DAY 28: HAPPY THANKSGIVING...

         

So, this whole month, along with several others I have been sharing my thankfulness for something each day. Today is Thanksgiving Day and I awake especially thankful and reminiscent!

"I am thankful for My God, Who is my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to whom I am thankful for ALL THINGS great and small! He is the means from where ALL of my thankfulness and trust begins."

      *Hebrews 12:2  "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

I woke up yesterday morning with this song going through my head but had to run due to a doctor’s appointment so never did get to pay a whole lot of attention to it. 

Last night I had a health scare and it started me doing even more praying than I normally do. My hubby and I were up late working on food for today so I have now had very little sleep which in all honestly, ONLY causes me to trust in Him even more. He is my ROCK! I’ve shared that I lean on Him so much that I should look like I’m walking sideways!

This morning I woke up with the same song going through my head. The health scare had been resolved (PRAISE THE LORD) and I found the song lyrics to read and share while listening to the song. So profound that tears came! I just wish all of you could know from where your thankfulness begins! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

HILLSONG UNITED - OCEANS (WHERE FEET MAY FAIL) LYRICS

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

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!

WHO AM I?

OH MY!  And I’m finding out!  Don’t ever settle!  Don’t ever be satisfied with YOU being someone that YOU’RE NOT!  You were created by God!  God, the ALMIGHTY CREATOR of the UNIVERSE!  Ask Him who He created you to be!  With each step towards finding out, I am more and more overjoyed!  If you’ve been following this blog for long then you know that I’m a ‘been there, done that’ meaning there is not much I haven’t experienced or someone close to me has.  Each time I see God’s transformation in me, NONE of that mess matters or has the slightest weight on my head/heart!  I’m an overjoyed to see what God has taught me through each experience!  Even though so many things, “LIFE” is hard so many times, in looking back I can certainly see His plan laid out and it’s producing more and more joy in my life!  I hope you can tell I’m elated!  Haven’t come down since yesterday’s message in church!

To explain, a very gifted, God-fearing young man gave the message yesterday morning instead of our Pastor.  He does this periodically and I have ALWAYS gained much from every message that he’s given.  There is no doubt these are God constructed!  (I was in a class with this young man several years’ back that his wife led (early 20’s at the time) and he was so very quiet!  God’s work in him is so very apparent).  God’s work in so many in our church is apparent but there are others who seem to be quite stagnant or leading just mundane lives as Christians.  Which is what his message was about.  About not living a life of just day to day humdrum!  Or, not living a mundane life!   Letting go and letting God run with you!

When I left work outside the home in 2001, I was clueless as to why this was happening to me and I’ve seen so many reasons that they are countless at this point….OH MY! 

I was previously working at a huge hospital in Ohio.  I was a Radiological Transcriptionist.  I trained on the job so that I could up my pay, then I could work less hours and go back to school to be a Paramedic.  I found the idea that I had also posed to God from watching the movie “Twister”.  I found a fire within me while working in the Emergency Room (check out my archives).  I became a prayer warrior there.  I never felt so alive working this job.  All the doors were opened until I got sick, then a door slammed in my face.    So, I’ve basically questioned God about this abrupt ending ever since!  I truly thought I was following Him but now I believe I’m seeing that it was just the ending of one season in my life and onward to another season. 

During the message yesterday it was almost as if this young man was talking just to me.  God spoke to me alongside.  I was having trouble being situated in my seat it was such a moving experience.  He spoke of not being satisfied with the mundane.  I can’t say I’ve ever been.  I grew up cleaning out cupboards and drawers for my mother when I was grounded.  And now, I rarely even watch TV without my hands going, working on some type of art, painting my nails, going through my magazines, etc… or I’m asleep!  Yes, I am ADHD.  Was diagnosed taking my step-son to the doctor when I was 39 years old.  But, God also showed me that this was a part of me and that I should focus on the positive aspects.

Positive Aspects of ADHD

Positive Qualities of ADHD

I hate being sick longer than a day!  All of this (I’m sure) is also why God had to let me be knocked down with the CNS Vasculitis so I could learn (one of my many thanksgivings from this illness) to be still and know He is God!  So I would slow down enough to hear His voice more clearly.  And, I have learned (as in archives) that I operate so much better being disabled by the world, but enabled by God!

*Psalm 46:10a “Be still, and know that I am God;”

(Being disabled is something that I am working on doing some writing about in my own time.  Matter of fact, I’ve recently gotten through my head for the umpteenth time that I need to write about the whole sickness, etc… (archives again).  I’ve shared so much in the past.  When writing, even short e-mails now and then, I can write myself into figuring things out and sometimes giving things to God that just wouldn't seem to go there any other way.)

In so many ways I have been learning who God made me to be and by letting Him have this, He is making sense of my life and in doing so I’m learning that all the mess is strangely dim and how much ALL of it has been answer to my own prayers, too!

