Ever feel irritated?

Have you ever felt irritated? Of course you have!! We all have!! Sometimes we feel more irritated than other times, but almost daily, something or someone irritates us. So, why do we have all these irritations?

As I was thinking about this the other day, I was reminded of how a pearl is made. Have you ever wondered how such a plain looking oyster could make sure a Beautiful pearl?!!?!?

The birth of a pearl is truly a miraculous event. Unlike gemstones or precious metals that must be mined from the earth, pearls are grown by live oysters far below the surface of the sea. Gemstones must be cut and polished to bring out their beauty. But pearls need no such treatment to reveal their loveliness. They are born from oysters complete -->irritant, parasite or piece of shell that accidentally lodges itself in an oyster's soft inner body where it cannot be expelled. To ease this irritant, the oyster begins to secrete a smooth, hard crystalline substance around the irritant in order to protect itself. This substance is called "nacre." As long as the irritant remains within its body, the oyster will continue to secrete nacre around it, layer upon layer. Over time, the irritant will be completely encased by the silky crystalline coatings. And the result, ultimately, is the lovely and lustrous gem called a pearl.

How something so wondrous emerges from an oyster's way of protecting itself is one of nature's loveliest surprises. For the nacre is not just a soothing substance. It is composed of microscopic crystals of calcium carbonate, aligned perfectly with one another, so that light passing along the axis of one crystal is reflected and refracted by another to produce a rainbow of light and color.

Wow, isn't that Amazing!?!?! Did you ever know that a beautiful Pearl was created by irritations?

So, why am I blogging about this? Because as I thought of the creation of the pearl, I realized how God wants to create a pearl in us! I believe he is more concerned with our Character building than our daily routine. So, although, very irritating.....our trials and tribulations, family quarrels, etc. can either bring out our pearls or just bog us down and make us angry, upset and frustrated. When all the while, those irritants are meant for our good!! Without the irritants, the pearl would cease to exist.

As I thought about this the other day, even told my mom how I put the process of the pearl in comparison to our daily lives, I told her, "I think I will post a blog about it, maybe it will help others to realize God uses these irritants to build our Character."

Then that night, my dad, whom lives in Arkansas posted this:

Sometimes there seems to be Dark, Black, Bleakness in our lives that we might not understand . . . likely more than not it's just there to build character and strength in us by our Creator! Like the jeweler that uses the Black Velvet behind the Diamond, to make the Diamond Shine! I don't know whom i'm talking to . . . but You do!

So, Shine Diamond Shine!!! Bring Glory to the Lord, and let HIM JOY in YOU as his Finest Creation!!

After reading that, I thought, "Wow! Thanks for confirming the message God!" A lot of times, he uses others to bring confirmation to us and that night it was my dad. Although, my dad used the comparison of a Diamond, it is the same message of Character building! So, let your irritates become a pearl!! Let your light shine before all men and bring Glory to God!! I agree with my dad, "YOU are God's Finest Creation!!"

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
~Matthew 5:14-16

Bless you ALL that read this blog!! Jesus loves you SO much!!

~Suzy

Outside our "Own Little World"

