A Surreal Day

Sunday was my last day dancing with W.O.W. It was a surreal day for me. When god brought me to new vision over 3 half years ago I had no idea the journey he would take me on. I have matured more as a christian and learned to worship in total freedom and take it deeper than I would have ever before. As I was up there dancing with the ladies for the last time I couldn't help but think how much we have been thru and what he has brought us all out of. Gods plans are not always what we think they should be. Its never easy to move on, but god knows best and has greater things in store for all of us. Each of those ladies love god with all their heart and worship him with all they have. I have had the privilege of learning so much from each of them and will carry that with me as I move in a new direction. I love you ladies and I know that despite the storms ahead and the changes that will come god has great things in store for you. Just hold onto what he has promised you and he will see you thru it all. Remember to keep dancing for him and dont let your worship grow cold or become stagnant. He has had you dancing thru all the trials you have faced and used you to show others that despite the circumstance you were able to keep praising him thru it and never losing your faith in him. LOVE YOU LADIES!!!!!

New Direction

This past monday nite was a lil different than the normal dance practice for me. I have been praying for quite some time now about what it is god wants me to do. I started feeling like he was wanting me to move in a different direction, but had no idea what it was. God wasnt ready for me to know until it was time. I announced to W.O.W. this past monday nite that as of December 27th I was stepping down. I know everyone was a lil shocked by it. It has nothing to do with anything other than god is moving me in a different direction and I am just being obedient to what it is he is requiring of me. I have been presented and opportunity to help a ministry grow and when the time is right and god lets me know when I will be helping that ministry in anyway that I can. God placed me in W.O.W. to help me mature more as a christian and to learn to worhsip in total freedom. I look at worship in a whole new way than I ever have before and I have all the ladies past and present members of w.o.w to thank for that. I have learned so much from each of you ladies and will always carry that with me. Its never easy when change comes about, but god has a plan and purpose for each of us. He lets us cross paths along the way to help each other out thru our journeys. Im thankful for all the amazing ppl god has allowed to cross my path and the things I have learned from them. I dont know what the future holds for me yet and I am just a willing vessel to go where god sends me and needs me to be. I have never been much for being in the forefront of things I am one of those people that is more comfortable behind the scenes that helps to do whatever it is that needs to be done. God has broken me down and is making me into his image to use me how he sees fit. So if you dont see me in front doing flags on sundays anymore you know why now. Its not a sad things its a good thing.

We Are Their Covering

I was sitting at the kitchen table having a conversation with my mother after everyone left last nite about different things. One particular thing was my dad's side of the family. They live their lives very different than we do. I haven't seen most of them in several years and the ones I have seen I only see when there is a funeral. Its very dysfunctional the way they live their lives and they all need god. They claim to be going to church and try to talk the talk but they don't walk the walk. They all seem to have trouble letting go of the things of this world and have a distorted view of things. Many of them have been locked up numerous times and a few still are. They have all done drugs and alcohol of varying kinds and degrees. To them we are the black sheep of the family because we live our lives differently than they do. My parents even before they became saved made a decision to keep all of that stuff away from us. We never really saw my cousins and aunts and uncles growing up much. There are things about my family that I have learned this year that I never knew before and it stunned me. I was telling my mom how different mine and my sisters life might have turned out if they allowed us to be around all of that stuff. God knew what his plans were for my sis and I and he had us going a different path. Now both of us are involved in ministry of different kinds, she is a children's pastor at her church and I am in the dance ministry. Its sad that they all know the truth and know that they need Jesus, but they chose not to turn their lives over to him. They have let the things of this world get such a hold on them that they feel like they cant turn back now. My dads family needs all your prayers and I am believing that they will come to know him. I thank god that I was blessed with such loving parents and that even before they knew him they chose to do what was right for us. I think back to my life and having my children. I had to make such a choice to keep them away from their father and the things that he was doing. It wasn't an easy choice but I knew it was the right one. We are the covering for our children til they are old enough to make the choice for themselves as to whether they will follow him or not. I am thankful that my parents were my covering. That is a heavy responsibility that we all have as parents. I haven't always made the best choices in my life, but when it comes to my children I try to do what I know god would have me do. They are only given to us temporarily to help raise them to be men and women of god. Then he will take over and show them his will for their lives. I don't take the responsibility lightly and love my children with all my heart and want to see them grow up to be women of god. They are both involved in ministry themselves now and they love god with all their heart.

