Her & I: The get to know us tag! ****MAKEUP, SHOPPING, ADVICE and MORE!!...

Great new videos coming from my daughter-in-love Sarah and her friend Summer!  This is the first of many.  They are so funny!

OUT LOUD & PERSONAL! (It's not what you think...)

I have been going through some “stuff”.  Great stuff.  Challenging stuff. Personal and deep stuff. God is awesome and as the song says, “His love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me!”  

(One Thing, Jesus Culture – Click here and check it out!)

I am jumping back in to the blog today because I was encouraged by the following scripture and knew that you could be too.  I am also jumping back in because a “sister of the heart” was innocently and unknowingly used to bring conviction in my life regarding my writing.  So hear I am, back in the water, sharing the purposeful meanderings.

We just bought a new house and it is a huge blessing and answer to many prayers. Currently, I am surrounded by boxes, and white walls that could benefit greatly by COLOR! Lol!  I also have spaces to fill with new furniture, rugs, pictures, etc.  I have NO skills in the area of decorating and very few in the logical organization of things.  I’m O.K. with that. I also, currently & temporarily have no paint/decorating budget.  It will come though! And when it does, I have friends who have “the gift” of transforming spaces into magical-ness! 

I have also been experiencing ZERO motivation to unpack, which is ridulousness when I consider how I have longed for this moment of homeownership again!  It is part of my “stuff”.  I will tell that story sometime.

So I am a believer in praying scripture OUT LOUD and Personalized.  There is a huge fight from the stinkin’ devil to have us feel silly about this, not believe it helps, or just not do it.  Well, if you’ve read anything about him you know this: he is around to STEAL, KILL, DESTORY AND LIE to us.  He wants us to have NOTHING that Jesus died to give us.  If that ticks you off – then read the verse and put YOUR NAME in the places where I put my husband Sandy’s and mine.  Then do it again and put your loved one’s name in there.  I am telling you what – you will FEEL the power of this immediately.  Yes, you will! 

This is from Job 1:10  from the Amplified Bible.  Now, don’t get all freaked out when you read Job’s story, because everything turns out great and we all learned a lot from it!  Remember, I am personalizing this for me.  The Word of God is customized for each of us.  When you find something in the Bible that you desire to have or  experience or believe for you or someone else, make it yours and pray it!  Out loud.

“God, You have put a hedge about Sandy and I and our house and all that we have, on every side!  You have conferred prosperity and happiness upon us in the work of our hands, and our possessions have increased in the land.”

This is a prayer for current times.  God wants us, and our children, and our extended family, and our friends to give Him glory and acknowledgement.  He doesn’t need it for Himself, but He knows it is important for US to remember where every good thing comes from.  He wants to bless us and protect us.  He wants the people of God to have much so they can give much, and to be a testimony that He is a good Daddy who takes excellent care of His children. 

He loves you.  Yeah, He really, really does – no matter what.  Have a changed day.  I love you too. <3 angele="angele" nbsp="nbsp" o:p="o:p">

Lost Days & How To Get Them Back!

Yesterday I had what I call a “lost day.”  I hate lost days.  I know that is a strong word.  As matter of fact I tell my grandchildren the same thing when they say it.  When I hear it coming out of their mouth I usually respond gently with, “Wow.  Hate’s a pretty strong word.  Maybe you could say, I really don’t like that, or, that really frustrates me or makes me sad, etc.  Remember, there is power in your words.”  NOW I’m convicted to rephrase.  Hmmm…….let me see….

I strongly dislike lost days, BUT I choose to be joyful because I know I’m going to learn and grow from this experience.  You may be thinking that sounds like a trite Christian cliché, but don’t dismiss it.  It is true. It is a winning attitude.

James 1:2 tells us to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials…” The study note in my Spirit Filled Life Bible states it perfectly: 

“The proper attitude in meeting adversity is to count it all joy, which is not an emotional reaction but a deliberate intelligent appraisal of the situation from God’s perspective, viewing trials as a means of moral and spiritual growth.  We do not rejoice in the trials themselves, but in their possible results.”  As you read on, you will see my story about how we often bring trials upon ourselves. No condemnation here folks, it just true! And there’s a way out!

Last night as I was lying in bed unable to sleep and feeling pitiful and gross, I began to talk to God and ask, what happened here?  You know I really wanted to go to Bible Study; I really wanted to have a great and productive day.  Ohhhhhh, when we ask – He does answer. 

He began to show me the chain of events from the last 24 hours.  EVERYTHING connects.

