Friday, July 15, 2011
We're Back from Washington Island!!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
My Power in Prayer
This morning, I read my Daily Devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries I get every morning. Today's particular message was about self-control. It was mainly about how we need to take control of our reactions to others when they start picking at our last nerve. They spoke of looking into Scripture for answers, and changing the verbage to make it personal. One verse they used was 1 Peter 5: 6-8 as "In this moment, I am choosing to be self-controlled and alert. Your actions are begging me to yell at you and lose control. But I realize I have an enemy, and that enemy is not you. The devil is prowling and roaring and looking to devour me through my own lack of self control right now. But I am God's girl. That's right. I am. So I am going to humbly and quietly let God have his way in me right now. And when I do this, God will lift me from my frayed nerves up from this situation and fill me with a much better reaction than what I can give you right now. So, give me just a few minutes and then we can calmly talk about this."
I work in a bank. Most would say this is a great gig, but right now, with the instability and constant changes that government is placing on the financial industry, my days can be quite stressful. I would say 9 out of 10 clients I come in contact with are angry with fees they are charged, and the bank is leaving little to no room for grace on these issues. Unfortunately, because I am "the face" of the bank in my job, I am the one who is dealt the brunt of the irrate reactions others give me. I am left most of the time, almost to tears, wondering how people can talk to another human being the way I have been spoken to in the past. However, if I place this idea into practice, I can find a peace which surpasses all understanding, in Christ. Another calming reaction I can have is to pray for that particular individual. Whether or not that person knows Christ, my prayers for whatever is going on in that individual's life gives me a new perspective than what I am seeing sitting on the other side of the desk. I am able to move past the hurtful things people say, and be someone of compassion and understanding.
Doing this also helps me to be free. Free from worries and anxieties that I face every day. In a given day, I worry so much about so many silly things that many of them never even come to pass. If I truly put those things in God's hands and back up those truths with Scripture in my life, than what is there to worry about? God has his hands on everything for me already. If we as Christians truly know this and believe it, than why do we worry so much? Philippeans 4: 6 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Maybe we all need to put this verse into personal perspection. I will not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, and with thanksgiving, I will present my requests to God.
I work in a bank. Most would say this is a great gig, but right now, with the instability and constant changes that government is placing on the financial industry, my days can be quite stressful. I would say 9 out of 10 clients I come in contact with are angry with fees they are charged, and the bank is leaving little to no room for grace on these issues. Unfortunately, because I am "the face" of the bank in my job, I am the one who is dealt the brunt of the irrate reactions others give me. I am left most of the time, almost to tears, wondering how people can talk to another human being the way I have been spoken to in the past. However, if I place this idea into practice, I can find a peace which surpasses all understanding, in Christ. Another calming reaction I can have is to pray for that particular individual. Whether or not that person knows Christ, my prayers for whatever is going on in that individual's life gives me a new perspective than what I am seeing sitting on the other side of the desk. I am able to move past the hurtful things people say, and be someone of compassion and understanding.
Doing this also helps me to be free. Free from worries and anxieties that I face every day. In a given day, I worry so much about so many silly things that many of them never even come to pass. If I truly put those things in God's hands and back up those truths with Scripture in my life, than what is there to worry about? God has his hands on everything for me already. If we as Christians truly know this and believe it, than why do we worry so much? Philippeans 4: 6 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Maybe we all need to put this verse into personal perspection. I will not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, and with thanksgiving, I will present my requests to God.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Many Parts, One Body
I am starting to read a new book titled Using Your Spiritual Gifts: Equipped to Serve. Engaged in Serving by Eddie Rasnake. One particular passage that really spoke to me today as I was reading through the reccommended Scripture was 1 Peter 4:10 - 11, which says, " Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." Wow... how awesome is it that God has dedicated a special spiritual gift for each and every one of us to use to glorify Him.
