I was cleaning out drawers and found this old journal. I had finished it a couple of years back but so much of it still rings true today. I hope you see that you are not the only one going through the things you are going through!! Life is a journey, a process. What helps us through the trying times is knowing that someone is on the journey right beside us, encouraging us on our way. I hope I can be there for you! I have had the fight of my life this year and I want to update you on all of it. But for today…some words that were written over two years ago but still hit a heart note.

2-9 “This could be a red-letter day in our lives. J is taping his first TBN segment! He will be on air Fri. We believe God’s hand is in it. I am at the end of my little prayer book. I have read back over my past entries many times but not today. I don’t know that I can bear it! I feel so removed from the woman that began this book. I looked back over videos from B and I wonder who that woman is! I am in a very uncomfortable place right now. We are forging uncharted territory-for us!-and it is very hard and awkward. We don’t know where this new trail will lead! I do know that I am definitely not the same woman I was when I started this journey. Is that good or bad? I don’t know! I have prayed, cried, analyzed, studied until I just can’t anymore. I am pooped! I am lying , exhausted in God’s hands saying,” Wherever you put me is where I will be.” This is such a “no man’s land” for us. I guess in the desert, in the heat of the battle, you get disoriented. I don’t know what to pray, dream, study, DO. Not only do I not have the answers, I don’t even know what questions are being asked of me! I guess this is total dependance and submission. I wonder what Abraham thought when God told him to sacrifice his son? Did he think “I’ve done so much already and now you want my dearest thing!” or was he so dead to himself that he just gave up and trusted God with the outcome? Lord, I really need direction! I have all these dreams, ideas, songs, desires! Will anything ever come to fruition? I am only doing what You and Jon have taught me all these years-walk after God’s spirit and voice. I am sorry I am so weak and dense but please speak a word, a feeling, a reigniting of a passion. I want to burn brightly for You but right now I feel like a candle that is weak and about to flicker out. Re-ignite my flame!”

I hope these words hit a chord in your heart and lets you know that there is someone feeling what you’re feeling! I made it through that and you will too! Hang in there and count your blessings!!

 On my way,

stephanie suber

Hello friends! DO I STILL HAVE ANY FRIENDS OUT THERE?? I am soo sorry to have abandoned you for such a long time! I could recount all I have been through these last few months but I wouldn’t want to bore you…I just wanted to touch base with you even though I don’t really have time to chat. I do have something I wrote a while ago that I will share with you until I have a “current word.” Hope you enjoy! 

My honey would be so proud! I just bagged up about twenty pairs of shoes to send to Goodwill! Believe me, that is huge! It has been such a struggle to get to that place! It’s not that I hadn’t gotten my wear out of them. Many of them had lost most of their luster. But it wasn’t like I didn’t want them anymore. Sure, one or two pairs did add some calluses to my feeet. But I didn’t hold that against them, After all, I’m the one that put the things on.

No, getting rid of the shoes really wasn’t anything personal. It was pure logistics:I had a space problem. We downsized again and I had no room for those shoes. So what’s a girl to do? It was very sobering to go throught that closet, to open every box, consider its contents and decide whether it goes or stays. As I got my rhythm and got into the groove of things, I wondered why I had held on to some of those shoes for so long. I had gotten my money out of them and most were pretty battered. So why?

Um…actually…I think I can answer my own question. (Is that just too creepy?) Actually, my answer to my own question is another question. (Am I getting worse?) It boils down to this: I held on to all those older shoes because of a question that kept coming up every time I would think about chunking them.

“What if?”

Now, for the rest of the story, the part I have held back to keep you in suspense is that all those shoes are currently out of style. I hate to be the first to break the news to ya, just in case you’ve been on the back side of a desert for the past two or three years but chunky heels and square toes are OUT! Yes, if you are still wearing this type of shoe, that may very well be the fashion police knocking on your door this very minute. I’m with you, hon! I mourned the death of the popularity of these comfortable shoes! And to add insult to injury, they were replaced by pointy toes and skinny heels! Who thinks up this kind of torture for women?

