Share Your God Moments

Being a Blessing to Others

2008-06-24T11:24:00.005-04:00

I don't know about you, but I often wonder if God's light is showing through me. There are so many times when Satan whispers in my ear that I'm not measuring up, but in these last few days, Jesus reminded me not once, but twice, that He's definitely there no matter how screwed up I think I look. And once again, I am humbled and blessed to be a vessel that He can use.

As you well know, I send out emails to the church congregation about happenings at Eastwood. A few months ago, I changed my personal signature to include my wish that God bless the receiver(s) abundantly, as well as a verse that I find inspirational. What a blessing it was for me to receive an email this morning from a fellow Brother in Christ indicating that he had been blessed from just reading my wish of blessings for him today.

The second reminder was from my boss, Diana. As you are well aware, Joshua and I have been "butting heads"-- enough times that Satan likes to whisper in my ear that once again I am failing as a parent. I am blessed to realize the comfort of talking with and relating to other mothers and fathers that have experienced or are experiencing similar situations. Often times, Diana and I talk about our children since they are similar in ages. Sometimes we wonder if we swapped kids, would we realize that it wasn't "our" kid?... :) On Friday of last week, Diana and I went to lunch, where we once again discussed our children and the drama they bring into our lives. In the course of the conversation, Diana said that when she is trying to talk with her children or deal with a situation, her thoughts are "what would Kathy do?". I had to laugh, because I often fail at being a parent and I told her that I often have to call out to God to help me (only after I've done enough screaming and yelling, mind you); but, she insisted that I was a great parent, and that she was grateful for my counsel. I knew that it wasn't me she was seeing, but Jesus.

It reminds me of the story of the mirror. What I see is a dirty, insignificant wretch that should not be heard nor seen in the sight of God. And yet, by His Mercy and Grace, the reflection Jesus sees is His Child in His Robe boldly standing before Him with unconditional love. How AWESOME is that!!!

Jesus, thank you for reminding me that it is the little things that matter most. Help me to remember that while doing little things, I can accomplish much BIGGER things by just allowing Your Light shine through me.

The Lord will provide

2008-04-06T13:03:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I was walking into the grocery store, when I saw a man from one of our local churches collecting for the community food bank. I peeked in my purse, and all I found was a $5 bill. I've been feeling a little broke lately, so I hesitated. Then I remembered that when you give to those who have less, God makes sure that you are compensated. I cheerfully put $5 in the collection jar, thanked the gentleman who was collecting for his service, and went on my way.

This morning I grabbed my Bible out of my purse to read in the car. I found in it a $20 bill that had got caught between the pages.

Amen!!

God really does miracles

2008-01-30T23:55:00.000-05:00

Well summer break was about over for everyone. I had headed to school a week earlier for RA(Resident Assistant)training. Well as we are having one of our meetings one of the female deans comes in and says one of the boy RA's had a stroke just before he was to leave to come to training. She had told us that he had survived but they thought he wouldnt be able to walk or do anything again. So we stopped what we were doing and prayed for him. Well a couple weeks went by and school had already started. Also during brunch the first sunday morning the guy's head dean came in the cafeteria and made an announcement that one of the past students who had graduated last year from MVA had passed away just the night before. Everyone was devastated. We were wondering why had God taken her from us and her family. But as time went on we were still praying that Hiel would recover from the stroke and return to us. About 2 months after the stroke God had answered our prayers. Hiel was walking and doing everything he could before. He finally returned to us. He is now healthy as can be, and is in choir and the basketball team.

Patience Pays Off

2008-01-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

As soon as I heard about the Sweetheart Banquet in December, I began looking for the perfect dress. The banquet wasn’t until February, but I was already on the lookout. One weekend, my girlfriend and I went to Easton to window shop. We stopped in Macy’s and found the perfect dress on the clearance dress. It was beautiful, fit me perfectly, and was the last one on the rack. It was only $60, but I didn’t have enough money with me, so I couldn’t purchase it.

The next weekend, I was in the Polaris Mall with Debbie and Rachael, and once again I found myself in Macy’s. We saw a similar dress. Once again, it was beautiful; it fit me perfectly; and was the last one on the rack. This one was only $40, but of course, I didn’t have enough money on me once again.

