MESSENGER OF THE GLORY
  • Home

​

Messages for you Magazine

Free Christian Book

12/23/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Want to read amazing stories of how God is intervening in the lives of people in Asia? I always love a good tesitmony! Not only does it give God glory with the story but it opens our eyes to what is going on in other places of the world and it ministers to our hearts as well. 
Let God stir your heart for some who are truly in need—thousands of children living in slum conditions in Asia. In this book, real children share their real stories of need and how our loving God intervened to redeem them with His love.

You will be astonished as you read how God is powerfully moving in hearts right now.  Read about an abandoned girl who found hope at the end of the railroad tracks, a young boy who escaped after years of forced servitude, and many others whose lives have been redeemed. You'll be captivated by this powerful move of God as K.P. Yohannan leads you on a journey through the slums and villages of South Asia into the hearts and lives of these precious children.
 
This book is written by a ministry leader who leads Gospel For Asia. 

Get your free book here! 

Picture
0 Comments

The Beauty of Waiting On God

11/28/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Today I have invited Shellie to speak to us about beauty in the waiting. Here is Shellies story. 
Picture


   Many of us when everything around us seems to fall apart much like 2020. Want a hurry up and fix this quickly Jesus fix! We are all guilty of that at some time in our lives. After all we are human and we desire good things over the rocky mountain climb.  However, sometimes when we rush things we miss the beauty and growth, that takes place in the waiting. I write this from a first hand experience. I would like to share straight from my heart about a journey of waiting that still has not ended! I promise it's laced with grace, hope, and beauty.   So grab your favorite warm drink and join me while I share what God has for you to hear.
​

Picture


​"However, sometimes when we rush things we miss the beauty and growth, that takes place in the waiting."


Five years ago on March first. I checked into a local surgical center to have an arthroscopy on my  right knee for a torn meniscus tear. I had slid in a mud puddle taking the trash can to the road the day after Christmas. I did a double flip. It wasn't a pretty sight. It should have been such an easy surgery and recovery! I should have walked out not needing my crutches. That was not what happened though. About ten minutes into the procedure I aspirated stomach acid into the base of my left lung. This caused an injury to the lining of my heart as well.I would not learn that till the next day. I was rushed to the local hospital to be admitted for observation.I not only had a bum knee. Now I have chemical pneumonia and pericarditis of the heart. Pericarditis is caused when fluid or blood build between the sac around the heart and the muscle. This can lead to restriction of how the heart beats and the blood flows. I spent seven days in the hospital. Sent home way worse than I did when I arrived. I was not able to take more than ten steps due to not being able to breathe. I went from active wife, mom, pastor's wife, and children's church administrator. Completely dependent on someone helping me  do everything. Spending my time on my chase that I am writing to you from today! This went on for a little over a month and I had to be hospitalized on April seventeenth I had my first major heart surgery. This was to drain the fluid by cutting a square in the heart to drain the fluid that was keeping my heart from pumping properly. They drained what would be equivalent to three two liter drinks of fluid off my heart.  The same week I had the heart surgery I was scheduled to attend the Women Of Joy conference in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I attended two days after being released. God would not allow me to backout. I was blessed so very much by attending. It was there when God whispered to my heart... While Natalie Grant was singing Clean. Daddy (Father God) whispered to my heart “daughter hold on because for now my answer is no.”
Picture


​Daddy (Father God) whispered to my heart “daughter hold on because for now my answer is no.”
​

I remember sitting there worshiping in my wheelchair tears streaming down my face. Telling my Daddy I would trust Him would use me for others to see Him! Five months later I would be transported from the local hospital to one of the larger hospitals in Charlotte. I would have a thoracotomy to have major heart and lungs surgery! My whole world had totally been rocked once again. I have yet to totally recover from all of this. Since along the way we found out I had SLE Lupus and it was now attacking my heart and lungs. My body was fighting to kill itself. There is something about losing all that you once knew as normal. When you spend time sitting, you have more time to focus on things we often neglect with the hustle and the bustle of  the day. I found spending the quiet early mornings with my Daddy was my favorite time of the day. I found that I couldn't wait to pick up my Bible to study the book of Psalm. David's life seemed so much like mine in many ways. I couldn't wait to see how God showed up for David next. Each battle David fought his Daddy was there and even though sometimes those answered prayers came in time and guess what it wasn't David's time it was his heavenly Daddy's time!                    I remember clearly crying because I couldn't go to church! I was too sick to be in crowds yet my heart longed for the fellowship, worship, and being fed God's Word in person.


