365 Days of Prasie Challenge-Day 358

It is always so fabulous to finally get to a place where you know and are at peace with the direction God wants you to take. I have been researching the options on becoming a Christian counselor and have been going back and forth between the conflict of the secular route vs the biblical route.  The question hasn’t been about which route to take as I know that it is the biblical route, however, the path to take for schooling for this has been muddled.  Going the route through the NCCA (National Christian Counseling Association) or AACA (American Association of Christian Counselors) was bugging me and so I have been praying and prayed especially last evening after researching more and feeling more and more confused. So the Holy Spirit worked on me overnight, I laid in bed this morning and let random thoughts come to me and than over pouring a cup of coffee discussed my confusion with my hubbie and had the “Light Bulb Moment”. The school through the NCCA tells you that if you are not already a pastor that to counsel under the authority of the church you will need to be licensed, credential or ordained.  It sounds like a simple fix that they could help you with. I have finally concluded that being a pastor and having that seminary education of a pastor is a part of being equipped to truly counseling others. The word of God says we are to build a foundation of faith with Jesus being the cornerstone.  I have to build a foundation not just of my faith but education and wisdom through the right schooling. I know now that just being a licensed minister so I can counsel is not the right foundation. It feels like cheating. I have to lay the ground work of my counseling ministry with a strong education in the word of God. The NCCA and AACA have some great looking programs and courses that I may ultimately take on but they are not the cornerstone. So, now I will be researching finding my cornerstone and going to seminary. Thank God it’s the weekend where I will have plenty of time to tackle this. Thanks be to the Lord for making my path fully clear. You are amazing!

Isaiah 28:16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:  See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;  the one who trusts will never be dismayed.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 357

How did I get so blessed to have the husband I have? He has always been a tremendous support to me, showing his love and caring. In terms of love languages, I think he likes to give love by his acts of service. I see this in him everyday but it is especially evident when like yesterday I was feverish from fighting off some virus, dealing with the shoulder pain and the after affects of my work. He tells me “sit down and relax” and is up and getting me anything I need all evening. I am just so thankful to God for my husband and so thankful to be able to be a witness to seeing him grow and mature in his faith. It is a privilege to be able to walk along side him in this journey of our lives.

1John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.  

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 356

You would think a household could go one day without electricity. Not mine. I got home and the family was out taking Tristan to bible study group so I went around lighting some candles and than they got home. Immediately they all, including my daughter who was so gung-ho about us doing it, agreed that our No electricity experiment was done. TV won. I was actually very thankful as it had been one of those days at work trying to play catch-up to being gone the afternoon before for my shoulder appointment and dentist appointment and vegetating in front of the TV felt like a good idea.  So, my new shoulder PA and doctor take a look at my shoulder and told me I have “frozen shoulder”. Try putting your arms by your sides and hold up you lower arms with fists; keeping your upper arm by your side, move your arms outward. My right one goes out but my left one I could move out about ½”. Wow! Range of motion is dramatically gone. So to surgery I will go. PA explained that this is a fairly common problem especially for women in my age group. The cause a lot of times is related to diabetes or thyroid but I don’t have either of those issues so the doc thinks the probable cause is an impingement which he will take a look at during the surgery and fix anything else that needs fixing. There are lots of things to praise the Lord for in this situation: being listened to, having answers, having hope and knowing that God is in control and taking care of me. I know everything is in His timing and I am thankful for the Holy Spirit filling me with the patience to endure, peace to keep my mood from becoming dark and especially the loving tender care the Lord provides.

Phillipians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 355

I write this praise a day ahead of schedule because Wednesday is No Electricity day in the 4^th grade and my daughter has been gearing us up all week for this so that we as a family can do it at home for that day. You do have to plan ahead. Tonight I will be looking for candles, planning a dinner that does not require heating and trying to get the rest of the family on board for our one day of no electricity. This will be a good experience for our kids who have never gone through a black-out for any length of time and give them and us a real appreciation for what blessings electricity brings to our lives.  Thank you Lord for the gift of schools and teachers that teach not just the abc’s but things like this that play a vital part of our lives and need to be appreciated. No Lights, No TV, No Computer, No Microwave, No coffee pot, No hair dryer, NO alarm clock. I am guessing it will be okay to keep our fridge and freezer running. YIPES. Seriously, what would we do with out electricity? 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 354

Yesterday I did a large import of customers using our newest database with the modifications that have been made to it to help streamline the matching process. I was afraid that I would find issues importing a larger list of customers and I was right. It wasn’t a major problem but it was an annoying and time consuming issue which really defeats the purpose of the new modifications.  I am thankful that I sent my email to our operations manage last week with my concerns about going live with the new database and the fact the current new modifications were not going to give me any more substantial time to add more work.  They are gearing up to pass all the cancellation requests for all the other jurisdictions that the Irving office handles but I was frank in my email and made some suggestions as to the two pieces that really need to be worked on to bring in some automation that would save time. I got an email yesterday showing that my office manager actually read my email and took my concerns and suggestion seriously. She also let me get a bit off my chest last Thursday when my PMS was in full gear and the negativity was too much to bear.  The next day she bought our team lunch at Jason’s Deli to thank us for all our hard work and to sing our praises.  I have been guilty of judging her in negative ways but I think that like the rest of us she is doing the best she can under the circumstances. So, thank you Lord for being listened to and validated at my work place and forgive me for judging others in any way.

James 1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 353

I learned recently that our former pastor asked the front desk ladies to not tell anyone who was to be teaching the sermon on Sunday. He wanted people to come not to hear him but to worship God. It is funny because I have often felt that little let down when I get to church and see that it is not the senior pastor speaking but always, without fail, I end up enjoying, learning from and being inspired by the sermon no matter who is doing the talking. The truth is our Lord is up front speaking to us through the temperament and life experiences of the speaker. Considering how very unique each and every one of us are, it is a great blessing to be able to hear from different pastors and other believers in the worship experience. Nate Stratman was passionate, funny, engaging and very inspiring.  Thank you Lord for this gift of your words through the lives of all who share, teach and witness.

Romans 1:25 Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.



365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 352

I am grateful for the opportunity and freedom to be able to worship God on Sunday at my church in a community of believers.  It is a blessing that not every believer has throughout the world. Christians gathering together to worship, pray and be in communion with each other is not to be taken for granted. Our founding fathers of this country generation sacrificed greatly to give us this freedom. If you are not connecting at a church somewhere, I encourage you to keep searching and praying for God to lead you to a home church that fits you. We are not meant to do this alone. Thank you Lord for the community of believers in my church, the freedom to gather and worship together and all the blessings come from it.

Psalm 34:3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.