God Winked At Me!

Ever heard of a "God wink"? It's when God does something that you know without a doubt He did. Well, God winked at me yesterday.

Before I tell you about the God wink, let me tell you about my family history. I was raised in Petal, Mississippi with my big brother, Scotty. My parents, Tommy and Cheryl, have been married for 42 years. Most of those 42 years my Dad has struggled with an addition to alcohol. Now, let me say my dad was a pretty good dad when I was growing up. He wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he was at my softball games. He encouraged me to do well in school and go to college. And, he was always a good provider for my family. But he drank a lot, and that became worse after I was an adult. Because of his drinking, my mom hasn't really had a companion. She would spend most nights by herself because my dad would go to bed immediately after supper. Of course, my family has spent years praying for my dad. I personally have asked God time after time to heal my dad from alcoholism. Prayer after prayer. Day after day.

About 4 months ago my dad found out he was a diabetic. Although that was upsetting to us, my dad decided to put down the beer because of his health problems. We weren't sure how long that would last, but I'm glad to say it's been over 4 months now that he hasn't had a drink. Answer to prayer? You bet it is!!!

So, last week I found out that my mom was having hip replacement surgery this week. Because I live so far away, and because of our crazy lives this month, it was virtually impossible for me to plan to be there to take care of my mom with such short notice. I started praying that the Lord would take care of my mom. I told God how bad it felt that I wasn't able to be there with her for this surgery. You see, my dad hasn't really taken care of my mom when she's been sick in the past. Plus, my brother is busy as a single parent so it was killing me that I wouldn't be able to be there for my mom. I was crying out to God with a broken heart, and prayers for healing for my mom.

God started telling me He was going to take care of my mom by having my brother's girlfriend, Wyn, call me and reassure me. Wyn told me she would be there with my dad and brother as much as possible and that was very comforting to me. But I still wanted to be there so badly.

So the surgery was yesterday. I didn't sleep the night before, and woke up sick to my stomach. I just wanted to be there with my mom, and God knew it. Around 7:30 am my dad called and said Mom was doing great and ready for surgery. He also said he would be there all day, and that my brother would be there as well. That was an answer to prayer. But then what he said next was God winking at me. He said to me, "Oh, and by the way. Your friend, Amy, is going to be your mom's surgical nurse today. She'll be with your mom all the way through surgery." Amy is a close friend of mine from high school and college.

Ok, do you know the odds of a close friend of mine being in surgery with my mom? I knew, without a doubt that God had done that. He didn't do that to take better care of my mom because He was taking great care of her. He did that to show me He loves me and wanted to comfort me as well. He wanted me to be at peace. I'm confident He did this for me. And Amy played the roll perfectly. She was the nurse that picked my mom up to take her to the OR. Minutes after getting to the OR and getting Mom under sedation, she called my brother to let him know she was doing great. She stayed on top of things for us. She even emailed me to let me know Mom was doing great. And if that wasn't enough, I found out later in the day that another high school friend of mine, Angie, was a nurse on my mom's floor last night and would be checking on her!!!! Amazing! And a second wink if you ask me!

I was praising God all day yesterday for His love for me and my family. I woke up thinking about my mom of course, and a little bit ago got a call from Dad saying she had a great night. The doctor said she is doing wonderful. And how did my dad know so early in the morning how Mom was doing? Well, he had spent the night at the hospital with her. The man that was so wrapped up in himself and his beer 1 year ago had spent the night checking on his wife of 42 years.

Long-time prayers answered. Recent prayers answered. God winked at me, and more than once! I am overwhelmed. My heart is so full of thankfulness. Praises to our King of Kings!

He hears our prayers and He is working, even when we can't see Him working, He is working.

Adios Complaining! Hola Thankfulness!

What the best way to stop complaining? According to James MacDonald, it's replace the complaining with THANKFULNESS. You know, I think he's right. In Luke 17 Jesus tells the story of 10 lepers being healed, and emphasizes that only one of them returned to Him to say thanks. How sad is that?!?!! If you had a terrible disease and were healed of it, would you be thankful? I know I would. Yet, every day Jesus blesses us with healing of all different kinds of things and in my opinion we aren't as grateful as we should be. Here are the notes from James' video second video session on "Lord, Change My Attitude". His words sure spoke to me!