Anyway, I held on to those shoes because I thought, “You know what? I bet chucky heels will be back in style next season-I hope, I pray, I beg-and if I throw away all these shows, I’ll regret it.”

Of course, I didn’t really take up my time or yours to talk about shoes. Let’s talk about something deeper, something fundamental. “What if?”

I ask “How will I know?”

I won’t.

I ask, “How can I guarantee?”

I can’t.

“What if I promise?”

I don’t.

We have to quit worrying about what the future may have in store for us and grab ahold of what’s happening right now in our lives. Unfortunately, I don’t have a crystal ball that shows my future clearly. None of us have any clue of what tomorrow may bring. We must live each day to its fullest and that will open up our next step to our futures.

Jesus said, “Give no thought about tomorrow. There will be enough to worry about when the time comes.”

So much has happened in my life since I wrote this! Yet, it still rings so true! I could add a lot but I am almost late for church! Talk with you later! Until then, be blessed!

 On my way,

steph

Wow! What a difference a year makes!! Here it is New Years again already! I know I haven’t talked with you in a while but I know you will forgive me. I have really been on a journey lately in the Spirit and I will eventually spill all the beans about it!

I hope all of you enjoyed the holidays with your families! I know I did. We ate and opened presents with Jon’s family on Christmas Eve then with my family on Christmas Day. What a blessing! To be able to enjoy food, family and fellowship is a great privilege! Being in Austin with my family has been a blessing I asked the Lord for a long time ago. And He granted my request.

I still remember the day we moved to Austin. We were so excited! It seemed like things were finally happening just like we had always dreamed they would! Life was slipping into place and we were where we needed to be. I just knew that I had found my sweet spot and I was about to flourish. I love Austin! Austin is my long-time sweetheart, my well-worn shoe, my favorite comfort food. Austin is a mirror that shoves back at me the person I really am. I found my groove when I came back here. Austin fits me like a glove! It was my utopia, my mecca, my heaven. It was the place I wanted to be.

Have you ever felt that way about something? You know…you say stuff like “This is IT! He is THE ONE! I know this is where I need to be, who I need to marry, the job I have to take…” And then for some reason only known by God, things don’t turn out like we thought they would. And we get mad about it.

So exactly a year later-a year after we moved here, to the day almost!-I realized that there is no heaven on this earth. There is no utopia, no mecca, no perfect place that meets all my needs. The only perfect place to be while we’re still breathing oxygen is right in the middle of God’s will! In His hands, there is peace.

The Lord started dealing with us about leaving. (Actually, He had “started dealing with” Jon several months earlier but I wouldn’t hear of it so finally God actually had to drop an atomic bomb on me to get my attention! Remember, I don’t take hints well). As you can well imagine, I was devastated! “Lord, surely you jest! This isn’t funny! You know how I feel about this place and You’re telling us to leave?” I sobbed. I was depressed. I threw things. Even though the Lord was dealing with us the same way He always had-through feelings, open and closed doors, Rhema words, and His written word-I didn’t want to hear what He had to say this time. My sensitive husband had tried for a couple of months to explain to me what he was feeling but I wouldn’t hear of it. I thought he was just being a worrier and looking at things the wrong way. But, as usual, he ended up being right.

So, in the second week of September in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, my whole world came crashing down. No, I have never had cancer or had a child or spouse die. Thank God! I know that must be the worst thing that could ever happen to a person! And I sympathize with anyone who has had to live through those tragedies. But for me, this was one of, if not the worst thing I have ever had to face.

And what’s funny is, there’s no bad guy in the situation! Everyone wants the Inside Story and keeps asking, “What happened? What went wrong? Who hurt you?” But it’s not like that at all. I’m not trying to protect anyone; I’m just telling it like it is. We are not being forced to leave. We weren’t even asked to leave(well…except by God). We are not “getting out of town” by dark with our tails tucked between our legs. I know a lot of people don’t understand that because they have never yielded to God in that way. But with us God simply says, “Go.” So we’re going.

