How to Nourish One's Faith!

It's marvelously magnificent miraculous Monday and it is the last one we'll have this year! What a crazy year this one has been for me. From finally getting it through my head that God forgave me for all my sins way before I was even born and had had the chance to sin, to the truth that He has forgiven every transgression I will commit until the day I die. That in itself was major!

The big deal for me this year would have to have been the testing of my faith. As I begin to put various posts together for my first e-book, I have of course been going back and reading much of what I have shared this year. I am amazed at what all I have witnessed even though it was through Faith that God always has me that carried me through it. Regardless, when you look in the rear view mirror, your faith can sometimes be increased. This is definitely the case for me.

One of the most amazing things I witnessed this last year would have to be the change in my brother. God led me to help him last year. I even blogged about it for I had no idea how I could help him. As it turned out God needed me to pray for him.

You see, back in 1998, my brother went into a stress center and came out diagnosed as bipolar II. I never thought that was the correct diagnosis for my brother but I had no say when it came to him. For 15 long years my brother was not my brother. The medicine they placed him on turned him into a drone. Every now and then, he'd stop taking all that medication and sadly he would always land himself in some type of trouble and find himself placed on even worse medication. The kind of medication that I believe throws a person in a deep dark well that they cannot communicate from. Therefore, when they do come out, they have years of thoughts all trying to come out at once. I knew in my heart that was the case for my brother but finding someone in the medical field willing to take the time to listen and actually figure things out is next to impossible. That is, until you reach out to God for help. I had enough faith that I did as I was led to do by the spirit and I prayed for my brother as well as anyone else that might be fighting the same type of demon. This took place right before Christmas for the details of all of this are in a post where I was trying to view Christmas in a different way. I think I called it Mas Christ in an attempt to add more of the teaching of Jesus into not only that one day but all year long.

Shortly after I prayed for my brother, he was incarcerated for the first time in his life. Personally I hated it, but I knew God is always faithful and I knew he uses anything bad for something good so, I continued to pray for him to receive true help in the medical field. He was released from jail late January of this year and our sister had him move in with her for she lived in one of two counties where they have a medical establishment set up that is designed to truly help a person, not just over medicate them. The only thing we needed was for my brother to comply on his own to go see them. That did not happen so, I continued to pray for him. Within the first month of living with my sister, my brother had a panic attack and called 911. Very quickly the staff knew he needed the help of this facility and they took him there. As it turns out, my brother is not bipolar and he truly was being medicated incorrectly. Today my brother is himself again. He has his own place, he smiles and laughs and is capable of living a normal life. No longer held in the bondage of over medication with no hope out of the dark well he'd been cast into. This was a gigantic reminder for me that God is always faithful and He truly loves all of us.

This morning I awoke refreshed and excited for this next big step I am taking. When I arrived at work and opened my email, this is the encouraging word I found courtesy of K-Love:

Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. ~ 1 Corinthians 16:11, NLT

If I was to give anyone advice, I think this would be it in a nutshell. I know many people get in a jam, they throw up a half heartfelt prayer, but it has no faith within it. They base their belief in God's power on the results they allow themselves to see and sadly many buy into some lie about God not being for them or not being powerful enough or even worse that He is not good or faithful. My heart breaks for them.

Faith is something that truly grows over time. It can begin with a burst, but it is something you need to nourish. How do you nourish Faith? By feeding it with the Word of God, continually seeking and praying, and opening your eyes a little wider so you can see the silver lining around things. 

Satan will do anything and everything to destroy your faith. I know this for I allowed the father of lies to keep me busy and off track for decades. Read my story and you will quickly see how even those full of faith can be tricked through the evil one's connivery.

Over the weekend, I began a new journey. All year I have been saying I want to write a book, I need to write a book. Now I can actually say, "I have begun the process of having my book edited and prepared for publishing!" I am not going to get it done before the end of this year, but I will have more than one published by this time next year!

How did it all begin? I stepped out in Faith 

Be blessed and be a blessing 

Wendy, walks with God,
Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

Perfect Timing!

It's Totally Terrific Testimonial Tell-All Tuesday! We all have a story. Many of us have a bunch of stories! I am blessed to be one of those people!

This morning was the first morning my school crew boarded the bus from our new place. Without knowing exactly when the bus would arrive, the morning was a little hectic. Once everyone was on the bus, I went inside to tell Mike and Jeffrey goodbye only to have little Jeffrey insist on coming to work with me so that he could do his ABC mouse school. He is so stinking cute and really VERY well mannered for a three year old so I caved.

Getting him dressed for the outside element was of course going to make me run a little late . . . or so I thought. Lately I have been hearing a lot about God's timing and how it's not always in line with our timing but we need to chill out because His timing is always perfect.