I wanted to share something that touched my heart yesterday, in hopes that it will touch yours. I don't tell this story for a pat on the back, brag or praise, because all praise is to God. But, I felt so moved by the situation, that I wanted to share with others, in hopes of bringing awareness to help other people. We all live in "our own little worlds", but when we recognize how much more God has planned for us to be used in the world, to others, it will change our lives! As I drove home yesterday from the park, I noticed about a block from my house a little gray-haired elderly woman riding her bicycle down the road with several plastic sacks of groceries hanging on both sides of her handle bars. It seemed to be so heavy that she could barely pedal and she was moving at the pace of a turtle. I thought, "how sad", then told my 4 yr. old, "We need to stop and help that precious lady, don't we?" he said, "Yes mommy." So, I pulled up to her, rolled down my window and said, "Ma'am, can I please help you with your groceries?" she kinda looked surprised and said, "That would be wonderful." I put my car in park and loaded her heavy sacks into my trunk. As I was loading the groceries, I was thinking about how far away she was from the grocery store and about how many other people must have already passed her without stopping. It made me sad. :( So, I got back in the car and followed her down the street a few more blocks away to her house. As I pulled up, she parked her bicycle and came to my trunk to gather her groceries. I said, "I will get them and carry them in for you." She said, "Oh, okay, thanks." She went and unlocked the front door by going through the back door. As I stood on the front porch waiting for her to open the door, I noticed a little plaque hanging on the door with a scripture on it about love. She opened the door and I put her groceries down and turned to see pictures of Jesus all along her wall. I felt God's presence and asked her, "Do you have any family?" She said, "Not in town, my son lives in another city." I said, "I bet that is hard for you to bring your groceries home like that." She told me that this had been second trip back and forth for the day. (Which meant, no one helped her the 1st time either.) I told her, "Give me a paper and pen and next time you need to get groceries, call me." She did and when I finished I gave her a hug and she looked at me as though she was in amazement and said, "You don't find kindness like that much anymore." I said, "God sends people to help." She nodded and I hugged her goodbye. Why do I tell you this story? In hopes that YOU will be one of those "Few" people that act in kindness. We all have our own lives, things to do and places to go, but please stop and take time for others. I promise you, it will change your life and give you a new meaning to purpose. I found this video on youtube that sums up what I am trying to put into words. :) Please take time to watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmRH9e7wZBw

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. ~Isaiah 1:17

I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me! ~Matthew 25:40

Healing from the Inside Out!

Wow, what an emotional couple of weeks, to say the least. Most of you know my husband, Michael, and the fact that his LOVE in life has always been horses. Although, he may still love horses, he has found a new LOVE. We wanted to share this experience and tell the story of pain, hurt, forgiveness and the healing power of LOVE.

Michael and I have been married for almost 5 years and have 4 beautiful children, ages 18, 14, 4 and a 15 month old. We have had our ups and downs throughout the marriage, but one of the biggest obstacles in our marriage has been that I am a believer in Yeshua/Jesus and love him with all my heart and Michael was not on the same page at all. (He had not accepted the free gift of salvation). So,it was very difficult for me, because the majority of the time, I want to talk about God and his goodness. I have always felt as though I got on Michael's nerves or that he felt I was preaching AT him,the truth is, I just love to talk about God. (maybe preach a little, too) :) When you have such an close relationship with God and he Amazes you daily, it is difficult to be quiet and not talk about him. I guess this meant we were unequally yoked, but, he is in me and that is just who I AM. So, I have been frustrated, he has been frustrated and all in all......a very strenuous marriage. A few weeks before Michael's accident, I really let go! I decided only GOD himself could ever get through to Michael. I decided I should start focusing on moving or at least to live my life in the purpose/direction he leads me and let God deal with Michael. ( I am sure God was saying, "Thank you" for giving me the reigns back) lol

Fast forward to Friday, March 18th, Michael was out at the farm riding horses as usual, when the horse decided to have a mind of his own and threw Michael off of him and up in the air! He was thrown SO hard that he was falling from 5 feet in the air and landed on his left shoulder, side, ribs, etc. He lay there for quite some time in PAIN! Then he slowly began to crawl on his belly to his truck and with all his strength climbed into the truck and headed home. He knew he was in a lot of pain, but really just thought he had broken a few ribs or dislocated his shoulder. He had no idea he was having internal bleeding from the spleen. He had his parents ride with him out to check on the horses and cattle before finally going to the hospital, because he still just thought it was a few broken bones, etc. He finally arrived at the hospital, to his find out he had multiple cracked ribs, broken ribs, a bulging disk in his neck, scapula broken in 3 places, a bruised lung, and to his surprise a bleeding spleen. They decided to watch him closely for the next few hours and see if the bleeding had stopped. Early the next morning they discovered that it was still bleeding and he was going to have to have Emergency surgery! This is where I lost it. I had no idea how serious it was until this point. I begin to talk to Michael about God once again, just to have him say, "Okaaay, Suzy" as if, "You are getting on my nerves again..." So, I decided to just trust God and pray. ( what a wonderful place when we really TRUST and have FAITH in God!!) They took Michael off to emergency surgery and we all prayed. Including MANY of you reading this!! (Thank you precious friends) As he came out of the surgery, one of the first things I heard him say to the nurse, while he was still under anesthesia, "I made it out of surgery, didn't I?" "Didn't I?" and she replied "Yes, you made it out okay." Which made me think, "He must have not thought he was going to make it out of surgery." I didn't say a word. Kept praying and trusting God. Things seemed to be taking a turn for the worse, he was having a hard time breathing, couldn't get comfortable, fluid was building up in his lung, he was in bad shape! I had to take turns, as his mother would come stay with him, I would go home with our 4 yr old and 1 year old. Then the next morning his mom called and told me, "He keeps asking the nurses if he is going to die." Of course, they kept telling him, "No, you will be fine." But, for some reason, heaviness lay on his heart about death. As I drove back to the hospital I cried and prayed for Michael and his Salvation. When I walked into the room, I could see it on his face......he was afraid of dying and quite frankly, he looked bad. He looked real bad, had high fever, kept asking me to pray for him, others to pray for him and saying, "I don't want to die." As a believer that walks with the Lord, I could feel the spirit of death and darkness in the room. My step-dad, Royse, came to visit and I decided to leave for coffee. While I was gone, Royse had an opportunity to talk with him about why he was feeling close to death and having fear. As Royse witnessed to Michael and shared with him about Jesus and his love, through the shedding of his blood on the cross for all our sins.
Jesus himself said his blood would be shed “for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28). The word “remission” means, “freedom; pardon: deliverance, forgiveness, liberty”. Can we think of anything more wonderful than liberty?

