Joy and Roller Coaster Rides...Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

Roller Coasters have always been my favorite theme park ride. I remember the way I felt when seeing a roller coaster for the very first time! Where else can we strap ourselves in, (legally) go that fast, flip upside down, come to a screeching halt, without requiring an emergency room visit?

What is so exciting about roller coasters? For me, it is the joy they bring! I’m not sure makes me more joyful. The pictures while on the ride or the ride itself! Can’t you see all the joy on my face in the picture below?

Yes, I know the picture is sideways...kinda gives it that roller coaster effect!

I declare 2012 to be full of more joy! I am so excited about this year! I know God is working things together for our good because He takes pleasure in prospering us as our soul prospers! (Romans 8:28, Psalm 35:27, 3 John 1:2) This year, I will pursue more joy!

What is joy? Joy defined by Strong’s concordance is glee, exceedingly, gladness, fullness, pleasure, rejoicing. Ok, now I’m set! Here’s my plan:

• Imitate Him! (Ephesians 5:1)
• Be stronger! (Nehemiah 8:10)
• Trust Him! (Psalm 5:11)
• Be in His presence! (Psa 16:11)
• Shout! (Psalm 32:11)
• Be a counselor of peace! (Proverbs 12:20)

Even the angels rejoice! (Luke 15:10) As for me and my house, we’re going to rejoice more in 2012!

The LORD our God, the Mighty One, is in our midst! He rejoices over us with singing! (Zephaniah 3:17). He rejoices over us with singing! That give me a headstart!

I pray this is your most joyful year ever!

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

This blog is dedicated to three amazing women that God has placed in my life.

Thank you, Gwen Payne. For walking me through the most difficult blog I’ve ever written. Thank you for your wisdom, guidance and sensitivity. When others said I couldn't do it because of the difficulty, you loved me through it. But most of all, thank you for walking out Galations 6:9 before my very eyes over the last several years in everything you do.

Thank you, Tammy Canada. For always loving me over the past twenty six years for who I am at whatever season of life I’m currently walking through. I’ve changed a lot since we first met but your love for me never has. Your heart full of love is beyond anything I could ever ask or think.

Thank you, Cortni Needles. For your loyalty, commitment and encouragement that is completely unfailing. You are a city on a hill.

I'm so grateful to God for you.

During a recent discussion with Gwen, she told me about research she had discovered about "The Twelve Days of Christmas". It is a cumulative song, meaning that each verse is built on top of the previous verses. There are twelve verses, each describing a gift given by "my true love" on one of the twelve days of Christmas.

I believe Christmas is a great time to blog about family and overcoming adversity; however, this blog grew into much more than a quick read. As a result, we decided it best to divide it up into blogs which build on the one before and reveals layers of gifts of deliverance, healing, forgiveness, love, from my true love, the Father. Each gift of deliverance, healing, forgiveness and love increases my spiritual, emotional and physical growth into the full stature of the measure of the fullness of God. (Ephesians 1:23). Thank God for progress!

Out of my conversation with Gwen, The 12 Days of Love was born. God is love. (1 John 4:8) Many are the afflictions of the righteous but He delivers us out of them all. (Psalm 34:19) His love never fails. Over the next twelve days, we will post a blog about how God has walked me through who I am today. It is divided into twelve sections making it easier to digest.

We pray this will be your Merriest Christmas ever, Mele Kalikimaka!

I Apologize

Several months ago, an acquaintance hurt my feelings. The how, what, when is not critical to the point I want to make here. Weeks later (at the prompting of a mutual friend) she sent me an email listing all her reasons why she hurt my feelings. Without going into irrelevant detail, the email was basically made up of, "Things have been hard for me." and "I've been dealing with some stuff." The email had the underlying tones of an apology; however, her email consisted of all her hardships but not how her reaction to her hardships hurt me as well as other innocent bystanders.

For those of you who are wondering, she doesn't follow my blog and most likely will never read this. However, if she happens to stumble on it...just think of all the people who have been set free because of this situation! Always jump on a chance to work things out for good!

My first response to her email was, learn how to apologize. Then I read the blog I wrote on forgiveness. {Smile} When I stand praying, I first forgive anyone and refuse to hold a grudge so that my Father in Heaven will forgive me also. (Mark 11:25) I made the correct choice! His grace is sufficient for me! (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I didn't return an email stating she should learn how to apologize. Thankfully, I wasn't even tempted to; however, if she could've taken a joke at that point...I would've just for the humor factor. But since I hardly knew her...I wasn't willing to risk how she might respond and possibly fuel the wrong momentum. I chalked it off for being what it was and not thinking another thing about it except...through my excitement thought, "There has got to be a great blog in here somewhere!"

I've read Dr. Larry Ollison's Book, Breaking the Cycle of Offense...twice. I've learned how to refuse offense and walk in freedom; however, this situation made made me think.

I started thinking, "I apologize." What does that mean exactly? One definition I found documented regretful acknowledgment of a fault or offense. A'hah! Regretful acknowledgement of a fault or offense. That's the part of the email that was missing! She went into great detail of all the reasons why she did what she did; however, never once considered how to clean up the mess for the one's left in her wake. In other words, she considered her feelings while failing to consider the feelings of everyone in her radius.

Next step...I was convinced I must write a blog on how to effectively apologize! Moments later...realize someone has probably already done that. Why reinvent the wheel when there is GOOGLE! The following link has insightful information on apologizing effectively.

http://words4mind.blogspot.com/2008/05/5-steps-to-effective-apology.html#!/2008/05/5-steps-to-effective-apology.html

If the link fails to work, I've copy and pasted it's contents below for your convenience.

5 Steps to an Effective Apology

1. Make it genuine - Anyone can spot a false apology and it will do more harm than good. A genuine apology is aimed solely at taking responsibility and overcoming a disturbance. There are no hidden obligations or expectations attached.

2.Don’t justify your actions - If you are busy explaining why you did what you did, it will start to sound like you aren’t apologizing at all, that you aren’t ready to take responsibility. A brief explanation may help understanding, while a justification may just fuel the disturbance.

3.Make a commitment to change - If you can’t confirm that you mean to improve, then you aren’t committed to an apology. If you aren’t committed to changing your habit of getting home late, don’t say “Sorry I am home late”. This will be a hollow and ineffective apology. You are better off thanking the other person, “Thanks for putting up with me coming home so late. I appreciate it” and taking it from there.

