a new way for me to worship

Maybe that will be me someday? I found a new way to worship this week! When I was up north, my sister-in-law and I had some fun with Yoga, so I decided to take a class when I got home. My first class was Tuesday night and I was disappointed at the level of difficulty compared to what my S-I-L put me through. That was, until the next morning when I couldn't move! I think I used some muscles I never knew I had. I took my second class tonight.

I realized during the "practice" there were a lot of words I had never heard of and I could tell everyone else in the class was familiar with them. I felt like an outsider. I couldn't understand what they were saying. I made it my mission to follow their every move.
These were some of what they were saying... "Adho Mukha Svanasana" (Downward Facing Dog), "Bhujangasana" (cobra), "Savasana "(corpse), just to name a few. We did the "corpse" at the end. The instructor (I think that's what they are called) told us that it's the most difficult "pose" for a lot of people because there is nothing to "do" during the pose. Apparently the aim of this pose is to keep our body lying totally motionless while being aware of the experience of our whole mind and body.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

I'm not sure if I did the "practice" the right way. I found myself distracted a lot of the time. When I felt like a foreigner, it made me wonder if people understand the words Christians say ("salvation, born-again, saved, called, personal savior"... to name a few)? Do they get it? Do they feel like an outsider? Are we inviting them to come along side of us and learn that He is the Only One to follow?


I think I'm going to enjoy this new way of worship. I pray, we as Christians can be aware of the people we meet along the way and realize they may not understand us. Let's be people who seek to keep Him simple and make everyone feel welcome to join us on our "journey"!

I'm so Thankful this Thursday for a new way to worship!
Much love,
Angie xoxo

Cover to Cover...delight

I hope everyone had a great weekend. It was beautiful here in Michigan! I wish I could bottle up weekends like these and bring them out in February. It was perfect!

It's time to share my thoughts about what has been lingering from our Cover to Cover readings of the Bible this week.

Jeremiah 17:10

"I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."

Again, I am reminded and encouraged that God looks past my outward appearance, and cares more about my heart. I wanted to share a funny thing that happened today. I did a 5K run/walk this morning with my friends in honor of my daughter's friend who recently passed away from cancer. When we crossed the finish line they gave everyone a medal. Everyone loves a medal and I don't care how old we are. There is something special about it. Anyway... right after this picture was taken we went for coffee and I took it off and put it on the passenger's seat next to me. About half an hour later I went to the car wash and sucked up the medal in the vacuum cleaner! Easy come, easy go! I had to laugh. God has such a good sense of humor. We don't get our rewards here, sisters!

Zephaniah 3:17

The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

There is something about this verse that just makes me feel Peace in my life! I love how He will "quiet" me with His Love.

There was a lot to read this week and I know I don't always add a lot, but I just take little nuggets at a time and am so Blessed by His Word. I hope your week goes well and you let Him quiet you with His love! He takes great delight in YOU!

He is Mighty to save...
With His Love,
Angie xoxo

Thankful Thursday... Andi

Good Morning!

It's Thursday and I'm out the door to go for a quick run before I go to work, but I just had to stop and tell you what I am Thankful for today...

I am thankful for my newest blog friend, Andi. She was so sweet to give me an award that I haven't had the chance to pass on. I was just thinking about the first award I received and how special I thought it was that someone thought highly enough about anything I might have to say that they would acknowledge it. This blog is so much fun. I was thinking about how I met Andi. It's all about clicking and reading inspiring words from women all over the world. Wow! I met Andi through Tonja who I met through Kat (who are all such awesome women I must add) who I met by clicking. I just don't know. This blog community is what I am most thankful for today! Thanks, Andi for making me feel special! I'll be back to pass on this award when I get a minute. For now, I seriously would like to pass it on to everyone I've met on here! You are all so brilliant!

I better get running so have a great day and find something to be grateful for today!
Love,
Angie xoxo

p.s. I am also excited I get to see Joyce Meyer tonight! I've never seen her in person before!

p.p.s. How do you like my new look? My friend, Annette (another friend I met on the blog) helped me figure this out. It was a little scary since we almost lost everything, but were able to retrieve it... YAY! Thanks, Annette for all of your help!

