Living Proof Live! An Experience to Remember

Meet Kellie.  Kellie is an extremely fun person to be around.  I can testify to that!  Not only is she creative and a master party planner, but she is has a heart bursting for the Lord.  Today Kellie shares about her experience at Beth Moore's Living Proof Live event and how she was changed with whispers from the crowd. 

 

Recently, I traveled with a group of MOPS friends (and 8,000 other women) to see Living Proof Live with Beth Moore. I had heard that Beth Moore was dynamic and powerful and that I should expect to come out of Living Proof Live a changed person, but honestly I always kind of blow those kinds of comments off. I wish and hope for revelation, for something that will be so powerful that it will change me, but in situations like this I always seem to come up wanting. It’s like a New Year’s Eve party when you are expected to have the night of your life.  I am no good at forced fun so it would make sense that I would be no good at forced revelation either.

But, I can promise you that all the things I’d heard about this were true and that Beth Moore is everything that everyone says she is, and so much more than that.

My big moment came at a time I’d least expected it. It wasn’t during Beth’s time with us, even though it was wonderful and full of my favorite “ah ha!” moments. It wasn’t during the worship time, even though Travis Cottrell may have secretly made me more of a 9 o’clock than an 11 o’clock gal (gasp!). The music was that good. No, it came during what I heard someone later refer to it as the alter call.   After Beth finished up her second session she invited the praise team back to the stage and told us that she was now going to do the most important part of Living Proof Live.

Beth invited anyone who wanted to accept Jesus as their personal savior to do so, but in typical Beth Moore fashion she wanted you to do it as loud and publically as possible. She asked that those of us who were ready to accept Jesus into our hearts and lives to scream as loud as we could:

Credit: Kellie Ross-LPL Event

“My name is _____ _____ and I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior”.

The room seemed to rock back and forth; 8,000 tiny dots of people all sort of collectively held our breath. A silence like no other fell over the Greensboro coliseum as we all waited and listened for the sounds of salvation. And then it came, a tiny but powerful voice from what seemed like miles away began to yell. She was so far away all I could hear was “I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior!”

Then, slowly, like a drizzle to a down pour, it began to rain down words of freedom and salvation in our Lord. Women from all over the arena began to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts and it was as if I could see their souls freeing themselves from the years of self-doubt, fear and persecution and lifting up into the heavens just as their voices rose around the arena.

I feel so blessed to have been there at the moment that those ladies were saved and released from their sins. I can’t tell you any of their names, where they were from or even what they looked like. I can tell you that God was working in that place. He was there with His arms around us, welcoming those ladies into His loving protection. You could feel it, you could see it, and you could hear it all around us. God was there, and He was working.

I don’t need any more “Living Proof” than that!

Kellie Ross was born and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She’s been married to her best friend and computer whiz husband, Sam, for 6 years and they are blessed to have a beautiful 3 year old girl named Hannah. They are members at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church where Kellie serves on the Preschool Committee and she is the Communications Coordinator for the Mothers of Preschoolers group.

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Plans Turned to Purpose

Today's guest post comes from Ashley who has an amazing story of how God changed her life.  This self-proclaimed planner shares her heart about how her list of plans got turned upside down and how a special mug changed her heart forever.

After I graduated High School, I had a set of goals. 

1. Graduate College

2. Get a job

3. Get married

4. Have a baby

These goals were my life's aspirations.  There is nothing wrong with these goals. You see, amongst this list is a plethora of amazing experiences, unforgettable memories, and opportunities to learn (and to still learn from).

I am a Planner.

I want things to go according to MY life plan, my goals, my dreams, wishes, and MY aspirations. 

There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to attend college.  There was no doubt I wanted to be a teacher.  I knew from an early age that I had a love for children and a drive to succeed.  I met my husband when I was in college, we got married before I graduated, and I accepted a job right before graduation.  #'s 1, 2, and 3 knocked off my list in two years.  I was OK waiting on # 4.  In the meantime, I dipped into my career and people pleased my way through each day.  And I loved it.  

#4 came about 3 years later.  And it was hard.  You see, I loved my marriage, my job, and my baby.  I loved my life.  After # 4 I had already met my goals. So what was next?

Photo Credit: Ashley Teets

The planner was at the point in her life where she had nothing left to plan for.

The year after my son turned one was a terrible year for me at work.  I don't know if I was still getting used to being a first time mom or it was the fact that my job was becoming complacent, but I couldn't get out of bed.  I feel into a depression.  One day I was at the doctor's office for a checkup and I started to sob over my life circumstances.  He referred me to a psychologist who originally diagnosed me with postpartum depression.  They gave me some medicine and asked me to keep coming back for follow up appointments.   Some days were bad; I could hardly get out of the bed to take care of my busy one year old.  My husband was a huge help and really wanted me to get better so he did everything he possibly could to make that happen.  I didn't feel like I had the symptoms postpartum mothers say they experience, but I needed help and the medicine wasn't cutting it.  After going to two psychologists, I was finally diagnosed with a work-related anxiety disorder and not postpartum depression. 