​"When you spend time sitting, you have more time to focus on things we often neglect with the hustle and the bustle of  the day."
​

Picture

​The first Sunday I got to attend I remember going to my closet to find something to wear. Months of wearing pj's and lounge clothes it would feel good to dress cute again. I remember picking my outfit so excited to get dressed up to find the next four outfits I chose no longer fit! I remember sitting on the floor of my closet with tears in my eyes, telling my Daddy it didn't matter if I had to wear my PJ's to church! Nothing was going to stop me from going! It wasn't about what I wore. I wasn't going to be seen. I was going to worship Him and I would choose joy in this season! It's a privilege denied to many! I didn't want something like a size to ruin that for me! That was a huge thing for me. growing up till I had my first daughter. I had struggled with an eating disorder! Now to say it's just a tag is huge for someone who has gained quite a bit of weight due to my daily medicines. My Daddy (Father God) reminded me, I am fearfully and wonderfully made in His image! He loved His creation, He was not taken back by a change in sizes.

He loved me for me His daughter and He thinks I am beautiful even when I can not see it for myself. Choosing joy in a season of pain is not always as easy as it sounds. It has to be a choice we make when we open our eyes each and every morning.

There are and will be days that make it harder to choose but again it is a choice. How we see things and try to find the good even in the hard days. A year or so back I spent 26 days in the hospital, just to be told what we already knew. However, I lost my mobility. I came home with a walker and needed a wheelchair if it was going to be a long distance walk to get there. I wasn't sure how I felt about either at first. I prayed and asked my Daddy to please not to let these things be permanent! I worked with kids and I didn't want them to be scared or worried. I already knew they were upset because I had to be out for being sick again. Instead of Him changing my situation He showed me ways to be my eccentric self with them and make them look less scary. So I wrapped feather boas around my walker and I painted the back of my wheelchair with polka dots and a flamingo. I painted I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me! I absolutely can do that and more when He is on my side and allow Him to lead each and everything I do! The kids I worked with loved it! It helped them to feel comfortable to ask questions. It gave them hope that things would get better. They prayed for me all the time. It taught them what is was like to have faith and God's timing was not always ours.

You learn who your true friends are as well when you have a life altering disease.

​It's hard for some to stick around when you can't no longer do a lot of the things you did before. God taught me through the heart breaking times of truth, that a true friend loves at all times! Not just when it's convenient for them. It's the ones who come set beside your bed and have tea with you and are okay to just hang out and talk and are not affected by the fact if you go to the American Girl store together we are going to need to take a wheelchair. Instead she makes you feel like you are still you even though you have really lost so much. That is when you are so very thankful for the true friends and not the fly by night friends. God will give you what you need, trust Him in finding that for you, when you are faced with an unmovable mountain.


​"He loved me for me His daughter and He thinks I am beautiful even when I can not see it for myself. Choosing joy in a season of pain is not always as easy as it sounds. It has to be a choice we make when we open our eyes each and every morning."


Picture



"The waiting showed me beauty in the littlest things."​
​

There are really only two choices in our attitudes. We can choose joy, hope , bitterness, or anger. I choose joy and hope! I see things so much differently than I once in my life. Crazy thing is this is not my first devastating event in my life. However, this has been the most life changing other than the day I gave my heart to Jesus! My home is much different now. My family has been just as affected as I have been. They have chosen to be hopeful and joy filled through this season as well.

Things will never be as they were before my fall, because we have changed hearts.
  • We see the beauty of an evening setting on our patio watching the rabbits and birds.
  • Time sitting around the dinner table laughing and enjoying each other's company.
  • We have found that the more we keep our hearts and eyes centered on Jesus, a healing and changing takes place that is like no other. It's not a physical healing. Rather a healing of the heart. It renews our hope each and everyday for what stands before us.    


