Weathered Storms

Weathered Storms

Our town of Shelby has been recovering from a F-2 Tornado that tore through it.  After the Tornado hit, my husband and I drove around. It was unbelievable to see all the barns and houses that had been ripped apart.  Complete devastation was one word to describe what you observed as you drove around Shelby.  Miles and miles of fields littered with mangled sheet metal and other debris from what had once been barns and houses. 

One amazing sight in the aftermath of the Tornado was the hundreds of volunteers that came out.  They helped clean up people’s property, and cut down trees, but they also went out into the fields and began clearing all of the debris.  Why were they doing this? Why did they feel the need to remove debris from fields so quickly? Because this Tornado hit mostly in the rural parts of Shelby, which contains hundreds of acres of farm land.

April in Northeast Ohio means field preparing and planting by all the farmers.  A farmer can’t prepare his fields when the fields are strewn with massive amounts of debris.  If the farmer doesn’t prepare their fields and plant their crop, they will not yield a harvest. 

Since driving around that day, it has been hard to not reflect on the devastation the tornado brought to Shelby. The images of the mangled sheet metal strewn all over the fields has remained in my mind.  As I was processing it all, I began to relate it to our spiritual walk and harvest.  In that moment God whispered this to me. 

“Give Me the freedom to remove the debris from your mind.  

Then I can begin the process of giving you a new mind.”  

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but someone surely does.  We weather storms in our lives. Marriage problems, broken relationships with family, financial hardships, physical and mental illnesses, the list goes on and on.  These experiences can be traumatic and terrifying. We encounter these storms and debris begins to be strewn across our minds.  Decisions were made, words were spoken and actions had been taken that sometimes can’t be taken back.  Before we know it or, before we can even prevent it, our minds become cluttered by this debris. 

The lingering debris begins to affect how we think, how we feel, how we talk about ourselves, and how we talk to each other.  What was once a field that had bountiful harvest, has become a devastated wasteland covered with debris.  It is when we come to this realization that the clean-up, the recovery process can begin. For many, the conditions that they see, the moments that they relive, seem impossible to overcome.  How do we even begin removing this unsurmountable amount of debris? 

Luckily for us, God has given us an amazing manual for our lives. Let’s dig into His word and see what it tells us!  

The storms in our lives leave us with debris, obstacles, and strongholds in our lives.  But God’s word reminds that He is the true stronghold is in our lives.  Hold tight to this promise!

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

    whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

    of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalms 27:1 NIV

The conditions that the storms in our lives leave behind can make us think that we have no choice but to fix everything ourselves.  Look at this reminder though! God wants to take hold of our hand and help us through it.  He want us to allow Him to care for us! He is our helper.

For I am the Lord your God

    who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you, Do not fear;

    I will help you.

Isaiah 41:13 NIV

Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.[a]

1 Peter 5:7 TPT

In the aftermath of all the storms that we have weathered in life, God has a message for us. He didn’t say to remove the debris for yourself so that you can obtain freedom. He clearly said to me:

“Give Me the freedom to remove the debris from your mind.  

Then I can begin the process of giving you a new mind.” 

Let’s allow God to renew our minds.  For far too long we have allowed the debris to linger. Lingering debris steals our joy and robs us of the life that God intends for us.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” 

Romans 12:2 ESV

God desires us to walk in freedom, to step up out of defeat and into victory!  Allow God to remove the debris from your mind so that you can once again have a bountiful harvest.

“So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God,[a] praising him always.”

Philippians 4:8 TPT

I decided to look up the definition of freedom. Freedom means to have the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.  Who does not need this in their life?  Through God freedom is attainable, we are not exempt because of storms that we have weathered! Let us relinquish control and allow God the freedom, so that we will be able to walk in the true freedom He has for us.  

“May I never forget your truth, for I rely upon your precepts.

I will observe your laws every moment of the day

and will never forget the words you say.

I will walk with you in complete freedom,

for I seek to follow your every command.”

Psalms 119:43-45 TPT

Confident Hope

Confident Hope

So then, with this amazing hope living in us, we step out in freedom and boldness to speak the truth.

2 Corinthians 3:12 TPT

As I have been doing life lately, I have found it very overwhelming.  Circumstances have left me feeling saturated with fear, worry and anxiety.  I have been in a spiritual attack and it has been making me focus on what satan might do next, instead of what move God is going to make next.  