I think it’s funny that we get criticized for following God’s voice as best as we know how. No, we definitely haven’t perfected the process. We make mistakes. We unintentionally hurt people’s feelings. We still beg and plead and whine and throw things. We still question even if we are asking for forgiveness while we do it. It’s not easy. But no one ever said walking this Gethsemane road would be easy.

For some reason, as  Americans, we think we should always get things our way. We drive up, state what we want, and in five minutes or less-if we’re at Wendy’s-we get exactly what we want. And if we don’t? Somebody’s gonna get it! They’re gonna hear from me if my burger has mustard instead of mayo! Now, you may think that’s funny but isn’t it true? As Americans, we want to know:What’s in it for me? How can I make this to my advantage? I definitely don’t think that’s all bad. Our independant thinking is what has made us the great country we are.

But in God’s kingdom, things don’t work that way! It’s an upside-down kingdom. Everything is opposite of what we think it should be. I tell ya, I never knew there were so many Scriptures about me wanting my way! I think I’ve read every one of them in the last few months! I finally realize, it is not about here! It’s not about now! It’s not about finding our grooves and feeling good. It’s about His kingdom. It’s ultimately about heaven. Do you think God really cares if I found my vibe in Austin? That I thought “This is it!” or “He is the One!” or “This is the Place!” I hate to be the one to break it to you babe but God’s not real concerned about our comfort on this earth. His interest is in seeing His Kingdom Come.

That’s something that really cracks me up about people who are saying that Jon and I have “compromised.” There are literally chat rooms that are filled with pages of people discussing our morality and salvation. It’s like the Enquirer for Christians! It’s like we are some kind of abnormality because we go where God says go and leave when God says leave! Everyone’s trying to find the real scoop behind it all. They are searching for proof of some kind to implicate us in wrongdoing, trying to catch us on a bad hair day with no makeup on. Can you tell me what is wrong with that?? Yet, we are criticized and judged for doing what we feel God is leading us to do! All the while some of these people sit back in the church they know they aren’t supposed to still be at but it brings in a great paycheck and there are good schools in the town and they are comfortable in their denomination even though they really don’t believe what it teaches…Unh-huh…Who’s compromising now?

Sorry…let me get back on track…I told you I had a lot to say but I didn’t mean to say it all in one blog!! Okay friend! Pray for us! We are starting out on a new leg of our journey. New places, new faces, a lot of packing suitcases. It’s something we know how to do. Our past has prepared us for our future. We are great, walking in God’s will for our lives.

And that’s the best place in the world to be.

Talk with you soon! Peace, S

“Breathe into your calves. Hold that position as long as you can. Don’t overdo it. Listen to your body.” I couldn’t believe that right there in the Down Dog position I was hearing those words again! What is it about listening to the body that I haven’t written about yet?!

This is it in a nutshell, what I’ve been trying to say all along:We must listen to what the Lord is trying to speak to us through His body-the church! The Rhema word the Lord is trying to communicate with His people is not just for ministers. It is for everyone collectively. What words are being repeated over and over throughout the body of Christ, crossing cultural and denominational lines? Most importantly, are we listening? Or do we think that God speaks only to us? Maybe we think we are the only ones “saved enough” for God to speak to? We think we are more spiritual or more saved than others in the body. What is the body saying? What illumination is the body trying to get us to understand? Are we listening to what the body is saying or are we tuning it out, putting our fingers in our ears and saying, “I’m the eye. I don’t need you. What has the ear got to say that I don’t already know?”

Pastor Rick Warren’s book, “Purpose-Driven Life” spoke to me about how much we need each other. I wouldn’t be here without you. You wouldn’t be here without me. We are linked. We are simply different parts of the same body (see I Corinthians 12).

Jonathan was dorking out yesterday while he was reading an article in Ministry Today magazine. “Who just preached this?? I could’ve written this! I said these exact words!” I hollered over to him, “That’s exactly what I’ve been talking about! The body is saying the same things over and over. We either listen to what is being said or we get shut out of what God is trying to do in the church today.”

