SHE IS BOSTON STRONG

Yup! now my running friend Anita is waiting on Anderson Cooper!

My girlfriend Anita is BOSTON STRONG!

She will be running her second BOSTON MARATHON this monday.

 Last year was such a scare  as we watched and experienced happiness and fear all at once! Thankful when we heard she was safe and sound. It was a memory she will not forget and if you go back to her blog you can read her post  that she wrote the same day, one year ago!

Anita encouraged me to begin running many years ago! We attended church together and pretty much did life together in our small hometown.
I would always pass her running down some random road as I was making my way around town.
She is such an example of endurance and self discipline!
Her testimony and her story in Christ has made her Boston Strong!  GOD has down an amazing work in Her life SINCE the day she decided to RUN with Him!
I am proud of her today and excited to pray along side her Monday as she covers those 26.2 miles!
God is allowing her voice to be heard!

A few interviews  already and now waiting on Anderson Cooper! (He really called)

  SHE WILL ALWAYS TELL OF HER LORD AND SAVIOR WITH ZEAL AND TENACITY!
Today I would like to share her blog with you and encourage you to pray for the Boston Marathon coming this monday!

CLICK THE LINK Below To see her interview and hear her heart to the media!

Her blog is also on my blog homepage up in my links! Her energy is contagious and she will get you running!
Her blogs will also encourage you in your spiritual race!

Go Anita girl!
Blessings,

Running against the odds!

A GUST OF WIND IN YOUR LIFE

 

The Holy Spirit a life force.
The bible describes the Holy Spirit as having powerful force, comparing it to the wind

John 3:8
"The WIND blows wherever it pleases.
You hear its sound, but cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.
So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

The word spirit in both Hebrew and Greek means “breath” or “wind.” Both a breath of air and a breeze are appropriate images for the Holy Spirit.

Consider several properties of the wind.

Wind is moving air, and this fresh air is needed continually for life itself. Even seeds often require wind for their dispersal and subsequent growth. Similarly, the Holy Spirit is the presence of God, the source for all life.

Wind has no material shape or form. It is invisible; we cannot see the source or the destination of wind. It is a mysterious, unseen force. Nevertheless, its presence is known by its effects.

Likewise, the unseen Holy Spirit can be experienced in a refreshing way. His presence is displayed in the work he does in our personal lives by transforming, encouraging, and teaching.

Wind is a powerful force. It cannot be stopped or controlled by people. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is not subject to our control. The moving of the Holy Spirit is God at work.

There is great variety in the wind. It may be a soft whisper gently rustling the leaves on the trees, or it may be a hurricane uprooting tree.

This morning the wind is creating a gust force and moving things all around my yard.

Likewise, the Holy Spirit may create gusts or gentle forces to bring people closer to Christ and His plan for their lives.

The Holy Spirit may also create gust forces in different seasons of your life to create change and to move things around.

 Remember, the wind cannot be seen.  A person can see and feel the effects of the wind blowing through the trees, but the tree movement is not the wind, only evidence of the wind’s presence.

The chimes hanging outside my house make noise from the blowing of wind, the blinds on the inside of my home smacking the trim  due to the blowing of wind. I see and hear these activities but cannot see the wind.

The Holy Spirit is like the wind:

The Holy Spirit is neither a passive presence nor emotional excitement.
 The Holy Spirit comes from God’s presence.
The Holy Spirit is a person, separate and distinct from whom Christians identify as God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ. Together these three separate and distinct persons form a triune godhead, or trinity that Christians refer to as God.

 Each separate and distinct but have their own role in the Godhead and their own personality, if you will.  In the bible, each is identified as an individual, separate and distinct from the other.

For example, the creation account in the book of Genesis says that ‘God’ created, the ‘Word of God’ spoke, and the ‘Spirit of God’ was hovering over the waters. Together, the Trinity was active in creating our world.  This is the first example of the triune godhead acting individual and corporately.

Sometimes the wind can blow you down or create major change and rearranging in your life.
 But during times like these,  pray for the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit to blow through Your life and breathe new life  and promotion into Your situation.

No matter how hard things are or how bleak they appear, God is able!

Listen to the wind today and ask God to move in your life and those around you.

