Lead Me On

We are all going somewhere. Some are just beginning to venture back into the world after being confined to their homes for almost two months. Others are continuing on as they have been, a little more weary but wiser for the experience of working through a Pandemic Crisis.

It was a wonderful sight to see the home town restaurant, across the street from my work, open back up today. Even just seeing the cars in the parking lot brought a wave of relief and a knowing, in my soul, that everything is going to be alright. My spirit, however, already knew everything was going to be alright.

Why? I have a friend. He is a Shepherd, and a very good one too, that herds my friends and I around this life. He said to trust Him, that no harm would come to me or my family and I believed Him. His Name is Jesus.

Don't stop reading because I mentioned Jesus. Give me a few minutes of your time to explain. 

For many years I wandered through this life doing what I wanted to when I wanted to. It wasn't a bad life but I wasn't happy. My way led me to jail. My way led me to an unhappy marriage and divorce. No amount of having my way could lead me into a good life or fill the void in my heart I knew was there. 

Every one of us has a God shaped hole in our hearts that can only be filled by Him.

A friend once told me that he loved me. I asked him why and he said there was a piece of his heart that was missing, that he didn't know was missing until he met me. Smooth talker you may say but he made a great point. I never knew how much love I would have in my heart for my six children until I met the five. One I will meet in heaven when my time in this life is done. I could say the same about them. Meeting every one of them left me wondering how I ever lived life without them.

We are eternal creatures, born into a body, with a mind, will and emotions that will never be complete until we know Jesus. I know this because it is true. I myself have experienced it and have heard the testimony of many others confess the same.

There is no other person, no amount of money, prestige, or position that can take the place of God in our lives. All other things are idol worship. Objects of wood, gold or stone can not replace a living breathing God in our lives. The wonderful thing about this God is that He walks in love.

He is calling us all to follow Him. He has great things planned for the life of the person that makes Him the final authority over their lives. I know you may have parents, friends, spouses, or even bosses that you look up to that decide most of your life but God wants to be number one on a list of one, because He alone knows what you want, need and desire. 

He knew you before you were ever created. He knows what you have been created for. Speaking for myself, I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, apart from being a really good Mom. I didn't have a good mom growing up and I wanted to love my children and care for them the way I always wanted to be cared for.

God knew that. He blessed me and helped me become that. As I got older and entered the working world, I happened to begin working at the Post Office. It really happened on accident. I also need to tell you I didn't want to go to work there and leave my youngest at the babysitters. Like I mentioned earlier, I wanted to be a mom and I loved that job.

Today, almost 16 years later, I am the first female Postmaster of Dublin, Texas since 1875.

Who knew?

God alone knew the plans He had for me, After following His lead for more than 25 plus years, I can safely say He has led me into greater and greater things every year of my following Him. For the first time in my life, I am married to a man who also follows this Good Shepperd, and loves Him with all of his heart. Together we trust God and His leading.

Trusting in the Lord hasn't always been easy. I wouldn't lie to you. It has, however, been so very worth it.

 I have some friends that once walked with the Lord but wouldn't or couldn't trust this wonderful Shepherd. Some have fallen away, back into their old sad lives while some have returned, stronger than ever and are taking on the kingdom of hell by force!

Wherever you find yourself today I want to tell you that Jesus is calling you to Him. He is saying, " Come Away with Me. It's gonna be great. It's gonna be wild. It's gonna be full of Me."

Will you follow the Master's call?

I will. Everyday until I see Him face to face I will always say, "Lead Me on Lord. Lead me on."

I can't wait to see what the next adventure with Him has in store!!

Time To Get Serious

"Now is the time", the Holy Spirit is saying, to all of humanity. 

Can your hear Him? 

Are you even listening?

Don't worry. I'm not condemning you for something I do as well.

My prayer is that we all have ears to hear what God is saying to us, in this hour.

The past few months have been consumed with reports from media and government officials concerning CO-VID 19, the Coronavirus. I'm sick to death of hearing about it yet, smart enough to realize that anything that affects the entire planet with this magnitude is worth paying attention to.

I won't bore you with repeating excerpts from sermons already told or prophetic words from other sources but will only share with you what God has put on my heart at this moment to share.

Beware of distractions.

I wonder what was going on in the world the few weeks most Americans were watching "Tiger King". I'm not judging those that watched, but so many of my dearest godliest friends were watching this twisted T.V. drama. America was distracted.

 When a great move of God is occurring, when a much needed change is coming, when the Lord Himself is making it so evident that He is changing the pieces on the board, daily, it is imperative we not be distracted. 

God is out in the open, holding the ball, ready to pass and the enemy is watching, waiting to blindside us. 

