The Two Greatest Encouragements Yet

This week has been one of the toughest weeks for me, but I was encouraged in two ways. First my friend's friend sent me an email and she read me a poem called A cushion for your head. By now I am sure you are wondering how did she read you the poem when she sent you an email. Well to answer that question she sent it like a voicemail. This is a great poem and I love that God is telling us to just sit there right now and not do a thing but rest. Resting in God in a time of need is the best feeling ever. I also love that we can use God's words as a cushion for our heads... after all his word is our counselor. This is how the poem goes:

A cushion for your head: 

Just sit there right now
Don’t do a thing
Just rest.

For your separation from God,
From love,

Is the hardest work
In this
World.

Let me bring you trays of food
And something
That you like to
Drink.

You can use my soft words
As a cushion
For your
Head. 

And then the same day I got that email I was on my facebook and I saw this on Sheri Rose Shepherd's page. It says: "When you have no idea what to do and you’re too weak to fight the good fight, just be still and know He is God. Let Him fight for you. All you need to do is stand. What I mean by “stand” is to avoid making any decisions while you’re in the heat of emotion. Instead, take time to seek wise counsel and to allow your heart to calm down. Stand; don’t walk away. God will walk you through this, and when you follow Him, you will find you’re still standing once the crisis has passed.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
1 Corinthians 15:58"

I hope that both of these encourage you as much as they encouraged me this pass week. I am now much happier in my time of need because I know that God is in control and I know that he won't give us anything that we would not be able to handle. 

Pslam 119

I am often very bad at many things when it comes to studying the word and praying. I promise I am trying to get better. When James and I first moved to Saint Doris Apartments and when we got the dining room table that was my grandpa George's we use to turn off everything and sit at the dining room table with our dinner and pray before we would eat but now we don't even do that. My New Year's resolution is going to be getting better at the things I need to get better at. I wanted just to sit back and reflect on somethings that I learned this week from the woman's bible study. I will be honest with you at first I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this study or not. It looked interesting and I felt I would enjoy it but I didn't want to miss the good old famous Soul Cafe. So as always I got talking to my friend Crystal over email about this bible study and I was still not sure and there were a few reasons why I was not sure. One was the money (for some reason money always stops me when I want to do something) and the other reason was my learning disability (I try not to let this one stop me but it always does). Well, Christ decided to use Crystal as a vessel in my life once again and I was finally convinced. We are now on week 2 of the study and I would have to say I love this study. I am learning a lot about Psalm 119 that I hope I will one day be able to use as a testimony to witness to someone. Yes as I was working on this study I started to get very overwhelmed... It was to the point I was going to be in tears. It is not always easy for me to understand what the bible means or what a question is asking of me with the reading comprehension problem I have. However, I know that even with this learning disability I have made many people proud of me (I wasn't even supposed to pass high school and I proved everyone wrong and I worked my hardest with the greatest mom, the best teacher (Ms. Alexander or as we called her Ms. A), the greatest boyfriend (James) at the time, and the greatest mentor (Sherri) and I made it all the way through a 4 year college with a BS in Child Development). I tried to work on this Psalm 119 study Friday morning but I couldn't think or even get it done so I went back to it on Saturday in the mid- afternoon/ early night and I was still very overwhelmed so I decided to email my friend Crystal and over the phone she helped me understand the passages better. So the things I have learned is that He is near. I know that God is defiantly near because he has shown me ways he is near. Whenever I am depressed God is there and he finds a way to make me feel better (usually it is through an email from Crystal or a message on facebook). I also know he is near because whenever I say a prayer (even if it is in my journal) he answers the prayer within a few days.  I can tell you that I am applying this to my everyday life as well because I am seeking God with all my heart. As most of you know I was saved on July 3rd, 2011 and ever since then I have been changed. Most of you have said you seen the change in me and that makes me smile. :)

Encouragement... God is Good

So I have been a bit depressed lately because of things I have been going through. Ever since we have gotten back from Mammoth I have hid in a shell and not come out. I just recently started to come out on how I was doing. After I started to tell people how I was doing God started to show encouragement just through the people who love me. First thing was some of my co-workers gave James and I some food when they found out we couldn't afford any food. Then on August 30th my friend Crystal messaged me on facebook and all her message said was "Hi! Thinking and praying for you today. How was your day?" Then that same night (August 30th) my friend Pam messaged me and asked for my address. I was thinking she wanted it because she wanted to send a card or something. Then the next thing I know she tells me she can help us with some food. Then Pam continued to ask what my shoe size and my clothes size was so I told her and she asked me what I needed there. Saturday Sept. 1st I got a text from my mentor that had me smiling and she even encouraged me to be strong and then she told me that I could get this figured out. I left a message to both Crystal and Pam that said they put a smile on my face. When Pam told me... "You are a special person and I am happy to be your friend and sister in Christ" I was encouraged once again. Then yesterday I was encouraged at church. We sang The Stand and Happy Day and well both songs had me encouraged. Later we were offered to take a class with Crystal and her husband Martin and then we were given a name for a budgeting counselor. The encouragement hasn't stopped yet. Today my mentor sent me text and ask if I was able to get help so I told her about the help we got and she was glad we got help. I always am happy when I make my mentor proud of me and I am very happy when I make her glad. My mentor reminded me that "God is Good. And so are you." Today I needed that reminder because sometimes I feel as if I have failed and could have done something better. But wait it doesn't stop there I later checked my email and I had an email from another church family member of mine (Michelle). In the email Michelle told me that the two videos I posted encouraged her today and she sent me a video which was How He Loves and it was another great reminder for me. I am very blessed to be saved and I am very blessed to have been encouraged and I am very blessed to have encourage a friend of mine. God is Good!  