So, here I was finally behind the wheel and on my way. I literally only have a three minute drive to work now so that is pretty awesome. If you've been reading my blog this year, you know it was God that led me to move where I did. I still feel like pinching myself for I truly love where he placed me. Anyway, I realized something was wrong with my car almost as soon as we hit the road. At first I thought maybe I had a flat tire or was it my exhaust? You have no idea how my brain works . . . probably a good thing!

Anyway, I was thinking, 'Did I plug up the exhaust pipe with something by backing up my car into the plowed snow bank?' No. Something much simpler than that was wrong. As I stopped for the one red light I cross each day, I suddenly realized the funny feeling that I was feeling was me running out of gas! My gauge showed half a tank and it suddenly dawned on me that I had threatened to start keeping track of the mileage but had not stuck to that plan!

I thought prayed 'change light change' and it did. I pressed the gas, surged forward and then puttered to a stop right in the middle of the intersection! "NO!" I silently screamed. I put the car in park, said a silent prayer, "please God get me out of the middle of the road!" I cranked the car. It started! I pressed the accelerator and sped across the intersection at a whopping 8 miles an hour! A turtle would have beat me! Still, I managed to get across the road as kind citizens honked at me. I coasted to a complete stop 15 feet beyond the intersection and realized a truck was right behind me. I thought, "Do they know I just need up the road? It looks as if they are wanting to push me with their truck . . . or maybe that's just wishful thinking!"

Sure enough, a lady jumped out of the passenger side and it turned out to be my son's fiancee's mom and her dad! She asked if I wanted them to push me the rest of the way with their truck! I said, "Yes! Please!!"

The best part of being pushed into the driveway was Jeffrey. Boys!! He thought it was the coolest thing ever to be pushed down the road by another vehicle. Once safely in the drive, I jumped out, ran over to Sherry and thanked and hugged her.

Once I got into the office I was giggling to myself. In a flash I clearly saw that had I dashed out the door on time according to my own plans, I would have been early and would have ended up walking a block to work in the frigid cold with little Jeffrey at my side or more likely than not in my arms!

You just have to love God and how He always has you!

I hope this little testimony of mine has helped you with your own timing in life. I often say the best 'Chill Pill" is a silent prayer and then giving whatever it is that has you wound up to God. I pray you are able to rest in Him daily!

Those of you who have followed my blog this past year know that I became a mother at the age of 17. You also know I have been a work a holic, control freak much of my life. When I was in my early twenties I was always in a hurry. This was truly my theme song the year it came out. I hope it causes you to chuckle and slow down a little so that you can better enjoy this thing we call life <3. Be blessed and be a blessing <3

The song is called: 'I'm in a hurry to get things done' by Alabama

Father, today I come to you with joy in my heart. I love knowing that you have all my needs met before I even know I'm going to need something! You never cease to amaze me. I feel like a simple child when it comes to the ways of the wise. Please teach me to be more trusting, more loving, more wonderful, more wise! I pray that you help my fellow brother's and sister's in Christ with all of that as well! Again, thank you thank you thank you for always having my back! I love your ways! In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy Glidden, walks with God
Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden, 2013

Today Has Enough Trouble of It's Own!

Last Tuesday night, December 10, 2013, was the final night we HAD to spend in the RV this winter! What a crazy week this last one has been. We had counted down the last thirty days until we were going to move in to our new apartment which Jeffrey calls 'The Castle'. He cracks me up. I have explained to him that we will only be living in a tiny section of the castle. His excitement has not been phased.

Monday morning, December 9, 2013, I had called over to verify my time for my walk through and to make sure they'd gotten confirmation of my renters insurance and the fact that the utilities were in my name. All was going smoothly and we set my appointment at 11:30.

At three that afternoon, I received a phone call letting me know there was a slight problem with my new apartment. Sometime between Sunday night and Monday afternoon, a water pipe had burst and there was so much water on the floor that they were going to have to replace the carpet and padding in the bedrooms and the flooring in the 2nd bathroom where the leak had happened.

They told me it would be completed by Friday. I admit I was a bit sad. I had seen the weather forecast for the week and it was not pretty. We have been below freezing for over a week now and it was only going to get colder over the next couple of days.

Towards the end of the day, I saw a post asking for help with a chain saw crew being called to give a helping hand in Texas where they had been hit by a massive ice storm. I knew Mike would be great help so I quickly got in touch with him and asked if he'd be interested. Seeing how we weren't going to be moving now until Friday, the biggest need for Mike to be home was taken care of. Our money is really tight this month and we both agreed that him helping out would be a beautiful way to tithe. I gave him Rusty's number and Mike was the final man they needed to be able to go.

They were heading out Very early in the morning so we set our alarm for 4:20 AM and the next day we headed out before the sun came up to get Mike to one of the meetup locations on time. Once he was dropped off I made my way to work.

