In Our Dreams

This is a completely random blog post. But just hang on for the ride and please feel free to incorporate your thoughts into the comments section, as I’m very interested in what you think!

I’ve been having lots of dreams lately. Well, I’ll caveat that by saying that I’ve been remembering a lot of my dreams lately, at least for the few minutes immediately after I wake up. They have been very vivid, almost to the point of me waking up a little freaked out. Not because they are “bad” but because they are so vivid, that when I wake up, I have to familiarize myself with my surroundings and snap back into reality.

All I know from these dreams, is that I wake up wondering if any element of them are truth. As I type this blog, I don’t remember details of my dreams, but I know the general idea of them. They are dreams of hope, of wishes coming true, of things almost too good to believe, of unanswered prayers being answered. So here is the million dollar question:

Is the devil in our dreams? Can he get in there and control them?

I am serious about this inquiry. Part of me believes that the devil, Satan, the prince of power, whatever he might be called, is not allowed in our subconscious. It wouldn’t make sense, since he really tempts us by enabling us to make conscious choices. He knows us better than we know ourselves and can work with and against our minds for his good. It’s almost like being in our dreams would do no good because we don’t really make decisions in our dreams. I’d like to think that this is true. That only God is allowed in our dreams. That any message or feeling that comes about from our dreams is of God. Wouldn’t we have a great level of comfort knowing that?

The problem is, a big part of me thinks that the devil can get anywhere he wants. I know that God is omnipresent and sovereign. He is everywhere at all times and controls all things. But the devil gives Him a run for His money. The devil is right there, waiting for us to make conscious choices against the temptations that he throws at us. He tosses them at us all the time.

So, all of this has come up because I have been remembering my dreams lately. When I wake up, I’ve been faced with feelings that I thought I was done with. I thought I was past them. Or relationships that are over, but something in my dreams makes me wake up feeling something that I wasn’t expecting; perhaps hopeful, perhaps relief. Or I get a glimpse of the future: is it something to look forward to or something that I just humanly want?

Then there is the question of whether our dreams are controlled at all. Are they? Or do they just come about because of things that we have been experiencing lately? But didn’t God create our minds; conscious and subconscious? Does God (or the devil) use our dreams for or against us, or are they an untouchable little portion of our existence that nobody messes with but ourselves?

I haven’t done any “research” or Googled anything about this. It just makes me stop and think. What do you think? Is the devil in our dreams?

A Slice of Humble Pie

I was stopped dead in my tracks the other day. I had been contemplating a huge decision in my life for weeks, and more specifically the days surrounding this big decision. I had created the “pros and cons” list of each option (as we are taught to do from a young age), had talked it through with several people to gain different perspectives and insight, prayed about it continuously, and most certainly over-analyzed the situation. But you really can’t fault me for doing all of this. It was a life-changing decision after all.

And then as I was cruising along minding my own business and thinking that I’ve done everything humanly possible to come to the right decision, the arms of the railroad crossing came slamming down and stopped me dead in my tracks. No joke.

I had done everything humanly possible to make this decision. But I needed to forget the human element and listen to God. “Ok God, you’ve got my attention. What’s up?”

He served me a slice of humble pie, and I didn’t even know I was hungry. You see, I’m a smart woman, I’m well-educated, I have a good job, I’ve done well for myself, and I count the people in my life as absolute treasures. But I didn’t get to this place on my own. I am blessed, and I know that. And I know that He has showered me with these blessings.

As I’m thinking about all of these things, and the impending decision to be made, my slice of humble pie looked something like this:

“Lisa, you might own a house, you might own a car, you might have a good salary, you might have the ability to travel the world, and you might be able to indulge that shoe habit of yours (and the necessary pedicures to show off the toes!), but in the end, none of those things matter. No matter what you are doing, no matter where you are going, no matter what opportunities are afforded you, you are to glorify Me. And if you glorify Me, then none of that other stuff matters. In all things, first glorify Me.”

Ok, so I’m now eating my slice of humble pie. And believe it or not, it’s quite tasty. And guess what? That huge decision that I needed to make? It became a lot less stressful, a lot less important, a lot less life-changing. Sure, it means that my life will look different day-to-day. I’ll have new opportunities and I’ll meet new people in my life. But one thing won’t change: God’s faithfulness to me, and my faithfulness to Him.