• Gratitude is the attitude that sets the altitude for living.
• Attitude is everything.
• Faith grows in the soil of gratitude.
• Gratitude means to show that a kindness received is valued.
• Thankfulness is a decision.
• Thankfulness is a decision based in reality.
• Thankfulness is a life changing decision.

James mentioned that he read a list of 20 things you should do to improve your health, and the #1 thing to do was to be thankful for all the good in your life! I know a lot of us start out each new year focused on improving our health. With this in mind, I think we should be talking about having a thankful attitude.

Do how do you know if you're a thankful person? Well, how do you pray? When you pray do you ask God to fix everything, or is most of your prayer telling Him thank you for what He has done in your life? How often do you just praise Him, whether in song or just simple words when you're alone with Him? When something bad happens, how do you react?

The Lord is changing me through this study. My eyes are being opened at how much I complain and how much I have to be thankful for. Here's a list of what I am thankful for today:

• I'm thankful that my family doesn't live in Haiti. Can you relate?!?!
• I'm thankful that I live in a country where I can vote, worship how I want to worship, and for the soldiers that help us keep our freedom.
• I'm thankful for the ladies I do Bible study with. Each week I see Jesus in them and I learn from them.
• I'm thankful that my kids are healthy. Praise God for this blessing!
• I'm thankful for a husband that loves me and provides for his family and is a great father to our kids.
• I'm thankful for friends that pray for me and encourage me.
• I'm thankful for parents that loved me and that my kids get to know them too.
• I'm thankful that today I have a home to clean up. That makes me think of Haiti again.
• I'm thankful for a church that sincerely loves Jesus and tries to get others connected more with Him.
• I'm thankful that I've finished exercising for today! (-:

If we think, we've got a lot more things to be thankful for than thing to complain about! Praises to the King of Kings!

Post your comments to the blog or send me an email and I'll post them for you! stephieb@swbell.net

Are you a complainer? I actually think of myself as a happy, fun loving gal. I don't feel like I'm a complainer...or at least I didn't until yesterday.

I started this new study called, "Lord, Change My Attitude" by James MacDonald and Barb Peil with my weekly Bible study group at Community Bible Church here in San Antonio. Well, Mr. MacDonald stepped all over my toes with his sermon we watched on video yesterday! That sucker! Since then, I've realized....or should I say God has shown me...that I do complain. As a matter of fact, I complain a lot! Here are list of a few of the stupid things I've complained about:

• I've complained about house chores INSTEAD of praising God for a family to take care of. I remember the years without a family and kids and how I prayed for a family and kids. Why in the world am I complaining about God's answer to my prayers!
• I've complained about people coming to check out the house that I'm trying to sell. Ok, I'm praying God will sell our home so why would I be so upset when people come by to consider buying it. Silly me!
• I've complained about getting rain when we need the rain so bad in San Antonio.
• I've complained about my husbands long hours at work although it's that job that provides for my family.

Ok, so this study on attitudes that I thought was for every other person in my Bible study group is apparently for me!!! I have much, much, much, improvement to do in this area. I'm seeking forgiveness from my sin of complaining and I'm asking the Lord to remind me of when I'm complaining so I can correct myself.

So, what about you? Are you a complainer? What are the consequences of your complaining? Are you willing to change?

If you're interested in finding out more about this topic, then I would encourage you to come and join us at Community Bible Church on Tuesdays from 11:30 to 1:00 pm. Books for the study are available on the weekends during service times at CBC. You can also check this blog once a week for updates. I'll be posting what I've learned.

Below is what Mr. MacDonald said in his first session. It's such good information and backed by scripture!

• Attitude controls outcome.
• Those who choose murmuring/complaining as their lifestyle will spend their lives in the wilderness. (Check out what happened to the complainers in Numbers 14 and what God says in 1 Corinthians 10)
• We choose our attitude.
• An attitude is a pattern of thinking formed over a long period of time.
• Complaining is a sin.
• Sin means missing the mark.
• Complaining means "to express dissatisfaction with a circumstance which is not wrong and about which I am doing nothing myself to correct".
• God hears our thoughts. (so even if you are complaining in your head, it's still complaining)
• God hates complaining.
• Go judges complaining.
• Check out Exodus 14:12, 15:24, 16:3, and 17:3 to see what God thinks and does about complainers!

