Tonight during our teaching session with Dr. Clarice Fluitt, I received a prophetic word from the Lord. During the middle of the teaching, she stopped, pointed at me, and said to stand up. She began to pray and speak over me a confirmation of what I have been praying for. I came open and prepared to hear from Him - a vessel ready to be moved by God.
I don't remember exactly what was said, probably because I was sobbing through most of it. As soon as I get a copy of the CD, I will write down word for word what she said. Basically, she said God was calling me away from being timid and shy, and giving me boldness. She said I had the gift of healing and prophesy. She said something about no longer being disappointed. Then she said, "You are not ordinary. You are extraordinary!!" This was particularly funny to me because in the book I am reading called, The Dream Giver, the main character's name in Ordinary. It is the story of leaving the "Land of the Familiar" to pursue "The Big Dream."
Friday, June 29, 2012
Listen and obey 6-22-12 (am)
I want to share with you some of what I have received at the retreat. First of all, the speaker (Clarice Fluitt) started off her session last night with these words: "This is not a retreat. This is an ADVANCE! We did not come here to move backward, but to go forward." As I was busy trying to write that down, she looked right at me and said, "Do not try to take notes. I am going to move too fast for that. I need you to listen." And so I did.
We had breakout sessions this morning in 5 different areas: prayer, worship, God's word, listening, and soaking. Previous to the lessons I asked God to reveal to me what he wanted me to hear. I also prayed for boldness and for a manifestation of the gifts He had for me. I asked God to pour out of me the double portion of prophesy that was prophesied over me many years ago. I said, "I am ready for the manifestation of the double portion."
What I found throughout the morning was a theme of prayer, listening for God's voice, and then obeying what He says.
First, at the prayer session we were each given a gift. The leader of the session said that she had prayed over them, and she believed that everyone was going to get the one God wanted them to have. Each one was unique in some way. We were given a prayer shawl. First of all, I have always wanted a prayer shawl. Secondly, it was my favorite color. It is the same color as the eyes on my cow for my logo for my new business. :)
Next we went to a session on studying God's word. Again, we were given individual unique gifts. My gift was a book about prayer. I was also able to give a testimony about gratefulness. Some time ago someone posted on facebook a status update that said, "What if you woke up tomorrow morning, and all you had was what you thanked God for yesterday?" That was one of the most profound statements I have ever heard, and I believe it changed my life.
Next, we went to a session on listening. I was reminded of the many times I have listened and heard the voice of God. I was also reminded of how important it is to obey that voice when you hear it. Just to name a few times that I have heard from God:
1. He told me to move to FL. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was working as a bank teller at the time, and I was at work running the drive-through window on a Saturday morning. I just heard God speak to me. I am not sure if it was an audible voice, or just through my spirit, but I remember what he said. He said, "I want you to move to FL and live with your parents." I remember telling one of the other tellers, "I am going to move to FL." She looked at me like I had 6 heads! Now, let me just tell you that that came out of nowhere. I had no plans to move to FL. All I know is that on Monday morning I gave my 2 week's notice, and I was on my way to FL. (BTW, I met my husband the 2nd day I was there at my parent's church, and we were engaged less than 6 months later.)
2. He told me we were going to move to the country and buy a farm. This happened while we were on a camping trip with some friends from our old church, Beit Yeshua. I am not sure if I even told anyone other than my husband. It was several years later before it actually happened, but it did happen.
3. I also heard from God when He told us we were to buy a cow. That is a whole story of it's own, so I will save that one for another day. I think I have made my point ~ at least I hope so.
The last session for our small group was on soaking. We listened to a beautiful song about how much God loves us. Then we laid down on mattresses on the floor and closed our eyes. We just relaxed and meditated on what God had for us. We were told that if God spoke to us, we were to write it down.
