Today’s Devotion

I have several devotions I try reading each day; sometimes I get to them all, and sometimes I don’t.  I have one in particular I have been trying very hard to put first, it is a devotion guide the staff of Olive wrote to coincide with the sermon’s Pastor Traylor is preaching on, “The 8 callings of God:  Growing in Spiritual Maturity.”  I have been challenged and blessed to be able to get the “insight” each staff member has.  If you do not have one of these little nuggets of truth, I encourage you to get one today!  If you do not live in the Pensacola, FL area, just email me at thepadens@cox.net and I will gladly mail you one. 

Now, with that said, another devotion I read and enjoy is one from David Jeremiah.  I do not read this every day, but as I sense the Lord’s nudging, I try to follow.

This morning’s devotion was very comforting and insightful.  Over the last few days I have experienced a wide variety of emotions, ranging from joyful to anger.  While I believe it is OK to be angry at times, if I am not careful, that anger could turn to sin.  If I handle my anger inappropriately, that is sin.  Does that make since?  I realized just in typing this that it was my emotions that I put in control instead of letting my Jesus be in control.  Shame on me, thank you Lord for showing me.

Back to today’s devotion:

THE JOY OF WORSHIP

“Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!”  Psalm 105:3

“Charles Spurgeon once said, ‘My happiest moments are when I am worshipping God, really adoring the Lord Jesus Christ, and having fellowship with the ever-blessed Spirit.  In that worship I forget the cares of the church and everything else.  To me it is the nearest approach to what it will be in heaven.’

Worship has a way of refreshing our hearts and rejuvenating our spirits.  As we reflect on God’s attributes – His power and sovereignty – we view our circumstances through a different lens – God’s lens.  In the light of His power, giant-sized problems become mouse-like.  Although we may enter into His presence with a heavy heart, we leave with a new sense of hope and joy.  Through worship we are reminded of the following truth – God Almighty is in control of our lives, and He is fully capable of managing our concerns.  The psalmist sums it up precisely with these words:  ‘Why are you cast down, O my soul? . . . Hope in God’ Psalm 42:5.

Rejoice, believer!  God has given you ‘the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness’ (Isaiah 61:3).  When you worship Him, darkness and despair are dispelled.”

First of all, the quote from Charles Spurgeon was HUGE for me!  That alone got my soul stirring for worship time!  The, after reading the rest of the devotion, I spent time reflecting on my worship.

I never knew what worship really was until we, as a church was blessed to have Leo Day as our worship leader.  I knew the first time he served as interim Minster of Worship that there was something about he and his family I liked.  Through Leo’s passion, not only for music, but for Jesus, I have learned how to worship freely.  It’s amazing.

I pray today, you will take a few minutes to worship Him …. you don’t have to have music playing to worship.  It is OK to raise your hands in praise of Him, Who He is and what He has done in your life.

The children’s song, “Praise Him Praise Him all ye little children, God is good, God is good…” just came to mind.

Have a “God” day:)

“Father Can You Hear Me?”

Have you ever seen the” Diary of a Mad Black Woman?” It is an amazing story. I was surprised when I first watched it. I’m not big on movies and reviews, couldn’t have told you who Tyler Perry was prior to even seeing this particular movie. To watch it, and have Jesus mentioned,… blew me away. In this particular movie, the “mad black woman” is beaten and abused by her wealthy lawyer husband who throws her out for another woman.

The song clip that I have attached to this post is called, “Father Can You Hear Me?” The video clip shows a little girl singing. Her mother is a drug addict. Tyler Perry plays the little girls dad; his wife is the drug addict. They are in church. The man that stands up to receive Christ is the man that abused his wife, beat her, threw her out for another. The woman that goes to stand by him is that very woman he abused.

Suddenly, there is a voice from the crowd… who is it? Ah, the drug addict momma, returning to Christ. Confessing she can not do it on her own.

I have goose bumps just typing and thinking of the movie, especially this song.

It is easy to watch this video clip and say, “ah, that only happens in movies;” but my friend, I challenge you today, it does happen in the real world.

Families are mended and restored, hearts are healed, momma’s do come back, and daddy’s too…. My Jesus, He is in the miracle and restoration process.

My question to you today is this, “Do you know Him?” He can change your life. Will you trust Him?

Oh I pray you do. I pray you do.

Watch this clip, listen to the words. There is a brief advertisement at the beginning, so just hold on few seconds.

Father Can You Hear Me?

A Love Tap

This morning I received a “love tap” from my Jesus.  My heart is on the mend.  It’s been in the mending process for a couple of months now.  Then…a commercial advertisement comes on and instantly undoes everything good.

While I have personally experienced healing in many forms in my life, this personal and up close situations has really taken its toll. 

Wednesday night the Pastor preached/taught on the Holy Spirit.  I have thought about his words over and over.  While I know the Holy Spirit resides in me, asking Him to be my friend… has made my relationship with Him more real, genuine, loving. 

Yesterday my time with the Lord took me to Romans 8.  I found myself focused on one particular verse, well, two…verses 5 and 6 about the flesh and the spirit. 

I looked up the word flesh… It has several definitions.  The common one is the physical flesh, but the one I was focused on has nothing to do with the physical flesh, but the worldly, spiritual flesh…the carnal flesh.  I can not in any way have peace in the carnal flesh.  The only way to have peace is in the Spirit.  That Spirit resides in me because I have asked Jesus Christ to be my personal Lord and Savoir.  Through Him, I can have peace.

This morning, the scripture He keeps giving me is John 16:33.  In this scripture Jesus is speaking, He says, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer (FEAR NOT), I have overcome the world.”

You know, in this world, we will have troubles.  But, in the big scheme of things, this world is absolutely nothing.  Satan’s best day is still nothing because he is under my feet! 

This morning while wishing some of my friends happy birthday on facebook, another friend posted a scripture….  John 10:10.  John 10:10 is a great scripture to memorize.  John 10:10 is one of the scriptures I learned through the Most Excellent Way Ministry.  It is a part of the foundation scriptures of The Most Excellent Way. 

John 10:10, The thief (the devil), he comes to steal, kill and to destroy, BUT (I love that word…it undoes what has already been said) I (that’s Jesus Christ…the VICTOR), He comes that I, that I may have life, and have it more ABUNDANTLY!”

I choose life, an abundant life.  How about you? 

“Father, today I pray for freedom.  I  pray for peace.  I pray healing.  Your word tells me You are the healer of the broken hearted.  Your word tells me I can have peace in you.  Your word tells me You, and only You can set me free.  Father I pray for the one that is reading this and is hurting.  I pray you will be Jesus to that person today.  I pray that if the person hurting isn’t walking with you, that they will choose this day to walk with with you.  I pray if they do know you Lord that you will use this experience to draw them closer to you.  I pray you will give me, them, the yearning to search you out, to spend time with you, to get to know you more.  I love you Jesus and in You, I claim victory.  So be it.  Amen.”

A Little Overwhelming

No one ever said it was going to be easy.  Nope; not at all.  In fact, at moments I thought I was going to downright quit, yeap.  BUT, I did not succumb to the pressures of…. the Publix crowd?! 

That’s right.  Today was my first day shopping Publix with coupons, flyers, other coupons…, other lists, and more lists and oh my goodness…. a little overwhelming; nonetheless, I did it.  I even did it toting around a bored, cranky, over-active 4 year old!  AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!

I am proud though, not prideful, but proud of my accomplishments.  There is a difference. 

I could have walked out of Publix paying $163.59; BUT, I walked out paying $99.69!  A savings of $63.90!!!  While I am so proud, I also know there is much work to be done.   Some might see  those figures and think, “You could have done sooo much better….”  and that’s OK.  It is a start.

Plus, I spent two hours in Publix…. That’s crazy.

All I can do is hope and pray the Lord would honor my efforts in trying to spend wisely and be frugal.  My initial goal is to save $100 a month for the first three months in my grocery bill.  Normally I spend about $600 a month, including all toiletries, clothing, food, detergents, everything.  That gives me time to learn the system and get better organized. 

I have to run in to Winn Dixie to shop their buy one get one free meat items.  We never get roast in our home, but a 2 for 1; I think I can make it happen! 

While I love Sam’s and Wal-Mart, I have to say, I think I saved more per ounce today. 

I will update as I can with my saving tactics.  I know I definitely have to have a 3 ring binder to hold all the advertisements instead of a folder.  Another friend also recommended using the clear plastic baseball card sheets to put the coupons in.  There are many great ideas out there, I just have to find what works best for me.

:)

Multiple Sclerosis Fundraiser

I am truly blessed to have worked with one of the neatest ladies. Her name is Cindy Segreto. Cindy has MS. I remember Cindy before she had the diagnosis.

Cindy is hosting a fundraiser. We've set a personal goal for $400. If you would like to help support this foundation, please visit my web store and click on "online party/eparty." There you will be prompted. OR, you can email me at thepadens@cox.net, or Cindy at csegreto@olivebaptist.org and we can send you the flyer's you can shop from. Cindy's fundraiser will earn 40% profits from the sales! The fundraiser goes from Wednesday, January 13th through Monday, January 25th.

I hope you will take a few minutes to read Cindy's story by clicking below.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/FLN/take-action/success-stories/index.aspx

Thanks for supporting this foundation!

Mandisa, God Speaking

I changed the order of my songs. Yesterday, the Lord confirmed over and over that He wants me to hear Him, to listen. My previous post will explain why; however, this year, my prayer is that I would hear Him, that I would know His voice, that I would have "ears to hear."

Can You Hear Me Now?

All day Sunday I had an overwhelming sense that the Lord was speaking to me.  What was he saying? “Listen to me, hear me, know my voice.”

I added several songs on my blog yesterday.  One is a song from Mandisa, "God Speaking."  I hope you will take a few minutes and listen to the words of the song.

Just before the Pastor started preaching last night, I sensed the Lord, once again speaking…  “Listen to me, hear me, know my voice.”  I wrote down on my worship guide, “hear, listen.”  Moments later a young lady walked up to me and gave me $10 to pay for her mom’s AVON.  I dropped it in the top of my bag, with the intentions of putting it away when I sat down from singing.  When I sat down, I leaned over to put it away, but the Lord said, “no.”  Then the offering came.  Even though I knew the Lord was preparing me to give the $10, I still said, “But Lord, that’s for my AVON bill (like He didn’t know! lol).  I went ahead and put that money in the offering plate before it passed me by, knowing, He is in control and simply praying, “Lord, you know the needs at hand.” 

Then the Pastor begins preaching.  He preached from Matthew 13.  Then, he read, Matthew 13:9!  Guess what it says????  Ok, I’ll tell you, “HE WHO HAS EARS, LET HIM HEAR!!!”  Hellllloooooo!  That was another confirmation on what the Lord had been speaking to me.

I was thrilled that in the BIG scheme of things, I am important enough for the Lord to not only speak, but confirm what He was speaking to me.

A friend of mine left a gift with my husband at church yesterday morning as I was not able to attend.  After church Sunday night my husband gave me the gift.  In the card was a gift card with $40 on it!  Immediately the Lord confirmed, “I will provide, hear me.”  I heard Him speak to give, I gave, He provided.  Sounds so basic, so why can it be so difficult at times?

That same friend gave me a book called, “Bedside Blessings,” by Charles Swindoll.  I opened to the day’s date, the first two words were, “Listen carefully!”  I am so thankful for one more confirmation, for the wooing on the Father, that He loves me, and has something to share with me.

I hope you hear from the Father today.  If you don’t know Him, I pray you will know Him today.

WOOHOO! Music Is Back On The Blog!

OK; so, I have to say, I am so thrilled with my selection of songs (yes, I said songS) for this year! I couldn't figure out how to get the music back on there, a friend of mine was working on it, and my daughter.

As I stated a few posts ago, I have been having a tough time dwindling my list for "song of the year." My heart has been heavy and burdened in several areas.

One area is the bondage my life is under. I choose to be free. Mary Mary's song, Shackles, expresses that very freedom I desire.

Another area that has been a struggle for me is the area of doubting God. I want to make sure I hear God this year.

My heart has also been burdened for young girls, not just young girls, but women in general that are sold with the idea that beauty is in size 2 women that dress and look in such a way that it does nothing but set these young ones up for a hard fall. While I have personally battled obesity for many years, I need it to be said that being overweight is just as unhealthy as being underweight. My body should represent the Holy Spirit. It should represent self control. It does not. Anyway, I got to chasing a rabbit on that one, sorry. After having a brief encounter with this sort of lifestyle, I can truly say true beauty is completely natural and NOT touched up. Johnny Diaz's song, "More Beautiful You," describes this perfectly.

There is not a day that goes by that I am not overwhelmed by the Lord's goodness to me. Casting Crown's song, "Who Am I," portrays my heart. I can't sing this song without getting emotional.

There are several songs from Casting Crowns I've added to my play list. Slow Fade is the next one. This song has a special purpose in my heart. It reminds me to never compromise when it comes to my faith in Jesus Christ. IF Christ is my priority, THEN everything else will fall in place.

Another favorite song of mine is Casting Crown's, "East To West." I can walk in freedom today from my past first and foremost because I asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior and to forgive me of my sins, and this scripture, Psalm 103:12 specifically played a key role in learning to forgive myself.

Todd Agnew's song, "Grace Like Rain" puts a neat twist on an old favorite, "Amazing Grace." I added it just because I really like the song!

Casting Crown's, Voice of Truth has played another powerful role in my life. Again, hearing from God is key, to not let confusion creep in. Where there is confusion, satan is close.

The next one, no explanation is needed. No one is outside of the grip of the Savior. Reach out to Him, you might even find Him by reaching out to a child.

Angel Food Ministries

I have heard of the Angel Food Ministries and have "wanted" to order through them many times; I guess my pride kept me from actually doing it... I don't know.

I shared the other day that we are changing the way we spend in the Paden household. As Dave Ramsey puts it, "If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else." Every time I think I can't be stripped any more of my pride, the Lord goes and strips more. I guess that's the key, don't ever think I've got it!"

Anyway, I found out today, when I went to the Angel Food Ministries site that you can now order online! I signed up today! It was so easy! IF you decide to give it a try, no you don't have to meet requirements by income standards, please put my name (Stacey Paden) and/or email (thepadens@cox.net) down for the referral. Then, you need to refer to as many people as you can as you get free food for so many referrals!

Changes To Blog & Pictures

If you frequent my blog regularly, you should have noticed there is no music playing. Yeap, I messed it up. I was attempting to change the song, and deleted the widget, lost the file and have no idea how to even get it back. So, until then, you’ll have to deal with silence.

Also, on the right side of my blog, you will notice a gadget called southernsavers. It is absolutely amazing! I encourage you to visit the site and be amazed at how much you can save. I must warn you, it is time consuming in the beginning; however, the money you can save by spending a little extra time planning is AMAZING!

Another thing, I want to encourage you to take the time to read Dave Ramsey, “The Total Money Makeover.” I have just started reading and was overwhelmed with hope of being free from debt.

I’m adding a picture of my Kaitlyn. She turned 4 in November. She has been able to type her name on the computer for a few weeks now as she and Christopher both love playing games on the computer and have learned how to spell their names by printing out certificates. I was completely blown away when I walked in my room to have Kaitlyn show me that she wrote out her name! She is sooo proud, as she should be, and as I am! I took a picture and she is having a fit for me to put it on here! She keeps saying, “you sure are writing a lot of letters!” Anyway, I just wanted to share this picture.

Can you tell how proud she is?!

Will post more about the money saving tips I come across. I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store for us once we learn to spend the other 90% of our income the way He would have us do!

More yet to come……

Life Will Wait

Sunday after church I started feeling bad; my jaw line on one side was killing me; the lymph nodes on the jaw line and left side of my neck were enlarged, but I had no sore throat.  A few weeks ago the nodes under my arms were enlarged and very painful.  I was hurting so bad Monday I went to the doctor.  He thought it might be mono… but there is no fever, nothing that would go along with it.  I was prescribed a pretty strong antibiotic, have been on it since Monday and not any better.  Blood work was done, but I was told everything was fine.  More blood work is going to be done today.  In fact, yesterday was my first day out all week.  I imagine that is why I am paying the price today with such a bad headache. 

Life is waiting on me for now, the Christmas decorations are still up, laundry is piling high, the floors are dirty and the kitchen table, well, it’s the “collect-all” for now.  In the big scheme of things, I guess it really doesn’t matter. 

Will post in a day or two when my brain isn’t pounding.

AVON New Years Sale!

After going through my entire inventory, pricing at regular price and then sale price, my computer will not copy and past from excel to blogger.... crazy. So, if you are reading this and you would like to see what I have in my inventory, with the sale price, just email me at thepadens@cox.net and I will gladly email you my list.

The list is not in alphabetical order, it is not in any order. It has taken me over eight hours of sitting in my bed, resting as I was told to do, to accomplish this. So, what you see is what you get until I have another day of rest!

Happy Shopping!

Happy New Year!

I am starting out the new year already behind schedule.  My husband was going to help me, well, change the song on my blog for me days ago; but we have been so busy that it just keeps getting pushed “one more day.”  It will be getting changed, and I so hope this weekend!  I am pretty sure I know what song it is going to be, but there have been soooo many that have affected my walk with the Lord, my worship with the Lord, that I am having a hard time choosing!  I might see if I can find a way to make a song selection link, or something like that.

Chris stayed up reading well past midnight.  Mom gave him a gift card for Christmas to Books-A-Million.  Chris LOVES to read and doesn’t get to buy new books very often.  He has sacrificed that part of his life for me and the kids.  

Kayla went to see AVATAR, then went to down town Pensacola to watch the “Pelican Drop.”  Everything was perfect until they got lost and couldn’t find her boyfriend’s car.  Of course, that meant words being shared of frustration between she and Chris.  What a way to start off the New Year…. there has to be a way to have peace and harmony in my home, just for one day would be nice!

Kaitlyn crashed around 8ish… :)

Christopher was on his second round of “Tom and Jerry” when I told him he could lie in the bed with me.  (If you are wondering where I was, I had been in bed since Kaitlyn was in bed!)  Fire works woke me up at 9:50.  I was surprised Christopher was still hanging in there!  Within three minutes of him getting in the bed with me, he was out!  I was soooo hoping he would sleep in this morning; and I guess, looking at the positive side of things, he did.  Normally he is up at 6:00 a.m.; this morning he graced me with his presence at 7:30 with his sister at the same time.

There is a lot of talk about resolutions this time of year.  I, personally, do not make resolutions.  For me, it’s just one more thing for me to fail at.  Usually I have such great expectations that I end up just disappointing myself one more time.  I do, however, set goals.  Goals are important to life, not just once a year.  I am praying that the Lord would give me the courage to reach the goals He has put on my heart.  The biggest one, which I am going out on a limb of shame here to admit, but sense I am supposed to, is tithing.  I started tithing before I even got baptized.  No kidding.  I had already seen the “Hand of God” and His provisions in my life just in the few months of walking with Him (October 1998).  I tithed faithfully believing 100% that He would meet every  need, and even want I ever had.  I tithed faithfully for many years, until I got married.  It seems I took back all my faith in Him.  I have not been faithful in tithing in six years now.  Sure, I’ve given when nudged to give, even tithed a few weeks in a row, but I continue to take it back every few weeks.  Shame on me.  My goal is to be true to the Father, to not only give Him the first of  our labors, but to honor Him in the other 90%. 

During this “new year” I hope and pray you are truly blessed with knowing and sensing the presence of the Almighty Lord in your life.   I’d love to hear some of your “goals” you are setting in your life.

I’ll update once I get the song or song list on here.  Sorry again for the delay, and in case you haven’t heard it yet over the past day or two,

Happy New Year!

2 Timothy 3:12 - 17