Taste and See that The Lord is Good -Psalm 34:8

I have never been one to step on others people's toes. I know that I believe differently than a lot of my more conservative Christian friends, but I don't think there is any point in having a debate about beliefs as long as we all love Jesus. I am not interested in proving to anyone that what I believe is better or even comparing the two, but I do wish that sometimes people would let God out of their box of religion and tradition and really get to know him. The God I know is amazing! There is so much more to serving God than going to church service once a week and singing songs that make you feel good for the day. I believe that all the things God did in the Bible he still does today. I believe God steal miraculously heals. I believe that the Holy Spirit is for today and speaking in tongues is not a thing of the past. I believe that God speaks to his people through messages in tongues and interpretation as well as prophesy. I believe that God delivers those oppressed and possessed by the devil. I believe that God can touch you in a way that all you can do is cry. I believe that God can give you His joy and it is incomparable to anything you've ever experienced. I have seen and experienced all these things and I am in awe. I know that some of you are scared by these things or think that I am crazy for believing how I do, but let me present you with a challenge. I dare you to seek God for yourself, to hunger after him. If you could just get one taste of how good my God is, how real he is, how mighty his power is, you would never go back to life as you see it now. Never. I love my church for many reasons, but the main one is that God is allowed to move and to touch people each week in our services. I have been to many churches where you can feel God's presence, but there isn't freedom for God to move. It's like being in a museum, not allowed to touch or disturb anything. We have a great pastor who is very sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and he waits for God to direct the services according to His will and not according to some bulletin or program. This is not about promoting a denomination or church because God can and will come wherever you ask him to be. This is about giving God a chance to be bigger than you can imagine. So if all the things Jesus did in the Bible are historical events and do not happen today, what will it hurt if you ask God to show you? So, nothing happens and you go on living like you do now. But what if it is all real and you've been missing it all these years? Isn't it worth the risk to see if God is more than you can handle? So get a taste of who God really is for yourself. I'm not talking about figuring out what a denomination believes or following some church ritual. I am talking about asking God to show you who he is in a real way you can't deny. It will change your world, if you will just taste. I know that after I post this, some of you won't know what to think of me anymore, and that's okay. I'm the same person I've always been, but its all out in the open now. If one person can catch a glimpse of how big God really is, it is worth it all.

Forgive Yourself, Already!

How many of us walk through life holding a grudge against ourselves? Many of us do, quite honestly. As Christians, we make every effort to make sure we forgive because God has commanded us to do so, but we often don't even realize that we don't have peace because we have failed to forgive ourselves. We get upset with ourselves when we aren't perfect and things don't go as we intend for them to go. We say things and hurt people's feelings unintentionally and we seem to be able to ask for their forgiveness all the while blaming ourselves because we aren't perfect. We say things flippantly like "I'll never forgive myself" or "It's all my fault" not realizing that we are opening up the door for Satan to bring condemnation and feelings of unworthiness. Face the fact - you are not perfect and you never will be. Jesus has forgiven you, so why can't you forgive yourself? This week God opened my eyes to see that I blamed myself for some things I am currently going through (If you didn't read my post about going through, you can get to it here) . You know what, devil, it is not my fault and I am not taking any more condemnation from you. I refuse to feel that way and I choose to forgive myself. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

Lovely Day Off

So, tomorrow I am off and finally getting a much deserved break from work. Trust me that it will not be a lazy day as I already have many things planned for my day off. I am getting up bright and early to attend a Turbo Kick class with an instructor I've never had before. I opted for this so that I can have a longer time uninterrupted to go to the church and decorate for the new unit for children's church and still get my workout in. I have a few things planned as far as decorations go, but I'm not good at estimating how long it will take. After that, I am going to get my hair cut and think about cooking something for dinner. My plans are always great, but we'll have to wait and see what actually gets done. I'm pretty determined to at least start all of the things on my list. Tonight we decided to go to Cha Chas for dinner. BJ invited his parents to join us and it was really nice. After we ate, we sat around for a while and had some great conversation. It was really nice, and since I know you are reading this, Maggie, we should definitely do this more often. So tonight I will stay up as late as I want and do whatever I want because I am a free lady tomorrow to do whatever my heart desires on my lovely day off.