The Great I AM

Do you ever just get in those ruts? You just kinda feel blah. Nothings really going wrong, but nothing is really going great either. I don't know if its the colder weather or the lack of sleep (my baby boy is not sleeping so well right now), but what ever it is I don't like it! I am clawing my way out of this rut and what better way to do it than taking my focus off me and turning it to God. So...That's what I have been trying to do. I read a book by Louie Giglio called "I am not, but I know I AM." Wow! It was an awesome book and I totally recommend it. In it, it talks about Moses at the burning bush. In Exodus 3, Moses asks God, "God, suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me. 'What is His name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God says to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: "I AM has sent me to you."

God's name is I AM! I love that!



God is so awesome, He doesn't even have a name. He's just I AM. I started looking in the Bible about all the things I AM is and the more I did, the smaller I got and the bigger God got. The power of I AM is so overwhelming.



When YOU are overwhelmed...........I AM parted the Red Sea
When YOU feel powerless................I am created the universe and yet knows your name

When YOU are sad............................I AM raised Lazarus from the dead

When YOU get frustrated...................I AM went through rejection from man so you would never have to been rejected from God

When YOU start to lose hope.............I AM is Hope

When YOU don't feel love......................I AM is Love

When YOU don't feel accepted.................I AM is Forgiveness

When YOU don't feel purpose.................I AM is your purpose
When YOU feel insignificant.........................I AM created you for significance
When YOU feel underapprciated.................I AM looks at you with proud Father eyes

When YOU feel inadequate......................I AM uses the inadequate
When you feel I AM is No Where..............Remember, I AM is the Alpha and Omega, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

There are so many times when we get in these ruts that we don't feel I AM in the present so we must go back and be reminded of who I AM was in the past. The past gives us hope and power that I AM is working in the present for the future. May you be encouraged by I AM today!

Just for a little extra encouragement, Go listen to Nicole C. Mullen's song I AM and get your praise on:)

Being Different

We've all heard the saying "Be in the world, not of the world." I have heard it my entire life, but I believe now more than ever, He is not just asking me, He is calling me to be different from the world. At first I thought, "Different? Are you crazy, God?! I have worked my entire life not to stand out, but to fit it. Nobody wants to be different. The "different" kids got made fun of. The "different" kids rode the short bus. The "different" girls weren't cool. That is not the life I want God!"

"If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me." Mark 8:34

As a follower of Christ, I must be willing to give up the things I want, the worldly things, for the things of God. I may not get to have all the clothes I want or the house I want or the trips I want or the car I want and having these things are not wrong But the Love of those things is. And I Loved those things! (and sometimes still do:)) My deepest desire is to know God more and more so that I can become less and less. Because when that happens people start noticing the "difference" and that difference in Jesus and I do have Love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Can you see these things or live in them or wear them? Nope, but you and everyone around you can feel them. It's different:)

I had the opportunity to have lunch with Miss Oklahoma the other day and she was such an amazing young woman. She was absolutely beautiful inside and out. Her face lit up when she talked about her relationship with Jesus and I loved it! She said a statement that someone had told her before she went out to Hollywood that just stuck in my head. She said, "Something is wrong when our lives (as Christians) makes sense to unbelievers." I love that!

We are called to be different from the world!
The world says love those who love you. Jesus says love those who hate you and pray for them.
The world says have the most and then you will be the best. Jesus says the last will become first.
The world says live so that you can have servants. Jesus says live to serve.
The world says do what makes you happy. Jesus says do what makes you Holy.
The world says what you wear, live or drive makes you happy. Jesus says if you have me, I will make you happy.
The world says you can love God plus love things. Jesus says you can not serve two masters, you can not love me and money.

So how do we do it? I can't tell you how to do it because I don't know where your weakness is, but I can tell you what mine is and how I am working on it. Yes, working on it! I am still a work in progress. I read a verse in Luke 11: 34 and it says, "Your eye is the lamp of your body. when your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness."

If my eyes are the key of making my body full of light then I had to be different in what I watched and looked at. For me, I had to stop watching the TV dramas like Desperate Housewives or Greys Anatomy. For me, I had to stop reading US Weekly and People and OK magazine because I was obsessed with the Hollywood world. I am not telling you this to show how great I am, but just the opposite, I am that weak. I can't watch and read anything and everything and not be affected. Comparison kills contentment and when my eyes saw these things my contentment with Christ and Christ alone was gone. Now, have I obtained this being content 100% of the time? Nope but my Light is getting brighter and brighter every day.

I read this devotion by Max Lucado the other day and loved it! And it says exactly what God has been putting on my heart and hopefully yours too: To be different.

On one side stands the crowd. Jeering. Baiting, Demanding

On the other side stands a peasant. Swollen lips. lumpy eye. Lofty promise

One promises acceptance, the other a cross

One offers flesh and flash, the other offers faith.

The crowd challenges, "Follow us and fit in."

Jesus promises, "Follow me and stand out."

They promise to please. God promises to Save

God looks at you and asks, "Which will be your choice?"

One Thing

Do you ever read stories in the Bible over and over and then one day you read them and something jumps out at you that you never noticed before. It happens to me all the time and today was no different. I was reading Luke 18:18-30 about the Rich man who asks Jesus, "What must I do to inherit the Kingdom of God?" Jesus talks about the commandments and the man insists that He has kept all of them since youth. But then the statement that crushes the man: "There is one thing you lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me." The man walked away sad because he was very rich. I had always read this story and thought do we really have to sell everything to follow Jesus. It was one of those things I didn't understand.....until today (it sometimes takes me awhile to get it). The statement, There is one thing you lack, is what made it all click for me.

