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Moving Forward!

Announcing the launch of my website www.AboundingFaith.com

Abounding Faith header NEW for MC

There is a time to dream and there is a time to DO! I’m excited to announce the launch of my new website www.aboundingfaith.com, and that I will be available to speak at churches and events. I’m also ready to life coach.

For the past few years I have felt the Lord drawing me to speak and write for His Glory, but I didn’t know how to put the puzzle pieces together. God, in His great mercy, showed me step by step. He continues leading me in this Great Adventure that He has for me!

Now I hear Him saying it’s time to Move Forward!

This process has been long and hard but after much prayer, and waiting on God, and after testing the waters, and getting wise counsel, I am at peace about taking this next step. And I invite you to continue this journey with me!

No worries, I plan to keep blogging here every Monday. From time to time, I’ll give you updates about how things are going with the site.

My goal is still to encourage you in your walk with the Lord and to celebrate God’s extravagant love for us! I will be doing that here and at Abounding Faith.

I firmly believe that if the Lord is not in something, it’s not worth doing. When the Lord is truly in something, it would be foolish not to go for it! We’re to stick close to Him at all times though.

As Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

This is unchartered territory for me, but the pioneer in me is looking forward to seeing where the Lord leads. The exhorter/evangelist in me is excited about all the new people I’ll get to minister to.

Stepping out in this new adventure is pretty much like deciding to trust God to board a plane to AFRICA or the Amazon.

It can be a little nerve-wracking but I’m a Daddy’s Girl, and I have a history with my Heavenly Father. Over the years, He has asked me to take leaps of faith, and He’s always been there to catch me!

I’m reminded of Peter when he saw Jesus walking on the water. He wasn’t content to stay in the boat with the others. He wanted to be right where Jesus was and in the middle of all the action! But he wasn’t about to exit the boat unless Jesus invited him.

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

 “Come,” he said. (Matthew 14:28-29)

I wonder if Peter even understood the magnitude of his request. And yet Jesus graciously obliged. The ball was now in Peter’s court.

Jesus called. Peter answered. As a result, Peter got to walk on water! In that moment, he let his faith in God overtake any fear he must have felt.

That’s how it is in our lives. Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

Jesus calls us to follow Him wherever He leads. It’s our choice to trust Him and move.

Oh the rewards that come from obeying God’s call and following after Jesus! Is it easy or popular? No. But Jesus never promised it would be easy. He did say that He would be with us and that we have the victory in Him.

“…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

What is God calling you to do? However big or small it may seem to you, I pray you will have the courage to run, walk, or take baby steps towards what God has placed in your heart and that you will enter into all that God has in store for you!

I hope you will visit me at www.aboundingfaith.com and will be blessed by the encouraging videos and inspiring photos and free downloads on the site. Please tell your friends and family about the site, too!

Let’s see what the Lord is doing! He’s always at work! Thankfully He never slumbers nor sleeps.

Did this encourage you? Feel free to leave a comment or hit “Like” below. To get my free e-booklet MiraculousLovely Abroad: Lessons and Snapshots From the Mission Fields and to get these posts e-mailed straight to your inbox, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on YouTube, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on Pinterest, click here or on Facebook, click here.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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A Time for Everything

We’re finally thawing out here, so it was nice enough outside to shoot this new short video. Blessings to you!

Did this video encourage you?  Feel free to leave a comment or hit “Like” below. To get my free e-booklet MiraculousLovely Abroad: Lessons and Snapshots From the Mission Fields and to get these posts e-mailed straight to your inbox, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on YouTube, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on Pinterest, click here or on Facebook, click here.

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Find Beauty in Every Season

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Seeing snow during Christmas is nice. Being walloped by snowstorm after snowstorm throughout January and February, not so much!

I’m definitely tired of shoveling the same path over and over again only to have it covered with mounds of fresh snow. I’ve had enough of almost literally cross-country skiing and ice skating all the way to the train station every day. Getting to work shouldn’t be an Olympic sport!

