Just An Accident?

I was in a car accident yesterday. It is so weird that I was just thinking that morning that I hadn't been in a wreck yet and how I hoped that I never would. Then, the very thing I didn't want to happen, happened. I have been reading this book in my G12 and I am on like chapter 6. I tell you what...I am all freaked out now. I'm not freaked out about the book, I think that it is stinking awesome. I am freaked out about what I read right before I got into the accident. I had spent the morning at the pool and while I was there I was reading that book. Right before I left I was reading about how when we try to live in the spirit it isn't easy because the physical day-to-day stuff hits us all the time. Very true!!! I experianced that yesterday. Before the accident I was listening to worship music and talking to God and then...yeah, that's how it went down. But, you know what? I was 99% calm through the whole ordeal. If I wasn't walking in the spirit, I would have been a mess. I took it in stride and kept thinking "this is not eternal." Physically, I have the normal aches and pains from the wreck. But, I learned something. I learned not to focus on the physical stuff that happened and instead I relied on my heavenly father to get me through it. Strange way of learning a lesson, but pretty effective.

Memories Are Not To Be Forgotten

I can remember being in the 6th grade at Hanover's public school and going on a field trip to see the circus. I had the "unique" privilege of riding on an elephant. Not exactly the highlight of the day, because believe it or not, elephants have prickly hairs on them and they stink :-). My favorite part was watching the lions. I hated that I couldn't pet those, but I guess not having your arm eaten off is better than having a case of slight disappointment. Overall, it was a day to remember.
I can also remember being 10yrs. old and staying a week at a cabin on a lake in Maine. I would have to say that was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We all had our own seperate rooms. There was a huge fireplace in the living room. At night we would go outside, sit under the stars, and roast marshmallows. During the day canoe, fish, swim, hike....lots of fun!! That was definitely another time to remember.
But, then comes those really bad memories that you wish you didn't have to think about. But, all in all, everything that we remember throughout our lives means something. No one else has those same exact memories and feelings about those memories. I believe God created this within us for a reason. From the first time we learn to ride our bikes, to the third time we fall out of that 'forbidden' tree, to the time you watch your own children get married and move away...everyone has memories because they make a person who they are. From the good to the bad, it is all a part of a person's growth through this life. Some people don't take enough time looking back and just "remembering". They are too busy. Yet, looking back reminds us of where we have come from. I like to look back and see all the times God did something in my life. It strengthens my faith now. So, don't be too caught up in the now that you never take the time to look back and see what steps it took to get here. Even bad memories remind you of how great God is that He gave you the strength to push forward. Just think about it.

Showtime!!!

Have you ever gone to listen to a High School concert? Well, if you have, you will know what I mean when I say that they can be "quite interesting". Before the end of the school year, I went and watched my brother's school concert. There were several points throughout it that I didn't dare look at my friends beside me. They would poke me in the arm and try to get my attention, but I would wave them off, knowing I was on the verge of losing it. It was hard not to. Especially on those high notes or extremely low ones. When my brother stepped up to the microphone he acted like he had done it a hundred times before. He had that all too familiar non-chalant look on his face. He sounded great. When his part was over, he just walked back to his place with this "well, another day in the life" attitude that didn't give any hint of being nervous or uncomfortable. After the concert he came up to us and did his usual flip of the hair and he said "let's go." I had to laugh then.
Isn't that typical? When we have done something so much and are used to doing it we act as though it is in fact "nothing". We get wrapped up in the "been there, done that" attitude. Christians may not realize it, but they do it most of the time. A brand new Christian tries to tell a "veteran" how awesome God is and what He is doing in their life and the "older, more experianced Christian" looks at them as if to say "that's nice, hun." Or here's a good one, what about during a worship service where God is moving and some of the people there sit down or just stand there because "umm, we have already experianced this before, can we move on now?" Have you ever seen Ferris Beuler's Day Off? You know the teacher who is doing role call and keeps saying "Beuler...Beuler"? That guy is the picture I am getting of a lot of Christians' attitudes. We have this mindset of "unless you are going to thrill me, I don't want to know." Wow, that's just wrong. Is there a sign on the church door that says, "get ready to be skilled, filled and thrilled by the greatest show on earth, all for you viewing pleasure"? Ha-ha-ha!!! NOOOOO! If you want that, go to the 'seeker sensitive' church, there's one in every town. Come on, what do you want? A show or the glory of God to come? Anyone can put on a show, but God will only come where people are desperate for Him.