God continually speaks to His children. Sometimes it’s about something huge like a shift in the way we “do” church. Other times it’s about the small stuff like prompting us to give our children an extra hug after a bad day. God is speaking to us if we will just listen!

And guess what? God uses our voices to get His word out! Every one of us has something to say from God. I just read in I Corinthians that when we come together as a church, we all have something to give: a word, a song, a tongue. Let God use you as a mouthpiece! 

But most of all, listen to the body. Remember way back when speaking in tongues was weird and different? It was a part of a new movement, a new thing the Lord was trying to speak to His people. Now it seems like almost everyone speaks in tongues or at least is not opposed to it! We will look back years from now-if the Lord tarries-and we will remember when God first started talking to us about changes that will then be commonplace. Don’t miss the day of your visitation! Don’t turn a deaf ear to what God is trying to say to His people! Listen to the Body! 

And-I promise!-that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

 On my way,

Steph

Monday night , my husband found out that the speaker scheduled for our staff meeting wasn’t going to be able to make it so he decided-at the last minute-that he needed me to speak. So I said, “What is the subject?” (We are teaching out of a book-I think it’s called Fourteen Tests a Leader has to go through or something like that.) He said, “Discouragement.”

I laughed.

I said, “Are you sssuuuurrreee you want me to teach on discouragement right now?” He said, “Yeah. Just don’t use any personal referances…But when I got home I realized I didn’t have the book. It was at my office. But as I was taking a bath, I laughed because I didn’t need a book.

I could write the book on discouragement.

So just what does discouragement actually mean? We had a couple of insightful answers to that question at staff mtg. One of my personal favorites, “Our courage has been dissed.” That’s it in everyday language. “‘Dis’ means ‘not’ so discouraged would mean ‘not couraged’” Very smart answer from a college grad. Another said, “You get discouraged when your hope is deferred.” (The Bible says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”) That is a great mental picture…

I think discouragement-for the mature Christian-isn’t necessarily about turning around on this faith walk. I see it more as stopping right where we are. Just not having the strength to go any further in our faith. Something happens and we decide-right then and there-that it’s not worth the struggle. We accept that our circumstances are as-good-as-it-gets and we plant our roots where it’s easy and stress free. We don’t  always “backslide” or go back. We will possibly still be saved. We just don’t go any further. We don’t reach that place God called us to go to. We don’t do those things we were made to do.

So the devil still wins.

Are you discouraged today? What has happened recently to make you want to just “forget it”? Has your courage been dissed lately?

I decided to use a personal example at staff mtg but it was an old one! ;> I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with Allister. We thought we were through having babies and I was ready to get on with my life. To put it in layman’s terms:we were bummed. But you know what? My baby turned seven this past week! And I wrote to him in my journal that I have never regretted having him-not one second of one day. I can’t imagine my life without him!

Thank God for unanswered prayers!

My point is that sometimes what has us discouraged actually turns out to be great for us in the end. Look at Joseph in the Bible. Do you think his life was always what he wanted it to be? Do you suppose his “heart was sick” every now and then? But I believe Joseph stayed encouraged. He had to! How else could he have survived what he endured? And I think that his key is found at the end of his story. First of all, he forgave.

This is huge when dealing with discouragement! A lot of times we get discouraged because we have certain expectations and things don’t always turn out like we plan and hope for. We get wounded and want to give up. But Joseph understood. We HAVE TO FORGIVE!! We will surely be stunted in our walk if we don’t take this essential step. So, whoever we have to forgive today to regain our courage, let’s do it! Whether you have to forgive yourself for messing up royally or if there is someone else you feel like grabbed your hope and stomped it into the ground, forgive. I didn’t say it was gonna be easy! I said it is imperative! It’s one of those “you-gotta-do-it” things in life. IF you want to remain productive and free.

