I Live His Life

I'm sitting in my darkened room and it's drizzling morosely outside. The only light is the glow from my wee computer screen and I should be long gone into the land of unconsciousness - but once more, I have a quick thought to share.

I was in worship tonight at Bethel and we were sang this song by Delirious called "History Maker". It sings about how we live for Him.

And as I sang, "I'm living for you, I'm gonna be a History Maker in this land, I'm gonna be a speaker of truth to all mankind, I'm gonna stand, I'm gonna run, into your arms, into your arms again" it was resonating so loudly inside of me, I was just flipping out. But then, God showed me something. I saw how God breathed His life into my bones. That it was His life that gave me the strength to move forward. That I do nothing on my own. I actually saw two pictures: one was all of me consumed by His spirit - His spirit flowing in and out of me and filling me with life. The other was when I was living my own life, by my own power, by my own spirit. And the picture of my life on my own steam was so much fainter, so much weaker.

And I saw how I don't live my life, I live His life. Whenever I lose sight of that fact, I'm living my life in my strength and I'll get worn down. But when I remember that it's HIS life in me, that HE is living through me, then I am able to be all that I was born to be. And it's by running into His arms, again and again, that I am able to continue. It's by total reliance on Him that I can do all that I'm called to do. I am living for Him, but it's through Him that I live and move. It's only by His strength that I can exist. I need to rely on Him fully and completely abandon the fallacy of being able to do anything apart from Him. I live His life. But His life is my life. We are one.

This isn't terribly polished, because I really don't have time to edit it for readability, but it's what's coming out of my heart right now. Night y'all.

Intensity; Coupled With Grace And Self Control - It's A Good Thing

I'm feeling intense again. There are days when I'll suddenly hear this sentence or phrase in my heart and it just echos. And echos. The rest of my life may not realize it, but every area is affected by the fall out from that silent shout - everything is rearranged in some way. Adjusted to accommodate the expanding truth that is turning my world inside out.

It happened again tonight.

I was late for the night service at Bethel and only caught the tail end of the message, but the atmosphere in church was insane. Just heavy and waiting. Randall Worley was speaking and then he asked Bill Johnson to come up and pray for him. And it was at that moment that the gathering feelings crystallized into a sentence.

I want to manifest my Father to the world.

It was like I could see how Father God has been misrepresented. We go to church, we have worship services, we go on mission trips - all very good things, but some how the message comes across that our Father is shut off from us for long periods of time. That once church is over, He goes back to His room where He REALLY dwells. That if we want to feel His Presence, we have to gather in large groups and focus on Him really hard. We have to draw Him in.

Lies.

He tore the heavens open so He could come and fellowship with His children again. As much as I want to be aware of His Presence, He wants it even more. He longs for me waaaay more than I long for Him. He LONGS for me. Wow.

I want to manifest my Father all day, every day. All night. All day. Creation is groaning, the world is groaning, we are groaning, the Father is groaning. But I can' t offer it to the world until I realize it for myself - I can only give away what I've received. He. Longs. For. Me.

I am not alone. He is mine and I am His.

Poised On The Precipice

I can feel it.

People don't realize how incredible God is. We talk about reflecting aspects of His personality, we talk about developing servant hearts - but I don't hear it taught that God is intoxicating.

He is.

Seriously, I mean it, He is. I never thought that God could satisfy. I thought that there would be things I'd have to go without or learn to live with out, but that's so wrong! That's NOT who He is! That's not what He's asking for!

I have brushed the merest surface of who God is and I am ruined. I really know now that I'll never be the same. And I try and I try to describe it - I really try!!! But religion has ruined the words I'd normally use and extreme-ism has ruined the more profound words as well. I'm trying to tell you practically, I don't go without. I'm telling you, once you discover Him for REAL - for real now, not some religious fervor or "do gooder" experience - it changes everything. I am free in ways I never thought I'd be. I am hungry in ways I never thought I'd be.