"I have been asked many times if I change any one thing or all of it. What would I change and why? My answer is always the same! I would not change anything! I would rather have this life than the speed of lighting life I led before. I know that sounds insane. Yet my heart truly is filled with Thanksgiving of the littlest things to the major thing. Thing is, I think I missed those things before because I was so busy doing."
​

This new life of mine requires lots of slow days that require me to slow down and hold myself accountable for how I take on each new day. The waiting showed me beauty in the littlest things. Most of all I have the best relationship I have ever had with my heavenly Daddy and that is the most important thing ever!   In closing this year has been one of our hardest. I have been in and out of the hospital. about two weeks ago I had to be taken because my breathing had gotten so bad I could hardly walk 10 steps and I would be out of breath so badly I was gasping for air. I was admitted and again transferred to a larger hospital! Two echo's of my heart showed pericardial restriction. Another major heart surgery may be inevitable. This surgery was very risky and dangerous! The recovery time would be grueling. It's a rare surgery not performed unless it is a last resort! We reached out for people to pray! The response was overwhelming the people I didn't even know lifting me up in prayers!  I know that those prayers were heard because when the cardiac MRI was ran all they found was a pericardial effusion! You are talking about a thankful girl! I was beyond happy and blessed! My Daddy had touched my heart and taken that away! I can almost tell you when! Because the night before the echo I was awake and I had been praying and I felt something in the way my heart was being change! I never thought anything of it till now. I know that was my Daddy's touch, He said yes to that request! There was still a no coming. I still came home running unusually high fevers and oxygen. The answer was still clear no for now as I sat there as they explained everything to me I feel the tears well up in my eyes.I wasn't mad or hurt. I was thankful because it could have been so much worse! Now we start again with another new for our lives. When gathered around the table with our girls, for Thanksgiving. We all agreed all though 2020 has been different but we were blessed! We are still here to celebrate each other, Jesus's Grace was so undeniably good, our family grew by two my oldest and her husband won custody of our first grandson they had been fostering for a year and she gave birth to a beautiful new baby boy! We both still have our parents and many can not say that.  We have so much to thank Him for there is no time to be anything but joyful and grateful!
​

Picture

​​If you find yourself waiting in the hallway needing an answer or even healing. Praise Him in the hallway! Find joy in the process even on your hardest days! Because I promise you my friend someone is praying for what you have, believe it or not! Don't let satan sneak in and tell you lies that make you bitter. Someone is watching you I am sure of it. They are watching and listening to how you are handling what has been put in your path. What do they see? Can they see the beauty of Jesus in His child who no matter what wants others to see him through her. Or are they seeing the wordley outlook of anger and bitterness. My friend, life's too short to spend your days like that! I again would not change a thing. I have learned to live intentionally. I don't need to have makeup on to go out or have guest. My house doesn't need to be cleaned to the point it looks like a museum. Make the memories and make them count. After all there is beauty in waiting when you allow God to be the center of it all!            

​Thank you for allowing me to share the beauty in waiting!            

​
  ~Prayerfully Yours~ Shellie       
   ​

​
Thank you Shellie for sharing a message with us .

​Follow Shellie Almond Ministries online to get more on the Footsteps of Grace!
1 Comment

The Best Christian Subscription Box for Women The Butterfly Box

10/9/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
I am so excited to partner with Butterfly box! 
This is such an uplifting gift for your spirit.

Picture
Before I get started sharing with you about a fantasic christian company sharing an amazing product , enter to win six months free! Enter now! 
Picture
What is a Butterfly Box? Here it is in the  companies own words:

Life is busy, and it can be hard to find the time each day to connect with Christ. Butterfly Box is here to help! We thoughtfully curate a themed box each month to help reclaim those quiet moments with God, build your intimacy with Christ, and live out your faith in the world around you! 
  • Each month's box is designed to illustrate a biblical theme and encourage spiritual growth.
  • 5 to 6 items such as jewelry, artwork, books, decor, personal pampering items, faith sharing cards and other specialty items
  • All items are carefully chosen and undergo a rigorous selection process
  • Products are faith-based or support small Christian businesses.
The holidays are coming up. This making the best gift that keeps giving and nurishing the heart. Shop for a subscription HERE. Here is code: 10% off!  WELCOME10


