Finding Treasure In The Word

Easter has passed.  Christ has risen from the dead.  He’s Alive! 

Why?  Why did Christ have to go through this?   John 3:16 explains.   

For God so loved [the world] that He gave His only Son [so] that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

In order to take this scripture in and let it seep into my soul, I take it and personalize the verse so as to make it real and not just something that I can recite and memorize.  It takes it deeper.  To a whole different level.

This is a picture of the scripture posted on my refrigerator at home, but instead of [the world] – I inserted my name and my husband’s.

John 3:16 is the Easter story in a nutshell.  God gave his Son.  The One who was sinless, blameless, and Lord of All.  He was crucified in such a horrendous way, it would be illegal now (Just watch The Passion of the Christ!), taking on the sins of the world.

But He rose from the dead on the third day, just as He said He would.  Defeating death.  Not just because He could.

But Christ did this for YOU.  As if you were the only person on this earth.  He would do it again if it meant that, by believing in Him and forgiveness of sins, you could have everlasting life with Him in eternity.

Let that settle in your belly for a few moments. 

He did it for YOU.

He wants to know you; to have a personal relationship with you.  God speaks to YOU in his scriptures. 

He is not speaking to people thousands of years ago.  He is pursuing you and me with every word. 

God’s Word is alive…

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  (Hebrews 4:12)

So the next time you read (and memorize) scripture, personalize it.  Put your name in the verse.  Try it!  You will be amazed at how different you will “see” what God is speaking to you…

And if you have never taken Christ as your personal Savior, please, watch this short video by singer/songwriter Mandisa here.  She has a story to tell and a prayer for you.

Christ is worthy of our worship.  Our holy Savior is worthy of everything we have on this earth, including our goals, aspirations, and dreams.  

I will leave you with my cover of “Revelation Song” - praying that together we can worship Christ, our Lord.

Be Strong In the Lord

Life changes. We either fight, adapt, or crumble.

In the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to witness others in the midst of life changing decisions, and what I have found amazes me.

Most people, placed under immediate pressure, do not crumble. They fight back. Whether it be to bravely undergo lifesaving treatment, make radical diet changes in the face of a new diagnosis, or to physically move in order to maintain and seek a sense of self.

They have a will to survive. And thrive.

And with time, we adapt to our new changes. We learn to live with them and start anew. What was once a challenge becomes habit. What was once scary becomes exciting. Maybe even comforting.

But some do not thrive under change. They don't adapt under the long-term changes that are needed for healing, for wholeness, for a new sense of self. They may even live in fear or plagued with anxiety of what might happen.

Sometimes we fail with long-term change. We don't do what we intended. We do what we meant to give up.

Fortunately, we can't out-fail God. His mercies are new every morning!  But we must turn. Turn our eyes to the One who can help!

God thoroughly equips us to fight these battles against the devil. Oh yes, I said the devil. Be assured, friend, we are at war! Not with each other, but with the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

So how do we fight these battles and WIN? Paul tells us in Ephesians 6, to put on the full armor of God and stand our ground. Standing firm.

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all of this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take up the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."  Eph 6:14-18a (emphasis mine)

Be strong in the Lord. Don't fear. Pray without ceasing. Know that you are not alone.

When we are weak, HE is strong!!

The song "The Words I Would Say" has been ringing through my head the entire time I was writing this blog. I hope that you will find Truth and strength in it as well:

A Call to be Courageous

Maybe you associate the word #Courageous with another. Heroes.  

Firemen, Police officers, Soldiers ...

People that put their lives on the line or fight for others on a regular basis. 

For freedom.        For justice.

Or maybe its the comic book hero that comes to mind, if you're a little nerdy like me. 

Capes, masks, and supernatural strength.

The song from Casting Crowns automatically comes to mind, doesn't it?!

If we turn to the bible, we will find unlikely heroes. Not the ones that were on felt boards as children in Sunday School. But men and women who were sinners, like you and me.

“Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sara was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Abraham was old,… and Lazarus was dead. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the CALLED!”

We have this misconception that the bible is full of fairy-tale, nice stories that don't resemble our lives at all. 

Ummm... Take a closer look. The bible is full of stories of some messed up people who do some pretty crazy things.

The thing is, God used each and every one of them. And not because they were super special. But because God IS.

When David was a boy and stood to face Goliath the giant, no other man had found the courage to do so. But let me tell you, David didn't do it because he thought he had supernatural strength.

