Sometimes the things you complain most about are the things you care most about. Unfortunately you don't always know that before it's too late

Prosper

Job 8:7
Everything is under His control.  If we can just accept that, we will always see ourselves as being blessed.  Weak and frustrated, maybe, but, blessed.  You never really arrive in any area of life.  You reach plateaus, but they always lead to new jumping off points.  The status quo never lasts.  You don't have to live very long to realize we humans are fallible, prone to worry, touched by fear and aware of our weaknesses.  We are resistant of change.  Typically, our first reaction is to resist the change.  The second is to shift in overdrive and power through the change.  We forget we have a Savior and we try to save ourselves.  That just sets us up for defeat and disappointment.  The apostle Paul had a similar experience during a time of great weakness.
2 Corinthians 12: 7-9

For God So Loved The World

John 3:16
God will not give you something that you will not give to others.  He's not going to pour into you something that you will not allow to flow through you.  When He fills us up, we have to take it outside of the church.  Lord, educate us to use what you are giving us.  We have to pray for wisdom.  We have to know what to do.  Your salvation is not in feeling.  Your deliverance is not in feeling.  Your healing is not in feeling.  It's in truth.  Study to show thyself approved.  It's a relationship first but we are carriers of the Gospel.  Use wisdom outside of the church.  The first thing we have to do to be able to help the world is to get help ourselves.  What would actually happen if we got out of church what our soul is screaming for instead of worrying about our neighbor?  About what we look like?  When we're too scared to be ourselves.  Be who you are!  The world will never "get" us because it can't relate to us.  Run to God.  Oh, how He wants to fix us!   Sad thing is - we're too hard to pour our hearts out to each other.  Quit using "church lingo".  How will the world ever listen to our message if we hide behind our mistakes?  If a man says he has no sin - he is a liar.  When Jesus preached and taught - whoever He was with, that's what He talked about.  We don't have the scares to judge.  Before you ever talk about anyone, remember, you are taking on the very nature of Satan himself.  Be very very careful before you point a finger. 

It's All Good

God uses adversity to bring tenacity to bring you flat footed into your destiny.  You can't let where you start define where you're going.  When life gets hard, instead of going under, you go over.  Instead of giving up you start going forward.  When the thing that used to bother me doesn't bother me anymore and the thing that used to throw me doesn't throw me anymore, that means I am growing.  God makes us wait.  It's resistance training to make us stronger.  Maybe it's not about what I get but what I learn while I'm waiting.  You find out that you don't have to have everybody that you thought you had to have.  When you face another test it's a sign your adversary is running out of tricks.  External pressure increases internal strength.  the only way to get the oil out of the olive is to squeeze it.  When your faith gets big enough, nobody can hold you anymore.  If I didn't go through the bad I wouldn't have the good.  Learn that it's all good!!

When You Pass Through

God is willing to use unusual circumstances in the fulfillment of His will.  Life doesn't always follow the script that makes sense to us.  Sometimes you have days of testing and trials.  But, you are not alone in the fight.  God's Word tells you that.  You have His assurance that He will bring you through!
Isaiah 43:2-3
He will bring you out and bless you!!

Lonely People

God doesn't want anyone to live a lonely life.

Luke 6:27-31
Luke 6:38

When you feel lonely, give yourself to the Lord.

Proverbs 23:26

More than anything, God wants your heart.  He wants to be your best friend.  How do you become best friends with someone?  Share your heart.

Psalm 62:8

Not only give yourself to the Lord, but give love to other people.  Have agape love.  Agape love is love not based on conditions.

Romans 5:5

Loneliness is linked to self pity.  Don't focus too much on you.

Philippians 2:3-4

When you feel lonely, understand God's law of giving.  Give and it will be given unto you.  You reap what you sow.

Proverbs 18:24

God responds to your giving by giving much more.  God gives with good measure!  You don't give to get.  You give expecting nothing in return and He will bless you for it.

Build A Bridge...And GET OVER IT!