Through Rose Colored Glasses

My car only has a radio and cassete player in it, so a lot of times I stick in a tape, because I hate commercials. So, the other day, I found an old tape my dad had left in there. I had no clue what was on it. When I stuck it in, my first reaction was to cringe. It was 80's Christian music. The sounds of the 80's....yeah. But, instead of taking it out, I left it in. After a while, I started to really listen to the words and I found myself crying. One of the songs was about God examining us through rose-colored-glasses. I had never really thought about that before. Then as He examines our hearts, His desire becomes for us. Wow. He would have to see through different eyes than mine or someone else's to fall in love with me. He sees the junk and stuff, but He doesn't see it the way someone else would. When He looks at us, He doesn't love us for how good we look, how intelligent we are, how well we can do (fill in the blank)...He loves us because He really doesn't see any of that. Does that make sense to you? Ok, let me enlighten you. As humans we tend to fall in love with the big, the grand, and the beautiful. The first things that catch our eye are usually things that aren't eternal. God looks at a severely handicapped young girl and smiles. His eyes light up and His hearts beats with love. He sees the gentle spirit, the kind personality, and her beautiful character. We tend to see what is in front of us. A handicapped girl, nothing more. We compare and contrast and she falls short in our minds. Yet, when Daddy God looks at her, He sees an eternity of joys and laughter. When we walk down the street and notice a group of "punks" heading our way, what do we do? We move aside. Why? Are we afraid? Is there some written rule that says, "Stay away from anyone with earings and pink hair"? Most people look at them and have one of two reactions. One, they look down on them and cringe. Two, they shrink away and try not to look. Yet, God stares at them blatently in the eye and smiles. He doesn't cringe. He doesn't shy away. He reaches out, longing to hold them in His arms. He follows them around. When they shut Him out, He weeps. His heart breaks for them. The wounds He bears from Calvary ache for them. We say we want to serve God with our 'whole heart' and yet we don't even understand His love. His love is the only thing that can win this world. Not by fancy words, not by pretty faces, not by free food...only the love of God. "For God so loved the world." Why? Why does God love the world so much? Why does God love the ones who wear shirts that say "Curse God" on them? Why does God love the ones who pray to Buddah over in Japan and China? Why does God love the ones who kill Christians and spit on their dead bodies before they walk away? Why? Because God loved. That's it. That's the answer. The real question is, when I stand before God on judgement day will the words "She Loved" be written beside my name? Will they be written beside yours? Until we learn to love, we have not learned anything. The greatest gift we could offer to anyone is love. Someone told me a story once. A missionary from Egypt can remember one particular day when he was just a boy in school. On this certain day the soldiers came to the school and held up a Bible and told the students they would have to spit on the Bible one at a time or they would die. They all did this accept for one little girl. She took the Bible and kissed it. One soldier took a sword and beheaded her right there in front of all those children. God's greatest commandment is to love. Will you kiss it or will you spit on it? This is a tough word, but I am tired of just handing out the fluff and the stuff. This isn't anything new. How can any of us expect to make it into Heaven if we haven't even learned how to love? Just think about it.

Where the Spirit of the Lord Is

"A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit a hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have."