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!

Comparing Yourself to Others

I woke up this morning in the midst of a dream where the Lord was teaching me about something from my past. I remembered that my step-son always tried to pull one over on me, seemingly treating me like he knew so much more than me. I remember telling him that he would never know more than me. I’m still not sure if that is true or not. Is there any way to put our knowledge in a measuring cup to compare? I don’t think so. I do think I knew this all along but for some reason I needed to know it or maybe just to share it now because I know God was telling me about it last night. 

He used a much younger lady from my church for comparison. She has three little girls, which I have never had. I started out with my step-son when he was 13. Even though I had friends with small girls that I got acquainted with, I still would never know what this younger lady had learned from the experience of being a mother to 3 of them. So, whether we had difference in our amount of knowledge or not was not in question here but the differences in what we knew and learned from life experience.

We are uniquely made. We know what we know because we need to know it. I’ve been belittled quite a bit due to the fact of me having a stroke with brain lesions so during the illness I still compare myself to “Forrest Gump”. My IQ was quite a bit lower due to active disease in my brain. This led to me feeling quite insignificant and I actually had to relearn how to brush my teeth. Even though the knowledge was still in my head, it did not translate to the outside due to certain physical deficits. My IQ now is even higher than before I got sick due to relearning many things. My step-son is now an electrician and I certainly don’t know what he does about electricity but he also doesn’t know how to work with different painting mediums, epoxy, and other things that I use for painting. And, neither of us are supposed to either.

       *1 Corinthians 12: 12-31 "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.

If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?  But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.  And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,  but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,  that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?  But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Explanation behind my art from my Facebook Art Page:

Something by Juliana

"A Christian, mixed-media artist, writer, volunteer, mother, wife and on and on. I wear many hats! This is the place where I can update you on all of them or if you have a question, you can contact me. Most of my artwork is inspired by our Creator's Complexity in that He created each one of us so unfathomable that one has to look many times over to see every aspect of each and every one of us! I appreciate that uniqueness and appreciate those who dare to be who God created them to be! I hope you enjoy my art and appreciate that I also include a bit of whimsy as me being who I was created to be! I don't expect you to love it all but I hope you find something that you can appreciate! I've crafted as long as I can remember. My Grandpa bought my first piece when I was 10, telling me that good art should be paid for! But, I just presented myself to the world as an artist in 2004!" 

And so I got up to write this about an hour earlier than my alarm so that I would remember it and would have no distractions!

I attended a Christian Women's Conference approximately 2 weeks ago with a friend and one song stands out.  The worship team played this song and there were women dancing all over.  This was the opening night and it sure set the stage for what I was in for!  Enjoy:

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!

He is Making Perfect Sense...

I must apologize for not writing. The AC went down in our computer room/studio 3 weeks ago today (from the date of this post) and since we live in Florida it became quite uncomfortable to work in here. We are, though, just starting to get into the weather where it is a bit cooler at night so I am able to write now. New AC in within a couple of days now.

A week or so ago I took my husband to work and used the car to run around in Brandon and Tampa. Oh how I surely needed that day!

I saved an e-mail reminder of inspiration to write about but I couldn't find it when it came time to write so I just listened for the inspiration. I’d run around all day, finding myself at Starbucks to relax, write, and kill a couple more hours. Soft lighting, sounds of jazz piano playing softly, super comfy chair, Sugar free Cinnamon Dulce Skinny Latte, and brought in my own gluten free double chocolate biscotti! As I sat and wrote, contemplating my day, I couldn't have asked for more! Just what I needed! One of those times I’ll remember – God gives each one of us what we need, individually! I love that! He doesn't lump us altogether, He treats each and every one of us as an individual. Good thing to remember because it surely helps with curbing a judgmental attitude – what I need, what you need, what they need, may be totally different things. Yet, He loves us enough to meet ALL of OUR NEEDS!

     *Philippians 4:19  "And my God shall supply all your need according to His        riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Most of you know of the intense illness I went through. It has now been just over 10 years since I got out of bed. After all I’ve been through, this 53 year old (now a much older looking version of myself) is just starting to learn to love ME, ME with my early wrinkles and flaws. ME, now knowing that it doesn't take tremendous beauty on the outside!I actually got false eyelashes applied today! I’d chickened out after buying a new pair nearly two years ago. I finally did it today even though it felt like putting a new, bright & shiny hood ornament on an old jalopy!  

It felt so good to ME that I cried! I had to watch crying them off! It was the girliest thing I’d done for ME in years!



As I left Starbucks to go pick up my hubby, the song Miracle Maker came on my CD player – A perfect end to my playday!

He is making perfect sense out of a perfectly senseless, messed up life! He never ceases to amaze me!  (Check out my blog subtitle!)



