Pleasing Aroma

As I visited a dear friend at the funeral home last night we hugged....nothing odd but what intrigued me was that I could smell her long after our contact. I immediately thought wow....in the Old Testament days the Israelits were required to present sacrifices to God with hopes that they would be pleasing aroma's to Him and then that today we are to be living sacrifices to Him.....so I asked myself what scent am I leaving....first am I a pleasing aroma to God and secondly, what scent am I leaving on others that I come in contact with? Do they see Him in me?
What scent are you leaving on others?
you will offer special gifts as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. These gifts may take the form of a burnt offering, a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, a voluntary offering, or an offering at any of your annual festivals, and they may be taken from your herds of cattle or your flocks of sheep and goats.-Numbers 15:3

digging a grave...

As I was digging a grave for Jack--our beloved chocolate lab whom we have had for years, I was brought to tears (yes I was emotional already)! But as I breathed in the smell of fresh dirt and felt the cold air flow throughout my lungs, I was brought back to God creating man from the earth.....

then His Son, Jesus...being born to take on human form...and then dying such a death as crucifiction...all for someone like me...me?!?!?! As I placed Jack in the ground...his body bruised and lifeless I was overcome with emotion and saw the facts of Jesus death play out in my mind....and to think....His death pleased God so that I may know Him..may I never forget this!!!

Then as I covered Jack with dirt....I thought...one day back to earth we will all go (unless JC comes first) as if we were never even here at all.....unless we have invested in people and them knowing the mighty Jesus Christ--why I call myself a Bridge Builder....I hope I lead people to Jesus --no matter the cost!

Where are you leading people? See Isaiah 53 for further reading...

Be Still...

"Be Still And Know That I Am God, And That I Will Be Exalted Among All The Nations" -Psalm 46:10 (Shannon's rendition)

This morning as I sit quietly before the Lord, I am brought to tears at how it's so often in the quiet moments we hear the loudest. I am so thankful today at answered prayers. My Dad is very sick with polycythemia and his heart has been having mini heart attacks for awhile now along with mini strokes....so on the way here, Ben and I prayed that Dad would have some good days with his heart and feel good and up for having us (2 active people-ha! one being an 8 yr old boy) around. Well God worked on all of us...Ben was much calmer than normal and as my Dad spoke to my brother on the phone last night his words were, "Yeah, my heart hasn't acted up the last few days, I don't know why but I've had some good days!" PRAISE THE LORD! I just smiled to myself because Ben and I knew that the Lord was providing us--what may very well be our last visit with my Dad--a fun and pleasant visit just reminicising and time for he and Ben to really get to know one another. I sit here as they all sleep just humbled by our Lord and softly crying as I see it's these little things that are so often taken for granted that we need to grasp and comprehend that the Lord is good, his love & grace abound and sometimes its in ways we like and need and other times His answers are harder to understand but still they are in our best interest.

Lord today I pray for Dad's heart and that if it be your will, healing to come to his body....he says he knows you and is ready to go....Lord give him peace in all ways...whether it be here on earth or in your arms.-amen

Friendship with God

Being a Christian is not about do's & dont's and many of us have grown up thinking so (for whatever reasons) but praise the Lord---it's about a relationship with Christ---a real relationship---where we are real and honest with ourselves first and Him!!

The following is an exert from a Proverbs 31 devotion by Micca Campbell & it resounded with me today about how we must be active in the relationship instead of expecting God to carry it....
It took a long while before I realized that the Christian life isn’t about following a bunch of rules. It’s not even about trying my best to be good. The Christian life is all about relationship. It’s about knowing and loving the God who already knows and loves us. It’s about being a friend of God. This changes everything.

Friendship requires commitment. The same is true in our companionship with the Lord. We often neglect vital portions of our relationship with Him. Sometimes that neglect is due to a lack of understanding in how to commune with Him. Other times it is sin or apathy in our lives causing us to overlook our need to fellowship with God.

In order to stay passionate about our faith, and live an empowered life free from sin, you and I must participate in our friendship with God by:

1.) Abiding in Christ. (John 15:4, NIV)
2.) Praying daily. (Mark 1:35, NIV)
3.) Meditating on God’s Word. (Joshua 1:8, NIV)
4.) Putting off the old and putting on the new. (Ephesians 4:22-24, NIV)
5.) Being continually filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18, NIV)
6.) Exercising God-given gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7, NIV)
7.) Actively sharing the gospel with others. (Mark 16:15, NIV)

Which of these areas are you lacking in? Could that be the key to jump-starting your empowered-by-the-Spirit life?

The Christian life is real, satisfying, and available to all who are willing to have an on-going daily relationship with the Lord. Once I came to understand my role and participate in the relationship, I found the empowered life I was looking for. I’m convinced you can too.

