Happy Thursday!
Praying for DRY weather this Saturday and Sunday… so that nothing slows the anticipated stream of young people to the Waynesboro Park Amphitheater… for Re-Up 09! The wild thing is THIS: as of yesterday, weather man was calling for rain all weekend… and I told a group of people last night that I WAS BELIEVING GOD that we would look at the weather report this morning and it will have CHANGED! Guess what??? Not calling for rain on Saturday anymore! We do have a back up plan, but we really WANT to have this event OUTSIDE!
Gonna be a little CHILLY, so bring sweatshirts and blankets… everyone that’s coming!
Last night, we had to cancel the GO Outreach due to rain. And what could have been a real downer turned out to be one of our best WORSHIP services in a VERY long time! Aaron Huffer lead worship with just his keyboard… and WHAT A TIME WE HAD! Then for the message, I ended up teaching from yesterdays blog… oh, that was FUN!
.
Lately, I’ve noticed GOD doing so many good things for me and for the people dearest to me… too many beautiful things to list. It seems as if so many of my prayers are getting answered so PERFECTLY these days! Every time I pray for someone, something really HAPPENS! Not just a few of them… but MOST of them! The thought of this moves me this morning. How thankful I am.
For example, a few weeks ago… I went to the home of Jason and Lacy Hewitt. Jason had kidney stones so big, he was told they would NOT pass until they were broken up. So Jason and Lacy and baby Calli and I gathered in their kitchen… and we PRAYED for these stones to DISAPPEAR!
Jason went to his scheduled hospital appointment last week to have the stones broken up… and to their astonishment, the doctors could NOT find Jason Hewitt’s kidney stones.
These gigantic stones that were most definitely there just a week before- too large for him to pass without lithotripsy… they were not showing up on the scan! The doctors, so CERTAIN of their existence from Jason’s last examination… they ended up GOING IN with a scope to find them internally… and sure enough THE STONES WERE REALLY GONE!
Jason is going to tell the story himself on Sunday morning at Destiny Family Center. It seems like a REAL miracle. Thanks God!
For every ONE thing going wrong, there’s TEN things going right in our lives! What is God up to in your life these days? For a DAY, praise Him for carrying you in his arms! Try to LIST all of the good things HE’S DOING! And then ask yourself, “What can I offer the Lord for ALL he has done for me!”
Psalms 68:19 Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he CARRIES US in his arms.
Psalm 103:2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I NEVER FORGET the good things he does for me.
Psalm 116:12 What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me?
If you get a sec… list a few of your blessings… and leave a few of your macro prayer requests… so we can see more and more GREAT THINGS happen is your amazing lives! Remember to dream big, live bold, and make a great big difference ALL DAY LONG!
I really needed this blog today! Just reading today's blog was a "blessing" for me!
The LORD has blessed me greatly, even when I was lost.I struggled with years of phyiscal abuse, rejection,and the lonliness. Resulting in teenage pregnancy, I was wanting & needing someone to love me. All along, he was loving and strenghtening me. He granted me 3 wonderful and loving children, and the greatest husband ever!!! Most of all, I am blessed to have the LORDS love and approval through all of my faults and insecurities. The service last nlght was amazing! It was so powerful for me, I felt his presence so strongly! I left church feeling that I AM good enough in his eyes. Thank you Pastor Chuck!!!
I bet you’re one of Gods FAVORITES Nan! You and your ENTIRE family… you bring SO MUCH life to our circle! Have a FUN day!!
I thank God for helping me gain my faith in Him. I've prayed over the years with few real impacting results. But with His help, this past year I've learned the REAL definition of faith. Not just the meaning but I've finally learned what it means to KNOW He's listening and that He WILL do what's right for me. When I pray now I mean what I say, I expect to see results and I always remind myself that how He answers me will be absolutely perfect. And I (happily) wait to see what He does. It's beautiful!
To reiterate, I was on my way to work one ordinary day (for me) and decided to pray for DIRECTION. I was hungry for a spiritual kind of substance and I meant every word of that prayer with my entire heart and was excited as I was EXPECTING an answer. No more than five minutes later I'm talking to you at Peck's BBQ about coming back to your church. I was so blessed and I've been so grateful to Him for you and your church. Every message has been so deep and rich and whats more, it almost ALWAYS coincides with themes I'll wonder about or talk to someone about before I even hear your message or read your blog.
Another, more recent prayer of mine was last week. I've been getting only about 10-20 hours a week working at Peck's. For the past 3 weeks on a daily basis I got into a routine of checking multiple job search websites in order to find a full time job. I started getting real down and frustrated with resumes and applications out all over town and as soon as I got that stressed out about it I realized what a goofball I was being and decided to let God help me. I prayed a hearty prayer and the stress dissolved and I had His peace. The next morning I popped on Harrisonburg's craigslist and saw an ad to be a Caretaker. I knew it was God. I thanked
Him! That is the kind of work I've ALWAYS wanted to do. I called her up and we set up a time to meet. She later told me that I was the first one that called her and that it was only about 10 minutes after she posted it online. She even called off the other interviews she had set-up because she liked me so much!! Thank you, God! So now, I start today helping her with her household chores and keeping her company.
I apologize for this being so long but I'm blessed at what God's doing and Pastor Chuck, I want to thank you for being the prayerful example that you are. I've noticed and have been uplifted and inspired when you pray so much through out your teachings.
I am so blessed that God chose ME to live another day for HIM! I cannot thank the Lord enough for giving me “another chance” when I mess up in this natural life and for sending Jesus so that I can be forgiven of each “mess up” no matter how small. Prayers do get answered when prayed with the correct spirit and heart, but we sometimes forget that an answer may not come as timely as the healing above. I know for a fact that the “prayers of a Mother availeth much” and it is when we “feel” like giving up that we should pray even more and with more intensity. God NEVER gives up on us…so why do we so easily give up on HIM, just because it is not in OUR TIMING, but IN HIS PERFECT TIMING. Live each day and pray each day as if it were your last breath!
My prayer is for our country, our nations, our government, our leaders, our schools, our CHILDREN, our media, our teachers, etc. that they would come to know that what they are currently doing is NOT changing things and the ONLY ONE who can change anything is the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD! We should also be lifting God’s Heart up daily…ISRAEL! God keeps taking me to the Psalms prayers for Israel and they are powerful and so applicable for today!
Thank you for the privilege to share my heart.
Beautiful Rae… very good input about Gods timing… and our need to STAND in the GAP until righteousness prevails!
Thanks Marcy!
Prayer is amazing because we are praying to the Most High God.
Emily… did you get the job? Thats a BEAUTIFUL story! You’re HEART blesses our circle! I’m SO HAPPY we came to eat at Pecks BBQ that day! It was like FINDING a GOLDEN PRIZE!
That is awesome BBQ Emily!!! I am happy for you.
I did!!
I was supposed to start yesterday, but instead she had me start this morning. I’ll be full time with her next week!
Congrats Emily!!!