The only thing I heard was "1Thesselonians 5:17." It just kept coming to me over and over. I questioned whether is was just my mind, or was I really hearing from God? This was not a verse that I had committed to memory. I had no idea what it said. After the soaking time, I looked it up, and it said, "Pray continually." It goes on to say in verses 18-24: "Gve thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."
Is there a theme here? Yes, God. I hear you. Pray, listen, seek your face, and when you speak to me, obey. And through it all have joy and remember to give thanks.
Thank you Lord for speaking to me today. I pray that these words will speak to you as well.
We had breakout sessions this morning in 5 different areas: prayer, worship, God's word, listening, and soaking. Previous to the lessons I asked God to reveal to me what he wanted me to hear. I also prayed for boldness and for a manifestation of the gifts He had for me. I asked God to pour out of me the double portion of prophesy that was prophesied over me many years ago. I said, "I am ready for the manifestation of the double portion."
What I found throughout the morning was a theme of prayer, listening for God's voice, and then obeying what He says.
First, at the prayer session we were each given a gift. The leader of the session said that she had prayed over them, and she believed that everyone was going to get the one God wanted them to have. Each one was unique in some way. We were given a prayer shawl. First of all, I have always wanted a prayer shawl. Secondly, it was my favorite color. It is the same color as the eyes on my cow for my logo for my new business. :)
Next we went to a session on studying God's word. Again, we were given individual unique gifts. My gift was a book about prayer. I was also able to give a testimony about gratefulness. Some time ago someone posted on facebook a status update that said, "What if you woke up tomorrow morning, and all you had was what you thanked God for yesterday?" That was one of the most profound statements I have ever heard, and I believe it changed my life.
Next, we went to a session on listening. I was reminded of the many times I have listened and heard the voice of God. I was also reminded of how important it is to obey that voice when you hear it. Just to name a few times that I have heard from God:
1. He told me to move to FL. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was working as a bank teller at the time, and I was at work running the drive-through window on a Saturday morning. I just heard God speak to me. I am not sure if it was an audible voice, or just through my spirit, but I remember what he said. He said, "I want you to move to FL and live with your parents." I remember telling one of the other tellers, "I am going to move to FL." She looked at me like I had 6 heads! Now, let me just tell you that that came out of nowhere. I had no plans to move to FL. All I know is that on Monday morning I gave my 2 week's notice, and I was on my way to FL. (BTW, I met my husband the 2nd day I was there at my parent's church, and we were engaged less than 6 months later.)
2. He told me we were going to move to the country and buy a farm. This happened while we were on a camping trip with some friends from our old church, Beit Yeshua. I am not sure if I even told anyone other than my husband. It was several years later before it actually happened, but it did happen.
3. I also heard from God when He told us we were to buy a cow. That is a whole story of it's own, so I will save that one for another day. I think I have made my point ~ at least I hope so.
The last session for our small group was on soaking. We listened to a beautiful song about how much God loves us. Then we laid down on mattresses on the floor and closed our eyes. We just relaxed and meditated on what God had for us. We were told that if God spoke to us, we were to write it down.
The only thing I heard was "1Thesselonians 5:17." It just kept coming to me over and over. I questioned whether is was just my mind, or was I really hearing from God? This was not a verse that I had committed to memory. I had no idea what it said. After the soaking time, I looked it up, and it said, "Pray continually." It goes on to say in verses 18-24: "Gve thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."
Is there a theme here? Yes, God. I hear you. Pray, listen, seek your face, and when you speak to me, obey. And through it all have joy and remember to give thanks.
Thank you Lord for speaking to me today. I pray that these words will speak to you as well.
Are you persuing your dream? 6-21-12
I just wanted to start out by saying that I wrote this (and the next several other blog posts) several days ago in my journal. It has just taken me some time to finally get them on the computer. So, the date next to the title is the date the post was written.
My sister Cindy recently gave me a book called, The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. Like many other things in my life, I put off reading it. Not because I didn't have the time ~ we all make the time for the things we really want to do. I put it off because she told me it would be life changing. I knew from the title of the book that it would cause me to not only think about my dreams, but make some real changes to make them happen.
