Traci Eccles~ Longview teacher first to earn national certification

It makes me sad there is so much evil in society; people who do things to hurt other people.  Whether to deliberately hurt them out of vengeance, or hurt them as a result of selfishly covering their own mistakes not realizing the harm to others, evil is all around us on a daily basis.  God's Word tells us, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21 NIV) 

My sister, Traci Eccles, has had her share of evil in the past five years and she inspires me as she continues to move forward in her life to overcome evil [with good].   I blog today about Traci to share her story of one evil she is currently dealing with. 

*  After of traumatic experience with being sexually harassed by a co-worker five years ago, Traci found herself crushed by a "good old boys" network of which her harasser had a key position of power.

*  Traci settled with the school district and resigned from her job believing it would be the best way to leave the emotionally damaging experience behind so that she could remove herself from the negative environment and find employment teaching in another school district.

*  Unfortunately, the school district blatantly violated every part of their end of the agreement after the resignation creating a smear campaign against Traci which resulted in her more or less being black balled in the area she lived.  Traci chose to leave the state in order to get a job in education, which she did; she has a 20 year spotless record of excellence in her profession and was offered a job promptly in the state of Texas to live close to me and my family.

*  An inaccurate article about the sexual harassment appeared in the local Longview Daily News Paper during this time that effectively turned the tables on her by making Traci look like the villain and her harasser the victim.  She believed at the time that after everything she had already come up against, she had no recourse about these printed lies. However, Traci knew that any critical reader would see right through the article because it is written with such flagrant bias that it is almost comical.

Why does this matter five years later? 

*  This negative (inaccurate) article from 2008 continues to be the very first hit on any Google search that includes her name, Traci Eccles. Oddly, it connects in no way to any other name in the article or the district itself. In fact, you can put in the title of the article and it does not come up in a Google search.

*  Traci has relocated back to the Vancouver area and is currently looking for a teaching position.

*  Nearly every employer these days relies heavily on checking the online reputation of potential hires before even considering interviewing a candidate for a job (especially in teaching).

*  Less than one year before the negative and slanderous article was published in The Daily News, they did a full page article with a picture raving about the first ever Nationally Certified teacher in the district (who happened to be Traci Eccles!)

*  This article has [somehow] been blocked [by The Daily New] so that it does not come up on a Google search even if the exact title is used. And it does not come up in a search of her name or any combination of words in the title.

What can we do to help Traci?

*  All she wants is a fair chance at employment by allowing both articles (published in the same newspaper less than a year apart) to appear on the first page of a Google search of her name.   Any employer who sees both articles would hopefully be able to see that something very strange was at play here.
 
*  Most people are aware that the amount of traffic (number of hits) a particular Internet article gets is what determines order on what comes up on a search. It is ridiculous to believe that there are so many people looking at the negative article on a daily basis five years later, that it would remain on the top as number one.  This has been investigated and it could only be accomplished through internal linking to other high traffic pages at its source (The Daily News). In the same way, it is only possible for the newspapers own webmasters to prevent the positive article from getting any traffic by making it almost impossible to find. If you do link to it and you try to print it, it will print blank.

HOW YOU CAN HELP!!! I have included the link to the hidden article below...it is very difficult to locate through a basic Google search.  If it does start to get hits, I would not be surprised if the link ends up being quickly broken. If you feel led to help, all you need to do, is click on that link to The Daily News article once, or many times, closing out each time.  Don't feel you need to read it, it really isn't that interesting... although I'm VERY PROUD of my sister for achieving this accomplishment.  

http://tdn.com/business/local/longview-teacher-first-to-earn-national-certification/article_bf7209a6-8869-5921-abd8-92334980904b.html

My hope is with the help of people LIKE YOU who believe in what's right, this hidden article gets so many hits that it ends up somewhere on the first page of a Google search of any one searching her name so that future employers see the positive.  Also by writing this blog post, perhaps a future employer might stumble on the article through this venue.  God is in control!

Traci has left this awful experience in the past but it still seems to haunt her.  She is an awesome teacher, sister, and friend.  God will bless Traci's faithfulness to Him as she trusts in His providence in her life. 