I have to admit, the whole reason I started reading this study was because I still have yet to discover what my spiritual gift really is. It is such a comfort and so touching that the Creator of our universe has picked one out especially for me, my very own spiritual gift. While I have not discovered what that is yet, I know that at the right time, and hopefully by growing closer to the Holy Spirit through this study, God will reveal the gift He has called me to use to serve.
That part is the small piece to the important part God has planned for me within the community. Once I discover that gift, Ephesians 2:10 indicates the task at hand. It states that we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do. This means that though I have discovered my spiritual gift, I am required to use that to serve others, to bring them into deeper relationship with our Heavenly Father. What a task that is?! That is why the church is so important. While we are a church body, everyone has a different spiritual gift to offer, which benefits the community of believers. The church as a whole cannot function without each part of the body working together for the betterment of the Lord. Paul also wrote that while he knew it was greater to be in Heaven with the Father, he also knew that his work here on earth was extremely important to growing the community of believers (Philippeans 1:21-25).
What do you do to grow the community of Christ? While you may or may not know exactly what your spiritual gift is yet, you can be involved in the church, serving and loving others into a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is the one of the most important parts of our time here on earth. I must admit that there are times that I can look back and say, "Wow... I really failed at that opportunity God placed in front of me..." I am working to get there. Shouldn't we all be working towards serving and loving others? It's should be so easy... it could be a simple smile or ackowledgement of another person we come in contact with. Whether it's big or small, every action we have impacts the Kingdom. Let's make sure we have more moments where we can show others Christ's love and be an example of what it really means to live out the Christian life.
What are you doing for the body?
I have to admit, the whole reason I started reading this study was because I still have yet to discover what my spiritual gift really is. It is such a comfort and so touching that the Creator of our universe has picked one out especially for me, my very own spiritual gift. While I have not discovered what that is yet, I know that at the right time, and hopefully by growing closer to the Holy Spirit through this study, God will reveal the gift He has called me to use to serve.
That part is the small piece to the important part God has planned for me within the community. Once I discover that gift, Ephesians 2:10 indicates the task at hand. It states that we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do. This means that though I have discovered my spiritual gift, I am required to use that to serve others, to bring them into deeper relationship with our Heavenly Father. What a task that is?! That is why the church is so important. While we are a church body, everyone has a different spiritual gift to offer, which benefits the community of believers. The church as a whole cannot function without each part of the body working together for the betterment of the Lord. Paul also wrote that while he knew it was greater to be in Heaven with the Father, he also knew that his work here on earth was extremely important to growing the community of believers (Philippeans 1:21-25).
What do you do to grow the community of Christ? While you may or may not know exactly what your spiritual gift is yet, you can be involved in the church, serving and loving others into a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is the one of the most important parts of our time here on earth. I must admit that there are times that I can look back and say, "Wow... I really failed at that opportunity God placed in front of me..." I am working to get there. Shouldn't we all be working towards serving and loving others? It's should be so easy... it could be a simple smile or ackowledgement of another person we come in contact with. Whether it's big or small, every action we have impacts the Kingdom. Let's make sure we have more moments where we can show others Christ's love and be an example of what it really means to live out the Christian life.
What are you doing for the body?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
My Stall
As I have said in my personal profile, I have lost 30 lbs. since last June. While this is an incredible feet, for some reason I am having difficulty, as I have now reached a plateau in recent months. More than likely, it is because I have stopped tracking my calories and my intake of unhealthy foods. Instead, I act on my cravings far more than sticking to my plan. I know that I have got to get back on track, but without the accountability that I once had with my old Weight Watchers plan, it has become difficult. Weight Watchers recently changed their method, and it is not as easy for me to follow. I find that while I do well during the whole day, once I come home from work, I can't stay on track. I also have become less strict in my scheduled workouts. It is incredibly important that while you are trying to lose weight, you count your calories, make right food choices and exercise. You will find little-to-no results unless you follow these practices that have proven to be successful, not only to myself, but to others who have lost weight in the past. Not only has my plateau gotten the best of me, but I can't stop thinking of how far I still need to go to get to my goal. Instead of taking the time to look back and acknowledge that I really have done something amazing, something that so many people struggle to accomplish in their lives, it is easier for me to focus on the roadblock and how huge a mountain I still have to climb to reach my ultimate weight-loss goal.