He will move and blow in your marriage

He will blow around your dreams and giftings

He will move over your children's lives

He will move in the broken areas

May the wind of the Spirit touch your lives today. It's ok if you cannot see what's going on just know the spirit is moving all for the good.

TRUST AND WAIT

A DREAM WITHIN

Are You Dreaming BIG?

Dreams are not merely the nightly thoughts you experience as the brain sorts out the day's events. They are the goals and visions that fire your heart and saturate your soul with joy at the very thought of them. They are those continuing visions of what you want your life to be at its highest level of fulfillment--what you want to do, how you want to do it, what kind of person you want to become in the process.

Your destiny and reason for living are wrapped up tightly in your dreams and desires, like the genetic information inside a seed. That dream in your heart contains your spiritual "DNA," the very blueprint for who you are. Your dream is that idea, that vision for your life that burns inside of you--something you can't ignore for long. It keeps coming back to your mind because it is part of who you are; it will never leave you alone.

A dream doesn't drive you; it draws you. It is like a big magnet that pulls you toward itself. I don't believe that there is a man or woman without a dream, because God designed every member of the human race to have dreams. Without a dream, a person will be frustrated in the present and will miss his or her future.

Your dream did not even originate with you. It resides within you, but God put it there. He is the source of your dream. When people dream without God, they find it hollow and unsatisfying. Every person must come to Jesus for his or her dream to make sense. In fact, without Jesus, you might follow a dream for your life that God never put in your heart.

Not every dream is from God. There is such a thing as godless dreams. But when your dream is God's dream, it's unstoppable.

Jesus said that apart from Him we can't do anything and that all our dreams will be frustrated. The power, energy and creativity needed to fulfill our dreams must flow from Jesus.

The most common and most crucial question is, "How do I know which dreams in my heart are from God?" Here is the answer. You will know it's God's dream if:

1. It is bigger than you.
2. You can't let it go.
3. You would be willing to give everything for it.
4. It will last forever.
5. It meets a need nobody else has met.


Paul spent three years in the desert listening to God before he began his ministry. That was his seminary education. He said: "God, what is this all-consuming passion of my life? Once he discovered his dream, he lived an extraordinary life.

 Paul used his greatest gifts to honor God.
Romans 12:6 says we each have gifts. God gave you the gifts you have; you didn't choose them. Fulfillment comes when you use those gifts for Him in service of your dream. Your gifts are the key to discovering God's will in your life.

Desire =dreams

 God uses desire to accomplish what He wants on this earth.

God speaks to us through desires. Many Christians have come to think that their motives and desires are corrupt and untrustworthy, but the Bible says that if any man is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature. Old things pass away, and all things become new (see 2 Cor. 5:17). That includes our desires! The Bible says you can have the mind of Christ within you. So what does it say about your desires? It says your desires, when you become a new creature, are changed. That's why God can say, "I want to give you the desires of your heart"


God can use your desires, past experiences  and talents to serve your larger goals. Even if it's a skill you don't particularly enjoy, you may find it opens doors for you at key times. Not everything in our past is bound to be good. Some people reading this may have lingering pain in their lives. Some went through a divorce, grew up with angry parents or struggled with alcohol. Some had abortions, filed for bankruptcy or endured hurts that cannot be easily explained.

But each of these problems falls into the category of "all things." God wants to integrate your hurts and difficulties into your life message. He never wastes circumstances, even bad ones. Before you became a believer, God was working to redeem the problems you faced. Not all things are good, but all things will work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes!


 START TO EXPLORE AND JOURNAL YOUR DREAM! 

My stack of dream journals have led me on an amazing journey.
My favorite verse is:
Habakkuk 2:2 says, "Then the Lord answered me and said: 'Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.'" If you want to move ahead in your dream, you must write it down! 

Are you dreaming big ? Is your dream going to reach the kingdom?

I encourage you to read christian books on how to dream big. I have a shelf full and most of the language used in this devo today came from some of the greatest dream mentors that I have only met through print.

DREAM BIG!

If you are interested in hosting a "Dream Big" conference for your ministry please contact me . I will work with you and your community and make it fit for you. It's powerful and will stir a fresh passion in your land!

