365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 116

Growing up in the Catholic church, I was not exposed to the differences that other denominations have. My experience yesterday at the leadership meeting at a non-denominational church was so wonderful. The thing that really stood out to me the most was when someone was leading us in prayer, the rest of them were saying little things along with the prayer. Amens, hallelujah's and all kinds of other things. It actually felt like we were all participating in this prayer because of the action of speaking out. I am again profoundly aware of the power available to us by being in the body of Christ. I had a friend who always told me her church was being outdoors in the mountains with God. I always thought that was nice but not enough. God created us to be in relationship with others and to work together in his plan for the world. Whether it's in a more conservative church atmosphere or in a more action-oriented church atmosphere, we are all one body. Have you tried a different church lately or ever? It can be an enlightening experience that will stir your soul. Give it a try.
Genesis 28:15 "Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go."

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 103

On Sunday afternoon our congregation gathered to do a straw vote on leaving the PCUSA. Our church is the largest Presbyterian church in the country and has been working on this move out of the PCUSA for 10 months. We have had several meetings with Pastor Singleton as he explained the fundamental issues the PCUSA has and what we as a church believe. I was very excited about it especially after we saw a sermon from a Pastor in a church in CA that was at a big meeting in Florida recently. He explained what the new denomination is. It is called Evangelical Covenant Order or ECO for short. You can view the video at The meeting on Sunday was a straw vote to see where the congregation as a whole was at in terms of this move. A final official vote will be taken in a month. It was interesting to hear some of the questions and concerns and I realized that most of them had to do with fears. Fear of what others will think of our church, fear of breaking up the unity of the church, fear of the unknown future of the church and on. But as was said by a few others, it is risky and new but where we are at is dying. Apparently, the Presbyterian church has not grown at all in the last 50 years and is apparently loosing people. We just want to believe the Word of God and believe that Jesus is the son of God, died for us, went to hell and came out of hell and returned to heaven. So I am thankful today for the courage of people to finally stand up and make this move away from beliefs that don't jive with ours. The newspaper said that over 90% voted to leave. We only needed 80% so that is huge. I am excited about the future of our church and of this new denomination.
Mark 5:36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 81

I attended a women's day retreat this weekend at a different church than my own. Although it's always a bit nerve-wracking at first because it's a new place, people you have never met and you don't know what to expect, I found it to be very refreshing after getting past the initial gitters. One of the ladies was awesome and probably could see the anxiety in my face as I just have that kind of wear everything on my sleeve kind of face. She got me introduced to a few people at a table and my anxiety started melting away. They are just people for pete sake. I can't seem to remember that. The main message for the day at the retreat was about connections which I was a bit giddy about since it's been part of my mission to make connections with other Christian women through faithbooking. Did I meet my new best friend? No, but it was nice to be reminded of how similar we all are. We all have fears and we can all call on God to help us overcome our fears, to be courageous, to take initiative and seek out other sisters in Christ. I've made the connection with this church and look forward to meeting and building some relationships with my fellow sisters.
Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 69

I can see the doors opening! Day by day as I keep to His word and focus on my God who loves me I am finding mile marker posts keep coming up showing me I am on the right path. I spoke with a friend who happens to be pastor at a church and she passed onto me another church possiblity where I can possibly get in a workshop or series of workshops. Working within your own network of people can help get you further out there to new people. I am feeling very blessed for these people that get what I am trying to accomplish and I know in the end when this minisry is successful and thriving I will be able to look back and see all the wonderful people who played a part in it's journey to success. Thank you Lord for those people you place in my path that are really angels in disguise.
Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyon hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 56

I think there are some people that God has created that just have an abundance of wisdom. Whether it comes naturally to them or they have cultivated it over the years, only God knows but I am thankful to God for placing people in my life that have wisdom and knowledge that I do not. I started a Mastermind group this week in which business people gather together and we work on our businesses utilizing each other as resources, sounding boards and hold each other accountable. Our first session was about the destination, goal or where we want to be at 5 months from now when the group ends. My destination needed some work. It wasn't specific and defined enough. So with the help of the group, we got it figured out to be: To have one meeting with a contact at a local church to discuss Faith to Life Connections and how I can introduce faithbooking to their congregation. So, now I have to break it all down into Mile Marker goals that will tell me I am heading in the right direction towards my destination. God didn't intend for us to do it alone and I am thankful for this opportunity to gather with others who want to prosper and succeed in their businesses and hope I can bring some encouragement, ideas and tips to them on their journey to their destination. Our ultimate destination is with the Lord in heaven. How prepared are you to meet Jesus face to face?
Proverbs 13:10 Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advise.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 33

Today I am praising God for giving us some visual symbols that remind us of him. The cross is the most obvious one but as I sat in my hot tub last night reflecting on the events of our Christmas day here at home, I found myself just in awe of the stars out shinning and thought of how Jesus is the bright morning star. I wondered where that term came from exactly. In my study of the bible I couldn't recall where it might be written but thanks to the concordance in the back of my bible I was able to look for 'star' and find the scriptural reference. It is from Revelation 22:16 I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. I thought about this symbol of a star and realized that it was the perfect symbol for hope. Morning star is the name given to the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise. Jesus is this star that brings hope. They say that it is darkest before dawn. Jesus, The Morning Star is like a beam of light coming across the sky going off in the darkest of night and helping lead us to God who is the brillance of the rising sun. The star is our hope in our dark world. I am thankful to God for the gift of Jesus and putting that into a visual of a brillant star that we can hold on to. May our Morning Star bring you hope this day and all the days to come.
Numbers 24:17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob, a scepter will rise out of Israel.