On p. 20 of the book, he writes:
~"The Dream Giver gave me a Big Dream before I was even born. I just finally woke up to it!"
~"My dream is what I do best and what I most love to do. How could I have missed it for so long?"
~"I had to sacrifice and make big changes to persue my dream. But it will be worth it."
~"It makes me sad to think that so many Nobodies are missing something so Big."
The book is already resonating with me, and I am only on the 1st chapter. I have a dream. I have a dream of owning my own business, a dream of writing a book, but most of all a dream of becoming successful doing something that I love to do.
As I am writing this, I am sitting outside by the pool of a ladies beach retreat. It is early in the morning, and the birds are singing. The praise and worship leaders are preparing to minister. I know God has something special for me today. Lord, I am open to what you have for me. Please speak to me today.
My sister Cindy recently gave me a book called, The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. Like many other things in my life, I put off reading it. Not because I didn't have the time ~ we all make the time for the things we really want to do. I put it off because she told me it would be life changing. I knew from the title of the book that it would cause me to not only think about my dreams, but make some real changes to make them happen.
On p. 20 of the book, he writes:
~"The Dream Giver gave me a Big Dream before I was even born. I just finally woke up to it!"
~"My dream is what I do best and what I most love to do. How could I have missed it for so long?"
~"I had to sacrifice and make big changes to persue my dream. But it will be worth it."
~"It makes me sad to think that so many Nobodies are missing something so Big."
The book is already resonating with me, and I am only on the 1st chapter. I have a dream. I have a dream of owning my own business, a dream of writing a book, but most of all a dream of becoming successful doing something that I love to do.
As I am writing this, I am sitting outside by the pool of a ladies beach retreat. It is early in the morning, and the birds are singing. The praise and worship leaders are preparing to minister. I know God has something special for me today. Lord, I am open to what you have for me. Please speak to me today.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
In everything give thanks
I have been contemplating about what to write about all day. I am enjoying some solitude - which is somewhat rare for me. John and the boys went to Duffy's farm to help him harvest some corn, and then the boys are going to VBS with some friends tonight. We may even get some alone time tonight - something that is extremely rare!
Anyway, I sat down for a few minutes to have some prayer time with the Lord. I have been feeling a bit anxious the last few weeks about finances, and I know that God wants us to be anxious for nothing. As I was praying and asking God to help me overcome my anxiety, he brought several scriptures to my mind. Be anxious for nothing...take no thought for tomorrow...(Matthew 6:25-34) In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1Thessalonians 5:18)... Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)
Needless to say, I am feeling much better. I was reminded how important it is to be grateful. Whether you have a little or a lot, it is so important to be thankful for what you do have. I truly believe that is not only the key to happiness, but also the key that unlocks the kingdom of heaven for blessings to be able to flow. I am often guilty of forgetting that, and those are the times that I find myself struggling with fear of not having enough.
I really should know better. The last few years of our life have been filled with massive amounts of change, yet God has been with us through it all. I know that without Him, we would never be where we are today. We went from a very typical middle class suburban neighborhood close to lots of shops and restaurants to living on a 5 acre farm in the country, 20 minutes away from the nearest "regular" grocery store and nearly an hour away from any large retail stores or shopping malls. That in itself was a huge culture shock for me and my family. Then add to it that my husband continued to travel back and forth to Florida almost every week for several days at a time. We were so blessed to have John's brother and sister-in-law to allow him to stay there when he came to Florida. (If either of you are reading this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!)
Recently, we went through another round of radical change when my husband decided to stay here in GA and basically give up his painting business in FL. We are used to living on faith, because for the last 20 years of our marriage, John has been self employed. While we never got rich (at least by American standards), we always had enough. John relied on his reputation and the Lord to keep his business going. He did very little advertising, and yet week after week the phone would continue to ring with new business. So you can see how difficult it was for him to let go and let God take over. (Coincidentally, that will be the title of my first book someday...Let Go and Let God.)