The other key to Joseph remaining encouraged is that he was able to put everything that happened in his life into proper perspective. At the close of his story, he was able to say, “Everything you intended for evil actually worked for my good.” Now I have always looked at this verse as, “Everything the devil intended for bad in my life, God turned around and used it for the good.” I know that is probably an appropriate comparison. But I looked at it another way for this lesson. What if GOD was the one who put Joseph in all those hairy situations? What if it wasn’t the devil sending all that trouble his way? GOD gave those dreams to Joe and GOD knew what it would take for those dreams to come to pass. So why blame all the bad stuff on Satan?

In other words, can we shift the way we look at some things? Can we think for a moment that the things we are going through are not to harm us and make us turn back but are put in our lives to make us strong? If Joe hadn’t gone through the things he went through, he may have never been able to lead like he did! He learned some stuff in those trials. It made him the man he was. It all worked into GOOD.

Believe it or not, God never promised us a rose garden. This Christian walk is not all roses and Ben and Jerry’s and Sleep Number beds. I hate to break it to you, but we’re all gonna go through some stuff before we reach those pearly gates. It is a principle in the Bible:God will try us to see what we’re made of. None of us are exempt from that! And unfortunately, discouragement is something that is often used to try our faith.

Don’t give up! Don’t stop! Keep walking the walk! Not everybody in the “Faith” chapter-Hebrews 11-received what they had hoped for. But they were all commended BY GOD as faithful! That is our goal! No matter what comes our way, we’ve got to remain faithful. We have to keep believing that what God has promised WILL come to pass even though things are going exactly as we had hoped. God is sovereign! What He promised, He will deliver! Remember this, it’s all good and it’s all God! Choose joy! Choose to see God’s hand in the situation! Forget about the devil! He doesn’t have any control in your life! You CAN and WILL make it! Because God is on your side.

And so am I.

Love you all! Write me back and tell me what you think of this word!

Stay joyful on the journey,

Stephanie

I journey through time as I glance around me. Everything I see tells a story. Every picture that froze “that time we…” Every artifact from travels to distant lands. Every stick of furniture that has traveled this circuitous route with us.

I journey back in time. I was there. I am there! That which was has become that which is. My past has grown up and become my present. Who I was has become who I am.

What shaped me? Every experience, every detour, every victory, and every disappointment brought me to now. To Here.

Did I enjoy every twist and turn? Absolutely not! Am I thrilled to have ended up where I did? Absolutely! God has been so good to us! We have tried to put Him first. Of course, we aren’t perfect! Have never acted perfect, thought perfect, or looked perfect (and I know that’s not perfect English either…)! But God never expects perfection. He knows we are dirt! He just wants trust and obedience. Through every twist and turn, defeat and victory. From our first day to our last.

And every one in between.

Yours for the journey,

Steph

Well…I really do have something to say about the body of Christ! But again, I must shelf that discussion for a moment while I say something else about listening to our bodies, our physical bodies.

As some of you know, I have been under extreme stress the last few weeks. You may have noticed that I have not written in a while and that’s one of the reasons. I just had nothing extra to give. Now, I’m not saying I was backslid or depressed or unhappy. God gave me plenty to say to you! I was just stressed out to the max. I won’t go into all the unnecessary details to bore you. I will just skim over a couple. I put my two little ones in a private, Christian school two weeks ago. Which is awesome! I am so thankful for God’s blessings! BUT it took A LOT of work to get them ready. We hadn’t done the whole “school” thing in a long time. My littlest one has never been to school outside the home. So…it was an ordeal getting them-and me!-ready to go.

Also, I took my family to SEVENTEEN doctor’s appointments in August! Is that a lot?? It is for me! Between braces and glasses and chiropractors…Lord help us! Thank God we are all well! We just had to get those annual check-ups taken care of.

Then, I had a birthday! Yes, I am now only two years from forty!! Wow! Anyway, that’s another subject…Not only was it my birthday but a lot of significant and traumatic moves occured for me in August. So many memories came flooding back. Sadness took over one Sunday morning during service as I began to think about all the friends I have had to leave behind during our many moves. A lot of emotions that I have held in for awhile came flooding out.