Day by Day

Day by day, O dear Lord, three things I pray:
to see thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly,
follow thee more nearly,
day by day, by day, by day.

Today I am grateful for this song from Godspell. It repeats the words of a prayer by Saint Richard of Chichester, who died in 1255. Let this song linger in our hearts today...

Oh, and don't forget to read my post from yesterday. I don't want to rush past it or take it lightly! I love you guys!

I'm praying for you!
Love,
Angie xoxo

(This came from "Living Prayer" by Maxie Dunnam)

I admire each one of you...

This is my niece Ally & her "Mackie" dog.

Thank you so much for sharing the Joy with me in regards to my mother's Baptism this past weekend. I wish I could have taped our conversation as she spoke through tears of the Joy in her heart. They were good tears this time! God is totally responsible for what He has done in my mother's life. She is a changed woman. He answered our prayers. If I can encourage you to keep praying for that person in your life who needs your prayers... DON'T STOP! Keep praying until He tells you otherwise. It may take Y-E-A-R-S! Mom now understands why she did not die a few years back when she was in a coma for 2-1/2 weeks following her triple-bypass surgery. Now she is sure she was not ready for God. Amazing. She apologized to me for not doing it when we were young.

I knew God was working on her heart when she told me her plans to go on the Mission Trip to Honduras. Unfortunately, she is unable to go. She had to have surgery on her hand and won't be recovered enough by August. Maybe next year! She is still in a lot of pain with it and would appreciate prayers for healing.

YOU guys were amazing. (I wish I had a stronger word.) I asked for support and you all IMMEDIATELY jumped at the opportunity to give financially and spiritually! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I put it out there and you all stepped up and sent checks to a stranger with no questions asked. God used you to show me His Grace. I admire you more than you will ever know. (You should be getting your check back in the mail any day)!

I want to make sure I give God ALL of the credit. It's easy to get prideful when God answers prayer. Again, I pray God convicts me of that quickly.

Speaking of God's Glory, let me tell you about my niece, Allyson. She has been on numerous Mission Trips and works at camps every Summer. I don't tell her often enough how proud I am of her!

Ally, I am so proud of the woman you are becoming. You inspire me and your cousins! Thank you for your obedience. Thank you also for allowing me to always sleep in your room when I come to Wisconsin. I love looking at all of the wonderful pictures you have displayed throughout your room of you and your many friends. I'm glad you took the one with my big arms down. Hehe! I need my blog friends to know how many Bibles you have in your room. I think last time I counted you had at least 5! I could lay in your bed forever reading all of the Scripture verses you have taped up. I wish I would have known Jesus when I was your age! It's so much fun watching you grow up! It seems like yesterday when you were two and I bought you "Mackie" in Chicago. You took him wherever you went. Your mom told me you still take him on all of your Mission Trips (around the world) and to camp every Summer. Thanks for making me smile! I love how you did a post about your last trip on your mom's blog yesterday!

Much love,
Aunt Annie & Angie xoxo

Cover to Cover...comfort AND A BAPTISM!

I was so Blessed by this week's readings of the Bible Cover to Cover chronologically.
Here are some of the verses that have been lingering...


Isaiah 40
1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

A lot of days I read our daily readings online. Today God wanted me to read my own Bible. He gave me the sweetest gift. As I looked up Isaiah Chapter 40 I saw some notes I had written back in 2005. Actually, it was exactly 2 weeks before my dad left to go home to be with Jesus. I dated it 1-18-05. I was in North Carolina to be with him in those last days. I remember telling he and my mom about my first Beth Moore study, "Believing God". Girls, this book (God's Word) gives me so much hope and comfort. If you are not reading His word, I beg you to give Him a chance and He will give you hope. He understands that life is hard. I must have found such comfort in those words a few years ago when I was weary. I remember the feeling of Peace I had during that time. I want to share Him with everyone in my life! I know so many who are hurting and need a Savior.

When I am confused and don't know what to do, I know I have a God who will show me the way. I am so grateful...

Isaiah 48
17 This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.