Here are some samples of box surprise gifts!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Now let me show you my first Butterfly Box! 
This box was sweet confrimantion , since the Lord has been calling me to interceed more and to pray even more than before in these current days. What a joy to get a prayer themed box. It was a nice way to strengthen and support. God knows what we need and when we need it to confirm things with God winks!  
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
This gift box has a ​ mission to empower us on our walk in Christ and nuture our soul. I love my first box which was focused on prayer, it had a prayer guide card, a beautiful prayer braclet, some tea drops to enjoy while reading a daily devotional " The Power of a Praying Woman, and a journal to record your prayer journey! I love the flow of the theme and colors in this box, it made me feel like it was a nice treat! Give a gift that glorifies God that will bless her spirit as this box has mine!

Any Christian lady would love to get a Butterfly Box! So do not buy her something that she will set aside give her or yourself the exsperiance of Butterfly Box each month. Here is code: 10% off!  WELCOME10
Picture

​
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Prayer For Health and Healing

10/8/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
2 Comments

Planning and Planting Spiritual Seeds in 2021

9/24/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

Oh how I love planners, stickers, pens and such. Call me silly but that is ok. They motivate me and bring me joy as I plan or write to do lists, in hopes to be more productive and organized. Lately the Lord has been reminding me the importance of seeds and seeds planting and how important it is for so many reasons in our lives. Galatians 6:7 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.  I was super blessed to be able to partner with Spiritual Seeds Planner to review their kit during this time of alignment and reminding from God the lessons of sowing and reaping. Let me tell you about it and give you a chance to win one!
​
Picture

Spiritual Seeds Planner is a planning tool designed to help Christians prioritize living a fruit filled life, guided by the Holy Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self-Control. (Galatians 5:22-23) The planner uses a gardening theme concentrating on four garden plots – Friends/Family, Self, Community, Vocation/Work. Each month focuses on one Fruit, detailing actions to plant + cultivate + grow.  Actions are planned daily for highest yield. Cute garden themed stickers provide visuals for tracking growth. Unlike any other planner, Spiritual Seeds Planner prioritizes and plans Spiritual growth over daily “to do” lists and activities focusing on growth rather than achievement. 
 

Picture
​

​What makes it different than other planners on the market:
·       Puts God in charge
·       Inspired, led and powered by the Holy Spirit
·       Based on Scripture
·       Impacts all areas of life
·       Improves relationships
·      Fills life with an abundance of Spiritual Fruit – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control


Here is what I love about this planner!

Features:
·       Easy to follow instructions with visuals
·       Vision Board 
·       Monthly Fruit Focus & Planning Pages
·       Monthly Inspirational Prayers 
·       Weekly Planning
·       Beautiful faux leather cover
·       Fruit of the Spirit Bookmark with definitions and scriptures
·       Fun Garden Themed Stickers 
·       Back pocket 
·       Blank pages for notes
·       Brown Ribbon Bookmark
·       Monthly Tabs
​

Picture

​
​


Picture

I am so excited to start 2021 off with this beautiful kit that will assit me in sowing well for the kingdom in my daily life. What better way than to use tools  (and support Christian small businesses) that are taliored to the heart of the our Lord in the sucess of our fruitfulness as we shine for HIS glory!

​

BUY YOURS NOW For Planner Organization and Ideas
CLICK HERE & GET 20 Percent off ENTER Code FRUITOFTHE SPIRIT


Or enter to win a free planner click below!