I’ve been thinking a lot about humility lately. In my profession, I’m surrounded by a lot of people who make a lot of money. Most of them drive fancy cars, have fancy houses, dress in fancy clothes, and my personal observation is that most of them derive a lot of their self worth from those things and that status. I’ve always aimed to NOT become one of those people. I don’t talk about my salary with anyone and I don’t discuss bonuses. I keep those things to myself. I live modestly (albeit with a few indulgences). It’s nobody else’s business, and it does not define who I am. It does not make me better, or worse, than the person beside me.

The Bible talks a lot about humility, about being humble before God. It’s a nice reminder of how we are supposed to live our lives (all NIV):

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. – 1 Peter 5:5-6

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way. – Psalm 25:9

Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up. – James 4:10

And I don’t want to restrict this slice of humble pie to this big decision that I have made. It applies in so many aspects of my life, and in yours. It’s so easy to get caught up in the things in life that we deal with on a continual basis – material things, petty things. The types of things that we look back on years later once we’ve “grown up” and become wiser, and wonder what the heck we were thinking.

When I really take a step back and look at my life, I am truly humbled. I will continue to first glorify my God, and then I know that everything else will fall into place. Maybe not how I imagined, but it’ll be there. Right where it was meant to me. And I’ll be in a better place in my life, and on occasion, God will likely serve me up another slice of humble pie as a friendly reminder. And I’ll happily gobble up every last morsel.

Love Never Fails

If you ask twenty people what love means to them, you’ll likely get twenty different answers. I think it’s circumstantial. A person’s definition of love depends on where they are and what’s going on around them.

The other day I was driving to get my Sonic Happy Hour drink fix, and pulled up to a stop light. A homeless man was standing at the corner with a cardboard sign asking for something. I then notice him run over to a car, and an arm reaches out and gives him a cold bottle of water. It’s Houston, in May - that’s love. That person did not know the homeless man, likely didn’t even plan on giving that bottle of water away, but felt that he needed it more than they did.

I’ve been thinking a lot about love lately. How I’m not very good at all aspects of love. I love my parents. I love my sister. I love my fat cat. I love my friends. I love my long legs. I love shoes. I love traveling. I love clean sheets. I love Sonic Happy Hour. I love dark chocolate. I love Jesus.

But those are the easy things to love. Those are things that I enjoy.

What about strangers? Or people who wrong me? Or friends who just need a little extra?

But what IS love? Is love an action? Is love a thing? Is love a feeling? Is love a choice? I believe that love IS an action, and love IS a thing, and love IS a feeling, and that sometimes we choose love, and sometimes it chooses us. But I also believe that love never fails. No matter which of the above it is.

Love is powerful. Love is subdued.
Love is conditional. Love is unconditional.
Love is intense. Love is easy going.
Love is selfish. Love is selfless.
Love is true.
Love is compassionate.
To love is rewarding. To love is amazing. To love is to sacrifice. To love is a command; God’s command.

Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another – John 13:34

Love the Lord your God with all heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself – Matthew 22:37-39

For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another – 1 John 3:11

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us – 1 John 4:7-12

So what is the point of referencing all of this scripture? My point is simply this: God designed us to love. And we must love those whom we are not comfortable loving. We must love those whom we dislike. We must love those who we think are not deserving of love. They actually need it the most. We must do all of this because this is what we are called to do. And when we pour out that love, it transforms us.

There are people I don’t particularly like in this world. And I’m certain that I’m not the only person who doesn’t like somebody else. And some of these people have not actually done anything to wrong me. I just don’t like them.

There are people I encounter in this world whom I don’t know, but I may pass up the opportunity to love on them. Like the homeless man on the street the other day. Would I have taken the opportunity to give him a bottle of water like that other person did? I can’t save the world, I know that, but can I show some of these people a little love?

And there are other things that I do, bad habits that I have, that don’t exhibit love. I find it very easy to judge people. Judging is not loving. And who am I to judge anyway?

