Catch the Vision

Welcome to
Wednesday, everyone!
Some do
resolutions, some do one-words. For the past few years, I’ve been a one-word
kind of girl. I focus on that word throughout the year.
Last year,
my word was JOY, the year before it was STRENGTH.
This year the Lord has spoken the word VISION over me.
By
definition, the word can mean several things:
  •  the ability to see : sight or eyesight

  •  something that you imagine; a picture that you
    see in your mind

  •  something that you see or dream especially as
    part of a religious or supernatural experience

I believe
in having a vision in order to see victory in your life.
Some may even call a
vision, a goal.
Habakkuk
holds the most famous verse on vision.
“Write the
vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.”
Habakkuk 2:2
Of course,
in order to write a vision, you must first have a vision. This is where I like
to set aside the first part of January to fasting and praying for that. I think
many of us probably set aside a designated time for direction for the new year.
What do I
see for this year? Moreover, what does God see and what will He reveal to me
for this new year? It takes time, prayer and yes, even fasting to discover.
Let’s look
at Daniel chapter 10.
“In
the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose
name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was
long ;and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision.”
Daniel 10: 1
Daniel was
given a message/vision and God revealed to him what it was. He understood. We
need to seek God to give us vision and to understand it.
This
vision (regarding a great war) moved Daniel to spiritual action.
“I,
Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine
came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were
fulfilled.” (2:2)
If you’ve
ever heard of a “Daniel fast” this is where they get it from. He
fasted. He denied himself rich foods. He didn’t live to eat, but rather he ate
to live during this time.
With
fasting and prayer come great reward.
“Now
on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great
river, that is, the Tigris, I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain
man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! His body was
like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of
fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his
words like the voice of a multitude.” (10:4-6)
Can you
imagine!?! Many scholars believe this to be Jesus Pre-Incarnate, since other
scriptures describe him the same. *the angel that speaks afterward who was
fighting the Prince of Persia is not thought to be Jesus, but simply an angel.
Daniel
experienced the glory of God in a way no one else around him did.
“And
I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the
vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide
themselves.” (verse 7)
Why? He
had prepared himself. If we want
to experience Christ in even more glorious ways, we’re going to have to
prepare ourselves for it.
This year
I want the “ability to see” Christ in new and even more glorious
ways. I want a fresh vision. I want the vision of Christ–Christ-colored
glasses on at every moment.
It’ll take:
  • Consecration.
  • Inspiration.
  • Motivation.
  • Dedication.
  • Saturation.
  • Maturation.
  • Even at
    times an Operation (on my heart and mind) if I want VISION.

And I do.
I really, really, really do. This year we’ll look at the “-tions”
together. We will catch the vision of Christ for our lives. As the body of
Christ, and for our personal destiny.
“For
I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD…”
Feel free to pin this to your Pinterest board as a reminder!
Well,
let’s get to steppin and get God’s vision for us this new year. I’m all about
good plans and a future of hope.
How about
you?

What is your one word or goal/s you’ve set for the new year? What do you
want more of?

A Year of Promises!

 
Welcome to
another new year, friends! I hope you’ve enjoyed your Christmas holidays.
Followed through with old traditions, made new ones. Enjoyed our wonderful
Savior.
 
Instead of
saying HAPPY new year, I’ll say something else. (I have said Happy New Year and
begrudge no one the saying, I’m making a point.) You see, some woke up this
morning still in physical and emotional pain, still struggling financially,
still grieving lost loved ones, still afraid or uncertain of the future. What I
will say is, here is to a promising new year. Here are just a few of those
promises. Happiness may not come, but the joy of the Lord is deep and abiding
even when things aren’t happy.
 
“If
you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My
Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you,
that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” John
15:10-11
 
“For
I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I
will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry
wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19
 
“No
weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against
you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the
Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.” Isaiah 54:17
 
“All
praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with
Christ.” Ephesians 1:3
 
“May
God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and
whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming
of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable.
If he said it, he’ll do it!” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
 
“If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
 
“…nothing
can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels
nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even
the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above
or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to
separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our
Lord.”  Romans 8:38-39
 
“And
be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20
 

 

Which of
these promises spoke to your heart most? Or if you have a promise you plan to
“stand” on this year, feel free to share it! 
 
Also, Happy Birthday to my mom today! I love you, mom! Here’s to a promising new year for you!

Abundant Blessings

 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 

I’m all about spending time with the fam and getting my slice of pumpkin pie! I’m thankful for so many things. 

God has blessed me so much this year with abundance. Soul abundance. What about you? In honor of Thanksgiving, I’d like to revisit an old post–one of my first posts as a blogger.

What’s in Your Basket? 