I am not one who wants to give satan too much credit, but it seems like he has been trying to silence me.  Why would he want to silence me?  Because God has given me a word to share and spread to His daughters this year! What is that word? FREEDOM!  

What has satan done to try and silence me?  He is using my daughter and her health as a spiritual attack against me.  Our women’s ministry has had 2 events scheduled for 2019 so far.  Each event that we have had, he has used my daughter to try and get to me.

The first one was a Journal & Coffee Night. As soon as we walked into the church for the event my daughters OmniPod, which controls all of her insulin and tests her blood sugar for her Type 1 Diabetes, stopped working.  No matter what we did, we could not get it to work and we ended up leaving early. The second event was Wild & Free Women’s Worship Night.  Which, for the first time since we have been doing worship nights, had to be postponed.  What happened?  Sarah ended up being admitted into Nationwide Children’s Hospital for 4 days and 3 nights with Influenza A, Double Pneumonia and complications with her Type 1 Diabetes. 

All of these events stopped me in my tracks for a little while.  It took the breath right out of me. I was allowing my focus to be changed, which was changing me.  I was having problems sleeping because fear was filling me.  When my head would hit the pillow at night all i could relive was the events that took place with my daughter.  Because of that, instead of looking for the things that God was doing around me, I began looking for what could be satan’s next scheme.  

Through this I have realized that my focus has been all wrong!   I cannot be focused on what satan’s next scheme MIGHT be! That will only fill me with even more fear, worry & anxiety! I have to intently focus on TRUTH!  What is this truth? GODS WORD!  I love this scripture, it is a great reminder. 

So then, with this amazing hope living in us, 

we step out in freedom and boldness to speak the truth.

2 Corinthians 3:12 TPT

Ladies, when times get tough and life gets hard, we have to cling to our confident hope.  The Holy Spirit resides in us!  That alone gives us freedom from fear, worry and anxiety. We need to activate this freedom. When satan wants us to believe lies, we need to shatter them. We need to speak truth in boldness!

I want to end with this scripture: 

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

Just like this scriptures say, God is our source of hope.  He is our amazing hope that lives in us! So ladies, lets radiate with joy, overflow with peace & go forth in confident hope.  Step out and claim the freedom we have in Christ!

Music For You: 

• Raise a Hallelujah by Bethel Music

Cone of Shame

Cone of Shame

“The oppressed get justice with you.

The hungry are satisfied with you.

Prisoners find their freedom with you.

You open the eyes of the blind

and you fully restore those bent over with shame.

You love those who love and honor you.”

Psalms 146:7-8

Paris, a beautiful 2 year old black cat, found his way into our hearts and home a few months ago.  Being a male cat and not being neutered, we had the obligation of taking him to the vet to have the procedure done.  Due to some complications Paris had, he was sent home with the dreaded cone of shame.  

The veterinarian told us that when we got home we could probably remove the cone. We were ensured that Paris would more than likely sleep the rest of the night due to medicine he received.  Sarah took off his cone after an hour or so of being home.  My goodness was that vet wrong.  

There was no way Sarah could have prepared herself for what Paris was about to do. When the cone of shame that was tied around Paris’s neck was removed, immediately he went jumping off the chair and began running in circles like a crazy cat all over the house!  She was petrified, fearing that her cat was going to hurt himself! 

When all of this commotion happened, I hadn’t been home.  After I got home, Sarah filled me in on all the excitement.  Immediately I asked Sarah why Paris acted that crazy. She said something that has remained with me.  What did she say? She said,  “Because he was free!”  

We had to keep that cone of shame on Paris for 2 weeks.  Every time we had to put that cone on him, his whole countenance would immediately change.  He would go from walking with his head held high and with confidence, to walking all coward down and his head lowered.  The cone of shame was truly causing him to walk in shame.

Looking at Paris and his actions when he had that cone of shame tied around his neck, stopped me in my tracks.  When he had that cone on him he was no longer confident and holding his head high. He immediately became timid, he coward down, his head would hang low. What a visual!

Aren’t we the same way? Too many of us carry around our shames. When we carry around our shame, when we feel the weight of it around our necks, it changes who we are. It changes how we carry ourselves, we hang our head and cower down.  It changes our actions, we become weak and timid.   

Ladies, that is not what God intends for us.  He does not want us to walk in shame.  We were never meant to carry around our shame.  We were intended to walk in freedom. You see, this is what His words says.  

“Prisoners find their freedom with you….You 

open the eyes of the blind and you fully restore 

those bent over with shame.”