There is a song by Brandon Heath called Love Never Fails that goes something like this:

Love is not proud

Love does not boast

Love after all

Matters the most

Love does not run

Love does not hide

Loves does not keep

Locked inside

Love is the river that flows through

Love never fails you

Love will sustain

Love will provide

Love will not cease

At the end of time

Love will protect

Love always hopes

Love still believes

When you don’t

Love is the arms that are holding you

Love never fails you

When my heart won’t make a sound

When I can’t turn back around

When the sky is falling down

Nothing is greater than this

Greater than this

Love is right here

Love is alive

Love is the way

The truth the life

Love is the river than flows through

Love is the arms that are holding you

Love is the place you will fly to

Love never fails you

These are powerful words that express so much about love. So where does that leave us? We are called to love. It’s good for our hearts, and our minds, and our souls. It means something different to everyone, and is shown in innumerable ways, but in the end, we are to love. We are loved with a perfect love that is beyond our comprehension. The least we can do is pour out some love on others. We do this to show the world that we are children of God. It’s one little piece of Him that can shine through us.

Whatever you do, wherever you go, I challenge you to love someone today. Love never fails.

To-Do List

I’m a to-do list girl. I don’t operate at my peak performance without a to-do list. Part of it is the fact that I need a reminder of what all I need to get done. But admittedly, more of it is the pure joy and satisfaction that I feel when I get to cross something off of that list. Absolute bliss I tell you.

This applies both at work and at home. Every item on my to-do list is not an extensive task that requires the 17 years of education that I have. Some of them at home are things like: “do the laundry” or “go to the grocery store”. At work it might be: “set up a meeting with so-and-so” or “complete timesheet and expenses”. I have to include these mindless things with those that are “real” and require either a lot of thought and effort or a huge investment in time, just so that I can feel that I am accomplishing something during the day.

I remember attending a training that I attended a few years back about time management, and it mentioned that to-do lists are great for those people who actually use them effectively. For example, if you require yourself to do them in order, or always do the tough things first, they might not be as effective in helping you accomplish things. This is because you don’t always feel like you’re making progress, and generally the people who operate with a to-do list do so because of the sense of accomplishment that they feel when something is completed and they get to cross it off the list.

This makes sense to me. If something is a minor task that will take you only 2 minutes, go ahead and do it; regardless of where it is on the list or even if it’s not the most important task on the list. That way you can cross it off, get rid of it, feel accomplished, and move on. If you tackle the 2 day task first, then you may feel like you didn’t get as much accomplished in an 8 hour day because you didn’t get to cross anything off.

(Side note: I am that girl who will add something to the bottom of the to-do list that I have already done, just so I can cross it off!)

Anyway, where am I going with this…..oh yeah, did you realize that God has a to-do list for us to follow? Well, it’s kind of a “to-do” list and kind of a “not-to-do” list. But it’s a list nevertheless. Now I will caveat this by saying that this is not your typical list. This is not a list where we can cross things off and be done with them. This is a list that we need to start over with at the beginning of each and every day. After all, His mercies are new every morning, so why should the list of tasks from God go away?

Ephesians 4:25 – 5:4 has been reworded a little here, and I pulled some from the NIV version and some from The Message version, but overall, here is our “to-do” list from God:

· Speak truthfully (don’t lie)
· Don’t seek revenge
· Don’t go to bed angry (It’s ok to be angry, we just need to resolve it)
· Don’t steal
· Don’t use foul and dirty language
· Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger
· Be kind and compassionate
· Forgive each other
· Imitate God
· Don’t be sexually immoral
· Don’t be greedy
· Don’t use obscenities or coarse joking
· Love extravagantly

So does that “to-do” list seem doable? Do you see what I mean about how we can’t check things off and never deal with them again; rather, we must have this as our list EVERY SINGLE DAY? The good news is, it’s always right there for us in the Bible in case we forget.

This list is made up of things that we have the responsibility to consider as we make decisions moment to moment, opportunity to opportunity. Not just one time tasks.

A few years ago, I joined Weight Watchers to lose those pounds that had packed on over several years while enjoying the food and drink in Australia a little (or a lot!) too much. One of the most important lessons I learned was that every decision matters. Just because I ate a horrible breakfast didn’t mean that I should just write off the rest of the day or the entire weekend and say “I’ll start over again tomorrow or on Monday”. It meant that I needed to get my butt to yoga or for a jog around the park AND be very careful with what I ate for the next 24 hours.