Some days He just plain hits me more than others. Today is one of those days when I feel Blessed more than ever! If you want to join us, please e-mail me and I can show you how easy it is to read. He is worthy of our Praise.



More than Blessed,
Angie xoxo

P.S. WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS MY MOTHER (Honeybear) JUST CALLED TO TELL ME SHE WAS BAPTIZED TODAY!! GOD IS SO GOOD! I AM IN AWE. I AM AMAZED...

just as I am

I have some concerns that are weighing heavily on my heart tonight. I know God can be trusted to take care of everything. He has everything under control. To be honest, I am a little worried about my son while he is out of the country this weekend. He is studying abroad in England and went to Spain with some of his new friends. He doesn't speak any Spanish and has to get to the airport alone in the middle of the night. As a mother I tend to worry a lot, so...

Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


I am so grateful for this blog and for all of you precious women who pray with me!
God is so much bigger than any of my concerns. He is my Only Hope. He will take care of my son.

Thank you for loving me... Just as I am.
When I am afraid I must trust God.

Love,
Angie xoxo




***SUNDAY UPDATE: I just got off the phone with my son. He made it back to Cambridge University safe and sound. Praise God for putting just the right people in his path. The language barrier was quite a challenge. He said it was beautiful and met some very nice people. Our Lord proved it again, friends. He can be trusted! Whew... I think I need a nap!!

He gives and takes away

What a strange evening. I went to a concert to see Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith. I was brought to tears the second Steven sat down to play the piano and sing. He was only able to get one song in before the power went out. (It went out 4 more times before I finally left.) He told us he has been broken since May 21st when his daughter was killed. He said that every time he sits down at the piano he has to sing this song.



I admire that guy so much! To be able to go through what he and his family have gone through and still rely on God is amazing. He still trusts Him and doesn't seem like anything has changed since that tragic accident. I would bet he has moments where he wonders, but it has only been two months and he's singing His heart out to so many! He said that God is his Only Hope.

He was just adorable. When the power went out for the 4th time he opened his Bible, put on his reading glasses and yelled out some scriptures I couldn't hear. What I did hear was the passion this man feels for a God who gives and takes away. I heard him scream at the top of his lungs that the power of Jesus Christ NEVER fails!

For this I am truly Thankful, this Thursday!
In Awe,
Angie xoxo

Just stand

Good Evening,

I am learning the deeper meaning of intense Prayer this summer. Some amazing things are happening all around me. As I went for a run tonight, I spent some time Praising God for all of the answered prayers. Before I come to Him with any more prayer requests, I want to STOP and Praise Him for all He's done just this week! I am especially grateful for the love and support of my sisters in Christ. A dear blog friend of mine shared this song in a very encouraging e-mail when I needed it most. I wanted to share it with you tonight. Please don't get discouraged by the television show. Just listen to this song. If you need any encouragement, I hope this is a gift for you!
I'm standing...

Love,
Ang xoxo

Cover to Cover... honor

Good Morning, Friends!

It's Monday morning and I'm back! I just want to share one verse from our Cover to Cover readings of the Bible this morning. If you want to join Bev and the girls for the readings I am positive you will be blessed beyond measure. If you go to this website you will find the daily readings.

Isaiah 29:13

The Lord says:
"These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men.


I've been struggling with some issues this week that have made me look at the word "hypocrite". If I am being honest, I ask that question of myself a lot. Am I a hypocrite? Do I claim to have moral beliefs to which my own behavior does not conform? I pray I am not a hypocrite. If I am one, I pray God convicts me every time. Every time. From the bottom of my heart, I want to be close to God and have a loving relationship with Him and His children.

More than anything else in my life, I want to Glorify God. I want to share with anyone and everyone that God is my Hope. He is the Only One who can satisfy my every need. He is the Only One capable of filling that space in my heart that is meant for Him. It breaks my heart when I see people try to be filled by other things (such as food, sex, money, alcohol, people or drugs) or cling to anything else besides Jesus. I want to help them so they won't have to do what I did before I decided to surrender my life to Jesus. I want to share what I know to be true. I want to give them the lifeline. It's so hard for me to watch my kids, friends or family learn their own lessons. I want them to learn from my mistakes. I don't want them to try to fill themselves with the things of this world that are only temporary. God is permanent. He is eternity! I want that for myself and for my loved ones! I want this to be crystal clear. I don't want there to be any confusion at all. If I am a hypocrite, I pray God convicts me every time. Every time.