Luke 8:5-18

What kind of ground are you for the Word of God? Has the Word truly taken root in your heart or has it been choked out by other stuff in your life? If the Word is inplanted within your heart then there should be sure evidence of fruit within your life. If there is not much evidence of fruit then you are probably lacking the Word of God in you. In order for the Word of God to be within you, you must read it and meditate on it daily. The Word should be a MUST for you. Without the Word, how can you truly find things such as peace and joy in your life? You cannot, because these are fruits of the Spirit.

"In the begginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

John 1:1

"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

2Corinthians 3:17

If the Spirit of the Lord is living within you and the Word of God which is God, himself, is present within your life then there is no excuse for the fruit of the Spirit to not be evident within you. This is a tough word, but we all need to hear this. If you are living depressed, or angry, or hurt, or anything else that goes against 'the fruit', you need to search yourself and make sure that God and the Spirit are working within you. This is a big one for anyone in the ministry. If there is no fruit of the Spirit within a ministry, then God and the Spirit of God is not present in it. Take a few moments and do a check to see what is being manifested in your life. Are they things of God? If not, then there is a problem. There is not condemnation...but, just like 2 Cor. says, "...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is (freedom)." If you are bound by anything that is not of God...just think about it. Freedom should be evident. If there is no freedom, then the Spirit of God is not moving in your life. This is serious stuff. But, we are not called to the "wisdom of this world, but to God's secret wisdom." If we are so filled with the World and we are lacking the Word, there needs to be some serious rearranging done there. Just think about it.

God is in Control

For the past couple of weeks some people from my church and I have been going downtown to begin reaching the people there for Christ. I have enjoyed going each time. God really opened up my ears to hear the silent cry that the people were giving. One guy who confessed to being on drugs told me some of his story and some really sad stuff that has happened to him in his life. That was when I knew that I was exactly where I needed to be. The guy made a comment about people avoiding coming down there because of fear. I told him that I wasn't afraid and that I was looking forward to coming back again. I could tell that he thinks we are just going to "blow in and blow out" of there like most everyone else. I told him we would be sticking around and he looked at me as if to say, "we'll see." Even though the people are a little "different", they are some of the nicest people I have met. I am so used to banging against the wall trying to get through to people on the East Coast that this is great. But, I can tell you that the decisions I have made towards following God's will has been costing me. When I made the final decision to stay in Indiana and not move away to Rhode Island for school, I started to get sick. For the past weeks I have been feeling physicaly attacked by the Enemy. I finaly broke down and went to the doctor this week and they ran a bunch of tests. They don't know what is wrong with me. The rest of the test results are supposed to come back sometime soon. I am believing for a good report. This is just the Enemy and He ticks me off, but this isn't going to stop me. I had a dream the night of our first kick-off-night for the outreach. It was horrible. I was downtown at People's Park and there was no one else there. Then suddenly there appeared this strange looking man sitting at one of the tables. He was bald and skinny and he had yellow eyes. He was shaking. He kept coming closer. He would sit at the next table and then on the bench. He kept staring at me. Then he got up and started to walk towards me. Hate was written all over his face. I was scared. I woke up and I shook it off as just being a silly dream. Then I fell back to sleep. Again, I was at People's Park, but this time there were other people there. There was someone standing next to me. He turned around and it wasn't human. It's face was a strange green/gray color. It looked like a person, but it wasn't. It had silver pointed earings in its ears. It's face crinkled up when it looked at me and it spoke to me. It spoke in another language in a deep, angry voice. Then I woke up. I sat there looking around the room. I was really scared then. I turned on my light and started to pray. I was afraid to go back to sleep. It was the Enemy trying to freak me out. He didn't fail entirely AT FIRST, but then I started to get angry at him and I am more determined than ever to stick with this. He's attacked me physically and mentally, but he cannot stop God. God wants us downtown, so that is where I will be. I knew this wasn't going to be easy. Now that I know how the Enemy is feeling about all of this, I know how important this is to keep doing what God is leading us to do. God promised me that He would cover and protect us and I have faith in Him. "Where two or more are gathered..." God is in control.