He will do anything to keep us from the wonderful plans God has for us in this hour and use the very thing God is changing and moving in to trip us up.

What is this "thing" God is using? Social Media.

Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc. are just a few of the mighty weapons in the Hands of the Lord. I heard someone say today that there is more video production coming from the church than from Hollywood. Why? Churches have no choice if they want to fulfill the mandate of spreading the gospel to the world. 

The church meetings have been shut down, the doors shut due to the virus. Facebook Live and other social media avenues of self-made church videos are flooding the internet. Praise God! It is time the people of God took back the ground that the enemy has been working on stealing for so many years. 

I LOVE the fact that we are alive and walking with the Lord right now. I LOVE to see a brand new world evolving from such tragedy. I LOVE to see the beauty God gives in exchange for the ashes the enemy leaves behind. 

My friends, focus on the mark. Listen for His voice and follow the Good Shepherd. He is going places and I don't want to be left behind.

Do you?

The Goodness of God in Your Memories

The Goodness of God in your memories

 Memories can be extremely fun and often exciting to remember but also can be very painful. Some wounds run so deep they never fully heal. In those times we cling to Jesus to pull us through with the hope that His word is true, that all the tears will be wiped away, and we will all be together forever with Him.

 In looking back we should also look forward as to what new memories we are in the process of making. What does God have in store for us? Often we ask, is there going to be a happy ending to my story?

 No matter where you are in your story the author waits and watches to see what you are going to do next. It isn't that He isn't aware of every possible outcome, He is omniscient after all. It isn't as if He doesn't know the ending for He is not bound by time. It is your ability to choose according to the freewill God gave you that shapes your future.

 How can we change the future and keep the past from repeating itself? How can we learn and grow and change into someone other than who we are now? Not that you or I are bad, but we know if we use wisdom, we all have issues, demons to conquer...pun intended.

 How do we conquer the demons from our past and have a better tomorrow than today? Today may have been a great day and you may be completely satisfied with who you are and have blessed where you have been and let it all go as they say but memories are tricky things. They creep up on you when least expect them.

 Today I saw a penny on the floor as I was sweeping and something tugged at me... Later, as I was getting something out of my pocket, I dropped a penny on the ground.... a wave of sadness hit me as I picked it up and I realized how much a small penny means to me right now. I thought of times when I had abundance and times like now, when scraping together copper and silver change has once again become a part of my weekly routine.

 Seasons change. I was telling my daughter, as I held my month old grandson, the same thing older women told me...cherish these moments Sara, they go by so fast. You may feel held down or trapped but these moments are precious. What I should have told her but I didn't want to start crying, was that I wished so very badly I could hold her in my arms like that one more time.

 We have had our ups and downs as she was growing up and going through the changes all young women go through but she is still that precious baby girl that I held in my arms.

 I have had the privilege of holding 5 of my own precious babies in my arms...one I will see when I get to heaven, my baby Rose, who must have been so precious that God kept her for Himself. Yet in this day and age I know I am above and beyond blessed to have had so much love in my life.

 Memories keep us warm on cold nights and cause fresh tears to wet our cheeks as if they had just occured. God is good. In all things God is good. Let me say that....for those that love the Lord...and we do....ALL THINGS work together for our good.

 From the time I was 14 years old I have memories of adventures of unbelivable Proportions. Some people say, " Did that really happen?" Yes it did.

 I was a teenage runaway and a 9th grade drop out...but God. I am now a Pastor and also Postmaster of Dublin Texas. Only a compassionate ever present God can take a broken little girl and make her into a strong productive woman of God. I was lost, unwanted, and unloved (so I thought) but now I am loved by a wonderful man who loves the Lord, using my gifts and talents for the kingdom of God and have restored relationships with family and friends, to which seemed impossible for the lost little 14 year old homeless girl so long ago. I am making new memories that are wild, great and full of HIM.

 For those of us that live according to God's word He is ever present in our memories. His word calls us to remembrance. He commands us to remember. If we don't we will repeat our past. I am thankful to live in a world where the past can be the past and the future can be amazing. I am thankful to be forgiven for past mistakes. I am thankful our times are in His hands.

 As the seasons change and old memories creep back in, bless them, let them go, and let God write your future. Let's

 keep our eyes on the prize, which is an eternity with Christ full of love and forgiveness. If you find yourself in a dark place, uncertain and afraid, call out to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He is able to bring about newness of life, restoration and will begin to rewrite your story and give you that fairy tale ending you never thought possible. 

 It took a long time for me to believe in the goodness of God. Today I have found it in my memories.