4.Phrased you apology carefully - Make sure the other person knows why you are apologizing. “I was passing by so I thought I’d drop in and say sorry” is a lot different to “I wanted to come and apologize because I really do care about this relationship”. Don’t fake it. If you have a good reason to keep the relationship alive the other person will want to hear it.

5.Be prepared for an awkward conclusion - While sometimes an apology is followed straight away by a counter apology and peace and flowers and little birds carrying banners of love through the air, not everyone reacts this way. Some people will behave indifferently, some will behave coldly, and some will react in a downright hostile way. This is out of your control. You have made the step to apologize. Doing it in a productive way is the best you can do. Maybe the other person will appreciate it now, later, or never. No matter what, you have done your bit and you can relax. The rest is up to them.

Written by Campus Fest

Side note: A few weeks ago, I had to apologize to a dear, sweet, long time friend. I had had a meltdown on some issues I was trying to resolve. I was basically thinking out loud, I said too much and went too far. Once the LORD prompted my heart to apologize to her she did the most amazing thing. She had every right to give me a verbal smack down. I deserved it. But instead, she comforted me and thanked me for being real. She had all right to point out everything I said wrong and "put me in my place". But instead, she restored me gently. (Galations 6:1) As a result, I had an amazing break through in my life and it was instantaneous! The windows of Heaven burst open in a very critical area of my life! 

So, the next time you are in a position to apologize to someone, consider this information. And, if you are helping someone work out an apology, this is a great resource. Or, if someone apologizes to you, Galations 6:1 them...it will be a win-win every time!

A Few of my BFFs

Today I discovered I am a gadget girl. I never really thought of myself as such until a friend laughed at me for buying Christmas presents for Ms. Martha, my Roomba. She totally deserves new brushes, rollers and filters for Christmas. (My Roomba...not Kate, my laughing friend...love ya Katester! Ok...if Kate wants a brush, I will buy her one.) I've already placed Ms. Martha's order. Her gifts are on their on their way.

Ms. Martha is one of my BFFs because:

• She's always there when I need her.
• She makes my life easier.
• When she needs help (gets stuck, sucks up something or needs charging) she says what she means and means what she says by very nicely and quickly pinpointing the problem and asking for help.
• She cleans my floors.

Another of my gadgets is my new Dyson. It is so cool. It is sleek and yellow and cleans baseboards like nobodies business. It even sounds cool as I'm connecting its attachments. I like clean baseboards. Prior to my Dyson, I cleaned my white baseboards while down on my hands and knees using a baby wipe. No more, the ball dude is a genius! I wonder what he wants for Christmas.

My BFF list would not be complete without my Vitamix! I drink fruit/vege/herbal/seed/berry smoothies at least once a day. Throw enough berries in a Vitamix and you can mask the flavor of anything! What a great way to "hide" nutritional food that may be hard to swallow. No pun intended.

The newest member on my list is my Shark Steam Cleaner. It cleans...AND...disinfects...at the same time! It makes my floors look brand new. I can feel the disinfecting power as the steam rises...exhilarating!

Then there is my Temperpedic. After a full day of home school, running my girls to their extra cirricular classes and completing all my other duties as assigned...my Temperpedic really helps me rest well. When we bought it I wondered if it would be as good as people say it is. If you've ever wondered that...wonder no more! It is beyond everything people say it is!

Last on my list is my iPad which has a really cool cover. Not all covers are created equal. My iPad is light, portable, does almost everything that my laptop does plus...let's me pin like a professional. If you don't know what pinning is, ask...then follow me so I can follow you...PINquiring minds need to know. Thanks April!

I haven't actually named any of my gadgets, except Ms Martha. And I haven't bought any of them Christmas gifts except her. I didn't want too get weird {tee hee hee}.

Those who know me are probably wondering why my Canon EOS 7d didn't make my BFF list. That...my friends...would be because it deserves a blog of its own. If you have one, you understand. Nuff...said.

My gadgets, specifically Ms. Martha, really made me think about Proverbs 18:24. A man who has friends must himself be friendly.

I'm going to show myself friendly this Christmas season by:

• Being available when my friends need me.
• Making my friend's lives easier.
• Asking for help if I need it.
• Saying what I mean and meaning what I say.
• And if needed, I will clean some floors.

Mele Kalikimaka!

Momentum

So many people have asked me how I gain control over my thought life. God set us up! Our thought life has a momentum and this is how we use that momentum to our advantage!

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praise worthy meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8, 9)

Personally, I believe there are so many whatevers to give us time to process the information. If I am mad or sad, I can’t get through the whole scripture without the momentum changing into joy and gladness! Oftentimes, I stop and think…wait, what was I thinking again?

*Likes shiny objects*

Can you imagine the Amplified Version of that scripture? I didn’t even look! Some day if I ever get really mad and this version doesn’t work for me, I will refer to the Amplified Version. That’ll get the job done. *grin*

Let’s look at the end of that scripture again. “And the God of peace will be with you.” Whoa-Ho-Ho, and the God of peace…will be…with me! Talk about momentum! That in and of itself is enough motivation!

I once heard Brother Keith Moore at Faith Life Church in Branson Missouri teach on this scripture. He taught to make every thought qualify with every point of this scripture. In other words, something may be true; however, if it is not lovely don’t meditate on it.

I refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the true knowledge of God; and I lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-6) Who leads my thoughts? I lead my thoughts! How many thoughts? Every thought! I am the boss of my thoughts! Sometimes I have to say, “I will-I will-I will take every thought-every thought- every thought captive!

No matter what people may say to me or do to me, since He be for me who can be against me?! (Romans 8:31) He loves me with a steadfast love! (Psalm 36:7) He never leaves or forsakes me so I am strong and courageous! (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Does this always work? Yes, always. Maybe not the first time I follow the process so if necessary, I keep repeating the process until I reach the “other side”!

Am I perfect in this? Shoots no! Do I want to slap people? I sure do! But instead, I ask the Holy Spirit to help me in my weakness and He has never failed me! (Romans 8:26)

To summarize:

1.    Qualify every thought
2.    Lead every thought captive.
3.    And is the above fails, simply say,

“Father, I love you and I want to obey your commands but I’m weak in this right now. Please help me in my weakness as I submit my spirit to your precious Holy Spirit in the name of your Son, Jesus.