Time

God's timing is perfect. Did you know that? If you didn't, maybe you need to read the Bible. Everything that has ever happened through history was in God's time and the places where man tried to take over time, those are quite evident and painful. This is one of the greatest tests every human being that has ever lived has had to face...allowing God's time to take over our (man's) time. We rush, we run, we panic, we get frustrated, we even throw fits...when we try to make our own timed and planned way work. But, no matter how we try, it doesn't work. Israelites died in the desert because they wanted everything to happen in their appointed timeframe. When we mess with time, we mess with God's plan. God didn't want the Israelites to die in that desert. They complained and messed with God's timing. Moses messed with God's timing when he hit the rock for water. God couldn't allow him into the promised land because of that.
We must let go of our hold on what we think is the "right moment or time." God's timing is something that cannot be measured by our understanding...just our faith. If we cannot trust God's timing, then we need to take a second look at our faith. What is it you are facing right now that you keep thinking "how much longer" or "why not now"? Read the Word of God and you will find the answers.

Chewy

I got my puppy on Sunday! His name, after much debate, is Chewy. His mother is a registered Basset Hound and his daddy is a Blue Heeler/Australian Cattle Dog. He is the most precious little guy!!! He is only six weeks old and he loves to sleep. I like to sit and watch him sleep. He is extremely smart!! I am house training him and I haven't really had to teach him anything because he caught on right away. He loves to lay in the carpet. He likes to roll over and have you rub his tummy. You can tell that he got his big feet from his mom. He is so adorable!!! Chewy knows he's loved.

Psa 21:2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.

When The Father Speaks

In the quiet I can hear Him,
He speaks His child's name,
I turn to be with Him,
When He says to come.

His words are like perfume,
Poured out like living oil,
His voice's tones like music,
A song not sung by man.

From Age to Age His bread is truth,
Enternity cannot hold Him,
He stands upon foundations,
That can never be removed.

Taste the living waters,
Poured out from hands and feet,
Drink of His holy goblet,
Sweet Spirit be released.

Upon His mighty mountain,
Stands the Army of the LORD,
Pledged to His kingdom,
To worship Him alone.

He is a mighty God,
One true strength is found in Him,
He is a loving Father,
With an ever reaching hand.

Tupos [too'-pos] Greek noun

Did you know that that the average person speaks a total of 40,000 words per day?! That is a lot of words.

Have you ever heard of the word tupos? Well, if you haven't, now you have and this is what it means:
1) an example; a pattern for another person to follow,
2) literally, the point of impact; a mark or an impression left on one object by another.

So, what does that have to do with words and you? Well, in order to answer the second part of that question, I must first ask another question. Are you willing to leave a tupos (an example and an impact) through your life?

The words you say leave a tupos on other people's lives. Did you know that? It's true. If you speak life, people will walk away feeling refreshed. If you speak evil, people will feel beaten down. When you say something to someone, it leaves a mark which is usually very visible.

"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight."

Psalm 19:14

What you speak even effects the heart of God! Wow! That makes you want to really put a rein on what you say, doesn't it?

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Ephesians 4:29

Words spoken to wound others is wrong. We are called to lift up and strengthen others, not hurt them. Speech is a very REFLECTION of your relationship with God. What you hide in your heart you will find on your tongue.

"For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."

Matthew 12:34

Think before you speak. There is life and death in the tongue.

"From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him."

Proverbs 12:14

"A fool's lips bring him strife and his mouth invites a beating."

Proverbs 18:6

What impact or tupos will you leave behind.......