I find it ironically relative to my journey with God. Unless I make sure I have the right practices in place to grow deeper in my relationship with the Lord, I will have little-to-no success in maturing in my faith, bringing it to where I want it to be. Unless I am reading the Bible, praying and spending time in His presence, as well as staying in close connection to other Christians to hold me accountable, I cannot know my Savior more intimately than I ever have known before. God so desperately desires for us to cling to him, not only in good times, but also in difficult storms, when we find ourselves on a "spiritual plateau." Often, if we assess the situation, we can find that we are not as diligent in our practices as we once were, which help us grow closer to God. It seems like such a huge mountain ahead of us in order to get to the relationship we desire with God where we want it to be.
The next step to resolving the problem at hand is to pick ourselves back up, confess our short-comings, and move forward again, reaching to achieve the goal at hand. That is what is so perfect about our God. Like a child that falls down when we are first learning to walk on our own, He helps us back to our feet, and walks along with us, guiding us to push past that plateau or mountain we see ahead of us. One of my favorite passages to read is Psalm 103, which can relate in so many ways to each and every one of us. In verses 8-12 it says, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Do not carry that guilt upon you if you have stopped growing deeper with the Lord. My friend, God is waiting on you to call to Him again, to seek His guidance and to work diligently in growing in deeper connection with Him than you ever have before. I pray that you find that tonight. Like losing weight, it's not always easy. It takes practice and effort. We need to be more intentional about growing in relationship with the Lord than ever, especially if we are in the midst of a struggle in life. But I promise you, if you make that effort, the goal at the end will make is so worth the fight it took to get there!
I find it ironically relative to my journey with God. Unless I make sure I have the right practices in place to grow deeper in my relationship with the Lord, I will have little-to-no success in maturing in my faith, bringing it to where I want it to be. Unless I am reading the Bible, praying and spending time in His presence, as well as staying in close connection to other Christians to hold me accountable, I cannot know my Savior more intimately than I ever have known before. God so desperately desires for us to cling to him, not only in good times, but also in difficult storms, when we find ourselves on a "spiritual plateau." Often, if we assess the situation, we can find that we are not as diligent in our practices as we once were, which help us grow closer to God. It seems like such a huge mountain ahead of us in order to get to the relationship we desire with God where we want it to be.
The next step to resolving the problem at hand is to pick ourselves back up, confess our short-comings, and move forward again, reaching to achieve the goal at hand. That is what is so perfect about our God. Like a child that falls down when we are first learning to walk on our own, He helps us back to our feet, and walks along with us, guiding us to push past that plateau or mountain we see ahead of us. One of my favorite passages to read is Psalm 103, which can relate in so many ways to each and every one of us. In verses 8-12 it says, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Do not carry that guilt upon you if you have stopped growing deeper with the Lord. My friend, God is waiting on you to call to Him again, to seek His guidance and to work diligently in growing in deeper connection with Him than you ever have before. I pray that you find that tonight. Like losing weight, it's not always easy. It takes practice and effort. We need to be more intentional about growing in relationship with the Lord than ever, especially if we are in the midst of a struggle in life. But I promise you, if you make that effort, the goal at the end will make is so worth the fight it took to get there!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Welcome!
Hello all! Well, I have finally started a blog! I am pretty excited about posting my thoughts and experiences with you all.
I started this blog because I have always wanted to write. Whether it was writing a book, or articles to publish in a paper or a magazine. I thought it would be an amazing experience. This blog will be dedicated to my journey through my relationship with Christ, as well as my walk in life in general. I hope that it will touch somebody's soul and relate to each one of you in a special way. I know that I have seen first-hand some of the many miracles God performs. I wanted to be able to share that experience and offer a hope and peace that only God can create. The first thing I wanted to share is my testimony, how I became a follower of Jesus Christ.