The In-laws

“I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:18)

When a loving, successful, intelligent gentleman asked me for my daughter's hand in marriage, I asked him to stand in agreement with me. He and I know, Jesus said when we agree about anything, we can ask for it and it will be done for us by our Father in Heaven! (Matthew 18:19)

He and I committed from the start to have a relationship independent of everyone else. We agreed when I had an issue arise regarding him, I promised to discuss it directly with him. He promised me the same. We understood there would be issues. We committed there would be no unresolved issues. We both committed to not use my daughter as a middle man. (Matthew 18:15)

He and I have a unique relationship that I value deeply. He can confide in me. He can seek me for counsel and prayer. He isn’t an outsider. He is like a son to me. I do not replace his mother, but I am like a mother to him. We are good friends. Our relationship is about relationship and not about the law. We aren’t connected by law, we are connected by love.

I’ve heard professional counselors advise married couples to handle their in-laws through the blood relative. For example, if the husband has issue with his mother-in-law, he is to take the issue to his wife and his wife is to resolve the issue with her mother. I understand the logic in that. But to me, the sound of that just screams division. I understand professional counselors are trained and experienced; therefore, I will leave all marital counseling in their hands. However, our o’hana has agreed on a different approach. As for me and my house, we have direct relationship with one another in Him.

Jesus has provided a way to direct relationship with our Heavenly Father! (John 14:6) We directly approach our Father when issues arise. (John 16:23) Many are the afflictions of the righteous but God delivers us out of them all! (Psalm 34:19) Praise God nothing can separate us from His love! (Romans 8:38-39) He is our Father! We are His sons & daughters! God is love and His love never fails! (1 John 4:8)

We are not connected to Him by law. We are connected to Him by love!

I Just Saw Two Whole Hearts!

You will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with your whole heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

My oldest daughter and I were pregnant at the same time. As awkward as that may seem to some, it has been one of the most amazing blessings and fun times of my life.

The children who we delivered, who are less than three months apart, pursue one another more than anyone I have ever experienced. When Gracie and Caley spend the night together, they insure they wake up two or three hours earlier than normal just so they can be together. To elaborate, two or three hours earlier than normal falls within the range of 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. To further elaborate, that is very early.

Their excitement doesn’t fade. If they spend a week together every day is spent staying up as late as possible and they are up again early every morning. Even when they are very tired, there is something that rises up and overrides their fatigue because they don’t want to lose any time with one another. When it is time for them to go to their own homes, they cry for one another and say, “But we didn’t even have enough time to play…”

It is highly uncommon for them to have a squabble but when they do, I tell them to separate for ½ hour. They both cry and plead with me not to separate them. Whatever the offense was, it is immediately overridden by the possible threat of them being separated. That’s true forgiveness!

When they are apart (we live in different towns) they draw pictures for one another, write each other notes, and save them for when they are reunited.

Last night, we watched a parade together then I took Gracie to a food court and we were waiting for my oldest daughter to bring Caley so we could have dinner. Gracie said, “I am just so excited! I’m just going to sit here and watch the door until Caley comes in!” And, she did.

When we walk together, they insure they are holding hands. When we eat, they insure they are sitting together. At the ripe age of six, they have already devised elaborate plans on how they are going to live together when they grow up. Currently, that plan includes sharing their home with lots of guinea pigs.

They consistently leave the family circle to spend one on one time with each other. Their relationship is quite amazing and one I find difficult to define.

I’m an early riser, today I was up before 6:00 a.m. True to form, Gracie and Caley were up playing quietly in the living room and had been for an undetermined amount of time. They had shut my bedroom door. I’m unsure if they wanted me to be uninterrupted or if they wanted to be uninterrupted.

Unbeknownst to them, I quietly observed them playing and my heart remembered Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” I wondered, had I ever sought God the way Gracie and Caley seek one another? I also wondered, had I ever worked as hard at my relationships as they do theirs?  Has my excitement about my relationship with Jesus ever faded?

Mahalo nui loa for the lesson girls, I'm going to go do some wholehearted seeking now.

Had a Terrible Fight this A.M.

Forewarning: 
Grammatically Correct People, you may want to forego this post!
I hear cringes already!

Or just read it like I wrote it, from my heart. It’s ok, I have a college degree and I really do know how to use it…just choosing not to use it today, freedom!
Yesterday, one of my high school buddies reminded me, we don’t always have to be in perfection mode.

Thanks Sandy…you rawk!

Some days I just gotta throw down, bust out and blog, K? K. Okay!

The fight started off early and caught me off guard…not cool!
I even name called…eeeek! But I didn’t go as far as to blame shift, yay!

The fight was against a formable opponent…myself.

I had planned to go to the gym. I needed four days this week and today is my fourth day. When much to my surprise, my flesh screamed, “I don’t feel like going to the gym today!” I am very organized and today is a gym day! But I was so tempted to entertain the thought of not following through with my plan.

But I declared there will be no little foxes here! I said, “Flesh, shut up! Don't be a dirty lazy hound dog! Git' urself up & GO”. When I git aggravated my Okie accent becomes dominate! I said, “You are the temple of the Holy Ghost! You will glorify God!” (1 Cor 6:19 & 20) I went on to say, “I don't keer (care..gotta be Okie to get that...maybe a lil Texan...I grew up near the Red River so I proclaim to be an honorary Texan! Plus I married a Texan so that makes me a shoo-in. Sayz me!)...if you don't feel like going, you are going! And if you mess with me, you will do double!"

Guess who won?

“Yeaaaa…flesh, that's what I thought you said”.

Walk’n in Victory…in every area of my life…one step at a time!

Final Destination, Paradise!

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19

On a recent flight from Missouri to Hawaii, I was reminded of a message I recently heard Dr. Larry Ollison teach on living above the storm. I've weathered many storms, many without Jesus and many with Jesus. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but God delivers us out of them all!