It wasn't the money that was the problem, it was the love of the money that was the problem. It was the one thing that the man loved more than God. It was the one thing that the man put before God. It was the one thing that became an idol in his life. It was the one thing he wasn't willing to give up to follow Jesus and Jesus knew it.
We have to know that God is a jealous God. He is jealous of anything that comes between us and Him. He longs to have all of us, all of our heart, mind, and soul.

Do you have a one thing? Is there one thing that keeps you from going all in? Is there one thing that gets in the way of you and your relationship with God? Is there one thing that keeps you from following Jesus with everything in you?
I encourage you to ask Him today!

I have been praying this verse and I encourage you to do it too, "Search me Oh God and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. If there be any hurtful way in me (my one thing), lead me to the everlasting way." Psalm 139:23
Maybe its a relationship you don't want to give up. Maybe its the love of money that is an idol to you. Maybe its the shame of a past sin that you can't let go of. Maybe its a current sin that you aren't willing to let go. Maybe its pride and/or selfishness . Maybe its laying your own dreams and desires down for God's. Unfortunately for me, I'm not sure it is just one thing, but maybe a few things. I am praying through it and asking God to reveal them to me and more importantly give me the strength to change.

Here is to laying down our "one things" in order to have the life that God intends us to!

Bullet holes

So....I was driving to my husband's football game and a very interesting car passed me. Ok, I will be honest, it wasn't eye candy at all. It looked like an early 80's Buick that had been driven across country about a 100 times. But that wasn't the thing that caught my attention. It was the fake bullet holes along the side of the driver side door. You know the fake things that you can get to go on your car like the fake baseball crashing through your window and the "leftovers" of Rudolph the red nose reindeer that go in the grill of your car (that is my personal favorite-it really shows the Christmas spirit:)), and of course the fake bullet hole stickers. There is nothing like saying, "How can I make this car that barely runs awesome? Ah yes, fake bullet holes. That will do it." Although it makes me laugh, it also got me thinking about the things we do to make ourselves look and feel better about ourselves. I truly believe that we all live with insecurities, I know I do.
Honestly, I fight insecurities everyday. Everything from physical insecurities to personality insecurities. I fight the thoughts that if people knew the "real me" they probably wouldn't like me so in a sense I wake up thinking, What bullet holes am I going to put on today.
Maybe it is the bullet hole that I have to dress cute so that people will notice my clothes and not me. Maybe it is the bullet hole that I have to act perfect so that no one will no that I am covered with imperfections. Maybe it is the bullet hole that I will do more things for more people because I long to hear praise from people not just my creator.
Do you walk around with any of these bullet holes too?
We try to cover a sinner with these bullet holes in hopes that we too can "appear" like something we are not and weren't created for.

In John 5:44, Jesus says, "How can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God."

We were not created to receive glory and praise from one another, but to testify to the Glory of the one true God! Let me say that again, YOU and I WERE NOT CREATED TO RECEIVE GLORY AND PRAISE FROM ONE ANOTHER, BUT TO TESTIFY TO THE GLORY OF THE ONE TRUE GOD!!!
We don't have to cover ourselves with bullet holes because we are covered by the blood of Christ. We don't have to be perfect because we are loved by perfection. We need to believe God when he says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We need to believe that we were made in his image so we are covered with the fingerprints of God-not bullet holes!!!!
I want more than anything that when people see me they see Christ and they can't see Him when I am covered in bullet holes.
I will not let my insecurities keep me from testifying about the one and only GOD!
Will you?

His Autograph

Hello Girls!

Did you ever wait after a game or concert or even see someone famous in a restaurant and ask for their autograph. The writing of a person's name is so huge these days. People pay a lot of money (ridiculous amounts of money) for the signature of some one's name. Now, I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy getting them from a few of my favorite people. I hang them up in my office or a few are hung up in my two boy's room. One of my favorite autographs is from my sweet daughter, Chloe. Why? Because it is written everywhere! Her name is on everything: I open up my journal, she has written her name on every page. I look at her toys and blankets and her name is written on all tags to claim that they are hers. I look at the head rest behind my seat and right there in big black letters is CHLOE. Her dad and I were even shown where she lays down for rest time. How did we know it was her spot? She had written her name on the wall next to her mat. Yep!-There is no mistake about where Chloe has been because her autograph is written on everything she comes into contact.
This reminds me of a couple of verses in the Bible: Romans 1:19-20.

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

This verse explains that just because God seems like He is invisible, His power and divine nature are not because He has autographed everything we see around us. How can we question God's power and divine nature when you are in the mountains of Colorado? How can we question God's power and divine nature when you are standing on the edge that over sees the grand canyon? How can we question God's power and divine nature when you see your child being born?

God has written his name on everything we see so that when we go through hard times and rough times of questioning if He is real or not, we can walk outside and see a beautiful arrangement of wild flowers and say, "Oh there you are, God." Or you can see the kindness of a stranger and say, "Oh there you are, God." Or you can hear the laughter of your spouse and say, "Oh there you are, God." Or you can see the childish writing of a little girls' name on a piece of paper and say, "Oh there you are, God."

