Friday, September 25, 2015

Quality Time With God...

It's ironic how I find time to pray and really read (study) my Bible or a study-book about getting closer to God and discerning his voice when I'm on business travel. I use the term "ironic" because it's not that I'm any less busy, if anything I'm busier, because I've been in the conference/training all day and still have work to do in the evenings. I sleep less because I miss my daughter and husband like crazy, and just because I'm not in my own bed, so I'm actually more tired too; yet I make it a point to carve out time every morning and evening to pray and read my Bible or study books.

(Squirrel = this is a word we use as a joke around my home when we are in the middle of a conversation and someone digresses completely off topic, which is what I'm doing here...{smile})

I am so thankful for my sister & niece -- they're helping my husband take care of my daughter this week and I'm so grateful that my sister sends me pictures, videos and make sure I get to Face Time with her daily. Being away from my husband is one thing, and yes, I miss him terribly, but sorry honey, not near as much as I do my daughter. I mean, after all, she is the only one that has actually heard my heart beat from the inside and when she says, "Mommy, I need you!" it just pings my heart like nothing else. I never knew I could love another human being the way I love her....it truly is an indescribable love. Okay, back to the purpose of this blog....

Wednesday in our opening session [here at the conference] the topic was on "HappYness." It was a gentleman (business owner) that shared the story of how his company treats their employees and how they deal with real life issues. He used the "HappYness" spelling from the movie "Pursuit of Happiness" and it was sincerely one of the best sessions I have sat through in a very long time.  What really stood out to me, and touched me the most, was the fact that he pointed out that we all have issues and life is messy, but we often don't talk about it or share with others these issues for one reason or another. He ended by challenging for each one of us to really share our story of who we are with others and then "listen" when they share with us. We did not go into "sharing mode" at that time, but I felt in my spirit at that moment that "this one session is the exact reason I was meant to be at this conference, period."

I am in the midst of reading a book by Priscilla Shirer titled "Discerning The Voice Of God" as I truly want to draw closer to my Lord & Savior and I often question if I am really hearing the voice of the Lord or not. I'm sure others have had that same thought and feeling too so I thought it would be beneficial for me to share with you what I'm learning through my journey. One of the hardest things I am learning is that I MUST learn to stop and listen. Really listen, which means I have to be quiet.  Historically, that would have been hard for me. However, as I get older (and wiser) I find that it's not hard to not talk, but what is hard for me is to FOCUS on one thing. My mind often does not stop and it's continually processing, or trying to process several things at once, like what I need to be doing next, what I forgot to do, did I turn off the iron, did I set the alarm, etc....and the list just goes on and on and on. That is where I am finding I struggle. Sooooo, over the last couple of months I have made it a goal to try to be attentive and listen with a purpose to understand and process instead of listening to formulate in my mind a response or what I need to be doing next.  This is going to be a little harder for me so I may need to find me some self-help books...LOL!

In this book I'm reading, she uses a Bible verse "As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut...After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few." (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, NLT)  i found this to be so powerful! We've probably all heard the old saying, 'we have 2 ears and one mouth for a reason,' and that's what I'm reminding myself often of late. So during that opening session I really put that to use and I used the time to listen intently to every word he said. I focused on the content and not the other things trying to break into my mind and side track me. I have not perfected that yet, but at least I am trying.  What did happen during that session that really grabbed my attention and tugged at my heart was when he continued to hammer home the concept of "sharing your story." See, a few years back I felt like God was guiding me to write a book about the Grace and Mercy He's bestowed upon my life, to share our heartaches and triumph, to tell others about Him and what He has done for us.  However, what I've found is that I've questioned whether or not it was really from God or if it was just me wanting to shout from the mountain tops and brag about this wonderful daughter He's given us.

I don't have the answers, but what I do know is that life is so full of mercy and grace from our Lord; whether you're walking close to Him now or not, you have no idea the protection that is placed over your life because of someone else's prayers. Take today to examine your heart, think about what your mind is focusing on, and learn to be still and really listen -- whether it's to the Lord, or simply to the person speaking to you. Realize there IS "HappYness" you just have to open your heart and mind and learn to find the good in every situation you're going through.....don't think of your glass as half full - instead I challenge you to just be thankful you have anything in your glass, period!