If you have questions about this study, or want to comment on this information, please post to the blog or email me at stephieb@swbell.net and I'll post it for you or answer your questions.

Christmas Prophecy

Each Christmas I like to read the Gospel stories of the birth of Jesus. After all, Jesus' birthday is the reason we celebrate. It's great to read the story from the Bible....how the angels appeared...how the wise men journeyed to see the new King. I cherish these scriptures.

Last week I was sitting in my living room and decided to read from The Nativity Story book. This book was published after the movie with the same name came out. It has pictures from the move in the book. I've had the book for a while, but haven't really read it. After I picked it up and started to read, I realized that the verses I was reading was not from the Gospels. Actually, they weren't even from the New Testament. The verses talking about the birth and life of Jesus were from the Old Testament, and written hundreds of years before His birth. Now, I've known about these prophecies, but I just never thought about reading them during Christmas. But since I started reading them, I can't think of anything else. I'm amazed at what God had people write hundreds of years ago. Here's a few examples:

• Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
• Jeremiah 23:5-6 "For the time is coming", says the Lord, "when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David's line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. And this will be his name: The Lord is Our Righteousness. In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety."
• Numbers 24: 17,19 I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel...A ruler will rise in Jacob.
• Isaiah 49:6-7 I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth...Kings will stand at attention when you pass by. Princes will also bow low because of the Lord, the faithful one, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.
• Isaiah 11:1-2 Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot- yes, a new branch bearing fruity from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him- the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
• Isaiah 11:10 In that day the heir to David's throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to Him, and the land where He lives will be a glorious place.
• Isaiah 16:5 God will establish one of David's descendants as king. He will rule with mercy and truth. He will always do what is just and be eager to do what is right.
• Micah 5:2-3 You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village amount all the people of Judah. Yet, a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origin is from a distant past.
• Isaiah 9:6-7 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.

These verses are amazing to me. I read one time that the likelihood of one person fulfilling all the prophecies of the Old Testament regarding the Savior was about like taking a blindfolded person, putting them in the state of Texas covered with quarters on the ground, and asking that person to find the one quarter on the ground with a red mark on it. It would be impossible....yet...and yet....JESUS fulfilled all the prophecies of the Old Testament.

I hope you read Matthew's account, and maybe Luke's account, of the birth of Jesus this Christmas. And if you get a chance, check out The Nativity Story on DVD. I know that will bless your socks off. But if you want to really, really be blessed, check out the prophecies of the Old Testament. I plan on being like Mary when it says in Luke 2:19, "Mary kept all these things in her heart."

Blessings to you all on Christmas, and in the coming New Year. May His love reign in your hearts and in your lives, and may others see Him in you!

Reasons to Praise God TODAY!

I've got so many reasons to Praise God today. Here's a few of them:

• Praise God for medicine that heals!
• Praise God for my healthy family!
• Praise God for answering prayers to heal my friend's son that fell out of a 2nd story window last week!
• Praise God for sending Jesus to die on the cross for me. Without Him, I would be headed to hell for sure!
• Praise God for Thanksgiving and my mom's cooking! Can't wait for that!
• Praise God for a home and shelter from the cold.
• Praise God for a husband that works hard and provides for his family!
• Praise God for a school to send my kids to where they can pray and learn about the Bible.
• Praise God for my church and our church leaders.
• Praise God for the country I live in. I don't have to worry about praising God in public!
• Praise God I have eyes to see and ears to hear!
• Praise God for the laundry!

Ok, I'm stopping with the laundry. I'm not sure I could list all my house chores in one list of praises! (-:

Blessings to all those reading this. Please let me know what you are praising God for today! stephieb@swbell.net

Praise the Lord!!!

