Feeling Fabulous Friday: Lightening the Load

Today, I am going to share with you a struggle that I have not yet talked about on the blog, as well as a victory that has me looking up on this Feeling Fabulous Friday.

For years now, I have struggled with my weight. It all started in high school. I was a healthy average-sized teenage girl who thought that she was fat. I don't know exactly where I got that idea, but I do know that it was an attack from Satan. I obsessed about how I looked, and I called myself fat so many times that it become a self-fulfilling prophecy. My first year in college, I surpassed the freshman 15 and went on to gain a whopping 30 lbs. Even after adding that weight, I was still a healthy size, but I had begun to spin out of control. I had begun to neglect myself and give in to a negative self image. By the time I graduated from college, I had gained another 35 lbs. Then, I got married and very very busy. Ministry and other responsibilities had myself and Mr. The King away from home so much that we resorted to eating out often, which proved to be bad for both our budget and our waistlines. By the time we had been married a year, I was up another 35 lbs., and I felt completely defeated.

For the past 5 years, I have fought the fight with my weight. I have suffered physically because of my weight and my busy lifestyle, and I have tried almost anything possible to loss weight and relieve stress. I have gone on various diet and exercise plans, which were fruitful for awhile, but unsuccessful in the long run. I tried therapy, which was helpful but didn't solve my problems. I summoned up my will power, only to realize that I didn't have much will power after taking care of all my responsibilities. Then last year, I lost 25 lbs. and I started feeling really good about myself...only one problem with that...it was mostly a side effect of a prescription medication I was prescribed for some of my health issues. I was eating healthy and exercising some, but the medication gave me that edge. It was the one thing that kept me from feeling completely exhausted and down-right weary. Then, I felt God calling me to reevaluate my life and my priorities; he called me to slow down, focus on Him, and let Him make some radical changes in my life. As a result, I quit my job, I lost my health insurance, and no more medication. And guess what...I gained 30 lbs.

Do I blame God for this? Do I think He messed me up just when I was starting to get things together? Well, maybe I did have that thought in the back of my head for a little while, but I don't now. I know that He was saving me from another short term fix...from a patch up job of sorts. He wants to make lasting change in all areas of my life: physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional. Over the past 8 months, I have learned to trust Him like never before. I have learned to rely on Him, and I have developed a desire for Him above and beyond anything I have ever felt in the past. Now, I am ready for Him to do with me as He pleases. I am ready for Him to make big changes in my heart and in my life, and He has already begun.

Finally, I get to share with you the victory that inspired me to write this entire post. It may seem small and insignificant to some, but for me it is a huge triumph...

This week, I have lost 6 lbs. !!!

That is huge progress, especially considering that I have done nothing special to achieve those results except for bringing my priorities into alignment with God's plan and God's way. At the beginning of the week, I was so disgusted with myself and so down. I just prayed for God's help to make a change physically, and things just feel into place this week! I was consistent with my sleep, going to bed and getting up at around the same time each day, and I was consistent with my meals, eating regularly and eating only enough to fill my physical hunger. God gave me the strength!! I didn't do it on my own!

I have such a long way to go, and I need His strength to continue. I won't lie, it is going to be a long and difficult process, but I want to keep Him front and center through it all! I want this to be the beginning of truly lasting change for me!

Look at the verse that just happens to be the verse of the day on biblegateway.com today:

“The LORD will work out his plans for my life— for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.” Psalm 138:8 NLT

And He won't abondon me, I know that!! He won't abandon you either!!

Worship Wednesday: Yearn and Burn

I can't get over it, I can't get around it and I can't get past it...what we need in our lives (mine included) is a true passion and desire for God. I have been writing about it for a week now, and I just can't help it. My heart is burdened so strongly on this subject.

Today, I was thinking about those who go out so passionately and declare the message, "Turn or burn!" I don't care for the tactics of those type of ministers, and I don't believe that it is an effective way to share the gospel, which is supposed to be good news! However, I do understand the need for a call to repentance and I do, to some degree, admire their passion. I think that many times it is a misplaced passion. The passion should be for God's love and mercy towards us. I have a new message for believers and unbelievers alike, instead of "turn or burn"...

                                                    Yearn and Burn...

We need to, above all else, desire the Lord and yearn for Him. Yearn for His presence and His guidance and for His will to be done in our lives. And then, we need to burn with a passion for our Lord that is visible to others! We need to worship Him and serve Him with a holy fire of passion that cannot be quenched!! No more singing about Him half-heartedly; no more falling asleep when His Word is being read and expounded upon; no more going to church for social hour; no more boasting in self-righteousness!!                                