May God Richly Bless You!!

~Candye






From the heart...
Today's Tip: The Apostle Paul names peace as one of the fruits of the Spirit; it is one of the signs that a child of God is living close to him. But no child of God is immune to the stresses and dangers of daily life. In the 21st century, our sense of peace is constantly challenged by bad news: warring nations, wild-eyed terrorists and mind-numbing natural disasters are piped straight to our homes via TV and the Internet. The 24-hour news cycle and the inevitable calamities of life all tempt us to forget that God is with us, that he loves us, and that he wants us to experience his peace. But the still, small voice is still there, still gently insistent: the fruit of the Spirit is…peace. We just have to be quiet long enough to hear and feel it!

Today's Humor: You know you're tired when the alarm goes off and you answer your phone! 

Today's Scripture: We enter into peace when we accept this invitation: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” -James 4:8

Good morning peeps... You know what time it is -  it's GO! time! Time to show the world just how AWESOME you are! Have a Fabulous Friday! Make memories and make today count!

Have a Blessed day!
~Candye


Tuesday, September 22, 2015

September 21, 2015

September 21, 2015

Good evening,

Many of you have probably heard, read or seen on TV the news of something 'big' happening the end of September *this month*! I first really heard of it from our Pastor last night at church.... I have been so busy of late that I have neglected to keep current on the news or even events as a whole; which, by the way, I'm really saddened by that now.  I'll explain why later in the writing but for now, something much more pressing is on my heart that I want to share with you.

I am not a prophet, I am not claiming to have heard from Jesus our Lord, I have not had a dream or vision -- I am simply a Mother, whose heart is aching in fear that when I flew away from Wichita, KS this morning I may not return to see my baby girl, my husband, or my family.  I am not perfect and the first thing that does come to mind is, "what if September 23, 2015, is the day of the rapture, am I ready to meet the Lord? IS my name written in the Book of Life? I realized, if I question that then I must not be prepared, my heart must not be ready and for that I am ashamed because if my heart was where it should be I would be rejoicing instead of weeping. 
Yes, this all my be a hype just as many other 'prophets' have prophesied in the past years; however, it is really odd when you look at all of the dates, listen to those claiming to be prophets and reading the Bible -- it makes you think!

I also would like to clarify another very important point, the Bible is very clear that 'no man knows the day nor the hour in which the Lord will return,' (“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭36‬ NIV & “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." (Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭42‬ NIV). So, how do these individuals know...well, truth is, they do not.  BUT, I do believe in prophets, and I do believe that God gives certain gifts to certain individuals that will be able to warn us. As I reflect back on my 40'something years of life, I recall hearing my whole life that we are 'living in the end times,' that 'surely the Lord is returning soon because it just can't get much worse.' Truth is, 30+ years have passed and it continues to get worse.  

I sit here at this beautiful resort where the birds are so carefree and they are singing in the cool wind without a care in the world while I'm wondering, 'if the end is really here, if it really should happen this week, am I ready?' Just because I read my Bible, try to be a good person and go to church does not mean that I am "rapture ready."  It simply means nothing more than I am a good person.  The questions before me are: How many souls have I won to Christ? How many lives have I shared the gospel with and made an impact on so that others know they are ready to meet the Lord? When the Book of Life is opened, and I stand before the Lord on Judgment Day, will Jesus say, "well done my faithful servant?" or will He say, "go away, I never knew you?"

Also, I have a husband and daughter that I left behind this morning (no punt intended). Getting on that plane was one of the hardest things I had to do. Not because I'm not leaving her in good hands, but because just 'what if' everything does happen as they say it does over the next few days? Then it hit me... WHY AM I GIVING THE DEVIL THE SATISFACTION OF WORRY? WHY AM I ALLOWING HIM TO CONSUME MY MIND WITH FEAR? Well, because that's just what he does. He comes to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10), but our Lord comes so that we could have life and have it abundantly! 
 
The moral of this blog is to fight against the devil and his stupid attacks, worries and anxieties he tries to create...and make sure you're ready to meet the Lord should it be today, tomorrow, or in the next 15 years. As the farmer told the boy when he asked when is the best time to pray, he said, "right before you die and since we do not know when that time it then it's best to pray daily!"

Make memories & make today count!
Have a blessed day!!
~Candye