Humbled

This morning, I am just humbled to tears at all the words of encouragement. You know when I read them, I think of the song, "Who Am I?" because this is how I feel....I am nothing --except a little crazy to like adventure and action and want to do whatever it is God wants me to do. After all, He made me this way and He did so for a purpose! I just want to daily be what He wants me to be and to always shine for Him!
Yesterday listenting to a sermon on "always being thankful" the guy called in & said how can I when I can't even pay my bills? The host responded, "Then be thankful you are not one of your creditors!" Ha Ha I just love God and know for certain He has a great sense of humor at us humans down here worrying over such things. Oh if we could only imagine.......

God's Handiwork

Wow...to update you in as few words as possible (so I don't loose you)....
God is sooooooooooooo good!!!! If you read my first blog entry, you will see the summary of this journey's beginning -where I realized what God was leading me to and knew what I needed to do--Kneeling Bridge Ministries--but how to do it was a mystery. Well today is November 12 and in a month here is what has progressed:
--I have left my position as Director of Informations Systems with Classic Leather, Inc.
--Thankfully, I am working for them on a contract basis/monthly pay plan (so I have at least a little income for now)
--I am going to incorporate Kneeling Bridge Ministries & apply for it's 501c3 status asap (PRAY!)
--I want KBM's focus to be service oriented with missions goals--I want to somehow lead/organize mission trips to Ukraine (other countries?), start medical missions & distribute medical equipment to hospitals/clinics in desperate need around the world, and will develop and design websites as a ministry to churches/non-profits as well as to businesses for profit :)
--Mostly I want to be open to where God is leading and be ready to take up my cross for Him!

I am so clear on what God wanted me to do and am sure that He is in this and in control. Pray for me because I get scared (like when I spent $60+ yesterday on very few groceries) and when I wonder where all this is leading.
Specific prayer requests:
1) For clarity in preparing the incorporation/tax-exempt papers
2) For discipline to set goals and work on them daily
3) For me to each day spend quality time with the Lord
4) For web sites to design
5) For God to use me in His way-whatever that may be

Kneeling Bridge Ministries

Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. -Psalm 95:6

This week has brought about a lot of change for me....it was as if once I said it to myself and to God that I knew what he wanted....everything became so clear to me.

First I must update you on how great our God is....and I happen to think has a sense of humor.....on the first day of this blog I asked God for yet another sign...well within an hour I had an email offering more medical equipment if I could disperse it to places in need....then after talking to my Pastor on the way home about God's leading, he called and told me about a phone call he had received after we talked. It was a church in Maryland who wanted Ukraine missions video and after we spoke, a possible new partnership was formed......Did I ask for a sign or what???? Ha! I bet God shakes His head at me in laughter. :)

To sum it up, I have offered my present employer a contract deal where basically I do the work but not in the office and take a reduction in pay/benefits to help them out as well......

We shall see.....if it doesn't work out---then it's God will and I am fine with that. I am crazy but I am excited about having to depend on Him for such provisions....it's exciting....yes scary but what a ride.

Thank you Lord!

and as the sermon today will be....Lord use me as Your servant in any way You can!

Psalm 1

1How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. 4The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.

Stepping out in faith vs secure in fear

Father, so often I feel like the boy's father who first exclaimed, "I do believe!" then in a flood of sincerity cried out, "Help me overcome my unbelief!" -Mark 9:24

In a nutshell.....I have been feeling God's leading to do more ministry work and for years have sort of built upon this. God has placed many things for the fruition of this in my path--things I could have never accomplished without Him. So this year, it has been literally burning within me to do something....what I didn't know. But I knew it was something. So I began to search for what it could be...non-profit's, ministry positions within other vocations, etc and upon speaking with someone about an opportunity, he said..."you have your ministry work so why are you searching for something else to go into....sounds like you know what you need to do!" Wham...God may as well have hit me with a 2x4. Yes....I did/do know that God has been leading me to my current ministry work---Kneeling Bridge Ministries---visions that He has given me over the years to further my involvement with missions/medical missions.

Now for the fear issues: money, insurance, money, uhhh money....did i mention money? you get the picture....I am scared to death....how/should I form Kneeling Bridge Ministries as it's own corporation, how will I get paid...how much will I get paid.....will people & churches support me, am I crazy, all these things are swimming in my head and heart.

See the issue is that I want to work part-time or contract so I can have more free time to do ministry work and fund-raising....but I am scared to death of this.
so do I stay secure where I am, bored and feeling mediocre in Christ?????

I ask for your prayers----I want to know this is exactly what God wants me to do....although I KNOW this Lord!!! but please give me another sign.....and forgive me for asking again when I have heard you already.....comfort me...give me the courage & discernment to say the right things to the right people and Lord that this work out as YOU have planned!
-amen