Recommendations:Spend as much time as possible in God’s word and prayer. As much time as YOU need. Remember, we are ALL individuals. Pray and ask God how much time YOU NEED. I need more than just ½ hour per day to keep my head together, maybe YOU NEED that too, maybe not! Mostly I’ve heard ½ hour which is definitely not enough for me. I spend an hour to even 3 or 4 most days and occasionally I’m unable to spend no time at all but that is not determined by me. It is determined by Him! 
Spend as much time as possible listening to worship music. I have found that with ADD and a wicked past that it helps to keep ME focused. Pray about what YOU NEED!

PRAY…PRAY…PRAY!

      *1 John 5:14  "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we         ask anything according to His will, He hears us."

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!

DRAWING NEAR to GOD (Update)

   

*James 4:8a “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

I was having a weird day! Just not right. Maybe exhausted. I felt confused trying to decide anything even as minimal as deciding what color to do my nails; what to wear out the next two days. Couldn't seem to grasp anything ; back hurting too so ate, took Ibuprophen, turned on Pandora worship; got in recliner. (I quit setting an alarm. Started praying for The Lord to wake me if I dozed off.). I just soaked for a bit; then dozed for maybe 1/2 hour. I woke up knowing what to do, what color to do my nails.

I started to share this but I believe that God told me to use this as a writing assignment. I'd posed the question to Him previously. Intimacy with God is the subject. How He cares about the smallest details of our lives! I know many don't get that! Awesome! I'm Bcc’ing this to myself to help me remember.”

intimacy
in·ti·ma·cy
[in-tuh-muh-see]
noun, plural in·ti·ma·cies.
1. the state of being intimate.
2. a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personalrelationship with another person or group.
3. a close association with or detailed knowledge or deepunderstanding of a place, subject, period of history, etc.: anintimacy with Japan.
4. an act or expression serving as a token of familiarity, affection,or the like: to allow the intimacy of using first names.
Synonyms
2. closeness, familiarity, warmth, affection.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.

THAT’S IT!
You can have it too. It says so in His word! It is for everyone! If you “draw near to Him, He will draw near to you”. He will give you whatever you need. Do you think this means just material/physical needs?

*Phil. 4:19: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Of course not! Yes, we do have material/physical needs but we are spiritual, mental, and emotional beings, too. We have a spirit.


*Romans 8:16 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”

*1 Corinthians 6:20 “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

*Luke 12: 23-25 “Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

He is here for you. Cry out to Him. Ask Him to show you what life is really all about! You are the apple of His eye! He wants to care for you! He wants a relationship with you!

*Romans 8:5-8 “Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.

If you want to read more about this, please see some of my archives:

Writing at Beach - An Angel Visit

He Delivered Me From Depression

I'm Amazed - He's Better Than Drugs

*Mark 11:22-25 "Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, ‘Go jump in the lake’—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it’s as good as done. That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it’s not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive —only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.”"

GET IN THE WORD! GET IN PRAYER! HE LOVES YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN COMPREHEND….FIND OUT HOW MUCH!

Find out more of how much He loves you:

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!

We Serve an Awesome God – Gotta Give a Testimony

I have just got to give a testimony! Most of you know that I have been in recovery from a major (supposed terminal) illness for 10 years now. I used to have some awful chronic painful spells until I went off of the wheat last year and that brought them down to maybe 5% of what they used to be. 

Since I started this “Relentless” class in church about 6 weeks ago I had been having more pain than normal and this morning was just almost unbearable. I sometimes get on the floor to alignment my back (stretch, etc.) and could just barely make it down there, moaning and groaning all the way. (The only way I know how to explain it is that I feel like I'm burning from head to toe...like I'm on fire!)  We went to church and when I hit the pew I sang the first worship song fighting back the tears. I pleaded with the Lord within the song as my eyes welled up. Next we were passed out the elements for Communion. As I sat holding them all of a sudden I thought “where’d the pain go?” Suddenly all of the pain had left and as I type this, I have had no more pain reliever and I’m fully out of pain still! Hallelujah!

Just thought I might share a song that our worship team led us in this morning that was already a favorite of mine by Kim Walker-Smith.  I hope you all enjoy it:  

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!

ARE YOU BAPTIZED?

I’m sorry I haven’t been posting much lately. I shared that I’d been doing more writing for myself but I found out when I actually did go away to write 6 days ago that I had been in a writer’s block. Actually, there was some personal writing that I needed to do. Something that God was showing me to do that I’d been running from. Obedience is key for the rest of your life to work, HONESTLY! I hate it when I stupidly do that! I hate how gooped up it makes my life feel when I know something isn't right but I just won’t face it!