I am currently on a journey with my family to change our lifestyle in the areas of nutrition and exercise.  I am also in the midst of a slowly successful process of weaning from sleep medications I’ve taken for years. There are certain things I must be disciplined in to be able to sleep.  It all starts with getting up and going to bed at the same time – every day, even the weekends.  I need to be in my bed very early because I need a lot of sleep and currently it can take hours to fall asleep.  (That will not always be the case.) It is also important to be off of all electronics at least an hour before bed.  The right kind of exercise early in the day is crucial. (None of these things have been easy for me, but that is another blog for another day!)

As I was lying in bed the Lord showed me all of the things I didn’t do in this chain of events the day before.  He wasn’t mean, He wasn’t mad, He wasn’t even disappointed.  He was Abba. He was a loving and disciplining Daddy who was answering my question.  I really wanted to understand – and He really loves to help me.

The results of my actions the day before including not sticking to the disciplines, not eating the right foods, and being too lazy to go to the store and get something I needed caught up with me.  I got up on time yesterday, fixed my honey’s breakfast and lunch, and felt HORRIBLE.  I had to cancel my morning appointment and my day went downhill.  It was like a slow-motion train sliding down a muddy mountain and I felt unable to stop it. 

As God was showing me the chain of events I also see that I have said something to someone that wasn’t 100% true.  WHAT?  Yes, I did.  It was small, but wrong.  OH!  OH NO!  THAT was the problem?  That was the thing that put it over the top and sunk my day?  That tiny little thing?  Or is that BIG lie?  I mean, a lie is a lie is a lie – no matter how big or small.  An exaggeration is not a truth.  I realized in an instant that I had brought my lost day upon myself – and in that same instant I cried out to God for forgiveness.  I was so sorry.  Not because I was sick, but because in the light of His love and gentleness to me I was truly repentant.  I was once again reminded of my own sinful nature.  We must always have our guard up.  The simple disciplines of our lives have purpose.  They all fit together and have a ripple effect on everything and everyone in our lives.  That is not an exaggeration.  It is truth. We reap and sow in constant motion, for our own lives and those around us.  Good, bad, or indifferent, we are sowing something every moment.

As I lay on my bed praying, seeing, repenting, and soaking in love and forgiveness I knew the dawn would bring a new day.  I was reminded last week that His mercies are new every morning.  It is really true.  His love, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, grace, and patience – it is all available to us, every single day.  His ways are not our ways.  He is not a man that he should lie.  He is always, always, always there to HELP us, not to make us feel worse when we are down.  He is the kindest Person you will ever know.  Jesus lived on this earth and He knows every single temptation we face.  He understands how hard it is to live on planet earth – it is not heaven!  But He always shows us the way out.  OH how grateful I am for The Truth in my life!

So my friends, I celebrate my lost day.  I learned.  I got clean.  His mercy is new today for me, and for you.  If we just take the time to ASK HIM what is going on, and then LISTEN and RESPOND, everything changes.  It may be your circumstance, it may be your attitude, but it does change!  Be honest with God and yourself.  Don’t get defensive.  And don’t get stuck in beating yourself up (I call that belly-button gazing.)  Just ask, listen, and obey.  If you have to do that 100 times today, it is better than the alternative.  I had a lost day.  In the past I had lost years.  I never want to go back to that land, and I know that I will not.  I have victory – one decision at a time – His decisions.  So can you.  What do you need to talk to God about right now?

Extinguishing Sharp, Fiery Projectiles!

Thanks to many great influencers in my life I have a regular practice of putting on my spiritual armor each day.  (DON’T STOP READING – THIS GETS GOOD!)  Some people say they put it on once and it hasn’t come off.  I think they feel it is a bit religious to “put on the armor”.  I get that.  It sounds like a rule to them. I have learned that it is a powerful principle that makes a true difference in my life.  My experience has been that it is far from a religious practice or a meaningless routine.

There are many things I do in my daily time with God that are done out loud.  I sing out loud.  I pray out loud, sometimes in English, mostly in the Spirit. I take communion out loud. I read the Bible out loud, I put on my armor out loud.  Sometimes I whoop and holler and jump, sometimes I dance, sometimes I am silent and soaking, all the times I listen.  I never run out of things to do with God, the getting started part is where the fight can be – ahhhh, but that is for another time. 

The reason I took fingers to keyboard this morning is because of what just happened when I was doing my armor thing.  I usually ask that the shield of faith will EXTINGUISH the fiery darts of the enemy.  I’m visual.  I picture flaming weapons, sometimes dart-like and sometimes spear-like with which the devil tries to kill me or at the very least steal something from me. (Peace of mind, faith, love, my destiny, sanity – you get the idea!)  This morning I said, “I pick up the shield of faith that it would DISTINGUISH the fiery darts of the enemy.

