My Life – Page 30 – Pastor Susan

A Day Off

July 30, 2009July 28, 2009 tlc4women3 Comments

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Yes, I get ONE! Despite what most people think about those of us who work in ministry, we don’t just hang out all week and preach for an hour on Sunday, there is lots of church work to do. Plus, I have mom duties and daughter duties and wife duties and church duties and me duties and household duties. All in all, I am a typical American Woman! But this week! Yes! It paid off. I haven’t done this ever, but I woke up and checked the temperature for Monterey Bay. It’s usually cold and foggy there but I was hoping to play hooky there on Friday and go for a few hours and get some (maybe) sun and some quiet time with the Lord. I checked the weather and today it was going to be in the 80’s and sunny but the rest of the week it was going to be in the 50’s and cloudy.

SO! My husband was sleeping and I thought but didn’t say out loud, “Please wake up! PLLLLEEEEEAAASSSE!” and VIOLA! his eyes opened and he smiled, because he is a morning person, not because I was so close to his face he could feel my breath! I said, “Let’s get out of here!” He looked wide eyed, like you do when you first wake up and you don’t know where you are, and I said, “C’mon, take me to the beach.” So off we went. By 11 am we were sitting on the beach, bottled water and book in hand and as promised it was a warm day there. We stayed there until 3 pm then rushed home to get the kids fed and to a recital and then I had some cleaning to do. Yep, even though I played, I still had work to do!

I’m happy today for the blessing of a surprise and a break from the norm. I’m happy to be in love with my life and the Lord whom I joyously serve (most days). Yes, there are problems and yes, there are things that are hard in my life but God knows just what I need, when I need it. I looked out at the water and the waves with tears streaming down my face today for the gratitude of a gift for no reason. Profoundly happy for a true day of rest because you just don’t get enough of these (or at least I don’t). Thankful for a world created today just for me because my God loves beauty and he loves to see me happy. Digging my feet into the grains of sand, knowing that the Lord created each one for this moment in time, knowing I would be there in that moment. I sat still and raising my face to the sun with a cloudless sky and a breeze coming in because He knows I like it warm and breezy but not hot, I sang this song by Desperation Band, which I’ve dusted off the cover of and began to listen to again;

The whole earth is full of your glory

And you reign victorious

You reign victorious over all

For great is the Lord and worthy of praise

Lift up your voice and lift up His name

The heavens declare our God is the King

We join in the song that the angels sing

The nations will praise you forever

For you reign victorious

You reign victorious over all

You have to recognize those beautiful moments and give thanks. They didn’t get here by accident they got here because there is a God, whether you know it yet or not, who loves you and loves to see you smile!

You’re A Pastor?

July 11, 2009July 10, 2009 tlc4women1 Comment

Talking to people about normal daily things is something I do all the time. I met a man recently at the car wash and began chatting. Nothing terribly outstanding. California weather these days, the economy, just general talk. When the man asked, “So what do you do for a living?” I said, “I’m a pastor at Oasis here in town.”

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“You’re a pastor? Really? Like at a Christian church?” “Yup.” “Man, you don’t seem like a pastor.” “Really? (me: smiling) What makes me not seem like one?” “I don’t know, I mean, you’re normal. You’re not all makeup and hair and you don’t act like you’re above it all.” “Well, I’ll take that as a compliment.” “Oh, it is. So, where is your church? I’ve lived here six months, maybe I’ll come check it out.” “That would be nice, you’d be more than welcome.”

Often, I don’t know what people think of us followers of Christ. I chatted with a brand new mom and her sister recently, about her newborn 3 week old son who was, A DOR A BLE! At the end of my conversation I said, “You ladies have a blessed day!” They smiled and thanked me and as I walked away I heard one of them say, “She’s nice and said God bless you. That’s sweet.” Seeds people. Leave seeds everywhere you go. You just never know what will bloom.

He Never Ceases To Amaze Me

July 6, 2009July 6, 2009 tlc4women2 Comments

Bishop Tudor Bismark was preaching at Pastor Dick Bernal’s church, Jubilee Christian Center in San Jose. I wanted to go to hear him as he is an intelligent orator who understand the word of God. He always brings about some powerful thought processes. That brings about, for me at least, further knowledge and wisdom of the word of God. He is a kingdom teacher and that excites me as I am a kingdom citizen.

Last night was no exception. He preached on prophesy and the difference between prayer and prophesy, something I strongly believe in. I bought a copy of the DVD because I will chew it up and eat every last drop until I understand it completely. If that was all that happened last night it was an excellent powerful night of divine appointment.

Only it wasn’t. It never is with God is it? When you raise your level of expectancy, God always rises to blow your mind further than you dreamed possible. He does this, I believe, to make sure you continue to raise your level of expectancy even more so.