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me....

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...

my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear...

the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...

we have already come.

T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...

and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me...

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be...

as long as life endures.

When we've been here ten thousand years...

bright shining as the sun.

We've no less days to sing God's praise...

then when we've first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me....

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now, I see.

This song always gets to me because until July 3rd, 2011 I was lost and I was blinded. I am very blessed that I was saved and I thank those who helped me find my way! I am a changed person and I rejoice for being the person I am now. I am very proud to be saying I am God's daughter!

Reflection

Today in church I was convicted and I mean that in a good way. I started to think about a lot of things. By now I am sure you are wondering what convicted me. Anyways, there was a question that was asked in church today and that question had me thinking about me and my walk with the Lord. The question was "Do you remember when you were saved and how you felt?" Then today in Soul Cafe we were asked how we were different now that we are saved then when we weren't saved. I can and want to answer both of those questions for whoever is reading this. First I remember when, where, and who I was with when I was saved and I even remember why I was saved. It was July 3rd, 2011 in room 111 which was at the time the Soul Cafe room and I was with my wonderful husband James and I was with Crystal and Martin Mayfield. This is my testimony: I was raised as a Methodist, so I went to church every Sunday. I was even baptized when I was an infant. For years I went to the Methodist Church and then I started going to EV Free of Santa Maria. I joined the High School youth group and then I joined the College and Career youth group. Then I moved to Fresno and started to come to Clovis Ev Free and joined Soul Café. I then started to doubt myself. Am I really a Christian and am I really saved because I was raised going to a church all my life. Well, On April 27th, 2010 Crystal Mayfield and I talked about my doubts and what being raised in a church and being baptized as a baby meant. After that nothing really happen. I continued going to church and Soul Café, but at that time my doubts were gone or they were just hiding. Well on July 3rd, 2011 Pastor Wil came up to James and I and asked James if he was ready to be baptized. That day my doubts came back and I posted something on my facebook page and to my surprise I had an email from Crystal with some bible verses. I asked Crystal if she could explain it to me and she said she would love to talk to me in person. At that point she asked me if Martin and her can talk to me at Family Fun night and I said that they could. So on July 3rd, 2011 we went into the Soul Café room and James, Crystal, Martin, and I talked about my doubts and I said a prayer and accepted Christ that night so I had a date I could point to and know for sure that I am saved. Honestly, to tell you the truth I felt great that I had a day to point to and I was extremely excited. I really can see a change in myself. I use to always be worried and scared (living in fear) of what was gonna happened in the next trial I was going to have and now I am not worried and I am not living in fear of what is gonna happen. I now have trust in the Lord. He has given us some hard trials since James and I have proclaimed our love for Him and we have got through them all and I have learned a lot from each and everyone of the trials and I have built more and more trust for my Lord. I even got to thinking about what the children of this generation are growing up with. I mean what are some of the tv shows, radio, or even movies trying to teach them and are they really teaching them what they should be taught?

In All Things Christ Supreme

It has been almost a year since I have blogged and updated everyone. James and I have had a very hectic month in July. One trial after another came up but we didn't let it bother us and God proved to us that "In All things Christ Supreme." We went to Mammoth for the jazz festival and we had a blast. We got to meet a very special little girl who I have adopted as my niece. We also got to see our really good friends. I even got a lot of swing dancing in. :) There is nothing like listening to jazz in the mountains where you can just stare at God's creations. This year we camped and during our time camping we had a few bears visit us (I never saw them, but I think James did) and we had a coyote visit us as well. On our way home we ended up getting stranded just outside of Fresno because we had a flat tire and then our donut went flat as well. Then we found out James' grandma wasn't doing so well so we made a red-eye trip back home to see his grandma. Then on Thursday July 19th we found out that his grandma passed away just before 9:30 am. Then the day before the funeral our car got repossessed and we did everything we could to get home for the funeral. We finally got some help from our wonderful church which was a praise and when we got home my mom, James, and I talked about the car and what happened and she signed over my 1998 Saturn which was another praise. Then just before we went to Mammoth we found a chihuahua with no collar and no tags roaming around our apartment complex, so we took him and started to look for his owners but we had no luck. I am also suffering from my migraines again but God has showed me how the power of prayer from just one person works. One of my friends has been praying for me and I have been migraine free for the last two days.