​

Picture
0 Comments

Passing on a Legacy of Faith Honoring The Feasts of God

9/15/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

I was given the honor to review Generation to Generation. My respect and love of Rabbi Eckstein and his daugther Yael of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews spans for decades.  This book comes at time I feel God calling me back to the basics of  the Jewish roots of my faith.  I also long to know more of God's appointed feasts and the importance of it to us all. It is a calling because the average local church does not teach of these feasts and how important they are to God and our walk with him. I want the real holiday traditions that touch the heart of God designed by God himself not the man made holidays we currently observe! I was so happy and surprised Yael Eckstein wrote a book about this very thing. This is perfect timing. This book is great for everyone wanting to draw nearer to Abba's ( Fathers) heart even if you do not have children at home.
​
Picture
 

​"The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith" - Billy Graham

​


As I read this book I felt the deep heart of God as Yael wove her earthly Abba's teachings of important life lessons and holiday traditions together with our heavenly Abba's  Biblical mandates for us all.  Yael's witting style made me feel as if I was invited to her family's Shabbat table. She paints the true picture of living a life of Biblical balance  in front of  your children by honoring God's set apart times. In this fast paced world this book helped me to realize these set apart times by God is a special place to slow down with him getting to know Abba's heart of redemptive love, as  we remember the glorious miracles of days of old. God truly draws near to those who joyfully lean into him during these appointed times and one can not help but feel rejuvenated in the mind , body, spirit & soul!


Picture
  • The author, Yael Eckstein, is President and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the largest provider of humanitarian aid in Israel.  You can find more info about her on the book site, www.generationbook.org
Picture
Picture
Picture

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews was founded in 1983 by Orthodox Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, whose vision for building bridges of understanding and cooperation between Christians and Jews has been translated into the largest Christian-supported humanitarian agency helping Jews in Israel and around the world. You can learn more about the organization and Rabbi Eckstein here.
 
For more than 2,000 years, the Jewish people have preserved and maintained their faith from generation to generation, despite being exiled from their land and suffering persecutions, pogroms, and even the Holocaust, where six million Jewish women, men, and children were killed at the hands of the Nazis. In her book, Generation to Generation, Fellowship President and CEO Yael Eckstein unlocks the keys to how the Jewish people have successfully passed on the legacy of faith through the family,  and offers insights into how Christians can incorporate these principles within their own families to pass on a strong and living faith.
​The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews was founded in 1983 by Orthodox Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, whose vision for building bridges of understanding and cooperation between Christians and Jews has been translated into the largest Christian-supported humanitarian agency helping Jews in Israel and around the world. You can learn more about the organization and Rabbi Eckstein here.
 
For more than 2,000 years, the Jewish people have preserved and maintained their faith from generation to generation, despite being exiled from their land and suffering persecutions, pogroms, and even the Holocaust, where six million Jewish women, men, and children were killed at the hands of the Nazis. In her book, Generation to Generation, Fellowship President and CEO Yael Eckstein unlocks the keys to how the Jewish people have successfully passed on the legacy of faith through the family,  and offers insights into how Christians can incorporate these principles within their own families to pass on a strong and living faith.

0 Comments

Obedience Out Of Love

9/3/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture


 
Once a person comes to know the redemptive gift God has offered humanity through the acceptance of Jesus as their proxy on the cross, what would a person then do next?  Of course, prayer, reading the word of God, and actually learning and desiring life application of the scriptures one reads. Why is this even important? I will share with you a thought-provoking act of obedience out of love.
 
“A spiritual application of the word of God consists to applying it to the heart in spiritually enlightening, sanctifying influences. A spiritual application of an invitation or offer the gospel consists in giving the soul a spiritual sense or relish of  the holy divine blessings offered and also the sweet and wonderful grace of the offeror , in making so gracious an offer and of his holy excellency and faithfulness to fulfill what he offers and his glorious sufficiency for it, so leading and drawing forth the heart to embrace the offer and thus giving the man evidence of his title to the thing being offered. And so a spiritual application of the promises of the scripture, for the comfort of the saints, consists in the enlightening of their minds to see the holy excellency and sweetness of the blessings promised and also the holy excellency of the promiser and his faithfulness and sufficiency, thus drawing forth their hearts to embrace the promiser ,and the thing, promised,” (The Works of President Edwards,1808, p. 156 )
 
