Hey Friends! This week marked 40 years of marriage for my husband and me!

As I was reflecting on 40 years of choices, children, grandchildren, mission, ministry, homes, different cities and different countries, different churches, friends, deaths, births, marriages, and whole lot more, one phrase stood out loud and clear above them all…
GOD IS FAITHFUL!

God drew me to the life of Moses as I reflected on the truths from Exodus through Deuteronomy, the same phrase stood out…GOD IS FAITHFUL!

God was Faithful to lead his people for 40 years and take them to the place He wanted them to be! God has been faithful to us throughout our 40 years and now he has taken us to the place He wants us to be for the next 40(Unless He calls us Home to Him first)! Who says you can’t minister well at 101 and 103?!

Moses spent his first 40 years thinking he was a real somebody. He spent his next 40 years learning he was a nobody. And he spent his final 40 years learning what God could do with nobody!  God can take a nobody and make them a somebody!  Moses had been faithful to fulfill God’s calling on his life. It wasn’t easy, but he was in the center of God’s will for him!  And at the end of his life, Moses wrote:
“For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! The rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, and without iniquity, just an upright is he.”  Deuteronomy 32:3-4

As we celebrate 40 years of marriage this week, it is truly due to God’s faithfulness and God’s faithfulness alone! In anything we do in this life, there will be highs, lows, open pathways, and roadblocks. There will be bumps and bruises, along with trophies and triumphs. As long as we keep our eyes on God and follow His path for us, we will find his faithfulness as our Rock and our Guide!

TRUTH BOMB

God, our Rock, faithful!

Speak Truth Love

Mom’s Blog August 13

TRUTH BOMB

I am not able, but God is more than able!

I’m cutting right to the chase today. The realization that we are not able but God is more than able is truth, and the acceptance of this in our lives produces confident humility. It allows us to step into new adventures with God regardless of our age, stage, or capability! We can look back and realize that God’s faithfulness in the past is our confidence of his faithfulness in the future! We can humble ourselves by recognizing that it is not in our own strength and ability that we step into the new adventure, but our full confidence is in God. This gives us humble confidence to know that whatever adventure we are stepping into, our God is more than able to equip us with everything we need to accomplish his will and purpose for us in it.

I am starting a new teaching position and church ministry. I know that I am not able, but my God is more than able!
Whatever you are facing, and whatever adventure He is calling you to, God is more than able!

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Speak Truth Love

Wow, that is so easy and almost natural to do!

If you are here with me every Tuesday receiving a “Tuesday Truth Bomb,” from what Jesus is doing in my life, then you know that BIG changes are a part of my daily routine right now!

I am learning and growing and stretching in ways that I’ve never experienced before. My morning prayer is that God will equip me, bless me, and enlarge my capacity to learn and grow! Also, that He will give me His strength, not my own, to accomplish His will and purposes! 

We are in a new church, pastoring and in a new school, teaching! It is so easy when things get overwhelming and tough, to look back. But looking back does not bring the growth that God desires! It actually can set us back if we are not moving and looking forward.

One of my devotions this week spoke to me so powerfully about moving forward, no matter how different or hard it may be and NOT LOOKING BACK!

In Genesis 19 we encounter, in my opinion, one of the most difficult stories in the Bible. Lot and his family have moved away from Abraham and his family and settled in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 18 tells us that the sin within these cities became “extremely serious.“ However, God had a plan to save Lot and his family from the coming destruction. He told them to,

“Run for your lives! Don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere on the plain!” 

Genesis 19:17

God was showing His mercy and faithfulness to Abraham by giving Lot and his family a rescue plan! 

I know that I have needed rescue plans! God has truly shown His mercy and faithfulness to me to provide them.

Lots Family was stubborn! 

God provided a rescue plan and they continued to hesitate. I don’t know about you, but I have been known to drag my feet and even pout a little bit as I’m dragging them! But eventually, Lot’s stubborn family obeyed. But as they ran, we read these chilling words… 

“Lot’s wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt!” Genesis 19:26

Lot’s wife struggled with many of the temptations that we struggle with. Instead of walking forward, with what God was leading her to, she looked back to what she knew. Her home, even though it was burning to ashes! 

The issue was truly her heart. Even though her feet were moving in the direction of God’s plan, her heart desired what she had left behind. Lot’s wife was rejecting God’s mercy! 