Last, but not least, God has written His name on you! You are his greatest autograph. The Bible says we were created in HIS image. Just like Chloe writing her name on her toys to say they are hers, God wrote His name on you to say that you are HIS. You are an amazing masterpiece of the God of the universe. What you see as a blemish or a problem, He sees as another autograph of His that makes you special and unique. I see it. Do you?

I challenge you this week to go out and notice God's autographs outside your door!

View of God

So....I was listening to Klove this morning and they were talking about a new article in the USA Today titled "How America Views God." In this article, researchers surveyed over 2,000 people on what their view of God was and how that view affected their life choices. They found that America put God in 1 of 4 categories: Authoritative, Benevolent, Distant, and Critical. We are a country where 94% say they believe in God and yet we are still trying to research the face of God, the name of God, and the character of God when He has already given us the answers to every single one of these questions: Jesus Christ.

We live in a world where we want to separate the two, Jesus in one corner and God in the other corner. We want to write articles and talk on TV about God, but without the name of Jesus. I had the amazing opportunity to give the opining prayer at the Thunder/Lakers game last season and in my "rules" of the prayer I could say anything about God, but not mention the name of Jesus.
Growing up, I had very different views about God vs. Jesus. My view of God looked like a billboard I see around town. You know the one with the black background and the white "quotes" from God. This particular one says, "Don't make me come down there. -God"
That is exactly how I viewed God. He was the all-powerful, all-knowing, authoritative, disciplinarian, distant, critical God that obviously everyone else thought He was too. Then there was Jesus, the "Jesus loves the Little Children" guy, the "dining with sinners" guy, the "make you feel all warm and fuzzy" guy. As I got older and my passion became God, the two started to merge into ONE GOD.

We have been asking these questions (name, face, character) about God from the beginning of time and God came down on this earth and answered them. God's name is Jesus. God's face is Jesus. God's character is Jesus. God showed us everything we needed to know about Him through His Son Jesus. We don't have to ask anymore "Is God a critical, judgemental God?"-the Bible says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
As followers of Jesus Christ, we don't have to wonder what our view of God is anymore. There is no "view" of God, only do you know God. There is no believe in God, only do you believe God. Our view of God should be KNOWING God. Knowing that when God sees the adulteress, he sees a woman who needs love and forgiveness and freely gives it (John 8). Knowing that when God sees sisters who have lost their brother, he cries with them because He is compassionate (John 11). Knowing that when Jesus meets the woman at the well who has searched for love in all the wrong places, he says let me have your heart and He changed her with His love (John 4). Knowing that when our view of God is skewed, His view of us is not. (John 15:12-13).

How do I KNOW all this? Not because I just read it in the Bible, but because I have lived it. I was the woman who needed love and forgiveness. I was the woman who needed God to show compassion and cry with me. I was the woman who needed love and have God change me. I know it must break the heart of God to see His children so confused about who He is. I don't just have a view of God, I KNOW God. Do you?

"I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me....I and the Father are one." -John 10:25-27, 30

Encouragment

Hello Friends!

If you have kids in school you know that at some point you are going to be on some kind of committee. I usually dread committees. In my head it is just one more thing I have to do, Oh sorry, get to do:) Every year it is like a race over to your child's classroom so you can be the first to sign your name and not have to be stuck with the crafts at their class parties. Committees, Committees, Committees! There are committees for everything: to read to the kids, make copies, the PTF committee (parent/teacher fellowship), party committee, fund-raiser committee etc. None of these are bad and all have really great purpose behind them, but very few make me want to run as fast as I can to sign up, except one. I am on the Kudos Committee. This is a committee where you are given two names from the school to write and encourage them. I love this committee because we ALL need to be encouraged!

The Bible says, "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up..." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Unfortunately, we live in a world where we, sadly, take pleasure in watching the downfall of some of those around us. Whether it is a girl you don't like at work fail or your rival football team lose, we all take delight in seeing someone fail. This breaks my heart when I see others tear each other down and it makes me sick when I do it. God says we are not to let any unwholesome talk come from our mouths, but only that which is used to build each other up according to their needs. (Ephesians 4:29). We ALL need to be encouraged. So...I am recruiting. I am recruiting YOU to be a part of the Kudos Committee this month. I want you to pray and ask God who you can encourage this month. It maybe that girl at work you don't like or the wife of the opposing football team or your own husband. You may know someone who is going through a divorce or just needs to be loved. There is someone God wants to use you to show them His Love and His encouragement. Let's use our words to build people up and watch God to something amazing!
Happy encouragement!!!!

Lessons from Mrs. Marcum

So....I was helping out at the OU softball tournament and they had my working next a 75 year old lady, Mrs. Marcum. Oh-we had the best time! For 3 hours we talked about our families, our jobs (Yep-she still works because she loves it!), and our relationship with Jesus.
She is so in love with Jesus! The way she talked about Him made me want to get saved all over again. When talking about her family, she could have shared if they were great athletes or if they were smart or what they all did for a living, but Nope-she shared with me how each one came to know Jesus. As I was soaking in everything she had to say, we were interrupted by a woman wanting to buy a shirt. This "interruption" became an amazing divine intervention. The customer was writing a check for her shirt and asked what day it was. Then she asked what month and year as well. She then apologized for so many questions and added that she was suffering from a terminal brain tumor that caused her to say and do silly things. Without missing a beat, my new friend said, "Honey, do you know Jesus?"
I couldn't believe her boldness (this-coming from someone who is in full time vocational ministry). She didn't care what people thought, she just wanting to make sure this young lady had a relationship with Jesus. They proceeded to talk about what all the ladies tattoos meant and how she lost her son to suicide in February and I watched in awe of how compassionate, sincere, and loving Mrs. Marcum was to someone she had never met and would probably never see again. I truly believe I got a glimpse of the meaning "What would Jesus do?"

