Hodgepodge

The past two weeks I’ve started a few blogs and can’t seem to finish. There is so much happening - they are amazing Jesus things. I don’t want to forget them so here are some hodgepodge thoughts.
 

---

Monday, July 9, 2012
When God cracks your radiator

It’s been a while since I last “blogged”. [That still doesn’t feel right to say:o) I’ve called it “journaling” for the past two years that I’ve had a “blog” and been documenting my journey with Jesus. In fact that’s what I called my blog, my “journal”.]

If someone were to ask me for a word to describe the last week and a half, I’d use one simple phrase, Roller Coaster!!

I think back to my childhood – SO many trips to Cedar Point (I still love that place even though I haven’t been in almost two decades) and even a trip to Kings Island. I was always the daredevil of the family. I LOVED the fast and loopy roller coasters. I liked the ones that made my heart drop and my head spin and only once, made my tummy turn:o) When I still wanted to feel the adventure that a Roller Coaster gives, I’d always pick the Iron Dragon at Cedar Point – it was a top track and you swung a lot. It was fun but not so crazy like the ones I was drawn to. It seemed to be the one my brother would want to ride lol

The past week has been a roller coaster of emotions, feelings and um, a whole bunch of other things.

Today on my way home from my full-time job it was 117* driving up the SR-51. It was just plane dog gone – HOT!! I got home and did as I normally did when I was running to the second job right away – park in my roomies spot and race to get ready, grab dinner and head out to go another 5hrs in the day. While I was making a sandwich my neighbor came to the door and knocked. As I answered he was a bit in shock and taken back. He explained that he thought something was wrong with my car because there was a LOT of green fluid all underneath it and running down the driveway. My heart sunk – UGH, NOT another car problem?!

Well, sure enough…no work for me the next 36 hours, I was stranded at home! Ya know, God sure has a funny way to slow me down:) Just the night before my friend Derek told me I was going too much, working too many hours and needed to take a break. I teased him in the process of finding out what was wrong with my car because his prayer life must be amazing – God had me stuck at home with no way to get anywhere lol

The blessings didn’t stop with just being stranded at home! I was able to have a guy from the SOMA group come and help me fix it for basically cost and God just blessed me WAY above and beyond what I could have ever asked or imagined in the cost out of my pocket. Simply AMAZING!!
 

---

Monday, July 16, 2012
God’s up to something

This weekend was downright AMAZING. One I will not soon forget! It was what I described to a friend as possibly the best weekend of my life – that’s 33 years of weekends.

I feel as if my weekend actually started last Wednesday evening after work. I spend two evenings helping a friend with some stuff and then Friday night was a work night. On Thursday while hanging out with my friend and one of his buddies that was in town we started to make plans for Saturday. The friend from outta town wanted to do something so I suggested hiking, but it’d need to be early since it’s so hot. Then Derek piped up – NO, there is a service day Saturday – we need to go help and serve.  It made my heart smile – I was game for this:)

I started off the morning Saturday bright and early, picking up the guys and heading out to serve the community with the SOMA group.  We enjoyed some bagels and off we went. I was insistent on having a “sandwich” from Subway before we got to work – I was over carbs for the weekend lol One stop at Starbucks and Subway and we were almost there. While driving down 7^th Street I heard a rock… and about two minutes later – there was the crack. Ugh… a 6” stripe coming up from under my windshield wiper.

We arrived at our ministry site and the windshield was the last care on my mind! We got right to work: dusting, scrubbing, sweeping, sorting, cleaning… it was one HUGE dusty mess! On top of all things, Phoenix is normally HOT in the summer. Thankfully, God had His hands ALL over the day and it was overcast and a tad bit (LOL…a LOT bit) humid; this made it cooler but sticky and sweaty ha! We plowed through the work for about 3-4 hours and put a tremendous dent in the property. Soon after we were put to work, I had to ask the leaders from the ministry something and I noticed the sweet lady had a “Dream Center” t-shirt on. I asked as soon as I could because this was a ministry that was shared with me quite some time ago that I was interested in volunteering with.

After all the work was done, we said our goodbyes, prayed for their ministry and most of the group went off to “Lo-Lo’s Chicken and Waffles” in south Phoenix for lunch. Can you say DELICIOUS southern love – fried lol The wait was WELL worth the trip…and hard work before we got there;) When the guys and I got in the car we noticed a VERY LARGE stripe across my window from what was once a small stripe from a rock LOL Jesus cracked my window... and we found it hysterical!
 

Scott, Derek, Nate and I
at Lo-Lo's (first time for all of us)
after "SOMA Serves" in downtown Phoenix

---

Wednesday, July 18, 2012
My eyes kept leaking!
 

In all of my life, I have NEVER experienced what I did on Sunday!