I think it’s safe to say that most folks in this area are tired of winter.

But having said all that, there is a beauty to this season. I snapped the picture above on a recent sunny day when the snow was soft and thick and my neighborhood looked like a winter wonderland.

If we stop for a moment and look around, we might be happily surprised by all the loveliness right where we are.  There is something so beautiful about the different seasons.

Winter won’t last forever. Spring will be here in a few weeks (thank God!)

In the meantime, it’s important to remain mindful of all the blessings in this season.

The same is true in our lives. Are you in a “winter” season right now? Please take heart that it won’t last forever! Seasons do Change!

God is at work in your life. You may not see it, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t orchestrating things behind the scenes and preparing you for what’s to come.

Looking outside right now, it seems ridiculous to think that flowers will soon be budding all around, but even now they’re getting ready. Just give it a bit more time and they’ll sprout before our eyes!

Don’t give up just because things may look bleak today. Find the miraculous lovely in each day and rejoice. And remember, spring is coming!

God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His timing is not our timing. But His timing is perfect. There’s a mystery to God, but that’s OK. We don’t have to understand everything He’s doing. We just need to trust Him! When we know how much God loves us, it makes it that much easier to trust Him with every detail of our lives. Then we can be content in whatever season we’re in!

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
(Galatians 6:9)

Did this encourage you?  Feel free to leave a comment or hit “Like” below. To get my free e-booklet MiraculousLovely Abroad: Lessons and Snapshots From the Mission Fields and to get these posts e-mailed straight to your inbox, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on YouTube, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on Pinterest, click here or on Facebook, click here.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

 

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No Greater Love!

heart tree2

I had to snap a picture of this tree I saw last spring. It looked too much like a heart for me to ignore. Doesn’t it make you smile?

As people everywhere get ready to celebrate love this time of the year, it’s good to remember that every day is a great day to celebrate God’s love for us!

We tend to think of love as being heart-shaped like the tree above. Really, God’s love is shaped like a cross. Love came down when Jesus was born, and the ultimate act of love was when Jesus paid for our sins on the cross on Calvary and redeemed us. As Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

The Bible, which is God’s love letter to us, is filled with examples of God’s extravagant love for us! Here are just a few verses to encourage you:

God’s Love for Us is Beyond Measure: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)

God Won’t Stop Loving Us: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

God’s Love Lasts: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” (Isaiah 54:10)

God Showed Us His Love By Giving Us the Ultimate Gift:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)

To read more verses about God’s love for us, feel free to read my post from last year Love is in the Air.

I pray you will feel God’s amazing love today and every day! Blessings!

 

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

 

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10 Lessons Learned from Mom

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My Mom’s birthday is coming up, so allow me to pay tribute to one of the strongest and most faithful women of God I know! I’m sure that a big reason why I am who I am today is because of my Mom’s wonderful example, God’s Grace, and my mama’s PRAYERS!

Below is just a taste of all that I’ve learned from my Mom! May it bless you as well.

Don’t be Afraid of a Little Adventure! – At the age of 27, my Mom left behind her entire family in her home country and boarded a plane to the United States. She dared to come with only a work visa and a suitcase. She didn’t know one soul in this country. Not even the family she was coming to work for. Talk about guts! Perhaps that’s part of the reason why I can board planes to just about any part of the world.

Follow Your Dreams – My Mom went to a beauty academy in her home country and had her own beauty shop by the time she was 23. After a few years here in the U.S., she opened up a beauty shop in our neighborhood with the help of my Dad. She would go on to successfully run it for 25 years! Yes, much of my childhood was spent watching customers walking around in rollers or with dye in their hair and breathing in the hair spray and nail polish fumes. My best friend and I used to pretend to be aliens while sitting underneath the beehive hair dryers. I have all those memories because my Mom had the courage to follow her dream of opening up her own salon.