But let's go back to my plan.  Not loving my job was not on the list!  Remember, teaching was my life calling.  Or so I thought.  I tried to make changes all around me.  But little did I realize what really needed to be changed was me.

You see, I married as a non-Christian.  Yes, I had been to church and "walked the walk," as did my husband.  One of the first years we were teachers, a lady who worked with us was talking to my husband and asked him what church he went to.  He told her he was a non-believer.  The very next day this wonderful lady brought him a mug with a card in it for her church.  He dismissed it, but we kept the mug and didn't think much else about it.  After my son was born, my mom prompted me into checking out a church.  I immediately thought of the card and the mug and decided to try that church first.

So I went with my mom on our first visit.  I wasn't really moved or ready for the "church thing” and I wouldn’t visit the church again until 2 years later, after my anxiety diagnosis.  I was eventually encouraged to try it again on my own.  So every Sunday I sat two rows back, carried my son with me, and I prayed. I worshipped. I let the music move me.  The Holy Spirit took over me. 

 God changed me.

Credit

 After I had been going to the church about 6 months, I started making life style changes.  I was still a new Christian in need of guidance and love.

I found myself wanting and needing God.

I realized that some things you don’t plan for, but God has a plan for YOU.  I am lucky enough that I am so passionate about my God and that my husband supports me and my son, even though he is a non-believer.  By the way, can a sister get some prayers for her husband?  I believe we are responsible for our own salvation.  I love my man but it's not my plan, it's God's.  And in His perfect timing, I am confident that my husband will join me on this journey.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope, In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NLT)

I still have plans, dreams, and wishes.  But I also have God and I don't have to worry about what obstacles I face or what comes next. 

God is the ultimate planner of my life.

Are you in need of an ultimate planner?  Take out your planner or your list of goals.  Pencil him in.  Better yet, make it a PERMANENT marker appointment and let God make plans for you. You can't be your own planner, because God plans for you.  It's not about MY aspirations, dreams, goals...it's about God's plans for ME AND YOU.

How wonderful is it that we don't have control over everything?  What a relief!  Oh, and that anxiety disorder?  HEALED! Amen!

"And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is."

 Ephesians 3:18 (NLT)

Do you identify with Ashley's story? 

Hop over to Ashley's blog and read more about her heart for Christ at:

http://planandpurpose.blogspot.com/

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Releasing Control & Learning to Let Go

I have a confession to make today.  My name is Amanda and I have a problem with

control. 

It feels good to get off my chest.  I know that this is an issue that many of us struggle with when it comes to our faith.  For months, I’ve wanted to share with you my journey to learning to finally start letting go of my control issues and fully trusting in the Lord.  But until now, I hadn’t found the right words.

You might remember a past devotional I wrote called The Stop Sign.  The majority of the post was about the struggle I have always had about my body, but in that post I also wrote about how I strongly felt God speak to me and say “I am in control.”  Friends, I want to now share more about that powerful dream that still gives me goose bumps when I think about it.

When my husband Brian and I felt like it was time to start our family last year, we assumed we would have no trouble getting pregnant.   We had prayed for God to let us know when the right time to start our family would be and now we just needed to hand it over to Him to bless us with that. 

It always seems easy to keep the mindset that everything “is in God’s timing,” to begin with because it’s new.  But after months and months had gone by with no luck, I found myself questioning.  Why didn’t God want to bless us with a baby?  Were we doing something that wasn’t pleasing to Him?  Did He think we weren't ready?

Have you ever found yourself here? 

When things are going our way {smoothly} we find it easy to trust God.  It’s when things get difficult that we begin to question.  And boy did I ever question. 

On the outside I trusted God.  I prayed multiple times a day that in His timing I knew He would give us a baby, in whatever way that would be.  Meanwhile I rushed home twice a day to test my ovulation patterns, tracked my body temperatures, changed my diet, tried to “de-stress” my life, and concentrated on not getting consumed with all things baby.  Brian and I even started having conversations about what we would do if we couldn’t get pregnant naturally.  Would we adopt?  Would we try other methods?  I wasn’t trusting in God at all. 

 I was in control of the situation. 

In my mind, God was taking too long to answer our prayers, so I was taking it upon myself to change the situation and the outcome.

  

Let me also confess that I have a problem with patience.  Usually when I make up my mind to do something, I want it to happen now.  It goes back to my control issue!  ;)

And this drove me crazy because I couldn’t control it!  I couldn’t control my body, or Brian’s body, and I couldn’t control God’s timing.   

Do you identify with a situation in your life friends? 

That cool morning in March I woke up with the strongest feeling I have ever felt in my life.  God spoke powerfully to me. 

I am in control. 

It was so clear.  So simple.  Why had I struggled with this?  If I knew that God would provide us with a baby in some way, some day, and in His timing, why was I fighting the control?  I knew that He knew best.  He could see the bigger picture of things when I could not.  He already knew when He would provide us this blessing.  He knew when their birthday would be, how much they would weigh when they were born, if it would be a boy or a girl, and what their name would be.  He already knew everything about them, and here I was questioning Him because I wanted to be in control.