Michael wept.

Royse explained the reason he was so afraid is because he hadn't fully surrendered to the Father and explained how much the Father loves him through his son, the lamb of God. Michael agreed that he didn't know where he would go or what would happen to him if he died.


Then something wonderful happened, Michael said yes to Yeshua/Jesus" and in turn, he said "yes" to Michael. :) He accepted the free gift of salvation and immediately confessed it to me as I walked in the room and has been sharing his experience ever since!!! Suddenly things begin to turn around, his fever never again got up to 103, in fact was as low as 99 or none. He starting doing so good that one nurse commented, "Wow, what has happened to you, it is like you've done a 360 since the night I was in here!!" she continued to say, "You don't even look like the same guy that was in here 2 nights ago!"

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ~2 Corinthians 5:17

God is SO good and SO faithful!! I have a lot of Faith and I have experienced and I believe in miracles. You may or may not believe that, and that is fine, but what you cannot dispute is the miracle working power of salvation! (which is not a one time occurrence, but a walk.) It's not just about a free ticket to heaven, it is the beginning of a relationship.

"For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:14

"If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15


It is Amazing!! 2 Amazing stories of salvation in the last 2 months in my immediate family, my son and my husband. Is God good or what?!?!? ( I am smiling) :)

(1 Corinthians 6:17) Our spirit is changed, but we still carry around (As my dad says) this carcass (fleshly body).

We just continue to press on.......growing and changing......becoming Christlike.
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 3:14

We are not in the ministry, but the ministry is in US......when I see people in need and hurt, the Jesus in US comes out. We are all called to be servants and to LOVE one another. :) To the world we may seem like just ordinary people, but God has a bit of a different view:

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. ~Revelation 1:6

God Bless you all for the prayers! God HEARS US!!! Keep the faith and remember:

Yeshua said, "In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. ²⁴ Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." ~John 16:23-24


Keep pressing on brothers and sisters!!!


Suzy & Michael
P.S. if you ever need someone to pray with you, call us. We love you!

Oh Happy Day!!!