Now, I am telling you all this for a reason! Remember, I am talking about listening to the body…Well, a few months ago, I started feeling this tingling, numbing sensation in my legs. Then, it worked its way up. So I started getting worried! I begin to spasm in my muscles all over my body. It was weird! By the time I went to the last doctor, I felt like I had lice crawling all over my head! I had three different people check me for lice but there was none.

I started with the chiropractor thinking I was just out of alignment. He says, “This isn’t anything I have ever heard of.” I continued with him for a bit but I wasn’t getting any better. So I went to my primary care physician. He said, “This isn’t anything I have ever heard of.” Sound familiar?? He referred me to a neurologist. Now, that was pretty scary! I am not used to going to doctors at all and here I am with appointments every week! Guess what the neurologist said??? That’s right! “You’ve passed the exam here and I don’t have a clue of what these symptoms could mean.” So he ordered me a MRI to rule out MS, etc.

Every prayer warrior I knew assured me that everything was going to come out clear on my test so I wasn’t too worried about it. While I waited for my results, I got my kids in school and took lots of naps and stayed in my pajamas way over the appropriate time. By the time I went back to the neurologist, my symptoms had subsided some. He happily reported that yes, I do have a brain and yes, it is completely normal-although I’m sure there are some who would disagree! He, nor any of the other doctors, had an explanation of why I was feeling these very real things happening in my body. After I told him that I was actually feeling better and explained what my last few weeks had been like, he and Jonathan came up with a diagnosis for me-stress. All that running around to all those doctors and all that money spent to tell me something I already knew: I was stressed.

I could tell you about the time I had post-partum depression-which is very real Mr. Tom Cruise!- and thought I was about to have a heart attack. I went to the doctor and had an EKG and guess what? I have a heart and it’s normal! Thank God!

Also, when I was in Calcutta, India as a missionary I also thought I was going to die. I was under extreme satanic attack and it made me sick. One day, Jonathan was gone and I was there at home with my three year old and I just knew I was about to die! I couldn’t breathe, my heart was doing flips in my chest. But medically, nothing was there.

Therefore…(I just taught my Bible school class that therefore means “to sum it up or I said all that to say this) I entreat you today to LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! I am having to learn to do so myself. You might think I am a hypochondriac after listing all these mysterious illnesses. But I’m not! I  hardly take asprins! I am not a person that is in tune with her body and emotions. I just don’t put a lot of stock into all of that. I don’t have time to. But after this last incident, I have to start!

I am learning that we can’t just “be strong”-which is my motto in life-and hold everything in. At some point, our bodies WILL resist and say “Whoa! Slow down. You are killing me with this stress.” Now, you can ignore your body and keep on running the rat race but it’s not gonna be worth it in the end. You WILL have health problems or emotional problems if you over-stress your body! I know! Listen to your body! If you are feeling something weird, pray about it! Agree with a prayer warrior that God will show you where the attack is coming from. It may be physical, spiritual, or emotional. And I can say that I have been through each of these attacks. Don’t blame your family or job. Taks some time off-even if it’s an hour. Take a yoga or Pilates class or go swimming or shopping if that’s your thing. RELAX! Get rid of some stress! You HAVE to listen to your body! It’s the only body you will ever have! If it is pleading for some relief, it would behoove :> you to listen!!!

Well, I’ve got to go for now! I hope you have gained some insight into listening to your body! Hopefully, next time I can get to what I originally wanted to say! But God knows! I just ask Him to lead me in what to say.

Please pray for my grandma, Velma. She is having some pretty serious health issues and they’re not just “in her head” like mine are! ;>

I love all of you and I want to hear from you! God bless you all!

On my way,

Stephanie

Yes, I am trying to get healthy and in shape! I had a birthday last week!  Did you send me a card?? Anyway…I lost four pounds last week and I am thrilled!! I have several more pounds to lose before I am at my goal weight. I did Pilates this morning, wallked around the big block with the dog and watched a little bit of a Tae Bo video (does that count?). My kids started school last week so I am finally able to spend some time on myself, getting my body where it should be. I don’t like being overweight and out of shape! That doesn’t bother a lot of people but I feel better when I watch what I eat and exercise.