The scripture is text written to declare the giver, who he is and what he gives.
  1. God is love. 1 John 4:16 (NJKV) God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Consider, the root word of ahava is "ahav." The term ahav in Hebrew means, "to give." True ahava, true love, is more concerned about giving than receiving. ... Consider that the Hebrew word "ahava" is not an emotion but an action. (Google Dictionary)
  2. The very nature of God, the God that is pure love, is to give to you.  No one else has the right to say they are love.
  3. That love never stops and it is impossible because according to Revelation 22:13 (NKJV) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” So, God is everything in time and outside of time. No one else has the authority to say they are the beginning and the end.
  4. I would think one would trust the God of all creation and what he has to say. Psalm 103:2-3 (NKJV) Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases. But God continues to bless us, and forgive us, and heal us, and restore us, and renew us, and deliver us. Did you see that. Forget not his benefits? Why would you not want to remember his benefits or how to obtain them?
  5. To desire understanding of the gift you have been given it will require to read and not only read the scripture but obediently live and apply it daily. John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.  This love is an ongoing circulation never ending. Once you accepted his son the only thing, he desires back from you is love for he is love, and that love comes from the grateful obedience of the heart to follow his commands.
 
Spiritual application is truly obedience that flows in a cycle of never-ending love between you and God. Because if you have said yes to His gift of salvation and that very love is now living inside of your heart, I could assume the God of love who made you in his image. (So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27 ( NKJV))  has given you his desires of you in his Word and if you love God back freely, why would you not apply what you read. In doing so you are giving back love to the creator of love, love. He is a great Father who promises and lavishes his benefits now and forever more in the life to come.
 
 
 


0 Comments

How to Deal with  Mothers Day Loneliness

5/10/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture


First let's recognize and acknowledge the ways Mothers Day can be so lonely for some. 
So you see those Hallmark commercials where the grown kids honor their mom with some loving attention and "thought enough to say the very best" in a card. Or kids who think on their own and make a craft showing mom their love and creativity from the heart. These acts of love are priceless. It is not the gift but the time the gift giver said to say I love you, I honor you in some way. That is really what mom's want on Mother's day.  Just to be remembered. 
But what do you do if your kids are grown and they are "to busy" to honor you in some way on Mothers day? The day can be lonely as thoughts of 18 or more years of caring for the needs spiritually,educationally, physically and more for that individual come flooding back. All the good and bad memories and the struggles and sacrifices you made come flooding back but they are not noticed or feel that way. 
In times like that utter lack of honor on the part of grown kids can, if left to it's own, do traumatic damage to a mom's heart. 
Picture

Another reason some feel so lonely on Mothers day is because they never had children and regret it or maybe even tried to have kids and could not for whatever medical of finical reasons. 
Picture

Some suffer on mother's day because they lost their mom's too soon to death or maybe was an orphan and never knew their mom's. Some even maybe had mom's that where difficult and did not show love in a way you longed for and maybe have had disagreements and cuts ties. 
Picture

Let's face it some of us sometimes suffer from one or more of these realities and at times when you see a mother and her kids out in public celebrating mothers day it can stab at your tender heart. 



I can relate. I have experienced not one but three of these situations. I am writing this blog post on Mothers day May 2020 and will tell you today was one of the loneliest Mother's days I have ever experienced. But I have a message for you that you are not alone. 
​
How To Deal With Loneliness on Mother's Day
  1. First let's address the brokenness of your situation and the remedy. Know that God loves you and see's your heart. Take time to sit with the maker and lover of your soul and find Him. He says he will draw near to the broken hearted. Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” 
  2. Mother's bring joy. Go give your self a gift that day and bring yourself some joy then go find someone to give some joy to even if it is a pleasant smile out in public. 
  3. Wanted kids but did not have any? If you always wanted to be a mom but could't first focus on YOU and go do something to bring yourself some joy that day as well. Then set a plan to find people who need a mother's nurturing (NO matter your age) such as seniors, aged out fosters who are kicked to the curb at age 18 and need some love & tlc (contact your local foster unit they can direct you for aged out fosters it takes no money to spend time with them, you might be the mom they always looked for!) If you never had kids but God still gave you a mother's heart he does NOT want you to waste it. Ask him to guide you to those who need it. Sometimes motherhood looks different then they typical. We can not put God or motherhood in a box. Do you love animals? Go to a shelter and volunteer and love on the unwanted animals! DO not waste that mother's heart. God showed me this a couple of years ago when I started off on my empty nester journey and showed me he was going to repackage my mother's heart for more than what I had known!
  4. Had a mom or adult kids who did you wrong? Forgiveness is key. It is not so much for them but it is to set you free ultimately. Jesus was your proxy on the cross and forgave you he expects that from all of us as well to those who we may feel do not deserve it. Colossians 3:13 – Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Matthew 6:12 – From the Lord's Prayer – “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
  5. Your mom died? You miss your mom and you miss giving her honor and love on Mother's day. You still can! Go have some fun making a sweet mother's day craft and go to a rest home and ask the nurse who in the center never has their kids come see them or never had kids but wanted them? Go sit with that lady and present to her your Mother's day gift and tell her it is in honor of your own Mother. Then ask her to share some sweet memories of her mother as you also share some sweet memories of your mom. It will help your mom's memory to live on every Mother's day and be a new tradition you can look forward to by bringing joy and filling a void in someone while you fill your own. I guarantee she will shed tears!
Picture