WAIT.  Ohhhhhhhhh.  Ding ding ding!  Don’t you just love the Holy Spirit and how He reveals His treasures?  Ephesians 6:16 states, “ABOVE ALL, taking the shield of FAITH, with which YOU will be able to quench ALL the fiery darts of the wicked one.”  O.K. – a whole shoe closet of possibilities has just been opened!

Extinguishing sharp, fiery projectiles headed to kill me is a really good thing.  REALLY GOOD!  Thank you so much God that you have saved my life countless, innumerable times!  Today, He highlighted something else – DISTINGUISHING whether those darts/spears are really deadly weapons from the wicked one, OR, could they possibly be……….us?  You know, that fleshy, carnal, sinful, disobedient us that has to die moment by moment?  Could it be we are somehow attacking ourselves?  Have we set up some kind of crazy contraption to shoot fiery arrows and then run in front of it and press the remote to let them fly?  Are we playing some ridiculous, unknown game using ourselves for deadly target practice and then blaming it all on the devil?  No! NEVAH! (Please insert accent or that line doesn’t work.)

I say yes.  Yes we are.  Don’t kick and scream.  You know it’s true.  The stinkin’ devil gets too much credit.

So YES GOD!  Give us clean hands, give us pure hearts, let us not lift our souls to another! (Thanks Pastor Judy Holland for singing this song in the early days of my walk with God, it is forever etched upon my spirit J )   Let us RECOGNIZE and DISTINGUISH where those weapons are coming from.  Ask God.  Who do I need to forgive?  Where do I need to repent?  Show me Lord, what is displeasing to you?  Sorry Lord for the sin of gossip, laziness, disobedience, lack of self-control, selfishness, unbelief, whatever it is.  The list can go on, but the MIRACULOUS news is, as soon as we say we are sorry – it is over!  Over in a good way, you know, forgiven – washed as white as snow – totally forgotten by God!  Wow, how does He do that forgetting stuff?  He’s God.

I leave you with a “revelation” that I must have forgotten. (Wonder who stole it?  Well, hahaha, I got it back and I’m keeping it!) Sorry, my childlikeness often MUST make an appearance.  Anyway, the re-revelation is in the scripture in Ephesians quoted earlier.    The Word of God said I, Me, Angele, You, Us, THE PEEPS will be the ones quenching the enemies fire!  “WHAT?!?!”, you say!  Yup.  It’s us.  Read it and rejoice.  Don’t be afraid!  We can do it because He says we can.

“Take the shield of faith with which YOU will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”  Man, we gotta’ pick up the shield!  It is the amazing and unmerited gift of FAITH that we use to extinguish AND distinguish those weapons!  Is your shield on the ground?  Is it rusty and muddy?  Worse yet, did it even come out into the battle or did you leave it in the barn, or hanging up on the family room wall like some trophy to be admired?  YIKES!!!  Let’s pick up our shields!  We are in a battle!  Even if you don’t think you are, it doesn’t matter, you still are.  Fight or die.  Wow Angele, that’s pretty harsh, do I want to end on that note?  Mmmm….yup, I think I do. 

Daddy Time

Sometimes it is challenging for me to hang out with Abba without thinking about my to do list.  It is usually a spiritual kind of to do list concerning people I want to get in touch with, etc.  Sometimes it is a practical to do list as well, at which point I wonder if I am ADD. (I am NOT – distraction is a common tool used by the enemy of our souls.)

This morning I remembered what it used to be like to have a meal with my earthly Daddy.  We would laugh, talk, eat, and I realize now, I would usually be inspired and feel great afterwards.  I was ready to conquer the world, just because we were hanging out.  His presence lit fires in me – in great ways! J  

We hadn’t planned on having some big inspirational time during those meals (Although my Dad often planned those times as well – which weren’t always as fun as the spontaneous, no agenda, times.)  Even as I write this I realize I still don’t enjoy agendas as much as I do spontaneity.  I completely understand they have their place and are often very helpful, but I am a girl who responds to the flow of relationship and moderate adventure. Lol.

My parents cultivated this trait. They did things like pick us up after school on a Friday with our bags packed and announce we were going on a weekend trip to some glorious destination. We hit the road with snacks in hand and poodles on our laps!  My Mom and my Granny were notorious storm chasers before it was “the thing” to do.  Mom was the one who instigated the late night dashes to Dairy Queen or the romps in the fresh snow at 1:00 a.m.!