I have a prayer that I have lifted to the Lord. It’s such a deeply personal thing that I have not shared it with a living soul. Yet, it has consumed my prayer life in the last several weeks. I prayed this prayer every which way I could, rewording, re-petitioning and thinking that if I came at it with a different angle God would bring me peace and an answer. Yet both alluded me. Peace and an answer were far from me. Instead of giving up, I got more resolved. I got to where even the thought of the prayer would bring me to tears. I was desperate for an answer. Have you ever been so desperate for an answer that you feel yourself anxiously awaiting some sort of sign or word? Nothing happened.

I was excited to go see Bishop Tudor. I was going as a student to learn about more bible truths. I wasn’t not even thinking about my prayer or an answer. Not a single thought. So as God always does, He took this night to blow my mind again. Bishop Tudor came down off the platform and touched several people bringing them a word. He touched my hand and gave me the answer to my prayer. In a crowd of 1000’s God chose this moment to show me that He loves me and cares about what I care about. I closed my eyes and thanked him. I didn’t dare breathe deeply until we got to the car when I lost it and began to cry.

Who am I Lord that you are mindful of me? God never ceases to amaze me. No matter how long I follow Him, I am always amazed when he gives me an answer. I expect it, I anticipate it and then when it comes, I am completely awestruck. God you are so good to me. Better than I deserve and I love you with all of my heart!

What are you expecting? What are you praying for? Don’t give up. Your answer may be delayed but it’s coming!

Chef Boyardee

June 28, 2009June 27, 2009 tlc4women2 Comments

My husband and I both woke up with the flu last week. I think it was because the day before I’d gone on a long walk with Lulu, the wonder dog, and it was dusty and I was wheezing when I got home. That’s not how I caught the flu, just stay with me. In a meeting my husband looks up from some drafts he was studying and says, “I can hear you over here. You’re wheezing! Well, be healed, in Jesus name because I don’t have time to get sick right now.” I think selfish prayers provokes a sarcastic sense of humor. So I wasn’t surprised when the next morning I woke up with a croup, burning throat and fever of 101 and glands so swollen I couldn’t swallow. My husband woke coughing like a barking seal and saying, “What happened?” I said, “It’s the prayer. You should have just prayed healing with good motive.” He rolls his eyes. He doesn’t believe me. But I have James 4:3 or is it 6, I can’t remember on my side. Motive is the key.

All this to say that we got really sick. Since I had the half-hearted prayer over me, my fever never went over 102. His went to 104. We went to the doctor and got doses of Tamiflu and were assured it was not Swine Flu and told to go home and rest till Friday. Our doctor laughed when he said this because he knows us and because it was only Monday. My husband had a killer headache as well but then again, he wasn’t eating because he wasn’t hungry. I offered up everything I could think of.

Then he said it.

“You know what sounds good? Chef Boyardee Ravioli.” HUH? If this post could have sound effects, it’d have the rewind sound, or brakes inserted here. We never eat that. Oh, he knows, he says, that I don’t like it because I never buy it, but he LOVES it. Now, we’ve been married 7 years, do you think he’s ever bought a can or said, “Honey can you pick up a can of Ravioli at the grocery store?” Not once. Now I find out he LOVES it. And further I might add, the man hates pasta! Go figure.

Come to think about it when you’re sick you desire your own style of comfort food don’t you? I wanted Enchiladas. My little Mexican girl side comes out and I want hot food. So it makes sense. We didn’t eat the Chef’s cuisine at my house, so I have no reference. Oh yeah, he also said he missed some pan fried squirrel but since California rabbits don’t taste like Louisiana rabbits he assumes squirrels are the same, and so no go on that one. Yes, yes, yes, you’re right about that, I could do the big EWWW factor here but I hadn’t had menudo in months and had a bowl just a few weeks ago so we all have our gross things we eat. Even you if you think about it. Twinkies and Ding Dongs are some nasty food.

So we compromised and had veggie stir fry, homemade I might add, and Jamba Juice. Yes, we’ve determined to be pioneers and make our own memories of comfort food. Someday when we’re old (er), we’ll look back on this time and remember how it all began. “Remember baby, when we got that flu in 2009 and discovered that the best remedy is Jamba Juice? Who would have known?”

What about you? What do you eat when your sick? What makes you feel loved and cared for when you’re not feeling well? Spam? Chitlins?, honestly, I don’t even know what Chitlins are, or even if I spelled it correctly, it just sounds gross, or a good ‘ol bowl of chicken soup? My kids get sick and want a bowl of Ramen. How’s that for comfort food? We all have our stuff!