In honor of Joe...

As I write this today, tears streaming down my face and all, my heart is broken for the loss of one of our good friends Joe Crump and I felt the need to dedicate today's blog to him and his family.

I'll never forget the first time I met Joe. I had went to the old Better Bodies to workout early in the morning, and as I was working out minding my own business, cracking up inside as these two guys (Joe & his best friend Gary) struggled to do 8-minute Abs, Joe began to give me a hard time (knowing that I was Greg's fiance' at that time, with me having no clue who he was) and I remember wondering who in the world is this guy, only to soon realize that he would be one of the greatest workout buddies on the planet! Each morning as I would workout, there Joe & Gary would be to wake me, cheer me, encourage me and most of all crack me up! Laughter was always in the air when Joe (and Gary)was around.

A few years after meeting, we faced the loss of Joe's best friend Gary, to cancer. Which was very hard, they lived life together like none other. After the passing of Gary, it felt as if a piece Joe went with him. Until one day, it was as if God breathed life right back into him as they received a great surprise! As you can see in the picture Joe wasn't just a motorcycle lover, he was a father. This picture was taken as he and his wife Shelly awaited the arrival of their daughter Allison, who was quite a surprise, to say the least, as Joe was in his upper 40's when Shelly was expecting. But what an amazing gift God gave to them through this child. When Alli was 2 they found out that she too had cancer. And after tons of prayer, surgery and a lot of chemo, Alli is cancer free. Praise God!! The reason I share this part of their life, is when Joe wrecked, he was actually riding in a poker run for Relay for Life in honor of Alli and his best friend Gary to help raise money so a cure may one day be found for cancer. Doing what he loved to do, for those he loved SO much!

So today, I ask for your prayers for Shelly, Alli and their entire family. Their loss is great, but their memories are amazing and huge! I know Greg & I are incredibly thankful for those memories as we will cherish them for the rest of our lives. And it is a great reminder to us to never take life for granted, cherish the friendships we have and truly live real, authentic lives together with the ones we love.

Father God, today I lift up the Crump family to you, I pray that Your spirit would blow their lives today and always. I pray a hedge of protection, strength and peace around their hearts and lives all their days. I pray that they will feel Your loving arms around them in everything they do. I thank you for the opportunity to have had such an awesome friend, and for the laughter he brought into our lives. Use us Lord to shine Your light and love to them in this trying time, may we be a reflection of Your love and grace today and always...

A Soul Poured Out...

Wow! I know I shared one of these devotions the other day, but this one was one of those "Are you talkin' to me" moments. I can reflect so much in the past & present where I have totally went to one of my friends in total need before seeking the Best Friend I have in life. I can honestly remember a time in my life when facing some huge struggles when I would reach for the phone and the person I was trying to call's phone would be busy! Was that a coincidence? I don't think so, it was a huge eye-opening opportunity to call the One who's line is never busy and has total control over my life.
Don't get me wrong, friendships are a gift from God and He has placed and continues to place some amazing friends in my life who speak truth into my life, encourage me, challenge me, pray for me and just all around help me to be a better Christ follower, wife, mom and friend, but we have to remember that there is a time and place for that friendship. We need to consider if we are putting more focus on the strength we gain from them than the strength we gain from God. And we need to be aware of the times we pick up the phone for encouragement (which is awesome, just in proper priority level)instead of calling on the One who you don't even have to dial a number. How much easier is that, simply calling on the name of Jesus first will cut down on the steps you have to take for sustaining encouragement and direction.
I love, love, love my friends, but I sometimes find myself in this same scenario of life, maybe it is just because they are SO stinkin' awesome, and God has gifted them with SO many gifts that they impress upon in my life, but I have to humble myself and remember who placed them into my life and then remember first and foremost Who gave His life for me and is there 24/7, no busy lines, just pure, open, life saving, sustaining truths that flow from Him without any apology needed.

Read on...
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Today's Truth

"I am a woman who is deeply troubled...I was pouring out my soul to the LORD."

(1 Samuel 1:15, NIV).

Friend to Friend

The Old Testament book of Samuel introduces us to Hannah: a godly woman who had some serious problems. Her problems weren't brief and they weren't simple. They were year after year problems. Challenges that made her feel empty and frustrated. Have you got a few of those in your life? Sure you do. We all do. Each of us goes through trials and face pain.