I can tell you from experience that weathering storms with Jesus is much more productive, peaceful and joy-filled. Jesus offers a peace that surpasses all understanding. (Philippians 4:7 NKJV) Thank You Jesus, I receive that by faith! He makes all things work together for my good! (Romans 8:28 NKJV)

I'm a sunshine girl and I had hoped for a bright sunny drive to the airport. However, when I opened the blinds that morning I could see it had been raining. The weather had caused the days to be very dark for quite some time. There was no sign of the dark clouds moving aside for a bright sunny day. But my faith did not waver. I did a happy dance and gave myself a high five because I knew my final destination!

While making the drive from the Lake of the Ozarks to St. Louis to catch our flight, the weather continued to be very cold, dark and rainy. But the condition of the weather didn't negatively affect me because I knew my final destination!

While at the airport, I had opportunity to minister light to many people.  Some were very tired, looking for their gates, and trying to check in using their e-tickets. Others were airport employees dealing with difficult customers. He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world. (1John 4:4) I was able to shine light because I knew my final destination!

While sitting on the runway, I looked outside and all I could see was cold, rain and dark. I knew very soon I would be above the storm. Walking by faith not by sight, my anticipation grew because I knew my final destination!

All of a sudden, at over 30,000 feet, I saw it! I was finally above the storm and what an amazing sight! It looked like Heaven on earth! Darkness gave way to light. Light dispels darkness. Light is good! I thanked God for His majestic creation because I see Him in every good and perfect gift. (James 1:17) I was one step closer to my final destination!

Immediately, I thought of the choices that are set before us. We choose to shine forth light or give in to darkness. With every act, thought and deed we choose blessing or curses. During the storms of life, we can choose to stand on every promise in His precious Word. We can choose to weather every storm filled with joy and peace.  Why? Because as born again believers, we know our final destination!

True Worship

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. (John 4:23)

There was a time when I first started church that during worship service I could not enter in.  I was so broken and hurt, every time I tried, my heart was pierced with His love and I knew if I continued worshipping Him the ushers would have to scrape me off the floor.

If you are in a worship service and you see someone looking around instead of singing and “entering in”, pray for that person.  Understand it may not necessarily mean that individual is refusing to participate or viewing worship service as a spectator sport.  It may just be that person is being healed right where they stand even if their outer appearance doesn’t reflect it.

If you are one who cannot yet fully participate in worship as your hear desires, that’s ok. God meets us where we’re at.  Just know, He loves us too much to leave us there. Refuse to grow weary and give up, and you will reap. (Galatians 6:9)

During those early days, I prayed for freedom to worship Him. He has answered those prayers and now I freely worship Him and chains continue to be broken and I continue to be set free. And so can you. (Matthew 7:7)

Several weeks ago I was in a worship service and the worship team was amazing.  Every instrument was being played with excellence.  Every voice was singing in perfect harmony.  Every sound was phenomenal.

As odd as this may sound, it was a little distracting.  I had to fight against the distraction.  Everything was so beautiful I just wanted to stare at the musicians playing their instruments.  I wanted to take it all in and be blessed by it.

I fought against the distraction and pressed in to worship Him.  I was there to worship Him, not to be entertained.  God spoke to my heart, “Every part of every worship service is critical.  Worship service is worship, not entertainment.  Enter further in.  Minister to Me.  You are not in worship service in order for the worship team to minister to you.”  I pressed into worship further and He said, “Every word is critical.  Every note is critical.  Listen to every note.  Be carried on each note.”  I listened intently to every note I could distinguish.  I don’t mean every chord as I couldn’t tell you a c from a d sharp (if a d sharp even exists).  I’m talking about every sound bringing me to a place of Heaven on earth and changing my life!

I didn’t want to leave that place, but God said, “Open your eyes.”  I opened my eyes and looked at the keyboard player’s fingers.  I meditated on, “Every note is critical.”  God showed me if the keyboard player had missing fingers he wouldn’t be able to play every note.  Missing fingers would result in missing notes.  Missing notes would result in missing ministry.  Missing ministry would result in missing healings, revelation and people being set free.

About two weeks later, I was in a healing service. People were being healed where they stood while worshipping God.  Not one person was being prayed for and over 100 people left that service healed. Growths dissolved.  People were able to physically do what they weren’t able to do when they arrived.  One woman even removed her oxygen and testified she was healed!

This made me further understand how every word and every note is critical.  As these people entered in and were carried upward to a place of Heaven on earth, their physical bodies were being healed!  Every note and every word was obviously playing a critical part in each person’s life and the experience was life changing!

A quick search of the effects of music on the brain will result in findings so enormous one cannot read it all.  It is obvious now and has been for centuries that music profoundly affects people emotionally, physically and spiritually.  I’ve observed my children and the effects of music on them since they were small infants.  Children move to the flow of the music.  Music moves people, no pun intended. Numerous articles of research I found during this study suggested, “Music is the pathway to the soul.”  Wow, it behooves us to be watchful of what we listen to.

God knew exactly what He was doing when He created music.  He created the Hebrew Aleph Bet and attached over 70 layers to each letter.  One of those layers is a musical note attached to each letter.  The Word of God can literally be played on a musical instrument.  This is why David could play his harp for King Saul and the evil spirit that was tormenting him would flee.  More teachings on the Hebrew language can be found at www.faithman.org.   I’ve learned every minute I spend researching the Hebrew language is valuable time spent.

Over the past several weeks I’ve thought about sentences and how taking one word out changes the whole message.  For example, the sentence, “I love you.”  Remove “you” and we are left with, “I love.”   I love what?  Pizza?  My car?  My dog?  One word missing out of that sentence makes the sentence incomplete.  Every word is critical.  Every word we speak, meditate on or sing is critical.

We carry the power of life and death in our mouth.  One of my pastors, Dr. Larry Ollison, says it like this, “Your life and your death are in the power of your tongue.”  Since every word is critical, I believe we are to make every word count towards life, healing and wholeness for ourselves and everyone who comes into contact with us.  Blessings and curses are set before us, we must choose life!

On another note, (grin) clapping for the worship team during worship service after every song may be a nice gesture toward the worship team; however, worship service is not a show.  Worship is worship.

If you are on a worship team, please consider this.  Leading worship takes practice and preparation not only experience and/or education.  Since every note and every word is critical, is it critical for you to fully practice and prepare yourself to bring forth everything God has called you to bring forth in every worship service.  Not one note is insignificant.  Every note you play and every word you say in each and every service has the ability to set people free and change lives forever, through Christ Jesus!