I digress.  Bunny trails are a specialty with me.  My Christian Studies girls used to say I was the BTQ – Bunny Trail Queen. J

As I was trying to focus on being in HIS PRESENCE this morning, I felt that God reminded me of what it was like to be in my Dad’s presence.  I once again had to remember to just be myself, to let go of any agenda and just ENJOY it! Here is what Father God, my loving heavenly Daddy, showed me as we enjoyed each other.

When I was with my earthly Dad we did three things:

We Laughed – It was fun, natural, funny, enjoyable, lighthearted, and even gleeful!  Does our Daddy in heaven enjoy lightheartedness?  Was Jesus a man on the earth who experienced ALL we experience? (He was FULLY human!  Check out the first several chapters of Hebrews – so rich and awesome.)  The benefits of joy and laughter are numerous and documented even in the secular world.  Let me tell you, I have found that there is no joy like HIS joy!!

We Talked – Ohhhhhh I do love to listen and talk!  I am a communicator!  I am easily stirred by others and have a great propensity to encourage, cheer on, and empathize.  I drink in the wisdom of God through other people’s experiences and knowledge.  I ALWAYS go away from spending time with a friend or loved one feeling better and ready to DO STUFF!  The more TIME I spend, the DEEPER we go, the more we are both impacted.  Hence, the world is impacted, one person at a time.  So, talking with God?  Listening to God?  Do you think He LOVES it???  Do you think He waits for us?  I do.  The only regret I ever have in the presence of God is that I have to leave the intensity of that place to go do the stuff.  Ha ha ha!  The Presence never really leaves us though - we carry it.

We Ate - Don’t you love to eat?  Most people do.  We love it when it’s yummy, and we are proud of ourselves if it’s healthy!  We are strengthened when we eat. If we don’t eat for too long we get shaky, foggy, weak, and weary.  That’s how I am when I don’t feed myself the Word of God and His very LIFE through His Presence.  I neeeed strength!  I don’t want foggy thinking and distorted decisions!  It is interesting how easy it is to resist fasting food, yet we have no problem not eating the Bread of Life every day.  OUCH Lord.  That is a powerful revelation.  I mean, I know it, but did He just say it like that?  Ummm...yeah, He did. Whoa – conviction anyone? My hand is totally raised right now. 

I learned a lot this morning hanging out with God.  Got some fires lit! Thanks for sharing this time with me.  Going back for seconds.

He Knows!

“Come to Me with your defenses down, ready to be blessed and filled with My Presence.  RELAX, and feel the relief of being totally open and authentic with Me, You have nothing to hide and nothing to disclose, because I know everything about you already.”

This is a passage from the devotional, Jesus Calling written by Sarah Young.  It is a current favorite and often as I read Sarah’s conversations with God and study the scriptures provided I am provoked to deep thought and encouraged by the journeys taken with The Holy Spirit.

I recently shared with my daughter that I always considered myself to be a person who could “relax” easily.  I am happy and often energetic, but also really enjoy just “vegging out”.  However, on a recent anniversary trip to a secluded location I realized total relaxation and “mind quieting” if you will, took me a couple of days to achieve.  I was shocked.  My total and complete relaxation set in about day 3, and then it was almost time to go back to reality!

The same thing can happen with our time with God.  How do we allow ourselves to be “filled with His Presence” if it is not a habitual practice?  Have you ever felt like you couldn’t just enjoy the Word or the worship songs or the “Be still and know that I am God” moments in your private time with God because there was so much clatter in your head? We have all been there too many times and it can be frustrating. 

I think Sarah’s impression from God is a key.  Although we often come to God sullied by the world and our own failures, HE KNOWS.  HE is not shocked, and His love for, and forgiveness to us is rushing and flowing over the riverbanks like a flood!!  WE are burdened, possibly ready to rationalize our sin or defend our actions, or afraid of being authentic.  So silly, aren’t we?  He is GOD after all, and He’s a really Great Guy!

Don’t skip your time with Him because you think you have “dirty laundry list” to clear up before you can just enjoy Him.  I would be so sad if my children felt that way about me.  Can you imagine the people you love to spend time with just not coming to hang out because they were worried about what you were thinking of them?

I have found that the key to having regular time with God is to just HAVE IT!!  Ha-ha!  Really!  Just decide to do it!  Stop analyzing it.  Stop making excuses.  Stop putting it off until “the perfect time”.  Stop looking for a “formula” or a “system”.   We are always looking for “things” that will change our lives for the better.  We look to relationships, money, doctors, material things, etc. Here is a guarantee.  Enjoy his Presence, Seek Him, and ALL these things will be added to you!