The customer left and I couldn't get enough of Mrs. Marcum's heart and wisdom. She then began to talk about her husband of 56 years!!! She was so open and honest about marriage and how it wasn't always perfect and sometimes she had to give 100%-there is no 50-50 in marriage. Oh, but how she loved her husband!!! I asked her if she could give me one piece of advice in strengthening my own marriage, what would it be? She winked and simply said, "Honey, I never had a headache a day in my life." We just burst out laughing. Wisdom and sense of humor? This lady has it all!

If I could impart some of Mrs. Marcum's wisdom on you I would encourage and challenge you to 1) Be bold for Jesus today! Our relationship with Jesus is personal, but it should never be private!
2) Look for an opportunity to show someone Jesus. God may want to use you to show His Heart, His Love, and His Compassion!
3) Love your Spouse, pray for your spouse, encourage your spouse, even when it is hard. Marrieage is not easy, but it is worth it and the rewards are a love for 56 years (and maybe a few less headaches:))

The Rock

We hear almost everyday lately about the storms and hurricanes that are impacting our nation. I have been hearing a lot about Earl, lately. I watch the news to see people running around preparing for the storm and it reminded me of this little Methodist church I grew up in and a song we use to sing, The Wise man and the Foolish man. It went something like this (and be glad I'm not singing):

The wise man built his house upon the Rock

The wise man built his house upon the Rock

The wise man built his house upon the Rock

And the rain came tumbling down

The rain came down and the floods came up

The rain came down and the floods came up

The rain came down and the floods came up

And the House on the Rock stood firm

The foolish man built his house upon the Sand

The foolish man built his house upon the Sand

The foolish man built his house upon the Sand

And the rain came tumbling down

And the house on the sand went SPLAT!

Now that I have that song stuck in your head we can continue:) As I was reading the verses this song was based on (Luke 6:46-49) there are a few things that stuck out to me that maybe God wants to use to speak to you today. In Verse 48 it says, "And WHEN a flood arose..."

This verse doesn't say "IF" a flood arose, but "WHEN" a flood arose. It is inevitably, we will go through storms of life. You may be struggling in your marriage, you may have lost your job, you may have lost a parent, your child may be struggling, you may just be wondering what your purpose is on this earth. Whatever your storm is-Whatever flood has hit your life, the Bible says in these verses there is one way and only one way that we will stand firm and not get knocked over-THE ROCK! You can't stop the storm from coming, but you can keep it from knocking you down by laying your foundation on the Rock, Jesus Christ. So, how do we do this?

Jesus says in verse 47, "Everyone who come to me and hears my words and does them..." First, we must come to him. That sounds easy enough...Right? Well, if you are anything like me Jesus, sometimes is about the Fourth on the list. Often times when I get hit with a storm, my first phone call is to my husband, my second phone call is to my sisters, my third phone call is to my parents, and then I will come to Jesus. Our foundation is laid when we go to Jesus first...always!

Second, we must hear God's word. How do we do that? Being faithful goers of a church and getting in the Bible and actually reading it ourselves. God's word is the weapon we have against the enemy. How do we expect to face our enemy in the storms of life without our only weapon?

Third, Jesus says we must do them. We can't be merely hearers of the Word, we must be doers of the Word. We don't do these things to check off a list, but so that we can build our foundation because, Ladies, the storm is coming.

I share with you these things not to make you fear or worry about the storm, but encourage you to focus on the Rock, after all Jesus says those who have laid their foundation on the ROCK, the storm "could NOT shake it."

Lesson from Vince Lombardi and Jesus

Hello Ladies!!!

I really hope you are having a great start to a new school year!!! The smell of fall is upon us: leaves changing, cooler weather, and oh....football! That is really all that is talked about or watched this time of year in the Roberts' house. As a coach, one of my husband's favorite coaches is the legendary Vince Lombardi. There is a quote from Vince Lombardi that God has used to speak to me and my relationship with God and others. The quote is, "Some people find things in the game that don't exist, but football is only 2 things-blocking and tackling."

God used this quote to challenge me in my faith and help grow me as a follower of Christ and maybe He wants to do the same for you too. How? Well, I always thought that to be a more mature Christian you had to know more about the Bible, memorize more scriptures, you had to do more things, or not do more things. You had to understand the book of Revelation, know apologetics so that you could defend the Christian faith, know theology by studying different commentaries people wrote about the Bible. None of these things are bad things and really can be positive, but these things became the focus of my faith, And when it did I often found things in "the game" that don't exist. I became legalistic, judgmental, and religious and not just towards other people, but towards myself as well. I was so hard on myself and others that there was no freedom. You see, I was making the gospel, the good news, into a list of things I could do or should do, couldn't do or shouldn't do. Then, I read Luke 6:27-36:

