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Ephesians 5:18  “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”

Psalms 27:33  “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.”

In 1970, I made the leap into teenager-hood.  My best friend lived down the street from me.  Almost every evening we would go for a walk after school.  The only technology we had was a home phone, and we were amazed when the push button variety came out.  Cell phones were not an option then.  Every one in the family shared the home phone with only one number.  It’s hard to remember back to the days of no cell phones.

Things have changed since 1970.  Now, most everyone over the age of ten has their own cell phone.  When you enter almost any public place these days, people (young and old) are playing on their cell phones.  We use our phones to, play games, check our email, find directions, look up things on the internet, texting, occasionally calling someone to talk, etc.  We think we cannot live without these phones.  We are tied to them.  They control our lives.

What would our world look like if we had the same relationship with the Holy Spirit that we have with our cell phones?  If we were to become tied to and controlled by the Holy Spirit, I imagine that our world would be a different place.  Not only would we act differently in a lot of situations, but we would be making an impact in others’ lives as well.

Most of the time, the things we use our cell phones for are not important in the grand scheme of things.  However, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our lives is of eternal importance.  If our “steps are ordered of the Lord,” the next person in your path may well be a divine appointment from the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 16

A psalm of David.

Luke 12:3  “Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.”

 

Luke 12:12  “For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

 

Proverbs 7:16 and 18 “These six things the Lord hates, yes seven are an abomination to Him.  A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.”

 

This morning as I was reading the Life Journal Bible Reading Plan, these two verses in Luke just jumped off the page at me.   And the one verse in Proverbs just put the exclamation point on it.

There are times when I am convinced that I have the answer to situations that are going on around me.  Is that my place?  Sometimes the Holy Spirit may want me to give my thoughts or opinion, but it should be from His prompting, not mine.  It should never be from the perspective that I think I have the answers.  And, if the Holy Spirit is prompting, then the words spoken should be done in love and care not in a haughty or damaging way.

Based on these verses, and there are many more that talk about the tongue, I believe God wants our spoken words to be uplifting and encouraging.  What do you think?

Ephesians 5:18

“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”

It’s been a while since I blogged.  Starting classes in August has made my life just a little hectic.  Full-time employee, full-time student, as well as being a mom, and the activities I have a church…well, you can imagine I’m just a little busy.  LOL

But, I am still learning and growing!  Here is something that I have been pondering for a little while now.

In my theology class, we recently learned about “kenosis.”  Kenosis is a term used to mean that Christ emptied Himself of His divine attributes to come to earth.  In doing so, He became a human, but still fully God.  And because He was a human, He could have sinned, but He chose not to sin.  He could have called “ten thousand angels” to relieve Him of death on the cross, but He chose not to do so.  Christ chose to give up His divine prerogative of deity so that He would be able to be the divine sacrifice that was needed to be the sacrificial Lamb of God.

Recently, we sang a song at church that was written by our Worship Pastor, Mike Gminder, “Supernaturally.”  The song has a line that says, “Empty me of all my pride, fill me up to overflow.”  This song really made me think about myself.

Patricia is my given name.  It means royalty.  I was the baby of my family for about six years, and even after my brother was born, my daddy propagated the idea of me being the baby.  I was spoiled by my daddy.  When I married Joel, he called me Queen and spoiled me as well.  And, all who knew us called me Queen Pat because that was what Joel called me and thought about me.  I was spoiled by Joel.

I like being spoiled.  However, in Ephesians 5:18, the Bible tells us to “keep being filled with the Spirit.”  In being filled with the Spirit, what do I need to empty myself of?  In order to be filled with the Spirit, there are things that need to be emptied.

Today, I pray that God will show me what I need to empty so that I may be being filled with the Spirit.

 

 

John 15:13  

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

               The Love of God

By:  John Campbell and F.M. Lehman

“The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell.

It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell.

The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win.

His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin.

Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry,

Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!  How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure the saints’ and angels’ song.”

