On a normal day, I typically do not have the television on, but this morning I decided to tune in while doing a little house cleaning.  The channel landed on Life Today with James and Betty Robinson, who I deeply admire and respect for all they have done for the Kingdom of God and for being such a huge blessing to so, so many people around the world.  I do believe they will have an extra special place in heaven as they have spent their lives laying up lots and lots of treasure in all they do for others out of a pure love of Christ.

But then, I kept hearing a familiar voice that I couldn’t put my finger on so I had to go look to see who was speaking.  What a treat to see another amazing Woman of God on the screen.  A woman that was a huge blessing in my life a few years back when I attended Women of Faith Conferences when they just started out.  The lady I speak of is the one and only Thelma Wells.  Now, Mama T (as she has been affectionately referred to over the years) has an amazing story of overcoming insurmountable odds, adversity and huge challenges to overcome, walk in victory, and become all God created her to be.  She wrote the book, “Bumblebees Fly Anyway,” where she shares the story of how the bumblebee, according to scientific research, should NOT be able to fly.  It’s body is too big, and it’s wings are too small to actually fly.  However, because it doesn’t listen to any nay-sayers, and simply doesn’t know any better, the blessed bumblebee flies around pollinating flowers and doing whatever else God created it do anyhow.

Moral of the story:  although life can often throw us some mighty curve balls to get us off track, disillusioned, depressed, beaten down, discouraged, and stuck in a rut…. we always have the power of choice and His strength and promises in us to stand on.  We can either stay down, or we can continue on, buzzing about, doing what God intended us to do when He formed us in the womb and knew us before the foundations of the earth.  (Jer.1:5)  Another point Ms. Thelma touched on this morning, a point that I recall hearing from her before and hung on to, is this…. John 16:33 says, “In this world, you WILL HAVE TROUBLE.  But take heart!  I (Jesus) have overcome the world.”  The point is, no matter what we do, or how careful we are, it is inevitable that life will share plenty of challenges to deal with.  The question is, will we fight and balk and walk defeated, or will we embrace each challenge, do our best to ‘be grateful in all things’ (even the hard times) and overcome each one so that Jesus Christ may be glorified through it all, allowing our lives to be a conduit of light to shine in a dark world?  So, next time a challenge comes, fight the natural instinct and embrace it as an opportunity to walk gracefully through it.  You never know what kind of divine purpose that challenge may be preparing you for!

Bee Blessed!, shana

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

‘The Lord is close to the broken hearted, He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.’ Ps. 34:18. May God comfort you today as only He can. He know every thought, every hurt, every fear, every heartache, and He sees you as His beautiful child that He loves unconditionally and completely…. No matter what. Even as adults, we sometimes forget that we are a mere child who is loved and cared for completely. We sometimes get disillusioned by the enemy’s subtle, toxic, destructive tactics. But this is God’s vision of you… You are His precious child whom He loves and adores. Rest in His comfort and healing love. You are amazing…. Don’t ever forget that.

(fb entry 2/18/12)

I do believe one of the greatest travesties of deception within oneself, and a great tool of the enemy is the denial of unhealthy pride. I believe we all, do a degree, have to battle this trait very carefully,… ‘being confident in who we are in Christ, yet not thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought.’ It pains me to see & hear of people, ‘Christians,’ mistreating others, gossiping, judging, slandering, fighting, etc. with and about others because of their mis-doings and/or mistakes. All the while, ignoring that the very thing they are doing is setting themselves up as God by judging and talking about the other. Why not do as God has called us to do and, “LOVE. LOVE. LOVE…. and simply pray’ for those who are struggling or getting off track a bit?… instead of jumping into the mud to dirty ourselves as well. This life is way too short to waste on costly grumblings and undue judgement of others. Instead, we should all share lots of smiles and laughter, tenderness, kindness, thoughtfulness, and good deeds with our friends, families, and strangers that enter our midst. Peace and love are ours to receive,… and ours to give. Today is the day to pay it forward and lay up treasures in heaven…. One day it will all pay off. And when one’s heart aches because of the wrong-doing of another… press in to God…. He knows, He cares, He comforts, He heals…. And He understands every hurt and heartache. He will make your path straight in due time. ♥
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore, submit to God. resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you……” Ja. 4:6-12 We live in a very fallen world…. we have to love the unlovely, or there will be no one to love b/c we’re all there together and we all trip and fall from time to time. ‘Our righteousness is like filthy rags.’ The Word says, “LOVE covers a multitude of sins.” It was the Pharisees that judged so snootily that Jesus spoke against so harshly. Oh, how I never want to fall into ‘Phariseeism.’ Be blessed & have a wonderful day. You were created with & for greatness…. The greatest of which….. is love. ♥