He faced Goliath because he knew God had the strength to accomplish it through him.

We don't have to be perfect or have our lives all together before we face our giants, whether they be addictions to food, drugs, sex, or whether they be the idols we place before God. Money, pride, status.

Being #Courageous means letting go and letting God. He is big enough.

Taking the first step may be the biggest challenge. Reach out to the God who is mighty to save.

He is waiting!  

Maybe you did. Maybe you turned something over to God, like a weight issue or cigarettes, but then you took some of the control back. You feel like you have failed.  

Look back at those bible characters. Many failed over and over. Jonah even ran away from God to hide. You cannot out-fail God. He has everlasting mercy. Just pick it back up, but do not quit! Fight the good fight!

Continuing to face these giants in the world may mean that you stop trying to do it alone. It may just require a community of believers to help you and hold you accountable.  

Carry on and phone a friend. Be a part of the church who can help you fight the good fight.

But whatever you do, be BOLD in your determination, setting your goals, and believing that God can and will use you. 

Mostly, believe in the One who has the strength to help you accomplish it.


"We were made to be courageous.... We were made for so much more."

Hope in failure

Even when we fail. Because we will.  
We have HOPE.

Through God’s amazing grace, 

He helps us along our journey… 

Life gets in the way of the things we want to or need to do.  We fall down.  We mess up.  We start to question why we have even started down this path...

Thankfully, when we go to God's Word, we find someOne who is there to pick us up.  Lamentations 3:22-24 offers us this hope:

Because of the Lord’s great love 

  First, there was God’s love.  God is love (1 John 4: 8, 16).  And it is so BIG, so great, as high as the heavens above the earth, we can’t imagine it (Psalm 103:11).  Nothing can separate us from it (Romans 8:35-39)!

we are not consumed, 

  Since Christ laid down his life for us so we would not perish, we don't get what we deserve (John 3:16).  Our sins are as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).  Praise the Lord, we are not be swallowed up in the pit of our own despair.  We can be our own worst enemies at times, can’t we? Our own harshest critics? But God has paid the price and we do not have to call this the final fail!

for his compassions never fail. 

  God shows us never-ending mercy (Psalm 23:6, Ephesians 2:4-5).  It doesn’t matter how many times we mess up.  How many times we fall off the wagon.  How many times we do the wrong thing, AGAIN.  His compassion for us, His never ending LOVE will not leave us. Without fail.

They are new every morning; 

  It’s a fresh start.  Like a new day.  He washes us white as snow (and boy don’t a lot of us have that mental picture right now!).  Every single day.  Not just once.  Or the last time we messed up.  Every time.

great is your faithfulness.

  How can you not yell out from the top of your roof, your garage, the top of your car right now??!!  My God is faithful (Deut 7:9, 2 Thes 3:3)!  He will NEVER leave us.  Write that on the notepad of your heart.  Go ahead and underline it and highlight it.  Never.  He is faithful until the end.

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; 

  Now, this is our part.  Can you truly say that the Lord is all you need?  Your portion (Psalm 73:26).  Jehovah-Jireh.  The God who provides.  Like the Israelites who wandered the desert in Exodus 16, who cried out for the food they had in Egypt.  Is God enough? Or will you run to other things for comfort?  To food.  To cigarettes. To drugs. To alcohol.  To cutting.  Anything that brings you temporary comfort is taking God’s place.  Notice I said temporary?  Only God can fill that God- shaped hole in our hearts.  He alone is our portion.

therefore I will wait for him.”

  So how do we respond?  We wait (Isa 40:31; Psalm 130:5).  We don’t run to the frig. We don't run off to find the next "big thing." We control our impulses. We go to His Word. We pick up the bible and let Him fill us. He is our portion, and wait on Him to provide our needs. He knows what it is. Even before we speak.  Sometimes we don’t even have to use words…

Lamentations 3:25 goes on to say, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”

...Sometimes while I am waiting on the Lord, I go to my place. Not a physical place. But that mental place where I go to sit and have a conversation with Jesus.

My place is a cabin on the top of the mountain.  Two rocking chairs on the front of a porch overlooking the mountain vistas.  I sit in one.  Jesus sits in the other.  Sometimes we just rock, spending time together.  Other times, we have a conversation about my day or what is going on in my life.  Sometimes it’s just a few words.  But I listen.  And WAIT.