Let Him Be Your Exit Sign

Last week one of my co workers needed to use the restroom but I was in there and he could not wait til I was finished so he went next door to another warehouse to use theirs. It was 5 clock already and they usually go home then. They told him yes you can use the restroom so he went in there unaware that while he was in there they turned out all the lights and locked the doors and left. They had forgotten that he had went in the restroom. When he came out all the doors were locked and he couldn't get out. The dock doors had pad locks on them and he couldn't get out the front door cuz of the way it was locked. He was alone in the dark and everywhere he looked there was no way out. He was like how am I going to get out of here. It took him a few minutes to gather himself so that he wouldn't panic. Then he looked and saw a lighted exit sign over a door to the side. That door was able to be unlocked and he got out. The reason I am telling you this story is not to make anyone laugh it is because in that moment god was able to show me something. Many of us either were like him or still are at one time. We chose to do something without thinking of the consequences of it. Then when we find ourselves in the dark wandering around and no way out of a situation and we wonder how we are going to get out of it. We try to do things ourselves our way giving no thought to what it is god wants us to do. Then when we try to get out of a situation its as if the doors are all locked on us. We panic and get upset and become frantic in our thoughts and behavior trying to figure it all out. When what we should have done is follow what it is god wanted for us to do in the first place. In all that you do god should be first. He is the one you need to go to when you need answers, healing, a breakthrough. Not everyone else or trying to do it on your own. Let him be the one to guide you through. If you do find yourself in a situation where you didn't listen to him then ask him to be your exit sign and show you the way. Sometimes is wont be as easy as unlocking a door and walking through. You may have to deal with the consequences of your choices but he will be there with you every step of the way.

He Restored It Brighter Than Ever!!!!!!!!

Sitting here at my desk listening to one of the song we will be doing for christmas. This sing has gotten down into my spirit and I cry everytime I hear it. Its one of those songs that when you hear it and let it get down in your spirit you begin to feel how much god really loved us to give us his son. He has put this fire back in me that I had let go dim for a while. Sometimes you let your circumstances get in the way of letting that fire burn as bright as it should. I want to let it burn bright and not let anything or anyone put it out or dim it. I am humbled and priveleged to be chosen to do this for him. Its not about your talent its about your heart for him. If you give all you have to him he will use you in ways you would have never believed he would do.

Barely Hanging On

Have you ever found yourself barely hanging on like this grasshopper on the glass door. Feeling yourself slipping down the glass but your trying desperately to hold on and the wind is blowing and the elements around you are getting worse. You feel as if your going to fall and no one is there to catch you. No matter what it is that you go through in life there is a purpose for it. The purpose isn't always clear to us while we are going through it because all we see is our circumstance. We have all heard many times said that god doesn't put any more on us than we can handle. Sometimes it feels like we cannot handle another feather to land on us or we will fall under the pressure of it all. God is always there with us through it all and he knows whats waiting on the other side of the storm your in. This is my favorite verses in the bible and I remind myself of them each and every day. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4. So when you find yourself barely hanging on like the grasshopper just remember that god is always there with you no matter what storm your weathering.

Its What I Needed To Hear

You know today at church was awesome and I loved every moment of it. It wasnt until church was over with that I truly got what god meant for me today. I was standing with two friends who were talking about something that I cannot really relate to cuz I have never been through it. Something was said in that conversation that god pulled at my heart and said thats what I have been trying to tell you all along. I have so much love and respect for these two ladies and I want them to know that because of what you went through even if it was for nothing else it was for god to tell me what he needed me to hear in that moment. I did not experience the things you did and cannot relate but what was said in that moment was what I needed to hear. I love you and you will never know how much that meant to me today. I definitely push things down deep like Im using my last trash bag.

Pics From The Worship Explosion

Here are a few pics from the worship explosion. I cant put all of them on here but if you want to see all of them you can go to my facebook page and see them all. I hope you enjoy them.

Im Your Vessel

This has been such an awesome week. We went to minister Sunday nite at a worship explosion downtown at a small church. It was different ministries coming together for one purpose and that was to worship him in our own way. It didnt matter what u looked like, what church you were from, and didnt matter how well you did or did not dance or mime. It was all about collectively coming together to worship him in unity. The atmosphere was filled with such a sweet presence and you could feel it when you walked in. I love going out to minister at other places and to see god move in ways I never would have imagined. I am not an especially talented dancer or flagger but I give him all I have each and everytime I am dancing for him. You never know whose life it will touch and not only that it ministers to me as well. Sometimes I am dancing my way through a situation that I am dealing with and he just lets all that fall of me as I dance for him. We also finished up a workshop that Tammy was doing in Lexington, KY last nite and it was awesome. We did warfare and prophetic dance. All I can say is some things were broke last nite in the atmosphere and you could see it on everyones faces. I am truly blessed to be apart of such a ministry and I never want to grow comfortable or stale in what I do. Its all about being broke down and thrown in the fire so that he can mold me into the image he wants me to be and to be that vessel for him to use and to go wherever he says go.

