God wants to invade your soul - with His love.
John 17:26 says "I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
Tricky guy....
This has actually been my philosophy on His love for a LOOOOOONG time. Unfortunately, I don't have a moment in time when I ever said "Oh, I like what John wrote, I'm gonna practice that..." no witness testimonies, nothing special that happened... it's just a part of me. A fabric of my being. "If I show someone unconditional love and acceptance, then eventually they'll see that it's not really my love, it's God's Love!" No spectacular "ah-ha" moment, just me.
Let God invade your soul. Let the Holy Spirit guide your path towards others, so that you might show them the love Christ had for us, the love God has for us. You don't have to preach or pass judgement; actions speak louder than words.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Mark's a Smart Guy...
After July 4th, when my life changed and my boyfriend broke my heart, forcing me to break up with him, I have felt the Spirit stirring in my soul- just a little movement here and there, and it's been amazingly helpful. A lot of my inspiration & the movement I'm feeling has been coming from the various "Verse of the Day" apps & emails.
Today's was, again, quite fitting! (sorry, no nifty little post-it picture for this one)
"He said to her - Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." ~Mark 5:34
Now, while I don't quite feel completely free from suffering yet, I feel like I'm getting closer and closer!
God, Father, keep speaking to me - I'm listening!
Today's was, again, quite fitting! (sorry, no nifty little post-it picture for this one)
"He said to her - Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." ~Mark 5:34
Now, while I don't quite feel completely free from suffering yet, I feel like I'm getting closer and closer!
God, Father, keep speaking to me - I'm listening!
Friday, July 5, 2013
A New Perspective
In light of recent events (as in the last 36 hours!), I re-read Forgiveness and all of those references and quotes have a completely new and more profound meaning to me!
I'd like to go on a silent retreat, but the last one of the summer is the same weekend as my cousin's wedding. That will kind of be like a retreat, since it will just be me and the dogs in a cabin slightly off the beach.
Brief inspiration today - Proverbs 31. Maybe I will incorporate 31:25 into the ink that I someday want to (but will most likely never) get...
I'd like to go on a silent retreat, but the last one of the summer is the same weekend as my cousin's wedding. That will kind of be like a retreat, since it will just be me and the dogs in a cabin slightly off the beach.
Brief inspiration today - Proverbs 31. Maybe I will incorporate 31:25 into the ink that I someday want to (but will most likely never) get...
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Forgiveness
Do you ever get the feeling that God is KNOCKING YOU UPSIDE THE HEAD?! I did today, FOR SURE.
Last night I asked the Holy Spirit to help lead me down my path, show me that I am right where God wants me...
Today, I got my answer loud and clear! First, the verse of the day...
Then, the only song I heard on the radio this morning, courtesy of the commercials and DJ blah-blah-blah, was Matthew West's Forgiveness.
If that wasn't enough, my horoscope, Gandhi, and Buddha all imparted wisdom on me that basically laid it all out:
Okay, God, I hear you, loud and clear. Thank you for "Gibbs-smacking" me.
Your ever-loving servant,
Melinda
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Prayer Request
I'm having surgery on Friday - should be fairly simple, fairly routine, but it's still surgery. They still have to knock me out, they still have to cut into me, search & poke & prod & cut, and I still have to recover from it all. Any prayers you could manage to throw out there for me would me greatly appreciated!
My mom asked why I haven't been writing much lately, and the answer was because of my health - I've missed a lot of work, been in a lot of pain, and been hopped up on pain medication since the end of March/beginning of April. I promise to start writing again SOON!
Until then, I encourage you to think about listening in the silence.... I've written about it a few times... Below are some of the entries, by date.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
My God-Shaped Hole
A few "Quests" ago, some of the Life Teen members presented to the kids about how we all have a God-shaped hole in our hearts, our souls, and God is just waiting to fill it for us, make us feel whole again.... It was wonderful, the way it was presented, and I think it really made an impact on the kids - I know it did on me!
Well, I have a hole, but it's not necessarily God-shaped. It's St.Stephen's-shaped. It's been a little over two months since I was asked to no longer participate in the ministries on which I served because of a life choice that I made. I've talked a little about this, but not a lot.
I wasn't sure how to process it. I'm still not. There's not a way to fix it.... I am not going back on my choice, to live with my boyfriend. I love him. I love his daughter. We are planning the rest of our lives together. It finally feels right, to be in love with someone who loves me back, who has been the answer to my prayers, and I can see how God's working in our lives!