But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good

to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray

for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the

cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away

your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone

who begs from you, and from one who takes away your

goods do not demand them back. And as you wish

that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those

who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners

love those who love them. And if you do good to those who

do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners

do the same. And "if you lend to those from whom you expect

to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners

to get back the same amount. But love your enemies and do

good and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be

great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the

ungrateful, and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

When I read these verses and realized these words of Jesus was telling us that the "Game of Life" is only about 2 things: 1)Accepting God's LOVE through His son, Jesus Christ. 2) Giving LOVE to others. Anything else is finding things in the game that don't exist. As a follower of Christ and person in the ministry, my life looked nothing like this and that bothered me immensely. How could I go on to study and learn and try to understand the rest of the Bible when I couldn't understand and live these 9 verses in Luke. I truly believe if every person who claimed to be a follower of Christ would live according to these 9 verses, the world would be changed for the Kingdom of God, starting with me. But how could I love like that? I am not capable and even when I try I fail miserably. Then God simply whispers in my ear "You're right you can't, but I can and I live in YOU!!"

In 2010, I have committed to just read the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and get as much Jesus as I can. It has been 8 months and God is doing some amazing things in me and through me. I truly believe God is giving me His eyes to see people the way He sees them (most of the time)) and I am still working on seeing myself the way that He sees me.

Now, after reading this I challenge you to read Luke 6:27-36 again and let God speak to your heart!

Water girl

Hello Friends!!!

So....I get a phone call from my husband yesterday and his words to me were, "Sarah, can you be my water girl for games?" Believe it or not, I was super excited! I have always been a Knight because I was a fan (#1 Fan:)), but now he is asking me, not just to be a spectator, but to be a part of the team! Is it a glorified position? No. Will anyone really notice me? Probably not. But all you have to do is watch the movie, Waterboy, and you will know it is an important job (and you might laugh a little bit too).

As a follower of Jesus Christ, you are now on the team. And as a member of that team God has something specific He want to accomplish through YOU!
1 Corinthians 12: 4-6 says, "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone."

You may think "I don't have any gifts or talents" or "does anyone even notice what I do?" or "does what I do really matter?"

YES!! You do have gifts and God wants to use them to do something great for somebody. YES!!! God notices everything you do. YES!!! what you do, no matter how big or how small, matters to God and to the people He has called you to do it for.

If God is stirring something inside of you right now, I challenge you to open your Bible and read 1 Corinthians 12 and read about all the gifts and talents that God gives people and then pray and ask God where He wants to use you. Whatever it is, just know it was created for you!

Just remember, before David killed Goliath, before David was a soldier and before David was King, he was first shephard and WATERBOY for the army of Israel:)

I know my job as the new Crossings Knights' watergirl is going to be fun, simply because I am not standing on the sidelines but a part of the action. Ladies, it is time to get in the game!

Silent Treatment

Hello Ladies!



I know it is that time again.....School!!! We are starting our second year at Crossings Christian School and still haven't sold our house. Boo! However, after much prayer we are living in a duplex in Edmond. Yay!! Even though it is small, we are so thankful that we live closer to work and school. I have to admit leading up to this decision was a hard road. Do we move or not move? Are we not being patient with God or lacking in Faith? Are we hearing God or missing Him? Did God actually lead us to this school or did we hear Him wrong? Such a range of emotions, I am sure you have went through similar situations.

Have you ever seen the movie Dirty Dancing? Come on be honest:) I have to admit, I love this movie! There is a scene where Baby goes to talk to her dad out on the deck. She is crying and upset and says, "You can't keep giving me the silent treatment!" There is nothing but silence..... and scene. I have to be honest, I think I have said those exact same words to God so many times over the past year and probably even yesterday. There have been so many times that I feel like I hear God, see God, and feel God in every area of my life. And then there are those times when I feel like I don't hear, feel, or see Him. Maybe you can relate. Here is something that has helped me along this path of silence.

In Luke 4 Jesus is the Chapter where Jesus is tempted by Satan 3 times, but the part I want to focus on is Luke 4:1-2:

Jesus full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan

and was led by the Spirit in the desert where for forty

days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during

those days, and at the end of them was hungry.

Can you be full of the Holy Spirit and still end up in the desert? Yes, Jesus did! Can you be alone and hungry and still be in the will of God? Yes, Jesus was! This was no doubt a very difficult time for Jesus, but if you read on you will find He clung to one thing, and it wasn't hearing from God, or feeling God, or seeing God, but it was with God's word! He made it through the desert with the promises of God's Word. He made it through the temptations of the Enemy by God's Word. And it wasn't until after He went through the desert was it time for Him to begin the purpose for which He was created: To become the Messiah. We have to remember that through the silence, through the desert, through the temptations there is something God is preparing you for, whether it something He is doing in you and through you. There is purpose for being led into the desert. Are you prepared with God's Word? I'm working on it-will you join me?

I got Jesus yes I do. I got Jesus how about you? (Sorry, it is officially football season, so everything is a cheer:))

Have a great week!

Lessons from Mom's of the Bible #3

Hello Girls!

Our third and final Mom of the Bible that we are going to look at and learn from is the only woman that can claim (and it be true) she raised the perfect child. Yes, we are going to look at Mary, mother of Jesus. How can we talk about mom's of the bible without talking about the ultimate mom, the most famous mom of the world-after all she did raise the son of God. We are going to look at this amazing mom in Luke 2:41-46.

Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.