We are not exempt from the kind of passionate love and commitment that God required from people in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Somehow, many of us think that the people of the Bible were holier than us and that we can't be expected to live with the kind of devotion that they did. Well, that is completely wrong. We are expected to live with the same passion and devotion for God as Noah, Moses, David, Mary, John, Paul, and many others!

Look at David's one desire:

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me,and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;be gracious to me and answer me!

You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

                                                                                Psalm 27: 4-8 (ESV)

Now look at how the Amplified Bible says it:

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.

For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; in the secret place of His tent will He hide me; He will set me high upon a rock.

And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me; in His tent I will offer sacrifices and shouting of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; have mercy and be gracious to me and answer me!

You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].

                                                                                        Psalm 27: 4-8 (AMP)

Do you yearn for the Lord like that!! Do you think of His presences as a vital need...as a requirement for life!! We need to be like David, who was a man after God's own heart.

Rich Stevenson, in his book Secrets of the Spiritual Life, says this in regards to Psalm 27:4 :

Those who are like David have one consuming passion: to be with the Father, to never leave him. They have already begun their eternity. They have entered into the real essence of heaven's best - being in the presence of our Father. And they have found the pursuit of him to be inexhaustible. The closer you get to the Father, the more intense your longing to be with him becomes!

I don't know about you, but I know that I need God's presence. I yearn for it more and more each day.

As, I was praying today and beginning to enter into a personal time of worship, this song by Shane & Shane came to my mind and I began to sing it to the Lord. I challenge you to sing it from your heart as a prayer to the Father today...

Yearn

By Shane & Shane

Lyrics to Yearn :

Holy design

This place in time

That I might seek and find my God

my God

Lord I want to yearn for You

I want to burn with passion

Over You and only You

Lord I want to yearn

Your joy is mine

Yet why am I fine

With all my singing and bringing grain

In light of Him

Oh You give life and breath

Through Him You give all things

In Him we live and move

that's why I sing

(Acts 17:25-28, Hebrews 12:28-29)

Fabulous Friday Happy Song/Video: So Happy Together

For the Fabulous Friday Happy Song, I just had to share this incredibly funny video that my brother shared on his facebook page. He said that this is how he feels about is guitar.

Me and My Cello: So Happy Together

By ThePianoGuys

Hope this gave you a laugh to start your weekend with!!

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. 

Proverbs 17:22 NLT

Feeling Fabulous Friday: Fresh Fire

It seems that the theme for this week has been an ever increasing fire in my heart for the Lord, a fresh fire that is burning away all the impurities and wrong thinking and fueling a hunger in me for more of the presence of God. I want to be like the prophets of old who burned with a passion for the Lord that they could not contain!

Listen to Isaiah and Jeremiah:

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch.

                                                                                       Isaiah 62:1 (ESV)

If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,”there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

                                                                                       Jeremiah 20:9 (ESV)

Wow! That is a couple of prophets who are on fire for God, who cannot help but speak of His holiness, His mercy and His goodness. These prophets have a fire of compassion for others within them as well. They want others to catch the flame and burn for the Lord.

Today, I read this statement from A.W. Tozer:

I am looking for the fellowship of the burning heart - for men and women of all generations everywhere who love the Savior until adoration becomes the music of their soul until they don't have to be fooled with and entertained and amused.

I wholeheartedly agree! That is what I am looking for in friends and mentors, and that is what God is looking for in us!

The Lord is refreshing my life with a fresh fire of joy and compassion. It feels good to see that He is replacing  my once cold and stony heart with a heart full of the fire of His Spirit. Letting His flame grow within me has given me new strength, and I am so thankful for the life that He has brought back into my dry weary soul!

May our hearts burn with a flame that will never die! As this song says, "Don't let my love grow cold!"

Light the Fire Again

By Brian Doerksen

Don't let my love grow cold

I'm calling out

Light the fire again

Don't let my vision die

I'm calling out

Light the fire again

You know my heart, my deeds

I'm calling out

Light the fire again

I need Your discipline

I'm calling out

Light the fire again

I am here to buy gold

Refined in the fire

Naked and poor

Wretched and blind I come

Clothe me in white

So I won't be ashamed

Lord, light the fire again

Worship Wednesday: Working up an Appetite

There is something that seems missing from our praise and worship in some churches around the world. We may dutifully stand and sing, and maybe even go through the outward signs of praise, like lifting our hands, but something is missing. What is it? Could it be the Holy Spirit's power that creates in us a passion and a hunger for more of God?!! Where is our passion and hunger? As my husband so eloquently put it a few weeks ago, "We love God politely." How true that is! We often treat a worship service like an etiquette class! How dare we love God passionately with our whole being!! But that is what we are called to do! Our praise and worship should create in us a passion for God and a hunger for more of His Spirit...a desire to grow closer to Him and dwell in His presence.

Look at what scripture says:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.                   

                                                  Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV)

Jeremiah the prophet said:

If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,”there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.

                               Jeremiah 20:9 (ESV)

Jesus and the two men on the road to Emmaus:

27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31  And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Where is our burning passion...a passion so strong that we cannot be silent...a passion so strong that we must sing His praise and lift up His name before all people!! Where is our hunger...a hunger that burns within us and invites the Lord to come into our spirit and feed us! Do we love the Lord our God with all that is within us, or do we worship Him out of sheer habit!

True worship will create in us an appetite for more of God, more of His Word, and more of His Spirit.

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.  Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.  So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

                                                                     Psalm 63:1-8 (ESV)

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.When shall I come and appear before God?

                                                                    Psalm 42:1-2 (ESV)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

                                                                        Matthew 5:6 (ESV)

I have found that the deeper I enter in to worship my Savior, the deeper I want to go and the more I hunger and thirst for His power and His presence in my life! I want others to feel that same hunger and that same thirst! May our worship lead us to love our Savior deeper and more passionately, and may it create within in us a greater hunger for Him and His Word! Lukewarm love will never do!

Here is the worship song for today. Please pay close attention to the lyrics and use the song to enter in to a time of personal worship. Ask the Lord to put a fire within you...a passion and a hunger for more of God!

Savior King

Hillsong

Fabulous Friday Happy Song: Moving Forward

I haven't posted a Fabulous Friday Happy Song in ages. So, I want to share another song with you that has been an anthem for me this week, encouraging me on. It is not a new song, and you have probably heard it before. However, I hope that it speaks encouragement to you, just as it has to me this week.

First, let me share some scripture:

Philippians 3:13-14 

(NLT)

...I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Psalm 84:5-7 

(WEB)

 Blessed are those whose strength is in you;

who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage.

Passing through the valley of Weeping, they make it a place of springs.

Yes, the autumn rain covers it with blessings.

They go from strength to strength.

Everyone of them appears before God in Zion.

Proverbs 4:10-15, 18-22, 25-27 

(NLT)

My child, listen to me and do as I say,

    and you will have a long, good life.

I will teach you wisdom’s ways

    and lead you in straight paths.

When you walk, you won’t be held back;

    when you run, you won’t stumble.

Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go.

    Guard them, for they are the key to life.

Don’t do as the wicked do,

    and don’t follow the path of evildoers.

Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way.

    Turn away and keep moving.

The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,

    which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.

But the way of the wicked is like total darkness.

    They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

My child, pay attention to what I say.

    Listen carefully to my words.

Don’t lose sight of them.

    Let them penetrate deep into your heart,

for they bring life to those who find them,

    and healing to their whole body.

 Look straight ahead,

    and fix your eyes on what lies before you.

Mark out a straight path for your feet;

    stay on the safe path.

Don’t get sidetracked;

    keep your feet from following evil.

Fabulous Friday Happy Song:

Moving Forward

By Ricardo Sanchez, Free Chapel

Here is another great version of this song by Israel Houghton 

with I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

Feeling Fabulous Friday: Moving on with Joy

Ministry and life can be extremely draining, both physically, mentally and emotionally. Especially if you really don't have a large support team of family and friends nearby. In many ways, we feel like we are on an island. We sometimes feel like foreign missionaries alone on the field. It is a struggle to keep our joy in those circumstances. But in the struggle, there are often moments that quietly speak joy to our hearts. We treasure those moments and hold on to them with all our might!

A few weeks ago, amidst the stress of preparing to lead our congregation in worship, I received a text from my brother, who lives about an hour & a half away. He said that he was planning to bring his girlfriend up to Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountain National Park. He knows that we love the national park, so he asked if we wanted to go as well.  There were a million things on our mind that we needed to do on a Sunday afternoon, both personal and ministry related things. However, we realized that we don't get to see any of my family very often, and we needed some Sabbath rest. So, we decided to take my brother up on his offer, and he stopped at our church after the morning service & picked us up for the trip.