To the "good old boys" in Longview...

...as for you, you meant evil against Traci,

but God meant it for good. 

(personalized from Genesis 50:20 ESV)

 

I am confident everything happens for a reason, and God will bring much good out of Traci's trials.  Please include Traci in your prayers as the Lord may lead.

Soul Cancer~

Cancer is a serious health issue; it has touched my life through family members who have battled it- breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, skin cancer, and leukemia.  Cancer affects the health and drains energy from the body of those enduring with it; it can kill when left untreated.

Although I have personally not fought the battle of a physical cancer of the body, I do know what it’s like to battle a cancer of the soul.

My Story

On the outside, it appeared I was living the good life.  I was a stay home mom married to a pilot in the military.  We lived in a nice house in an upscale neighborhood, drove new vehicles, enjoyed many luxuries, and had what appeared to be a happy family.  But the reality was my marriage had been falling apart over time, and emotionally, I was at a point of complete brokenness.  Most days I put on a happy face so no one would suspect my reality of brokenness.  I was getting real good at the “fake it ‘til I make it” way of living.

My lowest point was when I experienced an emptiness that no amount of faking through it would help. I tried superficial stimulation like shopping and pampering myself, and that didn’t help.   I sought out inspiration through reading self help books and giving myself positive pep talks.  That didn’t help.  I began seeking new age spirituality, trying to find answers to the meaning of life just so I could feel better about myself and my circumstances.  I became intrigued with mediums and spirit guides and the supernatural, knowing I wanted to feel connection with a higher power.  But all these didn’t help and fell short of improving my condition.

Like a cancerous tumor in the body that grows and can multiply into something big and deadly, cancer of the soul does the same.  For me, it started out with disappointment of unmet expectations in certain areas of life.  Then add to that, self pity and hurt from being offended by people.  I worried over rejection, feeling unloved and unappreciated, and suffered from insecurity.  These all grew into anger, resentment, and bitterness.  I occasionally entertained thoughts of revenge toward my offenders.  Before I knew it, these emotions were like tumors that rapidly grew and multiplied invading every aspect of my life.  I had a full blown case of soul cancer.

Toward the end of 2001, I was in a place of complete emotional darkness.  It was then when I received a phone call from a lady from down the street in my neighborhood.  She called to invite me to a women’s small group “Bible Study” she was organizing in her home.  She was also a stay home mom and military wife; our children occasionally played together, but we had never got to know one another on a personal level.  When she phoned me with the invitation for Bible study, I almost said no, but something inside me blurted out “sure” and I accepted.  Up to this point in life (I was 37 years old), I had never read the Bible or even knew how to look up verses.

My husband, Kirk, and I both grew up in the Catholic religion as children and young adults.  After our school years we fell away from the religion and did not attend Sunday church services on a regular basis (only 2-4 times a year). Several times in my adult life, I looked inside the gold edged pages of the Bible we owned, but the words never made sense and there were too many ye, lest, thy and thou to keep my interest to keep exploring it’s message. 

I arrived at the first Bible study meeting with the only Bible I owned, a 2” thick oversized Catholic King James Bible my husband and I had received as a wedding gift; it was awkwardly large.  I noticed the other ladies with more compact sized Bibles that actually had wording that made sense when read out loud.  I immediately went to the local Christian book store and bought a new NIV (New International Version) Bible like the ones these other ladies had.  The NIV was a translation I could understand and relate to (no more ye, lest, thy and thou).

As I sat in this small group Bible study for the weeks to come, I learned how to lookup Scripture, I studied a Campus Crusade for Christ Curriculum on what it means to truly follow Jesus, and learned to pray from my heart rather than saying a bunch of words I’d learned as a child.  I could tell something was beginning to happen to my mental well being over this time; the emotions that had kept me in a dark prison of emptiness were slowly dissolving and I was experiencing life with new meaning.  