Jesus himself reminds us to ,

“Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17

I am reminded by the words of my Savior Jesus Christ, to put my allegiance and trust in Jesus, and in Jesus alone! When He calls, I am to move forward and NOT LOOK BACK!

TRUTH BOMB

WHERE GOD GUIDES, HE PROVIDES!

Speak Truth Love

Have you ever found yourself needing to repeat over and over and over all the things God says about you?

I am the apple of God’s eye!
I am a daughter of the King of Kings!
I am loved!
I am Chosen!
I am enough!

I am finding this on repeat in my mind and out loud audibly on my knees with my hands raised high!

I am facing many new challenges as we step in to this new chapter of our lives! It is all absolutely wonderful, and it is all clearly a gift from God and His will, and purpose for our lives!

But it is also a huge challenge!

My husband and I are stepping into the new and the unknown when most people our age are retiring.

It is so easy in these situations to be trapped and even thwarted and frozen in your tracks by the overwhelming feeling of “this is too much,” and “I can’t do it.”

As debilitating as this thought can be… It is actually the perfect place to start!

The realization that I can’t do it, is the point at which I humble myself, and admit that only God can do it for me and through me!
Because I am…

The Apple of His eye!

HIS DAUGHTER!

HIS PRINCESS!

LOVED BY HIM!

CHOSEN BY HIM!

AND ABLE TO DO ALL THINGS THROUGH HIS STRENGTH IN ME!

Because of these truths, I can take the step I am taking today! I can step into a new position that He has called me to. I can trust Him to fill in all of the inadequacies that I have! I can step into a new church family and love them with His love the way He has called me to! I can trust that He will bring the increase and that I can decrease and serve Him in humility.

I can step into a new school and a new grade and trust Him to give me wisdom and knowledge beyond what I have now! I can live out the Truth that I am the Apple of His eye!

“For this is what The Lord Almighty says…for whoever touches you, touches the apple of His eye!” Zachariah 2:8

TRUTH BOMB

YOU ARE THE APPLE OF GOD’S EYE AND HE IS YOUR PROTECTOR!

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work Will be rewarded.” 2 CHRONICLES 15:7

So remember, you are so loved, you are priceless and you are treasured by God!

Speak Truth Love

These are the words that I was singing over and over last week with 230 young children and lots and lots of volunteers like myself! 2024 marked my third year in a row to be a part of Bayside OC Church’s ‘BREAKAWAY’ Kids Camp for Pre-K through fifth graders. And we truly “BREAKAWAY!”

We break away from the mundane, the boring and the status quo! We plunge head on into loving one another, side-by-side, shoulder to shoulder, as we sing, dance, throw water balloons at each other, give our best attempt at crafts and most of all, learn about how much God loves each and every one of us! 

We “BREAKAWAY,” to revel in and love one another with the pure, unashamed, love of our great God!

Sure, it can be exhausting as you wake up at the crack of dawn to be up and out extra early and be ready to receive those beautiful faces running at you, full to the brim with energy. But more so, it’s also refreshing as you “BREAKAWAY,” to spend the hour before eating breakfast with, having a devotion with, laughing with and praying with like-minded servants of God! 

Sure, it may cost you a week of work or vacation time or saying no to other things.

But it also renews your spirit as you “BREAKAWAY,” and raise your hands and move your feet and sing as loud as you want(because no one can hear you over the voices of rambunctious children), as you praise your great God!

Sure, it can leave you a bit more sore and tired as you have used your body up and down, up and down to tie loose shoelaces, to wipe popsicle drippings off of faces, and to move rapidly from station to station. But it also restores your mind and spirit as you “BREAKAWAY,” and put into practice “Loving one another with the love of Jesus!”

“WE LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US!”   I JOHN 4:19

God drew me anew this week to I JOHN chapter 4. It speaks of what we need to be careful of and NOT DO, as Christ followers, and then it speaks of what we are TO DO, as Christ followers!

“BREAKING AWAY” from our routines and schedules, and to-do lists can be difficult to nearly impossible! We tend to hold on tightly with both fist clamped to the control of our schedules! But I believe that 1 John chapter 4 is telling us that we also need to “BREAKAWAY” from our routines and practice loving Jesus and loving others!

When we do truly BREAKAWAY and give ourselves to Jesus we find that we are restored, refreshed, and renewed in Him!