The Warm Light

Now we see as in a glass darkly. We can’t see the path ahead unless we follow the light. No one can tell the future unless God tells them. It’s ok, really. The light of the love of God shines ahead showing just enough so as not to lose our way. He is a Good Shepherd after all. He doesn’t want us to be lost but if we could see the end of the path, if we could see the future we may mess it up, hurt ourselves or others. If I would have known what all I had to go through to get where I am today, I would have said no thanks Lord. But God...in His infinite wisdom saw fit to lead me down a path full of bumps and sharp turns to the place I am today.

The path is narrow as He said it would be but leads to a place of peace. It leads to a place we all want to be, righteousness, in right standing with God. It leads us to, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” The path is narrow but the light is warm and full of hope. A hope that we will arrive precisely where we are supposed to.

There is no more inviting light than the glow from a fireplace with the light from a Christmas tree gleaming beside it. It can be freezing outside, the wind howling but inside the light beckons us closer.  Like a light house beckons ships lost in the fog, “ Follow me. I will show you the way, ” so does the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.

 He beckons, “ Come closer to me. I will show you the way. In Me is warmth and comfort. I will not lead you astray nor will I hurt you. Come closer to me my love. Let me help you carry those burdens. I know you have problems. I can help you with those. It is not your place to be so heavy laden with pain and sorrow because I already paid the price it cost to carry those. I did it on the cross. That was My job. It is unnecessary for you to pay any extra. I am strong enough to carry your baggage. I was created for it. Believe me when I say I want to help you. It makes me happy to help you and makes it all worth it.  Aren’t you happy when you help others? It’s o.k. for you to help others. I want you to be happy too. I want you to know the joy of giving and laying your life down for one another. I also want you to learn to be a light in dark places like me. I want you to know how to lead others down the right path, how to help others not to stray and when the work is over we will all be together in the great light of heaven where there is no darkness, where it is warm and safe, where no sorrow or loss can break your heart. I care about your heart and I know it’s hard sometimes but it will be worth it. You will overcome all of the problems you are dealing with and we will be together forever. Let not your heart be troubled for the Light of the World has come. Come into the Light and stay close to
Me.”

Life is hard. Problems are real no matter what manner they show themselves in but Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. He is The Light of the World.

Take comfort in the fact that God did not leave you alone and in the dark. He set you on a path and gave you a light to lead the way. He gave you Jesus Christ. I know this is true because  He led me here. He led me through teenage homelessness, jail, out of thievery and deceit, out of addiction and into self confidence, motherhood and success.

I still have my share of problems but now I follow the light. There are still ruts in the road with what seems like wild animals lurking in the dark but I do not fear and neither should you. When you are
afraid He will hide you under the shadow of His wings and lead you on, fighting the darkness for you. When you don’t know what to do or where to go He will guide your feet. He is The Way, The Truth and The Life. He is The Light of the World,  So while you are in the world follow the warmth of the light of Jesus Christ.

Taste The Living Water

It is so hot. The ground is dry and cracked. Every step creates a small cloud of dust from the ground. Ground that longs for a long drink of water. Seems like it was such a short time ago when the streams overflowed and the ditches swelled with rain water. Seasons change and abundance turns to lack. Nature's cup extends with the strong desire for water.

With that I am reminded of the story of the woman at the well and the message a friend of mine recently preached. You can find it in John chapter 4 and I encourage you to read it, but Jesus met a woman there and offered her "living water". She came to the well for natural water and he said ,

"If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. " ( John 4:10)

What does that mean , "living water" ? Living , to be alive, is to be organic and not INorganic or dead. So to be living water is not that the water is full of living organisms, but that the water itself is alive. We know that regular water can be ingested and sustain life , but to ingest water that IS a living organism means that you have taken something into your being that is alive and continues to refresh and rejuvenate. It doesn't stop rejuvenating you because it isn't taken , used , then eliminated, like natural water. Once taken in it continues to sustain because it is a "being" in itself and it's desire is to give life.

The definition of the word living is " the action of being life" . So , to take in living water is to take in an organism that is continuously " being life". The word " being" is written in the present tense and not in the past tense. It will continuously be life to your spirit. Only this is not just any organism . This is the perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ, and what a great gift He is indeed.

He also told the woman:

" But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14)

The one who drinks this water , this living water, would never have to be thirsty for it again. Why then do we have spiritual dry seasons? Even the most dedicated of disciples may find themselves standing on a dry patch of ground. Perhaps we have been working real hard and not seeing results, or following the Lord's leading and find ourselves in a desert. Remember the promise of our King . What we have , in Him, has never gone away. His love , joy , peace, and comfort will always be with us. He will sustain us for He is the Good Shepherd. We drank from the cup and He lives within us. He is the Living Water that fills our Spirits and causes the dry patches to bloom with life once again.

If you find yourself in a dry place, pray the Father fills you with this living water and take a deep drink. God bless you my friend.