I remember on a rainy afternoon as Easter was approaching, I was sitting in the carpool lane of my kids’ school, and it was here that I accepted Jesus in my heart as my Lord and Savior. I was listening to a preacher give a sermon on the radio and at the end of the program he led a prayer of salvation that I said out loud with him with tears rolling down my face (tears of joy).  I learned what it meant to be “born again”.   For the first time in my life, I truly felt free and alive. I was a new creation in Christ, the old was gone the new was here.  Kirk and I began attending “Family Bible Church”, a non-denominational church, with my lady friend and her family and Kirk too began his journey with the Lord. 

As I reflect back over the years, I realize God had used a variety of people and circumstances to plant seeds of faith in my life.  In His perfect timing, when I finally got to the end of myself in complete brokenness, God used this Jesus loving lady down the street to invite me to her home for Bible study.  Because of her act of love and obedience to God, He was able to grab hold of my heart and show Himself in a mighty way.  Up to this point I had shunned anyone who wanted to talk to me about Jesus.  I used to secretly mock those people I called “Jesus freaks”.  When I’d stumble on a Christian radio station, the music/lyrics would make my skin crawl, and I’d quickly change the station to something Top 40 Pop.  But not now… things were different.  I couldn’t stop thinking about Jesus, learning more about Him, and was excited to listen to “Jesus music” on the radio. Through the most supernatural chain of events I’ve ever experienced, my empty darkness was turned to overflowing light through the power of Jesus.  I am honored to now be among those I called Jesus freaks.
  
Soul Cancer is Rooted in Unforgiveness

Easter season 2002, Jesus showed me that my many tumors- disappointment, self pity, anger, resentment, insecurity, bitterness, etc.- were emotions rooted in the sin of UNFORGIVENESS.  As I spent more time getting to know Jesus through Scripture, I felt His conviction to FORGIVE everyone who had offended and hurt me.

Complete forgiveness of everything and everyone that had hurt me was a hard thing to wrap my mind around.  I believed what people did was wrong and I thought if I forgave them I was sending the message to them that what they did to me was ok.  I thought if I held on to my feelings of anger toward them and their actions, I was punishing them in some way. Thinking this way is such a lie. The truth of the matter is forgiveness doesn’t mean I approved of the offenders’ actions and am letting them off the hook, forgiveness means I am eliminating the emotional poison from my life so that I could be free of the soul cancer and move on in a healthy way.  Unforgiveness does not punish the offender, it punishes the one holding onto the offence. Forgiveness is from the character of Christ and leads to health, peace and supernatural healing, while unforgiveness poisons the body and is cancer to the soul leading to death.

Here and Now

As we approach Easter this year, I celebrate the season when I met Jesus on a personal level, asked Him into my heart, was saved and He cured from soul cancer. I celebrate this week that over 2000 years ago, Christ Jesus died in my place for the forgiveness of my sins because He loves me so much.  And just as important as His death on the cross, He rose again three days later from the dead and lives!  During Easter season in 2002, Jesus saved me and healed me from a place of darkness and gave me a new life… through His resurrection, He raised me from the dead life I was living.  He restored and rebuilt my marriage to a place of strength and honor better than it’s ever been.  My children have been overflowed with blessing and favor as a result of Jesus entering my family’s life and curing my soul cancer.  As the Lord forgives me, I too shall forgive others… I never want soul cancer again!

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:12-13, NIV)   SSMT verse #7

Do you hold onto any unforgiveness?

 Do you want a cancer free soul?

Start today by leaving judgment, resentment, anger, and revenge in God’s hands.  

PRAYER~ 

Jesus, Please come into my life and heal me. I believe you died on the cross to forgive me of my sins and rose again three days later. I want to live in a way so that I can forgive others as you forgave me. Do what you need to do to to change my heart and cure me of unforgiveness toward ___________(name of person). I was hurt when he/she   ________________ (name of offense). It made me feel ______________ (unloved, unworthy, dirty, betrayed, misused, etc.). Through your mighty power Christ Jesus, I forgive ________ (name of person). I surrender my heart to you, Lord from this day forward.  Thank you for loving me.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Eyes on Jesus SSMT Verse #5