Coming Together For One Purpose

This morning we had to practice at the church that we are going to go minister at tomorrow nite. It was a small church and they don't have much, but the atmosphere when you walk in is so sweet and you can feel his presence in there. I just love the people there and they are all about praising god and giving it all to him. Its going to be great to get together with many different groups tomorrow nite and each of us worship in our own way. Collectively worshiping together til we are one coming together for one purpose and that is to praise him with all we have. We were created to worship and we should do no less than give him are all. I am excited about tomorrow nite and I know god will do touch all of us in unexpected ways.

Does The Pain Ever Go Away?

It is never easy when u lose someone who is very close to u. There is really no words that can be spoken that will ease the pain that u feel when someone u love is gone. Does the pain ever go away? I'm not sure that it ever goes away, but we learn that god is the only answer for the pain. That doesn't mean that we still wont have moments that we want to cry about it or to grieve in some way. Everyone has their own way of grieving and there is no set time we have to have our grieving done by. God is the only one who can fill that void that is left when u lose someone. The unconditional love he has for us wraps around us like a warm blanket and holds us tight to him in his arms. I have a few friends who have lost spouses and it is hard for me to imagine how that feels, but I do know that god is the only one who can fill that void inside. He will help you through the darkness and shine his light bright so that you can find your way to him. All you have to do is say god come and fill this void in my life and show me the way.

This Touched Me So Much

Tammy is doing a workshop in Lexington over a few Tuesdays nites this month and a few of us are going with her. We did a women's retreat at this church earlier in the year and it touched me so much. I blogged about it earlier if u want to read it just look back and find "Childlike Excitement". Last nite was great and the ladies there are eager to learn and excited. I want to post the dance we taught them earlier this year that we also did with them at their church. It blesses me to watch it. I hope u enjoy it.

Moments To Be Cherished

I don't have anything to really say today except I'm glad god has placed some really great people in my life. I know anytime I need them all I have to do is call them and they are there for me. They know the same goes for me too. They are moments to be cherished with each of them as they come into my life however long god allows that to be.

My Co-Workers

As most of you know I have been working at my job since April and god has blessed me with it. Things have been very difficult there lately. Not the job itself but the attitude and moral that my co-workers have. I am not going to go into details about what the things are because that will only contribute to the problem. They are so focused on complaining and speaking things out about other people that it has made the atmosphere very heavy and not pleasant to work in. I try to keep my headphones on and not listen to the negativity being spoken. It gets hard sometimes. Its very easy to get caught up in it if you are not careful and don't guard yourself. All I can say is please keep my co-workers and I in prayer because it will take god to turn it around. It reminds me of the song we sing "....late in the midnite hour gods gonna turn it around...hes going to work in your favor...gods gonna turn it around and around." Oh sorry got carried away singing it....lol. I love the guys I work with and they are great people just need to have their minds renewed and definitely need god in their lives.

No Matter If I See ....I Believe It!

Church was amazing today. We did our new dance at the beginning of service. Pastor was praying for ppl to be healed today. Those of u that know me know that i have had joint pain for the past three years. Its a constant battle that doesn't go away and at times it hinders me from doing what god has called me to do. Not anymore I believe that today god has healed me so that I can continue to do what he has asked of me. We cannot walk around defeated with our heads hung. We lift our heads high and look to god and say thank you father for my healing, restoration, breakthrough, whatever it is that you are believing him for. You don't need someone to pray for you all you have to do is believe that he has done it for you and walk in the faith he has given you. So what if you don't see the results now that doesn't mean that you didn't receive it...sometimes we have to say ok god I'm willing to walk this thing out "no matter if I see it I believe it".

Come And See What God Has Done And Is About To Do

This morning I had my first look into our new building that we are moving to. It still isn't totally finished but what has been done is nothing short of amazing. I was almost in tears as I walked in this morning because I can remember my first day at New Vision almost 3 1/2 yrs ago. I knew that was the place that god had brought me to, but I had no idea of the journey god had me purposed for. In practice this morning it was all business but I wanted to cry looking around at everyone and seeing how far we have come as a church and as a dance ministry. It is a privilege to be apart of the ministry and I do not take it for granted. I know tomorrow morning as we are up there doing flags as part of the worship service I am sure that I will have trouble holding back the tears of joy that I will be feeling just to see what god has done. The amount of lives that have already been touched is overwhelming and as I am writing this it makes me cry because I am one of the lives touched.

So anyone that lives in Louisville or surrounding area please join us at The Vision tomorrow morning for our opening day service and come celebrate with us. Don't celebrate because we have a new building but celebrate what god has done and is about to do in this city.