(fb entry from 2/3/12)

‘Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.’ Ph. 4:6-7

(fb post 1/19/12)

This morning as I browsed the latest Facebook posts by friends and family, one stood out to me like a beacon.  With so many people getting caught up in their flesh when fame, fortune, and success come into their lives, there is one young man who is choosing to stand strong and not allow the world to mold him into their image.  Tim Tebow has a great amount of success in his football career and continues to do well in spite of the fact that there are always plenty of critics primed and ready to create drama and pick him apart.  But then again, who in the ‘limelight’ doesn’t get picked apart?  It kind of goes with the territory because adveristy sells.  Selling means money, money means better glitz and glamour, more fame and fortune, more ‘worldly’ power, and ways to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Money and fame are tricky, tricky things.  Peace seems to be too boring to most people, yet it is that Peace that every soul on the face of the planet longs for, yet fights against.  I look forward to the day when Jesus Christ reigns and Satan is put in his place, unable to toy with us any longer.  That will truly be a heavenly day, indeed.  But until then, we who do Believe are called to stand strong again the wiles of the enemy.  And Tim Tebow is standing strong…. Here’s the article that was shared:

If there is one thing that is positive about the ‘being picked apart’ part… it’s the fact that attention is being drawn to Jesus Christ, and the amazing, strong faith of someone in the spotlight that is not ashamed of Him.  How I praise God for his strength and courage to stay true to the One who gave him his gift of athleticism, the opportunity to play big, and the platform for which to share his faith in the only One who truly saves and gives life…. eternally.  How I long for that type of courageous faith, yet I faulter so often.  The fear of man, and the insecurity that creeps up at times is horrible.  It’s as if there is a constant battle of spirit v. flesh…. Oh wait, but God shared that with us… in Gal. 5:17.  But, He also assured us that If we are in Christ, we are a new creation, the old has passed away, the new has come as we are told in 2 Cor. 5:17.  But we must choose with each new day who we are going to serve…. for the enemy of our souls entices us at our weakest points and is constantly lurking around trying to trip us up, instill doubt, discouragement, dispair, and a desire to quit because it’s so much easier….. even if only for the moment.  The enemy of Christ wants us to be weak but appear strong, he wants us to question and doubt God and what He has done for us, and he definitely wants us to never fully realize the power and person God has placed within every true Believer of Christ.  The power that gets stronger and stronger as we walk closer and closer to Him. Feeding on the Bread of Life and Living Water that is so freely available, yet so quickly overlooked.  It’s like choosing a McDonald Happy Meal over an all natural, wholesome fish and broccoli meal with no preservatives or stuff with adverse effects.  The easy way, that is what our flesh desires.  The precepts of God seem to simple in some ways… the Grace that pours out in our time of need, in our time of confessing Christ as our Lord and Savior, yet so complicated when we actually get into the ‘meat and potatoes’ of walking out our faith.

After reading this article on Tim Tebow, obviously several thoughts came to mind.  One of my own challenges is that so very many thoughts start stirring in me, then when I go to write them down, they just get all jumbled… So, I hope and pray that somehow, someway this article with make a little bit of sense.  However, when I read this article, I was so proud of Tim T, but then my heart aches for Jake Plummer.  He may be doing what he feels is ‘politically correct’, but when he takes his last breath, that won’t mean a hill ‘o beans.  Politics and man’s acceptance mean absolutely nothing when we stand before the judgement seat of Christ.  Only what we do for Him will remain, and that will determine more than any of us can fathom at this point.  As for me, I hope to have many jewels and crowns when I get there so that I may lay them back down at His feet and thank Him for loving me when I was most unlovable.  None of us know when that last breath will be, but… it will be, someday.  Here are a few things the Word of God says that could apply to this situation (and many others):