God is like pervasive silence. You don't even realize that He's seized you; then, suddenly, He's all throughout your being. There is a pause that stills everything within you and you're listening, listening; and then, somehow, you just KNOW. He is there! He is there and He has always been. He's in the wind, He's in your friends' laughter, He is in a sleeping child, He is in hard physical labor. God surrounds the atmosphere of your soul.

And once you realize that, you aren't smothered, you're treasured. You aren't confined - freedom is redefined for you. You find yourself in Him and through Him. And after that, you just want more. More of Him, more of Him released through you.

He is the kindest. He is the most hopeful. His fingerprints are creativity and light. We don't know Him, but He is everywhere.

All He asks for is for a moment, for an honest moment. It's not about your performance or my performance. It's not about having answers or good intentions the first time you sit with Him. He just wants a moment of truth with you, one moment where you can be together and be real. I won't say that He'll "fix" it all in a moment, though He could do that. The one thing I know for sure is that your moment will be different from my moment. What you'll do together in that moment is anyone's guess - but if you're truly honest, you will never be the same.

I started with one moment. Now I am transfixed and I know I'll never be the same.

A Few Thoughts On A Different Kind Of Lack Mentality

I have revelation to share. =)

How many people know that the things that you think you want aren't always the things that you need?

When I was 10 or 11, my brother (Jeremy) went fishing with an adult friend of ours, I'll call him "Dave". While they were out, they ran into another friend, I'll call him "Steve". About ten minutes or so after Jeremy and Dave left Steve, they heard Steve calling for help. When they went to find out what was wrong, they discovered that Steve had broken his leg. Immediately, Dave went for help and my brother Jeremy had to stay with Steve and keep him calm.

This proved to be a difficult task, since Steve was convinced that the only thing he needed to do to feel better was to drag himself to the rushing water (and probably drown himself). So my brother spent the next half hour, physically restraining a grown man who was out of his head with pain. Why? Because what Steve wanted wasn't actually what Steve needed. People in pain do NOT have a clear idea of what they need to truly be healed.

I’ve been looking at the things that I thought I lacked in my life as I grew up. And I’ve come to the conclusion that I cannot steer my life by my lack. I cannot look at my life and decide which direction I’m going to go based on whatever I “perceive” that I’m missing.

I’ve thought, "Gee, I'm kind of awkward with guys a lot of the time, I need more guy relationships. I should build guy friendships, and acclimate." (To all my guy friends, stop freaking out. You should know by now how clinical I can be sometimes.) After the teaching today, I realize, nope. I'm fine. I may have been pretty bad with guys in the past, but I’m actually doing really well with my guy relationships out here. My boundaries are in the right places, and a friendship with a guy really SHOULDN’T look like a friendship with a girl. And why am I doing so well? Because God brought healing to my life and then brought healthy relationships into my life.

I’ve thought, "Gee, I need a spiritual father. I haven't had many in my life, I need more." Figured out today that I have a spiritual dad right now! And I had one in the last season of my life too! It's just that what God supplied for my needs didn't fit with what I THOUGHT I needed. Does that make sense?

I read this book called the Bonesetter's Daughter and God totally spoke to me through it. I related to the main character, Ruth. Ruth realized that the very thing she wanted most (love) and searched for everywhere, she didn’t know how to accept because she never expected to receive it. When she was offered love, she didn't recognize it, because it didn't look the way she expected it to look. And that very fact enabled its transformation and regression. Ruth had gotten used to feeling unwanted, leftover. She was so acquainted with the lack in her life, she couldn't see the increase even though it WAS truly present in her life.

I believe that can be true with any of us. It’s a different kind of lack mentality. When we do the whole introspection thing, all we do is memorize our faults, or our weaknesses, or lack. The lie is that by memorizing our lack, the fulfilled want will look so drastically different that we'll recognize it immediately! So NOT TRUE!! So not true.

I have felt like I've lacked intimacy and love in my life - but that's not true. The truth is when I was offered love, it scared me and I didn't trust it. God has offered me good things my whole life, He has supplied my emotional and physical and spiritual needs all along the way. Was the path always smooth? No. Were there periods of pain? Yes. But more often than not the supply He offered me I took with very little thankfulness because I didn’t recognize it as supply!!