Psalms 146:7-8

We find our freedom through God! Just like Sarah reached down and removed the cone of shame off Paris’s neck, God does that for us too.  He FREES us! When we are bent over in shame, He FULLY restores us! 

Do you want to know the really AWESOME part! Unlike Paris, we don’t have to continually put the cone of shame back on! We get to leave it off! We are FREE! Free to walk with our heads held high!  Free to walk in confidence in Christ!  We are even free to run in circles around our house if we want! You want to know why? Because we are FREE to be crazy women for Jesus! 

 Music For You: 

• I am Free by New Life Worship

Be Still

Be Still

I am standing in absolute stillness, silent before the one I love, waiting as long as it takes for him to rescue me.  Only God is my Savior, and he will not fail me.  For he alone is my safe place. His wrap-around presence always protects me as my champion defender.  There’s no risk of failure with God! So why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me?

Psalms 62:5-6

It was 3:30pm and I had been sitting on my bed for 30 minutes. As I was sitting there trying to focus my mind and heart, I knew I needed to hear from God. I had to speak to a group of girls at my church that night and my mind was completely blank.  

My week had been absolutely crazy and I felt depleted of everything! My grandma had passed away, and I had just spoken at her funeral that morning.  I could stop right there at reasons why I felt depleted.  But adding that to the crazy week I already had which consisted of taking my daughter to an out of town doctor appointment, being asked to speak to a girls class at my church and having an important phone conference scheduled for later that week, I was on overload!  They were all good obligations, but added onto my normal obligations, I was completely overwhelmed!

I reached out to a friend in my overwhelmedness.  At first, just to try and help me focus.  As our conversation continued though, I knew that I wasn’t supposed to talk to the girls that night.  As I was telling her how mentally done I was for the week, she reassured me and said, “You are allowed to say no.” Which, is a very hard word for me to say.  She went on to say that, “It’s time to be still. Rest in His presence and soak.”   

It’s so hard for me to say no that even during our conversation, I still felt guilty saying the word “No” and not doing this good obligation.  I was still looking for ways that I could still talk to the girls, even when I knew that the only obligation God wanted me to do at that point was to be still.  In the end, I graciously backed out of speaking to the class.  

Instead of speaking, I went into the church service.  As I was sitting there waiting for the service to start, soaking music was playing.  You will never believe what 2 of the 3 songs that they played were about! BEING STILL!  When the first song came on, I smiled a little and thanked God for His confirmation.  As the second song about being still played, I giggled!  I looked at a friend of mine beside me and told her what happened that day and about the word I was given, Be Still.  

God knows us! He loves and cares so much for us! He knows when we are being called to “do” and He knows when we are being called to “be still”.  He knows how our minds work.  He knows how guilt can set in when we say no to obligations, especially good obligations.  That’s the goodness of our God though! When we are following His ways and plans, He will send confirmations…sometimes two…to help us and to confirm to us to Be Still.

Funny thing is though, I had even more than 2 confirmations! The very next day I was talking to a friend.  I had some questions to ask her about a phone conference I was having the next day. During our conversation, you will never guess what she told me, “BE STILL!”  

Ladies, I have learned something from all of this, and I want to share it with you!  There is FREEDOM to be found in just being still. When we are overwhelmed and our schedule is full, we need to let God refresh us.  How do we do that? 

“I am standing in absolute stillness, silent before the one I love….”

Psalms 62:5

By allowing yourself much needed time to be absolutely still, silent, resting in His Presence. When you are overwhelmed, allow yourself to say no and instead be still, that is where true freedom is found!

Music For You: 

• Be Still My Soul (In You I Rest) by Kari Jobe
  

Legacy of Love

Legacy of Love

When I was asked to speak about my grandma today, a lot of different feelings came over me.  But as I processed it, I knew that it was an honor to be able to honor her.   So here I am.  My grandma was an amazing woman! She left so many amazing memories for us all, but she also left a legacy, a legacy of love.  She loved each and everyone of her grandchildren and great grandchildren so much. Even over the years as my sister and I babysat, she would love on those babies too. Then came along the Crain’s and I can honestly say, she loved those babies as they were her own grandchildren.

“Many women have done wonderful things,

    but you’ve outclassed them all!”

Proverbs 31:29

When I read this scripture, I knew that it described how I and many others felt about her.  My grandma was a quiet lady, she didnt always have alot to say. But Grandpa always seemed to talk enough for the both of them.  They complimented each other well that way.  My grandma endured many storms in her life, she suffered the loss of a full term child, she battled 3 rounds of cancer.  Through all of those storms, I never heard my grandma complain once.  She was never a “woe is me” woman. She was truly a strong, irish warrior.  

