He is making perfect sense out of a perfectly senseless, messed up life!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Obedience and Devotional Share - Update

       Update:  I thought I should let you all know that I started greeting 2 Sundays ago.  Teeth are still in the repair stage since they now say I need a new partial plate so I'm back to the dentist to start over.  Doesn't seem to bother me with the old, loose plate that is the wrong color, too.  The people at my church seem to accepting.  So many are praying for me and the main reason why I fell for this church still seems valid (the first Sunday I went there in 2005 I felt like a rolly polly - still blown up like a balloon from the steroids - the pastor hugged me & it was if he looked right through me...didn't bother him at all).  And, I am truly in my place.  I always shared with my step-son (while raising him) that when you look for God's place for you in life, it is where you will be most happy because that is what He made you for.  Was I ever right!  Doing the greeting and even sitting in the chapel during the worship team practice feels like it fits like a comfortable pair of old blue jeans!  It doesn't even bother me getting up to leave the house by 7:30 am.  A perfect fit!  One to remember...Obedience!  He knows what's right for me because He made me!

Original Post:
       Good Morning!  For those of you who have been following my blog I just realized that I should let you know a bit more about what’s been going on lately.
       About 2-3 weeks ago I was in church praying about why it was taking so long for the dentist office to get my partial plate ready so my teeth could be pulled and get on with the whole process.  I truly believe that God asked me what I was willing to commit to after this all transpired.  Just then, an announcement was made in church that they were in need of greeters.  So, I said I would volunteer to be one.  Then, I kept hearing the word ‘patio’ where the greeter hands out the name tags to our regular attendees.  I told the Lord about how awful I am with names (like he didn’t know…LOL).  I heard him ask me how was I planning on getting better with it?  HA!  I guess that’s it, huh?  So, I volunteered that morning to become a greeter as soon as I’d had my teeth pulled and gotten through the adjustment process. 
       Funny thing to note, the present greeter at the name tags says she’s also terrible with names.  But, she seems so good with them. 
       The same Sunday my step-son talked to our minister of music about getting back on the Worship Team.  (He had been off of it since his move to Tampa last year but had started coming back to our church in Bradenton in September of this year).
       Well, finally, last Thursday I got two teeth pulled and got my partial plate. Now I’m working through adjusting to them, which I’ve asked for many prayers for.  I’m already starting to eat with them, just this morning on a little harder food. 
       My step-son starts back on the Worship Team with practice tonight.  I have just committed to start being a greeter in almost 2 weeks, the Sunday following Thanksgiving.  My step-son and I will be riding into church together.  I will be able to read my Bible and pray over the congregation, etc….in the sanctuary before having to go out front and greet people.  We know this whole thing has been ordered by the Lord.
       And, more to come!

       And, I received a devotional this morning that truly spoke to me and I believe goes along with this blog entry.  Hoping you enjoy it as much as I do:

GIVE UP ON MEASURING UP
by David Wilkerson

“The people feared the presence of the Lord . . . and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God” (Haggai 1:12, 14). The Israelites were convicted of their self-interests and returned to working on rebuilding the temple. They were back where they should be—building the house of God!  They stood before the foundation of the temple and the walls were beginning to go up. But something was wrong and many of the older people began to weep! Why?

Because they had seen the splendor of Solomon’s temple sixty-eight years before and this new one did not measure up. In comparison, it seemed as nothing!  The people began to talk of past glory, saying, “This temple has no ark in it, no mercy seat or cherubim. There is no consuming fire on the altar, no Shekinah glory coming down on the house. After all our hard work, all our sacrifice and obedience, all our putting God’s interests first, we don’t measure up! This is nothing compared to what we once saw. Why struggle, why go on, when we see so little for all that we’ve done?”

A host of God’s people today are giving up because they do not think they will ever measure up! Like the Israelites, they have gone back to God, back to putting Him first, seeking His will, building His house. But when they look at their lives, they say, “I have so little to show for all my struggles! I have so little of God’s holiness, so little of His glory in my life. Compared to other Christians, I’ll never measure up. What’s the use of struggling?  I’ll never have victory.”

I am convinced this is why many devoted Christians give up the fight. They compare themselves to other believers and become discouraged because they feel hopelessly inferior!  If you will just stay true to the Lord and not try to measure yourself by anything except your own love for Jesus, you can be assured that you are growing—and God promises to be with you!

Beloved, you can mark this down, because it is God’s promise to you! From the very hour you focus again on building up Christ’s body—setting aside all thoughts of measuring up and all selfish ways, letting Him become your all—you will begin to see His manifold blessing. You can literally mark it down! You will know He is favoring you, smiling on you, rejoicing in you!

May God bless you through my writing. If He has especially touched you in any way, please leave a comment below. Your comments are so very encouraging to me to help me to keep writing. Also, click on the “Uptweet” button on the above right and share! I pray you will keep coming back. I fully believe that my writing is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so if I am writing, there is someone that needs to read it! Maybe it’s you? Also, please be sure to share any questions you might have with me and if you would like to keep them personal (just between you and me) please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at juliana.pace@gmail.com. If I don’t know how to answer you, I will may every attempt to refer you to someone for more information. Thanks and may God bless all your days!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

PRAYER REQUEST SHARE & UPDATE - A MUST READ

YESTERDAY’S PRAYER REQUEST:  “Hello!  I just realized that even more than prayers for the procedure that I feel the need for are the prayers for my adjustment to having teeth again and adjustment to the plate.  I haven’t had the means of talking correctly for more than 10 years so I’m a bit apprehensive right now and I’ll be honest, scared!  No matter how much I tell myself the truth, quoting scripture and all, I’m still fearful!