Wah! Ok, so now we’ve identified an area of lack. Haha! What’s my strategy now? Aggressively stop my introspection, empower my friends and spiritual parents to speak into my life, and live aggressively, passionately thankful. Thankfulness will always guard you from the prideful spirit that dares to question God.

This wasn’t very polished, but it’s what I have coming out of my heart. Hope it helps someone!

Back From The Land Of Nowhere...

Haha, I'm BACK!!

Weird. I am so NOT who I was! This is going to be interesting.

For some of you, as you see the quantum leap God has done in my life it might be hard to reconcile. But let me be honest - God did it. I didn't work for this, I could not have effected this change if I'd gone to 20 years of counseling!

I've been posting some things on my Facebook, so I'm just going to re-post some of that. Hope you like it!! ^_^ Sam

Journal Entry

April 15, 2008

God, why do I have such a hard time apologizing without rationalizing or "sharing the blame"? Why can't I just apologize and leave it there?

Sam, when you feel wronged, you get puffed up inside. You don’t just get hurt, you get angry. And then, no matter how much you say that you believe that I’ll accept you in any condition, you still hesitate to listen to my words. It becomes hard for you to believe that you’re hearing from me. That’s why the enemy wants you to stay in a constant state of “hurting”.

I’m here Sam. I haven’t left you. I’m not despairing over your attitude or level of maturity. Trust me Sam. When I say something, I mean it and I don’t take it back.

You think you have to defend yourself when you're hurt. You use anger as energy to fight for yourself and then you feel badly. Why do you feel badly? Because your spirit knows that you aren’t defeated and you don't need to defend yourself. The devil is a liar. See yourself as loved Sam. See yourself as loved by me.

Humbling yourself is agreeing with Me, Sam. Just agree with Me. So what if you’re not always right? You’re best friends with someone who is!!

Praise is key Sam. Just praise me and remember my face. I see you as clean, pure, holy, and whole. Wholly righteous. You are complete; complete in me. I’ll hold your hand and never leave you.

Hope this helps!! ^_^

The Business of Growing Straight

So, I've been in Guatemala for a little over a week now. It's been an amazing trip. I'm so grateful to Rebecca Collins and Vida Ilumitada for inviting me.

I feel like I've quietly grown since coming here. I get up early in the morning, and when I take the laundry up to the lines on the roof the sky is beautiful. The world is so quiet, the only ones that seem to be stirring are the birds and the bugs. It's a chance for me to be quiet and consider my Father and His wonderful, gentle nature and goodness.

I've known from the beginning that part of this trip was about getting away and being alone with God. I love my church and my friends, but I've let the focus of spending time with God shift to getting answers for others and asking for wisdom for service. Good stuff, but my relationship with Him was refreshing and lively when I went into His presence mainly to enjoy time with my Father.

It’s so easy to say that God is the most important person in your life and believe in the idea... But it’s not really true. I used to spend a couple hours, just hanging out with God in my closet. Some times we’d listen to music, some times we’d talk, some times I’d just sit and listen. THAT was what brought growth in me. But more importantly, I was just loving God. I want my relationship with Him to be just that simple again. Nothing more, nothing less.

I could list all the benefits of those times, but I don’t want to. The truth is that God gives you gifts when you visit with Him. You’ll always come away with more than you had when you entered your quiet place. That’s just the kind of Father He is! He loves to show us things, delight us, and inspire awe in our hearts. You can’t spend time with Him without being changed. But if you’re always going to Him looking for the present, looking for the change, looking for the effect... Very quickly the quality of your times together go downhill. I know because that’s what happened to me.

There are any number of excuses I used to justify the change in my attitude when I came before Him. He was never mad, and always helped me with whatever I needed help with. And, hey, He still used me to minister to people. But I started to get sick-hearted. Very me-focused. Very stressed.