I think this works the same way with God’s to-do list for us. Without a doubt, there are times when each one of us will fail to do something on this list or do something that we aren’t supposed to. When I harbor feelings of anger or resentment towards someone, that doesn’t mean that I should continue doing it just because I have been for weeks. It means that I should find a way to deal with it and move on. And when I get caught up in a topic of conversation that is not appropriate, it doesn’t mean that I have to stay in it. I can change the subject or walk away.

I think that God must appreciate when we, as His children, recognize when we are doing something wrong, and we make the conscious decision to change it. I can almost see Him looking down upon us with a smile and saying, “Finally. She gets it. I am so proud of her for making the effort.” He will love us with His perfect love regardless of whether or not we make mistakes, but He will just well up with pride when we are trying.

Likewise, when I am kind and compassionate to someone, I don’t just check that off the list and consider it done. I keep it on there as a “to-do” item so that I can be kind and compassionate to the next person too. And I am called to love extravagantly at all times! I love that – love extravagantly. Doesn’t that sound like it’s a privilege to be able to do that?

I may need a little time to be able to effectively use God’s to-do list. I think I have a long way to go before I can consider some of the things on this list temporarily complete. But I like having it there as a reminder of the things that I need to get done, along with my grocery shopping and laundry. I need to make these decisions on a regular basis. I’m a to-do list girl, and God’s to-do list will be with me every single day.

Straight From The Heart

I’m 33 years old. I know in my description of myself on the left side of my blog, I say that I’m thirty-something, but I’m putting it out there – I’m 33 years old. Just barely 33, but 33 nevertheless. I’m single. I am reminded of that every single day. Most people around me are happily married, engaged, or dating, and are parents, aunts, uncles, and all kinds of things. I met someone the other day whose mother had six kids by the age of 33.

I am nothing more than a daughter, a sister, and a friend. And I’ll be brutally honest here, and I’ll tell you straight from the heart, it bothers me. It bothers me that my parents are not grandparents, and my sister is not an aunt. I’m not a wife, a sister-in-law, or a daughter-in-law. I want to be more than just a daughter and a sister. And I know that there are many other people (particularly women) in the same shoes at me. We thought we'd be married by now. We thought we'd be parents by now. We thought we'd have the life that we had always dreamt of as a little girl by now.

I have a lot to offer people! I’m a great honorary auntie to many of my kids’ friends. And I love them as if they were my real nieces and nephews. I love being a friend, and that‘s an honor that I wear proudly, and I’m blessed with so many special people in my life. And I love those people. They are my world.

But I wish there was someone else to share my life with as well. Someone to call first automatically when something exciting happens, or when something sad happens, or when I just want to talk to someone. Someone who I always have to do things with, not have to hope that one of my friends (most of whom are married by the way) just happens to be available and willing to do something with me.

(Side note: I LOVE my friends’ husbands, and they are just as special to me in their own way as my friends are to me).


I don’t want someone to complete me, but someone to make me even greater than the whole person that I already am. Someone that makes me a better person and joins me in my relationship with my Father.

So I think about all of this. Every. Single. Day. It weighs on my heart and on my mind. I try not to think about it, but that makes me think about it even more. Some days are “good days”, when I talk to God and tell Him that I’m okay being single for the rest of my life, because it’s starting to look like that’s His plan for me. And I just ask Him for peace about whatever His will is for me (and I’m going to need a lot of peace if someone tells me that I’m not going to be a wife or a mother).


And then there are the bad days. When I can feel my ovaries shriveling up. And I look at every single man walking on the street as a prospective husband.


And I honestly wish people would stop telling me “Lisa, you’re not old. You have plenty of time and you’ll find someone and settle down, get married, and have kids”. Really? How do they know that? Do I really have plenty of time? Is there really someone out there for me? The people who tell me that, for the most part, are already married. It’s easy for them to say that, but they really have no basis for saying it do they? But I love them for it. I love that they just want to make me feel better. I love that they are optimistic for me.

I was at Sunday School a few weeks ago and I walked into a class that I had never been to before, and knew only the two people that I was visiting with. And what was the lesson for the day? Marriage. Finding a partner for marriage. Why you shouldn’t settle for a partner. How nobody can fill a void in your life other than the Father and His son. And why we shouldn’t look for someone else to do that. WOW! I mean, it’s not like I didn’t really know any of this, but I can tell that God was working that day. He was working just for me. And He was working in me.