It was mindboggling.
It knocked my socks off.
It was refreshing beyond description.
It was a flood of emotions.
It was downright heavenly!!

On Saturday, I talked with the guys about going to church on Sunday. I honestly don’t remember all the “details” of the conversation and how God worked it all out but it was something I was kinda nervous about. We were going to Derek’s church and all I knew is it was “different”. I was open to trying it out but somewhat hesitant. Sure enough, later that night at work I got a text that they would be ready for pick up at 10:45am sharp. Gulp!

Sunday morning I was up and going early hoping to have a few chores done around the house before I was off for a busy and full day of fun and fellowship. The Purple Bus (on Thursday we renamed my car – SO appropriate) arrived promptly at 10:45am to pick up the guys. We had to wait though because Ryan wasn’t home from his church yet. It was a work of patience for me to not get irritated cause I LIKE my schedule:) As we sat waiting, Derek was so kind and sweet to ask if I’d like him to drive?! SERIOUSLY?! WOW…  I was praying the night before that God would give me some “rest” in the midst of being so caring and hospitable. I actually prayed that “not” driving would be one of those ways to get “rest”. I mean, I LOVE to drive and I will bend over backwards for someone but I think I put about 300 miles on my car in 2-3 days of driving lol I was done with driving for a while:) WHOA… what was God doing?!?! It blew me away!

We arrived to church and I felt sick to my stomach. We walked in and I sat between the guys. Seriously, kinda strange but I felt almost “protected” and being I was nervous a bit, it was comforting. I love my guy friends that step up and take on that role;) I sat there before the worship started and just looked at everything. I’ve never been in such a massive auditorium – huge stage, lights, cameras, smoke (yes I did say smoke…like stage smoke) and lots of people… WHOA!

The band got up to lead the first some – thankfully it was something familiar! That helped my nerves. I just watched and muffled words out of my mouth. The bass player was phenomenal. The drummer – stellar and the lead vocalist and guitarist…um WOW! I was in love with the abilities first! The second song started and I said (out loud) “I LOVE this song” lol From then on, all nerves were abandoned and honestly – gut wrenching honesty here – I have NEVER experienced a worship service like that!!

The people –
          The band –
                    The songs –
                              EVERYTHING…
 

was 2,000% ALL HEART and LOVE for JESUS!!

In all my life of worship services, I have NEVER EVER felt so “free”.
You could truly FEEL the presence of the Spirit.

I continually was lifting my glasses to wipe my eyes…

 

My eyes kept leaking!

Communion never felt so real –
The breaking of His body!
The pouring out of His blood!

Communion never felt so sweet – so intimate!

The Pastor and his wife came to the stage – I can’t remember all he shared but it was about another location of the church and what God was doing – AMAZING. There was a time of prayer that led into his message.

The sermon was called “What’s your number?” and was about what is the purpose God has you here for. WHOA…can we say applicable?! Ok God:)

If I highlighted all the points in his message that spoke to me, this blog would be a book; a large volume of books. One quote that I jotted down that would be a good summary though:
 

“When you are in your purpose, hard things become easy.
When you are not in your purpose, easy things become hard.”

I will come back in a future blog to explain WHY this sermon and the summary of the day impacted me as it did.

We left before it was over – I was a bit bummed frankly.
                 As we walked out –

I had NO words!

This happens very rarely in my life. I love to talk:) I’m a woman – I can speak two times more words in a day than a man –
 

but after sensing God’s Spirit SO strongly
and having an intimate encounter with MY living Jesus
...I had NO words!

Derek asked me as we walked to the car what I thought. I don’t remember saying much, I just kinda looked at him like he was crazy for asking that – didn’t my lack of words express what I was feeling, hearing, seeing, being?!? Was he not in the same service as I was?! Why is he asking me this?!

Nate and Ryan answered the same question when he asked them in the car. (Good thing I wasn’t the driver because I would have probably hit the cars in the parking lot I was so “stunned”.) I loved hearing part of their thoughts but I remember slowly giving words off by time we made it to the freeway…

WOW...
            That was AMAZING...
                        How have I, in 33yrs of life, NEVER seen God like that?!

After Derek and I shared a few thoughts back and forth, as he was getting in the turn lane to get on the freeway I remember vividly saying the most profound thing of my day.

With a small chuckle in my voice and a smile on my face:
 

“My eyes kept leaking!”

Derek grinned ear to ear and so sweetly said, “God’s spirit touched you”.

WOW… how is it I’ve been to church since I was 3 years old and I NEVER sensed Jesus so strongly?! So real and genuine?! What have I been missing??

I didn’t say much the way to the guys house. We dropped Ryan off to go meet his friend that was fixing his car. When the door shut – the three of us all started laughing simultaneously. It was a heavenly sweetness…
 

...Sometimes, there are just no words!