So, right away just 3 days later I received the inspiration from the Holy Spirit to write again. To start at the beginning, I went searching on YouTube for a video to send to someone. This is a worship song that we sang in church on Sunday morning where several youth plus others were all down front worshiping God and then we took communion as the worship team quietly sang this song. Just an amazing, glorifying time between our church family and the Lord! I knew my friend didn't have a copy so I wanted to share it with her. Instead of finding the best version of the song that I wanted to on, I ran into this video.  And, did it ever spark my memory. It came to mind to share it with you:

In 1972 I was sprinkled as a right of baptism in the Episcopal church. They normally baptize as babies but I started out in a Baptist church where they do not baptize until later when you are capable of making your own decision. We left the Baptist church when I was 8 and started attending an Episcopal church. I was 12 years old at the time when I decided to be baptized along with the ritual of confirmation into the Episcopal church. I can’t say that it left any more of an impression upon my heart except that of performing a known ritual. There are different beliefs about baptism but as a newly recognized believer in 1988 it was my belief that baptism is done in obedience to God and it has to be done with true belief in this by the one being baptized. I know this was not the case when I was sprinkled. Here are some links for you to search through and make up your own minds.

Google Search for the word Baptism

Definition

Bible Gateway Search

So, I believed that I needed to be fully immersed to be truly baptized. Now I don’t think that the place where you are baptized makes a big difference. I believe it’s the attitude in your heart; Why are you doing it? What does it mean to you?

While watching this video I cried as my thoughts went back to the time that I was baptized (immersed). For those of you who don’t know my past, you might read some of the archives. I rededicated my life to the Lord in July of 1988 after being arrested for selling LSD. After several months I knew that I would be going to court in December and I knew I would be going to prison. This was the scariest time in my life but as I look back this 25 years later it was the most wonderful time in my life. A transitional, a turning point! I walked away from that awful drunken, drugged up life almost all of my friends and began a walk with Jesus! Although most would see facing prison as just the worst time, Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” So remembering now is amazing. Five days prior to being sentenced I was baptized. I told the congregation of observers that I’d made a mess of trying to run my own life so I’d decided to let Jesus run it instead. I was immersed and came up bawling and completely soaked the pastor’s wife. The tears were not that of sadness but of joy! I FELT clean, pardoned, excited…my life was changed and now I was sharing it with the world (church congregation but still…)

When I got home, I called my brother (minister) and his wife and read the words to this amazing song to them over the phone:

"Walk With Me" by Whitecross.

Julie my child
Why do you run?
Why have you turned away from me?
You say it's hard
To live perfectly
And all you can see
Is how you fail me constantly
You fail me constantly
You fail me constantly

My blood has cleansed you
Your sins are remembered no more
So come on, and walk with me

Julie my child
I've set you free
For I want you to be with me eternally
I love you so
I want you to know
That I'm the one who's calling you home
Calling you home
Calling you home

My blood has cleansed you
Your sins are remembered no more
So come on, and walk with me
My blood has cleansed you
Your sins are remembered no more
So come on, and walk with me

Very hard to find a good video for this song since it was popular in the 1980's but I found a music video:

We had this album. I went by “Julie” at the time. This song was like God, Himself, talking to me! My brother and his wife cried! They were almost speechless they were so happy!

Jesus didn't care what I did. For the first time, I really got it that He’d forgotten my sins and just wanted me to come and walk with Him! I was saved at 13 but no one ever shared with me that Jesus wanted to have a personal relationship with me.

If you’d like to have your past forgiven and walk forward into a new life with Jesus, just pray this simple prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus,

I need you. I repent for all of my sins. Thank you for dying on the cross to take the penalty for my sins. I believe you are God’s Son and I now receive you as my Savior and Lord. I commit my life to following You.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

If you have taken the step and truly mean it in your heart, please comment on this blog post below and I will respond to you.
Romans 10:9 “… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”



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!

I Found My 2nd True Passion at 38 - ART

This morning my memory was sparked by the sharing of T.G.I.F and my thoughts that I’m just happy to know that I’ll have two days with my husband. After 22 years of marriage we have been back to having the house to ourselves for a few years and at least I always feel the happiest when I know he and I have days together.

So I sat here and thought back to a trip we took in 1998. My hubby reserved tickets to an art exhibit for Mary Cassatt at the Art Institute of Chicago for the day after Thanksgiving as an early anniversary gift (12/8 anniversary). Impressionist art used to be my very favorite yet now it is one of many. You can imagine my elation!

He also reserved a room for us at the Airport Hilton. Such a magnificent and most definitely memorable weekend. My only regret that year was that our thanksgiving dinner was spent in the hotel restaurant instead of with our family (probably a first for my life). Although I remember having duck (my favorite) so that had to at least make up for things a little, huh? 

The day after thanksgiving was unseasonably warm that year. I was feeling quite cozy and lovely in my blue jeans with the peach colored lace blouse and my woolen sweater with the fur collar. An outfit with the availability of carrying a small concealed crossbody bag underneath for riding the EL which we could enter from our hotel with plans of running around Chicago all day.