I encourage you this morning to get out those tennies and take a walk! Put down that Twinkie and pick up a banana! You’ll feel better…I like to read Gwen Shamblin’s books about the Weigh Down Diet. She’s not gonna tell you what not to eat or what time to eat or anything. She simply asks you to let God be the ruler in your life instead of food. She explains how -as Americans-we are so controlled by food. The portions we eat and the temptations we give in to!! The Bible even talks about “our god is our belly.” So I just encourage you today to listen to your body. If you have no energy, can’t sleep, have stomach problems, your body is trying to tell you something but you’re not listening!!

Try fasting a whole day (or a whole week!). That does something nothing else can do! It helps you get your focus off yourself and food and place it where it should be, on God. And as an added bonus, you burn some stored fat, you give your body a rest from the whole food process and you realize that you won’t DIE if you don’t eat something every 30 minutes! Also, if we would be careful to really pray before we eat (and I don’t mean those perfunctory mumbled prayers we pray as we reach for the chip basket), we would be more careful about what we eat. I dare you to ask God to show you what you should eat! That would be different! We say we want God’s will in our lives so let Him have some “say-so” in how you treat your body!

 I challenge you to try again. If you’ve tried “dieting” before and it didn’t work, try something else! Try fasting regularly first. Add to that cutting out soft drinks. Then drink water instead. Then cut out sweets except for maybe one day. (I firmly believe in cheat days…just not EVERY day!!) KEEP A FOOD DIARY! This is huge! Most of us have no idea what-or how much-we put into our mouths every day. You will be amazed at how much better you’ll feel!

Now, I had a great lesson I was going to share with you about listening to the body…of Christ. But I think I’ve preached enought today so I’ll share with you the rest of my thoughts later. I bless you today! May you be in the center of God’s perfect will for your life! Be healthy and keep your heart in love with God and not what’s on that plate!

Love you all! Thanks for sharing this journey!

Steph

Hello everyone!! I hope you are all well and still walking this faith walk. I am so sorry it’s been so long since you’ve heard from me! No excuses…I know…Anyway, we are all well. Alex is actually on a missions trip to Mexico with TeenDestiny, our youth group here at PromiseLand. He is having a blast so far…He will only be gone for a few days so that’s not too bad…for me I mean…

We went on that ministry trip from Nashville to Kentucky to Louisiana and had a great time. We enjoyed being with our friends the Phillips in Kentucky and the Ragsdales in Nashville. We had an awesome move of God at a church in Lafayette pastored by the Harmon’s. I sang with anointing and watched as Jonathan prayed for people and they were instantly healed! It was uplifting and enlightening. Jonathan and I talked many hours on our way home about what we wanted to do differently and how we got some fresh insights and guidance. We talked of goals and plans. I made lists of things to do to re-organize and re-ignite some ministry situations in my life. I was on a roll…

But then I got home…

And all that “homey” stuff began to bear down on me. First of all, we were exhausted! Which was very normal and expected. We got in around six on Saturday and Jonathan preached on Sunday! I ain’t a bit ashamed to say that I took a three hour nap after church! I didn’t think I would be able to sleep that night after sleeping so much during the day but I had no problem! I was so tired! Then…my mom calls to say that our dog they kept while we were gone got ran over. Come to find out, she actually had gotten mauled by another dog. SO…we spent all day Mon and Tues in a dither about what to do with the dog. She was in a bad shape…Mon night and Tues morn we debated on what to do and Wed., decided to go ahead and let her go. It was so tramatic! Fifi was my daughter’s dog and she was VERY close to her. THEN, my sister called. She had kept Alayna at her house while we were making these difficult decisions. She says, “Did you know ALayna has lice?” I said no! I’ve never had to deal with that situation before…Apparently, she came in contact with someone at camp who “infected” her. GROSS!! So that’s a whole couple of days ordeal…Then, bless his heart, Randy Phillips comes by with…a new puppy! All this has happened in three days (plus some other stuff I won’t share with the world…)