Worship is a powerful tool!  Live a life of worship in everything you think, say and do!  Always have His praise on your lips!  “Worship the LORD your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. (Exodus 23:25)  This is a powerful promise!  Believe it and walk in it!  Be a true worshiper worshiping Him in spirit and in truth!  He is seeking you!

Elizabeth, mahalo nui loa for allowing us to share your heart.

This post is from a friend who is wise beyond her age.

One of the Rabbi's in Israel who actually knows God's full name says that it sounds like a person exhaling. He also says that it sounds like someone exhaling because when God created us He made it so that we couldn't live without the name of God constantly on our lips.

I find it funny that we survive on air that completely surrounds us and we’d die without it. I think it sort of parallels His love. It completely surrounds us and we can't survive without it. But at the same time we sometimes don't notice it as much or we don't fully understand how much we need it. I know I need air but I don't exactly know how much I need or what it does to my body. And sometimes I don't fully notice that I'm breathing, I just do.

I also find it funny that we can't see unless there's light. The Bible says that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. So the reason we can't see in complete darkness is because we were not created to live in the darkness! We were made to dwell in the light!

We are constantly taking the miracle out of everything! Hundreds of years ago they couldn't tell you correctly why the oceans had tides, they didn't really know. They couldn't tell you how human life was created in a womb because they didn't know. They were surrounded by miracles ad they knew it. But science has made us take the divinity and make it ordinary. Just because an arm is healed over and over again doesn't make it any less a miracle. Neither should we take the divine promise of a rainbow and the miracle of a newborn baby and make it into just another occurrence of daily life.

Instead of amazing us with a great and astounding miracle every now and then, He has completely surrounded us with His essence. We live in an art gallery of masterpieces and yet are content to gaze only at the carpet. What’s worse is we demand more, more signs, more wonders, more miracles. As if He's some magician we can call to entertain us. Look up; see the bright colors of a sunset. Set your gaze upon the fragile yet beautifully colored petals of a flower. Stare in amazement at the enormous mountain that just happens to point heavenward. For the first time, really take in the enormity and simplistic beauty of the star filled night sky. Created by a Daddy who loves you. And stop questioning His love or faithfulness. If you ever ask yourself if He really loves you, look at the beauty of nature and remember that God made it as a gift to you.

If you ever doubt His faithfulness, put a hand on your chest and feel the steady beat of your heart, remember that only He makes it beat. And if you ever wonder if you are really worth something, remember this, God said you are made in His image. You are the copy of your daddy and your daddy is the king of the universe. Your body may just be dust in the wind but your spirit is eternal. And, you are a Co-Heir in Christ. You are a child of the Most High. Your tongue can both kill and heal. You, as a righteous saint of God, are powerful, and wonderful. You are loved much more than you could ever think you are. Thanks for listening to my little rant. I’m done now! Bye! :D

Break Free!

“But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” (Mark 11:25 NLT)

Forgiveness…oh man…not many people enjoy that subject. But if you learn how to ask God for help in your weakness, you can overcome and walk in a higher level of freedom! (Romans 8:26)

Forgiveness…hmmm… what is the first thing one thinks of when seeing the word forgiveness? For me forgiveness always reminds me to pray. I couldn’t always say that. But now, at this stage of my life and after everything God has brought me through, I can honestly say prayer brings about forgiveness. Experience in my relationship with God has taught me that I overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony. Prayer works!

Several years ago, someone came to spend some time at our house. Her identity and the details of what happened are irrelevant. What is relevant is the lesson God taught me during the experience. The visit was a train wreck from the time she walked through our door. I wondered, since this is not going well at all, why doesn’t she just cut all our losses and get out of my house? She did finally pack her things and leave...four days later!

In the moments immediately following her departure, I prayed. The very first thing God put into my heart was, “Forgive her and pray for her, Mark 11:25” And then He reminded me of  Matthew 5:44. I hung my head as I was so sad. I wanted Him to feel sorry for me! I wanted God to heal my broken heart. And He did but not the way I thought He would. I wanted Him to supernaturally touch my heart and make me all new and better than before! I didn’t want to have to pray for her. I had been very hurt, but God didn’t give me a loophole. He wasn’t going to give me another option. I didn’t want to be stuck in the offense. I didn’t want to stifle my spiritual growth. I picked up my head and said, “Father, in the name of Jesus, help me pray for her because You know on my own I can’t right now.” He is so faithful and just. (1 John 1:19) He gave me the words I needed to pray for her. It was an earnest, heartfelt prayer. Since then, I’ve used the experience for God’s glory.

I’ve been taught by great men and women of God that taking an offense is like swallowing poison thinking the person who hurt us will be the one who gets sick. And it is a taking or rejecting of the offense. Each of us has that decision to make. Offense is poison. Offense poisons almost everyone who comes into contact with the offended person also. Offense makes a person get“stuck” in a “zone” and their growth is stopped. There is much written about offense. My personal favorite is Breaking the Cycle of Offense by Dr. Larry Ollison found at www.faithman.org. I went into such great detail because I want to make sure all readers can easily find the book. I believe everyone should read the book. If you are not battling with an offense, you can use the book to minister to others who are.

I personally apply the information in Dr. Ollison’s book this way, every single time an offense is brought to my thoughts, I take every thought captive and I pray. I pray for the person who offended me. I don’t “pick up” the offense. I don’t “pat” it or “entertain” it. We are commanded to pray for those who spitefully use us (Matthew 5:44), so I simply pray and God does everything else for me. It isn’t a battle for me, the only battle I’m called to fight is the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).Some may say not so simple. I say commit to it. Commit defined is to do, perform, or perpetuate. When I say commit, I mean commit in such a way that there are no other options. Really commit to crucify the flesh and allow obedience to override the natural. Galatians 5:16 promises us when we walk in the spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

The blessing always comes when I follow through on my commitment to be obedient to His Word and crucify my flesh by praying for the person (when my flesh really just wants to scream!). In that simple, pure-hearted act of obedience, God causes something very supernatural to occur. The hurt in my heart is replaced with compassion.