I’ll be taking a blogging break for the month of December, but will be back with a look at 2013 and my one word, along with my new word for 2014! I encourage you to spend some time in December focusing on the vision God has for you in the coming year and write it down! Without a vision, the people perish.

Be blessed, everyone and have a very Merry Christmas indeed. 

How has God blessed you this year? Share something big or small!

A Moment In His Presence

My BFF “Jane” shared a video with me last week. It was about 5:30 a.m. when the text came through and it was THE perfect end to my study time with the Lord.

Praying you take a minute and bask in His presence. Read Psalm 139:6-8 from the Message translation while listening. We have so much to be thankful for today! 

I’m thankful for His abiding presence. 

God,
investigate my life;
    get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an
open book to you;
    even from a distance, you know what I’m
thinking.
You know
when I leave and when I get back;
    I’m never out of your sight.
You know
everything I’m going to say
    before I start the first sentence.
I look
behind me and you’re there,
    then up ahead and you’re there, too—
    your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is
too much, too wonderful—
    I can’t take it all in!
Is there
any place I can go to avoid your Spirit?
    to be out of your sight?
If I climb
to the sky, you’re there!
    If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew
on morning’s wings
    to the far western horizon,
You’d find
me in a minute—
    you’re already there waiting!
Then I
said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
    At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a
fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; 
night and day, darkness and light, they’re
all the same to you. 


What are you thankful for today, concerning God?

And the Word of the Year Is…

No, it’s not “pics” that’s just some letters that hint at th word. A word not chosen by me.

So this is what it’s come to:

The word “selfie” (which I may or may not use or have done) has made it as the word of the year according to Oxford Dictionaries. 

Think of all the words it beat out…yep, “twerk” is one of them. According to this article. http://news.yahoo.com/selfie-beats-twerk-word-001022713.html

What about a selfie twerking? Yeah, I agree, please don’t.

Why yes, this is a SELFIE! Although,
it does kinda look like my head
floating on some red fabric. But hey,
at least I’m not twerking. 

I think in honor of the word, we should all post selfies on our facebook pages today. I already have one up! 🙂 

And if you want to, here are the top 5 things I’m thankful for! I was going to do a new top 5, but I’m still thankful for all these things–even if #4 didn’t happen this year, it did happen one year. 🙂 Hope you get a good ha-ha!

So I have to ask, what word would you like to see trend and make it as the word of the year? Use it in a sentence please!

This ought to be good…and go!

Keep It Humble Part 8: Don’t End up Grazing

 
 “Be of the same mind toward one
another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do
not be wise in your own opinion.” Romans 12:16 NKJV
 
 
Today we’re finishing our
series on humility according to the passage here in Romans. I hope it’s
benefited you and you’ve applied it in your own life.
 
When the new year rolls
around, I’m sure we’ll talk more about humility and pride. It’s something everyone
wrestles with.
 
To be of the same mind, according to the Greek word, means to be
of the same mind i.e. agreed together, cherish the same views, be harmonious
 
Spend time with those who
cherish the Lord as you do and are of low esteem—humble. Not 
too big for their
britches.
 
You become who you spend time
with.
 
It’s true.
 
Why do you think God wants your
time so badly? So you’ll become more like him.
 
Do not be wise in your own
opinion. In the KJV it says, “Be not wise in your own conceits.”
Conceits…conceited. The Message
says, “Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with
nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.”
 
The truth is, without Christ,
we are nothing. We can do nothing. We need his grace. His mercy. His
forgiveness.
 
People who live this lifestyle,
they are the ones we should be spending time with. Associating with. You and I?
We don’t have it all together. We don’t know it all. And the moment we think we
do, we could end up growing hair all over our bodies while our nails shoot out
like claws and we settle for grazing in pastures!
 
Remember, King Neb? From the
book of Daniel?
 
“But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was
hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his
glory from him. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made
like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with
grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that
the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He
chooses.” Daniel 5:20-21
 
I’d kinda like to get a handle on pride now, as I’m not a
fan of pastures or dew. Or grass—of any kind.
 
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6
 
I’d much rather God raise me up than to do it myself and
have Him bring me low. Amen?
 
Life
Application:
Spend some time asking God to search your heart
and help you to see if you think you might be too big for your britches.
Evaluate your friendships/networkings and ask God to reveal to you your motives
behind them. If it’s about what they can do for you, how they make you look, if
it’s about the value they bring to you based solely on who they are…you might
want to pray through that. Who do associate with?