​The MOST IMPORTANT take away.
  Lastly know this, today as I write this and struggled with loneliness the Lord gave me something beautiful so beautiful it is to be shared and it is a message for you too. Diamonds are made in the dark pressure. They are pure and radiant. Someday you will have the moment that will blast ALL mother's days of all mother's days out of the planet when you stand before the Lord and everyone else in all eternity and he himself presents you with a crown of jewels laden with love and forged by your suffering in the dark loneliness, just as he suffered on the cross a dark loneliness and yet in that suffering you chose to give IN HIS name the heart of a mother and the heart of a Father which is unconditional LOVE to those around you in need. You have that to look forward to and no Hallmark card or Mother's day on earth WILL EVER compare.

So today on Mother's day go give LOVE to yourself and to others!
Picture
2 Comments

God Will Send The Ravens

4/5/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

God's timing is always perfect. He sees our deepest heart aches and problems and knows the solutions before we do. But so many times we think in the natural and that if something happens beyond our control we will let the brain take over, and not even realize it. Trying to frantically in the natural to figure out a solution, rather than first seeking (in step one) the one who already sees the problem and knows  what you need.
We recently got hit again with life. My husband lost his job due to reasons beyond his control. We had been down this road before and the uncertainty and shock can consume you if left to it's own. But this time instead of panicking while still numb from shock I felt we should run away. Literally get in the car and just run somewhere with Jesus. I had tucked a few dollars away just for an emergency like this because we had been there before. This time we knew we must approach it differently. Mental health is so important and I knew if we did not do something different asap my husband might fall again into a deep depression. So off to the beach we went. 
Picture
Photo by Susan Jackson using no filters
Of course with my husband being from the coast of Rhode Island and an ex cruise director I knew hearing waves would be soothing. It was! It helped him so much. He surprised me one afternoon and started reading to me a page in Our Daily Bread. I had no idea he was reading it at all. He read a verse out of 1 Kings 17:6 NIV the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening and he drank from the brook. This was God's way of taking care of the Prophet Elijah daily as he camped where God told him too.  So that really spoke to my heart and I journaled it declaring that as our first sign of hope. 

A little while later as my husband walked the beach alone this time, I stayed behind to spend some alone time with the Lord. I just felt to get up and go stand at the balcony and watch the waves. I saw my husband looking up at the fourth floor balcony but as I waved down to him a couple of sea gulls flew by but beside them was one lone raven. It was almost as if it flew by in slow motion looking at me. I was shocked. I had not seen a raven the whole time I was there and I spend a lot of time looking at the nature around me. 

My husband did not fully understand my excitement later when I told him of it. I said, " It was a sign from God he is going to take care of our needs because he even used ravens to take care of Elijah! Why not us! I think it was a God wink. Well my husband did not see the raven so it did not mean a lot he wanted to see something himself but he did not say although I knew. 

Later the next day as we where leaving the island we pulled over to get a snack before we left the island. As we got out of the car he was so excited saying , "Susan look, look!" I look over next to me on the bush only inches from me is a raven, sitting just staring at us. I walked up nearer to it and said, "did God send you?" Most of the time if I have ever seen a raven or any type of bird in my life if you try to approach it , it will flee. This one did not. I said, thank you bird for obeying God and coming to give us a message of hope. 