I told my mom about the dresses and she said that she was willing to make me a dress. But a couple of weeks later, she told me that she wasn’t going to have enough time to make it. Instead, she said that we would go shopping over home leave and purchase one. I was excited and looking forward to the event.

A couple of days later, a girl at school decided to sell her banquet dresses. She told me that the dresses were probably too big for me, so I didn’t bother to check them out. A little while longer, Gloria came into my room and asked me what size I wore. When I asked her why, she said that there may be a couple dresses that may fit me and I should go look at them. I went downstairs and looked at the two dresses that were hanging off her bed. Both dresses still had the price tags on them. I chose to try on the black and white dress.

It fit me perfectly!!! It was the style I liked and was beautiful!!! I changed out of the dress and went back to the girl’s room to let her know that I intended to buy the dress. When I asked her how much she wanted for the dress, she said that the dress was donated to her and that I could have it for FREE. How AWESOME is that???

Patience has paid off, and Jesus has given me the PERFECT dress. YEA!!!

30 Days to Make a Habit

2008-01-30T21:08:00.000-05:00

As we've all heard, it takes 30 days to make a habit. For example if you want to remember your vitamin everyday, you simply need to remember it for 30 days and, presto, taking your vitamin will become deeply ingrained.

I must admit, in the past I have not read my Bible daily. I'm giving myself the 30 day challenge to change this behaviour. Every night, I am reading several chapters of my Bible. My hope is that after 30 days, I won't be tempted to do a crossword puzzle or watch the news instead.

Now, you may have heard me say in the past that when I'm reading Scripture alone, I feel like I'm reading my high school algebra book. Algebra didn't make a whole lot of sense to me either. (Since when do letters belong in math?) In fact, I got a "C" in high school algebra, and I think that was a gimme. It has occured to me years later, that my teacher probably gave me the "C" in order to prevent the stomping, weeping, melt down that I had in his class when I just didn't get it!

Don't get me wrong. I love to read Scripture...just not alone. I am blessed with very special friends who bring the Bible to life in a way that I have been unable to do- despite my overactive imagination.

So here I am, deciding that I'm going to take this plunge again. I will not wait until I find the perfect translation. I will not wait until I learn Hebrew, Greek, and other ancient languages so that I can read the original texts. (How cool would that be?!) I'm going to grab my Bible, the one given to me with love from my family, and I'm going to read...every night!

The first night I prepare to read. "Hhmmm"...a little voice whispered in my ear, "don't forget to invite me". So each night, before I read, I pray..."Holy Spirit, join me in this journey tonight". You already know the answer I receive everytime.

Now I read prayerfully, not as a student, but as a disciple. And I'm learning so much more than I ever did when I was "studying".

Thank you Lord, for reminding me to invite you along. I invite you again tonight on this sacred journey of discovery and worship.

Hospital Visit to Mrs. Taber

2008-01-30T12:49:00.001-05:00

Yesterday evening, my husband, my mother-in-law, and myself went to Riverside Hospital to visit with Mrs. Taber, my children's vice principal and teacher. Not knowing what room she was in, I asked the front desk operator. The nurse gave us the room number, and indicated that Mrs. Taber's condition was listed in critical care. Needless to say upon hearing this news, I immediately began lifting silent prayers to Jesus. (I'm sure I wasn't the only one!)

The nurse also indicated that Mrs. Taber was permitted visitors except for the hours of 7-9am and 7-9pm. Well, it was 6:50pm and her room was on the far side of the hospital. My thought was that although we didn't have much time, we could probably make it for a quick prayer and leave in time for the shift change. So, we snaked through the long hallways and booked it to the elevators.

We reached her room at about 6:55pm. As we started to walk into her room, we saw that it was empty. The remains of her dinner tray were still on the bed table and the sheets of the bed were rumpled, but no one was in there. About that time, a nurse from the nearby station, asked if we were there to see Mrs. Taber. When we said yes, she said that we had just missed her -- Mrs. Taber had been discharged and was heading for home. They had just taken her downstairs moments before, and more than likely we passed each other on the elevators.

How cool is that! Praise God!