The Calm During The Storm

We all have a storm. That period of time that stresses us, or frustrates us, or worries us. A little or huge rain cloud above us. Yes I have them too. But I really want to share my take on my storm. I feel lots of things but to quote the lovely Mrs. Joyce Meyers, I don't have to do what I feel. God has so shown me this and has patiently worked with me on this. Along the way through many attempts I have stumbled but no longer fallen thanks to God's right hand sustaining me. Though the storm and the rain clouds of life come, it's a good feeling knowing that God loves me at my worst as He perfects me for the best. The homework is there believe me, my ministry alive and running, and the every day does not pause nor take a break. There are no cut-me-some-slack days. The only thing that changes is how we view life. So my take on my storm is this: God has given me the power according to His word in the Book of Timothy (regardless of my age) to stay cool and collected. To be happy. to love. The free will to crack a joke to ease the tension and the right to choose to hunger for more of His presence. How I exercise these rights and blessings is up to me. See living in the moment is great for those who settle but I just don't want to be there. I'm not a let's go to a concert to hear beautiful music kind of girl, I'm a let's go sing and worship God as we sob of joy kind of girl. I choose the calm. I love the calm. The storm is there but I choose to see God's glory cloud above me raining down His Spirit to quench my thirst instead. I love what Elisha said to His servant.

(2 Kings 5:26)  But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves?

I love that. Is this the time? Is this the time to be moping around? Is this the time to be rebellious? Is this the time to be wasting time? I love it. I love that Elisha had God's vision. When we have God's vision we see like eagles. We see the fullness of His plans. We don't know exactly but we are confident in that His plans are good no matter what. And I'm saying this, remember yall, in the midst of a storm. His plans are so sweet for us and so flawless. Now is the time to enjoy His presence and be completely, completely, submerged in His Spirit.

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I share some verses with you that really hit the spot today. I mean, God's Word is as sweet as honey and in our Spirit tastes like it too.

(Psalm 63:5) I will be fully satisfied as with 

the richest of foods; with singing lips my 

mouth will praise you.

(Psalm 119:2-3) Blessed are those who keep 

his statutes and seek him with all their 

heart—they do no wrong but follow 

his ways.

³ 

(Psalm 119:30) I have chosen the way of 

faithfulness; I have set my heart 

on your laws.

(Psalm 119:103) How sweet are your words 

to my taste, sweeter than honey to 

my mouth!

(Jeremiah 15:16) When your words came, I 

ate them;they were my joy and my heart’s 

delight, for I bear your name,

Lord God Almighty.

Returning To Rest

(Psalm 116:7) Return to your rest, my soul,

    for the Lord has been good to you.

There are situations in our lives that cause us to fall out of whack. Situations that just make us pause...situations that make us want to zone out or run far, far, away. My Tia (aunt) just passed away. Not only an amazing woman of God but also my second mom. I loved her so much so I hurt so much. Deep down I find peace in that I know exactly where she is now: Gazing on the face of Jesus and worshiping Him in the front row. More than anything, it's missing the good times, the happy days, and the silly moments. I look at my cousins and see pieces of her so it's not an abandoned feeling. I see my grandma and my mom and know that when I hug them it's like hugging a piece of her. Though she will never be forgotten all of our hope is that she will be honored through us that remain to fight this good fight in which we already have the victory. Singing at her funeral wasn't as hard as I thought simply because my heart and spirit wanted to burst of overwhelming thankfulness to my God for her life. The tears have dried but the sweet memories never will and I thank God for that. Like the Holy Spirit whispered as I walked back from my first class, "my heart finds peace and my soul finds rest in knowing that God always knows best." My comforter is here with me right now as I type. I thank Jesus for my wonderful comforter. My sweet, cozy Holy Spirit who overwhelms me with peace and joy as the presence of God overtakes me day by day. So I fix my eyes on what I cannot see for that is eternal.

\\\\The Spirit Knows Best: Breathing Once Again////

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Exhaustion...a product of over working one's self to the point of running out of energy. To find joy in these moments, however, is not that hard for this girl. Yes, the girl there to the side really wishes there were hot chocolate in her mug but no, no, she can't have that, so instead...water. Water. Anyways, what I really wanted to get to is a little of what's been going on. I know I've been posting a lot of updates lately but there's a lot going on in this girls life. I mean, finals in themselves have been mind boggling and crazy. Never in my college career have I had a harder semester. Has it been worth it though? Yes. I know the Lord has me right where He wants me. Though it may be hectic attending Pan Am and Psalmist school I enjoy the moments of triumph and learn from the times of perseverance. The best part of doing life with God is knowing that your part is the natural and His is the supernatural. I study and He keeps me awake. I get psycho-stressed and He makes me laugh or moves someone to call me up and shake me back into all things sane. The Lord is...my everything. Honestly, if God does call you to do something He will get you through it victoriously. Never settle for anything less than that. We may stumble, but the word says we can no longer fall because the Lord's hand will sustain us. My last final was supposedly today but when I showed up and walked into a dark auditorium I began to question myself. I called up my Music Appreciation Prof. (because he's cool like that) and asked what was going on. And so there I figured out that there was no final because he counted our last exam as such. You can imagine how I felt right? Ecstatic! And once that wore off and reality set in, I wanted to just fall to the floor and cry. It was relief with a hint of frustration. God bless the Lord's heart for allowing me to live only fifteen minutes away from my University, seriously I was in need of some bed time. For some reason as tired as I may be there is always one thing that I'm not too tired for: writing. Imagine that? How can something that takes so much thought be relaxing?