As many young girls are, I was smitten with horses at a young age.  Our neighbors had horses, one of which was a beautiful little paint they purchased from a family friend of ours.  I never got over feeling like that pony was really suppose to be mine. ha. But it never was, and that’s okay.  We also lived in an area where we were around a lot of rodeos, cuttings, reinings, and all types of horse show events.  The sights, sounds, smells, and atmosphere produced a great longing in me to be a part of that world someday.  However, that longing would not be fulfilled until much later in life.  As a matter of fact, the story continues to unfold with each new day.   Unfortunately as a young person, I was never able to have horses of my own.  So, imagine my delight when our young daughter began showing an interest and desire to begin riding!  She began official english riding lessons at age 5 which began breathing new life and longing into my own life.  Our own personal version of a ‘Road to the Horse’ challenge was filled with steps and leaps of faith with each decision to purchase our first horse, then a new horse, and another, and another…. There is the decision to train and show, or just casually own, ride and enjoy.  Then of course, there is much to know in the area of care and mainenance.  If you are a horseman, you realize there is much to know and be aware of in that department as well.  All in all, my life with horses is an ever-learning experience.  Kind of like Paul says in Ph. 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”  Now, that has it’s own meaning that I embrace on a deeply spiritual level, however, I also attribute it to my journey with horses as well.  There is still much to learn and improve on, but we’re getting there, and that fills my heart and life with incomprehensible joy.

Recently, as I finished up feeding, the sun was painting a beautiful sunset just above the treetops, the weather was amazing, the grass still has a shade of green, and life at that moment was absolutely surreal, as it so often is, and it hit me…..

Now, I had also recently been reading through some old journals from several years back when the horse bug began to come alive again.  Being married to a ‘non-horsey’ husband, and being a stay-at-home mom, well… it took some serious praying and miracle believing to get him on board.  As a matter of fact, I remember vividly praying and begging God at one point to take the passion and longing for the horses out of me because it was just too painful and distracting to want something so badly and still not be able to have it.   During that time, we were heavily involved with our church and the many activities therewith.  At that time, I had been teaching in the Youth Group, I worked in the church office, began our church’s Women’s Ministry which included carrying many of our ladies to Women of Faith conferences, taught several Bible Studies, had regular prayer meetings with a small but power-packed group of ladies….  All that to say, Jesus Christ was (and is) the focus and delight of my life at the core of my being.  My heart’s cry was similar to the Apostle Paul’s…. “Lord, pour me out as a drink offering for you….”  I couldn’t get enough of the Word, of Worship, of deeper and deeper prayer times and ministry, and a desire to not live for me, but for Him.  Through that time life, as it so often does, would throw a curve ball, or two, or three.  Situations change, circumstances change, we go with the flow, make the best choices possible, and believe all will be well.  There are times we simply walk by faith, not by sight.  And things did begin changing.  As a matter of fact, life has changed quite a bit since that time.  There is much I could share regarding the years in between, but for the sake of this story, I will fast-forward a few years to today…

Today, we own 5 amazing AQHA quarter horses, horses that carry the blood of the top champions in the western pleasure and reining world today.  Horses I never dreamt I would have the opportunity to own.  Now,… I do not share this information in any way, shape, or form with a boastful heart…. To the contrary, I share this to solidify my point and testimony…. What hit me between the eyes and deep in the heart that beautiful evening was that glorious little verse found in a power-packed chapter of Psalm 37:4, ‘Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  Wow.  As that verse hit me, and as I stood there looking at all the pretty horses eating so peacefully, I was utterly humbled at the goodness and faithfulness of God to me personally.  He blesses in so many different ways, but this was a very personal gift that spoke volumes to my heart.  A blessing that I still am amazed and humbled at getting to be a part of.  Now I must clarify, this story is focused on my personal love and passion for horses, but it applies to so very much more in my life that I am so thankful for.  Namely my husband, kids, parents, family, friends, provision, health, and on, and on, and on.    The blessings truly never cease.

Sometimes life gets busy, we get distracted, forget to truly Abide in His Word, in His presence, in His Worship, and we begin to forget and doubt…. We may begin to wonder if God is really out there somewhere….  were we dreaming?  We wonder if He really even knows we exists, much less does He care?  Well, I am here to assure you and promise you with everything in me…. when we press in and seek Him with a pure and hungry heart…. God shows up as only He can.  He never moves from us… that is our doing.  We are the one’s who pull away and distance ourselves.  He is always there, ready and waiting to scoop us up in His arms again and again.  Beloved, you are the apple of His eye, and He is so beyond crazy about you.  When life makes the Cross grow dim, let your light of love for Christ shine through the darkness.  Dive into the Word, and fall on your knees…. it’s only a matter of time before you feel and hear that still small voice whisper in your heart to tell you of His amazing love for you.

Lord, I pray your presence and your love will be felt in the hearts of those reading these words.  I pray your hedge of protection, provision, healing, and amazing love to cover them and their families completely today and every day.  Draw them closer to you Lord, and set them ablaze as a testimony of your love and faithfulness to your children.  In Christ’s name, amen.