I just need to stop and say that just a minute ago (while I was writing this), my phone rang. It was one of my cheese customers calling to place another order! Praise the Lord! Isn't it amazing how when you release your fears to God and ask him to take over, He is so quick to answer your prayers? We serve a BIG God people!!
Anyway, back to the story about my husband. He has been steady busy with work since he made the decision to stay in GA. This past week he has been home. He has been doing a few small home improvement projects and he has been helping me do some gardening. He is currently working on plans to make a chicken coop for someone (and hopefully one for us too!) He is busy trying to find things he can do or sell from home, and we are praying for God to help expand our vision to see what He has in store for us next. Stay tuned, because I am sure God has something wonderful planned, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!
Anyway, I sat down for a few minutes to have some prayer time with the Lord. I have been feeling a bit anxious the last few weeks about finances, and I know that God wants us to be anxious for nothing. As I was praying and asking God to help me overcome my anxiety, he brought several scriptures to my mind. Be anxious for nothing...take no thought for tomorrow...(Matthew 6:25-34) In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1Thessalonians 5:18)... Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)
Needless to say, I am feeling much better. I was reminded how important it is to be grateful. Whether you have a little or a lot, it is so important to be thankful for what you do have. I truly believe that is not only the key to happiness, but also the key that unlocks the kingdom of heaven for blessings to be able to flow. I am often guilty of forgetting that, and those are the times that I find myself struggling with fear of not having enough.
I really should know better. The last few years of our life have been filled with massive amounts of change, yet God has been with us through it all. I know that without Him, we would never be where we are today. We went from a very typical middle class suburban neighborhood close to lots of shops and restaurants to living on a 5 acre farm in the country, 20 minutes away from the nearest "regular" grocery store and nearly an hour away from any large retail stores or shopping malls. That in itself was a huge culture shock for me and my family. Then add to it that my husband continued to travel back and forth to Florida almost every week for several days at a time. We were so blessed to have John's brother and sister-in-law to allow him to stay there when he came to Florida. (If either of you are reading this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!)
Recently, we went through another round of radical change when my husband decided to stay here in GA and basically give up his painting business in FL. We are used to living on faith, because for the last 20 years of our marriage, John has been self employed. While we never got rich (at least by American standards), we always had enough. John relied on his reputation and the Lord to keep his business going. He did very little advertising, and yet week after week the phone would continue to ring with new business. So you can see how difficult it was for him to let go and let God take over. (Coincidentally, that will be the title of my first book someday...Let Go and Let God.)
I just need to stop and say that just a minute ago (while I was writing this), my phone rang. It was one of my cheese customers calling to place another order! Praise the Lord! Isn't it amazing how when you release your fears to God and ask him to take over, He is so quick to answer your prayers? We serve a BIG God people!!
Anyway, back to the story about my husband. He has been steady busy with work since he made the decision to stay in GA. This past week he has been home. He has been doing a few small home improvement projects and he has been helping me do some gardening. He is currently working on plans to make a chicken coop for someone (and hopefully one for us too!) He is busy trying to find things he can do or sell from home, and we are praying for God to help expand our vision to see what He has in store for us next. Stay tuned, because I am sure God has something wonderful planned, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
All bacon is NOT created equal
Let me first say that if you are kosher or vegetarian, you may not want to read this post. But, if you love bacon, this one is for you! Today I had the most delicious bacon I have ever put in my mouth. Please forgive me if it sounds like I am bragging. That is not my intent! My intent is simply to say that I have now had to opportunity to taste some of our first pork that we have raised here on the farm. It is delicious! I have heard over and over again that any meat that you raise yourself will taste much better than anything you can buy in the store, and let me just tell you firsthand it is true!!