At eleven that afternoon, the apartment complex called me with great news. They were ahead of schedule and as it turned out if I wanted to, I could begin moving in anytime after 4:00 pm on Wednesday! The irony did not escape me! I was super thrilled that we would be in the new place right before the coldest night of this winter arrived.

With Mike being gone, I knew I could only do so much as far as moving everything was concerned so Tuesday night I packed up the majority of food, all our dirty clothes, all of our clean linens as well as the entire bathroom including all of our clean towels! All I could think was, 'I get to do laundry IN my home and everyone can take a shower!'. It truly is the little things in life that make me the happiest.

Wednesday came and after work I headed over to the apartment complex to sign my new lease. I thought I had help lined up to move the three beds I had been given along with a few odds and ends. As it turned out, my moving help was a no show and we ended up sleeping on the floor the first night! Thank goodness I had thought to grab the one cot with the 1" foam mattress and a really thick sleeping bag.

The funniest part of our first night was when I had two children in the two tubs only to realize I had nothing clean to put them in when they got out. I quickly went through all the dirty clothes and picked out things for everyone to change into and got my first load of laundry going.

Bonus things I did not know came with my apartment. A microwave above the stove, a dishwasher and an ice maker! Life is good!!

Thursday night, my help arrived and I got the few things I had been given moved into the apartment and placed in their spots. Jean, one of my many sisters in Christ, kept the children for me while another sister in Christ, Ana, helped me get the items I had been gifted into place.

When we arrived back to Jean's we discovered she had made dinner for all of us. We ate, joked that we should take a picture to post to Facebook with the a note about how all that was missing was our Pastor and his wife for our old Thursday night Bible study. Weirdly we have not gotten together since the night Ana and I were baptized. We were left hanging in the midst of Acts.

Friday night in the midst of the approaching winter storm, the chain saw crew made it safely back. I picked up Mike and we headed home. We caught each other up on all that had transpired.

The gist of this post originally began to show that the best laid plans are often disrupted. I was being led to blog on the verse regarding the fact that each day has enough trouble of it's own. Allow me to share that here, from Matthew, Chapter 6, verse 34:

So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of it's own.

The entire chapter has wonderful wisdom. I love reminding myself of this final thought for I have found it to be so very true. There is no sense in getting all wrapped up in tomorrow.

As my mind often does, while I was typing the above sentence, I recalled something I heard on Moody radio the other day. It was on a Friday around 5 PM and they were playing a series of voice mails that people had left. One of them stuck out more than the rest to me and it was about 'I Am.' In a gist the guy was talking about how you shouldn't focus on the past for God has said His name is I Am and while He is in the past and the future, it was never the past and the future when we found Him on any given day, for His name is always in the present and that was where we should be ourselves. That's not exactly how it was phrased. In all honesty, it was stated in a much more impactful way. Regardless, this has seemed to be the lesson I was being taught this past week. Stay in the here and now for this is the moment we are living.

I pray that this rambling blog has lifted your spirits, given you something to smile about or perhaps even caused you to seek a little more from the word of God Himself.

Father, I come before you today singing your praises and giving thanks for what a wonderful Father you truly are. You never cease to amaze me with your ways. I love living this life of mine under your terms. No longer do I feel the need to control everything for the illusion of me being in control of anything has long gone! Thank you for that!! I love where you have placed me. Close to work and home and surrounded by many brothers and sisters in Christ. How blessed I truly am. Thank you for loving us and always being faithful. My life is so colorful and bright and I truly look forward to each day. I pray that I continue to grow spiritually. I pray you lead me in the direction I am designed to go in. I pray I am able to see and hear all you have for me to see and hear each day. I pray that my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ grow closer to you as well. May this season that we celebrate the birth of Christ in be full of your love. May more and more and more of us come to see the Glory of God. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, walks with God,
Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

Don't Let 'It' Get the Best of You!

"Don't let 'it' get the best of you."
"Don't let 'them' get the best of you."

It seems these last few weeks that is what I keep hearing in my head. Whenever something has gone wrong or someone has been a bit nasty, I have been reminded to not let it get the best of me. For instance, Mike and I have been under a lot of pressure since his return and I honestly cannot tell you exactly what happened the other day other than I recognized a ridiculous attack for what it was. I walked away from the situation after politely excusing myself. I went to the car, got in and pulled my phone out to see what the encouraging word of the day was. I knew I just needed to strengthen my armor.

On the way to work that morning, I refused to be pulled into any argument. It truly is amazing what happens when you keep your focus on the Lord, read His Word daily, and put on your full suit of armor!

We all are in a spiritual battle. If you don't see it now, I pray you open your eyes to the truth of what is happening in this world!

Anyway, half way to work, Mike, who I knew was being used to disrupt my day in a feeble attempt to put out my light, apologized to me for trying to throw me out of balance. His exact words were, "I'm sorry for trying to throw you out of balance this morning. It seems I pulled my own neck while having my moment."