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Psalm 37

A Psalm of David

¹ Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
² for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

³ Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹ For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

¹⁰ A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
¹¹ But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.

¹² The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
¹⁵ But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶ Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
¹⁷ for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

¹⁸ The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
¹⁹ In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

²⁰ But the wicked will perish:
Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

²¹ The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
²² those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be destroyed.

²³ The LORD makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
²⁴ though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

²⁵ I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
²⁶ They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing.^[b]

²⁷ Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
²⁸ For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.

   Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed^[c];
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
²⁹ The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.

³⁰ The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak what is just.
³¹ The law of their God is in their hearts;
their feet do not slip.

³² The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
intent on putting them to death;
³³ but the LORD will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

³⁴ Hope in the LORD
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

³⁵ I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
³⁶ but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.

³⁷ Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
a future awaits those who seek peace.^[d]
38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
there will be no future^[e]for the wicked.

³⁹ The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

Jesus said to her,

“Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you’re healed and whole.

Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague.”  Mk. 5:34 MSG

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Father God, in this crazy world we live in, it is easy to get lost wandering around struggling to believe that something will help us in dire situations.  We often struggle with half hearted hope that You may show up someday and do something great to help in our times of need…. please forgive us for our unbelief.  For we live in a place that is often very hesitant to really believe You for something that may be called ‘miraculous.’  Maybe someone would think we’re weird or too radical.  Those who do not know you or believe you at your Word are all around us.  On the streets, in our communities, in our schools, our workplace, and sadly, even some in our churches!  We call ourselves ‘Christians’ and ’Believers’ yet we still do not risk ‘really believing.’  We are still afraid of ‘man’s opinion’.  You have given us your amazing, powerful Word to feed on, hide in our hearts, and live by.  You have shown us that you do indeed know all things and that even in the midst of the crowds, when one desperate, hungry heart reaches out in faith, believing ’if only I can get to Jesus, I will be healed,’ you see that one.  You honor the one who does not care what others think, and who shuts out the doubters all around, and reach out to you… you see that one.  Oh Lord, that you may grant me faith such as this.  Let me live with risky, life changing, healing faith.  In spite of what other think or say who choose not to trust you in such a way or who may try to plant seeds of doubt, I choose to walk in Risky Faith.  I choose to fall on my knees with a desperate heart and believe You.  You are Jehovah Rapha, You are our Healer.  

Thank you Lord for seeing the faith of everyday, unseen people who love you and cry out to you, the precious ones who depend on You alone in the midst of trial and incomprehensible challenges… for you hear them…. every one of them. Every prayer, every tear, every heart’s cry, every praise and rejoice.  You hear it all.   In your precious name, Jesus, amen.

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all.

Psalms 34:17-19

Okay, true confession time…. I am a movie addict.  I love many differenct kinds of movies, (except scary ones), and especially ones that tug on the heart strings.  One of the greatest movies I have seen this year by far is “The Help.”  In this movie, one of the maids, Aibileene, sows a very important message into the hearts and minds of the children she tends to, namely this little girl, Mae Mobley.

This movie was such a joy as it appealed to my natural tendancy to root for the underdog.  Seeing someone overcome adversity, obstacles, and disappointments in their lives, receive healing for discouragement and heartache, and rise to a better place is one of the greatest blessings to me.  That is exactly what God wants for us as well.  We all get knocked around a bit in our lifetime at one point or another, whether from our own choosing or someone else’s.  We all have disappointments and challenges to varying degrees and very unique to our individual lives.  But God sees each one, and desires to heal and fill with abundant life and joy for every single person who would call on Him, love Him, accept Him, trust and Believe Him at His Word.   That is not neccessarily easy though.  It takes a lot of courage to make that journey sometimes.   A precious part of this clip is that although sweet Miss Aibileene is sowing great love and assurances into this little girl, she herself has dealt with and continues to deal with great challenges.  Challenges of heartache, loss, slavery, belittlement, being treated as an unclean ‘object’ instead of a person of worth and value, the choice to believe God has a greater plan than what is going on, and so much more.  But she keeps smiling, serving faithfully, and building others up….. Enjoy this little clip and once again, hide it in your heart for when the world tries to tell you otherwise.

be blessed,  shana

In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life.  2 Cor. 2:14-15 MSG

p.s.  Now, for those who have seen this movie…. I realize that maybe I shouldn’t, but I kind of get a kick out of Minny’s choice of how she ’blesses’ her former boss, Ms. Hilly.  Cracks me up every time.  heehee.  Chocolate Pie, anyone?    We’ll talk about that point on another blog entry.   Meanwhile, be blessed!  <3