I was reminded over the last couple of days....don't forget EVERY place the Lord has brought you out of.   It's a dangerous thing to forget His grace and mercy and delivering power.  Yes, we must be kind to all people.  And we must know that the Lord can change anyone.  I know and believe that.  But, we have to be able to discern between true sincerity and false intentions.  Sometimes I try and figure things out for myself.  Or give everyone the benifit of the doubt over and over and over and over again.  I've put myself through more than I ever should have.  And little by little, certain small things have been happening that caused me alarm.  I, like always, thought, well, I'll see what happens.  Then, I felt this sense of alarm.  "Manda, don't do this again" I heard in my head.  One of my best friends, Jonathan even looked me in the eye and said, "Don't start with that again."  (He said it in the most loving, I care about my friend and I know what she went through once and I never want to see her do that again kind of way. That kind of made him sound mean, but I promise, he's quite possibly the nicest guy I have ever known!) I'm one who has asked God on several occasions, "if this is what you want then give me a sign."  Okay Lord, the red flags are waving!!  I will not turn back!!  Because you have never turned Your back on me.  I'm trusting you.  And I know that I know I can't go back there.  And, when it comes down to it, I don't want in that situation anymore.  It was horrible.  It wasn't of God.  It was torcher.   I am so thankful to God that He has  NEVER left my side.  He will never leave me nor forsake me!!  And He will give me the wisdom I need to not place myself in these situations where I get myself hurt over and over for trusting the wrong people.  Tonight after church I was talking to my dear friend Christy.  Her daughter, Carley, who is like 5, has a huge kid crush on one of our teenagers at church.  Carley was standing there asking me to take her accross the parking lot to were Mack (the teenager) was.  Christy just looked at her and said, "I wish you would just build and bridge and get over it!!"  I laughed but what Christy didn't know is that is the very same thing my Pastor said to me during that very, very trying time in my life.  It may have sounded harsh that he said that, but it really wasn't at all.  Because I needed to hear that.  And, when Christy said that...it was as if God was saying, "Manda, I have already brought you out of that situation.  Don't turn back."  Thank you Lord!!!  I've built my bridge.  And I got over it a LONG time ago.  No turning back!!!!

I'm selfish.  I see that in myself sometimes.  I don't mean to be.  But, I am.  Lord, help my selfishness.  Rid me of self.  Fill me with YOUR Spirit. 

Life Speakers

Ezekiel 37:1

To be in the Spirit means you get in step with what God is doing.  When you get in the Spirit, you're sensitive to things.  You notice things you weren't aware of before.  You're inspired and highly motivated. 
We are not called to do everything.  We are not called to be everything.  But, when the hand of the Lord is upon you, you can do what other people cannot do.  You can stand where other people couldn't stand.  When His hand is upon you, it's for protection.  No demon can stop you!  No lack of resources can stop you!  No people who are against you can stop you!  When the hand of the Lord is upon you, you can touch the world!  In Acts 2, all they had was the hand of the Lord upon them, and they shook the world upside down!!  When the hand of the Lord is upon you, all your enemies can do is be mad about it! 
Sometimes, the hand of the Lord isn't upon you to take you to an exalted place.  Sometimes, His hand will take you to the low places.  Places full of dry bones.  Can these dry bones live?  When you have the hand of God upon you  - these bones will LIVE!

I'm

I'm awkward.

I laugh a lot.

I trust people I shouldn't.  

I'm quite at times.

I smile a lot.

I get left out.

I like to be able to be myself.

I try to look pretty but give up a lot.

I've been hurt.

I don't like my appearance at times.

I'm not perfect.  

But, I'm just gonna trust God and go where He leads me.

People....

People.  That's my biggest problem in this life.  People.  I don't know why, but it's always been that for me.  I can get so upset so quickly when it comes to people.  I can't explain it.  I've prayed and prayed about it.  It's just a part of who I am.  Some call me tenderhearted.  Some call me a push over.  Some call me immature for caring.  But, I do care.  When people hurt me, I HURT.  So many times I've been told, "you just have to brush it off and go on."  And, I try.  I really, really try.  I think that's why my cousin Deidra has always been one of my biggest inspirations.  She never lets a lot get to her.  And if she does, she never lets it show.  I so wish I could do that.  I wish I could be like that.  I can't.  I've tried.  This is just who I am.  I'm tenderhearted Mandy who just wants someone to love her.  And hug her.  I love hugs! 

Believe that there's light at the end of the tunnel. Believe that you might be that light for someone else.

In The Midst Of The Fire

Daniel 3
Summon the courage to trust Him in the midst of the fire.  Know He will always be found at your side.  Even when the flames are 7 times hotter!  He did it for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and He will do it for you!  Before long you will come out of the fire!!  You might be tempted to give up.  Don't quit!!  The biggest blessings are on the other side of the struggle. 
Hebrews 10:36
Bring all of your troubles and come lay 'em down!!