 

 
Prayer: God,
we ask for a clear picture of our motives. Bring light to areas that are
darkened by deceit and denial. Help us to learn to humble ourselves through
your word—by being more than hearers but doers—so that we don’t have to be brought
low through hard experiences. Give us grace when do have to. Teach us your
ways. Guide us into truth. Let it illuminate each step we take. For your glory,
In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
“Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for
dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love
deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled
and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit
in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in
hospitality. Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your
happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with
each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great
somebody. Romans 12:9-16 MSG”
 
Have you ever been humbled by God? What did you learn from that experience?

Mind Readers Unite!

Roll out the red carpet!
Grab a drink (champagne or apple cider, name your poison!)
It’s here, ladies and gentlemen!
If you loved book 1…
Buy the book for a limited time at .99! 
…then you are going to be over the moon with book 2. (If you haven’t read book 1, what are you waiting for? Go get it!)
Buy the book! 
That’s right! Happy Release Day! Heather Sunseri’s second book in her mindspeak series is out and it’s red hot!
Here is the backcover:
An intruder has seized
control of Lexi Matthew’s mind, putting those closest to her in grave danger.

When someone snakes
into Lexi’s head and threatens Jack’s life at Lexi’s own hand, she must quickly
decide: leave Jack and the web of lies and controversial medical science behind
in order to protect him, or stay and fight to regain control of her own mind
but risk Jack’s life.

Before Lexi can
choose, she’s immersed into the underground world of the International
Intelligence Agency, where she discovers the world of cloning and mind control
is much larger than she and Jack ever imagined and is growing bigger and more
dangerous.

As the band of
teenage human clones uncovers more of their supernatural abilities, a dominant
force inside the IIA is at work to take over their powers. Can Lexi stop the
person who has invaded her mind before the IIA captures them all, or will she
sacrifice herself to save those she loves?

Celebrate with me and congratulate Heather! Best way to do that? Buy the books! Also, Heather is giving away $100 and copies of  Mindsiege, Tuesday, November 19th!! Enter to win. Everyone could use the extra dough at Christmas time!
If you had the chance to jump into one person’s mind for the day (living or dead) who would you choose and why?
Author, Heather Sunseri
Heather Sunseri was raised on
a tiny farm in the smallest of towns in thoroughbred horse country near
Lexington, Kentucky. After high school, she attended Furman University in
Greenville, South Carolina, and later graduated from the University of Kentucky
with a degree in accounting. Always torn between a passion for fantasy and a
mind for the rational, it only made sense to combine her career in accounting
with a novel-writing dream.

Heather now lives
in a different small town on the other side of Lexington with her two children,
and her husband, Mike, the biggest Oregon Duck fan in the universe. When she’s
not writing or working as a CPA, she spends her time tormenting her daughter’s
cat, Olivia, and loving on her son’s Golden Retriever, Jenny. MINDSPEAK is her
first published novel. 

Married to a “Homeless” Man

Everyone loves a little romance, yes? I just read an article about a couple who worked at a homeless ministry together. 

They spent weekends handing out free pizza downtown, but on one particular day, a homeless man walked up to the young woman. Long hair, hood, sunglasses, he told her she was kind of cute and then he pulled out a red ring pop and asked her to marry him.

Of course, she grinned and those around them laughed but then he said, “What about now?”

Off came the hood, the mask, the sunglassses, and her boyfriend dropped to his knee and pledged her his heart!

If that doesn’t get the writer plots turning, what does? You have to watch the short little video, as he filmed it from beginning (getting ready) to end–her reaction is priceless and I admit, the romantic in me teared up!

What are some unique proposals you could dream up? If you’re married, how did your husband propose?
Or how could you spin a plot with this story?

Here’s the video/story link and it’s worth the two minutes to watch! 

“Homeless” man proposes to a girl

photocredit: freedigitalphotos/michalMarchol

Keep It Humble Part 7: I’m Not Feelin’ It

Mind your own business. Keep to yourself. Deal with your own
problems. Meet your deadlines. Taxi the children. Cook dinner.


“…rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those that weep.” Romans 12:15, and our verse for today as we continue through our series. 

