Blogging

Well , I have hit the pavement running, school has started and so has work!!

My friends and I ( we call ourselves, SWAG-S.outhern W.omen A.ging G.racefully, we hope ;o)

We have been friends for a long time, we all lived in Florida and now we are up here in the Carolina's .... We get together for Fun, fellowship , girl weekends every once in a while.
Then we realize, that we all need to be accountable to each other for prayer and growing in Intimacy with God , so then we went through a book( The Shack) and Now We are going through a 90 day study of David, a Heart like His a Beth Moore study.
We went to see the movie Julia and Julia and one of us(Queen SWAG) got the idea we would each have a day where we blog about what God has spoken to us.. So while I am doing that blog, I will not be blogging on here.
I want to invite you to join us there.....swagfriends5.blogspot.com

I hope you will join us, as we take this journey together, to Have a Heart Like His!!

BTW- I am Brat SWAG ( Not sure how I got that name, only to say, it is true of me ;o)

Summer and Surrender

A lot has Happen since I last blogged.. The summer was fast and furious... While I love to travel, I am glad to be back and starting a routine.

My man and I celebrated 25 years. We able to go to Alaska. We had such a great time. The scenery, it so beautiful. After seeing the beautiful scenery, You have to say There is a GOD! But we have no idea of how big He is. Just seeing his creation of Alaska, I can't wait to see heaven.. I know it will truly be,Out of This World!!

I also, was able to go to a Deeper Still Conference, Beth Moore, Kay Author, and Priscilla Shiver. I went but I have to be honest. I felt like Why? I like them but I have been to many of conferences, so I'm not sure why I was going. I felt like I have been out of it, Not sure what God wanted me to do.. So the first night I was there, during the music, ( which I love to sing) but during this time, I was talking to God and telling Him( like He didn't know) that I did not want to sing something that I did not mean. I begged him to speak to me.. Well, He did, Kay A. stood up and began to read in the book of Hebrews. " Man, shall not live by bread alone but by every word out of the mouth of God... She cont. but the Holy Spirit stopped me with this verse and said to me, Lisa, What are you living by? Anger, Unmet expectations, fear, friends, circumstances, etc. or by His word?... He then build on that the whole weekend with the other speakers. This has been a daily reminder.. Lisa, What are you living by? I want to focus on something else or Someone else , He reminds me of ... It is by His word! I am so grateful to him for meeting me right were I am but I have to tell you, He hasn't left me there.

A while back, our church showed a video, of Penn and Teller, the illusionist, Penn had been given a Bible by a man after his show, so he blogged about it, ( they are professing atheist) he said, How much would you have to hate someone not to share Jesus with them, If you truly believe that He was the only way to Heaven. If a truck was coming, wouldn't you yell or do whatever it took to help save that person.... I ask God, Who is it that He wanted me to share with? He said Your cousins, well, I dolove my cuz, but family can be hard so I fought Him on it for about a week..

Then after He spoke to me at this conference, I told Him I wanted to take risk for Him and step out of the boat, what do you want me to do ,Lord? He said I want you to share me with your Face Book friends! I wrestled with Him for about 3 weeks. I kept rationalizing it, saying God, most of these people I met in church, they have known you longer than I have, some are pastors and all are better writers than me .Come On ,Lord, Not me! Fear set in, wondering what others would think.. God said.. What are you living by,Lisa? So I surrendered and It is amazing How He has met me every step of the way. I prayed for all who would read it, that they would know him.. I do not know what God is doing on their end but I will tell you, He who began a good work in me,WILL continue til the day of Jesus and I am Living for that!!

Children or Orphans

This summer has been crazy with traveling and Kids at home... God is still speaking to me and revealing himself to me in a new ways.....which I am grateful, He is with me and loves me!!! I will share about that later when I have more time!
Our pastor has been teaching through Gal. and this last week He spoke about living as children or as orphans. Please check out our church blog and go through the list and see how you are living.Check out nlcblog.org
Ask God to help you live as children and reveal those areas where you have lived as an orphan.. I thank Him for never giving up on me!!! Phil 1:6
Have a great summer!

I am ashamed

This past week I went to see my mom and grandma. I had a wonderful time. I realized again how blessed I am to have come from these great women. Women of faith , prayer and love, always giving themselves away.......
I have always tried to value people for who they are,Not what they looked like , did or any power they had. I kind of even at times could be prideful about it. Well, I was confronted with how far I have NOT come, I saw someone who, when I was in school was not popular, not pretty ( the world standards,) Many made fun and ignored this person.... But this week, I was faced with myself and it did not look good. God reveled my ugly side . I am ashamed that I still , Even though, if i did not say it, I thought it!! But as I watched and listen to this person, I saw God's love and a person that has Joy beyond, what the world has to offer, someone who is dependable, hard worker, pleasant, sweet spirit, loves God, family and people. In a world where people are angry at everyone and their situations. She had and has some very good reason to be Bitter and she isn't... You can see Jesus all over her .... So as I face Jesus this week. I left a changed person. I pray that when people leave me, they are changed because they see Jesus in me!