I smiled and told him no worries. I admitted that I had seen what was going on for what it was, so I was good. I then shared with him the wisdom that God had shared with me in reading Proverbs 26, verse 20:

For lack of wood the fire goes out.

Many times at home, when I am talking to one child, another will chime in with a much un-needed comment. I have implemented this phrase at home for those times: "Don't throw gas on my fire!"

Marissa asked me what that meant. In turn, I asked her, "You know how you can have a little fire going but if you add starter fuel to it, it gets crazy big?" She shook her head yes.

I then informed her that an angry person was like a fire and it was best not to feed that fire. Now, when a situation is on the brink of a melt down, all I have to do is quickly say, "Don't throw gas on my fire!" and the entire clan gets quiet.

I wish the only attack I have had disrupt my day was that single instance. However, I have been under a continual attack for almost three weeks now. I think all designed to steal any spare time for sure, but to also perhaps blow out my light.

Often you hear that a follower of Christ has a target on their back. I joke the brighter I get, the more I write, the more I am under assault. I consider it a compliment from the other side. The father of lies must see me as a formidable foe to come at me so often and so crazily.

I believe it is a combination of my confidence in the Father and the fact that I warn others about him that draws his ire. I see how he has worked against me and plotted against me for decades. Such a clever liar he is. I find it shockingly scary at times what thoughts he attempts to plant in my mind. I know he does this to every human being. He even tempted and toyed with Jesus. Don't fool yourself into thinking he doesn't do the same thing in your life! That belief is dangerous to your peace of mind!

So, as many of you know, Mike was facing some jail time in Florida last month. I had prayed for him, written a letter to his lawyer, left a message for the head of probation and talked to the State Attorney against her will, but in the end, I had truly given it all to God. Shockingly, Mike ended up only having to serve 4 days ~ 3 nights out of an original requested 60 days! Having found himself convicted by God during our separation and certain himself that he was a changed man, he arrived here in Indiana to ask for my hand in marriage.

I knew accepting him and allowing him the chance to be who he said he would be would land me in hot water where my father was concerned, but I could not help myself. I am happy that I opened the door and my heart up to him. Of course the father of lies does not care for us to be happy. He likes to throw God's children into turmoil and he certainly set out after Mike and I from the jump.

Mike arrived Saturday evening. The children were most elated. I myself was deeply moved. That next morning Mike went to church with us. He left his vehicle next to the RV. When we got in the car to drive back to the RV, I noticed I had missed a couple of calls from my father as well as a text that simply showed his number. I returned the call not sure if it was in regards to Mike or something he needed to let me know regarding work. As it turned out, it was about Mike. Since he was back and I was going to allow him the opportunity to be a man of courage, my father insisted I get everything off his property.

We moved that afternoon as the big storms that produced destructive tornadoes on November 17th moved in. When we were safely settled Mike looked at me and said, "So this is some of the adversity we will face for loving one another." I laughed knowing he was right. I smiled and said, "You know if it was easy, it would make for a boring story. Let's just keep our focus on the truth. We love each other. We both grew through the separation. We are stronger for it all."

Life with Mike back in the picture has been both easier and harder in the same fell swoop. When it comes to taking care of the home and the cars and the children, hands down EASIER! When it comes to problems and turmoil thrown in my path, it has been much more difficult.

Satan has gone as far as to try to whisper to me that Mike is bad luck for me. Thank God I recognize the difference between my inner voice and the father of lies voice today. Regardless, it is spine tingling when he attempts to bend your ear and plant such thoughts. You instantly realize that this attack, this belief, these words are going to repeat and sooner or later, most likely come out of the mouth of someone who's opinion you value. Simply recognizing and dismissing the initial lie once does not stop the evil one in his tracks. Life would be a lot easier were that the case!

In the last three weeks when it has come to vehicles, if I've been in it, it's overheated, broken down completely, gotten a flat or run out of gas!

It all began happening right after Mike's return. So did the whispering words 'You were better off before he came back.' I had to stop that loop more than once. As I have said again and again and again, the father of lies will talk to you so softly it causes you to bend in to hear better.

Through every mishap I have chosen to find the blessing in every situation. I looked for the silver lining and have found it each time.

It all started with a flat tire the Monday after we had moved. Mike quickly jacked us up, took the tire into town, plugged it and filled it with air and delivered it back and put it on and we were on our way. Best part of that day: He greeted me with a smile upon his return, planted a kiss on my lips and presented me with a cup of coffee he hidden behind his back!

When I ran out of gas with the children in the car, where we landed was off the road in a place I didn't have to worry about being in the way and within one block of a gas station. We were even blessed to be picked up and driven to the gas station and back in less than 10 steps from the car! Satan may be out to ruin my day but God always has me!

When we ran out of gas a second time, Mike was driving. