When Only a Miracle Will Do

Back to the grind, fat burning grind that is.  We did Bob's Pure Burn Super Strength workout today.  I thought it might be a nice change of pace... less painful... umm, yeah, so anything with Bob Harper's name on it is actually going to be quite painful.  Silly me.  As he said today, 'You don't get fit by doing ten minute workouts, you get fit by working out hard every day.' 

Today was all about muscle strength.  I used one pound weights and Jason used two.  Now, don't be nay-saying those small weights.  Go pick up a bag of flour, hold it over your head, do some deep runner's stretches, do all kinds of crazy lifts and stretches and then let me know how light one-two pounds are.  It's funny, but they quickly become very heavy. ("Heaby" as my nephew used to say.)  We did an amazing job though!  It's encouraging to me that even the workout helpers are sweating like crazy and grunting and wanting to quit when Bob's not watching.  They must forget they are being filmed.  It's quite funny, really. 

I can barely keep my eyes open.... oh wait.... I'm typing with my eyes closed.  It's kinda nice really.  Hope I don't make any mistakes.  If I do, I won't correct them, just to see how funny it looks.  Waking up at five after sleeping until nearly eight every day last week is a SHOCK to my system.  I'd like to go back to bed now.  Who knows?  Maybe there's time for a quick cat nap after blogging.  OK, My eyes are open again.  How'd I do?  Make any mistakes?

Weekend Roundup:
Saturday, I spent the day at my parent's house for an early Easter celebration.  My Sister and Nephew came over and eventually Jason did too.  We spent a good portion of the day outside, taking pictures, wandering around with G trying to find the eggs Mom had hidden (missing two still).  I hope those aren't the ones with chocolate inside, but pennies instead. 

Around 3, I went in to escape the heat and mosquitoes and had a tiny cat nap.  It was one of those sleeps, where you can still hear things going on around you, so I wasn't totally out.  I heard Mom and G coming back inside saying, "We need a girl, a rope and a ladder."  What in the world? I thought.  Turns out, Mom needed my help to take down a tree in the backyard.  Why take down a perfectly good tree, you ask?  Well, Mom said it was shading her garden too much.  Why not move the garden?  She already had twice, so the tree moved this time.  It took a bit of elbow grease but we finally got the tree sawed enough that we could pull it down (tied a rope to a top section earlier). 

[.....14 hours later....]  I was so exhausted this morning, I went back to bed for an hour before going to work.  :)

It's easier to show pictures than to explain:

Steph and Mom sawing down the tree

Yay! Girl power took down the tree!

Easter Sunday, we went to 8am church.  It was an amazing service!  Pastor Chris sermon was entitled, "When Only a Miracle Will Do".  I knew from the very moment he mentioned that we were going to do things a little different, I would be going forward to receive the miracle of healing in my body.  I was both excited and nervous at the same time, but I knew God was leading me to take this step.  This wasn't the first time I've been prayed over for this ailment (sciatica), but this time was different.  I don't know how to explain it, I just knew.

By the time the moment to go forward came about, I nearly pushed Jason out of the way to get out of my seat.  I knew if I didn't obey in the moment, I would talk myself out of the blessing.  I've asked Jesus to heal me over the past three years or so, but He's chosen not to.  Who knows why.  Maybe it required me to sacrifice something of myself?  Maybe I had to take the actual step of faith and trust that a stranger praying for me and ushering in His spirit of healing would be enough. 

I had to wait my turn in line... I couldn't sing the praise song... all I could hear was my beating heart pumping blood into my ears.  When I stepped forward, the sweet lady asked me what was going on with me.  I said, "I've been suffering with sciatica for years and I just need the pain to stop."  She said, "Oh, girl, we're going to get you healed in the blood of the Lamb."  She then began to pray and say things that ONLY King Jesus would know about me.  Things I've only said to Him, things no knows, yet she was praying them over me.  That's the second time that's happened to me in my lifetime.

My human side (head) wants to err on the side of caution and say, let's wait and see if I'm truly healed.  But my heart tells me, I was healed the moment I asked Him to bless me with a miracle.  I've prayed He would heal me many times before, but all I can say is it was different this time.  I hope and pray I truly am healed.  What a glorious experience I will have for my life to remember Easter 2012... the day I was healed.

Any other Highlanders out there?  Or has anyone else received a miracle in their life?  I'd love to hear about it!  Please leave me a comment!

Sunday afternoon, Jason and I decided to create something beautiful by doing an art project I had seen on Pinterest.  You glue crayons to a canvas and then melt them using a hair drying.  The finished product looked amazing and so I thought we could figure it out and give it a try.  The whole project was less than $20 for us both!  It took muuuuuuuuuuuch longer than either of us thought it would, but the finished product was completely worth it!  I'll save you all the numerous behind the scenes details (unless you just really want to know) and show off our finished art project! 

My art

Jason's Art

Finished Products!

Today was the first of many two-a-day workouts.  It actually was pretty OK.  I probably could have done more cardio, but my right side extremities fall asleep within 10 minutes of starting.  By 40, I just have to quit.  Pins n needles are no fun.  Does anyone have any idea why only my right hand and foot go to sleep?  I would love for that to stop!

Pocket of Grace

Jason and I want to share some exciting news with you about an opportunity God recently dropped in our laps to share the love of Christ with the Suquamish Native American Tribe. From the beginning of our relationship, I shared my love for the Suquamish Native Americans and have been praying the doors would open up so that Jason too would experience this same joy. Due to aging elders of the Suquamish Tribe, we knew we a “normal” week of vacation Bible school and other activities just wasn’t going to happen. Our God of the eleventh hour stepped in and provided new and unexpected opportunities. Before I tell you about that, let me give you a little background on the Suquamish Native Americans.

I first heard about the Suquamish Native Americans from my friend, Gloria Smith, who is a full-blooded native and who often shared about the hardships of her people, through prayer requests each Sunday. Even before I knew what was to come, God was preparing my heart. I developed a love for these people, whom I’ve never even met. Then in 1998, Sybil Johnson (our College director at Shades Mountain Baptist Church) mentioned to Gloria the possibility of taking a group of college students not just to minister to her people, but also “the forgotten ones”, the children. When Gloria heard that, she just cried. From the time she left the Reservation, she’s been praying that God would send someone to minister to them. Once the Elders granted us permission to come onto their land, our dreams were hatched and none of us were ever the same again.

From the very beginning, God was in the little details. He softened their hearts for this “Alabama Group”, and allowed us to go where only natives had previously been before. The doors for bringing His saving grace had been flung wide open and we fell into a pocket of grace that still exists today.

When the first team arrived on “the slab” (concrete area meeting area), two things struck me: the kind of beauty that takes your breath away leaving you speechless and the spiritual warfare that was extremely evident by the drug deal that was taking place not far from the little church. We immediately ‘circled the wagons’ and had a prayer time like never before.

By the end of the first week, we had been amazingly blessed. Not only did we plant seeds of salvation in many of the children’s hearts. But also, at least four girls accepted Christ, which we later baptized in our hotel pool the next summer.

For a total of nine summers (1998-2006), God opened the doors to allow me to return each summer. I was blessed abundantly with whatever I needed to go back. It amazed me, how each year He set up these divine appointments to remind me that He’s still in the miracle business.

So why thirteen years later, does my heart still beat for the hope of returning to this land? It’s there that I find purpose. It’s where I know God has specifically placed me; to use the talents He’s given me, to bless His people. There’s an indescribable fulfillment in being a sojourner for Him. An added bonus, I again get to spend time with these precious people, whom I love like my own family.

So, what’s the pocket of grace that I speak of? It’s when God has covered all the details you could ever think or worry over, often before you even ask them. It’s when you look around, and you see His fingerprints completely covering the situation. When you realize that He’s done all this for you, for your happiness, when you didn’t deserve it, but He did it anyway. It’s when you realize you went to minister, but instead got ministered to. That’s when you realize you’ve fallen into His pocket of Grace.

While in Suquamish, we will work alongside a new church plant on the Reservation, Refuge Christian Fellowship. Miraculously, the Suquamish Tribe has allowed Refuge to meet in their local elementary school. We’ll also set up a booth at Chief Seattle Days and help children assemble The Power Band, which is a direct presentation of the Gospel. This is a popular tool which uses a leather strap and multi-colored beads to represent the six elements of the Gospel:

Black is our sin before we are saved

RED is the blood of CHRIST shed for us on the cross.

WHITE we are cleansed when we are saved.

BLUE is baptism.

GREEN we are growing in CHRIST.

YELLOW/GOLD is our riches in HEAVEN.

We are praying for God to grant us favor with the people so we can show His love and salvation.

Three things are absolutely necessary for this work to happen. First, God’s divine blessing leading us to do His will and the work He’s called us to do. Second, we covet the committed prayers* of family and friends, as the spiritual warfare never lets up. Satan attacks us even before we arrive on the Reservation and once there, we wage a battle within the Heavens for Lost Souls. Finally, we need the financial support which equates to approximately $1,500 for us both. If you feel led to contribute financially to this mission, please make checks payable to Undivided Ministries. Please note in the memo section of your check “Suquamish Mission – “Insert Name””. All donations are tax deductible and should be mailed to: UNDIVIDED MINISTRIES, P.O. BOX 1101, Blountsville, AL 35031

We will leave for the Reservation on August 17th and return home on August 21st. Please mark these dates on your calendar and remember us in prayer while we are gone. Thank you for your prayers and support.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” Matthew 28:19, 20

*For more information regarding how to pray for missionaries, please visit this website.