You know? Maybe you know what that feels like? It’s blehh. All I needed was time in a place where I had no excuses! That was all it took! (So I had to leave the country to do that... Those who love me say I’m dramatic!) No one needs me to pray for them in Guatemala; sheesh, most don’t speak English.

I pray this lesson gets way down deep into my heart. I pray that it so basically changes who I am that I’ll never be the same. I pray that I grow straight and strong, with motives that are pure, and priorities in the proper order. And may I never leave the shadow of His presence.

Goodnight!
Sam

REWIND: A Quick Thought On Boldness!

~What is boldness? It's daring to throw yourself out onto the promises of God. To believe that He has only good things in store for you, and refusing to accept anything less. It's forgeting about yourself, and your image, and your reputation, and YOU. It's facing rejection, not once, not twice, but daily. It's living on the edge; refusing to settle, back down, become complacent, or stop taking ground. Man, what a lifestyle.~

The above is something I posted several months ago. It's kind of funny, when I'm feeling down, or discouraged, I'll often go back and look at things that I've posted before! It's such a surprising encouragement - I love it.

At the end of last year, I was invited to go to Guatemala in February and visit my best friend. (This will be my first mission trip!) When I prayed about it, I felt like the Lord very clearly said, "Yes, go." So since early November, I've been preparing to leave.

Every step of the way, no matter how simple the step there have been OBSTACLES. And through out a pervasive sense of "rush, rush, rush, hurry, hurry, hurry...Sam! You're holding everyone up!!" Clearly, it's the enemy.

I'm finding it so hard not to indulge in severe discouragement. I keep reminding myself that God is watching over me, that He's directing my steps, but I think my "Word levels" are low. So I guess my suggestion to anyone who is facing difficulties right now: DO be faithful in spending some time in the Word every day! Reading encouraging scriptures recharges your batteries and keeps your heart in the place of rest that God has prepared for every believer! (Speaking of rest, I think I'm going to go do that right now....!)

I post this scripture a lot, but it's so TRUE!! Chew the cud with me:

Jeremiah 29 :11-13
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Visiting My Friends' Church

I went to a service at my friends' new church "Shift" and afterwards we were all sitting around just talking. After a bit, I realized how PASSIONATE I am about God. And the more I find out about Him, the more I love Him. Gah, that sounds so sappy, but it's true.

Mrs. Collins posted on her blog about knowing God and it hit my heart just the right way. (Click here to read it!) I'd love to restate everything she said, but honestly, she said it best. So read it!!

Hebrew 8:10-12: This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will ALL know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

Drama!!

So I thought I'd update you all on my new job. Let me allay all your fears, I LOVE my new job!!

It's hilarious actually, 'cause like everyone speaks Spanish and I don't, and I'm the youngest and the only female, and it's just a riot! Most of the time I have no idea what they are laughing about, I have only a hazy idea of what I'm supposed to be preparing, and I'm completely certain that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Also, ladies, let me say this. Lots of people like to say that anywhere there's estrogen there's also drama, but guess what! The same is true of the stronger sex!! Where I work, the men far out number the women, and they have their own soap operas going on all the time. Because of this fact, I cut the sandwiches a different way for every person I work with, my station is never set up the same way twice in a row, and I NEVER air my opinion!!! Haha!!

Job Update

GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!! HOO HOO!!

After a bit of delay (and learning to hold tight to peace even when nothing looks stable), my new boss got back to me today and offered me a position in their kitchen!! I'm very excited, obviously! Haha!!

I'm not quite sure which day will be my last day at Starbucks. Either I'll finish out this weekend and start my new job around the middle of next week, or I'll work at Starbucks through this pay period and start at my new job around the 25th.

God has blessed me so much. He's been expanding my horizons, showing me things inside myself I didn't even know were there, and encouraging me to leap farther. I will never again say that I don't feel like God is real or that He doesn't love me. He's proved His heart towards me, and I will never turn back!! God is GOOD!! Haha!!

^_^

Sam

Leaps of Faith

For the last year, the Lord has been training me for my future. He's been gentle and calm with me, so I haven't had a hard time trusting Him. I've been able to see where He was going with each decision and change to my schedule. The only thing that has been growing and stretching is my idea of what I can do and what gifts I have. I've been able to see the conclusion of every step and pretty much knew where He was leading me.