“And may you be surrounded by your grandchildren.

    Happiness to you! And happiness to Israel!”

Psalms 128:6 

It is hard to honor my grandma without talking about my grandpa too.  They were a team and most the time where you found one, you found the other.  Growing up, there are so many memories with my grandparents.  Almost every summer we would all go on family vacation together. Those are memories that I will never forget, camping in North Carolina along the ocean, traveling up the East Coast to Nova Scotia.  Priceless memories.  Not to mention the countless trips we took up to the lakes and to Toft’s for ice cream or just hoping in the vehicle and going to Hartville or Amish Country. 

Later in life, Jason and I had the honor of taking them on what might have been their last vacation.  Grandma & Grandpa were known for getting in the car and driving hours to go to a good restarunt.  Well, this time they decided they wanted seafood, and not just any seafood, they wanted to go to Captain George’s in Williamsburg, Virginia.  They were 89 years old and couldn’t drive that far, so they asked Jason and I to take them.  We all piled in our van and set out for Williamsburg. Once again, priceless, my children were able to experience a family vacation, just like I had, with my grandma & grandpa.  Memories we will all cherish and hold dear.  

When my sister and I were young, in the winter, if there was a snow day, we would all pile in their van and go on an adventure. We never knew where we would end up, but it was always fun. As kids, my grandparents made doll furniture and it was always fun to go along with them to craft shows and help them.  We would get up in the wee hours of the morning just to be able to go along with them. Not many kids would do that, but we loved them and loved being with them.  All the lessons, love and legacy that my grandma & grandpa instilled in us.  It is easy to say that my grandparents were always surrounded by their grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

My grandparents always knew that this was only their temporary home, that their permanent home was in Heaven.  Grandma & Grandpa had great love for their grandchildren and great grandchildren, they always wanted to be surrounded by them here on earth. But their greatest heart desire was to know that each and every one of their grandchildren and great grandchildren would eventually surround them in their permanent home, Heaven. 

“For wives, this means being supportive to your husbands like you are tenderly devoted to our Lord, for the husband provides leadership for the wife, just as Christ provides leadership for his church, as the Savior and Reviver of the body. In the same way the church is devoted to Christ, let the wives be devoted to their husbands in everything.”

Ephesians 5:22-24

One of the most valuable lessons that I learned from my grandparents, was how it looked to love your spouse.  Never in my 40 years did I ever hear them bicker, or fight or talk bad about each other.  Even up until the end, I remember my grandpa buying these glass roses for my grandma on Valentines day or their anniversary.  Even when they were 97, they were still holding hands.  My grandparents truly loved each other. My Grandma was supportive and devoted to my Grandpa. 

I will always cling to this memory that was always talked about.  My Grandma when she was 25, she boarded a train and road west from Smithville/Wooster, Ohio and rode it all the way to California where my Grandpa was stationed in the Air Force.  It always blew my mind, a quiet, reserved woman like my grandma doing that.  How they loved each other and how they respected each other is a legacy of love that my kids were able to witness.

When I learned that Hospice had been called in for my Grandma, it hurt my heart. I was deeply saddened at what loss we were going to suffer.  I asked my husband that evening, is it okay for me to be sad, but glad.  Of course, his response was “yes”. But this is why I asked him that question.  

My grandpa passed away in June of 2016.  One common conversation between them was always that grandma needed to take care of herself, because grandpa wanted to celebrate their 100 year birthdays together.  Well, grandpa ended up going to heaven first.  Ever since grandpa passed away, I knew that it would be hard for everyone to face grandma celebrating 100 here on earth, without grandpa. If we are all honest, we all wanted her to be with grandpa for that. Now they will get to celebrate this milestone together. Grandpa’s 100th birthday would have been February 15th and my Grandma’s would have been April 1st. When my grandpa passed, they were married for 72 years! And now they they will also get to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary together, which would have been February 12th. 

What a lasting legacy of love that we witnessed, but also a lasting legacy to be able to share with others.  I am sure that when my grandma gets to see Jesus, “well done thou good and faithful servant”, will come from His lips.  

United House Publishing Blog

https://unitedhousepublishing.com/blog/

I am so excited to have this opportunity to be a Guest Writer on United House Publishing’s Blog. You can click on the link to view the Blog.