God is always faithful to reveal to me why the person did what they did. Most of the time, their action is fear based. Fear is a result of not understanding God’s love. Not “ Hollywood ”love or any other incorrect definition of love, but true love. He causes me to pray that they have the power to understand, how wide, how long, how high and how deep His love is for them! I also take time to pray that for myself! (Eph 3:18)

My Father has commanded me to forgive so that I don’t hold myself captive in a self-induced prison. I encourage you to follow His Word and experience the freedom of walking in forgiveness in His love too.

Praise God! Break free! Forgive!

Extra...Ordinary

I grew up in Oklahoma. Many times, while growing up, I heard a word pronounciation that didn’t quite sound the same as it did anywhere else in the world. For example, extraordinary can oftentimes sound like (pipe in southern drawl here) extra-ordinary. Being a word searcher, I looked up the definition of extraordinary, and it was defined as “going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary.” Then I thought, the opposite of extraordinary is ordinary, which is defined as, “of no exceptional ability, degree, or quality; average, of inferior quality; second-rate.”

In 2 Kings 2:13 Elisha took up the mantle of Elijah. In order to take up, receive, seize, or carry away the mantle- Elisha had to operate beyond the realm of ordinary. In order for us to take up or seize the extraordinary, we must let go of and release the ordinary.

I had always heard that Elisha had received the mantle of Elijah. But I recently dug into the study on this subject. It wasn’t as if Elisha was going through life and suddenly “Woop! Oh look at that. The mantle of Elijah just fell on Elisha!” Elisha lived an exceptional life.  At least that's the word that pops into my mind when I think of his dedication!

Last year, my good friend Therese Chester, wanted to go to a prayer conference. She gave me all the reasons why she couldn’t go. She said:

• It’s a long drive.
• I don’t have the money.
• My family here may need me.
• I like to drink coffee and if I’m out of town, I won’t have coffee.

My husband said, “MimiT! If you want something different, you are going to have to do something different. Now, pack your thermos and GO!” She did pack her thermos, and she went. As a result, her life was changed.

I used to not be so excited to “seize.” Please allow me to explain. Growing up I felt very out of control and at the same time, very controlled. In my early 20’s, I bought myself a very nice planner. I believed my planner would make me more efficient and in many ways it did. However, in many ways, it locked me and those around me into a prison of schedules. When we first got married, I remember yelling at my husband over an appointment he missed. I screamed, “Once an appointment is written in the planner…it cannot be changed…abide by the planner!” In those days, I could’ve written a blog on the “Confessions of a Lister.” I’m often teased by family members that “even my lists have sublists." 

It's important for you to know...they are exaggerating slightly. My lists used to have sublists, but they don’t anymore. {Smile}

Recently, on a Saturday, my husband took my small children for the day so that I could have some down time. I had planned on organizing my garage. During my organization, God said, “Hezakiah” several times. About the third time He said, “Hezakiah,” I thought, “Who is Hezakiah?” I mean, obviously it is someone in the bible, but who was he and why did God keep saying it to me?

I had a plan for the day. I was going to read my daily bible reading, and then clean my garage. I even said, “Lord, today I had a plan to do my daily bible reading, which is now done. So now I’m going to clean my garage.” He said, “Lay your lists aside, and ask Me every day what to do.”

Rick Renner recently posted on Twitter, “A person who is content to live an average, run of the mill, non-productive life will never be mightily used of God.”

I believe Luke 14:18-20 can be summed up in what I refer to as, “I can’t- because I have to wash my cat syndrome.” I enjoy studying about powerful women in history who made great impact on their world. And in that study, I learned that none of them entertained an “I can’t- because I have to wash my cat syndrome.” What if…

• Harriet Tubman continued to slave away
• Rosa Parks gave up her seat
• Esther stayed home
• Anne Sullivan refused the challenge

To operate beyond the ordinary, many times we have to forgo washing the cat, i.e. reject our normal schedules. If there are too many things on our list of things to do, there will come a time when we have to reevaluate what is on our list, and seek first His Kingdom.

If you want something different, you are going to have to do something different. Now, pack your thermos and GO! Do something you’ve never done before! 

Light Be!

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” {1 Peter 2:9}

In 2010, I was given a gift from Pastor Melissa Harris. It was her book, Streams of Living Color: The Light of His Glory. Some of us are a little slower than others, and it takes a bit longer for information to sink in. I had read the book. I enjoyed the book. I did what she recommended in the book. 1 Samuel 15:22 speaks of obedience. There have been so many times in my life when I have been blessed because of obedience…even when I didn’t truly understand why I was doing what I was doing. I highly suggest obedience to godly counsel, even if your brain (soul) is not completely wrapped around what you are doing.

In Streams of Living Color, she writes about speaking “Light be” into situations. From her book, I gained the knowledge that speaking “Light be” meant more than what was apparent on a surface level...and more than I could wrap my head around at the time. Even so, I was obedient in speaking “Light be” into situations as she suggested in her book...although my head had not caught up with my heart.

Fast forward to almost a year later. I was sitting in a church service where the pastor was preaching a message that should’ve brought the house down. The message was great. He was preaching with great passion. And something hit me. I wasn’t able to respond as I should have responded, because I didn’t “get” what the pastor was attempting to relay to us. It occurred to me the pastor was preaching the message from the place of experience with God! I didn’t know what "it" meant exactly, but I wanted “it” because I could tell by the pastor’s passion in preaching the message, the pastor had “it.” I prayed, “Oh God, my Father, please bring me to the place where I understand the pastor’s "passion.” 

Less than a month later, on August 14, 2011 (3 days after Pastor Melissa's birthday)- after close to a year of  confessing and speaking and declaring, “Light be!”…Light came into in my life! Light went from head knowledge to heart knowledge and now Light IS!

That Sunday morning, we had almost made it to church on time, praise the LORD! On the way to church, my husband and I had shared some “intense fellowship” in the car. My youngest had thrown a tantrum in the parking lot because I refused to give her gum…after previously using ice and my finger nail to scrape her gum off my new car seat just a few weeks before. I found myself thinking what I had thought so many times before. Why did I even come to church today?

Yet, there I was in worship service, trying to shake off the events of my morning and having a really hard time doing it. My youngest was still pouting over my refusal to allow her to chew gum. I don’t even want to know what my countenance looked like to everyone around me! I just closed my eyes and tried to worship. My mind was in a battle flipping back and forth between what had happened that morning and where I was trying to “go” (worship). 