Our first stop was the Art Institute. The institute greeters were dressed to

look like Carolers from a vintage postcard, carrying trays of cookies. The lions at the front were graced with huge wreaths around their necks (see photo). Chamber music resonated through the front doors as we walked inside.  Live chamber music played upon our entrance.  The days started out as if in a fairy land.

We walked through rooms of Mary Cassatt, Monet, Manet, Degas, and Renoir (my favorite). I never dreamed of being in such a place. Then I saw it, my most favorite painting of Renoir’s.

from across the room and by the time I got over to it, tears were running down my face. The only passion I’d felt stronger was for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I never knew it was in me! No wonder I had to be an artist! As Joe rushed to my side, I looked to see who might be watching me. And that day continued to be moving and a time I will never forget!

We went on to experiencing Chicago in this fairy tale setting. There was a band playing in the city center along with Salvation Army bands playing the sounds of the season. Everything was decorated for Christmas. One place had several stories of escalators and decorations hung from the ceiling down. And another with a tree that stood several stories high. We ended our day in this grand city in the lounge at the top of the Ritz Carlton at sunset. OH MY, what a day!

Chicago Tribune - NEWS

Small World

By Alan G. Artner, Tribune Art Critic | October 18, 1998
Mary Cassatt was an artist of unfailing taste and seriousness. Sometimes she painted daringly, often she drew beautifully, always she made prints exquisitely. But Cassatt also concentrated on female subjects that express the narrow range of activities open to even the most independent 19th Century women. And that ultimately will determine how viewers react to her large retrospective at the Art Institute of Chicago, for it's what causes 90 paintings, drawings, pastels and prints to have a decidedly small impact.

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!

Celebrate Recovery + 2015 Edit

I joined 3/28/13

I haven’t posted in some time mostly because I have been doing some of my own “journaling” and soul searching. It has been accelerated since I started going to Celebrate Recovery. This is basically a Christian 12-step group that was founded by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church. I have been a food addict my entire life and, for the umpteenth time, I was just sick of it. I shared this with my brother and he shared Celebrate Recovery with me. He takes me weekly. 

What a marvelous discovery this was and as with all others, I joined CR with one thing in mind and in just a few short months I’ve found a whole lot more baggage to let go of that I'd been carrying around.  The major reason why my writing had been a bit more self-centered, but just for a time! Not that I will quit going but I see the light in the horizon. I don’t believe it will continue to be such intense study! 

I wrote this recently in my “I See God” Smashbook:

“I met them, those “birds of a feather” and I became one of them. Now 5/18/13, wow, soon to be 60 days and adding 6 months for the commitment on 1/1/13 to letting God reorganize my life! It’s about commitment! It’s about moving forward with God at the helm! It’s about knowing this is the ONLY way to live! 

As I sit here watching the movie “Twister” (Twister @ IMDB)it’s brought

to my mind that we in CR are facing life, facing all the storms we've been through and are to come. BUT, we aren't doing it alone. We are with God and each other! This group is a group of “birds of a feather” grabbing a hold of God with all the gusto of these passionate tornado chasers! WHERE FAITH and FEAR COLLIDE! Even though there is fear in facing these storms, with God we have the faith to push on!

*II Peter 1:5-6 “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”"

 http://www.celebraterecovery.com/

IN ADDITION - 2015 Edit

i just shared this for the umpteenth time and was thinking that I needed an update.  More than 2 years later I am still at Celebrate Recovery.  Although I have missed several times along the way with a couple of pretty long vacations (during times necessary due to life, moving & etc...).  I am now in a different location and the first meeting place actually closed down yet there are several and more opening up in this area.  This new to me place is amazing.  When we worship, the Holy Spirit falls and you know we are all seeking Him!  So, I decided today that I must share a worship song that seems to have become our theme song:

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!

He Just Keeps it Coming – Romans 8:28

*Romans 8:28 (NKJV) “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

And, I want to see that in a different Bible version!

*Romans 8:28 (The Message) “That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”

 

We had an Evangelist at our church last week and I was able to be there the first evening of it.  For the first time in literally years I felt more comfortable in my skin.  I even felt thinner!  I was just having an awesome time during worship!  I felt ecstatic…”Yay God”! 

 

And the next day I awoke, knowing that God was showing me that it was time.  After 2.5 years in bed, numerous healings, and 10 years of recovery, He was showing me that it’s time.  It’s time to get back out in the world again.  Hallelujah!  I’ve been ecstatic!  I don’t think anyone could know how that feels unless they’d been there!  And, I’m out there with so very much more freedom in my heart! 

 

Thank and Praise the Lord!  I just shared with someone most of what I've been doing lately in black & white and I shocked myself!  Ya think?  The world disabled me but God enabled me!  Praises and prayers for His ever ongoing strength and provision!  And, I shared:  "I play Scrabble & Draw Something and nothing else (with Facebook friends) no time! Did you know I am an artist and a writer? I'm writing my 2nd book. I have 2 pages on Facebook and I write 2 blogs, too? I'm now a Youth Leader and in 2 groups of Celebrate Recovery per week!"  Didn't even add in the housework and all the selling I'm doing on E-Bay right now on top of caring for myself!  OH MY!

