I have had a great bear hug from God. He gives us hugs and encouragement when we don't even see it coming. He sends people to love on us and lead us when we need it the most. I have needed it. But I am not the only one.
I stood in the Amway Arena this past weekend with I don't even know how many other women worshiping the Lord at a Deeper Still Event. We sat on the edge of our seats as we heard that God goes beyond our expectations and then he will go beyond, beyond. We heard that we can rest in our faith even in a bad season. We rallied as we learned how to discern what was from God so that we would not get PUNKED! We laughed until we cried as we heard the banter between the ladies that led us deeper still into the word with God. We left with a challenge to go deeper still in our relationship with Jesus and expect him to go beyond, beyond and way past, way past as we rested in our faith of the one true God!
I was exhausted when I got home. I had the chance before driving home to have one of the best conversations and discussions with my new friends. I thank God for my sisters in Christ.
I had to go to work yesterday, on the Sabbath. I have to work every third weekend and this was my weekend to work. God blessed me when someone switched a day with me so that I could attend the conference on Saturday. I still had to work Sunday, so the blast of the conference was over and off to work I go, tired!
I momentarily forgot that I was expecting God to go beyond, beyond. I mean, I was going to be stuck at work(which has been really hard for me this year.)
I ended up meeting someone that was experiencing grief of a loved one. Hmmmm. I sure can relate to that.
He brought up his grief and we talked about grief and how hard it is. I shared that I was struggling with my own grief currently and I found myself offering to call a minister.
"No."
"Would you like a Bible?" (the limit of my expectation at the time)
"Yes. I have been seeing John 3:16 all over the place today, and I can't remember what it says."
" I can get you a Bible, but I can tell you what John 3:16 says. `For God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.' " (okay, God just got me way past the limit of my expectation, I realized later that this is the first person that has ever asked me what John 3:16 says that didn't already know it or was in the process of memorizing it!)
I brought this person a Bible and told him it was a New Testament, but it did have the Psalms in it. Somehow, during this encounter, I got to share the plan of salvation with him. He was asking~ I was telling. Since he was anxious I asked him what story he like in the Bible. He wasn't really sure, so I told him when I am anxious, I like to read about Jesus calming the storm. He didn't know this story, but he wanted to read it. So I went to look it up, and I couldn't remember the book. I can always go right to it in my Bible, but I was having a moment of panic and it dawned on me...use your Blackberry.
Into my pocket as fast as could be, I used my new nifty Blackberry and googled `Jesus calms the storm.' I had flipped to the reference quick as could be and left him reading about the Prince of Peace.
(Now, by this time God took me beyond, beyond! Way past, way past! Did I see it coming? No, but I liked it. Thank you Jesus!)
He liked the story. He was smiling, yet he was still anxious. He struggles you see. He was taught as a child, that only 144,000 get into heaven.
Strange... he could remember that number of 144,000 and that learning heaven wasn't for him, but he couldn't recall John 3:16 at all.
A few seeds dropped, and one was even a Blackberry seed. Isn't God Awesome??????
This is what standing on good soil is all about:)
I stood in the Amway Arena this past weekend with I don't even know how many other women worshiping the Lord at a Deeper Still Event. We sat on the edge of our seats as we heard that God goes beyond our expectations and then he will go beyond, beyond. We heard that we can rest in our faith even in a bad season. We rallied as we learned how to discern what was from God so that we would not get PUNKED! We laughed until we cried as we heard the banter between the ladies that led us deeper still into the word with God. We left with a challenge to go deeper still in our relationship with Jesus and expect him to go beyond, beyond and way past, way past as we rested in our faith of the one true God!
I was exhausted when I got home. I had the chance before driving home to have one of the best conversations and discussions with my new friends. I thank God for my sisters in Christ.
I had to go to work yesterday, on the Sabbath. I have to work every third weekend and this was my weekend to work. God blessed me when someone switched a day with me so that I could attend the conference on Saturday. I still had to work Sunday, so the blast of the conference was over and off to work I go, tired!
I momentarily forgot that I was expecting God to go beyond, beyond. I mean, I was going to be stuck at work(which has been really hard for me this year.)
I ended up meeting someone that was experiencing grief of a loved one. Hmmmm. I sure can relate to that.
He brought up his grief and we talked about grief and how hard it is. I shared that I was struggling with my own grief currently and I found myself offering to call a minister.
"No."
"Would you like a Bible?" (the limit of my expectation at the time)
"Yes. I have been seeing John 3:16 all over the place today, and I can't remember what it says."
" I can get you a Bible, but I can tell you what John 3:16 says. `For God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.' " (okay, God just got me way past the limit of my expectation, I realized later that this is the first person that has ever asked me what John 3:16 says that didn't already know it or was in the process of memorizing it!)
I brought this person a Bible and told him it was a New Testament, but it did have the Psalms in it. Somehow, during this encounter, I got to share the plan of salvation with him. He was asking~ I was telling. Since he was anxious I asked him what story he like in the Bible. He wasn't really sure, so I told him when I am anxious, I like to read about Jesus calming the storm. He didn't know this story, but he wanted to read it. So I went to look it up, and I couldn't remember the book. I can always go right to it in my Bible, but I was having a moment of panic and it dawned on me...use your Blackberry.
Into my pocket as fast as could be, I used my new nifty Blackberry and googled `Jesus calms the storm.' I had flipped to the reference quick as could be and left him reading about the Prince of Peace.
(Now, by this time God took me beyond, beyond! Way past, way past! Did I see it coming? No, but I liked it. Thank you Jesus!)
He liked the story. He was smiling, yet he was still anxious. He struggles you see. He was taught as a child, that only 144,000 get into heaven.
Strange... he could remember that number of 144,000 and that learning heaven wasn't for him, but he couldn't recall John 3:16 at all.
A few seeds dropped, and one was even a Blackberry seed. Isn't God Awesome??????
This is what standing on good soil is all about:)
Now glory be to God who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of- infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes. May He be given glory forever and ever through endless ages because of his master plan of salvation for the church through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 3: 20-21.