Until now.

One day a couple weeks ago, I was in my bed and almost asleep when my Mom knocked on my door. It was pretty late and everyone knew I had work in the morning, so I was startled by the knocking on the door! But Mom had a cell phone in her hand and my Dad was on the other end and he had news for me. Evidently, one of the customers he was driving (my dad works at a limo company) worked for an assisted living facility and this place needed an extra hand in their restaurant.

Every other time I've tried to consider leaving Starbucks, I've always gotten a serious and firm "No." when I brought the idea to God. I was more than ready for another stop light, so it was shocking to feel like I was supposed to interview! Once I registered that, I still had an onslaught of "I don't know if I'm what they're looking for... Maybe I'll get freaked out by working around all those old folks...." Still, very persistent, was the impression I was supposed to go interview.

So I did. (There is WAAAAAAAAAAAY more to the story, a series of incidents that were obviously God-arranged, but I'm not going to tell all of that right now.) I interviewed on Monday, and I'm supposed to hear back from them tomorrow.

I'm just sitting here, thinking about my life for the past year and a quarter, and I'm realizing I have no idea what this next step is leading to. I have no idea if I'll get the job. Normally, I'd be freaking out, or at least very unsettled, but all is calm and quiet inside. I've been hearing the call of God to start leaping without looking and it's been very cool to begin practicing. I may not be able to see where I'm going to land, but that's fine. This is exactly the kind of trust I need to develop.

One more time:

Jeremiah 29 :11-13 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

God is good!

Laughter Doeth Good....

When I was about 10 or 11, my Mom bought me a Life Application Study Bible. That was the first Bible I enjoyed reading. For a few years, it was my Bible translation of choice (sorry, little pink NIV), but in recent years, I've been more of an Amplified or NIV enthusiast. Tonight I was doing a little study and decided to look a verse up in the LASB. That's when I found this BEAUT of a verse:

Psalm 119:73
You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands.

!!!


^_^

Listen, Live, and Rest

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor. Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near..." Isaiah 55:1-6

The Lord keeps leading me back to this passage. Again and again, I open my Bible and this is the first scripture I see.

I've always felt that my life was meant for something special. For years, I felt that on the inside and didn't really share it with anyone (for various reasons). I got muddled up along the way, but in the last two or three years, the Lord has brought some wonderful fruit out of my life and I can only praise Him for His never ending faithfulness.

A week ago, I challenged everyone to give God fifteen minutes a day of unstructured, unplanned, unreligious time. I didn't imagine that God would use that time the way He has! I can't tell you all that the He's working on in me, because I'm still in the middle of the lesson, but I can give you some highlights.

~Shutting out all the mental noise and learning to listen quietly for God is a POWERFUL skill. It can't be overdeveloped.
~Sometimes the best, most obedient thing to do is to do NOTHING! Wait on God.
~Serving God because of love and passion for Him is the best motivator!

One more thing. Jesus said,

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matt. 11:28-30

When serving Him doesn't come easily, naturally, I'm learning to check whose load it is I'm yoked to. There should be a rest inside that isn't disturbed by natural disruptions. Go back to that place of rest.

I hope this helps!

Samantha

More Pictures....

Ok, ok, so this is getting crazy. I know I promised pictures, but...um, I need to learn how to post a slide show or some such something. So. I hate to tease you all and make you wait, but them's the breaks.




This is a shot from a lookout above Lake Mead. Pretty, huh?



This is a lizard that chased us around in Fire Valley. *Shivers*



And this is the sunset just outside of Boulder, Nevada.

Again, sorry about the wait on the pics. Hopefully, I'll figure something out soon!

I'm HOME!!!

Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!

What a wild vacation. Seriously! I saw the Rockie Mountains, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, and a bunch of other smaller but almost as cool sights! We travelled through Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, back through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and back into beautiful Illinois.