I'm ADD, this is how I roll - an hour here, 2 hours there.  Much more productive for me than an 8 hour day doing one thing.  This is what He made me for!  Romans 8:28 Sometimes it's darkest before the dawn, ya know?

I haven't shared much lately but I just thought of a good one to share.  I love it cause it's what I've felt since I rededicated my life to the Lord in 1988 and I've shared this sentiment numerous times...enjoy:

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!

FACEBOOK UPDATE + GRACE & The 99?

POSTED A FEW WEEKS AGO - ACCIDENTLY DELETED!

I thought that taking a break from Facebook would be so hard and I was so wrong. All though extremely beneficial at times, I did come to know that I was spending too much time on Facebook. I just couldn’t seem to pull myself away. So, I prayed! I have been off of Facebook for just a day shy of a week and it’s so much easier than I ever thought. I feel free! I believe that God showed me that I needed to get off of Facebook completely and give it to Him. I can also say that I’m not yet 100% sure about how long I will be off; taking it one day at a time. Prior to leaving I had a friend suggest taking a day’s break every week which I do believe that I will do when I come back. I have so much more time for other things that I enjoy doing that I’m sure it will be no problem when I finally do get through this habit-breaking time. Thank you, Lord!

I am also being so inspired to write almost daily. This morning something came to mind to share with you. Facebook can be quite distracting. Surrendering to Jesus means surrendering everything, even though I do believe I was sharing God’s love with many, many others on Facebook. It’s up to Him to decide.

An interesting explanation regarding Proverbs 3:5,6 is about a time I was headed out to go do some writing on the beach but I was leaving too late so it came to mind to just go down by the river and write but I wouldn’t be going by my normal places to pick up coffee, etc… so I prayed about where to go and I believe I was led to put all of my earrings on; that was 9 altogether. I had no idea why I was doing it but I just knew I was supposed to.

I left to write and the only convenience store between home and the river going through town to the best writing place, I stopped at. When I came up to the register with my purchase the young man behind the counter had piercings and he smiled real big and was very polite when I checked out. As I left I asked God why this was necessary and I heard Him say because when I wear my earrings it helped him to feel better about himself and I don’t want him to feel bad about himself because I love him.

**Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

**I Corinthians 9:19-23 - Serving All Men – “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.”

Many members from my church along with my pastor have been volunteering for an extremely beneficial outreach to youth that started just last weekend and is continuing for the next 3 weekends. I would truly recommend you taking part in this yourself as a volunteer along with taking and/or sending any teenagers or young adults to view this outreach if The 99 comes to your town.


"WHAT IS THE 99?
On average, 99 young people between the ages of 12 and 24 die every day in the United States.
"THE 99" is a symbol based on statistics from the National Center for Disease Control.

THE 99
is a walkthrough theater that graphically reenacts the five leading causes of death in teenagers and young adults. Many of these deaths are influenced by drugs or alcohol and a vast majority of them can be avoided.

The production is state-of-the-art production designed to portray the very real consequences of poor decisions that claim almost 37,000 young lives every year. The production is not based on fear or scare tactics, but rather is based solely on reality with each room designed from real life situations."

(taken from www.whatisthe99.com )

I just recently got a new album by Colton Dixon who made it down to one of the final few contestants on American Idol in 2012. I was unhappy when he was voted off because he truly shared his love for God in this contest. You can imagine my delight when I found out he did an album. I love the album in it's entirety but I especially took notice to one particular song that I knew right off was quite anointed by the Holy Spirit. I believe it could be the theme song for The 99. What do you think?

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!

Do You Play?

I’ve not been a good one for that for much of my adult life and it is so very therapeutic. I’ve learned this since I decided to finally announce to the world that I’m an artist. I’ve also found other artists who consider at least some of their art to be “playing” as I do. 

Do any of you feel the need to spend more quality time with God? “Playing” can help you to do this!

I believe I shared in another blog post about the rare illness that I had, CNS Vasculitis. This illness was only found in autopsy prior to 1999 so it was quite rare. I once knew a site administrator for information on this illness and she had done a poll of the people registered to the site. The ONLY thing that ALL participants had in common is that we were ALL work-a-holics. Is that you?

I don’t believe that God wants us to just work all the time. And, if you’re anything like I was, my mind didn’t slow down enough to hear from Him very often at all until I learned to “play”. You need to find a hobby, something that you enjoy, something that helps you to slow down and get your mind off of the list of a million and one things that you have pending!