When he was twelve years old, they; went up to the Feast, according to

the custom. After the Feast was over while his parents were returning home, the

boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking

he was in their company, they traveled for a day. Then they began looking for him

among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to

Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple

courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

Three days! Three days! Mary lost the son of God for three days! Can you imagine that prayer time:

Dear God, I know you trusted me with the raising of your

son but I have seem to have lost Him. Can you help me

out?Can you find him for me? So sorry. My bad

Amen

I'm sure it was something like that:)

The lesson we can learn from Mary is: Was she an amazing mom, Yes!! Was she a perfect mom, No!!! God did not choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus because she was going to be the perfect mom and God did not choose YOU to be the mom of your little blessings because he thought you were going to be the perfect mom.

If you are anything like me I know in my head nobody is the perfect mom, but there are some who look pretty darn close and they look nothing like me. We are so hard on ourselves as mom's sometimes like when our kid won't eat their vegetables, or they throw a fit in the middle of Wal-mart, or you leave them at Wal-mart:) We need to learn from Mary that we don't have to be perfect because we are loved by perfection, Jesus. You see, Mary is the most famous mom in the world not because she was the perfect mom, but because her son became her savior.

So whenever you have those down days about not being the "perfect mom" just remember Mary and let God love on you!

P.S-I love your feedback!

Lesson #2 of Lessons learned from Mom's of the Bible

Hello Friends!

So...how have we been doing letting go and letting God? Just remember life is a marathon not a sprint. It is an everyday process:)

Our second lesson from Mom's of the Bible comes from Sarah. Nope-not me, but Sarah the wife of Abraham. In Genesis 15 we read that God promises Abraham that he will be the father of many nations even though he didn't have any children at the time. The Bible says that Abraham believed God, but then days, weeks, and years went by until Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100 and still there was not one child born to them.

We pick up the story in Genesis 18:10-15.....

Then the Lord said, "I will surely return to you about this time next

year and Sarah, your wife, will have a son." Now Sarah was listening

at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah

were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age

of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn

out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" Then the Lord said, "

"Why did Sarah laught and say, 'Will I really have a child now that I am old?'

Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time

next year and Sarah will have have a son."

As we read on we find that God does indeed give them a son named Isaac at the promised time.

The lesson we can learn from Sarah is that: GOD IS FAITHFUL EVEN WHEN WE ARE FAITHLESS.

It 2 Timothy 2:13 says, "He will remain faithful even when we are faithless for He can not disown himself."

There are promises He has given to you and to me throughout the entire bible. You may say where? Well.....

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

God works all things to the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

As far as the east is from the west, our sins have been removed from us. Psalm 103:12

Just in these short 4 verses of the Bible you find the promise of giving you the desires of your heart, working bad situations into good, plans to do great things in and through you, and the promise to forgive ALL your mistakes.

Like Sarah, we go though life with doubts about these promises and so many more, but learn from Sarah God will be faithful to YOU even when you lose faith in Him!
How can we be sure? We can be sure because God has already began fulfilling these promises by sending his Son Jesus Christ. Jesus meets our greatest desires, Jesus gives us hope in hopeless situations, Jesus guides us as we pray about his purpose for our life, and Jesus is the reason God can look at us and see purity.

Whatever you're are going through today, please know God is working. Even though you may not hear him, he is there. Even though you may not feel him, he is there. Even though you may not see him, he is there. God is working in you and through you while fulfilling all His Promises to YOU!
God IS Faithful even when we are faithless!!!

Yes I am here:)

Hello Friends!



You might be wondering...Where has she been? Well, not at a computer that's for sure! When you work for FCA, summer is crazy with camp, camp, and more camp! Camp season is officially over but it was amazing! We saw lives changed, walls broken, marriages strengthened, and new believers in Christ. Yippee! God is great!!! Now that I am back, will you join me on this continuing journey we call life, I mean busy life, I mean crazy life....And everything in between. There are so much God is teaching me and I can't wait to share it with you!

So let's get caught up and back on track.......

I was the guest speaker at my parent's church over Mother's Day this year. As I was praying and preparing about what God wanted me to share God used 3 moms of the bible to speak to me and I knew that was what I was supposed to share: Lessons from Mom's of the Bible.

The first one was Hannah. Hannah was married to a guy by the name of Elkanah who also had another wife named Penninah. Penninah was not very nice to Hannah at all. You see, Hannah did not have any children and Penninah did. Penninah pretty much rubbed that in Hannah's face each and every day. There was one day that Hannah was so sad, frustrated, and distraught that she wouldn't eat and went to the temple to pray. You can pick up the story from here in 1 Samuel 1:10-18.
You will see that as Hannah poured out her heart to God and she was so visibly distraught that the Priest thought she was drunk. If you keep reading, after Hannah prayed and spoke to the Priest she left and she was different: she went and ate and there was no sadness.

As mom's, wives, daughters, sisters, friends etc. we have all cried out to God during hard times with a heavy heart just like Hannah. Maybe it was a death in the family, you couldn't find a job, you couldn't get pregnant, you lost a baby, prayed for a loved one to know Christ, we have all cried out to God in Prayer but there is one lesson that we can learn from Hannah: Let Go and Let God. Even though we go to God in prayers, if you are like me, very rarely do I leave it with God. So often I will pray and then pick it up and take it with me.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:7, "Cast all your cares on Him for he cares for you." The word "cast" literally means to throw or hurl. So many times we cast our cares like we cast our fishing pole, we eventually reel it back in. No! we are supposed to "hurl" or "throw" our worries and fears so that He can take care of them-all of them!