There. Exactly right there is the connection that I was trying to make.

Times are tough. Some days brighter than others. And no, no I'm not going to say, "but the Lord is there with you," though it is true. What I will say is this: It is possible to love what is unlovable, enjoy the unenjoyable, and find peace in the midst of chaos. Our mind says go, go, go because when stress kicks in our brain is programmed to run without looking back. Right then and there is exactly when we should stop. Right when your mind says, "but look at the time," you should be hitting the floor on your knees and seeking the Lord's peace and strength. Your spirit knows better than your flesh, though your flesh thinks it knows it all. Spiritually we break chains when we let Jesus be the anchor that stops us from drifting farther and farther out to sea. Listen to your spirit and the Lord will glorify Himself, I am living proof of that for sure.

Autumn Cravings And Things

I am officially out of school!...for Thanksgiving break anyway. Exhausted, tired, but still alive and breathing. University life can be stressful at times, especially when exam season and finals come along, but I love it. As corny as it may sound, yesterday in my quiet time with the Lord I began to thank Him for the opportunity that I have to even attend school. Many don't get to further their education. I have been given a beautiful, price-less gift. Of course I've had to work hard to get to where I am, but God opened the doors so that I could walk through victoriously. Often it feels like I'm walking a million miles but the fact that I know that there will be an open door waiting for me when I reach my destination is more than enough to make me wanna keep on movin' forward. This is one of the many things that I'm thankful for. Today I finished up my exam and rushed through traffic to get home. Oh home sweet home. I feel so lazy. I just jumped into bed and started blogging away. Literally here I am in my old high school T-shirt and PJ's. And that's how you know that it's vacation time for me.

Lately, more like forever ago, I've been craving some good soul food: definition being God time, new revelation, encounters, and worship. This kind of hunger can only be quenched by some nice one on one time with my sweet Jesus. There's a scripture that I've been reading for a while now that's really struck a chord in me...definitely one of my favorite Psalms. It's times like these that make me want to lock my door and throw away the key so I can just be, you know? But one thing I do know and that is that my social/public life will be impacted by my intimate/private life. In the quiet we are shaped and in the midst of encounters with our Beloved we are transformed. Many areas of my life have been tottering on the brink of extinction but I like what God has been replacing these areas with. We can either hate change or embrace it with arms and eyes wide open. On Monday, my homework assignment for the Psalmist School I attend was to make song, in Spanish, out of a Psalm and ultimately my heart was won over by the same portion of verses that I just finished telling y'all about. So from David's heart, to my heart, and finally to yours I share with you my

                      

 Psalm of inspiration:

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(Psalm 63:1-8) 

O God, you are my God;

I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts 

for you; my whole body longs for you in 

this parched and weary land where there 

is no water. I have seen you in your 

sanctuary and gazed upon your power 

and glory. Your unfailing love is better than 

life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you 

as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you 

in prayer. You satisfy me more than the 

richest feast. I will praise you with songs of 

joy. I lie awake thinking of you, meditating 

on you through the night. Because you 

are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow 

of your wings. I cling to you; your strong 

right hand holds me securely.

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And now...a little tune from my ipod

Place Of Rest

 Throughout our daily lives we become weary and tired from the busyness found in our own culture. Whether we Worship God up on a platform, draw, paint, participate in prophetic dance, counsel, or preach we all reach a point of complete and utter restlessness. We feel like we're walking through the desert and can't seem to find shade from the scorching hot sun. In our Worship time, suddenly, we just don't know why we feel so uneasy and have the yearning to run into our Father's arms and feel whole again. We need this constantly. God has promised us this place of rest that can only be found in Him. The things in our surroundings may be crumbling but we have been called to be still and know that He is God. This place of rest is not found between four walls...our hearts need to be one with the Lord so that we rest in Him. We can't put the world on pause,as much as we would like to, but we can have peace in our hearts as we enter the new seasons in our lives. We can remain calm while the baby cries, the TV breaks, children scream, or when things just don't go our way. Even though we might want to run away or distance ourselves from the noise of this world, we have to learn to depend on the kind of rest that God is offering us so that we won't be defined by our culture and so that we can keep moving toward the purpose God has for our lives as daily and ministerial Worshipers.

(Deuteronomy 12:9) "Your pattern of worship will change. Today all of you are doing as you please, because you have not yet arrived at the place of rest, the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession."

As much as I personally would love to just have time to read the Word of God alone in my room with my ipod playing softly, it's just not always possible and those are the moments when meditating on His word day and night comes into play. As worshipers we have to enter this place of rest by placing our cares and stress upon the Lord so that we can keep on walking. We cannot control the world's noise, the number of phone calls we get, or how others react but we can control how we react and whether or not we find rest in God's loving arms.

(Hebrews 4:3) For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said, "In my anger I took an oath: 'They will never enter my place of rest,'" even though this rest has been ready since he made the world.

Are we now ready to truly enter His place of rest? It has been meant for us since before we took our first breath.

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