But I’ll tell you what I remember most vividly form that morning’s lesson. Something that I haven’t been thinking this entire time. What I think might just be the golden ticket for me and give me hope.

We will never be ready for a relationship with someone else until we have the right relationship with God.


I’ll say it again:

We will never be ready for a relationship with someone else until we have the right relationship with God.


Can I just say that a wave of relief came over me when I heard that. Why? Because I wholeheartedly believe that it’s true! And I know that I’m currently working on my relationship with God, and getting closer to where it needs to be. And this made me realize that I don’t need to even worry about meeting someone or developing a relationship with someone until I’m right with my God. I need to not think about it until He is the focus of my life, not whether or not I’m going to be single forever. And I have a feeling ,that when I’m right with my God, when I have the relationship that I need and that He wants me to have, that I won’t care if I’m single or married, or a mother or an aunt. All I will care about is that I’m right with my Father. And when I’m there, nothing else will matter and I truly believe that I’ll be a content woman, no matter where my life leads me.

Who am I to question God's timing?

So, I sit here now, feeling hope and feeling excitement about what my future holds. I will not allow myself to despair over being just a daughter, a sister, and a friend. I am proud to be all of those things. And for now, that will be good enough for me. And when the time comes, when I’m ready to meet that special person, God willing, then I will jump into it with open arms and an open heart, and it will be right.

Taking The Stand

The book that I am reading right now has small little assignments on occasion. Things called “Take Aways”. The first Take Away in this book was to “write your story”. There were really no other instructions other than that. My story? My story of what? Why I want to read this book? A description of my life today? Then it hit me. The author wanted me to write about my life story as a Christian. How it happened and what it means to me. He said that if we have never written out our story, that we would be amazed at the impact that it would have on us. He said “something special occurs when we write out our thoughts and experiences”.

I knew right away that I was not going to actually write my story, but type it. And then I thought, why not just turn my story into a blog? I’ll tell you, I was hesitant. There are things in here that many people who are reading this don’t know about me. It’s me opening up and being vulnerable. Some of those close to me know this story, or slight variations of it. Others who are close to me have never heard this story. But here it is. I am taking the stand. Giving my testimony.

I grew up in a loving home. I had two fantastic, loving ,supportive parents and a sister whom I generally got along with, aside from the normal sisterly spats that any sisters experience growing up. I had everything that I needed and we were able to go on family vacations on a regular basis, but we weren’t what one would consider an affluent family. As children, my sister and I were able to participate in whatever sport we wanted, we were both involved in the band from a young age, and our parents encouraged us to get involved in things. I’m glad they did.

What I don’t remember very well from my childhood is ever really learning about God. I do remember being dropped off at Sunday School with my sister, but never really going to “big church” since my parents didn’t regularly attend. I knew there was a God and I believed in Him, but I wasn’t ever taught (or perhaps I just didn’t pay attention in Sunday School) about really having a relationship with Him and what it meant to be a Christian.

I grew up, as most non-believers probably do, thinking that being a good person would get me into heaven. And I considered myself a good person. I mean, I was nice to my parents, I got along with my sister, I had some great friends, I was generally a likeable person, I had no real enemies, I wasn’t mean to people, I didn’t drink or smoke while I was growing up, I never really got into trouble – I was the average good kid. I graduated high school still not really knowing much about God and happily living out my life as a “good person”.

Then I attended Baylor University, which is a private Baptist university. To this day, I still don’t understand why I really ended up there. I knew I wanted to be in Texas, and it was sort of process of elimination that I needed up there. It was small enough for me to not feel like I was just a number and large enough that it still felt like a proper college. I won’t get into some of the interesting aspects of that school when it comes to religion, but suffice it to say that I was exposed to a lot more about what it meant to be a Christian and lived with a group of Christian gals, even went to Bible studies and the occasional church service with them. But, I was content being a “good person”, still not understanding what it really meant to be a believer.

I graduated college, started work, and moved to Houston where my parents had moved while my sister and I were in college. Now all four of us were in Houston after living for 17 years in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We were happily transplanted into the fourth largest city in the country, and Houston was a great place to start my career.

Concurrently with all of this happening, I married and settled down in the heart of Houston. To make a long and somewhat painful story quite short, it was an unhealthy marriage from the start. I don’t know what it was (ok, I really do know what it was – but I’ll spare everyone the gory details), but I do know that neither of us were Christians. And I’ll tell you, someone can believe that there is a God, even go to church, and still not be a Christian.