Even though Hannah's circumstances hadn't changed her attitude did. The only difference in circumstances was that she left it with God! Ladies, the same God that heard Hannah's prayers and pleas is the same God who hears yours!
He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the End, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
We need to learn from Momma Hannah to Let Go and Let God!!!! What do you need to let go of today?

Stay tuned for lesson #2 of Lessons learned from Mom's of the Bible!

Need some rest?

We as women, moms, and wives live in a world of craziness. Our days consist of getting kids dressed, ready, fed, and bathed. Being a taxi, counselor, prayer warrior, cheerleader, listener, and boo-boo fixer. All while trying to be a wife that is an encouraging, submitting, and honoring to our husbands. Then you add friend, daughter, sister, home-room mom, house-cleaner (I use that term loosely:)), bake-sell baker, church volunteer, and if you work outside the home, job. All while trying to be the best at every single one of these things. Wow!! It can be overwhelming so many days. I am tired just typing all these things we do and are. Does God really understand everything we do and go through as moms and wives etc. Yes!!!!!! Jesus understood and lived it! But even more importantly shows us how to handle it.

In Mark 6:30-31 says, "The disciples gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."

Coming and going, so many people, so many needs, not time to stop and eat...Yep-that sounds familiar. Then Jesus says to them the same thing he wants to say to you......"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Quiet? Rest? What?

You see, Jesus tells us through his disciples that we can't be all that God wants us to be unless we COME TO HIM AND FIND REST! Jesus, himself, after doing healings and teaching to so many would often retreat to be by himself and get alone with God. Ladies, if Jesus the Son of God can't do it all without getting alone with His Father, what makes us think we can??!!!
Our time with God has got to be the most important time of our day. Unfortunately, this thing we need the most is the thing we do the least. Jesus says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you." If we seek God first, then we can be a great mom. If we seek God first, then we can be a great wife. If we seek God first, then we can do ALL that God has called us to do and be!
Ladies, it is time to "Come with me, by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
Let Jesus fill you up today!

Subway

So...we were on our way home from Church Saturday night and my husband asked if we just wanted to stop and get something to eat and take it home. "Not cook?" I thought, sounds perfect to me. We decided on Subway that is located inside our Loves store. Chris announced to the kids that we were going to Subway and they could each pick out one piece of candy too. My son replied, "Yes! We are so rich!" Chris and I looked at each and both said simultaneously, "Yep, we are!" It was such a great moment that I will never forget and it just reminded me of how rich we really are. Sometimes we get so focused on what we don't have that we lose sight of what we do have. I am so thankful that we all have closets full of clothes, we each have beds to sleep in, and we even get to go to Subway every once in a while. I want to ask you-What are you thankful for today? I want you to think of 5 things that God has provided you and your family and say a prayer of Thanksgiving! Wouldn't it be awesome if God got flooded with prayers of Praise!
Ladies, We are so rich!!!!

Amnesia

Hello my Friends!

I hope you had a great Easter with your family and celebrated the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ!!!
One of my favorite things about Easter every year is the watching of the classic movie The Ten Commandments (No, I was not watching the Final Four-my bracket was shot). Even though I have watched Charleston Heston year after year lead the Israelites out of Egypt, there was one thing that kept jumping out at me. It was the fact that the Israelites kept getting amnesia. They were witnesses to some of the most amazing miracles in the Bible from the plagues, to being freed, to water coming out of a rock so they could have something to drink, Oh and the small miracle of parting the Red Sea. Are you kidding me? They walked on dry land with a wall of water on both sides of them! But yet they still doubted, questioned his presence, and even started worshipping a golden calf when they didn't hear from God immediately. I was just amazed at the lack of faith "God's people" had in God.

I started thinking about my own life and my own trials and I realized I have done and still do this same thing. I often ask "God where are you?" "Are you still there?" "Do you even hear me anymore?" And have even tried to do things my own way when God just wasn't moving fast enough. All this when I, too, have been a part of some great miracles in my life from healed marriages within my family, 3 miracle babies, God working out situations in coaching etc. He has shown his faithfulness time and time again. The bible teaches us that God IS faithful even when we are faithless. Praise the Lord!!!

Whatever you are facing today in your family, marriage, school, job, relationships, it is time to get your memory back and remember that God has been faithful before-He will be faithful again and again and again!!!

Great night!

I just wanted to share with you what happened in the Roberts' house last night. We were doing our night time ritual of prayers and reading the bible with the kids and the story was Jesus getting baptized. We were just asking them questions about baptism and if they knew why people get baptized. It was really just normal night time conversation about our bible story before going to bed. After the potty, drinks etc. everybody was in bed and I was in Chloe's closet getting her clothes out for the next day when I heard,
"Mommy."
"Yes, Chloe?"
"I want Jesus to come live in my heart."
As tears ran down my face, I yelled at Chris to come here. I told her to repeat to Chris what she had said and she did. We looked at each other and knelt down beside her bed. Chris asked her why she wanted Jesus to come live in her heart and with the most innocent, sarcastic voice she said, "Dad, because He doesn't live there now."
We prayed the prayer to ask Jesus to come live in her heart with her in her bed.
Does she fully understand what exactly it means to be saved or born again or even grasp what Jesus did so she could ask him to come live in her heart. No She doesn't, but God reminded me
of the blind man who was born blind and Jesus healed him. The Pharisees were questioning him to find out what exactly happened-trying to find fault in Jesus in some way. When they asked the man about Jesus and what Jesus had done for him they said, "Give glory to God, we know this man (Jesus) is a sinner." The healed blind man replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind and now I see!"
He didn't fully understand what was going on, but what he did know was that he was blind and now he sees. Chloe doesn't fully understand the decision she made, but what she does know is that Jesus wasn't there before and now He is. Praise the Lord!!!!!
I never thought I would have a happier day than the day she was born. I was wrong-I have joy like I have never felt before-it is the day she was born again!

