Revamping my blog!

Recently I had the pleasure of going to our church's ladies conference where I learned I need to give God my Rags. I was prompted to rename my blog and revamp my self-image as well.

I wanted to share a post from my friend, Amy, who also attended the conference. Enjoy!

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2010 Ladies' Retreat: From Rags To........

by Amy

Isaiah 64:6 - "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away".

The theme of this year's Ladies' Retreat was "From Rags to......" and six women spoke of how God has been working in their lives to take their filthy rags and give them clean, beautiful, new fabric.  To give God those rags so that He may provide His renewal in their lives; for His redemption in their lives; for His riches and for His reliability in their lives.

What about the rags I need to give to God?  What about my rags of rejection; my rags of unsuitability; my rags of regrets;  my rags of victimization; my rags of fear; my rags of pain & loss; my rags of shame & failure; and my rags of seeking & putting others before God in my life?


I'm learning day by day to give God my rags and ask Him to give me HIS REALITY.

The reality that:


I'm Accepted
     "You didn't choose me. I chose you.  I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name."  (John 15:16)

     "But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God."  (John 1:12)


I'm An Over-Comer
     "For whoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--- our faith."  (1 John 5:4)

     "Think about what I am saying.  The Lord will help you understand all these things."
(2 Timothy 2:7)


I'm Secure & Loved
     "Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love?  Does it mean He no longer love us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or in danger, or threatened with death?  No!  In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anyting else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35, 37-38)


I'm Not Afraid
     "For He has rescued us from the kindgom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son." (Colossians 1:13)

     "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7)


I'm Not A Failure
     "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death."  (Romans 8:1-2)

     "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)


I Will Choose To Put God First
     "But seek first the Kingdom of God and all things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33)




And so, thank you to the ladies who had the courage to share their stories, their struggles and their Sovereign Lord with us.

And thank you Lord that daily, I am going From Rags To.... a new Reality in You!  

Fighting the emotional mire

Lately negative emotions have been an issue with me. I can't really point to one thing in particular, maybe not even two things, or even three or four. It's just been a compilation of just so many things that have been piling up inside me and, being the extreme introverted soul that I am, it tends to come out in both physical and emotional ways. It sort of came to a head yesterday when, before church, a close friend of my husband and I who has been dealing with his own battle of recurrent cancer sat down next to me to chat and even though not much was said, I had this feeling he knew exactly what I was feeling. Then the worship leader stood up and spoke and it just touched me in such a deep way followed by an awesome sermon by an associate pastor. I knew that I needed to enlist help to fight this and get through it. I knew I needed God to help me work through this and friends prayers to support me. I had another issue to work out before I could proceed but I got through that and beginning to sort through my feelings and insecurities. Unfortunately cancer robs you of feeling of security and makes you face the reality of how severely lacking of control over your own life. That has been presenting itself in increased panic attacks. I know in my head that God is in control but lately the total lack of control has totally rocked my world....and this is another issue I need to work out with Him.

From The Message:

Ecclesiastes 8:8

No one can control the wind or lock it in a box. No one has any say-so regarding the day of death. No one can stop a battle in its tracks. No one who does evil can be saved by evil.

Matthew 10:28"... There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.

Proverbs 20:27

God is in charge of human life, watching and examining us inside and out.

Psalm 18:20

God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start. Now I'm alert to God's ways; I don't take God for granted. Every day I review the ways he works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I'm watching my step. God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.