BLESSINGS

How To Study The Word

HOW TO READ GODS WORD

Studying God's Word, has totally changed my life. I thank God for what I know now, but it didn't come overnight. If you want to see areas of your life change, learn to truly study the Bible. Ask my friends that knew me, I was the last one they would picture reading a bible! 

My marriage was falling apart and a friend pointed me to The Word.

My lifestyle was nothing that looked purified and church worthy but The Word drew me in.

My past sin caused much shame and guilt that it felt better to stuff and try to forget, the Word brought it to the surface until my heart began to heal.

My children make me worried sick but the Word has brought me promise and peace.

The word heals and restores.

WHY MAKE THIS INVESTMENT?

The Bible is no ordinary book. The WORDS within its pages are like medicine to your soul. It has the power to change your life because there is LIFE in the Word! (See Hebrews 4:12.) And when you DISCOVER the power and truth of God’s Word, you will begin to see changes in your life that only this truth can bring.  The word uncovers what you hide and allows you to rediscover a new HOPE.
You will even learn how to recognize what the enemy tries to bring against you.

Just begin where you are right now and determine to stick with it! Every time you study the Bible and pay attention to what you’re reading, you’re learning something. God has a way to confirm himself to each person seeking. He created you so He knows the best way to reveal himself to you.

Proverbs 4:20-22 says, “My son attend to my words…for they are life to those who find them…” The word “attend” means to pay attention to, give some time to something. To attend to the Word of God is a lot more than just reading it on sunday, it's learning to dig one step further.

Picture this: if you bought a flat of flowers and took the out of the carton and laid them on the soil how would they grow? You would enjoy the beauty for a day but then they die. When we dig a little hole and prepare a place the flower then can take hold of the soil and grow.

I love and encourage bible study groups for this reason. You can go and start to dig a little hole.

Digging helps us get into agreement with what God wants us to do in our present circumstance. It's amazing how God's word speaks to your current situation.

What Do I Study?

There’s really no wrong place to start.  You can study anything that’s going to help you. 
I strongly again suggest jumping into a small group or going to listen to a teacher or podcast.

Try this exercise, pick a word that relates to your circumstance. ANGER, WORRY, FEAR, HURT or whatever. Now go in the back of your Bible and pick one of the words you relate with at the time. Begin looking at all scriptures referenced with this word and read them. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you, and He’ll lead you and reveal things to you.

Being able to apply what you study is just one picture of what studying the Bible looks like.

Hopefully you understand why you should study with some ideas on what to study. Here are four steps you can take to begin digging into God’s Word now:

Four Effective Steps to Studying the Bible

1. Purposely set aside time. I make an appointment with God in the mornings, but if that doesn’t work for you, find a time that does…even if it’s not every day. Whatever you can do, that’s what you need to do. Just start somewhere and you’ll see the fruit that this time brings to your life!

2. Make preparation for your Bible study. Have a place that you enjoy being—a room in your house where you can be alone. Somewhere you are comfortable and like to be.

3. Have all your materials available. You’ll want of course your Bible, but also get a good Bible dictionary, concordance, a pen and paper. That way, you don’t have to stop every few minutes to reference something or write something down.

4. Prepare your heart. Talk to God about things you may need to confess, and enter your study time peacefully and without anything that may block you from receiving revelation during your study.

Make the time in your life to study because there is power in it to change your life and become the person God wants you to be. 

If you know a person that study God's Word reach out to them and ask them questions. My mentor of many years has taught me a great deal. I would spend time asking her to teach me to dig.

I challenge you to step out and go deeper in God's word, you will be amazed at the change it brings!

Blessing,

A TEACHER

Today's bible verse: Luke 6:40
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like His teacher.

I was thrilled that this verse was part of my reading today because I am particularly  passionate with teaching the Word of God!

WE ARE ALL TEACHERS

Everything we do, with everything we don’t do, with everything we say, with everything we don’t say and with our beliefs, with our attitudes – all of, all of us TEACH!

When you hold a door for someone, you are being a teacher.  When you honk and yell obscenities while driving, you are being a teacher.  (BEEN THERE)
When you walk about with a furrowed brow and pursed lips, you are being a teacher.  When you smile at those who cross your path, you are being a teacher.