I've always been inspired by the story of Peter walking on water and then sinking when he got distracted (found in Matthew 14:22-33).  The many life application lessons from this example are a treasure to me.  In a nutshell, it teaches me to always believe, to pray- even short desperate prayers, and to keep my eyes on Jesus no matter the storm and distractions that surround me.  With Jesus, I can do the impossible and have my "walk on water" moments as I focus on Him, reach for Him as He assures me, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Matthew 14:27 NIV

 





 ^{For my Siesta Scripture Memory Team Verse # 5, I have chosen to continue in Hebrews  (SSMT #4 -Hebrews 12:1) and complete verse 2 for this next two weeks.  I've needed this Word pounded in my head and heart to keep me on the right track in my walk of faith.}

^{Let us keep looking to Jesus.}

^{Our faith comes from Him}

^{and He is the One Who makes it perfect.}

^{Hebrews 12:2 NLV SSMT Verse #5}

 



Fear...

of the unknown!  The unknown effects everybody, but whether or not we let it cause any fear is a choice we make.

I have a number of fears (snakes, big spiders, hospitals, just to name a few), but the one that has gotten me lately in life is my fear of the unknown location we'll end up living.  My husband has recently started a new job, and over this year, 2013, we are in prayer about whether or not we should move to a different region in the country or stay put right where we are.  This decision is big for us, because we are determined that when and if we move, it will be our last move, and if we stay, we stay for good!  We desire so badly to settle in a location and put down deep roots, develop deep friendships we don't sever, and plant ourself into our chosen community in a deep way; something that has been hard to do over the course of Kirk's military career (moving over 7 regions in the US / 15 different addresses in 20 years).

The fear plays in through the different factors we must consider in making the right decision for our family... the well being of our children (education, safety and crime rate, etc.), living closer to extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins), climate changes to adjust to, financial affordability of the location, and overall quality of life.

Through this next year as we live with our unknown future living location, God is reminding me not to be anxious and do not fear the unknown. He reminds me of His constant faithfulness in our life and how He always provides for us. I have selected my SSMT Verse #3 to help me remember God has my back.  As I abide in Him, He will strengthen and help me; as we pray for direction, He will make our way clear... I have no reason to fear~

Do not fear,

for I am with you;

do not be dismayed,

for I am your God.

I will strengthen you

and help you;

I will uphold you with

my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

Good stuff from BLOGGY WORLD

I enjoy following a number of special blogs in BLOGGY WORLD. Most of the blogs I follow are random people who God has led me to through blogging. We share common interests, common struggles, common goals and we encourage one another. We interact in bloggy world and over time, develop friendships. I love how God's hand is directing our paths to cross in this way; even if we are thousands of miles apart, God has ordained our time, our friendship and our interaction. Thank you God for my blog friends!

Some of the blogs I follow are "ministry blogs". These blogs are more one sided, but very special none the less. They contain devotionals or insights about the Christian faith. I was just peaking through the blogs I follow and read this post from Lysa Terkeurst blog about "My Jesus in 5 Days". Lysa is the president of the Proverbs 31 Ministries and has an easy to read approach to writing that is always life applicable.

I know many of my friends in bloggy world love the Lord and want nothing more than draw closer to Jesus. This post encourages me to do draw closer to Him this week and I hope it encourages you to do the same as well. Check out Lisa's post My Jesus in 5 Days... and be sure to leave a comment for her if it ministers to you.

Amazing!

Amazing how THE KID'S KEEP ME YOUNG AND MAKE ME FEEL OLD ALL AT THE SAME TIME...

Amazing how AT THE END OF EACH DAY I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN ON A TREADMILL- RUNNING ALL DAY LONG BUT NOT SEEMING TO GET ANYWHERE...

Amazing how TIME FLIES...

Amazing how I HAVE ALL THESE GOOD INTENTIONS... (but that's all many remain)

Amazing how COFFEE USED TO BE MY "WAKE UP JUICE" IN THE MORNING, BUT NOW IT'S MY "KEEP ME AWAKE JUICE" EACH AFTERNOON.

Amazing how GOD IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL EVEN WHEN I'M NOT!