God brought to my remembrance the time years ago when I was walking with my kids and dog, and another dog didn’t like my dog being so close to his yard. The two began a dog fight…barking back and forth, but not going to do anything more than bark at one another. In that situation, God spoke to my heart and said “There will be many dog fights, but keep your focus on me.” Knowing that, I determined that I would worship no matter what. I closed my eyes and lifted my hands...and I felt a yank from one of my kids on one side. I shooed her away. I was determined to worship God! About three seconds later…the kid on my other side yanked on my clothes and I shooed her away, too. I figured that since we were in a church house full of people, someone in there could handle my kids, or they could just handle themselves long enough for me to praise my King!

In pressing through, God gave me a vision. At the time, I believed the vision was only for me. In it, I was walking in a dark tunnel on train tracks. At the end of the tunnel was Light. 

Not a light, The Light. 

In the vision, I started running to The Light. 

It wasn’t a small flashlight. 

It wasn’t a headlight from a train, like you would see in movies. 

It was The Light. 

His Marvelous Light! 

The Light that changes peoples lives, heals bodies, mends broken hearts, restores financial peace, breaks all bondage, and renews our vision to the point where we have more than we can ask or think! I ran toward The Light, and I was changed forever. 

At that point I remember sitting down in my seat. A woman in our congregation had a word from the Lord, and once she started speaking…it hit me, the vision is not just for me, but for The Church! I walked to the front of the sanctuary, thinking I was in control and composed, as I was most of the time. We were sitting in the back, you know…where we would be safe from any of the “stuff” that goes on at church sometimes. Don't get me wrong. We were always blessed when someone was set free and laughed or cried uncontrollably, or yielded to whatever God was doing with them. We just didn’t want any of “it” to spill over onto us. After all, like I was saying, I’m quiet and reserved and very controlled.

The truth was, to even lift my hands in service was like a total "free for all" in my head! When I reached the front, the Pastor handed me the microphone and everything was going well. He patted me on my shoulder and LIGHT BURST FORTH! I couldn’t even speak, I was frozen- and could feel myself falling on the pastor! My head was screaming, “Get off the pastor!” I squeaked, “I knew this was coming.” Earlier that week, a friend had just spoken over me that God was going to touch me as He never had before. 

I said, “Wooooooooooo.” He answered, “Woo is right.” When he said that, I burst into laughter that exceeded any laugh I'd had before. Okay, I’ve seen people laugh uncontrollably and be “drunk in the Spirit.” And I had decided that whatever God wants to do with them…that’s fine, but that’s just not for me. Ha ha ha! I laughed and I laughed and I laughed. Then his wife touched me, and in retrospect, she was probably trying to get me off her husband! (Of whom my husband later said, “You should’ve seen Pastor, he didn’t know what to do with you!”) I said, “Yeah, I didn’t know what to do with me either!” As soon as she touched me, it was as if electricity grabbed ahold of me and I shook. It felt like a convulsion. I’m not sure how long it lasted, it seemed like maybe 3 or 4 seconds, then it stopped and I told them of the vision I'd had.

Once I told the vision, I opened my eyes and looked out among the congregation and I could see from some of their faces that they didn’t get it. They didn’t “get” the awesomeness of God's Light! The Spirit of God came over me, along with the feeling that I had to wake them up. I began to run back and forth, shouting, “Get up! Get up! It’s The Light! You gotta get IN The Light!” I still was fighting a battle in my head, thinking “Stop screaming at these people, most of which you don’t even know!” But as the Lord overshadowed me that day, people all over the church began to gladly receive what God had for them.

You see, when He calls you into HIS marvelously Beautiful Light, you won’t even care who thinks what about your behavior. When God sets you free from yourself, you are free indeed! 

Use His Exact Words!

While I was unloading my dishwasher one day, I observed Mikea (my middle child) helping my youngest child (Gracie) through her schoolwork assignments. Gracie was having problems grasping a concept. Neither one of the girls knew I was watching them. As I silently processed what was going on, the thing that impacted me most was that Mikea was helping Gracie through the problems by using my exact words.

I immediately thought of my Father, and how He must feel when He sees us helping others using His Words. “For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

One way to use His Words and help others is to speak faith into their lives by applying the concept we read about in Romans 4:17- “...(As it is written “I have made you a father of many nations.”) He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." 

I was privileged, honored and blessed to sit under the teaching of Dr. Larry Ollison while we lived in Missouri. He taught us how to practically apply scripture. In this passage in particular, he taught us that if we have a dog who is outside and we want the dog inside, we go to the door and we say, “Here Spot!” We call those things that are not as though they were. Spot is currently running around the yard. We don’t say what we see. We say what we want. We don’t watch the dog run around the yard and say, “There Spot, there!” or “Oh, now Spot is over there.” 

No, we call Spot to the place where we want him to be.

Gracie wasn’t willing to do what she was being told. Mikea, with great patience, repeatedly instructed her to write the question down on paper and work the problem out. She said, “Once you work it out, you will clearly see the correct answer.” Gracie wanted a short cut. She knew Mikea had the answer and that’s all she was after. Yet Mikea knew if she just gave Gracie the answer, the next time she was faced with a problem, she wouldn’t be able to work it out. At times, rebellion sets in, and I observe my children struggle with a school assignment simply because they didn’t follow my instruction.

We cannot operate under the desire to take short cuts and expect God to always just give us the answer, now. God is a good Father. He knows if He just continually gives us the answer, we won’t mature and grow in to the full stature of what He intends us to be. 

He loves us too much to “diaper” us.

Dr. Terry Mize, one of my fathers in the faith, and a great man of God, says “I know God is good and I know His Word is Truth. Truth always trumps true.” If we are faced with a situation, for example, where a child or a spouse receives a negative doctor’s report we can take Truth, which is the Word of God, which is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12) and change true! Psalm 30:50 also tells us that if there is no joy…it’s not morning yet! The “facts” or circumstances may be true; however, we will apply (2 Corinthians 5:7) and walk by faith, not by sight! 

We can and will work out any problem that arises by using His exact words!

Will You Fall For It?