Psalm 133

Psalm 133

 ¹Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
 ²It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
 ³As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. (KJV)

” Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.” (James 5:7, NLT).

God has put dreams and desires in every person’s heart. But most times, there’s a season of waiting involved. Maybe you’re waiting for a relationship to improve; waiting to get married; waiting for a promotion; or waiting to overcome an illness. Much of life is spent waiting. But there’s a right way to wait and there’s a wrong way to wait. Too often, when things don’t happen on our timetable, we get down and discouraged or anxious and fretful. That’s because we’re not waiting the right way.

Notice that today’s verse doesn’t say if you wait, it says as you wait. The fact is we’re all going to wait. It goes on to say that we should consider how the farmer waits—patiently and eagerly. We’re not supposed to sit around discouraged; we’re supposed to be hopeful, positive and full of expectancy!

Today, no matter what you are praying for, expect things to change in your favor. Today could be the day that God turns it all around. As you wait with patience and expectancy, you’ll open the door for God to move. He’ll fight your battles, and you’ll see that abundant harvest He’s promised in every area of your life.

There are people in my life who give me comfort. When the going gets tough, as it invariably does, I can count on them for a shoulder to cry on - they will lift me up when I fall, they will hold me in their arms as I cry and tell me, "Everything’s going to be okay." I am so thankful for those people. They are priceless

Spare Time

Okay, so I don't actually have that much time to spare...but on the rare occasion I do, I enjoy taking random pictures and doing photo edits.  I thought I'd share some.  Some of these are a couple years old, so there's a pretty good chance you may have seen them on this blog already, but, I'm posting them anyway!!  :)

 This is Grace Brown.  Her mother Lisa took this picture.  I just did a little editing to it.  

 What we believe.

 The sanctuary at COGWC.  It's one of my most favorite places in the whole world!!

 A view from the pulpit.

 This is a plate that was given to me by Sis. Elva Reed.  She is a wonderful woman of God with a testimony that is just proof of how awesome our God is!!  She wrote the lyrics to this song.  It's a gift I will treasure forever.

 Jacob and Rocker....they're just so cute!!!

 Winter Jam.  Rupp Arena.  Lexington, Kentucky.  Love it when everyone worships together!!

My very good friend Jonathan Runion.  It's just one of my favorite edits to be honest with you. 

This is actually the very first edit I ever did.  So, it's not so good!!  But, I love this picture and the people in it so I wanted to share!!  It's me with Stephen, my amazing cousin Deidra, Zech and Megan at a Valentine's Day Banquet at our church a few years back.  This particular year we played The Singing Bee.  Our table dominated!!!  

 

I don't know if he'll ever realize just how much he means to me and what an impact he has made on my life.  He's my associate pastor, my cousin in law, my friend, my adviser.  He is a wonderful, anointed, and strong man of God.  This was taken the very first sermon he preached after he became ill.  He was scheduled to leave on a mission trip to India then out of nowhere he became very sick.  He lost hearing in one hear.  He still hasn't regained hearing in that ear, but he still works and functions in the anointing of the Holy Ghost.  I know that I know his COMPLETE healing is going to happen!  And, you just can't keep a good man down!  

 

I have so many edits of my nephew Jacob.  But, this one makes me laugh.  He's such a funny kid!!!  Love him so much!!

 

My Mamaw and Papaw Jones.  Oh, how I miss Papaw so much.  He was such a wonderful man.  I have so many memories of him.  I miss him every single day.  And Mamaw...I should go see her more often.  She lives in Indiana, but that's no excuse.  She's not in good health.  I should go visit.  Keep her in your prayers.

 

My nephew Tyler.  He's a pretty good little ball player!! He's 13 and over 6 feet tall...so, maybe the kid has a future in it!!

 

My cousin Kara Beth and my niece Taylora.  

 

My second home, The Church of God Worship Center

 

My pastors

 

My friend, my co-worker, and an anointed preacher of the Gospel.  If you know Bub, you love him!

 

So many young people, and pretty much everyone for that matter should hear his testimony.  He's such a powerfully anointed man of God.  So disciplined and so in tune with God.  It's pretty amazing!  I pray for just a little of the disciplined life this man has.  And I thank God for his friendship.  This was from a Good Friday service a couple of years ago.  Oh, his name is Clay.