Hold onto Jesus, No Matter What! All hell literally broke loose in my family when my parents divorced. My Mom ended up raising my older sister and me, caring for our two dogs and bird, and running her business on her own! It wasn’t easy, but God stepped into all that chaos, brokenness, and trauma and rescued my Mom. It was out of that ugliness that Jesus saved her and gave her peace, joy, and love.

Take a Stand for Jesus. My sister and I freaked out when we found out that my Mom had left the Catholic faith and was a born-again Christian. We feared she had joined a cult! We thought she was a traitor. But my Mom stood her ground and continued following Jesus. That decision changed the course of our family!

Serve God with All Your Heart! – My Mom was one of the original members of the church she ended up attending for more than 20 years! Over the years, she served as a Sunday School teacher, usher, deacon, prayer team member, and food-pantry volunteer. You name it, she did it! She even had an online radio show with another prayer warrior and preached at various events in her church. My Mom is a servant with a capital “S”.

Trust God to Fulfill His Word! – God means it when He says you and your household will be saved (Acts 16:31). A few years after my Mom got saved, my sister also became a born-again Christian. A few more years later, I finally got saved. God’s Word is True! Don’t give up on your loved ones that are still lost because God surely hasn’t!

Always be a Student of the Word – My Mom has been to seminary and has taken many Bible study courses over the years. She loves reading her Bible. She can read it for hours! She doesn’t hesitate to pull out her Bible dictionaries and commentaries when she wants to understand something further. She really is a life-long learner. May we all continue studying to show ourselves approved. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Family Comes First – My Mom is the kind of person who will drop everything to help her children and grandchildren. Back when we were younger, my Mom wouldn’t hesitate to close her beauty shop early to drive me to skating practice and would wait in the car until I was done! She would also pick up my sister or me at night when we would get out late from our after-school job. Were we spoiled? Probably. Did we feel loved? Absolutely!

Let God be Your Vindicator – When people wrong my Mom, she doesn’t get even. She does something way better. She goes to the throne and lets God handle her battles. And He does! (Romans 12:19)

Let God Reward You – My Mom delights in helping those in need without expecting anything in return from them. She enjoys accompanying her friends to their doctor appointments, translating for people who struggle with English, or praying for people who are going through hard times. My Mom just has this grace for helping people. God finds creative ways to bless her for her servant’s heart.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you! Thank You!

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”  (Proverbs 31:30-31)

 

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

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In Full Bloom

Lessons from the Lilies

I pray you are having a wonderful start to 2014! How is it already the end of January?

This week, I’d like to share some lessons I was reminded of from these two lilies in the same bouquet. They caught my attention because at first they were all closed up. They were sealed tighter than in the picture on the left side. Then, in typical fashion, as the days passed they opened up so that their beauty was on full display.

Once again, through God’s creation, I saw how we are called to be transformed. Little by little. Day by day. From Glory to Glory. We are slowly being transformed into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Into all that God has created us to be. Yes, we hold this treasure in jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7). At just the right time, we get to share that treasure with others.

Whether you’re feeling like that closed up lily in the first picture or already radiating like the lily in the second shot, here are a few lessons to keep in mind as you continue throughout the year:

Stay connected and keep showing up. These lilies were part of an assorted arrangement of flowers. There was a rose, a carnation, a few daises and such. The lilies and the rose were the ones all buttoned up. As the lilies started to blossom, so did the rose. What’s my point? Sometimes we’re tempted to stay isolated when we’re feeling uncomfortable, awkward, and in the middle of a transition time. Yes, there’s a time to be alone with God, but there is also a time to surround yourself with others. When we continue to meet with fellow believers, we encourage one another and we find that we start growing together as well.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Start blooming right where you are. The lilies didn’t wait to be moved to another bouquet, they opened up and shined right where they were! Are you waiting for God to open some doors in your life? Who isn’t, right? Well, why not decide to invest your time and talents into the places that God has for you in this season? After all, it’s God who placed you in your neighborhood, country, workplace, school, etc… There’s a reason why you’re alive and part of this generation. How can you be a blessing right now?