So You Think You Can Dance?

A rediculous amount of things have happened in my life since I last posted, but alas, I'm without a computer and therefore, no Internet access as well.  I'll post again soon when I'm able.  Hmm, I don't know that I can recap, so I'll just start from last night.

My "partner-in-crime" friend Amy and I traveled to Duluth, Georgia to see season five's cast of "So You Think You Can Dance".  A few months back I introduced her to SYTYCD and since then she's been addicted as I am.  These kids are simply amazing, I tell you!  I left work early, picked up Amy and away we went.  Contrary to popular believe, the speed limit isn't 90, so dealing with all the random speed limit changes, construction zones and traffic made for an interesting ride.  However, once we fully realized how the time change affected our journey, we stuck Lola (my mom's GPS) to the windshield, and made our way to the arena.

My personality is pretty even-keeled (sp?).  I rarely get overly excited, not because I don't get excited about life and such, because I do.  I just show it in different ways.  Amy has known me for a really long time and if you asked her I bet she'd say this was the most excited she's EVER seen me!  Seriously.  I kept saying, "I'm so excited!"  She started a running tally... I forget the final count.

We arrived there safe and sound.  We parked in East Budda, hoping our exit would be quicker (it was).  After a quick Superman change of clothes, we were off!  The show started around 745.  Oh... My.... Gosh!  It was A-MAZ-ING!!  I've watched these routines over and over on my DVR, but to see them live and in person was a rare treat which I won't soon forget.  The Lord blessed us with amazing seats!  Actually, let me get back to the show and give some glory to God.

The day before we were to leave, Amy texted me and said she was very sick with the flu.  I, of course, understood, but was horribly dissapointed.  I started scrambling, trying to find someone to replace her (since the tickets were non-refundable). I got very discouraged, but then I remembered what I'd learned this past Wednesday at Highlands.  We need to ask our Father for the "little" things in our life.  He wants us to be happy.  Thank Him.  Praise Him.  Ask Him.  So, I began to seriously pray!  Some people call me a prayer warrior - a title I do not deserve - but I asked Him to heal my friend.  I said, "God, you know how much I've been looking forward to this and if you want me to go alone, I will.  But I really don't want to.  Would you please heal Amy?  Allow her to wake up feeling like a brand new girl."  I kept freaking out about all the untied details and finally something in me said, "Look, Mer, this is completely out of your hands.  There's nothing you can do.  Just let go and trust that your Father will take care of you."  I went to bed, woke up, went to work and got a text mid-morning, "I'm not 100%, but I'm coming!"  PRAISE THE LORD!

I wanted to have faith.  I wanted to believe He'd heal her... but I'm slowly becoming a person who hopes for the best, but expects the worst.  (Wow, how did that happen?  I've always been a glass is half full.  That's another post for another day.)  I don't know why God chose to answer my prayers.  Was it to show me He really is listening to me?  To give me the confidence to keep praying, regardless of the outcome?  To reveal Himself as One Who really does care about the "little" things?  Whatever the reason, my prayer was answered.  This trip just wouldn't have been the same without my Amy.  Thank You, Father!!

Back to the show... how encouraging it is to see people chasing after their dreams, with open and reckless abandon!!!  Watching these kids dance was breath-taking!  God made our bodies to do these amazing and seemingly unbelievable moves!  The way Brandon and Ade would catapult their bodies into the air.  The way Kayla's extensions were incredibly graceful.  The way Melissa used her training as a ballerina to seamlessly infuse her technique with other dances.  The way Philip manipulated his apendedges when he was popping and locking didn't even look real.  It was all so amazing.  I know I keep saying that, but seriously.  It was amazing!!  I'm sooo thankful Amy could experience this with me. It's always neat to spend quality time with people who actually get you.

Lola guided us home to Erin's house around midnight.  Wow, it was so great to see Erin again too!!  (We've got to hang out more often than once a year!)  Sweet girl, stayed up entirely too late, as we recounted all the lovely details of the night.  Thanks, Jeff and Erin for allowing Amy and me to stay in your house!!!  Y'all are the best.

Back to reality soon.  Amy's getting ready now, then we'll be making our way back home.  Once I drop her off, I'm headed straight to work.  It should be an interesting day.  It's all good though.  I'm blessed beyond belief with my job and my boss.  Honestly, I'm just blessed beyond belief.  Amy and I spent about two hours after we got in, talking about life, love and other mysteries (yes, I know that's a Point of Grace song).  I think we finally went to sleep around 2am... so we're headed to Starbucks shortly to get some much-needed caffenine.

Well, it was an amazing almost 24 hours!!  Maybe we can get a group together when season 6 goes on tour.  Anyone interested??


Btw, I'm using Jeff's MAC, which I don't really know how to use, and I can't find the spell check.  So, all the errors are just going to have to stay.  Oh well.