Hannah experienced infertility and she had a disturbing rival-wife problem that was miserably complicated. Yes, cringe with me, I said rival-wife. She was one of two wives to her husband...a cultural norm at the time...but terribly difficult no matter how you slice it. (Read 1 Samuel 1-2 for the full story of Hannah.) Refreshingly, enough, in her pain Hannah didn't pretend to be okay. She openly admitted, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled" (1 Samuel 1:15 ).

There are many lessons we can learn from Hannah, but today I'd like us to look at her response to the problems that burdened her heart. Hanna took her problems to God. She cried out to the Lord. "In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD." (1 Samuel 1:10). She took her burdens directly to God.

Now, I don't know about you, but all too many times, I go to the phone before I go to the throne! Who do you cry to when you are deeply troubled? Do you pour out your soul to the LORD, or just pepper Him with vague prayer requests? Hannah didn't just briefly bend a knee here, she poured out her soul! She poured out her sorrow, her disappointments, her frustrations, her depression, her confusion, her anger, her embarrassments, her anguish and her grief.

She poured out her emptiness! And guess what happened? God filled her with the fullness of His peace! Before spending time with the Lord, Hannah lost her appetite and sank into despair. After she poured out her soul to God, the Bible shows us that her appetite returned and her countenance had changed. "Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast" (1 Samuel 1:18 , emphasis mine). Hannah was "no longer downcast" because she experienced the One and Only life-changing God in the chamber of His presence.

God is faithful. He longs to fill our souls with peace regardless of the circumstances we face. Hannah was changed in the presence of the almighty LORD! However, realize this: Hannah didn't just do a "drive thru" prayer time with God. She parked there for a while and did some serious business with Him.

Have you done any serious business with God lately?

Got any problems?

Are you dealing with any difficult people?

Are you faced with any seemingly impossible situations?

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens" (Psalm 68:19). When you get serious with God...when you get real honest and pour out your soul to Him, He will faithfully replace your empty with the fullness of His peace, whether he removes your burdens or allows them to remain.

Don't doubt it for a minute, friend.

Jesus himself said, "All things are possible with God" (Mark 10:27 ). Let's each take courage and approach God with confidence today, knowing that He loves us and is able to do exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we can ask for or imagine. Spend some time pouring out your soul to Him right now.

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How sweet is that, knowing when we get serious with God, totally honest and pour out our souls to Him, He faithfully replaces that emptiness with the fullness of His peace regardless of the outcome.

I ask that you pray this with me and for me as I pray this with and for you...

Heavenly Father, I come to You today and humbly ask Your forgiveness for all of the times that I've taken my burdens to others instead of bringing them to You. Help me to turn to You first when problems come my way. Please blanket my heart with your peace and give me strength for today. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Managing fear...

I received this devotion today from Christianity.com and wanted to share it. Life can seem so overwhelming sometimes and with the pace of this world we truly aren't allowed to slow down and relax, which introduces exhaustion that leads to not being able to focus on the promises of that God has given us. In my life I have dealt with a lot of fear, but thankfully God has saved me from that...not that I'm immuned to it, because trust me, at times I allow it to creep back in, but that is the moment I have to call on the name of Jesus and make the choice to choose Christ instead of the fear or anxiety. I've been able to share time with people who have expressed fear related to anything ranging from the recent rash of earthquakes to who may enter into the presidency of the United States, so if you face fear, this ones for you, I've been there and know the feeling (and still sometimes do)and trust that I will be praying for you. If there is anything more specific to pray for, please feel free to email me. Have an awesome day and may the peace of God reign in your life today and always!

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Today's Truth

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" 2 Timothy 1:7 (N KJV ).

Friend to Friend

We do a lot of laundry at the Southerland house. There always seems to be a load in the washer that needs to go in the dryer, a load in the dryer that needs to be folded and a load of dirty laundry waiting to begin the process all over again. Our washer and dryer have numerous settings for everything from hand washables and fine delicates to cotton and permanent press. After a few loads that yielded pink male underwear and sweaters shrunk to fit Barbie dolls, we decided to wash everything on one setting. Heaven help the man, woman or child who dares to change that setting.