How will you listen to God's voice today?  What is He asking you to do (or not do)?  Seek Him right now.  He's waiting...

From Damaged To Healed: My Story

From zip lining to extreme pain. That's how I found out, during a family getaway in Boone, NC in Sept 2010. Having FUN, mind you.

I didn't sleep that night. I nearly crawled to the surgeon's office from my own at the hospital on Monday morning. He direct admitted me. Surgery was coming.

The next two and a half weeks were spent in the hospital, after major abdominal surgery, extremely ill and most of my colon and my gall bladder removed. Pancreatitis followed. Until around day 16, when they discovered I had gastroparesis (aka paralyzed stomach). They treated me, pulled the tube decompressing my stomach from my nose, and sent me home the next day. I had lost 17 pounds.

I had a long list of what not to eat (ever): anything with fiber (many fresh fruits and veggies - including salad!, beans, whole grains), anything with a high fat content (cheese, french fries, marbled meats, pizza), The list went on and on. Basically, if it's white, it's alright. See: Gastroparesis Diet

Well, for someone who has struggled with this little thing called weight for years, it wasn't alright.  I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that I couldn't eat what I was "supposed" to eat - the healthy stuff - and that I could eat very little at a time.

To say that I rebelled is an understatement. I wanted to scream!  I really tested the limits of the DO NOT list for sure. Junk food became my friend. I could eat small portions without having to plan or worry whether it was going to upset my stomach. But, OH, I paid the price! Severe pain, bloating,... And ultimately... weight gain. LOTS of it.

My metabolism had slowed to a crawl. When you lose that much weight in two weeks through starvation (I had nothing in my stomach during that time), you protein waste. I lost so much muscle mass! Then, I ended up having two more repair surgeries within the next 6 months. And I was definitely not exercising during that time of recovery to regain that lost muscle tissue.

The REAL issue is that I was having problems adapting. Giving up control. I wanted to have my cake and eat it to. Problem was, cake was on the new diet... It was permissible, but not #beneficial to my health!

I wanted to do everything right, but I was struggling. Failing.

Here's where God hit me across the head.  Wait.  There I was trying grasp hold of this new persona. This new label that the medical world had slapped on me. I felt like damaged goods. Cut up. Marred. Not whole.

Then God said (indirectly), "Wendy, no man can tell you who you are. I call you by name. You are mine. Gastroparesis doesn't define you. It doesn't hold your future. I do."

He showed me over and over Jeremiah 29:11-13:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

I cannot tell you that without tears coming to my eyes. It changed everything. I still had a future!!! I just needed to pray and continue to seek Him. God would show me the way!

Because of this, I have conquered Step 1. Giving up my heart completely and my future to The Lord. I am on a new path. A journey where only He knows the outcome. I am in DEEP, and I have given up control. And it's overwhelmingly exciting!

Now I am on to Step 2. Giving up my persona as damaged goods with eating at the center of it all. The Proverbs31 Made to Crave study has taken me to places where I have never been. With God at the center of my decisions over food and my body. It has challenged me over and over, while my Online bible study sisters have held me accountable. Oh, I still have a long way to go. But I am armed and prepared this time. AND I have the time...

God knows our every need. He knows what is #beneficial for us, even when we have no clue. He knows our future, and He has plans for you and for me. We just need to put all of our trust in Him!  

No matter what your facing today...  

God's got this.


PLEASE listen to this song, Healer by Kari Jobe. 
Claim it like I have... 

I believe You're my healer
I believe You're all I need
I believe You're my portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus, You're all I need...

(Pity) Party Central

So it’s down to the final week. 

The last couple of days of that full-time management job. 

And the attacks reigned down on my self-esteem.

What my heart heard this past week was: “Things didn’t work out the way we expected.  We are hoping to replace you with someone better.  More experienced.  Better suited.”

My mind screams, “WAIT!!  Wasn’t I the one to turn in my resignation?  Didn’t I accept God’s calling to follow my dream?  Wasn’t I good enough before?”

My feelings are hurt.  I get frustrated.  I get angry.  Actually, I down-right throw a pity party.  As a result, I revert back to old ways, doing what I have always done: allowing myself to come undone. (Really. As if that solves anything!)

First, I stop writing down what I eat.  Then, I make an excuse about that next bite not counting (I deserve it, right?), and then another excuse about not exercising.  I am STRESSED!  Plus, I have homework to do when I get home from work.  Everyone knows you need snack food while you are writing papers and doing school work (well, at least chips, popcorn, peanuts, or something salty).