I am going to surrender again this morning. I am going to keep loving God and His children. I want to honor God with my lips. My joy is back! :)



Much love,
Angie xoxo

Praise Him in the midst

I have to admit this hasn't been the best week of my life. It's a long story, but God is in the midst of it all. It was no coincidence that my favorite Bible study teacher was on television and spoke about the battles we are facing and is doing a series on, "What to do when you don't know what to do". You guessed it, Beth Moore on Life Today. I had recently read the verses she was talking about in 2 Chronicles, so they were familiar to me!

O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." (2 Chron 20:12)

He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. (2 Chron 20:15)

After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his [d] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
"Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever."
(2 Chron 20:21)

How quickly I forgot these verses! Beth reminded us to change what we are saying when we are battling something in our lives. She said that the more we talk about our problems, the more we believe them and Faith comes by hearing. We will be defeated and believe the lies. She also reminded us to be intentional about our Praise. The above verse tells us to give thanks to the LORD in all things. We need to Praise our way out of the battle. This does not come naturally to me and I need a whole lot more of the Holy Spirit in my life to Praise Him in the storm.




If you are in a battle I pray you can Praise your way out!

I am thankful my daughter is in town for her dad's birthday and a wedding this weekend!
I am thankful my son has the opportunity to go to England and is leaving this Saturday!
I am thankful for the beautiful weather we are having in Michigan!
I am thankful for all of the godly women He has given me!
I am thankful for His Word and His promises!
I am thankful for God and am Believing Him to reveal Himself in a huge way! The battle is His, not mine! What a relief!

With so much gratitude for what He's already done in my life!
Angie xoxo

3:00 AM

It was one of those mornings when I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. I believe God woke me up to reveal Himself to me. When something is on my mind, it seems as if my concerns are SO much bigger than they are during the day. In daylight I can think more clearly, but in the darkness there is no telling where my imagination can go! At 3:00 this morning God reminded me of the prayer Jesus modeled for us. Then, as only God would do, I Just opened my Bible study workbook to find us talking about The Lord's Prayer today! God gave me a hug this morning. I think it's going to be a good day!

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory. for ever and ever. Amen

If you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep, maybe you'll find comfort in this prayer, too! Have a great day!

Love,
Angie xoxo

He knows

Travis Cottrell sings my favorite song so well!

Praying for Peace and a softened heart today! Will you pray with me? He knows our concerns and He alone can make sense out of them.

Thank you so much!
In Christ Alone...
Angie xoxo

p.s. You don't have to comment... please pray while you listen.

7 Years on 7-7-08

It's our Anniversary!

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Praise God!
Angie xoxo

Thanks for your prayers for 7 more years!

P-R-A-Y-E-R

I'm in northern Michigan for a couple of days before my husband joins me for the weekend. I'm having some good alone time with God. Just the two of us!

I wanted to tell you a little bit about a study I am doing with a group of amazing women in my hometown. We are studying Prayer for seven weeks this summer. I'm learning so much! Yesterday we were asked if there was ever a time when we had a prayer answered that stood out to us. I told the story about my marriage when my husband and I finally got down on our knees and prayed for our marriage that was near disaster. I remembered how ugly the prayer must have sounded to God. But, I know for certain He heard our messy prayers and He answered them with the biggest miracle I have seen in my life! I don't ever want to forget or take Him for granted! I need to continue to pray for my marriage every single day!

On July 7th we will celebrate our 7th Anniversary!
I am still shaking my head at the Grace and Mercy He so freely gave me... and my husband! I know without a shadow of doubt we would not have made it without God as our center.

I am praying for your marriages as I type this. If yours has not gone as you have prayed I am so sorry from the bottom of my heart. Please, keep seeking Him no matter what! He wants the best for you and is with you every step of the way!




We are never alone with God!
Have a great weekend!
Much love,
Angie xoxo