Spending Time With God

As you can tell, I am open to pick up on lessons in just about anything. It's funny how my niece really opened up my eyes to a very important lesson. She has been coming to work with me all week and she loves to help out, so she constantly asks "Aunt Nickie, can I help you?" I just look at her and laugh, "Why?" She would rather help me than sit and play. One day she was sitting there staring at me and I was just ignoring it until 5 minutes went by and she was still looking at me. I asked her "what do you want?" She smiled and said, "The reason I wanted to come to work with you this week is so I can spend some time with you. I love you." My mouth just about dropped open! A six year old, who could be with my mother at church and playing in the nursery, wanted to just spend time with me. I took the rest of the day off and we had a great time together!

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you perserve both man and beast. How priceless is you unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

Psalm 36:5-9

God loves us so much!!! He sits there waiting for us to spend time with Him. He watches us and He wants us to look at Him. Will you spend some real time with God today? He doesn't just want a quick prayer...He wants to have a conversation with you. Maybe you have never heard God speak to you. Could it be that you are not listening? He is always speaking, but we do not always listen. Open up your ears and hear what He is trying to say to you. Put aside the distractions and get to a place where you can pour out your heart to God as He pours out His own to you. I can imagine God waiting there, thinking, "I know EXACTLY what they need to hear right now, if only they would come and talk with me." The greatest moments of my life have been when I have sat down and talked with God and had a real conversation. Don't pass up on the opportunity today.

The Heavens

Have you ever sat outside at night when the sky was full of stars and wonder where Heaven is? I used to do that a lot when I was a little girl...

In the vast universe lies a tiny planet, an imprint of the hand of God. A sign of love, a great sphere of unique devotion. From the surface, billions of eyes search the night sky for a sign of something living and breathing beyond the atmosphere, beyond the conceived. Every twinkle, a glimpse of a hidden dream. Every racing star, a feeling of a present God. The moon, a reflection of what cannot be seen, a painted pane of glass, capturing the meaning of secrecy. To fall into the unknown, to be swallowed by the revered, to touch a forbidden shadow, one that knows no fears. A calm, peaceful place where time has no name. A broken vessel, shattered across the universe. The created, the breathed, the essence of a greater being. Un-deciphered fingerprints tracing across the mind. A longing for a sanity not understood by life. A hope, a prayer, a silent plee to see a face within the deep. For the hands that crafted Beauty itself in that untouched place. To find one answer to a question that rings, to find the truth which balances it all. A desire to be surrounded by the ever present thought of never ending places and never ending roads. A defining moment of glory as you reach beyond the Sun to see past the cloak of darkness and discover whole new worlds. A piece of the puzzle inserted, the trivia conquered by a balancing act of faith and holding back. To capture a single part of what you have wished upon that star. To accept the gift of knowledge and not fear what's there. Every second, a dream, an unconscious part of yourself that longed for something more. An embrace of the welcomed, a heartbeat to the loved. A hold upon the limited, a broken space through the holiest part of creation. The sinless picture of the very eyes of God. A burning flame, a mighty one, that consumes all it meets. A freedom to be envied, a greater standard for life itself. A single, minute moment that cannot be replaced. To think beyond the known, to release the ideal mindset and believe in what is not grasped by human eyes. A story seldom told, a legend, forgotten and pushed aside. Fire and manna falling from Heaven can only be a sign of a God that is watching to see if we search the skies...

Will You Conform?

Today was my uncle's graduation from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). It was outside in the city of Providence close to where the school's buildings actually are. There were 600 graduates and a couple thousand friends and family members there. It was one extremely HOT day and we were there for over 4 hrs. The mayor was there and he gave a speech to the future alumni. He said that he hoped that they would not all leave Providence and that even if they did it would only be for a short time. He wanted Providence, a mid-sized city, to continue advancing. Yet, I knew, as well as anyone else that the graduates would leave Providence. From Graphic Design to Industrial Design, those graduates as one person put it "would bring the world into the new era". As I sat looking at the 600 faces I realized that this statement was true. One graduate gave a speech and in his speech he said he did not want to be like everyone else and obtain a great job/statis and forget about the dreams he had before he graduated. One 98yr. old alumni/teacher told the graduates not to "try and be different" but to give the world what they have.
"Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds." In a world full of 'knowledge' the Church shrinks from that very thing. Yet, we are called to grow in wisdom. The world says to not "try and be different" but we are commanded not to conform.
You are sitting in a room full of students young and old...do you stand out...or are you just another 'one' of the million conforming to the 'Mindset'?