Thoughts I Had When At Work

"Lord help me not to let idle words fall from these lips. help me to speak love and life into ppls lives. give me the wisdom to know when to be silent and when to speak. anger, frustration, sarcasm, unforgiveness, sickness, and death are not the things I want to speak. your love, mercy, grace, goodness, forgiveness, healing, and life are what my mouth will speak." Sept 2, 2009



Its a new day and I have a renewed mind. I will walk, eat, drink, sleep, and breath in him in all I do. never forgetting that my light could be the only light someone may see. the love he showed me may be the only love someone who is hurting and lost may ever see. I want to always walk with my light shining in the midst of the darkness so that others may know him as I do." Sept 1, 2009

What Are You Going To Do?

Sometimes we can be so busy and wrapped in our own lives and the problems that we have and we don't see the hurting people around us. I know myself as a single mom that I have days that are stressful and not sure how I am going to get through that day. I find myself not paying attention to things around me because I get selfish and caught up in my own lil world that I don't see the hurt around me. My daughter said something in the car today that made me think to what pastor has been talking about. She saw a man holding a sign at the side of the road and he was in not so nice looking clothes and trying to get someone to help him. This is how the conversation went between my two daughters: Olivia: Natalie if that guy is homeless how was he able to make that sign? Natalie: I don't know maybe he borrowed a pen from someone and dug the cardboard out of the trash. Olivia: No Natalie how did he get the pen to write that on there. Natalie: He probably borrowed it from someone. Olivia: Ewww I wouldn't give him a pen hes homeless. Natalie: Why its just a pen why wouldn't you give it to him? Olivia: Because hes homeless and a bad person. Natalie: Just because hes homeless doesn't make him a bad person it just means he doesn't have a place to live. Olivia: Oh ok.

I was appalled at my own child's reaction but in society today people who are homeless, drug addicts, alcoholics, murderers,etc..are looked upon as dirty filthy and we are not to have anything to do with them. Is that how we are going to react when our church aisles are filled with prostitutes who may still dress like a prostitute. What are you going to do when one sits by you and your husband. Are you going to give them the cold and unloving hello and make a face at them or are you going to show the love of Jesus to them and greet them like you would one of your own family members? What if a homeless person comes and sits next to you and they smell like they have layed in garbage for days. Are you going to get up and move or are you going to extend the love that was extended to you when you walked in the church doors? What are you going to do when someone who is drugged up and liquored up sits next to you and they cant even keep themselves sat up straight in a chair and they happen to lean over on you a little bit? Are you going to help them sit up and extend the love acceptance and forgiveness our church is about or are you going to get up and move and sit somewhere else. What is it your going to do when no matter where you turn you see people of those kinds sitting everywhere in our church? You were once lost just as they are and needed the love of Jesus. Get ready church because a day is coming when our church is going to be filled with people such as that and we have to be ready to love and accept them as they are and show them that Jesus can forgive them and wants to make them a new person and that he loves them and wants to wrap his arms around them. GET READY its coming and what are you going to do?

I Cant Hardly Wait!!!!!!

I am very excited about going to Tennessee with a few of the ladies from W.O.W. It will be a great time for us to get away and just have fun and not have to worry about ministering somewhere. This will be our first trip like this together and I cant hardly wait. For some reason no one seems to want to sleep in same bed as me...lol. Its an inside thing with the ladies haha. No matter what we decide to do when we are there it will be nice to spend some time to get closer to one another and just have fun. I'm sure you all will be seeing lots of pics on facebook or myspace from our trip. Just say a prayer for us to have a safe and fun trip and we will miss our church family while we are away.

Three Years Ago....Now Look What God Has Done.

Three years ago when Tammy started W.O.W. god had given her a vision of what she was to do. I have seen this group grow from 7 ladies to what we are today. Not only do we have Wings of Worship but also Called To Silence and Driven To Destiny which is going to be the newest addition to W.O.W. There are only a few of us that are from the original core group. Others have moved on to other things god has for them. We have had some new people join and to see the excitement on their faces and soaking everything up like a sponge is refreshing. God has assembled us from all walks of life and abilities. We are not like any other dance ministry out there. God takes what we have and uses to his glory and purpose.

Who knew three years ago what this ministry would do or who it would touch. We have only scratched the surface of what god has in store for us. I am constantly reminded of how blessed I am to be apart of what god is doing and in awe of how he uses someone like me who has no special ability or talent but a heart to worship. That's really what are group is about. We each have a heart of worship and we live it out everyday. I am blessed to know each of the ladies and guys that are apart of this ministry and call each of them sister and brother. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we step into the next phase of what god has for us.