When a life crisis comes, we generally have an automatic setting of fear and anxiety. The good news is that we can change that setting to peace and joy! How? By counting on God.

Count on God to be with you. We battle stress every day, but God is faithful and we can count on Him to be with us every step of the way. Worry is trying to fix tomorrow's problems with today's resources. God gives grace in daily doses.

Isaiah 43:2 When you go through deep waters and great trouble, 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 (NLT).

Count on God for direction. Life can easily spin out of control in a whirlwind of confusion. God offers direction and guidance through His word, through His people and through the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 32:8 I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you (NLT).

Count on God for provision. God goes before us in every area of life. Nothing that happens to us will ever surprise God. We must be careful to stay away from scenario sickness of "What if". There are no "what ifs" when we choose to trust God for every need.

Isaiah 65:24 I will provide their needs before they ask. I will help them while they are still asking for help (NLT).

Count on God for protection. God will fight for us when we are attacked. When we follow God's agenda, God fights for us. When we follow our agenda, we are on our own.

Exodus 14:13 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still" (NIV).

I recently saw a bumper sticker that read, "If God is your Co-Pilot, switch seats!" Many of us have good reason to be afraid because we are in control. Fear feeds stress. Stress thrives in an atmosphere of fear and doubt when our hand is on the steering wheel of life. We need to move over, surrender control to God and find the peace waiting in His hand.

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Here's a prayer I will be praying with you and for you....

Father, my heart is filled with fear. It seems like I am drowning in the uncertainties of my life. Lord, help me to surrender my fears to you. Strengthen me to face each one and walk through it, knowing that you are with me. I choose to trust you and doubt my fears. I choose against stress and for peace. I choose you, Lord. Amen.

A Boatload of Faith

I will establish my covenant with you...and your wife. ~ Genesis 6:18 NIV

A few weeks ago I started a new daily devotional from a book called "Walking with the Women of the Bible - A Devotional Journey Through God's Word" by Elizabeth George, so I could really get to know the women of the Bible as to gain knowledge of their walk with God. How can their walk affect my walk? That's exactly what I'm looking for. Today's devotion really touched me and I wanted to share it. I found that regardless of whether your a woman OR a man we can gain some valuable insight from this. So here it goes...
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We don't know her names so let's call her "Mrs. Noah." She spent her days loving her husband, Noah, raising their three sons, and caring for their home. Daily life was simple...until "the call" came from the Lord.
Grieved over the wickedness of mankind, God decided to destroy humans, the animals of the fields, and the birds of the air. But Noah trusted and walked with God, so God chose to save him and his family. God told him to make an ark.
As Noah moved forward in obedience, Mrs. Noah may have mused, What can I do? How can I help him fulfill God's plan?

Pray. She could pray for mankind as God's judgment loomed, for her husband as he served the Lord, and for her family to also follow God.

Encourage. Husbands thrive on their wives' cheerful, hope-filled words of support. She could encourage Noah in his work.

Believe. She may have wondered about the ark and the flood possibility, but she could choose to believe.

Help. She could help with the animals and gather the food they'd need for their mysterious voyage of faith.

Follow. She could - by faith - follow her husband's leading day by day for 120 years, for 43,800 days...right into the ark of salvation that transported her family into an unknown future.

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How cool is that? We as women aren't called to just sit back and let our husbands do all that they've been called to do. God created us to become spiritually healthy and physically healthy so we could not only support our husbands and families, but to also live out the dreams He has for our lives. Male or female we are created to first of all love & serve God and to support eachother's visions that are God given. So if your reading this, it's not just for women, it's for anyone who loves God and desires to live a God-loving, honoring life. Mrs. Noah can teach us a lot, her faithful devotion to God and her husband are a tremendous asset to God's kingdom, along with the desire and hunger she has to help fulfill God's plan is a beautiful combination...humble, submissive, yet faithful and strong in who God created her to be.

Lord, I want to have faith that prays persistently, chooses righteousness, encourages fellow believers, helps Your kingdom, and follow You faithfully. Help me find strength for today and hope for tomorrow as I sail into the future You have for me...