my heart was literally melting. Not sure how to describe but since we began in Hardee I saw such a huge need for the hispanic community in Hardee. God reminded me of this as the service began last week. Overall it was amazing, we had 440 people for both services and an additional 125 who came for the clothing outreaches and picnic.  It was so funny because on Saturday(right before our first  Spanish service), I was begining to lose heart, we had seen so many awesome victories from outreaches to youth but I began to get negative AND then I heard the message I desperately needed. DON’T LOSE HEART!! I decided to trust God and I held firm to a scripture God had given me.  God would strenthen my frame, he would guide me. It is very easy to stay on course with God when you seek Him in the Bible. WOW He always shows up and gives me encouragement. God’s word is never changing and SO exciting…never miss in your own life what He is trying to share with YOU!!! Back to my Hardee Update…last week was kickin and now this Sunday we had 350 total, it’s great to see faces in church have not been there before…God has been watching and waiting for them, and so have Clint and I…. Also, I saw many receive Christ..GO GOD.  Big thanks to everyone whose helped and continues to pray for Hardee.  And to my friends Heather and Sarah who continue to keep me going with this blog!!

Amazing Girls for God-Hardee update

Angel and Vickie!

As promised in an earlier blog, I wanted to share about some amazing girls. Recently, before school was let out FCA allowed Celebration and other churches in Hardee to come into the junior high every Friday and have a small worship/message service. It was all voluntary and the youth began to go on their own.  The service grew to over 350 youth coming every Friday morning. They heard awesome worship, flooded the altars crying out to God and many were saved.  What is unique about this situation is how God used the Hardee Campus girls.  The youth(high school) girls were coming and praying over the junior high girls, several youth played on the worship team and one girl(Gloria) was out in the hallways greeting and showing God’s love with her crazy fun personality.

The second to last week of FCA, Vickie was lead by God to speak to the students. Vickie is one of those awesome servants for God who once said to me, I just ask God to use my hands, my feet, everything for him.  Vickie is quiet but has such a bold presence from God.  She said, during Friday morning worship,  God overwhelmed her with emotion and she didn’t understand why she was crying. Then she said God was talking to her the whole time during altar call, telling her to speak to the students. Vickie obeyed God and when she spoke to the youth, she was bold, spirit lead and brought many to tears including myself. I love seeing amazing girls for God not being afraid to share what they have for God. Vickie lost her father in high school and choose to share a horrible situation in her life to bless and heal others. Many youth do not feel alone  because Vickie stepped out of her comfort zone with boldness for Jesus.  Never underestimate the power of God.

Vickie-I love you and a quick shout out to all my small group girls.  YOU guys ROCK!!

 

Humility, the ultimate call

I remember my trip to Peru years back and a very small village in the mountains. All the babies were swaddled tightly to the backs of their moms, the church was made of clay and we used the fields as a restroom. When I walked in this church, I was speechless. (surprising for me) God’s presence was so heavy and tangible immediately I felt humbled walking into this little church. Our mission leader asked for me to speak, all I could say was how honored I felt being there and could clearly see they were special to God. I WILL NEVER FORGET THE MAGNITUDE OF HIS PRESENCE.  So this began my thoughts of who has it better?? Are we the chosen, living in U.S.?  I know we are all chosen by God but each of us has blessings in our situations. These beautiful families live a life of simplicity which I believe is a great representation of God. They seek God, work for food and clothes and help one another. I did not see any plasma TV’s or internet or Ferrari’s but I did see an amazing sweet presence of God that was unexplainable.

Living in Hardee, we see people with simple struggles every day and many people with real faith.  I am sometimes sad but also encouraged hearing about a youth helping his family work for food at 4:30 in the morning picking oranges. God has a definite plan for our lives but even in hard circumstances I see families pulling together and lives changed by God because of desperation. I am not sure who has it better, but I DO KNOW WHO HAS THE BEST LIFE and that is the person who serves Jesus wholeheartly with pure intentions and a heart to seek His will and face continuously.

In Matthew 17:20 it says, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

 I am not sure what else to say but how thankful I am to be a part of God’s kingdom.

Too young to be alone

I just saw a newborn deer.  I was running, yes running this time and thought I saw a huge rabbit, it was far away.  I ran faster to see what had just crossed the street and it was a newborn deer with the most adorable spots on her.  She was jumping through the back yard of this busy neighborhood headed towards the golf course.  AND she was ALONE, there was no one with her, no brother, sister and especially no mother.  I was upset for the deer but knew if I tried to get too close she would run away and not quite sure what to do if I caught her.  She did not appear injured.  Needless to say this made me sad. I immediately felt consumed with all the children/youth that do not have a mother to help guide them in this crazy world.  Lisa Bevere spoke at Shine, Celebration’s Women’s conference, about our job to be a mother to a generation that does not have one.  So to all you women out there who have a heart to help, guide or encourage a young girl, PLEASE DON’T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY!! God created us for many purposes and one is to mother and take care of the little ones.  Whether it is a 2 year old or a 16 year old, they all need guidance just in different ways.   

Thank you Jesus we can seek you AND you will lead us to YOUR children who need a helping hand! 

Soon to come(with pictures)…Hardee blog update about young women who are helping middle schoolers.