After that strong statement I knew I had to relinquish my control to God.  Along with praying for a child, I now prayed that God would help me trust in His timing and let me let go of my need for control over the situation. 

Do you find yourself here today friends?  Is there something that you are trying to control in your life?  Something you don’t understand God’s reasoning for?

The day before Mother’s day I found out we were expecting our first child.  Before I tested, I laid in bed praying that God would prepare my heart for the negative result that I was so sure would be there.  I had played this emotional roulette with myself for so long, I had expected it.  We had even had a false positive at one point where I thought I was pregnant, but wasn't.  But I knew God was in control and not me.

Instead, two of the most beautiful pink lines were there.  Brian and I were so shocked and surprised that it had finally happened we didn’t know what to do.  So we just hugged, cried, and jumped up and down! 

I share this story with you not because I feel our journey to becoming parents is any more difficult than anyone else’s.  Through our journey and struggles I have been able to meet and share with other women who have had difficultly and have struggled longer than we did.  Their stories are amazing examples of faith and strength. 

I share this with you because of what God taught me throughout our struggle.  He’s still working with me on the whole control thing, because let’s face it; Rome wasn’t built in a day!  But He's showed me unfailing love and He TOLD me I needed to release my need for control to Him. 

Please friends, if there is something you are struggling to control, pray that God will help you release it. 

I know that God blessed us with our baby girl in His timing, not ours.  So when we finally get to meet her in January, we’ll find comfort in knowing that God already knows her and already has His plan laid out for her life.  The timing of us getting pregnant with her matches up perfectly to the plan He has laid out for her life.  Now, we have the greatest adventure ahead of us because He loves us so much.  He didn't want to see us hurt or question Him, He wants us to fully trust in Him and His plan.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

 

What examples do you have where you relinquished control to God?   I would love to read your stories. 

Blessings Friends,

Amanda

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Within My Soul It's Stirring

I took a break from blogging and writing after my husband Brian and I found out we were expecting our first baby.  {Screams with excitement!}  We just decided to spend some time taking in the news and sharing with family and friends.  I also didn't have the energy to do much of anything!   But I've got a lot of new ideas up my sleeve and I'm ready to get back into writing.  Here's my newest post on feeling Holy Spirit stir in our hearts. 

It was there.  I could feel it.  It wasn’t going away.  Send her a message and tell her.  Don’t push this aside, do it now.  The feeling wasn’t going away. Do it now.  But she’s probably busy and won’t answer back.  It doesn’t matter, tell her anyway. 

“Hey girl. 

I just wanted to let you know what a blessing you are. You can get through anything.  You’re one of the strongest people I know. I love you.”  

“Thank you girl.”  

It was all she said back, but she didn’t need to say another word.  The past few months had been difficult and she had been so strong through it all.  But that morning I just felt like I needed to tell her that.  I went on about my day, but kept my precious friend in the back of my mind.

Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit urge you to do something?  Urge you to make a call, send an e-mail, or visit someone you haven’t seen in awhile?

Some call it ESP.  Some call it chance.  But for me, it’s the Holy Spirit all the way.  There are times when the Holy Spirit begins turning in our hearts, guiding us to take action for something or someone.

 A little over a year ago, several tornadoes caused utter devastation among our small community.  Some lost everything they had and the community felt helpless as our citizens tried to pick up the pieces of their lives in the following days and weeks.  But then something happened. Neighbors pitched in to clean up the surrounding devastation.  Goods were donated and fundraisers started to help the families who had lost so much.  The presence of God was undeniable.

 The Holy Spirit moved us as a community.

So, how do you know it’s the Holy Spirit?

Well, I can only answer that question through my own perspective.  For me, it feels like a tug on my heart.  It’s almost as if something is stirring in me, though I have no idea what or for what reason.  The text I sent that morning to my friend wasn’t for me.  It was a message through me, but something she must have needed to hear.  I’m not sure.  God laid it on my heart to show her that I loved her and that more importantly, He loved her.

Another example?

For months I battled {and yes I use the word battled because I certainly did} with the call to begin writing as a ministry.  As a young girl I loved to write short stories and poems, but as an adult that desire went deeper.  This time, I felt God telling me to turn my passion into a ministry. It was like something that wouldn’t leave me alone, in a good way!

Once I finally realized and obeyed God’s call, it was like a weight lifted from my shoulders.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

I can only share with you how it feels for me.  For you, it may feel totally different.

Maybe you’ve felt the Holy Spirit urging you to consider a special calling, or to make a new change in your life?

Maybe it’s offering to pay for someone else’s groceries at the grocery store?  It could be sending a simple text or e-mail to a friend or loved one to remind them how much we care for them.  At the end of the day, it may not be us that God is trying to reach; we may just be a messenger of His love to another person.

And sometimes God is trying to reach us.  To show us a different perspective, to tell us to let go of something that’s hindering our walk with Him, to forgive someone for a wrongdoing.  Only you can know.

The world of the generous gets larger and larger;

the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.

The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;

those who help others are helped.

Proverbs 11:24-25 (The Message)

I would love for you to share with me some things you have felt the Holy Spirit guide you to do.  Big or small, I would love to hear them all!

Blessings friends,
Amanda

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