Thank you all for your prayers!  XOXOXOXO”

UPDATE:  Oh my…thank you, Lord!  Just had to share that I was sitting here and it kept coming to mind to read this little devotional that I have by Sarah Young who also wrote “Jesus Calling” which I loved.  This one is called “Dear Jesus”  and you will see how much this goes along with my urgent prayer request from yesterday (typing it helps me to drive it into my mind, too):

“Instead of striving for a predictable, safe lifestyle, seek to know Me in greater depth and breadth.  I want to make your life a glorious adventure, but you must stop clinging to old ways.

Dear Jesus,
        You know how ambivalent my heart is.  I long for the glorious adventure that a life abandoned to You can be.  At the same time I cling to old ways, because change frightens me.  I feel safest when my life is predictable and things seem to be under control.  Help me break free and discover the adventures You have planned for me.

Beloved the greatest adventure is knowing Me superabundantly, discovering how wide and long and high and deep is My Love for you.  The Power of My Vast Love can feel overwhelming.  That is why Many people choose to limit their knowledge of Me, keeping Me at a safe distance.  How that grieves Me!  People settle for mediocrity because it feels more comfortable.  However, they continue to battle fear.  Only My Love is strong enough to break the hold that fear has on you.  A predictable lifestyle may feel safer, but it can shield you from what you need most of all…Me!

When unexpected events shake up your routines, rejoice.  This is exactly what you need to wake you up and point you toward Me.  Recognize that you are on the threshold of a new adventure, and that I will be with you every step of the way.  As we venture out together, cling tightly to My hand.  The more you abandon yourself to Me, the more exuberantly you can experience My Love.


And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.  Ephesians 3:17-18

There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  1John 4:18

My soul clings to you, your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:8”


I must also share that yesterday I shared with a friend that the one thing that can set off anger in me is being interrupted.  It doesn’t bother me like it once did, but it still can get to me.  I can also sit here feeling bored when I’ve got plenty to do, I just want more out of life…that’s Him!

 Also, on Sunday, during the Boldness sermon exercise I shared in church that God is calling me to fasting and pressing in closer to Him.  I bawled when I read this!  We certainly serve an awesome God!  Hoping that this is some small way, blesses your day, too!

Thanks for the prayers, and notes, too!  XOXOXOXOXO"


May God bless you through my writing. If He has especially touched you in any way, please leave a comment below. Your comments are so very encouraging to me to help me to keep writing. Also, click on the “Uptweet” button on the above right and share! I pray you will keep coming back. I fully believe that my writing is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so if I am writing, there is someone that needs to read it! Maybe it’s you? Also, please be sure to share any questions you might have with me and if you would like to keep them personal (just between you and me) please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at juliana.pace@gmail.com. If I don’t know how to answer you, I will may every attempt to refer you to someone for more information. Thanks and may God bless all your days!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

My Mom-in-Law Share

       I’ve decided that I need to share this finding with the followers of this blog.  Hoping it will give you an “ah” moment in your mundane Tuesday.  My mother-in-law was promoted to glory on 8-16-11.  She was 80 years old, had a short lived elevation in her illness and went home to be with the Lord where she’d dreamed of being for some years now.  I’m thankful that she was seemingly comfortable for a good long time here on this earth and that we know that she is now even more comfortable, pain and tear free in heaven.

          While going through the things at her home we came upon a poem that she had written for me.  My mind fails me as to whether I’d been given it before since I can’t say that I recognize it.  I can say that it brought tears when we found it this time.

Juliana

You came into the life of my son
God assured me my rearing was done;
When you met him, and brightened his life,
Later, you became my son’s dear wife.

So here you are, a ways down the road,
You have both shouldered a heavy load;
Though Devil has thrown some nasty darts,
He can’t penetrate your Godly hearts.

Don’t dwell on the sickness or rough times,
Just trust in the Lord, and you’ll be fine;
Jesus is there, in laughter and tears,
He will stay with you, throughout the years!

Happy Birthday!!!! (#29 and holding)
Love, and God bless you, Mom

         

          The one thing that I’ve never forgotten in our 20 year marriage and will undoubtedly remember to my own grave is that my mother-in-law found out about my past, including the prison time during the week of our marriage.  She didn’t bat an eye.  Mom just said that she was happy that her son found a Godly wife.  And, that is the way that it should be!



I don’t have a specific video to go along with this post but thought I’d just share a song that continues to bless me and I truly believe is my favorite of all time.  I’ve been told again and again of its heavy anointing.  Praying you are blessed!







May God bless you through my writing. If He has especially touched you in any way, please leave a comment below. Your comments are so very encouraging to me to help me to keep writing. Also, click on the “Uptweet” button on the above right and share! I pray you will keep coming back. I fully believe that my writing is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so if I am writing, there is someone that needs to read it! Maybe it’s you? Also, please be sure to share any questions you might have with me and if you would like to keep them personal (just between you and me) please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at juliana.pace@gmail.com. If I don’t know how to answer you, I will may every attempt to refer you to someone for more information. Thanks and may God bless all your days!