We are only two weeks post that day and we are still talking about those two raven sightings after we read that verse. It was the hope we needed at just the right times.
Picture

My eyes are open with expectancy as we wait on God and see how he provides. Meanwhile every provision we see I say there is another raven provision! I want to share with you the first one. Bible Gate Grid Bloggers sent me a new Artisan Collection Bible to review. It came at just the right time just to bring me hope just like God used the ravens. This Bible is a type I have always wanted but never got. it is a New International Version with journal space on each page! 
Picture

Of course the first verse I had to journal and highlight to test it out was the verse from that day that began my quest for verses and promises of God that we could claim and proclaim and hang onto in these trying times. It brought me such joy. God knows the desires of our hearts and he knows I have been wanting a Bible just like this! 
​
Picture
This Bible is stunning in every way. I love marble and this has a marble look to it. I love the gold accents here or there. Every time I hold this Bible it evokes joy not just because it is the word of God but also it was a raven provisional to make me smile and it was even in the color I wanted as well. God knows the desires of our heart even when we do not pray to him about it.
​
He cares about every single detail. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Here are somethings I am enjoying about this Bible so far.
  • I have enjoyed NIV as one of my favorite translations since I was first saved. It was the first translation that helped me understand the word of God because when I would read the King James Version as a new christian I was left with a lot of confusion.  
  • I love the wide margins.
  • The pages with golden edges are delightful.
  • The words of Jesus mighty Yeshua are in red.
  • Comes with two ribbon bookmarks inside.
  • The outside is solid and sturdy yet beautiful in it's pink marble appeal. 

I am so grateful for God's word in any form be in print or digital. If you would like to get this Bible yourself ( they offer various colors) visit the Bible Gate Way Store.

Or you can study God's word for free in any translation at BibeGateWay.com it is my most favorite Bible resource site when I do not carry my Bible with me. 
​
I thank God for his God winks of hope to us. 
0 Comments

Are You a Gofer?

2/21/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Recently I asked the Lord what was on his heart. I heard the word gopher. I knew he was referring to me in my spirit. I was sitting in shock. Lord, ok what does that mean? So I look up what does a gopher mean.  They are a small animal that makes tunnels and has cheeks that can store items. I thought ok well what now? Well by accident while I was reading it in Google I saw the word gofer and felt I should look into it, it sounds like gopher. I had never heard of gofer before. (I am sure he also had a meaning for me too in gopher but I am still praying on that and waiting on what tunnel making means for me.)

Gofer's meaning is someone who's job is running various errands. Gofer means a guy or girl Friday basically doing any little task that needs to be done. The term originated in the 1950's. 

I have always been interested in many things and doing many different things for the Lord and some would say focus on one. Well I never felt a peace about that, now I know why. That is not how he made me. Some focus really well on one thing.  I am a gofer for God. Even now with the Messenger of the Glory series I am delivering messages as well as doing many other little tasks of service for the Lord. It can be done, because in Christ we can do anything. Philippians  4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It is not about me at all but what he can and will do in a weak vessel like me. I like variety. I do not mind being a gofer for Abba. Do you feel like your not good enough to do what he has asked you to do? Read this article from last week. God Chooses the Ordinary to do the Extraordinary. 

​In a way we all are gofers for Abba. But are you doing all he really wants you to do in obedience? Are you his dependable gofer? 

​
Picture


Need more encouragement? Need a boost? These short inspirational supernatural stories are free in Amazon Prime and only .99 cents for non members. You can read on any device! Sign up for my newsletter to be informed of the newest stories and printed book release!
​

0 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture

    Susan Jackson

    Messenger of the Glory Series Author dedicated to bringing  good messages to Christ followers & encouraging you to shine for God's glory! 

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Feasts Of God
    How God Feels About You
    Identity
    Inspiration
    Loneliness
    Prayers
    Recommended Books
    Sowing

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020

    Picture

Email:

messengeroftheglory@gmail.com
© COPYRIGHT 2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home