Suffering The Consequences

Recently I have been reflecting back on some of the choices and decisions I have made and have found that I did not always make the right ones. I have had to suffer some consequences for a few of those wrong ones I have made. I didn't ask god why I was going thru some of the things that I was because he led me back to the time when I made those choices and said I gave you a free will to choose as you will. Sometimes we want to blame god or even the devil for the things that we go thru. When really its just us suffering the consequences for the choices we made. There are times that god doesn't have us go thru the consequences but that doesn't mean its ok for us to continue to make the wrong choices. He wants us to learn from it and grow in him. If we never suffer the consequences then how will we ever be able to testify of gods love, mercy, and grace that he has given to us. If you find that you continue to keep making the same bad choices then its time to ask god what it is you need to do to change that pattern of thinking. We have to constantly renew our minds so that we have the mind of Christ. Not to say I will never make another bad decision but that I will always strive to do his will. In every choice I make I want to be sure that I am in line with the word of god and that I follow the path he has laid out for me. If we never suffer the consequences how will we ever learn to make the right choices and let god show us the right way.

I Blinked And She Was Grown

As a mom we strive to raise our children the best we know how to do. I have raised both my girls to be godly women and tried to instill in them the love of god and to listen to god and follow what he has planned for their life. It seems only yesterday that I held Natalie for the first time in the hospital and I remember thinking thank you god for this precious gift that you have allowed me to look after. She is a beautiful girl and is very smart and I know that god will use her in ways that she would never think of. She has many talents and I know that god will have her use them for his glory. Natalie has for many years been writing here own poetry, stories, and has been trying to finish a book. She has many more talents that are too numerous to say, but I know that god will put them to use. As parents sometimes we cant wait for our kids to grow up and to become adults, but then when the time finally comes we wish that we still had more time with them being young. Natalie graduated High School this past Wednesday and I was very proud of her for accomplishing that. Their are many kids these days who do not and I am glad that she did well in school and actually liked it as well. My sister and I were trying to video tape and take pictures and at one point her and I started to cry because we both realized at that point she was no longer my little girl. I blinked and she was grown. Thats what it is a blink of an eye with our children. Natalie I love you and I am very proud of you.

My Life Is So Much Richer

I have to say this has definitely been a week to remember. As you all know my dad had quad heart bypass surgery this past Tuesday. He is doing great now and his recovery is moving along very well. I want to thank everyone for their prayers and phone calls to check on me and my family. I may not have alot of money but god has definitely made my life richer with the people he has surrounded me with. I go to the greatest church ever and the staff and people I go to church with are such a blessing. The phone calls and prayers over the phone was so awesome and I cant thank everyone enough. Kendra was the one who kept me grounded thru this. She may not think what she did was significant but she was a blessing and I love very much for all she did. God has brought me through some very difficult times and he has never let me down and this time was no different. He was there with me through it all. So no matter what it is you face in life know that god is always there with you even when you may not feel like he is there.

God Never Lets Me Down And He Never Will

This has been a week that I never expected to have. It was rough week at work just because we had alot to do and it was hot, but I found out some news that I never expected to hear. My mother called me on Thursday and told me that my dad had a stress test done and they found some damage at the bottom of his heart. They wanted him to go for a heart cauterization on Friday morning so they could see exactly what it was. When they looked at it they said that he has blocked arteries that has caused the blood flow to this heart to be very slow. It has caused him over time to be very short of breath and not to be able to do things like he wants to. My dad and I have had some issues in past because of my stupidity at a younger age of not wanting to listen (I get that from him by the way) to him and caused us to fight alot. I love my dad very much and have grown so much closer to him and my mom after I became a parent myself. They have so much wisdom to give and have taken alot of it to heart. Its never easy to see your parents sick and getting older. I know that god has my dad in his hands no matter the outcome. He is to have surgery Tuesday morning and they will do a quadruple bypass surgery. He said that either the Dr will be able to fix it or he will get to go home to heaven that much sooner. He is right about that, but it is still hard to see him have to go thru all of this. God has blessed me with such a great circle of friends that I appreciate more than I could ever tell them. They have been lifting my dad up in prayer and my family and are there when I need them. God has never let me down and he never will. Its never an easy thing to go thru seeing a loved one go thru a sickness of any kind, but knowing god is in control gives me the peace that I need to get thru it all. Just keep my dad and family in prayer. No matter the outcome of what happens my dad will be fine either way. I would rather him be here with me and healthy, but if it is his time to go I know he will be in heaven with the father and that gives me all the peace and joy that I could ever need. Love ya Pop!