TRUTH BOMB

TO TRULY BE RESTORED, REFRESHED, AND RENEWED, WE MUST BREAKAWAY TO JESUS!

What is it that you need to “BREAKAWAY” from, to BREAKAWAY to Jesus?

I PROMISE YOU IT’S WORTH IT!

Speak Truth Love

“This is how we walk, how we walk on water…one foot in front of the other!

He’s never gonna let you go under, just put one foot in front of the other!”

Sometimes I am feeling overwhelmed!

Life is great! God is clearly in control and blessing and then BAM! Life punches you in the gut again.

It takes your breath away.

It hands you a pile of difficult to impossible tasks to accomplish.

You want to run, you want to hide, you want to fall into bed, pull the covers up over your head and hibernate like a bear in winter.

With the faintest whisper, too quiet to hear, you ask God for help! 

The next thing you know you are dancing and singing alongside 200 kids at Kids Camp and His words come clearly to you as you sing the camp song and dance along!

“Just put one foot in front of the other!”

Just say one prayer, one after the other!

Just serve one person, one after the other!

Just love one person today, one after the other!

Just make one phone call, one after the other!

Just trust God with this one thing, one after the other!

Just rely on God’s Word, one word after the other!

This is how we keep from sinking. 

This is how we keep moving forward!

This is how we walk on water! 

We trust Jesus, we keep our eyes on Him, and we will never go under!

I cling to this promise from God:

“But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Isaiah 43:1-3

God is so faithful and true to answer our every prayer! Those spoken out loud or those uttered with barely an audible breath.

The key is…are we listening to His reply?

If we listen to the Lord, and put one foot in front of the other in obedience, He will keep our head above water and He will show us the way through! 

Walking on water with Jesus is not a “Relax, I’m on vacation,” mentality.

Instead, walking on water with Jesus is reaching up, taking His hand and walking, putting one foot in front of the other, one moment and day at a time, as you take on life’s problems, issues, responsibilities and trials!

He is the lifter of our heads and He will lift us up and NEVER LET US GO UNDER!

TRUTH BOMB

Walking on water is trusting in Jesus, every step of the way!

Speak Truth Love

“God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”   1 Corinthians 1:9 (NCV)

I am not writing my Blog today solo. Rather, it is a duet as Jim and I both are singing God’s praises!

“Our God is an awesome God; He reigns from Heaven above, with wisdom, power and love, our God is an awesome God!”  

This duet is the praise song that keeps rolling off our lips as we stand in awe at our faithful God!

Week 6 of our faith-filled journey in following God in, but didn’t know specifically what He was leading us to, has now come to fruition. 

Last night, the Elders at Summit Christian Church called Jim to a meeting and officially asked him to be their next Lead Pastor! This offer was the final affirmation from God in our faith journey in following our faithful God! Three weeks earlier, also on a Monday, I received a call from the Elementary Principal offering me a contract to join their team as a 5th grade teacher this school year. In six weeks, since arriving back in Southern California, God has faithfully led and directed us to His next places of ministry for us!  

We are in awe of our amazing God, and we praise Him for every faithful step of this journey. God desires for us to have His best. I have always believed in God’s best!  To follow God in spite of hardships, clinging to Romans 8:28–“God causes all things to work together for the good of those love God and are called according to his purposes“–requires trusting Him when it isn’t all mapped out for us.

A wise friend said to me, “You cannot live God’s best and still control the outcome.” Getting God’s best requires us to let go of the controls, and let God steer our ship, AKA, the direction we go. 

This is not an easy way to live, but it is the only way to experience God’s best!

TRUTH BOMB

When we let God write our life script, then we are living God’s best!

Friends, there is so much freedom in letting go of preconceptions, interpretations, and expectations. We let our faithful God write our life script instead of us.

We give God all the glory for His faithfulness to us in this journey He has had us on! And now we pray that we will be found faithful to Him, and He will equip us to accomplish His purposes in this next phase of our life script!

To Him be the glory!

Speak Truth Love

Revived and Restored!

God’s presence + God’s creation + God’s blessings = revival and restoration!

“Be still and know that I am God…”  Psalm 46:10

God’s Presence:

In order to receive God’s presence, we must be willing to be still.

A week at the beach. The wisest choice I could have made was to take a break from the busyness and step into some time to be still. 

“Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord.”  Psalm 148:4

God’s creation:

Spending a week in God’s creation at the beach brought refreshment, not just to my spirit but also to my physical body!

“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”  Psalm 113:3

God’s blessings:

Spending time with God, and giving Him the glory for our most precious blessings brings revival to mind, body, and spirit!

“Children (and their children) are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”  Psalm 127:3

Giving God the glory for his greatest blessings in our life, and spending time in his creation brings true revival and joy!

After putting these three things into practice in my 4th week in following God faithfully back to Southern California, I am revived and restored!

TRUTH BOMB

As exhausting as life can be, God is always the true source of our soul restoration. 

Speak Truth Love

Sometimes, the biggest step of faith is trusting God and taking a break!

In our few short weeks back in Southern California, God has continued to show up BIG TIME! He has demonstrated His faithfulness as we continue to step out in faith!  

I cannot wait to give God all the glory and share with you all that He has done!

But that time has not yet come!

The step of faith that I want to share about today came to me as somewhat of a surprise.

I was on the phone talking with a special friend of mine who has known me for over 40 years. As I was sharing the past four weeks with her, I heard myself repeating, “DONE, DONE, DONE!” 

I heard the words, but didn’t quite feel the impact.

At the end of our conversation, as I was asking my friend to pray for all these things, she demonstrated her faithfulness and wisdom when she replied, “ I will pray for all these things, but my prayer for you this week is going to be that you rest from “DOING,” and enjoy God’s blessings!”

It is not easy for me to,

“Be still and know that He is God.”

Psalm 46:10

Although, God has been faithful time after time to bless me as I have practice His presence in this way!

That very day we went to the beach. My heart and mind and soul was captivated once again by the magnificence of God‘s creation! 

The ocean waves roll in and out, the seagulls fly with beautiful precision, and the sand warms my feet from underneath! 

I breathe in a fresh awareness of all God has DONE!

TRUTH BOMB

AS WE BREATHE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD HIS SPIRIT FILLS US AND HIS FAITHFULNESS IS EVIDENT.

Everywhere our eyes turn we see the hand of God. 

He has created the whole world!

He has created us and HE IS FAITHFUL!

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” 

Psalm 24:1-2

I pray for you, as my wonderful friend prayed for me, that you are able to rest from all the “doing” and open your eyes and breathe in all that God has done!

Speak Truth Love

Speechless.

I have no words! For me, that is a BIG deal!

I literally love talking! I love, sharing, listening, speaking, and being heard! 

For crying out loud, words are my

Love Language! That means that I not only love giving words, I also love receiving them! It is the way I most feel loved and most feel like I am giving love!

Truly, my favorite thing in all the world is talking to God!

Today, the day I write my blog, I AM SPEECHLESS! I have no words!

We are continuing to ‘Move Forward In Faith With Our Faithful God’, and the steps are leaving me speechless at the moment!

SPENT, I think that’s what I am?

You know when you go to the store with a set amount of money and you shop until it is SPENT! 

You have no more! It is gone! You reached the end of it and it is finished!

You’re not mad, you’re not upset, you’ve just reached the end and it’s time to go home!

Today, I reached the end and it was time for me to go “HOME!”  

My true, “HOME” where I find rest, peace, love, acceptance, and restoration, no matter my geography, standing or stability! God is my HOME!

He is there waiting for me when I have words or when I don’t! And when I am speechless and have no words, He gives me plenty! His Word is full of them and it is where I must run when I have no words of my own left!

This week, week three, I have learned that God is faithful to give us His Words even when we are SPEECHLESS!

“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?”

Psalm 27:1

“All my longings lie open before you, Lord;my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me;even the light has gone from my eyes.” 

Psalm 38:9-10

“I waited patiently for the Lord;he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire;he set my feet on a rockand gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth,a hymn of praise to our God.Many will see and fear the Lordand put their trust in him.”Psalm 40:1-2

“Be merciful to me, my God,for my enemies are in hot pursuit;all day long they press their attack. My adversaries pursue me all day long;in their pride many are attacking me. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid.What can mere mortals do to me?” Psalm 56:1-2

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;his love endures forever. When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper.I look in triumph on my enemies.”

Psalm 108: 1-3

TRUTH BOMB

WHEN WE ARE SPENT AND SPEECHLESS GOD’S WORDS SPEAK LOUD AND CLEAR!

Speak Truth Love