The Prophecy

I had a dream last night...
A group of people from church and I were going door to door witnessing. I noticed that one of the doors had been skipped. So, I went and knocked and a girl about 20 or 21 answered. She was smiling and I started talking to her. We talked about the neighborhood and about people that we knew who lived there. She never took her eyes off of me. She just kept smiling, but there was this dead look in her eyes. I looked down and on the doorstep was a rough, shiny, black stone about the size of a basketball. I picked up the stone and saw symbols in gold on it. There was strange lines like Egyptian writing and small people bowing on the stone. The girl asked me, "You are a Believer, aren't you?" I glanced up and noticed that her smile had vanished, but she still had that dead look in her eyes. I looked back at the stone and asked, "Is that what you want me to pray for you for? To become a believer?" I heard her say no and I looked up and she was gone. Suddenly, I felt pure Evil coming from the stone. I started to speak in tongues and I said, "Jesus." The rock flew from my hands and hit the floor inside of the entryway to the house. I watched as the black stone shattered to pieces. Then the door slamed shut in front of me.
I started to run down the street. I knew I had to find the other people who were with me. I found my mom and told her that we had to go back to that house. I told her that I knew the girl was possessed. She asked if it was a demon and I said "NO". It was the Devil.
As we headed back to the house we passed a dog. It was sitting on the sidewalk. I looked at it and noticed that same 'dead look' I had seen in the girl's eyes.
When we reached the house we knocked on the door but no one answered. So, we went slowly in. The girl was sitting on the staircase. She was acting hysterical. She didn't know what had happened and she didn't remember even talking to me.
When I woke up from the dream I still could not shake that feeling of Evil. I asked the Lord what the dream meant and He said to look at Jeremiah 28. The chapter is about the false prophet Hananiah. He had prophecied that the yoke of Nebuchadnezzer, king of Babylon, would be broken in 2 yrs. time. Jer. 28:14 says, "This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals." The king of Babylon is said to be Satan and Babylon is the earthly kingdom in which he inhabits (Babylon is also debated wether it represents the Roman Empire or the Chatholic Church)(Revelation talks about Babylon and the beast and the harlot). Jeremiah 25 talks about the Seventy Years of Captivity under the king of Babylon. Verse 12-14 says that when the 70 yrs. are over God will punish the king of Babylon, his nation, and the Babylonians. The following chapters talk about the false prophets and their prophecies of peace. Jeremiah was almost killed for prophesying that "Zion (would) be plowed like a field, Jerusalem (would) become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets." Then in Jer. 27:22 the Lord says, "They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,' declares the Lord. 'Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place."
As I read this, I knew that the dream was not just a dream and that the Lord had specificaly directed me to Jeremiah 28. I can still remember the symbols on the black stone. I can remember the horrible Evil I felt. I have spent time seeking and asking God for the meaning of this dream.
The stone represents the stronghold of the Devil in the World. The symbols on the stone of the worshipping images and the imprants of swirling lines...they were purely demonic. When the stone was shattered, the hold the Devil had was broken. I know that God is saying that now is the time to reach the lost souls.
The dog in the dream...I had never thought of an animal being possessed, but then I thought of the snake form of Satan in the Garden of Eden. Man's best friend...that kept ringing in my ears. In the dream, no one else noticed the dog but me. I realize that even though the Devil's grip has been loosened for a time, it is still present. This time, the Devil is going to use a better method of tricking us. False prophets. Just like a dog, known as 'man's best friend', Christians take the words of a "prophet" so quickly that they don't test to see if it is a false prophecy. We must be careful.
There are still parts of this dream that I did not share. I don't feel that I should. But, I know that the Lord wants you to know what is happening now in the supernatural. Please, be careful and do as the New Testament says and 'put on the whole armor of God'.