That's my last couple months in a nut shell. Busy with the kids, many school activities, leading our school's Girl Scout Troop, and trying to keep up with all the everyday life demands at home (cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc.). Feeling like all the things I want to get done, especially with this new house and our home renovation- "La Vieja casa"- isn't happening because of all the other busyness. Feeling like I'm constantly on the go, but not really going anywhere. I'm exhausted... ALL THE TIME! Feeling like I've let "a full plate" of busyness crowd out quality family time and my quiet time with God. I realize I must be careful, because at a blink of the eye, another day, week, & month will pass and I could still be in this same place. Heaven forbid! I KNOW MANY READING THIS POST CAN RELATE.

I reflect over the craziness of life these past couple months, and recognize that through it all, God is always faithful! He never leaves me; He gives me strength when I need it; He gives me constant peace and comfort even though I don't deserve it. He loves me more than I can comprehend, again, nothing I did to deserve. Even though I haven't been faithful in seeking Him, He is forever faithful in seeking me.

Today I stop and bow to Him in AWE! I think "Amazing"...

...Amazing how GOD IS AMAZING!

La casa vieja!

... translated~ The old house!

As home owners of 4 different houses in the past 13 years, my husband (Kirk) and I have always had "new construction" homes with the exception of our last house we just moved from. The house we just moved from was 3 years old when we bought it; a new house, none the less.

Kirk is in the US Navy (a pilot/flight instructor) getting ready to leave the military in September 2011. When he departs the Navy, his plans are to fly for a commercial airline. When this happens, typically the first year of flying commercial, the military pilot takes a pay cut from what they had been earning. We want to remain debt free (with the exception of our home loan) and prepare ourselves for this transition time from military life to civilian life. Also over the past year, we've had a yearning to renovate an old "fixer upper".

With Kirk getting out of the Navy in just over 18 months, as well as the desire to do a major renovation on a house as DIY'ers, we felt God's lead to sell our large house in a beautiful city subdivision, and buy a smaller, more modest home in the country amidst farm land. We prayed about it, acted on God's lead and have been blessed every step of the way.

Several weeks ago we purchased our 5th house, closer to our kids' school and our church. We are so in God's will as He has supernaturally put everything in place for us to sell and buy as only He can. Kirk and I are so excited to be out in the country on 2 acres and living in our new "old house". To many, we look crazy for moving as we did. But to our God, we are obedient to his voice and this pleases him. Our goal is to fix up the existing floor plan of our new home and eventually add onto the the floor plan to create a bit more space after our major renovations are completed, or build a new home next to it, using the fixer upper as a guest house or rental property. For now, we take one step at a time.

This past weekend we have officially begun the first stages of our renovation with getting the kids' bedrooms ready for rehabilitating~ ... old carpet ripped out, down with 1970's wood wall paneling, cracked drywall getting ripped down, walls getting patched, some need re-framed, insulated, and repaired... so much work... SO MUCH FUN!

La casa vieja!

Kirk accessing the kids' bedroom projects...

Many places the walls cracked from the foundation
repair we had done prior to moving in.

I will have victory!!!

We expected to find "SURPRISES" behind the old wood paneling and dry wall...

...the insulation behind this drywall was even worse!

As we lifted paneling, little "presents" fell from the ceiling!

YUCK! Is it roach or mouse droppings? YUCK, YUCK!
Do I even want to know?
Thankfully we had this place fumigated!
yes~ we're wearing masks, goggles and gloves!
YUCK!

before (above)... after (below)

...what do we have here?


Looks like we'll be completely replacing some framing!

How do we get rid of drywall & trash?

ONE BAG AT A TIME!

TODAY~

TODAY is my day to log in my "Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans" weight loss... but TODAY I have so much more on my heart and in my thoughts than weight loss.

TODAY~ I think about life... how precious it is, and how each day we have to take a breath is such a gift...

TODAY~ I think about the ones in our lives we love, those who God has put there for His purpose...

TODAY~ I think about hugging my children, saying, "I love you!" to those who I love and not waiting for tomorrow or the next day to do random acts of kindness towards others....