The Door Was Opened Unexpectedly

As many of you know I have been without a job since October of last year. When that happened I prayed that god would shut every door that I was to walk into except for the one he had purposed for me to walk through. I have always kept a positive outlook on not having a job this long. I have had my private moments where I was asking god how long do I have to wait, but he reminded me that I am to wait on him. I knew that in his timing I would have the right one. I have been diligent in looking but til now nothing had come about so I waited. Last Thursday I put an application online to a company and then left a message on their machine on Thursday and Friday both. I called back yesterday someone answered the phone told them who I was and why I was calling. They said the position had already been filled. I didn't let that discourage me I just thanked god for another door that had closed that I wasn't to go through, so I thought. This morning I received a phone call from the very man that told me the position had been filled and he asked if I was still interested in it. He then proceeded to tell me all about the information I needed to know about the job. Now if any of you have ever applied to a temporary agency before you all know that they do not send you to a place sight unseen they make you come in fill out all the paperwork check you background and make you take a drug test. It didn't happen that way for me. It had to be the Favor of God (FOG). He said that he wanted me if I had time today to go to the place where I was to be working and meet the Warehouse Manager. I said sure that I had time today to meet him there. This is just does not happen with temp agencies. I got off the phone thanking god for his favor and the job that he brought to me. Now keep in mind I hadn't been told I had the job but in my spirit I knew that this was the one he had for me. I met Greg at the Warehouse and he took me aside before introducing me to Tom the Warehouse Manager and was asking me a few questions. He was impressed at the work experience I had and that I had worked at UPS before and was a frontline Supervisor there. He had worked for UPS for 11yrs himself the last two years he was there he worked in Human Resources. So he knew what type of person it took to be a supervisor and that impressed him. I had a chance to speak to Tom and he was telling me about the position and then asked if I had any questions for him and I said no I don't. He said well are you interested in the position and can you start tomorrow morning at 9am? I said yes I am interested and I will be here in the morning. At that moment I felt this heavy burden be lifted off of me. I knew at that moment that god had placed me there. I want to encourage those of you out there that may not have a job or it maybe that your waiting on an answer from god about something. Don't ever get discouraged or give up. You hold fast and wait on god and do all that you know you can do but leave the rest to god. His timing is different than ours and he knows what is best for us. God knew what I needed and at the time I needed it.

The Words We Speak Into Peoples Lives

I recently had a good friend of mine to move away to another state. When he and I had met I was unaware of the problems he was facing in his life. I got too quickly involved with him and soon learned that there were some things that he needed to work out and to get his life straight. We did not date anymore after that but have remained good friends and I tried to be there when he needed to talk to me. He had an opportunity to move to another state with his job so he took it and wanted a fresh start. He is working on getting the mess he left behind straightened out and putting it behind him. He said to me "Barb your a special lady and you have opened my eyes to alot of the things that I have been doing and I want to thank you for that". Sometimes we don't know the influence we have on other people. I know I didn't realize the impact I had made in his life. I am just me and try to live my life the way I know god would want me to. I never knew how much he listened to what I said until that moment. There were times we would talk for hours by text or he would call me when he was having a rough time. I didn't always have an answer for him but I would listen and pray about it. The words that come out of our mouths should never tear someone down but always help to build them up. If there is something that needs to be said then you do it with love and respect. I will miss him very much and he and I will always be friends and I pray for him everyday that god will help him on his road ahead. Please keep him in your prayers.

Childlike Excitement

This past weekend a few of the ladies and I went with Tammy to help her with a dance workshop she was doing in Lexington, KY. I have to say I walked away from this weekend changed and touched by some of the people I met. The church were the workshop was held at has a broad spectrum of people such as our own church. They have a large number of exceptional adults who have disabilities of varying degrees. The sweetest people you will ever meet. One in particular touched my life this weekend. Her name was Barbara just like mine. I was her buddy for the weekend. Most people would look at her and not want to pay her any mind or attention, but I took the time to listen to whatever it was she had to say. When she smiled it made you want to smile back. We were teaching the ladies at the workshop a dance that they were going to be able to minister in front of their church on Sunday morning. Tammy chose a few of the ladies to do some flags at a point in the dance. Barbara was fascinated by the flags just like a little child would be. She wanted so much to be able to wave the flags. When we came back on Saturday morning to continue the workshop Barbara had asked Tammy if she could put the cd on so she could listen to it and wave the flags to it. Tammy smiled and told her yes and left her there to do it. No one was watching her because we were all over on the other side eating breakfast. I happen to peep around and see her standing there on the stage with the flags with the biggest smile on her face. She said "Barbara you see me...you see me...I'm doing the flags. I smiled back and said yes I do. She wanted so much to do them in the dance and wanted me to ask Tammy if she could do them I told her I would ask for her. So much was going on in the room I didn't say anything right away and Tammy knew already what Barbara wanted without me asking. She walks up to Tammy and says "Tammy she want to ask you sumting". It was so childlike and so sweet we smiled and laughed. Not at her but at her innocence and excitement to want to wave those flags. That's how it should be with us every time we worship god. We need to come with that childlike excitement wanting to praise him with everything we have in us. I learned alot just from that moment with Barbara. I want to come before him with the childlike excitement to praise him and not be inhibited by what others think. No matter how silly it looks I should want to praise him with everything I have in me and not let anyone stop me. When the Sunday service was over Tammy told Barbara that we had something for her. She gave her an old flag that we don't use for her to have. She smiled the biggest smile I have ever seen and gave Tammy a hug and said thank you. I will never forget that look on her face as she walked out with her flag.