Photo by my brother's wonderful girlfriend Michelle. 

Photo by my brother. Credit

I had forgotten how much I missed spontaneous trips. What joy it used to bring me to break away from the demands of this life and go somewhere with no other purpose than to enjoy God's creation and fellowship with Him along with friends and family. I took so much joy from this little trip of ours. It was such a blessing just watching the face of my brother's girlfriend when she saw a creature or flower. Her pure joy and excitement reminded me of something I had lost...the ability to push past the demands of "religion" and "religious" people to enjoy a God who loves me and gives abundant life. He created a world full of beauty so that He would be glorified and we could enjoy the beauty of His glorious creation.

Photo by Michelle. Credit

On this trip, we stopped into one of the old, one room church buildings in the Cove. My brother broke out his guitar and we began to sing praises. We sang songs that were both old and new. People stopped in to listen and sing along. We sat there worshiping for nearly an hour...sweat pouring down our faces and praises pouring from our lips. It was good...we were FREE!

Photo by Michelle.

Photo by Michelle.

Photo by Michelle.

That trip and a service that we attended the same weekend was the beginning of a new phase in my life. I have felt a deep change. The Lord has told me to move on with joy! I struggled for a week or so with what that looked like, but I know for sure that the Lord wants me to go on in my current circumstances, but instead of feeling trapped and standing still, He wants me to move forward. If others don't follow, than so be it, but I WILL MOVE FORWARD in FREEDOM and with JOY.

You see, I had made an idol of what others thought of me. I had made an idol of what others expected from me. I had let people steal my joy away from me, and I had let Satan keep me from forward progress in my life. A chat with my dear friend from Ireland this week revealed this to me. She simply reminded me that we serve the Lord. It was so simple, but it just spoke to me in that moment. I evaluated my efforts in ministry for the last few months, and I realized that I had been trying to soothe a group of people who don't want forward progress because it is uncomfortable. I have been serving people who are stalled in their faith, but I realize now that if I just get back to serving the Lord and moving forward with my life and my spiritual walk, then the Lord will move... and people will either be moved by the Spirit or stay where they are. That is not up to me. That is not a burden I must bear.

Psalm 16: 4-11 says:

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;

    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out

    or take their names on my lips.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;

    you hold my lot.

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;

    in the night also my heart instructs me.

I have set the Lord always before me;

    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;

    my flesh also dwells secure.

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

     or let your holy one see corruption.

You make known to me the path of life;

    in your presence there is fullness of joy;

    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The Lord is my portion. I will set Him ever before me. I will serve him with joy & move forward in Him. That is my declaration...that is the change in me!

Originally posted to Artist of the Soul

This is the song that is my anthem today:

As For Me and My House

By John Waller

Ministry Monday: Don't Keep Me From the Storm

We all want to avoid trouble and pain in life & ministry, but lately I am realizing the benefits of sticking it out through the rough spots & disappointments. I have even been learning the benefit of asking God to put me through the fire. I firmly believe that embracing the storms of life, no matter how difficult they may be, is the only way to grow into all that God wants me to be. 

Is it easy? Not at all. Do I have days when I just want to bail out? Absolutely. However, I am trying to remember that it will one day be worth it all and that God is good and will see me through.

I have a lot that I want to share on the blog about things I'm learning and issues I'm facing, but for now, I just want to share this poignant song by Robin Mark.

Lost and Found

When the rain falls, and it some days will, 

and the pavement under my feet, 

sparkles silver and gold, in reflected light 

that I otherwise wouldn't have seen.

And when the storm comes and the strong wind blows

 I will bow my head to push through; 

And every step that I take,I will watch and pray 

and be sure my foothold is true.

Jesus, don't You keep me from that storm 

I wanna walk that sacred ground; 

For You are Master of it all 

And I am but a lost and found.

And in the dry place, in the wilderness 

when Your word seems so far away, 

Oh I will think of my life, and I will bless Your name; 

For Your promises never have failed.

And when the night falls, at the end of days,

 I will lift my eyes to the heavens, 

and we will shine like the stars, for eternal days; 

In Your presence forever and e'er.

So, Jesus, don't You keep me from that storm

 I wanna walk that sacred ground; 

For You are Master of it all 

And I am but a lost and found.

Lost and found, lost and found

 I am but a lost and found 

For can there be a sweeter sound, 

than singing with the lost and found?