 

What an amazing hymn!  I just wanted to share it with you.  If you are struggling today with any kind of issue, know that the love of God is measureless.  It has no ending. He is ready, willing, and able to wrap His arms around you.  He will work out the most intricate details of your life, if you will let Him.  He loved us so much that He sent Love in the form of Jesus to earth to die on a cross for us. 

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.”

Well, I think God set me up!  LOL  As I have told you, when I went to Cleveland, Tennessee, I really didn’t know exactly why I thought I had to go, but I thought it was that I was going back to college at Lee University.  So, when things changed and I didn’t get to enroll in classes, I was disappointed.  But, I realized the position I was taking with the Foursquare Processing Center in Concord, North Carolina, was where God was leading.  So, I “got over it!”

As I was moving to North Carolina, someone (I don’t remember who) said, “you know Lee has a campus in Charlotte, right?”  Of course I did not know that.  So a couple of months ago, I started calling the number from the White Pages that I had for the Lee campus here.  After a few weeks of not getting a return call, I thought I was done.  However, last weekend, in speaking with a friend from Cleveland she told me her sister attended the Charlotte campus and my friend found out for me who to contact.  After one phone call last Wednesday, I had an appointment at the Lee University Charlotte campus.  I met with the Director, and you are reading the blog of the most recent Lee enrollee!   AND, I found out that not only does this Charlotte Campus have a psychology degree, they have a counseling intensive!  Who would’ve thought?!?!?!?

God did it–He set me up!  Through a series of moves, not getting jobs, getting temporary jobs, getting a permanent job in a different state, talking with people, and just plain God happenings, I am now doing exactly what I thought I went to Cleveland to do a year ago!

God set me up, and I am so excited!

 

Jeremiah 29:11   “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to harm you.”

Romans 8:28   “All things work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Okay, so which of these verses are true?  On one hand, God has a plan.  On the other hand, we have a free will.  What if we miss His original plan?

My passion is music.  For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a high school choral teacher.  My plans changed when I met “The One” (or at least I thought he was “The One”).  And because he was “The One,” together we made a plan.  Now, I’m not sure how it all fit with God’s plan, but at the time I was convinced it a good plan and that God was okay with it.

Here’s how it went.  I took a break from college after an A.A. degree in music to help “The One” finish his Ph.D. in economics.  On the day, the very day that he started his first position as a professor of economics, he asked me to come outside on the deck to talk.  His “talk” consisted of, “I don’t love you, I don’t want kids, and I don’t want to be married.”  In hindsight, there were many signs of demise—but I wasn’t looking in hindsight; I was looking head on!  Devastation really doesn’t describe what I was feeling at the moment.

When I began to understand he was serious and was not interested in making our marriage work, I agreed to divorce.   This was not the plan!  I truly wanted to finish school, but was torn between “running home to my family” and living on my own.  I chose the latter and was not able to go back to college, and all the while I was thinking my day would come.

Then I met Joel.  If you have read the earlier posts, you know that we were married for 22+ years.  Life just gets in the way!  Especially if you are not strategic in planning and focus!  I never did go back to college to finish my music degree.

Fast forward to now.  Going back for a music degree isn’t my first choice any more.  After all I have been through my focus is very different.  I would like to be a counselor working with marriages and young adults.   With my four-month stop in Cleveland TN, I was determined that I was going to go back and finish college.  When the job situation did not work out and I was offered a “position made in heaven,” I accepted.  And here I am in Concord NC, outside of Charlotte!

But wait!  Where does college fit in?  What about God’s plan for my life?  He does have a perfect plan, but if you haven’t already figured it out, I’m not a perfect person and sometimes I miss the mark.  I am coming to realize God’s plan is a fluid organism.  As I make decisions, right or wrong, the plan is molded and shaped as God’s plan (will) for my life.  And that’s the perfect plan!  So, both scriptures are true!

Recently, I have learned that  Lee University has a Charlotte campus with a CAPS program – Center for Adult and Professional Studies.  WOW!  In order to give me some accountability, I am admitting that I have called them and am checking into taking classes!  Woot Woot!