Wow, words cannot describe what a Happy Day Feb. 18th was for me!! My son, Dillon, went to the altar to proclaim Jesus as his Lord and Savior!! As a mother, these are times of GREAT joy unspeakable and full of glory!!! I remember when my daughter, Chelsey, had that same experience at GA camp when she was 12 yrs old and I got a phone call at 12am with a tearful, ecstatic child, telling me "I really know what it means now to be saved mom, I really know!!" These are the most precious moments in my heart. :) The story behind Feb. 18th is also Amazing! A few weeks before Bay of the Holy Spirit Revival came to Dallas, TX.......I started watching the revival on God TV and felt such anointing while I watched that I couldn't sit down! I then found out they were coming to Dallas, TX at Christ for the Nations bible college and I felt strongly I had to go! I really thought it was for me, but soon realized it wasn't just for me. I didn't have anyone to go with, so I told the Lord, "I will go by myself." Then I happened to mention it to my son, Dillon, and he said, "I want to go" and I said, "okay". Soon after that Chelsey wanted to go, too! So, on Thursday, Feb. 17th we headed to Dallas for whatever God had in store for us. Of course, anytime God has a plan, the enemy attacks! (HAHA, I laugh at him!) It started with my husband fighting me on the issue of leaving, then I got VERY ill on the way to Dallas. Then after checking into the hotel, getting ready, we were on our way the first night and I had a blow out going 70 miles an hr.!! While we were sitting under the overpass in Dallas traffic waiting for help, Dillon said, "Well, doesn't look like we are going to the revival." I said, "Yes we are!" I knew that we would somehow make it! Well, we DID make it, at exactly 7pm when it started!! As we were worshiping I felt God's presence so strong and had a horrible headache in the back of my neck/head that immediately left me........Dillon said he felt the presence strong, too! Thursday night was Amazing! We saw people healed and were in Awe of God's power!! He was getting us prepared for Friday! Friday morning I got a phone call from my husband that he AND my baby were sick with a horrible virus! I had considered packing up and heading home, but I felt strongly that God didn't want me to leave yet. So, I prayed and believed and within a few hours they weren't having symptoms anymore.....Praise the Lord! I took my older kids to the revival and God's presence was SO Awesome!!! Again, multiple miracles, including deaf ears being opened, etc. Many doubt, but praise God for those who believe that Jesus STILL does Miracles today!! (of course, the only part of the bible that can benefit you is the part you believe) Then as the evening was coming to a close, it was time for the altar call and I had the privilege of walking with my son to accept the greatest gift of his life! Thank you Lord!! He had an Amazing experience of God's power and presence! You are a Mighty God!! ~Suzy

You can view videos of the miracles and people being set free at the following website:

http://bayoftheholyspiritrevival.com/

Also, here is the Delia Knox Healing videos.......she was in a wheelchair for 22 yrs. The 1st one is the night of the healing and the 2nd is when she came back walking on stage to give him Glory!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRNULaTF0I4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1YxJfLKF7c

God is SO Awesome!!

Restoration is closer than you might realize!

Everybody has a past. How you deal with that past will effect your future.

The definition of insanity- doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.

To change your future, you have to change what you are doing right now!!

As a child of God, you have the RIGHT to be restored......it is your RIGHT! Isn't that awesome to know! You don't have to stay in your current condition! God wants you to thrive!!

Definition of Restoration -To be brought back to original or former condition.

7 Steps to Restoration:

1. Identify the problem
What has lead up to where you are now? Most people get down gradually.....over a period of time if you are not careful and guard areas in your life, you will fall. Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. ~Psalm 37:27 Be careful who you talk to about your problem.....some people are not qualified to give you instruction. You need men and women of God with fruit in their lives......a spiritually mature person....a pastor is very important. AVOID counseling with your best friend or people closest to you, they will ALWAYS see it your way and will not be totally truthful with you. Find Godly counsel, proven to have fruit in their own lives and walk with God. Example: they pray, worship and study the word of God. Don't confess your faults to someone you cannot trust.

2. Seek forgiveness for the problems you identify.
He is a God of equality, he treats us fairly and does NOT forsake his saints. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. ~Psalm 37:28 You need to pray privately, but openly and honestly and ask for forgiveness of the problem you identified. Unburden yourself to the Lord, not other people!! Repent to the Lord and he will set you free! Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. ~Psalm 91:3

3. Forgive yourself
How can you forgive anybody else when you can't forgive yourself? Not saying excuse yourself for making bad choices, but forgiving yourself. You have to say, "Lord if you have forgiven me, who am I to keep this to myself and dwell on my mistakes?"

4. Bury the problems of your past.
Treat the past like a death.....especially people that bring you down and are NO GOOD for your life. The sooner you let that go, God can bring the right person/people in your life. When you decide to let the past and the people of the past go, things will start to change in the right direction. Satan wants you to stay stuck and he will want you with the past and the wrong crowd.