“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” (Acts 17:26)

Don’t be afraid to shine for Christ! It’s so easy to be worried, scared, or timid about using your gifts and talents to honor God, but we must resist the urge to shrink back! Don’t let people intimidate you or cause you to doubt whether you should pursue your God-given dreams. The whole bouquet I mentioned above was stunning, but still the lilies towered over all the rest of the flowers. They were created to stand out. It’s not about boasting or comparing yourself to others. It’s about shining your light for the Glory of God!

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Getting to bloom doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen! Ok, so it only took the lilies a few days to open up once they arrived, but it still didn’t happen overnight. We also have to go through a process. Don’t let the process overwhelm you. Remember that God is with you. Keep praying, keep believing, keep obeying God, keep trusting His timing, and watch how He’ll come through for you! Amen!

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6)

Did this encourage you?  Feel free to leave a comment or hit “Like” below. To get my free e-booklet MiraculousLovely Abroad: Lessons and Snapshots From the Mission Fields and to get these posts e-mailed straight to your inbox, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on YouTube, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on Pinterest, click here or on Facebook, click here.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

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Happy 1st Blog-versary!

Infidelic / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

 

This week I’m celebrating my first year of blogging! Whether you’ve been reading all year long or are just joining me today, thanks so much for taking the time to stop by! If you’re visiting from a country outside of the United States, here’s an extra welcome to you!

I’m so excited that people in 13 countries have visited the blog over this last year! That includes people in Brisbane, Nigeria, Romania, London, Bangladesh, Philippines, and Brazil! That alone makes me want to celebrate!

Now that you’re here, I’d like to give you a little tour so you feel right at home. Here are a few tidbits:

  • I usually update my blog on Monday afternoons. If you’d like to make sure you don’t miss any posts, please feel free to sign up to get them sent straight to your inbox for free. As a thank you, you will receive the free e-booklet I made with photos and lessons learned from the short-term missions trips I’ve been on. To sign up, click here.
  • If you’re looking for more inspiration, feel free to check out the Fave Links page to find Inspiring Blogs, Encouraging Songs, and Motivating Books that encourage me.
  • Please feel free to leave comments on the posts. Don’t be shy about joining the conversation. Your comments help to remind me that I’m not just talking to the air.
  • You can also connect with me on Facebook, Pinterest, or on YouTube. You can e-mail me at info@miraculouslovely.com. Who doesn’t like to get friendly e-mail, right?
  • There’s an archive of posts on the homepage so you can check out some of my older posts at your leisure.
  •  If you are just starting your walk with Jesus, Congratulations! The Info for New Believers/Seekers page is especially for you!

I do pray you will be encouraged by what you find on my blog! I hope it will help you in your walk with the Lord. I hope you will come back often! Feel free to invite your friends as well! Blessings!

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Did this encourage you?  Feel free to leave a comment or hit “Like” below. To get my free e-booklet MiraculousLovely Abroad: Lessons and Snapshots From the Mission Fields and to get these posts e-mailed straight to your inbox, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on YouTube, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on Pinterest, click here or on Facebook, click here.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

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Delay or Divine Interruption?

s_ripperton / Foter.com / CC BY-NC

 

I ended 2013 literally with a bang. I got into a minor fender bender three days before the new year. I’ll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that a guy collided into my car trying to beat me to a parking spot. Everyone was fine, thank God. But it was so not cool.

Especially not when you’re with your Mom and you’re dropping off stuff to the local Goodwill! We also had plans to visit another store and then to go to one of our favorite restaurants to eat Salvadoran food. We had a full schedule!

But time ticked away as we waited for the cops to arrive. Then more time escaped us as they filed their report.

I remained calm. We were so thankful that we were OK! But I was just a tad nervous after this ordeal. I thought about just going home. But we pressed on. We went ahead with our plans even though we literally had gotten sidetracked.

Here’s where I started to see God’s Fingerprints.