A friend of mine had a BRILLIANT idea for some of us girls all to celebrate her 50^th birthday by going skydiving. I was totally in, thinking “Sky diving. Okay, well that will be fun, and something to ‘add to my life list.’”

Oh-My-Goodness! I never imaged what a ride it would be. Especially with the jumpmaster that was assigned to me. He was a little....well, whacked! He was a nice, clean cut type of guy who looked more like a very studious freshman in college than a sky diver. He didn't exactly look like the crazy man that was RIGHT BENEATH THE SURFACE! He very professionally suited me up and explained the process. He asked if this was my first time jumping. I, very coolly, responded with "Well yes, it is my first time to jump...is it your first time to jump too?" He halfway smirked. I was thinking “Oh, great, I got the boring guy!” NOT! He was just pacing himself!

Allow me to offer a little background for those who don’t know me:

I’m a “planner.” 

A methodical, precise person- who likes to adhere to my schedules and lists. 

For whatever reason, once I got up in the air, thoughts began to hit me left and right:

I hadn’t really thought this through and perhaps I should not have done this. 

Did I pray this through? 

I thought I did, but maybe I should’ve listened more closely.

As funny as it sounds, I had been really busy, and I hadn’t thought this through! Some girls said, “Let’s go” and I said, “I’m in!” I mean, after all, one of the girls on this trip was my pastor’s wife! What better people to jump out of a plane with?

While growing up, my grandmother often told me, “You don’t have enough sense to be afraid of anything.” I, on the other hand, prefer to think of myself as applying God’s Word to my life! I.e., “For God has not given me a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Another translation says “self-control.” For our purposes today, we will use the former translation as opposed to the latter. Despite the stunts I’ve “pulled”-  I really do have a sound mind! 

As we flew to our jump spot, the guy I was strapped to and his jumpmaster buddy started harassing us. They began saying things like "Yea sometimes we get people up here and they start screaming, ‘Geronimoooooooo’...or at least it sounded like Geronimo but actually they said, ‘I don't wanna gooooooooo’ as they fall.’" I was thinking "Ok, real funny, you little whipper snappers". They went on to say, "And some of our people scream, ‘GO! GO! GO,’ or at least that is what we thought, but when we get them on the ground they were actually saying, ‘NO! NO! NO!’” Then they casually pointed out the place on the reef below where they "feed all the tiger sharks." So when they started to tease me...or at least that is what I thought...in an effort to appear to be a non-wimp who was more than willing to hang with the best of 'em, I started to agree to EVERYTHING THEY SAID. 

After all, I’m a chosen generation! A royal priesthood! His own special girl! I proclaim the praises of Him who called me out of darkness into His marvelous light! All of which is contrary to being a wimp!

My jumpmaster asked me "So, are you into twists, turns and spins?" I casually said while waving him off, not believing a word that was coming out of his mouth, "Oh-yeah, just do whatever." Then he asked me "So you wanna go out backwards?" I said....in my most fearless voice..."Oh yeah, let's just go for it all!" Even as I uttered those words, I was completely confident that they'd NEVER do these things with a first timer. When they opened the door of the plane, this guy literally picked me up and very efficiently placed me where he wanted me and in short order! He was freakishly strong! Two tandem teams went before me, and they went face first. So, imagine my surprise when my jumpmaster literally whirled me around to where MY BACK WAS TO THE DOOR!!!

Now, those who personally know me know I do not like surprises. Not surprise parties, not surprise surprises, and certainly not surprises while jumping out of a plane! I said, "Hey! I need to always see where I'm gooooooooooing!" At which point he LITERALLY FLUNG ME OUT OF A PERFECTLY GOOD, OPERATING PLANE...BACKWARDS...and then threw us into the SPIN OF A LIFETIME! I did not know which way was up! I really don't think I could've given anyone my name had they asked! Then we were in a free fall through the clouds where precipitation is hitting our faces at a very alarming rate! I’ve learned, at odd times, that I often have odd thoughts. Please bear with me as I explain!

At that moment, my mind flashed back to high school science, and actually thought to myself, “Wow, my teacher really was correct! The clouds actually DO hold precipitation.” And said precipitation was stinging my face mercilessly as I was falling through the clouds at 120 mph!

I have NEVER SCREAMED that LOUD or that MUCH in my WHOLE-ENTIRE-LIFE!!! And it was an involuntary scream. It felt as if it was coming from my chest, and out of my head. But I didn’t feel like I was the one making that sound. I finally thought, “Who is that still screaming?!? Oh, is that ME?!?” So, naturally...I stopped. I was a little embarrassed because I rarely put myself into positions where I might lose composure. Sheepishly looking for encouragement, I said, "Does everybody scream like that?!?" He said, "Oooooo, you are right up there with the best of 'em!" Oh, ok...thanks whipper-snapper....for making me feel sooooo much better about my lack of self-composure. 

When it was time to jerk the parachute...the chute deployed...in all things give God the glory! Now I was thinking “Okay, the adrenaline rush is over. We'll merrily float to our landing strip, and I will have added one more cool thing to my “to do list in life."

Not so fast. The little whipper snapper had yet another "power surge," and flings us into a spin to the left. Then into a spin to the right. Then lifts us “WHOOOOOOOOOOOOP”...up and away I don't know how many feet. And he repeated this process several times! What IS WRONG with people?!? He finally gets himself composed, or at least I think, and we gently float along the most beautiful coastline I've ever seen in my life! Mountains, ocean, reef, skyline, clouds, surf hitting the rocky shore of the North Shore of Oahu where the ocean meets the island...it is truly indescribable. God's wonders truly NEVER CEASE! From that vantage point, I was even further in awe of God and His amazing creation! 

The God Who made the universe, and everything in it, truly is the Lord of Heaven and earth!

As we closed in our landing strip, he gave us one last flingy circle- where it looked as if we were going to make very quick and very hard contact with a building (told ya’ he was a little whacked!) From some place outside of my being, I heard myself or him (you can guess which) let out a BIG “WAAAAHOOOHOOOHOOO!!!”

God has so richly and so abundantly blesses me with opportunities to do many exciting, amazing things. Skydiving was absolutely the most exciting, coolest, adrenaline rush I have ever experienced. With one exception...and that was falling for Jesus!

Fall for Him today. He came to give you and me life in excessive abundance...and we shouldn't waste a day of it!