The best quote ever!!!

So...I was on facebook and I ran across a guy who was in my youth group back in the day and had this as one of his favorite quotes: God never said it would be easy. He just said it would be worth it! I love it! That quote hit me right between the eyes. Is this not so true in every aspect of our life?

Wait for the right person to marry-It will be worth it

Wait to have sex before you get married-It will be worth it

Wait on the job that is perfect for you and your family-It will be worth it

Wait until you have the cash to pay for something-It will be worth it

Wait for God's direction and not your own-It will be worth it

Wait for God to answer your prayer-It will be worth it

It may be hard being bold for Christ in your work, home, friends-It will be worth it

It may be hard staying true and faithful to your family-It will be worth it

It may be hard living in a world that rejects God-It will be worth it



The Bible teaches us that if we lose our life we will gain it. Giving up our life is suppose to be the most freeing thing, but we like to make things difficult and make it the most trying thing. Francis Chan, pastor and author of Crazy Love says that when things go wrong or get hard, we tend to hold on to them a little tighter instead of giving them fully over to God. Why? Because when things are going great-God is doing a great job with my life. But when things start getting a little tough, we think God must need a little help and we grab the wheel back and try to take over. The Bible says that God works ALL things to the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Yes, even the hard times!

I want to encourage you each time you have a bad day, month, or even year resist the temptation to take the reigns back in your life. God never said it would be easy-He just said it would be worth it!!!!




Be encouraged today!!!!

Have you sold your house?....Nope

Have you sold your house yet? I probably get asked that question at least once a day-every day. And every time, I reluctantly I have to mumble out the words...Nope not yet. When you are in the coaching profession, you kinda have to sike yourself up to move...again. You get tired of moving, but as for me, I am ready to move-now! I have to admit, I am all over the place in my prayers-I sometimes pray that our house will sell or that he would give my patience until it does or even ask for forgiveness for questioning God's whereabouts in all this. I just sometimes don't understand why God would lead us to this coaching job (which we love) in the town where I work, we go to church etc. and yet we still live somewhere else. You may have felt this way at some point or even right now. I will tell you something that helps me each time these thoughts creep into my mind.
I am encouraged by the story of David as a young shepherd boy. After God rejects Saul as King of Israel, He sends Samuel to the house of Jesse because "He had chosen one of his sons to be king." Samuel went to the house of Jesse and looked at all the older sons and even though they were very tall and handsome, God tells Samuel, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Samuel asks Jesse if he has any more sons and Jesse says, "There is still the youngest, but he is tending to the sheep." Sure enough, David is brought in and He is anointed to be the next King of Israel.

Even though David was told and called to be King by God-it wasn't time yet. So David went out and continued to tend to the sheep. He was then later called to play the harp for King Saul, killed a giant, fought in many battles, had to flee to live in a cave because King Saul wanted him dead, all while knowing that He was suppose to be King someday. I am sure at some point David was saying, "I am not sure what you are doing, God, but I will continue to go where you send me." Each one of these setbacks were actually set ups for what God was preparing to do in David and through David. Each test prepared David a little bit more to be the King God wanted him to be.

When David finally was seated at his calling as King of Israel, God said these words to him,

"I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. ....The Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you....Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me, your throne will be established forever." 2 Samuel 7:8-15

Wow!! That gets me every time! I believe God is with us, preparing us for great things. May you too, find comfort in the story of David. God is faithful-even if we are faithless! Be encouraged today

New Year, New You

Happy New Year!!!



I hope you each had great Holiday season with your family and friends. I have never been one that made new years resolutions, but this year our pastor challenged us to pursue God in asking for one thing this year. Maybe its "one thing" you desire from God or "one thing" you lack or "one thing" you need to let go. Whatever it is I want to challenge you, like our pastor challenged us, to answer at least one of these questions. There is something God wants to do IN you while preparing to do something through you. Now for me, I could easily ask God to SELL OUR HOUSE!!! That could be my one thing, but what fun is that.
So, after much prayer and thought I have decided what my "one thing" will be this year: To be bold for the name of Christ in TRUTH and GRACE while having complete humility. Now if you know me, you might think, "Being bold is not a problem." Well, you are partly right:) I am called to be bold with truth and grace. There are times when I want to speak only truth without the grace, which comes off as being judgemental, but then there are times when I speak grace with little truth and it comes off being passive. The bible teaches us in John 1:17 that Jesus came in Truth and Grace and if I could show the people around me both-that would be awesome! Now, I added the last phrase "with complete humility" because I know myself. The moment I can fully understand showing both truth and grace, I want to remind myself it wasn't on my own, but with Christ and Christ alone! Galations 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but Christ lives within me." OK, now that I have been real with you I want you to be real with me. What is your "one thing" for 2010? Let me know!!!