Thankful 2016

    I was blessed with the opportunity to spend some quality time my family but more importantly God this week. I would go outside in the mornings, turn on the fireplace and read my devotional, my Bible and pray. I so loved those quiet moments with my God, my Father. He was working on me this week, but that my friends is a post for another time. I wanted to take this moment to share with you what I am thankful for.
     I'm thankful for the air I breath, the gift of life and to live it in the best country in this world. My God has been faithful to me and has never left me.
       As I sit here writing I'm thinking of the valleys I have walked through, and I'm thankful I was never alone. I think of getting past the storm and finally seeing a rainbow. As I write this it hits me how important it is to not forget the valleys, we must remember them as well as the mountain tops, for then and only then can we truly see how loved and blessed we are. God will carry you, push you and calm the waves to get you through the dark times.
     I'm thankful for my family. 
       God blessed me with a wonderful Christian husband, who shows God's love to me and our kids. I'm thankful to have a man who puts up with me on my worst days, holds my hand on the days I feel defeated, and celebrates with me on my best days. God has blessed me, us, with two amazing kids. They teach me something new daily, but my continued lesson from them is how important the little things are in this life. On the days that I'm not sure I'm doing a good job being a mom they seem to instinctively know I need a hug and an I love you, which makes my insecurities dissipate for a few minutes.
    I'm thankful for my job.
       God blessed me with a job that I love. I am allowed and have the privilege of making an impact on my students, the future of this country. When I see the light bulb come on, or a student wants to teach others what they have learned I smile with pride. The hugs from ex students are always a welcomed reminder that I did something right. In my profession, you do not always know if you are truly making a difference so the little things like a "Hi, Mrs. Hardy", in public is a nice reminder of the difference I'm making. God blessed me with a great group of coworkers. Many of whom I already called friend, but I have added several more to that list. They make going to work fun.
   I'm thankful for my church.
      God is doing something mighty at my church right now, and if you don't have a church home and live in the Tyler area I would highly recommend coming to check us out on Sunday. God has filled the church with loving, caring, sinners who love to show God's love to others. The leaders push me to dive deeper in my faith and walk with God. They give me opportunities to not only grow in God but to show God's love in our community and throughout the world. God blessed me with an opportunity to go on a mission trip this past summer and my life was changed as I showed God's love to others. Our Pastor speaks the truth every Sunday, even though at times I wish he would get off my toes, I'm so thankful that he is not afraid to say what needs to be said, and will allow God to use him. Our worship leader is there to glorify God's name in song and allows the Spirit to move. God is using this guy in a mighty way to open hearts to allow the word to penetrate their hearts. Our Youth pastor is dedicated to the youth, he is everywhere supporting the youth of our church. The fire that has been lit in the youth is amazing to witness. Our Children's director puts her heart and her all into the young children of the church. She fosters a love for God in these kids and makes it a place that they all want to come back to. Yes, my church is a great place to be. Join me Sunday if you want to see for yourself. I promise you will not be disappointed.
   I'm thankful for my savior, Jesus Christ.
     Without my savior I would be nothing. I have hope when all is wrong because of the death he died for me. Lord, thank you for your son and all my blessings that I overlook daily.

Be sure to stop and enjoy the little things in life, for those truly are the treasures that will shine for a life time. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and if you are a continued reader of my writings, thank you. May God bless you and yours this holiday season. What are you thankful for? Have you counted your blessings? Until next time, remember : “The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His instructions are trustworthy.” (Psalm 111:7)

       
   

God speaks....LISTEN

Last Sunday I had the following question running through my mind: What is God doing?

Have you ever witnessed God working in someone's life? Have you witnessed it first hand? That is exactly what happened to me this past week and more specifically Sunday. Please allow me to share:
   

Before I do let me give you some advice, when God tells you to do something do it. 

I had a friend reach out to me recently and I begged God to guide me through this process and as time passed I knew He was using me to speak to her. Saturday night I asked her to attend church with me and she said no. I will admit I was a little hurt, because I was only asking for her good not mine. A little while later I asked again and again she said no. This time I was a little frustrated, because I knew God was wanting her to attend church with me. We continued to talk and before we finished our conversation I was completely overwhelmed with a sense of urgency. Instead of asking her to attend church with me, which I made very clear I just wanted her to visit she did not have to join I asked her to please watch our church service live on Facebook. I let her know that I felt like there was something she was supposed to get from our church service and she agreed to watch. I was relieved, curious and excited to see what God could possibly have in store for her. I woke up Sunday morning pumped and eager to get to church, I sang out in the choir and was shocked by the energy I had. It was as if something came over me, I believe it was the Holy Spirit, He knew the importance of this service and I could feel it. As I sang I prayed that my friend was really watching and that God would speak to her. The worship part of the service was over and I wasn't ready to sit down, I wanted to run a few laps around the church, but that would have received some unwanted attention so I forced myself to sit down. The first thing I did was make sure I sent her a link so she could watch. Her response- "I'm watching, I needed to hear Oceans", made me smile from ear to ear. This was only the beginning of a day full of God orchestrating a service full of purpose. As my Pastor began his sermon he let the congregation know that he felt led to change the direction of the sermon and start the series differently. My heart skipped a beat as he stated what the sermon was going to be about and I let out a cry but quickly gained control of my tears. I sat in awe of what God had done and prayed that my friend was still listening and would listen all the way to the end of the service. The service ended and she let me know just how much the song, Oceans touched her and the words spoken was what she needed to hear. Story over...NOT...ready for this....
 Later that afternoon at the worship teams CD listening party I shared with the group about pleading with my friend to watch the service. I told them that she did watch us "live" and how the song Oceans spoke to her as well as the sermon. I felt led to share so they would be encouraged to keep doing what they were doing, because God is moving at Central right now. What I didn't realize was God wanted me to hear the other side of the story. One of the lead singers spoke up and told her story of God putting a song on her heart for the service, the song...Oceans. She asked the music pastor a week before if we could sing the song that Sunday. Practice that morning for Oceans was rough, so after practice she prayed about it and just knew someone was supposed to hear that song and wanted to sing it without any problems. The song was perfect for the service and no one would have known there was an issue during practice. My mind was blown! As Nick and I drove home I sat quietly replaying the events of the day in my head. What was God doing?
God put it on my heart to have this friend listen to the service, but a week earlier He put a song on someone's heart and had my Pastor change his sermon all for this person. Let that sink in for a moment....God knew what this friend needed to hear and was working on her behalf long before I even knew I would have the conversation about her watching my church service. I am so thankful for those who listen to God's nudges and do what he tells them to do.
   The next time you feel God nudging you to do something, no matter how small the nudge, do it. Please do not hesitate because you never know what is really happening, what God is really trying to do with that nudge. It was mind boggling to see and hear the different pieces that God fit together to reach my friend. I in turn shared with her the story about Oceans, I so wanted her to see how much God loves her. The cool thing about this is he loves you that much too. He will do all that he can to help you, to reach you for you are greatly loved by the Father. What a mighty God we serve! Until next time, remember : “The works of His hands are truth and justice; all His instructions are trustworthy.” (Psalm 111:7)