I was born and raised in a Catholic home. My parents always attended church every Sunday, as well as my two brothers and myself. Once I went away to college, it was my responsibility to make my faith my own. Obviously, not being very mature as an 18 year-old girl with a new-found indepedence, my faith took a back seat to school, friends and having fun. While in school, I had developed my own opinion of what God was when I saw all the pain and suffering my friends and even my family were going through. It was difficult for me to believe in a God who would let that happen. However, a different group of friends had invited me to Koinonia, a college retreat that students at my school can go to for a weekend. The following semester, I was asked to be a leader on this special retreat. I had agreed, longing to have a deeper relationship with the Lord, like the new friends I had found. My heart still wasn't prepared for the deep, mature faith of most Christians I know. In that time, I struggled with an eating disorder, bulimia. It wasn't because I felt that my body wasn't the way I wanted it to be, but because I was suffering from depression and longing for acceptance and love from my friends, amongst others. My brother, Joe, who recently found Christ ended up having many talks with me about God during that difficult time in my life. I remember listening to him bring up Scripture passages as well as singing/ playing Christian songs he had learned from the new church he started attending. He invited me to church with him one day, and from there on out, my life was changed. I felt touched by the music, sermons and the welcoming atmosphere there. I would attend occasionally because I was still in school and attending chapel at my college. Once the summer came, I attended Judson Memorial Baptist Church regularly. My sister-in-law encouraged me to date a man who little did we know, would become my husband, Justin. At first, I was reluctant to start a relationship because I wanted to make sure I was going to Judson for the right reason. However, there was something special about Justin. After three weeks of talking on the phone, we began to date. Six months later, I officially made a committment to follow Christ, got baptized and got involved in the church. On September 22, 2006, Justin asked me to be his wife at the church pond. We were married on October 13, 2007. Over a year later, I had suffered a miscarriage. Because we had wanted a baby for some time, it was especially devastating for me. In that experience, my faith was tested and shaken off of its foundation. While I was not proud of the way I handled myself or my trust in God at that time, I do feel that I have grown from the experience. I can now say that God will be glorified through that tragedy because of my choice to cling closer to Him and to share with others who may struggle with the same hurt. It was only through amazing friends and family that God had put in my path, which brought me back to knowing that God plans were to prosper me and not to harm me. My prayer is that my experience with infertility in the past 3 years will also bring hope and encouragement to those struggling to have a family of their own as well. I trust completely that God has us in the palm of His hands, and that His ways are better than my own wants or desires. I also believe that if God does not have children planned for Justin and I, that if I trust in Him alone, I may get something bigger and better.
A lot has happened since then, which continues to deepen my faith with Christ and bring me to an even stronger spiritual maturity than I could ever imagine. I am finding those "shake your faith to the foundation" moments, is when I am more capable of listening to what God is trying to tell me, mostly because I think God knows that I am a stubborn Italian girl and I need that jolt to get my full attention! :) My hope is that this blog will share my journey in faith as well as inspire others along the way in their own lives. I pray that you will be touched and come to know Jesus Christ even more deeply through these journal entries. My hope is that we will be able to walk in faith together, knowing God more intimately than we ever knew possible.
I named my blog A Woman after God's Own Heart because that is just what my hope is to be. I want to be remembered for being a woman that is constantly chasing after God. David was known as a man after God's own heart, even though he fell short in the expectations of Christian living. We all fall short. We all sin. None of us are free from that. My prayer is that I can be remembered in that same way. A woman after God's own heart. That is my sole prayer. dei coure is Italian for God's Heart, which seemed fitting for the URL title. I hope that you enjoy the posts to come my friends!