What do I do? Well, I put on worship music a bit more quietly and tune all else out while “playing” with my art. In doing so I get so quiet that I am able to also easily commune with God. I’m able to have quality time with Him. I’m still doing something but I’m quieted. More things have come to me while doing this. I’ve gotten out of more funky moods while doing this, too!

My “playing” in the art piece above was even more “playful” since it was an old piece that I’d saved with Encaustic wax on it so I “played” with my heat gun melting the old wax (what fun) and letting it run all over! I think I’ve discovered a different kind of art for me and I’m still working on it (will post a photo when finished). ONLY God knows what you might discover!

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!

Depression?

I am reading daily devotionals from You Version Bible on my iPhone (If you have an iPhone just search for You Version. Our pastor uses it for the sermon notes. It’s very good. Many devotionals, too!. This one came to me last week so I sent it to myself to write about:

“Psalms 25:15-20 “My eyes are ever toward the Lord, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.”

This keeps coming to mind this morning. I recall reading it last week and remembering how I was told by several people and read also that if you are having trouble with depression that reading Psalms is very helpful. Reason? David is known to have had to suffer some depression. Can you honestly tell me after reading the above that he didn’t? Yet David is said to be a man after God’s own heart! I believe it’s due to David being honest with Him so it testifies to their relationship!

I’ve done it in the past and it does really work! Since being healed from the extended illness and further delivered from depression I have learned to view life a bit differently so that I just don’t seem to go into anything more than a few days or so feeling depressed instead of going into an extended depression. Reading Psalms does help me, also. But I believe God has shown me that no matter how lousy my day is, I can ALWAYS find someone who is having a worse one!

My mother used to just get disgusted with me being so positive so much of the time. I came up with reason after reason which I know are still truths! My life has been one with numerous depressions, attempted suicides, etc… and for one I trust and believe in God’s word in this:

*2 Corinthians 1:4 “who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

On top of all of this I believe that God just revealed to me recently a promise from Him that I hadn’t noticed before. After these approx. 7 years of being delivered from such debilitating deep depressions over a good 35-40 years of my life, I was led back to the first time that I spoke in front of a group. It was a Bible study when I was in prison (don’t ever put anything past the Lord cause I said God would never use me to speak in front of others. I think it took maybe 6 weeks before He proved me wrong) that had never had a speaker before. My closest girlfriend in there was in the audience. After it was over she called me out of my cell that evening and shared:

Isaiah 61: 1-3 ““The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

(Yes, I know this is about Jesus.) She shared with me that I’d spoken about all the things in this passage. I bawled like a baby.

But even more lately I’ve been reminded of the positivity of this passage and especially “To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning”. I have been saved out of the depression so that I may share His comfort with others! I now know that I actually have trouble thinking negatively due to the promises that He has given me! All praise and glory to Jesus!

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!

Day 23 of My Facebook Break!

And, look what I just found: 

“I want to share another excerpt from the book "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. Through this book, God speaks to me over and over again; much of the time, by impressing upon me things that I know over and over again to make an exclamation of their importance upon my brain. "Seek My Face, and you will find all that you have longed for. The deepest yearnings of your heart are for intimacy with Me. I know, because I designed you to desire Me. Do not feel guilty about taking time to be still in My Presence. You are simply responding to the tugs of divinity within you. I made you in My image, and I hid heaven in your heart. Your yearning for Me is a form of homesickness: longing for your true home in heaven.

Do not be afraid to be different from other people. The path I have called you to travel is exquisitely right for you. The more closely you follow My leading, the more fully I can develop your gifts. To follow Me wholeheartedly, you must relinquish your desire to please other people. However, your closeness to Me will bless others by enabling you to shine brightly in this dark world."”

I shared this several years ago on this blog and I just realized that it fits even more now than it did then! I took this break so I could break the habit of spending too much time on Facebook and after 23 days I can see it has truly worked! Yet, after I started this break I decided to make it a fast from Facebook for Lent. 

Be seein' ya 'all again real soon!

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!

God Heals in Many Ways - 2013

For some time now, probably our entire marriage of 22 years, I've been praying for my husband to come along side me with diet and exercise. I've had issues with being overweight since I was born a 10 lb. 8 oz. baby (Can you believe I was adopted? And it was natural childbirth?). I've had a life of Yo-Yo dieting except that I've never really understood how I could be extremely active and still carry so much extra weight. I dreamed of a day when I’d have someone to do it all with. Especially once we were in the same home. 

Since our son left home it has gotten much better about just not keeping the junk around as much. We've kept healthier food in the house for a good 7 years now and I managed to lose 80 pounds without even really dieting, just eating what I’d thought was healthy food. But I've only been able to get minimal exercise, partly due to not being able to do certain exercise alone (for safety reasons), lack of motivation, or just plain stubbornness (I’ll admit it). So naturally I thought that if someone else would do it with me that it’d be much less of a feat! I also had no idea that I needed to continue to change my diet even more and what an impact it would make on me.