TODAY~ I do not celebrate my weight loss...

TODAY~ I grieve the loss of my sweet 17 year old niece, Brittney, who left this earth on Sunday through a tragic car accident to be with Jesus...

TODAY~ I celebrate Brittney's memory at the same time am heartbroken she is no longer here with us...

TODAY~ I am inspired that her last words to her mom (my sister) were, "I love you, mom", as she went out the door to "chill" with her friends...

TODAY~ I am thankful Brittney found true peace and joy these past couple months that overflowed onto those people closest to her; she was beaming with joy last time I saw her...

TODAY~ I pray for my sister (Traci) and her husband (Ryan) who lost their only child so suddenly and tragically and are going through the biggest heartache of their lives.

TODAY~ I pray for her boyfriend, Sean, who loved Britt with all his heart.

TODAY~ I ask anyone reading this post to please say a special prayer for Traci, Ryan, Sean, and ALL those people Brittney left behind who are trying to understand and absorb what happened... pray that God will heal their hearts during this sad time...

TODAY~ I encourage YOU to not put off anything for tomorrow you should and could do TODAY...

say "I love you"...

give a hug...

forgive someone...

ask for forgiveness...

take steps to overcome an addiction...

make good choices...

give the gift of your time to those in your life...

extend random acts of kindness when the opportunity arises...

I encourage you to do it TODAY~
you might not have a tomorrow.

In loving memory of my sweet angel niece,

Brittney Rogene Jennings

December 17, 1991 - November 8, 2009

PRAYER: Lord, thank you that You have Brittney in your arms and she is in your holy presence. I lift to Your loving care Traci, Ryan, Sean and all those people who are brokenhearted by Brittney's passing. I ask you give those grieving Brittney comfort that only You can give and Your peace which surpasses all understanding. Lord help us ALL appreciate the people in our lives, to not take each day for granted, and to honor the loved ones in our lives TODAY and EVERYDAY through words and deeds. God rest Brittney's sweet soul. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

OUCH Moments with God

Have you ever had one of those times when you prayed to God for Him to show someone the "error of their ways" and "lead them down the right path"... you pray God will give them a revelation so they would confess their sin, learn from their error, and repent? It's for their own good, after all! It's when God disciplines the sin because he loves us and wants us to learn from our mistakes. I call these times, "OUCH" moments; when we realized we've sinned against God (we then confess, repent, and learn our lesson through God's discipline) and we're better from the OUCH. Here's what recently happened to me regarding some "OUCH" moments.

Last night I could not sleep! I laid in bed an hour pondering my unsettled spirit over a situation where I'd been praying about, for someone "to learn the error of their ways", "to be led on the right path" and to realize they have been sinning before God through pride and wrong motives. To hopefully realize it's been effecting those around them in an ungodly way. This person had frustated me to the point that I struggled to even be in their presence. I would literally pray Scripture in my head just to get through the battle in my mind that was bulilding up. At one point I even thought my memory verse, 2 Timothy 3:16, was God's way of telling me I need to be the person to help "teach, rebuke, correct, and train them in righteousness" using His word to show them the way. The person I'm speaking of is another Christian woman who I felt was in a position to know what she was doing. As I laid in bed, I finally got up and the Lord spoke softly to my spirit to watch some "Wednesday's with Beth" (from the Life Today program) on the computer. I absolutely love these teachings and have watched many of them over the past year, and could watch them endlessly, because they're filled with so much Truth and encouragement straight from God Himself. When I got to the website, I prayed, "which one do you want me to watch, Lord?"... He directed me to a 3 part series I needed to hear! I soaked in all three (it was 2:30 am!)...I was alert and awake... I internalized them. Thank You, God for how you speak Your profound Truth through Beth Moore! and, Thank you, Beth, for being such a servant to the Lord that magnifies God from glory to glory.

As I finished the last of the three part series, I realized it was I that needed to be "shown the error of her ways" and "be led on the right path" .