What a mess!  When I rely on my own strength, I fail. Period. As I have over and over again.   

This week, however, I didn’t go into a tailspin. There was a difference.  The pity party didn’t last as long.  

Why?  

First, I had accountability.  By some godly sisters in Christ (sweet sisters of Group 19!).  For someone who does not have a best friend that I talk to regularly & spend time with, it is amazing to be a part of a community of women online who can help encourage you when you are down and speak Truth and words of life over you.

Second, I was challenged by this week’s scripture from Made to Crave:

But he [Jesus] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). 

I had to remind myself that I am not alone.  The power of the living God resides in me… that life giving, resurrection power!  And His power is made perfect in my weakness.  I don’t have to be strong!  In fact, in 2 Corinthians, Paul is even boasting about being weak!!

So when things don’t go my way, when they don’t seem fair, or when I am starting to feel attacked, I need to call it for what it is: Spiritual Warfare.  When these battles are raging inside me, I should never attempt to face them in my own strength.  It’s the DUH factor.  If Christ’s power is in me, why am I not asking Him for strength???  If Christ is for me, who can be against me?  DUH!!!  

So when I woke up this morning, the Lord gave me a song, as He so often does.  It’s Jamie Grace’s song “Hold Me”.  I hope that you will give it a listen and that it will bring a smile to your face the same way that it did to mine this morning.  Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself and go, “Ahhhh, I get it now!!”  Thank you, LORD!

Jamie Grace:  Hold Me

An Undivided Heart

The scripture jumped off the page.  And my heart literally skipped a beat.

“Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your turn; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise, O LORD my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.”  Psalm 86:11-12


The Psalms are so precious to me as a worship leader. You read the scriptures that you have sung so many times, and your very being still cries out, "Yes, Lord!"  You close your eyes and you know - God is with you!

But this scripture stopped me dead in my tracks. So much of it familiar, but that one phrase.


Teach me your way, O LORD... 

As a seeker by nature, I love to learn. I earnestly seek to know the Lord and am currently in the Proverbs31 Made to Crave online bible study with 43,000 of my closest friends. :-)  Bibles are everywhere in my home. Study bibles. Bibles I have marked all through. The Bible on CD.  "Yes, Lord!" Teach me. I'm in.

and I will walk in your turn...

Since I graduated college, I have been looking for the easy way (scratch that, I was in management). The comfortable way (no wait, maybe I was miserable).   OK I admit it. I was caught up in the "world's way" of what was expected for my life... Making a nice living, having nice things, being in control of my own destiny.  

Until New Years' Day. I knew. As sure as the sun rose that morning. I had to make a major change to follow my inmost desire to become a teacher. Whatever it took. And God made a way. Walking in His plan. Yes, Lord! I'm in!


give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name

There it is. Undivided.  Not led off in many directions. Or caught up in the new thing.  Constant.  Steady.  Unwavering.  Consistent.  With all focus on Him.  

I don't know about you, but I LOVE to start projects.  I get so excited about the prospect.  Planning, buying, planning some more.  All the details.  It's the follow through once the project gets underway that can snag me, especially in home projects. I love to tackle things I've never tried. 

Like a rolling, upholstered desk chair for my son when he was about 7 or 8.  He's 18 now, and the back of that chair just never quite made it on. I got frustrated and didn't know how to attach it, so I QUIT. I moved on to the next thing. My attention was divided.

Or the fact that I am always doing more than one thing at a time.  It frustrates my husband to death!  I can hardly have a conversation with him without continuing to pick things up off the floor, or fold the clothes, or even (gulp) continue to read...

God wants every part of us, every day. Our undivided attention. Our undivided hearts.  We can't long for something more than Him. We can't keep on doing what we were doing in the world, without making a change, and be able to see Him fully. To be able to see His will for our lives.

We are naturally distracted. So, it takes intentional effort. 

And... He is God. Period. He is telling us to turn our eyes to Him, that we may fear Him.
Psalm 111:10 says: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise."

I will praise, O LORD my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.

We were made to worship Him, and Him alone. With an undivided heart.  Forever and ever.  It is vital for me to have quiet time with the Lord in prayer and study every day so that my outward expression can be thanksgiving and praise. This comes out in the form of worship through music. 

But I still get distracted by the world. It teases and beckons, and just downright gets in the way.  When I don't take time with the Lord, I am more likely to stumble and keep my eyes off Him.  