The best gift

Tis' the season.. Weddings, Graduations and Babies Oh My!!!. So I go to my favorite stores trying to find the perfect gift... which most time I end up getting a gift card.. what is up with that? Why, when I want to get the perfect gift..Cause what I like, they may not , what I need ,they may not! So letting them choose seems like the best gift....
So what has God given me? The perfect gift, The choice, Jesus or not? To choose Life or death... He brought so much to the hill of Calvary.. He brought, love without boundaries, forgiveness and acceptance, and so much more..
What do I bring? Anything I have is not worthy of Him. What would He like for me to bring?
1 John 1:9- My sins... If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right.. Trust him? with my bad habits, selfish moods, lies, binges and bigotries, failures and fears, He wants them all.. doesn't seem like a great gift.. but He is such a Great God who does what is right! He says that without Faith (trusting Him) it is impossible to please him.. so trust him today and step out in faith and bring your gift( all of it) to Him. He knows we can't truly live with them!

Not reform but adore!!

Psalm 51:1-2 Have mercy on me,O God, according to your unfailing love: according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
This Psalm was written after Nathan confronted David's affair.. David is begging God to deliver him, David knows the high cost of sin, he had to be in agony over all he had done.. When sins reigns over a believer, it always separates them from God, not is relationship but in fellowship...Here David comes to God begging for his mercy, you know God welcome him into his presence.. In his presence is where we all long to be.. but sin and holy never keep the same place so how can this be? Paul talks a lot about the struggle we have with flesh and wanting to be holy and blameless before God....
I was raised with lots of rules but learned that legalism totally ignores the holy spirit and our relationship with God and others. Its focus is negative...The rules, instead of limiting our sins, defines sin..... giving our attention to sin and then we desired it more than desiring the one who we were trying to keep the rule for....The answer to having victory over sin is learning to worship... not reform but to Adore the Savior!

Green thumb, I have NOT!!!

It is spring here in NC, I love it!! Well, not all of it... like the green pollen that coats your car and everything outside,If you are like me and have your windows open it coats everything inside too!
I have been driving a lot lately and seeing all the different trees bloom and flowers, It is SO beautiful.. God knew exactly what he was doing, He is very artistic! I can see him, in his creation and It makes me love him all the more, also, Makes me smile to know that he loves color, I love color , I am trying to use them all in my house ;o)
I was talking to a woman, who really does have a green thumb. I asked her about these flowers she had , they were so pretty She told me about them and how that they moved with the sun, When the sun was straight up in the sky, they stood straight up and when it moved, they would move and when the sun began to go down, then they would follow and go down .At night they closed because there was no sun. It amazed me! I would love to tell you what she called them, she had the right technical name for them but to me they were just pretty flowers..... I know, I know, I am into the details,NOT, Sorry!
As I thought about those flowers and watched them do exactly what she said,Up with the sun and follow the sun and went down with the sun. It made me think about my relationship with Jesus.. Do I follow Him, Am I up with Him, Do I even know what He is doing around me? Or am I wanting to bloom all on my own and asking Him to come and shine on Me?
The bible says, look at creation and you will know of him... It is true, even the flowers can teach you to ....... Bloom where you are planted and Follow the Son!

Cracked Pots

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."
~2 Cor. 4:7
I love this verse, It says a lot about God and who he is ... His Ministry of grace on our lives, that he would choose to use cracked pots for his glory...
Our lives should be nothing but a visible representation of Christ.. 24/ 7. We are His ambassadors.. we never get a day off. 24/7 Ambassadors represent their country. Everything they do , say, go, how they spend their time ,reflects back on their country. So if I am God's Ambassador, I am a walking, talking 24/7 representative for Christ. Whether or not I open my mouth( which is hard for me not to open ) I am communicating volumes about my Savior..... My pastor has this great quote" What I believe about my future determines how I live today" So true...... My actions and attitudes reflect my true beliefs.. Do I worry, Am I fearful or joyful? A servant or selfish? In the ways that God has blessed me, do I use them for His glory? Am I forgiving or angry? Prideful and ???.......
Knowing these struggles.. makes this verse even sweeter to me... cause I have been all of those.... BUT this precious treasure-this light and power that now shine within us( ME)-is held in a perishable container, that is, in our(MY) weak bodies. Everyone can see that glorious power within must be from GOD and it def. not our(MY) own!!!! ANY and I do mean ANY good that you see if from HIM!!
Thank God He uses ... this pot, that many would not look at, want or use because of all the cracks it has, It is a wonder it holds anything. Some of the cracks , others made, Most of the cracks I have made myself, from bad choices along the way......
My prayer is that His glory shine all through my many cracks !
This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine.....