I had several OUCH moments with God last night.
*FIRST- He showed me that my memory verse for this past week was (and is) for Him to teach, rebuke, correct and train ME in righteousness, not for me to use it on others in self righteousness. I am not her or any one's Holy Spirit.
*SECOND- God also showed me in 1 Peter 5:5 that I am to ...clothe myself with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." OUCH! God, I have been filled with pride these past weeks as much as she has! I'm finally getting it! The verse goes on to say, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7) I knocked MYSELF down by allowing the enemy authority to work through the situation; and only God can lift me up.
*I was casting my anxiety on Him (kept praying Phil 4:6-8), but it was with wrong motives, in the manner of "fix HER, Lord" to be right in my sight, rather than, "FIX ME" to be right in your (God's) sight... a THIRD OUCH! Funny how easy it is to see fault in others and critize what we think their motives are and not as easy to see it in ourselves until we allow God to peal the scales off our eyes.

So here I am, a self righteous, prideful, sinner with messed up motives... OUCH!

As I have gone to the Lord for direction over the past number of weeks, He had given me a number of Scriptures, but I was somewhat hard headed to see the message in them for me; I was too focused on HER wrong doings and the message for her. Now that I feel as though He's shown me a fresh revelation of where my heart and attitude have been, I will back track these verses and pray them out loud so that I will be lined up with God's heart and character and no longer be played by the enemy who was devouring me through this situation (1 Peter 5:8).

I asked God, "should I approach this fellow Christian and tell her what's occured?... " I asked, "Lord, do I say something to her about this?" At this time, I believe God said, "No... (the reason)- He has me in the process of taking the planks out of my own eyes at this time, that trying to take the specks out of another person's eye is wrong and hypocritical (Matthew 7:3-5). Even as I write this, I still know I've got some pride issues He's still emptying me of. God will show her through "OUCH" moments of her own in His time, His way. He is in control. At some point He may lead me to speak the truth in love to her; for now, I will wait for His direct lead.

Prayer: Thank You God for Your Truth. Thank You that you discipline those you love- and by Your Holy Spirit in me, I was able to recognize my sins against You through the "OUCH" moments you allowed me last night and today. Thank You that you give grace to the humble and have brought me to this place to grow me up more in Christ. Please forgive me for my sins against you- in my feelings toward a sister in Christ who I truly don't know very well. You know her heart and motives; and though my feelings were real, only You know if they were "Holy". My heart is deceitful and I ask you to create in me a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me. I know that my feelings led to sin, and for that I repent. I lift this Christian woman in prayer that you will continue to wrap her in Your love, and that she has overflowing favor from you. Lord Thank You for the wonderful people you've placed in my life, for the privilege of prayer and for Your love and grace that is never ending. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Happy Heart Doing Cartwheels!

Just a quick post to share how awesome God is! Like we didn't already know! : ) My heart is doing cartwheels and I'm feeling so giddy over the sovereignty of our God and thankful for answered prayers.

I got a call from my sister yesterday in WA state (over 2,000 miles away) and can't stop thinking about her joy, peace, and new found courage she is finally experiencing (so long over due). She has had a very rough year; has gone through trials I wouldn't wish on any one. Through all the real bad stuff that broke her down emotionally and physically, she has found a relationship with God; THIS IS THE REASON for my heart doing cartwheels! She's traded her "religion" we grew up with in for a real "relationship" with Jesus our Lord and SAVIOR. She's always known who God was, but never KNEW GOD. I'm so excited for her! WAIT - while I actually stand up and do a "happy dance" in celebration over my sister... the angels in heaven are also rejoicing!

Isn't it cool how God will allow us to get to the end of ourselves... we lose almost everything and then we can finally see how much we need Him. Once we put away are self sufficiency, He then can show himself in mighty ways as only He can. Yeah GOD! My sister is living in the middle of a miracle through her new faith in Christ, by His loving grace. I am thrilled for her and the journey she will continue on as she grows to know Him.

He has brought godly women to surround and encourage her and has led her to a wonderful church to shepherd her. She has plugged into a Bible study (Beth Moore- Breaking Free) and is soaking in God's Word. Thank you God for answered prayer for my sister I so dearly love! She's still got along way to go with her horrible year behind her and the circumstances still following her, but with you, Lord, nothing is impossible! I can't wait to hear all about the abundant blessings on my sister as she continues to surrender to the Lord and follow in his ways.