Won't you join with me in making a commitment to seek God above all things?  To have that undivided heart to know Him more. So that we can press on to continue to grow and change, so others would see our outward praise of the Father. 

Maybe they will decide, "Yes, Lord!" 

Delighting in Obedience

Only 7 days left.  Fear.  Excitement.  Courage. Obedience.

 I have become eager to make my calling a reality.  Leaving the comfort of a full-time job, with nice pay and benefits, to enter the unknown.  An unchartered path of relying totally on God for my needs.  For my family’s needs.

The more I move towards spending time in study for my terminal degree in nursing, the more I become more excited to gain time.  Time I have not had for so many years.  Time I have lost chasing after the wrong things in life.  Until I had the courage to make a change.  To live in obedience to God's will.

Time.  Time to read, and read, and READ.  The piles of books I have lying about the house – on my night stand, in the corner of my bedroom, on the bookshelf, on the table beside the couch, on the floor next to the couch – these books are calling my name.  So many of them, begging for me to continue to seek God.  

So I will.  Read/study/investigate/digest God’s Word.  Let it seep through my bones and into my soul.

Time. Time to be still.  To listen.  To pray.  To hear God’s voice.  To enjoy the quiet.

Time. Time to worship my Lord.  My absolute favorite thing to do. Time to sit with my guitar and just sing to Him alone.  

Psalm 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Oh yes, and there will be more time to plan.  To eat healthier meals.  To exercise regularly.  But I will do so because I am empowered and FULL from being Obedient to God. 

FREEING!  That is the best word I can use to describe this process.

I watched the finale of Season 15 of the Biggest Loser last night, and my favorite quote of the night was from David, who said “The hardest step was the first one.” 

My friend, whatever you are struggling with right now, you can overcome it.  You have the courage within you through the power of the Holy Spirit to make a CHANGE.  To be OBEDIENT to God’s calling on your life.  You are created for MORE! 

Will you step out in faith today?  Will you put all of your trust in Jesus, claiming victory?!!  David stepped out as a boy and took down a giant.  You, too, CAN make the changes you need to.  To become the YOU God created you to be...

Let me leave you with a song to be empowered.  To listen only to The Voice of Truth.

The Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns

Finish the Race

In 2009, I ran my first (and only) 1/2 marathon.  It was the Shamrock 1/2  Marathon in Virginia Beach, and it felt amazing!  My family had positioned themselves all along the course, riding their bikes beside me, even running beside me as I neared the finish line, just to let me know that I COULD FINISH!  

Up unto that point, I had never ran 13.2 miles.  The farthest I had run was 11 miles - once.  I had been training for a few months, through the cold winter months and even through the snow.  I had a goal in mind.  Finish the race!

I can’t lie and say it was easy. It was SO HARD!  But the thing that kept me going was that I had made a commitment to do it.  Point blank.  My family had made plans to support me.  I would feel bad to let them down…

This just shows how much we need others to help us along our journey. We need accountability for our actions.  We need our Christian sisters and brothers to be there for us when we fall and to be there to help us finish the race!

Hebrews 12:1-2a says it this way:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

Did you read that?  We just need to fix our eyes on JESUS! He’s not only at the finish line, but He’s running the race ride beside us - never leaving us, even when we fall.  But we need our support team, the great cloud of witnesses, our Christian brothers and sisters, to surround us and cheer us on!! Keep on going…

But wait! It’s a hard road.  We get tired.  Why put ourselves through all this hardship and suffering?  What’s at the end - the finish line?  1 Corinthians 9: 24-25 says:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

Oh, YES!!!!  Glory to God!  We run to get the prize, a crown that lasts  forever. Not just a nice shiny medal around our necks, but an everlasting prize.  But we must “run in such a way” that we can get it.  We need discipline. We must go into “strict training.”  

Yes, you can exercise regularly and eat all the right foods, but this kind of training is not what Paul was referring to.  This discipline can only be found through a daily feast on the Word and time in prayer.  We have to go deep.  We have to want it way down in our souls.  In doing so, we have the self-control to wait and see what the Lord would have us do (or not do). Yes, put that cookie down!

It’s been a long time since that race in 2009.  I’ve had some health battles and now I am back on the journey to wellness.  My physical training is starting over from the beginning, but my spiritual training is well under way.  I pray that at the end of my journey, I want to be able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7.