PRAISE THE LORD! What an easy thing to say. With all the things we are blessed with in this world, particularly within the US, you would think we would hear that phrase more often. I don't know about you, but I don't hear it enough. I hear people honking their horns a lot in traffic. I see people getting frustrated in stores. I even see people becoming impatient in the carpool line at my kid's private school!! I see and hear a lot of negativity, but not as much praising the Lord for all the good things we have. I read in the Bible we should praise God in ALL circumstances. So why is it we don't hear more praising?

I'm guilty of this. It seems easier to complain than to praise. And to praise God in ALL circumstances, now...that's a hard one. I don't really feel like praising God when my kids are sick and I've been up all night. I sure don't feel like praising God when the laundry is piled up. Now I love Jesus with all my heart, but some things just don't make me think of praising Him. That guy that honked his horn at me earlier today didn't make me think of praising my Father for sure.

But what if instead of getting mad or frustrated, I started praising Jesus. What if I said "Lord, thank you for having a car to drive and for protecting me in traffic" when that guy honked his horn at me today instead of what I was thinking. And what if I started praising Him when I was doing the stuff I really couldn't care less about...like the laundry. I wonder what would happen.

I want to live a life that is pleasing to God. I know I will never be perfect and I'll mess up from time to time, but I want to try my best. The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people. That means when I start praising God, He is right there with me. That gives me a Partner with the laundry and in traffic. And not just any partner, but yet the One that can guide me, encourage me, protect me, and love me unconditionally. I think that's a great reason to praise Him.

So, how do we praise Him? Here's my list:

• by singing
• verbally
• by our lifestyles
• by lifting our hands
• by giving to others
• by serving others
• special celebrations
• witnessing to others

Really, anything we do and give God the glory is giving praises to Him.

What are ways that you praise the Lord? Email me and let me know. Stephieb@swbell.net.

How Should We Pray?

How interesting it is to talk about prayer with your friends. I did that yesterday at Bible study and I feel like I learned so much through my wonderful Bible study friends. We talked about the affects of praying and here's some of the things we discussed:

1. Through prayer, you get a sense of peace.
2. Through prayer, you may receive signs from the Lord.
3. Through prayer, you can expect to see miracles.
4. Through prayer, sometimes you get a delayed response from the Lord, but His timing is always perfect!
5. Through prayer, sometimes the Lord will send others to encourage you.
6. Through prayer, sometimes you get an unexpected solution or answer.
7. Through prayer, sometimes you get a direct answer.

We also talked about how we should pray. One of the things I think I failed to mention but should is that the best way to learn to pray is by praying! An example of this is my relationship with my parents. The older I get, the better I am at communicating with them. That is because I know them better and better the more I communicate with them. It's the same with God. The more we pray and communicate with Him, the better we get at it.

Communicating with God doesn't have to be a recited prayer every time. As a matter of fact, it's good just talk to God and share your thoughts with Him. Now, it's not bad to recite prayers such as the Lord's Prayer found in Matthew 6. I'm sure the Lord delights in us praying that prayer! However, I feel He wants more from us, not just the same recited prayer over and over. And speaking of The Lord's Prayer, it's a great guideline for things we need to remember in prayer...

• Give honor to God
• Ask for blessings on our world and others
• Ask for our needs
• Ask for forgiveness
• Ask for deliverance

And how do we remember to pray? One thing I've started doing is making myself a reminder for prayer. I heard someone say one time that they decided to pray at every red light they were sitting at in traffic. I thought that was a grand idea. I'm sure we could all come up with some reminders for prayer.....maybe prayer praying for a specific friend with cancer every time you see the color pink....maybe when you cross a bridge you pray for a friend that is at a crossroads in life...maybe when you see an ambulance or emergency vehicle you pray for the health care workers. If we put our minds to it, we can always come up with some reminders for prayer.

We need to get our minds in the right position for prayer. A good way to do this is to start with Praise. I feel all our prayers should begin with saying thanks to God. Thanks for our world. Thanks for our family and friends. Thanks for dieing on the cross for us. Thanks for the food we eat and the homes we have. This humbles us and focuses our minds on God at the beginning of our prayers. And honestly, we should be singing praises of thanksgiving all day long to our Savior and our King!

If you have some thoughts on prayer, please post them on this blog or email them to me and I'll post them for you. stephieb@swbell.net