My Mom and I had a lovely time at the restaurant. We had already finished our meal when a lady sitting across from us started chatting with my Mom. She then came over to sit with us! The lady mentioned she was Honduran. My Mom mentioned I had been to Honduras on a missions trip just that July. I gladly showed her photos of my trip and shared some of the amazing testimonies.

The lady was stunned and asked us lots of questions about the Lord. I live for these moments!  So my Mom and I got to share our faith with her and even got to pray for her.

As I looked into the lady’s eyes and told her that God loves her, she started to cry. She couldn’t stop hugging me at the end of our time together.

On the way home, the fuzzy picture started to get clearer.

Was the accident that afternoon good? No. Was having to wait for the police report good? Nope. But what the enemy meant for evil, God turned around for good! (Genesis 50:20)

Our decision to continue with our schedule, despite our delay, allowed us to be at the restaurant right on time. Yes, right so we could meet a lost sheep who desperately needed to hear about God’s love.

Will God go to extremes and allow wrenches to be thrown in our schedules just so He can send us on divine assignments to minister to someone who is hurting? Yup! That’s part of the joy of serving the Lord!

The next time your plans get stalled or your to-do list gets interrupted, take a moment and look up and look around and ask the Lord if He hasn’t placed you in that situation for a divine purpose! Remember, everything happens for a reason:

 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).

Did this encourage you?  Feel free to leave a comment or hit “Like” below. To get my free e-booklet MiraculousLovely Abroad: Lessons and Snapshots From the Mission Fields and to get these posts e-mailed straight to your inbox, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on YouTube, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on Pinterest, click here or on Facebook, click here.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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My Ode to Joy!

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Rejoice like it’s 2014!

Happy New Year! I pray that this will be an amazing year filled with much evidence of God’s Love, Faithfulness, and His Sovereignty! Blessings to you! I hope you enjoy the post below!

I’m not a New Year’s Resolution type of person, but I do like to write out goals for myself for the year. I also love it when God shares a word or theme for me for the year.

His word for me for a couple of years has been “Believe!” That evolved into “Believe and Receive!”

The word that I feel the Lord is impressing on me for this year is “JOY!” As a pastor recently prayed over me, the JOY of the LORD is my strength! (Nehemiah 8:10)

What I love about Jesus Joy is that the world can’t take it away from you. Circumstances can’t dampen it. Your mood can’t ruin it. People can’t touch it.

The JOY that comes from the LORD is unlike anything else.

It remains constant, immovable, and unshakable. Not like happiness that comes and goes.

Happy is GREAT, but JOY is even better!

You can’t buy joy. It’s something that comes from within like that spring of water welling up inside of you that Jesus talked about in John 4:14. It’s part of that abundant life that Jesus promised to give us in John 10:10.

It’s also the second fruit mentioned, right after love, in the Fruit of the Spirit list found in Galatians 5:22.

Yes, JOY is part of our inheritance as Christians. I find that it’s closely connected with Trusting God, Walking by Faith, being a Prisoner of Hope, and Knowing who you are in Christ!

The apostle Paul knew about this joy. That’s why despite all the hardships he went through, and even while he was under arrest, he could still be content and encourage the church in Philippi to, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

Friend, do you know about this joy that I am writing about? Are you experiencing this joy that cannot be extinguished despite all the fiery darts the enemy tries to throw? Oh, how the enemy of your soul would love to steal your joy!

Are you familiar with this unspeakable joy that cannot be contained and that comes from knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior, as it is written:

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8)

This joy doesn’t mean your life here on earth is perfect. However, thankfully this joy gets brighter after having faced your fears and walked through fire and finding that Jesus really was with you all the way! I pray you all experience this joy!

Even if you’re in a place right now that seems less than joyous, here are just a few verses to encourage you. May they bless you today and throughout the year!