Treasure

Treasure

My Grandpa Graham passed away in 1997, my sister had just gotten married and I had just graduated from high school.  It is hard to believe that he has been gone 21 years.  He was an amazing Grandpa! I catch myself many times wishing that my kids could have met him.  

My husband, Jason, works at the same company that my grandpa did. One day he came home and handed me a treasure.  It was a Tuby Talk Newsletter from May of 1986.  It contained a picture and an article about my grandpa.  When he gave it to me, and I read it, I cried! Even typing this right now I am tearing up! I knew what He looked like, his face was always in my mind.  I knew all about him and how amazing he was, because I held onto those memories.  

Everyone that had ever met him always had something good to share with us about him.  Even though I held onto all of those things, I didn't know how much I missed him till I saw his face and till I read about him. I instantly knew that I was going to treasure this item that Jason found.  

When I looked up the definition of treasure, I found these 2 definitions. 

1. to hold or keep as precious. (verb)

2. person esteemed as rare or precious. (noun)

I treasured my Grandpa Graham as a person and I esteemed him as rare and precious. Because of that, when I was given this item, I decided to hold onto it and keep it as precious! 

Not long after my husband gave me this treasure, we were in church and our pastor began preaching on this verse. Immediately the Tuby Talk with the article about my grandpa came to my mind.  It came to my mind mainly because it was something that I treasured at that time.  But as I began to really ask myself how it related to this scripture, everything just fell into place.

Proverbs 2:1-2, 4:

My child, will you treasure my wisdom? Then, and only then, will you acquire it. And only if you accept my advice

    and hide it within will you succeed.

I treasured my grandpa, he was a very wise man.  He was always giving us good advice, but not in a way to talk down to you, but in a loving, caring way.  Because of that, I still remember the advice that he used to give me to this day.

So train your heart to listen when I speak and open your spirit wide to expand your discernment - then pass it on to your sons and daughters.

Because my grandpa was wise, I listened when he spoke.  I not only listened, but I soaked in all the wisdom that he spoke to me.  Then, that wisdom was passed onto my son and daughter.  

For if you keep seeking it like a man would seek for sterling silver, searching in hidden places for cherished treasure.

When my husband was at work that day, he had no idea what he was going to discover.  He stumbled upon some old newsletters and began reading them. He wasn’t seeking to find a treasure. He was curious about the contents of the newsletters and began reading through them.   

That curiosity caused him to discover something that to some might not have been a treasure at all, but he knew to me, it was something I would cherish.  Indeed, it was something I cherished!  Because of its value to me, I wanted to tell everyone and show everyone what was found.  

At the moment everything came together, it was a “Ta Da” moment for me.  God is saying, “This how we are supposed to feel about the cherished item that He has given us, The Bible.”  How I treasure the newsletter on my grandpa is how I am supposed to treasure The Bible!  

Reading it should bring us to tears in remembrance of everything that God has done and is doing in our lives.  Desire to be tender to the Bible.  When we open it, we need to be absorbing what it is saying. The Bible is full of good advice & wisdom.  It is imperative that we be passing on this advice and wisdom to our sons, daughters, family, friends & even strangers. 

When we open it, we never know what we will stumble upon or what we will discover.  What we read at that moment might not be a treasure at all to someone else.  For you though, it might be exactly what you needed to read at exactly that moment.  Don't miss a divine appointment for God to speak into your heart.  

After I was given the Tuby Talk Newsletter, immediately I put it on Facebook to share with other friends and family.  I wanted to be able to share with them what was given to me! The very next time my family was at my house, I was pulling out the newsletter and showing them and having them read it for themselves!  

Then I had a “gut check” moment as I was pondering all of this.  Have I put things on Facebook that God has laid on my heart & spoke to my soul? Yes!  Have I gone personally to my friends and family and told them things that God has laid on my heart & spoke to my soul? Not so much….punch in gut moment! Why? Why do we not feel free to go to people we love and care about and tell them & show them what God is doing in our lives? Why do we hold back these treasures from people that we love? Why do we withhold this from people we know that need to hear it and see it? 

These encounters, these moments, they are not meant to be kept to ourselves.  They are not meant to be contained. When they happen, we need to be excited about what has been revealed to us. Let us grasp onto the freedom that we have in Christ! Freedom to shout out and tell everyone what God has revealed to us! Freedom to be able to go out and show everyone everything God has shown us! 

Music For You: 

* Isn’t He (This Jesus) by The Belonging feat. Natalie Grant