I know every religion has it’s variations on this basic concept, but generally speaking, someone has to acknowledge that Jesus Christ died on the cross for them and their sins – that God sacrificed His Son for them, then brought Him back from the dead. And the acceptance of that, and the prayer made during that acceptance, and the belief coming from the depths of your heart and your soul – that acknowledgment, and that acknowledgment alone, makes you a Christian. Makes you a believer. Saves you from a life in hell. Provides you with the promise of everlasting life in the kingdom of heaven.

So, needless to say, after my divorce, my life was in a bit of turmoil. I was re-settling in the same city that I had been living and (happily) adjusting to single life. But the circumstances of what happened in my marriage were still weighing on my mind and on my heart. Knowing what had happened, and feeling somehow guilty for that, kept me a prisoner.

Not long before this, probably about a year, my sister had started going to church at Second Baptist in Houston. Second Baptist is what most would consider a “mega church”, and mega it is. She grew up in the same home as me, but clearly had a different journey since we went to different universities, had different friends, and chose vastly different careers. But she became a Christian, and I saw a change in her. And that made me curious.

As mentioned above, after the divorce I was a happier person, but still struggled with why certain things had to happen in life, why they had to happen to me, and certainly struggled with the label of “divorced” that I would have with me for the rest of my life. Now when I was filling out forms, I couldn’t check the “single – never been married” box.

Now I know that a majority of marriages today end in divorce, but trust me, when it’s YOU going through it, statistics don’t matter. Nobody wants that. It’s failure. And the general nature of humans is that we don’t like to fail when it’s a conscious choice that we made.

So I really began thinking about God. I had always believed that things happened for a reason, and I struggled with this one. I remember trying to make sense of it all, then having the realization that maybe it was never under my control. Through talking with my sister, I realized that I didn’t have to go through this alone. That God was always there for me and that I didn’t have to make decisions without some sort of help or guidance. I remember thinking to myself, “How did I ever make a big decision before in my life? How did I bear the stress of having to do that on my own? How have I not realized up until now that I can pray about these things, and that God will give me answers and help me get through anything that life puts me through?” It was such an important revelation for me. The belief that everything that happens in my life does in fact have a reason, even if I don’t understand it at the time.

If you read Luke 8:22-25, it serves as a reminder that Jesus is in control of everything, we just need to have faith that He will take care of us. And He often puts us through things to test our faith.

I began going to church with my sister at Second Baptist and something started pulling at my heart. I couldn’t wait to get back to church every Sunday. I couldn’t wait to get there and listen to the promise that was spoken to me out of the Bible. Second Baptist is an amazing church for people seeking to know God and wanting to learn more about becoming a Christian. It was just what I needed.

I was so hungry for information about God and to hear people’s experiences. These were real people with real lives and real examples of God working in their lives. They weren’t freaks. They were neighbors, friends, co-workers, parents – everyone you could imagine. They were normal, everyday Americans and foreigners who all had one thing in common – they believed in God and in Jesus Christ, and they had independently made that choice using the freedom that we are given in America to do so. I wanted it so badly! But I still didn’t feel like I was “qualified” enough to make that decision. I needed to know a bit more.

The way it works at Second, and likely most, if not all Baptist churches, is that an invitation is given at the end of each service – an invitation for people to join the church from other churches, or to accept Jesus Christ in your life for the first time and become a member of the church. So I would sit there each service with my sister, knowing deep down that I wanted to do it, but not feeling quite ready yet. I would watch people walk down the aisles of this massive worship center week after week and stand in front of everyone there as evidence of their decision. It was a powerful moment during each service.

And then one Sunday (March 17, 2002 to be exact), I could contain it no longer. During that service, something stirred in me and I could hardly wait to walk down those aisles. When the invitation came, I looked at my sister with tears in my eyes and said that I was ready to walk down those aisles. She went with me, and on that day, I prayed the prayer that has saved me. I accepted Jesus Christ into my life and into my heart, and became a brand new person. That was my Christian birthday! I was baptized the following Sunday with my parents, sister, best friend, and others in town to witness it. And it has been the best decision that I have ever made in my life.