I don't feel an absence of God, by any means. I do feel an absence of the St. Stephen's community. I still wake up every Sunday wondering what songs we're singing at mass, then have to remind myself that there is no more "we" singing songs. I wonder what the youth group is doing, hoping that kids are still coming after confirmation, praying that the core team is still able to reach out, spread God's message to those who need it most. And then there's the core team and the worship team. I miss them terribly. Some of them might not realize just how much. That's what makes me sad, that I lost those friendships, that fellowship. They are in the throws of planning the Spring Quest for junior high, and I've been praying for them lots. It makes me sad, that I'm not there, that I'm not able to help find ways to bring God to the teens.
Hmmm... there's a lot of "I" in this post.... but it's about how I feel, so I'm okay with that.
So, yes.... where did I leave off in my thoughts.... ??? My St. Stephen's-shaped hole. I don't know how to fix it. I can't ask them to take me back, because I'm still living in sin, in their eyes. I don't feel sorry for my choice, so I can't confess & be forgiven... *sigh* Does that mean that I can't come back? Ever? I don't know.
There is no answer, not that I can find right now. I keep praying & asking others to pray for me too. For healing, mostly, to patch up that hole. My mom keeps asking me if I've gone to church again, try different churches, and I have the intention to do so, but maybe I'm not ready just yet... I think I'm still mourning the loss of what I had and loved at St. Stephens. And part of me feels like I can't. I'm still choosing to live "in sin". No matter how accepting someone says their faith may be, that's what it boils down to. Besides - I'd hate to open myself up to another community, to let them in, and then be asked to leave for being a sinner.
I've asked that God use His glorious presence in my life to fill the void. I'm not quite ready to thank God for any unanswered prayers just yet, so I'm going to keep asking.
Well, I have a hole, but it's not necessarily God-shaped. It's St.Stephen's-shaped. It's been a little over two months since I was asked to no longer participate in the ministries on which I served because of a life choice that I made. I've talked a little about this, but not a lot.
I wasn't sure how to process it. I'm still not. There's not a way to fix it.... I am not going back on my choice, to live with my boyfriend. I love him. I love his daughter. We are planning the rest of our lives together. It finally feels right, to be in love with someone who loves me back, who has been the answer to my prayers, and I can see how God's working in our lives!
I don't feel an absence of God, by any means. I do feel an absence of the St. Stephen's community. I still wake up every Sunday wondering what songs we're singing at mass, then have to remind myself that there is no more "we" singing songs. I wonder what the youth group is doing, hoping that kids are still coming after confirmation, praying that the core team is still able to reach out, spread God's message to those who need it most. And then there's the core team and the worship team. I miss them terribly. Some of them might not realize just how much. That's what makes me sad, that I lost those friendships, that fellowship. They are in the throws of planning the Spring Quest for junior high, and I've been praying for them lots. It makes me sad, that I'm not there, that I'm not able to help find ways to bring God to the teens.
Hmmm... there's a lot of "I" in this post.... but it's about how I feel, so I'm okay with that.
So, yes.... where did I leave off in my thoughts.... ??? My St. Stephen's-shaped hole. I don't know how to fix it. I can't ask them to take me back, because I'm still living in sin, in their eyes. I don't feel sorry for my choice, so I can't confess & be forgiven... *sigh* Does that mean that I can't come back? Ever? I don't know.
There is no answer, not that I can find right now. I keep praying & asking others to pray for me too. For healing, mostly, to patch up that hole. My mom keeps asking me if I've gone to church again, try different churches, and I have the intention to do so, but maybe I'm not ready just yet... I think I'm still mourning the loss of what I had and loved at St. Stephens. And part of me feels like I can't. I'm still choosing to live "in sin". No matter how accepting someone says their faith may be, that's what it boils down to. Besides - I'd hate to open myself up to another community, to let them in, and then be asked to leave for being a sinner.
I've asked that God use His glorious presence in my life to fill the void. I'm not quite ready to thank God for any unanswered prayers just yet, so I'm going to keep asking.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Grateful Photos
I know it's a little late, but here's the collage-of-sorts for my lenten thanksgivings! If I was cool enough to take the time & figure it out, I'd hyperlink each one of these to tell you a little about each one, but I'm not that cool. If you follow me on FB, you can go there, I have a little blurbs about each one. All-in-all, it was so much fun to share the big and little thanks with people every day, I find myself still snapping a photo every now and then & saying a quick prayer for the moment of thanksgiving.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)