Strength & Weaknesses

  The one thing I have learned in life is that no matter what life brings God can use us. Since I was a little girl I wanted to be involved in ministry in some way. As a young adult my calling became stronger and I knew I needed to serve in the church alongside of my pastor and his wife. I was a homemaker with 2 small children and I did whatever needed to be done voluntarily. No one asked me to be the first one on the church campus to be sure the sanctuary was ready, the bathrooms had everything they needed or that the Sunday School rooms were tidy. I just did that on my own. Whatever needed to be done I was ready to do. Some Sundays the person doing the special music became ill so I would be ready with a song. My pastor gave me the key to the buildings because no one had ever come to services ahead of he and his wife and he knew I just wanted to make sure everything was done. As if I were having guests over to my house because that is how I have always felt about church. Eventually I was the first person on payroll to do what I would have done for free but they didn’t want to take advantage of me and they wanted to eventually bring me in full time.

That was my dream job and where I knew God wanted me. Then life happened and I found myself divorced and a single mother to an 18 month old and 4 year old. I went to work immediately as a secretary at an HCA hospital. All the stress of this life change made me weak, unhealthy and full of anxiety. How in the world did Gods calling on my life derail so quickly? I was so confused and thought with all of this that full time ministry was out of the question because with all these problems I was no longer qualified. Fast forward and I am now retired from full time ministry from my church working alongside my Pastor and his wife. Yes, I found out that I was actually just as useful with all my issues & weaknesses as I was before with all my giftedness & strengths!

As a child of God our strengths inspire people around us and with our weaknesses we give people hope! It’s a win-win when God is involved.

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We Are Never Alone written 2016

 John 14:15-18 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

God's gift to us is the Holy Spirit who indwells in us and gives us peace in the midst of the chaos; which means we are never alone. The Holy Spirit is like a suit of armor that prepares us for life's daily battles. The Holy Spirit goes out into our daily conflicts and protects our front, backs, sides and insides; our whole being.

The Holy Spirit is God’s moment-by-moment provision for strength, courage, boldness, victory and the abundant life. It’s for us and it’s God’s plan for our life! 

Focusing on worst-case scenarios won’t keep bad things from happening. It will only keep us from enjoying the good things we have in the present.

"A godly woman is one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at her."

This picture was taken at sunrise on the beach!

Love and Forgiveness

Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying,  “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock. Leviticus 1:1-2

God laid out the specifics for the people of Israel to atone for their sins. The sacrifice of animals were to symbolize their atonement. An action used for forgiveness. Love is an action and so is forgiveness. Jesus died for our sin so that we no longer need to sacrifice an animal. God still shows us all through the scriptures that love is an action and so is forgiveness. 

I like to hear from my husband that he loves me. When he hurts my feelings or offends me I am grateful he has always apologized and asked my forgiveness. Where would any relationship be without those two actions? Easy to answer, there would be no relationship! 

Our relationship with God is to be the same way in our showing our love in action and need for forgiveness in action. 

Our youngest daughter took this picture on our trip to Malaga, Spain in 2022.