It all spreads.  It is all felt.  The energy that you are walking around with, whether you say anything to anyone or not, is felt.  What are you carrying around?  What are you spreading out into the world?   It is all within your control.

TODAYS BIBLE VERSE SHOULD: either excite you—or drive you to your knees! If you want to touch others you must first ask God to touch you! He desires to work through you AND TEACH, but He can’t until He works in you! He’ll use you as His instrument, but first He wants to sharpen and cleanse that instrument so it becomes a more effective tool in His hands! So, if you want to strengthen your teaching, do everything in your power to strengthen the teacher—yourself!

“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life…” 2 Timothy 3:10 NIV

I’m what you would call a “Life Learner” I believe every day that I am alive and kicking there’s yet something new I can learn. 
So every day of my life I live to learn something new. And I’m not just a collector of information, BUT I LEARN SO I CAN SHARE WHAT I’VE LEARNED WITH OTHERS, THAT IN WHATEVER CAPACITY, THEY MAY BECOME BETTER! 
THAT’S THE HEARTBEAT OF ANY GENUINE TEACHER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY’RE TEACHING OR AT WHAT LEVEL THEY’RE TEACHING IT!

Jesus was the best teacher that existed. Let me share 3 points the illustrate a good teacher.

1. KNOW YOUR STUDENTS 

This takes COMMITMENT AND TIME. GOOD TEACHING HAS A PRICE TAG: YOU’VE GOT TO BE WILLING TO POUR OUT YOUR LIFE FOR OTHERS. People don’t care how much you know, UNTIL THEY FIRST KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE! 
Jesus showed compassion but taught a lesson in every situation.

2. BE WILLING TO BECOME VULNERABLE: 

IT’S THE BROKEN WHO BECOME MASTERS AT MENDING!
The ultimate master was Jesus. He was broken for our sakes. 
 DON’T BE AFRAID TO LET PEOPLE LEARN WHAT YOU’RE STRUGGLING WITH, AND WHAT YOU’VE STRUGGLED WITH THROUGH THE YEARS. Remember the master mended your cracks and trained you up in grace. 
 People tend to see us in terms of where we are NOW, rather than in light of WHERE WE’VE COME FROM AND WHAT WE’VE BEEN THROUGH. 

ALWAYS REMEMBER, FOR THE MOST PART, THEY DIDN’T SEE YOUR PROCESS.

 SO BE VULNERABLE, AND TELL THEM ABOUT THE GOD YOU KNOW PERSONALLY, AND WHAT HE’S PERSONALLY BROUGHT YOU THROUGH! IF YOU WANT TO GET THROUGH TO YOUR STUDENTS WITH REAL LIFE APPLICATION THEN TEACH MORE THAN THE TEXT, TELL THEM THE TESTIMONY THAT ACCOMPANIES IT! 
THAT’LL IMPACT THEM EVERY TIME! 

WANT TO BE A TEACHER WHO “GETS THROUGH”? THEN BE A TEACHER WHO SHARES WHAT YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH!

3.NEVER STOP GROWING 

THE TRUTH DOESN’T CHANGE, BUT YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF IT SHOULD! Peter writes: “…GROW In GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE…” (2 Peter 3:18 NIV).This requires the attitude that you haven’t yet “ARRIVED”. Those who apply this principle are always asking, “HOW CAN I IMPROVE? What do you want me to know Lord?

Jesus said, “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)

THE APOSTLE PAUL WAS near the end of his life, when most people are looking for rocking chairs, he wrote: “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me…” (Philippians 3:13-14 NIV). PAUL WAS NEITHER IMPRESSED BY HIS SUCCESS NOR INTIMIDATED BY HIS FAILURES! 
HE LEARNED FROM HIS PAST, BUT HE REFUSED TO LIVE IN IT! His goal was always BEFORE him. He said, 
“I PRESS ON” Every day when Paul’s eyes opened I can imagine him saying, “It’s a new day full of possibilities; Lord help me to learn in every moment!” 

 God has given you the gift and opportunity to teach be aware of every opportunity!

Ask Him for fresh opportunities and never cease to learn everyday!

Blessings,