Face To Face

Lately god has allowed me to be face to face with my past. I wish I could say that I have handled it good, but I did not. I have had to do some repenting for my actions and felt like the worst christian in the world for my actions. I felt as if I had let god down. We all make mistakes its how we get up and dust ourselves off and keep going that counts. I know god has forgiven me for my actions...its just alot harder to forgive yourself for them. If he remembers them no more than we need to say it was a mistake and hope that someone can learn from my mistake. I was telling a friend the other day as we were eating that what you go through in life and the hardships you have is not for you, its for that person who sits out in the congregation watching you, that person you work with, or just someone you may meet out that god brings by your way. Its for those people that we go through what we do so that god can use us to bring them to him.

Burger King Has A Whole New Meaning After Today!

I was having a discussion today with a great friend today in the middle of Burger King and we laughed and cried the whole time we were there. We mostly cried but not because we were sad. We were looking back at the awesome things that god has brought us thru and where we are at now. We were both affected by an individual that Im sure never thought she would be where she is at today. I had told my friend that I have had lots of people in my life that call themselves friends but actually they just used me for what they could get from me and suck the life out of me. God had to break down and remove me from those people and has placed such an awesome circle of friends on whom I can count on to pray for me and with me whenever I need them any day or time. I am so blessed and thankful that god has placed these people around me. I love each and everyone of them and love all the different quirks of their personalities. You ladies know who you are and I want to say that I am so truly blessed by each of you and seeing what god has been doing in your lives. It has changed my life by knowing each of you.

Abundantly And Overflowing

God has been doing so many wonderful things in the people I care about most and I try not to stop and ask why god arent you doing that for me to. I have come to know that god has something different in store for me as long as I hold fast to the promises he has given me and keep my eyes ahead and not look back. It has been hard being without a job for all these months now and not being able to support my girls the way I would like to. I know that he is shutting all the doors that I am not to go into so that I can clearly see the door that is open when the time is right. We always want everything now in our way and our timing instead of keeping our eyes forward and moving when he says to move and standing still when he says stop and listen to me for a while.
I pray that you never lose focus on the promise that god has given you and that he blesses you with the overflow. Not just to have enough but to have abundantly and overflowing that you cant contain it.

The Road Ahead Of Us

I feel so refreshed and charged after yesterday. It has been a long process learning this dance god also was doing a new thing in our group as well. We have had some ladies leave cause god moved them to other things and we have had some new ones join and few come back that were with us before. God is doing such an awesome thing with our group and it amazes me to see how he far we have come. Yesterday when we ministered our new dance it was all god. We work very hard to learn the dances that we minister. We had a rough few weeks prior to ministering this dance. Few of the ladies became ill and Angela went into labor on Saturday and had her baby so we had to adjust the dance a bit. I think god allows things to happen so that we don't get too comfortable and lazy. He wants us to depend on him and when it comes time to minister it is all about him. It was truly a god thing yesterday when we danced. I was so excited about it all week and when I got to church yesterday morning I felt a stirring in my spirit. First service was a lil shaky but it turned out good. The second service was a lil different. We knew we would dance during the offering but god changed it up a bit on us. Pastor had us do before offering. It was amazing the atmosphere in the place and u could feel his presence so strong. By the time we were done ministering all of us were shaking and weak kneed from his presence being so strong. It was awesome! It was all about him and not about us. We have grown so much as a group and we will continue to as god is refining us. Like pastor said yesterday we are walking thru life and we need to look at what god has ahead and not at what is behind us. We still make mistakes and we always will, but its not about perfection its about obedience and willingness to move when he says move.

Cant Wait Til Sunday

Last nites dance practice was great. We were all tired but we kept doing it over and over so that when we minister this dance on sunday it will be affective. Up til now my favorite dance we have done has been mercy seat cause that one spoke to my spirit. I have to say that this dance will rank right up there with that one. I cant wait til we are able to minister it at church sunday. Its a lil different than what everyone is used to seeing us do cause we have so many different elements we are using in the dance and have to transition quickly without dropping them or drawing attention. My prayer is that this dance ministers to people as we do it.