So friends, I speak this testimony to you for no other reason than I just felt that I needed to do it. I have never been on the witness stand before.

I love my God more each and every day and am in constant awe and wonder because of how He works in my life and in the lives of others around me.

There is one thing that I want to leave you with, and that is this: You are not alone in this world. When you go through tough times and you think that your world is crumbling apart, or you’re just confused about the meaning or direction of your life, there is a plan behind all of it. The plan for me was to bring me to Jesus Christ. And it worked! Only believers go to heaven. And I’m so glad that I’m among that group.

Cheerleading Camp

“We’ve got spirit, yes we do! We’ve got spirit, how ‘bout you?”

For anyone who has ever been a cheerleader, or likely anyone who has been to a football game with cheerleaders or a pep squad, those words will sound very familiar to you. I was a cheerleader for two years in junior high, believe it or not. And we went to cheerleading “camps”, which were sometimes just day-long workshops or a weekend camp and competition.

In any event, I remember the one time that I won the Spirit Award. The Spirit Award was given to the person who was full of spirit, lively, loud, enthusiastic, supportive of others etc. Is it any wonder that it was given to me? I don’t think that anyone has ever mistaken me for being quiet and passive. I’ve not won a Spirit Award since, but I remember the encouragement that I felt when I held that “Spirit Stick” (a baton with streamers on both ends) – a recognition of what I thought was just my personality, but I guess my spirit and my enthusiasm were just shining through that day.

But there is another kind of spirit that I’m trying to learn better to embrace – one that should be equally as lively and enthusiastic and that should make me shine.

I don’t know about you, but I always talk about God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ. How God sent His Son to die for our sins on the cross. But what’s missing here? It is, after all, the Holy Trinity. Trinity is three. God the Father, God the Son, and God……the Holy Spirit.

I often times forget about the Holy Spirit. But words used to describe the Holy Spirit are such things as the Helper, the Counselor, Friend, and Spirit of Truth. The Holy Spirit is with us ALL THE TIME and never leaves us. Did you get that? The Holy Spirit never leaves us! He is our friend, our helper, our counselor. When we pray in the moment, when we ask for calm and peace and guidance and comfort, guess who is there giving all of that to us? Yep, that’s the Holy Spirit.

I think I forget about the Holy Spirit because I pray to God, and get caught up in my “asking for things” or “acknowledging the awesomeness of God” mode, not realizing that the answer for many of the things I pray for is actually the Holy Spirit. That He abides in me (which He does, by the way) and that He guides me when I feel lost or off course. I know I cannot see Him, just like I can’t see God or Jesus, but this is the guy that keeps me company in an immediate need. He is by my side. He is my biggest supporter. And I fear that He goes too often unnoticed in my world.

A book that I’m currently reading called Lord, Help Me Grow Spiritually Strong, simply says this: “All you have to do is call out to Him in prayer, and He will come to your aid anytime, anywhere”.

So friends, please work with me here in remembering and adoring and accepting the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit that is so freely offered up to us. When your earthly friends are too busy, or too far away, and your family is tied up, or you have a problem that you don’t feel like sharing with anyone else, share it with God, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will come running as quickly as you can pray the words, and descend upon you and fill you up with everything that He is.

And one other thing: when you feel filled up with fear, or guilt, or frustration, or anxiety, or worry, or chaos, or anger, or envy – know that the Holy Spirit is there waiting for you to ask Him to fill you up with His spirit and throw all of those other feelings from your mind and your body. Ask the Holy Spirit to take over. Our God is not a God of fear, or guilt, or frustration, or anxiety, or worry, or chaos, or anger, or envy. He is a God of love and truth.

We need to remember this in trying times. I know that’s it’s easier said than done. I can think of several times within the last six months when I have had friends remind me of this. Times when I’ve been full of fear or worry or chaos. And all I can do is bow my head and pray. Ask God to send my loyal companion, the Holy Spirit, my way to get rid of those thoughts and feelings. And remember this:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” – Philippians 4:8

So, whether you realize it or not, we’ve all just attended Cheerleading Camp! And I would like to attend many more in the future. And I will try, with everything in me, to win that Spirit Award, for only the second time in my life. I want to be filled with spirit, have it radiate from me, have it be enthusiastic and contagious. And not just any spirit, but the Holy Spirit.