Moving Mountains

It's day 19 of the Daniel fast. Our family, along with our church family and many churches around the country, began a 21 day commitment to prayer and fasting through Awake21. It has been an interesting experience.

I say interesting because I am much more surprised than I thought I would be. The change in diet has been, well, okay. With more and more people in our country become vegetarians or vegans it is easier to find meat free, dairy free products than I had originally thought it might be. Now, taking out yeast and baking soda was a little more difficult. I was amazed at how many of our everyday products contain sugar. I am not going to say this is easy.

I had one particular evening where I was desperately in need of finding comfort through food and well, not easily done when nothing you can eat is fried or has sugar in it. But, it was such a reminder of how when life gives us grief we turn to things other than God. I wonder how many times I have ignored Him to be comforted by food.

Setting apart time to concentrate on God, to focus on Him has been a blessing. My original purpose has been literally sifted until He has shown me what He has for me. I went in with some major big picture ideas that He has taken and shown me the heart of.

One of the major things I have been shown is how much I worry about what people think of me. In the last 19 days I have seen many an occasion to explain or talk about what I am doing. And, my first thought is always, How do I explain this without seeming like a religious freak?

How do I make sure you understand this isn't a diet thing? How do I tell you how much I want more of God in my life without seeming a little crazy? The craziest part of it all is that for almost a year I have been praying to be one of the crazy people. Seriously. I want to be the person who isn't afraid to pray for someone in the grocery story. I want to be the person who reads her bible. I want to be the person who gets up every day with one intention and that is to glorify my Father. I want to be the person who believes when God tells me that my faith, as small as a mustard seed, can move mountains through prayer and fasting. I want to see mountains moved.

Real

Reality is about the best way I can describe this book. And how all of us that proclaim to be Christians need to be real with our testimonies.

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller is book number two for 2010. This book came highly recommended by many and has been sitting on my shelf for over a year after finding it at our local used book store.

I wasn't sure what to expect but I will tell you that it was an enjoyable read. It was neither Christian self-help or the story of a person picking themselves up from the depths of a miserable life. It was just his story and how his spiritual journey. I have to say that I enjoyed his writing style. It was simple and real and I could feel the emotional connection to each of the short stories he told. I like to feel something when I read, I want to love and hate right along with the storyteller and this book gave me that opportunity.

So, I would recommend it. Christian or not, it is a real story of how someone comes to believe in the things that they do based on people and the experiences that they share.

Haiti

I know, I only have about 4 regular readers to my blog and yet I believe my God takes what I give and makes it exponentially more. So I ask you, take a moment to decide how you can help.

People in Haiti are already poor and already in need of help. And now, after this devastating earth quake are in need of more of you. Of us. Yes, the ones who complain about the cold and curl up in our heated homes on leather couches. We have so much. I know, the credit card bills are rolling in from our extravagant indulgences over the holiday. I know, some of us are stretched thin with gas prices and mortgage payments. But still, you have so much.

For a moment, I ask of you, give what you truly can and change the lives of people you will never meet because they need you.



You may ask why Compassion.....because they are real, established and believe in the power of our Lord and Savior. If you want to give to the Haiti Earthquake please consider Compassion’s Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief.

a pit, a lion and a snowy day

So I have official finished one book in 2010. In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day by Mark Batterson.

I loved it. The entire book. If you ever struggle with fear of failure, fear of looking foolish, fear you are doing the right or wrong thing or fear you will make a bad decision you should read this book.

I was challenged to face my fears and realize how truly irrational they can be. I saw that fear, failure and the butterflies come to anyone attempting to chase their dreams. It really is time to stop waiting for those things to be gone and to chase in-spite of them.

Augusta, GA

Posted via email from blessedamerican's posterous

Augusta, GA

Posted via email from blessedamerican's posterous

to infinity and beyond

well, we sent 2009 out with a bang. Grandma Joanne spent the last three weeks of the year with us and we included a sprint of DisneyWorld, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and SeaWorld in Orlando as part of her trip.

Here we are no worse for the wear and thankful for all of the blessings that came into our lives in 2009.

Now, time for new ideas, change, goals and challenges. We are ready!!

I have made a few "resolutions" and look forward to sharing them with you.

First: I want to read 75 books. I am planning on sharing each one with you. Some will be new, some will be books I have already read, some will be fiction and some will be classics that all of us should take time to read. I love diving in and devouring the written word. I rarely keep track of what I have read so I thought this would be a fun way to see where this takes me. On of the books I am really hoping to finish is the One Year Bible. I have started it every year for about 7 years and never make it past March.

Second: Ted and I will be doing our first Daniel Fast. We are excited to see where this spiritual journey takes our marriage, our family and of coarse our relationships with God. I am hoping that we both make a little time to share with you the experience.

Third: Chicago!! oh yes, I am beginning to train for my second Marathon. Chicago, October 10th.

Fourth: I am so excited to see where we go from here. Ultimately, my goal for each year is to see change in our lives. I want each of us to grow and be different. I want to see what 365 days of life experience brings us to.

So, here we go.......to infinity, aka the adventure of 201o.