  • “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” (Psalm 126:3)
  • “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” (Psalm 126:5)
  • “Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.” (Isaiah 61:7)
  • “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit…” (Romans 14:17)
  • “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
  • “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

I’d love to know what your “one word” for this year is! Please share it in the comments below if you’d like. If you’re just starting your walk with the Lord, Congratulations! Please visit the Info for New Believers/Seekers page.

Did this encourage you?  Feel free to leave a comment or hit “Like” below. To get my free e-booklet MiraculousLovely Abroad: Lessons and Snapshots From the Mission Fields and to get these posts e-mailed straight to your inbox, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on YouTube, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on Pinterest, click here or on Facebook, click here.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

I’m happy to be participating in Bonnie’s Faith Jam this week!

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Reflections on 2013

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It’s hard for me to believe that this is my final blog post for 2013. Honestly, I’m still a bit surprised that I’m blogging at all!

I’d like to take a moment to thank all of you for reading my blog this year and for taking this journey with me!

It’s not always easy for a rather private person like me to share about what the Lord has been showing me, but it’s been a delight to hear how these posts have touched you. It encourages me to continue sharing these thoughts. It reminds me that they’re not just for me to store away in my memory and journals!

When I felt the Lord ask me to lay down my journalism career years ago, I had a feeling that one day He would ask me to “pick up the pen” again but to write for His glory. I wrote for a Christian publication after I got saved, but that was still journalism. That was still writing about others.

I guess what God wants me to write about in this season is what He’s showing me.

By faith, I started writing “inspirational pieces” in 2012. I wasn’t even thinking about blogging. I just had to get these pieces out, so I started to share them with a special group of women on a weekly basis. I would e-mail them a piece, and they would graciously read them and give me encouraging feedback. God finally gave me the courage to start blogging just this January. I kept saying that, “I’ll keep writing as long as God keeps giving me something to say.”  God has been Faithful!

I’m reminded of the widow that the Prophet Elisha met in 2 Kings 4:1-7. Her late husband’s creditor was coming to take her two sons away as his slaves. She was at the end of herself and had little to give. Elisha wanted to help her, so he asked her what she had in her house.

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”  (vs 2)

That was enough for the man of God to spring into action.

“Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” (vs 3-7)

I love how God took the little that she had and multiplied it! I will say it again, God is Faithful!

I wasn’t sure what I would write about each week, but like clockwork as I finished one blog post the ideas for future posts would spring up. I never lacked a topic to write about.  Yes, the more we pour out and share, the more God fills us.

And so I pray you have been encouraged by reading my posts (or my little drops of oil) throughout the year. Your feedback has helped to encourage me along the way!

Now please allow me to thank just a few of the women who have been praying for and cheering me on with my blog, Facebook page, YouTube Channel and Pinterest Boards!  I apologize if I’ve left anyone off the list. Next time, perhaps, I’ll focus on some of the men as well because I know you guys are praying for me, too!

  • Thank you to my Mom who faithfully listens as I read her each of the posts after they’ve been published, and to my sister who gives me great feedback on my posts and videos! And thank you to my niece (and nephew!!!) who have inspired me to write a few posts!
  • Thank you to Celine, Julie, and Lisy for being so supportive of all my “crazy” ok “God-sized” endeavors.
  • Thank you to the circle of women who were reading my “pieces” before I had a blog: Priscilla O., Lisa O., and Lauren G.
  • Thank you to Dianna, Jamary, and Rachel who kindly encourage me to “keep writing!” Thank you to Christine who reminded me, “YOU need to write.” And thank you to Priscilla P., Ceu, Lisa S. and others for all the prayers you’ve lifted up for me!

The list could go on and on, but I’ll save that for another day.

Only the Lord knows what I’ll write about and do next year. To God be the Glory!

Did this encourage you?  Feel free to leave a comment or hit “Like” below. To get my free e-booklet MiraculousLovely Abroad: Lessons and Snapshots From the Mission Fields and to get these posts e-mailed straight to your inbox, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on YouTube, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on Pinterest, click here or on Facebook, click here.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

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