One of the things I usually tell young people who are talking to me about whether to pursue a college degree while life goes on is, “You will be 55 with or without your degree.”  So, take it from one who is 55 without a degree, go for it!  Don’t let anything stand in your way!

Mark 16:15  “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Recently I took a vacation where I did a lot of driving.  And when I say a lot of driving, I mean about 2000 miles.  And, I drove it all by myself!  You might think that I am crazy, but I really do enjoy the time in the car.  I can pray, think, and listen.  My world is so busy, and I have a hard time making myself sit down and just listen.

It was on the first eight-hour journey that God spoke to me.  In just a very few seconds, He opened up this revelation.  He revealed to me:  1)  that what I was doing on this trip was okay and that I didn’t need to change, 2)  that He had a specific purpose for this season of my life, and 3)  that He wanted me to share my faith in Him to the people with whom I would come into contact. In that moment, I knew that I was getting ready to have opportunities to share God’s love and what God has done for me.

A couple days later, I was at an Outback restaurant in Orlando and our waiter, Tim came over to the table with our check.  I felt compelled to ask him about his goals in life, whether waiting tables was what he wanted to do or if there was something else.  He shared that he wanted to finish college, but he had gotten off track with some life issues and was trying to get back to classes.  I was able to encourage him to not let things keep him from his dreams and was even able to share a little bit about the Lord.  He told me that he needed to hear what I had said to him.

On this past Tuesday, another person came across my path.  I was walking into Zaxby’s and a lady, whom we will call Nita, came out of the door of the restaurant.  We greeted each other and then she asked me if I knew any restaurant that was hiring.  I told her I did not but gave her a couple of suggestions.  We parted company and as I was headed into Zaxby’s I heard a still, small voice say, “Missed opportunity.”  So I went back out the door and caught up with the lady.  I told her I felt like I should pray with her.  She started crying and told me that earlier that morning she had told God that today was the day for her to get a job.  As I prayed I felt God’s presence and I prayed a very bold prayer, asking God to give her a job by the end of the day.  After we were done, I invited her to our church and let her know that New Hope was a place where she would be welcomed.

I don’t know what Tim will do with that information.  I don’t know if the Nita will come to church or  if she got a job.  What I do know is that God will place people in my path and He will ask me to share with them.  That’s my job.  His job is to perform the miracles.  And, when I do my part, I feel so blessed and happy!  I pray that I will not miss any opportunity to share about His love and grace!

Proverbs 3:4-5  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path!

It is never easy to trust God when you can’t see the road ahead or when you don’t know why you are going that way.

Even before Joel passed away, I was feeling antsy about what I was going to do with my life once Nate would leave for college.  Many ideas would go through my head every day, but nothing seemed to make sense.  There were (and still are) so many things I liked to do, yet no one thing stood out as the right thing.

About 6 months after Joel passed away, I began to experience a deep desire to  intensify my ministry calling.  Although I was in an administrative position at a church (Life Assembly, Mt. Juliet, TN), I felt like there was more I was supposed to be doing.  Through a series of events, I starting feeling the “urge” to move to Cleveland, Tennessee.  By June 2011, I knew I had to go.  I didn’t know why, I just knew God told me to go to Cleveland.  So, I turned in my notice at Life and moved!

During that summer, God worked out so many things to make it possible for me to move.  My condo was rented by some of the greatest folks I know and I was able to rent an apartment in Cleveland that was perfect for me and Nate.  In September I was able to get a temporary position so that I would be able to pay the bills.

In November I received a call from Foursquare asking me if I wanted to apply for a position in Concord, North Carolina.  After praying, I knew that this was the move I needed to make, and I knew that it was the ministry call that I was waiting for.  What I didn’t understand was why I needed to make the trek by way of Cleveland.  God could have easily sent me to Concord directly from Nashville.

At Thanksgiving, Nate and I were talking and preparing for the move, and we discussed the “why.”  He said he knew why I have moved to Cleveland first.  It had been a really rough semester for both of us and we were together to support each other.  So it was exactly where I needed to be at the time!

Trusting is never easy if you can’t see the road ahead.  But God knows the road and when we trust Him, He takes care of all the details, big and small!