From the Abundance

Luke 12:48 tells us that to whom much is given much is also required. I just wanted to take a minute to tell myself as well as remind you, that much is required of us.  No matter our titles, positions, accolades, posts, education, training, posture, works, or level of faith, God is requiring more. God blesses us to be a blessing to others.  I don't know about you but I am beyond blessed.  I have the full function of all my limbs, I'm in my right mind, I have everything I need, I''m forgiven, I've been redeemed, I have joy & peace, I feel safe, and I serve a God that truly understands every part of my being.  I know a lot of people get upset or angry with God when bad things happen and say how could such a loving God allow this, or how would a God who heals allow so much pain, etc. If you look at all that Jesus went through to take away our sins, to allow us that gift of healing and eternal life our light suffering is nothing.  Could you imagine the we...

Today I had the most frustrating day I've had in a while.   I went to my "river front office" and tried to take a walk.. that didn't help.  I tried listening to music but that didn't help either.  SO I went to the- grocery store to wander the aisles and find some fruit and icecream... then I did what I love to do when I'm frustrated.. I cooked. I cam home and opened a full out assault on my kitchen.. I grabbed ingredients, pots, knives, a skillet, some broth and as the old folks say.. got the pots stinkin.  As I stood in my kitchen and chopped veggies the tension eased up, (I talk, think and sometimes pretend I have a cooking show), my mind stopped racing and I was able to calm down.  As the veggies went into the skillet, I added my second layer of seasoning, a blackening seasoning I got at the farmer's market, and let them cook for a while.  I tasted and the flavors were not coming through like I wanted them to.  I went back to the spice rack (it ...

I am so excited to have made it to my 100th post!!  I've paused and stopped writing so many times there were days I didn't believe it would come.  So since this is my 100th post I figured I'd just take a moment to keep it 100 and hope to encourage someone in the process. For those who don't know, this place I'm in right  now is completely new for me.  At the leading and directing of the Lord, I packed up everything I own (after giving, donating, and selling a lot) and moved about 12 hours from home.  It might not seem like a big deal to some, but I am a people person so my family and my friends are where I draw energy from.  I spent time with my babies every chance I got, hung out with friends all the time, lived close to my family pretty much my whole life.  So being alone, 12 hours away, and not a familiar face in sight is quite an adjustment for me.  I know  it takes time to meet people and make friends when you move to a new place s...

The past few days I've had a lot of time to reflect and really think about what's been going on in my life and where I am right now.  I thought about Adam and how in Genesis 2:7 God created him from the dust.  When I think about how intricate and complex the human body is and the fact that it was all sculpted out of dust... that's mind blowing!! I think sometimes we don't really think about how amazing and absolutely breathtaking our God really is.  His creativity alone leaves me speechless... So I'm thinking about this dirt and I wondered if God stopped and started over at any time while he was making Adam... just questions I ask when reading and studying. I like to look at the details that are included and the ones that are left out.. You never know what God might reveal. So I thought about that dirt and how it's like us now. Isaiah 64:8 says that we are the clay, He is the potter and we're the work of His hand.  So I began to to think about the pro...

In my final post on mental health I wanted to take some time to explore a topic that's not considered a mental health issue medically but it is quite common.  Don't let the title of this post trick you into thinking I'm posting about unresolved Daddy issues because I'm not.  It's something that we all struggle with at some point in life or another... self-esteem. Whether you're a man, child, woman, or confused about which.. at some point your self esteem will waver.  There will be some days where you feel too fat or too skinny, too tall or too short, not smart enough, not pretty enough, not fine enough, or just plain old not good enough.  We all have those moments, but for some people it's their constant reality.  They feel like they never measure up.  The problem isn't that they're measuring, the problem is who's standard they're using.   If I constantly compare myself to the next person, the media's ideal beauties, the world's sta...

A lamb is often a symbol of innocence and purity.  Precisely why I chose to create the image I did for this post.  If you notice the word UNCOVERED is hiding in the grass.  That too is intentional.  I want to take some time to shed light on a topic that is probably one of the most taboo and hushed of all topics... sexual abuse.  More specifically within families and the church. According to   NSVRC   63% of the assaults are never reported and 8 out of 10 victims knew the person who assaulted them, which is why the enemy needs to be exposed in this area. Even more disturbing is the fact that only 12% of child sexual abuse cases are reported. Historically there's been many scandals involving young boys being molested in the Catholic Church but nobody likes to talk about the wives being raped by their husbands, or husbands being raped by wives.  Nobody mentions the aunts, uncles, family friends, neighbors and parents that creep into little kids'...

As I continue my journey of discussing mental health I wanted to take some time to tackle the big bad wolf that is often in disguise.  A lot of people don't think of depression as a mental health matter because it has become a norm.  That's a lie from the enemy...it is a mental health issue and a big one at that. Depression is the most common of mental health issues probably because it sneaks up so suddenly... Depression can stem from many many things.  Loss, failure, feelings of abandonment, loneliness, a bad day, being overwhelmed, feeling like you haven't accomplished anything, comparing yourself to the world's standards, chemical imbalance, hormones, medication and many other things.  The enemy has slipped it in so subtly that we don't even realize we've been attacked until we're already sinking in feelings of despair.  The sad part about it is that people can walk around and function without even realizing they're depressed.  You don'...

Scientists have often said that there's a fine line between genius and madness.  I absolutely agree!  Not just for scientific reasons but because I truly know how fragile the human mind is.  In honor of Social Work Month I decided to take my next few posts and combine my two passions together to delve into a difficult and often taboo topic, Mental Health.  More and more we see people being diagnosed with this and diagnosed with that or treated for xyz.  Nobody ever stops to examine the connections between the two worlds. First I must say that mental health disorders are spiritual health problems. Period, point blank! You need proof?  Let me give you some from the Bible. In Mark 5:1-20 we have the story of the man in the tombs.. (v1-15) And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelli...

One of my favorite worship songs is Oceans (Where feet my fail).... It's a beautiful song about stepping out beyond where we know our feet can carry us.  If I were to guess I would say that this song was inspired by the story of Peter walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33). The chorus of the song says... Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders Let me walk upon the waters Wherever You would call me Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander And my faith will be made stronger In the presence of my Savior If you stop and think about the faith it would have taken to step out of a boat and actually believe that you could walk on water... I don't know about anybody else but I probably wouldn't have stepped out in the first place.. I'm not a real strong swimmer and I don't even like to go in the 12 ft end of the pool.  So imagine all that Peter must have been wrestling with on the inside... It was late at night, they're on a boat that's b...