We live in an inward-focused world. The enemy has done a
bang-up job of seeing to that. Eat your meals fast. Pray fast. Be out of church
before your stomach growls. Leave before the closing prayer, get a jumpstart on
your real day. Small groups take too
much time away from me. An hour for MOPS meeting cuts into my laundry time.
It’s no wonder we don’t rejoice when others do or weep when
they weep. We’re too busy. We care, but
not to the extent of action.
A quick, “I’m praying!” on Facebook is all we
have time for (not that there is a thing wrong with that!) But do you pray? Do
you set aside time and actually feel for that person and what they’re going
through? Okay, great! You do. Now think about the one you only know in passing
from online? Do you have the same heartfelt sympathy for that one as you do the
one you know intimately?
Tough questions today, huh? Not a single one I haven’t asked
myself. I have not liked some of my answers.
Let’s look at how far we’ve come in our journey through
Romans 12:9-21, in the context of humility.
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to
what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in
honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in
spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing
steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to
hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” Romans
12:9-14
I hope you’re applying these verses to your life and I
believe if you are, you’re seeing a heart difference.
Rejoicing for those who are rejoicing can be tough when we’re
faced with the green-eyed monster. We may want the same things that brother or
sister in Christ receives. We can put on our Oscar-losing face—you know the one
actors show when they lose at the awards show. A smile, a nod, a proper
applause. Inside, they’re not feeling it. We do the same, don’t we? Sometimes
it’s genuine and other times, it’s words on a page or spoken from our lips.
But God wants us to rejoice! To be glad. I think it’s normal
for us to have feelings of jealousy. I think that’s when we take it to God and
voice how we feel, then instead of having a pity party, ask him to fill us with
true gladness for our family member.
Weeping. It’s easier to actually feel sympathy as we all
have been hurt or lost someone, but how often do we actually mourn with someone
in our church we don’t really know? What if we actually have time to attend a funeral for someone’s loved one (I
realize we can’t go to every single one) and we don’t? Why? “I don’t really
know them or the member of their family they lost. But I’ll pray for God’s
peace and comfort.” While praying is good, do those family members in Christ
not need our physical support whether they really
know
us or not?

Inward-focused
world. Inward-focus is rooted in pride. Pride is the opposite of humble.
How moved are you? How moved am I?
“Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with
him, along with quite a large crowd. As they approached the village gate, they
met a funeral procession—a woman’s only son was being carried out for burial.
And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to
her, “Don’t cry.” Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers
stopped. He said, “Young man, I tell you: Get up.” The dead son sat up and
began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother.” Luke 7:10-12
He was visiting the village and saw her. And he stopped.
Took time to feel her pain and was moved to action.

So how
do we overcome obstacles that keep us from rejoicing? And overcome our own
business and insensitivity for those who weep?
The video on Monday hinted to it. I think it boils down to
this verse (and ones like it).
“I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right
hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My
flesh also will rest in hope.” Psalm 16:8-9
When we spend intimate time with our Lord and set him before
us always—before our to-do list, and our self, when he’s close enough to lace
his invisible fingers into our right hand, though we don’t see them, we can
feel the strength and love—the squeeze—the perfect fit, we will be filled with
gladness. With joy. With the love of Christ and the more Christ’s love consumes
us, the easier it is to rejoice with others and weep in sincerity.
Will we have moments of jealousy even when we’re deeply
rooted in Him? Yes. But they won’t last long. Conviction will swiftly come. And
His love will move through you to act with sincere rejoicing.
Time with him humbles us. Remember, “And if one member
suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the
members rejoice with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:26

Life
Application
: If you have someone that is rejoicing, but you
haven’t been able to rejoice with them, sincerely, pray that God will give you
the grace and power to do so, then do something nice for them. Send them a
handwritten card, a treat, take them out for coffee if they live nearby and
watch God give you the supernatural ability to rejoice as you act in obedience.
If you need to focus more on others who are weeping and hurting, ask God to help
you see past you and take specific actions to show sympathy.

Prayer: God,
we want to love like you. We want to be moved as you are moved. Forgive us for
not seeing past our nose and making excuses to keep us from loving hurting
family members as well as truly rejoicing with them as well. Give us strength
to spend more time soaking in your word, in your love, in your presence so we’ll
have your grace, love, and mercy to pour out on others. We give you glory! In
Jesus Name, Amen.

Have
you ever had a hard time rejoicing for someone?

 How did you work through that?

Wake Me Up Before…

…I become too distant. Admit, you were thinking, “you go go…don’t leave my hanging on like a yo-yo.” 

Wednesday, we’re going to look at some wonderful examples of weeping when other weep and talk about how we can rejoice when others rejoice. 

Don’t you love how the left side of this photo has a blooming flower, rejoicing as it looks on to the single tear drop about to fall? Maybe it’s part of another sunflower that hasn’t quite bloomed. Or maybe it’s the same flower. We rejoice. We weep.

We’ll unpack this verse in further detail in the context of humility. I hope you’ll join me as we move on through Romans 12:9-21. 

I’m keeping it short so you can pause before hopping to you next blog, and take a minute to let the Son shine on you. I hope today is one of blooming, but if it’s not, if it’s one of weeping, I’m praying for you. If you’d like to share your request, please email me.

If you’re a busy mom, especially, this song is for you and it’s a key factor in what we’ll talk about on Wednesday. 

What do you think is easier: Rejoicing or weeping with others? Why?