I close with something I told my Christian Studies girls once.  Every morning I get up, brush my teeth, put my pink fuzzy robe and slippers on and make my way to the kitchen to brew my morning tea.  When I come out of the kitchen I have a choice.  I can turn right, curl up in my chair, turn on the T.V. and the computer and “wake up”.  OR – I can turn left, go into my office/prayer closet, curl up on my couch, turn on my IPod and begin my day with THE ONLY PRESENCE that changes EVERYTHING.  It is always a choice.  The devil is real and he wants to steal our time with God because He knows he is defeated when we get fresh manna and remember to access the power of the Cross!

The more you do it, the easier it gets.  Go for it friends!  Be Blessed and BE FILLED!

The Butterflies are FREE!!! (And the necklace appeared!)

This blog goes out to Susan Ceglio, a facebook friend I hope to hug enthusiastically one day!  When she commented on my first blog she "gently" said, "No pressure, but I hope there will be more."  This just shows a bit of the essence of the kind of person I perceive her to be - sweet, encouraging, creative and oh so full of love and life.  I assured her many more blog posts were coming!  And they are......however the little butterfly thoughts and stories have been flying quickly by before I can purposely capture them in my net, share them, and release!  THE BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE!!   I know Elton John says the butterflies can fly away - but I say NO, not yet!  (Are you tracking with me here, because if so I am impressed!)

So, tonight, I have 75 minutes to post so that I will at least have had 1 post a month since I began!  Hahaha!  I predict August will be a prolific blog month.

Since my butterflies are free and it's dark outside I can't find them right now.  So, let me be purposeful.  I will capture a meandering thought.        Hmmmmmmm      Waiting.        Waiting.    Praying now....should have done that first.

Got it!!  Stories are the best, don't you think?  Love to hear them, love to tell them.  Let me tell you a true story from when I was a little girl. There's an angel in this story.  You'll like it.

It was Christmas Eve and I was about 11 years old.  We were raised in a great Catholic home and it was our tradition to open gifts on Christmas Eve and then go to midnight mass.  It was really hard to stay awake after all of the excitement, but I loved going.  It was a magical thing to wear a beautiful, wintry Christmas dress, gloves, a lacy veil, and sometimes to carry a velvety little purse.  We would gather with so many people we would all be squished in together.  We lit candles and sang meaningful and long Christmas songs about baby Jesus and Wise Men and JOY to the World!  When the people talked and we sat, my brother and I would lean up tight against my Mommy.  She would put her arms around us, rub our backs and kiss our heads.  We glowed in her love.  We tried not to fall asleep.  After mass we would go close to the manger scene and look in awe as the characters represented there came to life in my imagination.  We took pictures in front of it every year.

There was something different about this year.  It was my own sad little secret that no one knew except God.  I had a silver necklace with a tiny little silver cross on it.  There was a teeny-tiny diamond in the middle of the cross and I thought it was the most treasured and beautiful thing I had ever seen. It had been a gift from my parents and I only wore that necklace on very special days.  I kept it on my dresser in a round, ornate little jewelry box with a red velvet lining.  It was the only thing I put in there.  That night, before church, I opened my box and the necklace was gone!  I looked everywhere for it and was sure I had misplaced it or lost it somehow.  I didn't tell anyone because I was afraid I might get in trouble for losing it, and I was so sad I didn't really want to talk about it.

I remember standing at my french provincial dresser, near my pink canopied bed, just looking in the empty box and simply asking God to please bring my necklace back to me.  My parents called, and it was time to go.  We got home sooooo late for such a little girl.  Daddy offered to make us breakfast but we wanted SLEEP!  I walked into my room to put my silky Christmas P.J.s on and there on my dresser was my cross necklace!! It was perfectly arranged, just waiting for me to gently pick it up and hug it to my neck!  I was overjoyed!  Since I HAD it I asked Mom and Dad if they had put it there - they said no. I asked my little brother Jay and he looked at me as if I was crazy to think HE would touch my girly necklace!  Remember, I hadn't told anyone - EXCEPT GOD - about my loss.  

Now you may think this a simple story, with a logical explanation, but I beg to differ.  I remember the night as if it were last night.  I remember the prayer, the deep sadness, the heart cry.  When I asked God to bring my necklace back I thought I would find it later in my room somewhere.  When I walked into my room that night I KNEW that I KNEW that I KNEW that an angel had delivered my treasure and placed it lovingly there for me to find.  Even at that early age I recognized the presence of God and His angels.  My family didn't really know that - it was pretty private.  I didn't even fully understand it.  I do now, and how deeply grateful I am to have had a few angelic experiences in my lifetime.  I know there will be many more.  The next time we talk about angels I'll tell you the first time I saw my guardian angel as she cared for me in the night hours.

God cares about the little things.  He always has, and He always will.  What little thing do you want to ask Him for tonight?  I know He'll answer.