Why did the turkey cross the road?

My family and I were driving down the road when a turkey darted out in front of us. My niece squeeled and started giggling. She thought it was hilarious. I just looked at it and thought "one more thing to add on to the list of I'VE SEEN IT ALL." Then later on I found a caterpillar outside in the yard and showed it to my three year old cousin. He went crazy and thought it was the greatest thing he had ever seen. He wanted to put it into something so he could keep it. So, my grandmother found an old coffee can an punched some holes in the lid. I put some grass, a few small sticks, a rock and the caterpiller into the can and showed Noah. He was thrilled and you could tell by the way he wanted everyone to know about his new caterpillar. Unfortunately, the caterpillar died. I think it was because of the coffee fumes still left in the can. Too much caffeine? Who knows, but it's a funny thought. I didn't tell my cousin that it died and the next day he found another caterpillar in the yard. He looked at me and said "why did you let it out?!" I didn't know what to say, so I said "sorry" and he said it was "ok". I can remember being a little girl on my grandfather's farm and I would play with the tobacco worms with my three cousins. I was the only girl, but you couldn't tell it! I was a little tom-boy. Bugs didn't bother me when I was a kid, accept for the creepy looking ones. I am terrified of spiders and bees. My cousins locked me in the shed once, thinking it would be funny to see what I would do being stuck with all of the spiders...I can remember screaming for them to let me out. They just stood on the other side of the door and laughed. I was terrified, because I had seen the huge spiders that were in there, not the mention the mice. I cried until I couldn't cry any more. My cousins left me in there. I was in there for hours until my grandfather found me. I had been bitten by a spider while I was in there and a mouse had crawled over my foot. I never trusted my cousins after that growing up. Now, one of my cousins, who is a year older than me, is married. Another one of my cousins is wanting to go in to the military. My third cousin is a senior in high school. I still remind them of what bullies they had been when we were little. We just laugh about it, now.
Isn't it great remembering when you were a kid? Sure, all of the memories may not be happy ones, but it is interesting to see how different you viewed the world as a child. When I was little I thought anything was possible. I thought my dad was super man. I thought I could fly. The world I lived in seemed such a huge place, let alone the real-entire-world. As children, we lived in the present. We didn't worry about what was going to happen the day after or a year later. We were thrilled by the "little things". There are days I wish I was a little girl again. To have faith as a child...

Obey

I have a 16 year old brother and sometimes I wonder where in the world I get the patience to deal with him. My sinuses and allergies were acting up really bad yesterday so I went to bed early. I had been asleep for about an hour and he comes in the room with my niece and turns on the light. I asked him what he was doing and he said my mom had told him he had to come in there with B to stay out of the way (of my grandparents) while my parents went and visited my aunt and uncle. I told him I wasn't feeling well and I was trying to get some sleep. He goes "oh, well, you will just have to deal with it." If you know anything about 16 year olds you should know they can be real smarty pants. I closed my eyes, not in the mood to deal with it and told him that he could take B downstairs and play with the toys in the basement. He looks at me and goes "well, I guess." As he was walking out of the room I heard him say to B "she always has to get her way." I hate it when he says that. He always says that I act like I am his mother, but at the same time he is yelling for me to help him find something to wear and help him fix his hair. I just have to laugh!
That is how we, as Christians, act a lot of times. We want God to help us, but we don't always want Him to tell us what to do. "God, help me get a raise, but don't tell me to witness to my boss, because I could lose my job!" God is your father and he isn't going to tell you to do something that He knows you cannot do. Trust and obey...that is an old song my mom used to sing when I was a kid. If we love God, our father, then we will obey him.