I started this blog because I have always wanted to write. Whether it was writing a book, or articles to publish in a paper or a magazine. I thought it would be an amazing experience. This blog will be dedicated to my journey through my relationship with Christ, as well as my walk in life in general. I hope that it will touch somebody's soul and relate to each one of you in a special way. I know that I have seen first-hand some of the many miracles God performs. I wanted to be able to share that experience and offer a hope and peace that only God can create. The first thing I wanted to share is my testimony, how I became a follower of Jesus Christ.
I was born and raised in a Catholic home. My parents always attended church every Sunday, as well as my two brothers and myself. Once I went away to college, it was my responsibility to make my faith my own. Obviously, not being very mature as an 18 year-old girl with a new-found indepedence, my faith took a back seat to school, friends and having fun. While in school, I had developed my own opinion of what God was when I saw all the pain and suffering my friends and even my family were going through. It was difficult for me to believe in a God who would let that happen. However, a different group of friends had invited me to Koinonia, a college retreat that students at my school can go to for a weekend. The following semester, I was asked to be a leader on this special retreat. I had agreed, longing to have a deeper relationship with the Lord, like the new friends I had found. My heart still wasn't prepared for the deep, mature faith of most Christians I know. In that time, I struggled with an eating disorder, bulimia. It wasn't because I felt that my body wasn't the way I wanted it to be, but because I was suffering from depression and longing for acceptance and love from my friends, amongst others. My brother, Joe, who recently found Christ ended up having many talks with me about God during that difficult time in my life. I remember listening to him bring up Scripture passages as well as singing/ playing Christian songs he had learned from the new church he started attending. He invited me to church with him one day, and from there on out, my life was changed. I felt touched by the music, sermons and the welcoming atmosphere there. I would attend occasionally because I was still in school and attending chapel at my college. Once the summer came, I attended Judson Memorial Baptist Church regularly. My sister-in-law encouraged me to date a man who little did we know, would become my husband, Justin. At first, I was reluctant to start a relationship because I wanted to make sure I was going to Judson for the right reason. However, there was something special about Justin. After three weeks of talking on the phone, we began to date. Six months later, I officially made a committment to follow Christ, got baptized and got involved in the church. On September 22, 2006, Justin asked me to be his wife at the church pond. We were married on October 13, 2007. Over a year later, I had suffered a miscarriage. Because we had wanted a baby for some time, it was especially devastating for me. In that experience, my faith was tested and shaken off of its foundation. While I was not proud of the way I handled myself or my trust in God at that time, I do feel that I have grown from the experience. I can now say that God will be glorified through that tragedy because of my choice to cling closer to Him and to share with others who may struggle with the same hurt. It was only through amazing friends and family that God had put in my path, which brought me back to knowing that God plans were to prosper me and not to harm me. My prayer is that my experience with infertility in the past 3 years will also bring hope and encouragement to those struggling to have a family of their own as well. I trust completely that God has us in the palm of His hands, and that His ways are better than my own wants or desires. I also believe that if God does not have children planned for Justin and I, that if I trust in Him alone, I may get something bigger and better.
A lot has happened since then, which continues to deepen my faith with Christ and bring me to an even stronger spiritual maturity than I could ever imagine. I am finding those "shake your faith to the foundation" moments, is when I am more capable of listening to what God is trying to tell me, mostly because I think God knows that I am a stubborn Italian girl and I need that jolt to get my full attention! :) My hope is that this blog will share my journey in faith as well as inspire others along the way in their own lives. I pray that you will be touched and come to know Jesus Christ even more deeply through these journal entries. My hope is that we will be able to walk in faith together, knowing God more intimately than we ever knew possible.
I named my blog A Woman after God's Own Heart because that is just what my hope is to be. I want to be remembered for being a woman that is constantly chasing after God. David was known as a man after God's own heart, even though he fell short in the expectations of Christian living. We all fall short. We all sin. None of us are free from that. My prayer is that I can be remembered in that same way. A woman after God's own heart. That is my sole prayer. dei coure is Italian for God's Heart, which seemed fitting for the URL title. I hope that you enjoy the posts to come my friends!
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