5. Do NOT transfer the blame!
This is HUGE, not blaming others, circumstance, etc. for your personal decisions and choices. Though HE stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Psalm 37:24.........in this passage it says, "though HE stumble...." WHO stumble? WE must take responsibility for our actions/choices and not play the "blame" game. This is putting your EGO on the shelf and PRIDE and saying, "I did this, I will accept full responsiblity for my life so far and my problems." Stop justifying your failures by blaming others! Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.~Proverbs 28:13 When people remind you of your past, you remind them of your FUTURE!! This is the day the Lord hath made and I WILL REJOICE and BE GLAD IN IT!!!!
You will have a Better day, better month, better year ..........because you serve a RISEN Savior!!! America loves to transfer the blame! Nobody can get together because their is too much blaming! You MUST take responsiblity and you say, "I did this, I was wrong, I will change and repent and do something about it!" Stop looking to someone else to be your resource! God IS your resource! Don't limit your reward! He owns the cattle on 1000 hills, as well as the hills! You dont need a woman or a man, you just NEED GOD!!! (Who have you chosen to believe?)

6. Allow God to heal the hurt caused to others
We forget that our sin, doesn't just effect us, it effects those around us. When those we love our harmed by our actions, we experience guilt, condemnation and shame.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.~Romans 8:1

Don't get caught up in the trap that you are responsible for healing and restoring everybody! Ask God to help restore them and help them to get past the pain you may have contributed to..........and then talk to those you have hurt with your past and ask them to forgive you and let them know you are going to make a change.The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom and his tongue speaks what is just.

Then, Stop talking about anything you want others to forget. Why do you want to argue with God who thinks the WORLD about you and you are thinking the lowest. RELAX and enjoy the blessing of God! Get to the point where you are more concerned about what God thinks then what others think. Don't get self-righteous, be real. None of us are truly worthy, but by him he made us worthy. :) Thank Goodness!!

Some days you may not FEEL very Victorious, Remember, your feeler may be broke, but your Father is not. Sometimes we have good and bad days. We don't always live in positive la la land.

It is good to have Godly people in your life, but make sure when you give them a problem, they don't just give you back an opinion. Make sure they are going back to what the word says, what does God say about this situation?

and last, but certainly not least,

7. Realize restoration is a process.
It doesn't happen overnight. People want everything instantly. It takes time, you are going to have to spend some personal time with God. Inner healing is constant and ongoing. It is a refining process, and when you feel your mind is going back to where you were and you get mad and it starts eating at you then you have to repent again and start back on the process and get your mind under your authority instead of the mind controlling or leading you, you lead your mind where you want it to go and what you want it to think on. You do not have to be limited and tormented by the things in your past. You need to ACT and LIVE like you desire God to treat you! You are the reason Jesus came to this earth to bridge a gap between you and the Heavenly father! Who are you or I to deny God what he desires?

Happy New Year!! Let's get Spiritually Fit!!

Spiritual Fitness

A New Year brings resolutions.......one of them being physical fitness!! Many a gym memberships are purchased at the beginning of the year and the fad diet plans, only to be forgotten most of the time within a few short months. It is very important to be "physically" fit, something I need to work on harder, it is VERY important to eat healthier, exercise, etc. because our bodies are his temple as mentioned here:
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. ~1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Obviously, physical fitness holds value, but more important than our physical fitness is our "spiritual" fitness. As stated here by the Apostle Paul, 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ~1 Timothy 4:7-8

It is just like with physical fitness, those muscles have to be trained to be Strong and Disaplined. Same with spiritual training, we must do daily activities to build up our spiritual muscles!! So, how do we do that? How do we become more godly?

Carve out daily time for God.

Bible study, a daily devotional, reading the bible. (get a reading plan if you haven't read the bible through for yourself)
Prayer- just simple conversation with God. (we were made to communicate with him)
Worship! (He loves singing! and LOVES your singing, your voice, even if you think you don't sing, he LOVES your voice!)

Think Child-Like: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." ~Matthew 19:14

And remember, we are winning a GREAT prize and reward!! I am always up for a great competition, I love to win, that is my personality, but the ultimate prize is our reward by our precious Savior, Jesus!
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. ~1 Corinthians 9:24-37

Think on these things........be spiritually fit, not just physically fit. You have an influence on children and others around you. Live your life to influence others for Jesus. We are not perfect by any means (hence why we needed a Savior) but, we are God represented on the earth. :)