I said all that to say that sometimes life doesn’t happen how we plan it! We have such high hopes and goals and awesome supernatural things we want to see accomplished but somehow everyday life drains so much out of us, we are unable to see those high and lofty goals come to pass. It’s strange how all that works. And I really struggle with some of this. Of course, I know that there will come a time in my life when I won’t have kids to care for and maybe not even puppies to potty-train. I know there are seasons in everyone’s lives. Hopefully, there will come a day when I can get up in the morning and get right to my plans for the day without having to worry about kids running in and out of the house staining my freshly cleaned carpets. But for now, I have to be reasonable. This is my life.

My husband taught last night on preparing ourselves for the ministry, what true ministry is and how we all need to be involved in it regardless of whether you are a “preacher” or not. It got me to thinking.

I am a minister. I used to say that I am a minister’s wife and that I am. But now I stand and proclaim that I am a minister. I’m not a preacher. I don’t have anything against women preachers! I just know I don’t have the “preach” inside me. But I know that I am a called and anointed woman of God, a minister, a servant. But how do I minister, pray, win souls, when life is so crazy all the time?

I really feel for people who work full-time, take care of families and still want to do something BIG for God. Where’s the time? But I read today in The Book that after the people in Acts chapter two received the Holy Spirit, they went about their lives in a somewhat normal schedule. They worshiped at the temple and came home and ate-can I hear an amen?- and praised God. AND every day their number grew. Why? The Message says, “People in general liked what they saw.” Simple. They went about their lives in a normal way with a little twist to it:they focused on God in everything they did.

I think that is the answer for me too. Many of us aren’t able to spend ten hours a day in prayer. Thank God for those who can! But if we will focus on using what we do everyday in our lives to bring glory to God, it will make a huge difference. The Message says, “Celebrate God all day, every day.”

It’s called Lifestyle Evangelism. (Or maybe we should call it Celebration Lifestyle!) There’s another example of it in I Peter three:Wives are told to be submissive to their husbands so the husbands may be won over to God by their behavior. Peter says people can be won, not by our words necessarily, but by how we act in every day situations. “When they see the purity and reverance in your lives” is how the NIV puts it.

I don’t know if I have made a bit of sense as I try to type out what I think in my mind and feel in my heart! I wanted to touch base with you since it had been so long but I don’t have time to finish my thoughts! I’ve got to take my child to the dentist! Real life beckons! But maybe I can influence someone, “win them over” to God because of my actions today! Pray for me! I promise to finish this conversation soon! Write me and let me know what you think…

Be blessed today!

Steph

Hey everyone!! How are you all?? We are doing awesome! We had our campmeeting this week and John Ragsdale and Anthony Langston this weekend. We are on cloud nine!! Let me tell you what has kept me busy these last few weeks…

Starting with Tues night, Psalmist Micah Stampley led us into the powerful presence of God. We thought we’d be finished around 9:00. Well, at 9:15 I started getting nervous about the kids over in camp without parents. Jonathan checked with our wonderfully competent children’s director Diana Smith and she assured us that everything was cool, no problem. So we relaxed and enjoyed. Around 10:00, I decided to check on my kids and relieve the camp workers. I walked in the church a little while later and was shocked to see people still on their faces, crying out to God! I don’t know how long people stayed and sought the Lord! If you haven’t been in a service with Micah Stampley-or at the PromiseLand!-you have got to have that experience. It’s a little heaven on earth!

Starting Wed. morning, we had many ministers speak empowering and encouraging words to us. I will give you more details about our camp later! I think my laptop is about to overheat! I have updated and checked my MySpace, charged and uploaded (or downloaded?) songs onto my iPod and am charging it, and I am trying to write a blog! I need a break and so does my computer!

Love you all! Check out my MySpace! I put some pics and videos from the Micah Stampley concert. See you soon!

Enjoying the journey,

Steph