This morning my husband prepared the most delicious breakfast of pancakes, bacon and sausage. Yes, we had to taste the sausage too. :) The pancakes were made with fresh buttermilk that I made myself. They were light, fluffy and dripping with maple syrup. Yum!! The sausage looked different than any I had seen from the store. It had just the right amount of spice and flavor. Although it was marbled with fat, it left very little drippings in the pan. But the bacon, ohhhhhh the bacon! It was simply mouthwatering! It was thick sliced, and it was sweet and smokey. It fried up beautifully in the pan, and it was tender with just a slight amount of chewiness. Is that a word? LOL! Anyway, the bacon was outstanding! It made all the waiting of raising the pigs and sending them to the butcher worthwhile.
As for the raising of the pigs, they were very easy. I had no idea what to expect, and I had heard horror stories about them. We had a very good experience with our little piggies. When my husband brought them home, the two of them fit in a large cat carrier. We fed them for about 4 1/2 months, and they grew very quickly. Sometimes it almost felt like you could watch them grow. They were always happy to get fed, and they would happily gobble up anything you gave them. We fed them table scraps (no pork), milk and whey, and hog feed. They didn't have much grass, but they would root around and dig up whatever they could find. They were very tame, and loved it when you scratched them on the head.
After they were gone, I discovered just how wonderful pig manure is as a fertilizer for my garden. I had a manure pile close to the pig pen, and now I have some of the prettiest tomato plants growing there. The best part is that they grew there all on their own! I also have some of the strangest looking plants that I thought for the longest time were peppers. It turns out they are tomatilla plants. They are huge and covered with blossoms. (We had fed some to the pigs once. Haha!)
So, will we grow pigs again? YES, YES, YES!!! We now have a freezer full of pork. 320 pounds of it to be exact. The pigs weighed in at 240 pounds and 275 pounds, and they dressed out at 145 and 175 respectively. We figure it cost us about $1.75 a pound overall from start to finish. So far we have only tried the sausage, bacon and pork steaks. They were all fantastic. I can hardly wait to try the other stuff in my freezer. :) John and I just planted about 300 corn plants in their old pen. After we harvest it, we will buy a couple more piggies and throw them in with the old corn stalks. They will love it! Well, I've rambled a bit too long as usual, and my timer for my next batch of cheddar cheese is going off. I gotta go!
This morning my husband prepared the most delicious breakfast of pancakes, bacon and sausage. Yes, we had to taste the sausage too. :) The pancakes were made with fresh buttermilk that I made myself. They were light, fluffy and dripping with maple syrup. Yum!! The sausage looked different than any I had seen from the store. It had just the right amount of spice and flavor. Although it was marbled with fat, it left very little drippings in the pan. But the bacon, ohhhhhh the bacon! It was simply mouthwatering! It was thick sliced, and it was sweet and smokey. It fried up beautifully in the pan, and it was tender with just a slight amount of chewiness. Is that a word? LOL! Anyway, the bacon was outstanding! It made all the waiting of raising the pigs and sending them to the butcher worthwhile.
As for the raising of the pigs, they were very easy. I had no idea what to expect, and I had heard horror stories about them. We had a very good experience with our little piggies. When my husband brought them home, the two of them fit in a large cat carrier. We fed them for about 4 1/2 months, and they grew very quickly. Sometimes it almost felt like you could watch them grow. They were always happy to get fed, and they would happily gobble up anything you gave them. We fed them table scraps (no pork), milk and whey, and hog feed. They didn't have much grass, but they would root around and dig up whatever they could find. They were very tame, and loved it when you scratched them on the head.
After they were gone, I discovered just how wonderful pig manure is as a fertilizer for my garden. I had a manure pile close to the pig pen, and now I have some of the prettiest tomato plants growing there. The best part is that they grew there all on their own! I also have some of the strangest looking plants that I thought for the longest time were peppers. It turns out they are tomatilla plants. They are huge and covered with blossoms. (We had fed some to the pigs once. Haha!)
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