How God Brings Things Together For His Glory

God never seizes to amaze me by how he brings things together and he gets all the glory. I love being apart of the dance ministry and within the ministry Tammy decided to have a small group of people she wanted to be able to be available at a moments notice, that could come up with a dance on a moments notice, and to be willing to go when needed to minister at church or other places. There are five of us who are in what we call the "911 group", we still dont have a name for it yet, and this past sunday was our first opportunity to do such a dance. We got together on saturday morning and put the dance together in less than two hours. We did the dance on sunday morning for both services. I have to say the first service we messed up a bit but it was still good. The second service god brought it all together and the glory was all for him not us. Each of us in that group live each and everyday in worship. We dont just do it for attention it is our calling and passion. We genuinely want to see peoples lives changed. And we all know it isnt because we are talented it because we are obedient to what he has asked us to do. Our pray each and everytime we dance is that god touches peoples lives and that they dont see us that they see him thru us. Here is the video from sunday morning.

Girls Movie Nite

Sometimes we are all so busy with our lives and at church that we dont take the time to get to know some of the people we see every week. We had a girls movie nite that was hosted by Michelle Fields this past friday nite. It was an awesome nite for me cause I got to talk to and get to know a few of the ladies that I dont normally get to speak to except in passing. We enjoyed coffee, yummy desserts, good conversation, and alot of laughter. We then went to see the movie "He's just not that into you". We had a chauffer for the nite...Bobby....it was a sight to see all of us rolling up in the NVMC bus at the movie theater. It was fun and we all enjoyed the movie. We got shooooshed a few times cause we were laughing louder than the other people in the theater, but thats what happens when u get 20+ women together. Ladies I had a wonderful time and hope that we can do things like that more often to get to know one another better and just to unwind and be ourselves. Here are a of my favorite pics from the nite.

An Awesome Nite At Practice

Tonites dance practice was awesome. I am not usually the kind of person who can watch a video or anything to learn something. I generally have to see someone do it and break it down in baby steps to me. I was very proud of myself for being able to do that tonite. Its first time I have ever done that. Donna also helped me once I knew what the steps were to refine them a bit. I am excited about getting this new dance done so that we can minister it at church. All of the ladies are doing an awesome job. Practices have been going really well lately and we have accomplished alot, but we also have fun doing it too.

Another thing I was proud of was seeing my daughter, Natalie, do her first mime with Anna and Eric. They were backing Anna up on the song "Yes" and they did a great job on it. There makeup looked good and the more they do the better it will be. I know she loved doing it. She is almost an adult and sometimes its hard for us as parents to want to let the little kid go and let them step into adult hood but I have raised her the best I know to do with gods help and I pray that she will be an awesome woman for god. She has alot of talent and loves god with all her heart and I know that he will use her in ways that she can't imagine. Here are a few pics from them tonite.

Never Done It Before

I am doing something that I have never done before. I am going to be in the mini marathon in april. I know that I can walk the 13 miles, but I want to try to jog some of it if I can. It is going to take alot of work for me to get into shape to be able to do that. I have been going to the gym trying to build up some endurance and to just get myself into shape in general. Believe it or not I used to run when I was younger. I stopped running when my oldest daughter turned 3 or 4 she is now 17. Yeah so I have alot of work to do to condition myself to even think of just jogging any of it. I know I can do and I have the support of my whole family and some very close friends that are motivating me.

My sis and I were talking and I wished that she could do it with me but health issues are keeping her from being able to. So she will be there waiting for me at the finish line.

Monday Nite Hangout

Monday nites is when we have our practice for W.O.W. After practice some of us get together and go to steak n shake to eat and just to hang out. It allows us to have time for us to get to know each other better and just to have fun. This nite was a special one for me because my daughter Natalie who has now joined "Called to Silence" which is the mime ministry came with us. Well this Monday nite was a lil different than the others. Natalie and I had eaten before we went to practice so she ordered a shake and I got the brownie sundae. Well everyones food came to the table and we were all talking and I had taken a few bites of my sundae while talking. You all know how ice cream sometimes can have a lil ice on it. Well I thought that is what was on my ice cream and I didn't pay close attention to it and put it in my mouth. I immediately new it wasn't ice. I pull it out of my mouth and it was a piece of glass close to two inches long. It didn't cut me or anything. Everyone was a lil freaked out about it. I was just speechless really, which is very unusual for me, not sure what to say. Anna got up and went and got the manager and the waitress and they came to the table. They were apologizing and asking if I wanted anything. I said UHM NO! They left the table and took our bill and they didn't make any of us pay for our bill. Which was a good thing. I am just glad that no one else found it and I did. I am not sure that anyone else would have noticed it and probably would have bit down on it and possibly cut themselves. I think we will have to find a new Monday nite hangout....LOL! I didn't think about it til after they took away the plate or I would have taken a picture of it with my camera phone. A word of advise to all who eat out at restaurants try to be aware of what you are eating and don't be too eager to bite down so fast on something.