Along the way, we saw all different varieties of cows, got sprayed by a passing truckful of hogs, made friends with a strangely evil-looking bird, got chased out of the hotel pool by some sort of winged creature (can you hear the screaming?), and exclaimed "Holy cats!" more times than I like to admit. I could post some of the funny pictures, but the custody battle for them (between me and my sisters) hasn't even begun!

In case you're wondering, the pictures at the top of this post were taken by me. The first one is from New Mexico, and the second one is from the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Thoughts From The Road

Hey Everyone!

I'm somewhere in Oklahoma and it's late, late, late! We left Nevada yesterday morning and we still have another day of driving ahead of us. It's amazing to me how BIG America really is! I'm a city girl, so I keep being shocked at how much of our country is farm land, ranches, and open space. I'll have some pictures to share when I get home!

This has been a strange vacation for me. I didn't really want to go! I felt like I was supposed to go, but I didn't know why.

From the beginning, this time has been powerful. Two of our cousins ended up sleeping over in our hotel room for about 4 nights! That was interesting and funny! Imagine: five s ranging in age from 15-21, two beds, a small couch, and ONE bathroom.... yes, a potential recipe for disaster!! Haha, actually, we had an amazing time with them! Not only did we have a ton of fun, we had the privilege of leading them to the Lord!! Wooohooo!!

So, yes, I have a lot to share. Lots of funny stories to tell, and hopefully, some of the pictures I took will be in focus!! I miss ya'll and I'll see you soon!

Road Trip!!!!

Hey Everyone,

This Monday, my family is heading out to Nevada! It will take us about three days to get out there, we'll stay for about a week, and then head back. So I'll be gone from this blog for the next two weeks.

Don't worry though!! I've got some posts all lined up for while I'm away, and I've asked my dear friend Becca to post for me! I just won't be able to respond to any comments because I won't have internet.

This trip is going to ROCK!! Seriously, my sisters and I get wild (well, it's wild for us, lol) on vacation! We're going to take loads of pictures and videos, so you'll get to see us kicking back. Aka, eating reeses for breakfast, cracking REALLY bad jokes, and basically goofing off. *sighs* Man, this is going to be fun!

See ya when I get back!!

Enjoying The View From The Rock

So recently, I've been re-re-evaluating everything. As I sail through life, things pop up and the way I react to them affects my flow. I'm learning to just run to God with anything and everything. Feeling unsettled? "Father!!" Saw something funny? "Hey Dad, guess what!" Tempted to get ticked off at someone? "Hold me back Lord!!"

When I was younger, I clung to my older brother when anything really disturbed me. I expected him to make me feel better. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. But that wasn't really fair to him. I tried to make him my solid spot, and people get smushed when you stand on them.

As I develop a deeper relationship with God, I've found that every time I'm troubled inside, He has the answer. I can get my focus back on my Strong One and either everything changes, or everything shrinks back to the right size in my mind. Problems aren't huge anymore. My schedule isn't overloaded. I can see again the progress that God has made in my life.

From this I will not be shaken, my God is my rock and my strength. I will find rest in Him.

Ps. 100: 1 - 5
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Growing Up

Well, I finallly did it! I cleaned out my Bible. I've had this pink NIV since I was eight and it's always been my favorite. Even though I like the other translations, the NIV is so easy to understand. During times when I'd be struggling with something or other, that little pink Bible always held something that would touch my heart and turn my thoughts towards God. But that was part of the problem.

My Bible was STUFFED. Crammed to the gills with papers, phone numbers, notes, outlines, a couple photos and even recipes! Over the years, when something would bless my heart, remind me of God's love, or even seem like something that would be powerful in the future, I got into the habit of saving it. And God used those notes! There were times when I'd flip open my Bible and discover the exact encouragement that I needed.

Unfortunately, I began to notice that I couldn't flip to a verse without stuff dropping out. So I put all the notes that I wanted to keep in a special box until I can transcribe them. Hopefully, my Bible will last longer; plus, if anyone wants a killer recipe for loaded oatmeal cookies, I know where find it!