Last year my husband ended up being hospitalized twice in February. One time it was for his heart which seemed to make him sit up and take notice. (He has been more than 100 pounds overweight for quite some time now. I will admit to the fact that I’m sure part of his problem was also the fact that I spent so much time sick and unable to help to motivate him. Also he is into computers and office related work which can be the most sedentary.) All of a sudden, a few months after this he started reading. And before long he started reading to me about this Wheat Belly Diet: (http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health/dp/1609611543/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362752253&sr=1-1&keywords=the+wheat+belly+diet - now 1470 reviews). Then we decided to get the book and we started reading it. I read it some but he became so convinced that he even read it to me. So, by just about 4 months after his last hospitalization we started on this diet.

It took us about a month to prepare since we had to clean all of the wheat products out of the house. Think it sounds hard or even impossible? Well, we just passed our 9 month mark, totally without wheat! Well, I actually think I may have slipped, just one time because I just didn't ask at a restaurant and became ill for a good 4 hours so I felt that I didn't even have to ask after that. 

My husband has lost a good 20 pounds since, just by not eating the wheat. The one tremendously good thing that does also happen is that when not eating the wheat we found that to get filled up that we ended up finding so many natural, whole foods to eat. We are now mostly filling up with fresh vegetables, learning more new recipes, reading food labels (and being shocked by so much food that contains wheat seemingly unnecessarily) and finding out about more fresh veggies at local open air markets. This diet calls for more nuts, berries, and etc… which we have incorporated into our diet some but not fully yet as we are learning about more healthy foods. This diet does take a little research but no more work than Weight Watchers, etc… and this diet is how we are eating for life, not just for a few months before adding wheat back in. YUCK! We both are living wheat free for good. 

If you will recall, last year I had a horrendous fall. We started this diet the day after I fell. I was quite physically slowed down during this time and some since. I've still been in recovery this entire past 9+ months. And I didn't gain even an ounce. I went to my doctor 6 months after the fall and going off of the wheat and I weighed exactly the same as prior to the fall and going off the wheat. I have now been given better reports at the office visits of all 3 of my doctors. Even my lab work is the best it’s been since the early 90’s and my cholesterol is better than it has even been. Hallelujah! But this diet has given me so many advantages and even in the last couple of months I have experienced so much more.

After a couple of months going through some of the most awful pain in my life with the dislocated shoulder (broken arm & torn rotator cuff too) I started to realize that I had little pain anywhere else in my body. The left hand that I had struggled with arthritis in to the point of wearing a brace several times was fine. My back…OH MY BACK…17 years of chronic back pain since surgery and it was almost totally gone. It wasn't until a few months later that I was able to quit wearing the sling (wore for 5+ months) that I noticed that I had almost no neck pain. More recently due to finally having some cooler weather in Florida, I've noticed no more arthritis pain. Oh, a tiny bit here and there for maybe one day a month or a little pain from getting stiff sitting here typing for too long (longer than I’m supposed to) but NO PAIN in the mornings. When it’d get down into the 40’s or even 50’s I’d awake and be in an actual stupor for nearly the entire morning from so much pain. I didn't go a day for several years without taking Ibuprophen every morning to help loosen up my joints and get me moving. I’m taking none or just the occasional acetaminophen now. Ibuprophen is down to maybe one dose per week or even less. God surely knew what He was doing!

I’d been told a couple of years ago that I should try getting a trike because it was unsafe due to balance issues to try to learn to ride a bike again by myself. In this midst of all of this I finally gave in and shared with some friends (angels) that I was ready to start looking for a trike. (And, this is how God works when we FINALLY decide to give things to Him!) Within 5 days I had a brand new trike! 

About a month ago I was early to church one Sunday and was caught about 2/3 of the sanctuary away from my seat when the service was starting. After jogging back to my seat I thought “What’s up with me?” and I realized that I felt so much better than I had for such a long time, literally years (more than a decade). And I've felt better ever since. Oh, I have my days like everyone else but I am improving in leaps and bounds.I, like most people, wait, expecting God to heal me in certain ways that I THINK He should but His ways are different from my ways. He uses so many different ways to heal or even for me to notice that He has healed! I pray that I no longer expect Him to work like I think He should! Two of the most helpful scriptures (why they are amongst the blog title) that I believe encompass the entire Christian walk are Proverbs 3:5,6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.”.

Another scripture that I always try to remember and also cite to others very often is: *1 Corinthians 3:19a “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” And, this next one is just too good to not note along with this: *  1 Corinthians 1:25 “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 

I must also add that my husband just recently purchased a bike as a late birthday present. He is also looking to get healthier as I am. We are planning picnics and ecstatic about what God has ahead for us in this life and becoming healthier together.

Just keep on praying and praying and praying! He IS always answering!

MY TRIKE - Purple, of course!
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!