My sister and I

(photo taken April 2008 when she visited Texas from Washington State)

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for your love and for your perfect timing. Thank you that you never give up on us, even though much of the time we give up on you through unbelief, worry and pride.. You NEVER leave us nor forsake us no matter what! You love us beyond what our brains can comprehend! I pray for continued blessing over my sister, over her employment and financial situation, over the injustice in her life. You Lord, are ultimate judge, you provide all our needs, you truly are our EVERYTHING. Thank you that you will provide for my sister and her family double portion of all that has been lost in her life. I also pray for my other family members that don't know you; that I can be salt and light in their lives (long distance) and that you cross people in their paths that will reflect your goodness and love to help them come to know you, just like you did for my sister. You are awesome God, I lift up my banners in the name of the Lord in celebration of all your goodness. It's in Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

People in my Life.

I received an email recently that got me thinking about my current and past relationships/friendships... and actually brought me comfort as I thought about the many people who have come in and out of my life and touched my heart; some even for the briefest of moments (who I personally have not met except through the internet).

This email is a reminder that, God, in His sovereignty, brings people in and out of our lives for His specific purposes, and He uses you and me in others' lives in the same way. I am SO THANKFUL for each and every person God has allowed me to cross paths with and connect with no matter the length on time...

Here's the e-mail: (Thanks Milda for sending it!)

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person and appreciate the relationship for what it is.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed (either through prayer to God or from the yearnings of your heart). They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance, support and strength, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They are a Godsend. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then at a point, they are gone; this person is no longer a part of your life. Sometimes they move away with intentions to stay in touch, but they don't; the relationship fades and no longer exists. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. There are many things that happen to disconnect this relationship, but what ever the circumstance, their work is done and they have touched your life for a specific reason or purpose, and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON. Your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh in the specific stage of life you're in; you can relate easily to each other because of so many commonalities. They may teach you something you have never known or done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. Lifetime people are the essence of family; these people love and give of themselves from beginning to end. Lifetime people are rooted deep in your life and no "storm of life" or circumstance can uproot your connection with this person. Thank you for being a part of my life. . . whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime, or all three bundled in one!


Prayer: Thank you Jesus for being my LIFETIME person and BFF! Thank you for bringing people in my life that have taught me, challenged me, encouraged me, and touched my heart. As I reflect on each person in my life, past and present, I see your hand prints all over the circumstances of them being in my life. Many of my "reason friends" have turned into "season friends", turning into "lifetime friends"; it is by Your will and doing I have been blessed with the many different relationships I have. As time goes forward, please help me recognize opportunities You present to connect with people, and ways to make a difference in others' lives, reflecting Your Spirit that is in me; whether it's for a "reason", "season", or "lifetime", I want to glorify your name and magnify your love towards the people in my life. In Your precious Name I pray~ Amen.

Mixed Feelings

We have a new president - Barack Obama. I have to admit, I have mixed feelings and I'm a bit bummed since I've been a McCain/Palin supporter. This will be an interesting time for America, for sure. As I reflect on the outcome of the election, I'm reminded that nothing happens that doesn't have a divine purpose; God is always in control. God's thoughts are not my thoughts and my ways are not God's ways... His thoughts and ways are always right.

SO, I go to the Word and find comfort to believe God and his providence.

"Blessed be the name of God, forever and ever. He knows all, does all: He changes the seasons and guides history, He raises up kings and also brings them down, he provides both intelligence and discernment," Daniel 2:20-21 (MSG) (emphasis mine)

"Everyone must submit to the governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God." Romans 13:1(NLT) (emphasis mine)

"Make your motions and cast your votes, but God has the final say". Proverbs 16:33 (MSG)

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God has a plan for us, to prosper us, not to harm us, to give us a hope and future.

Let's all continue to pray for our country, pray for our military who defend our freedom, and pray for those God has placed in leadership. "In God We TRUST"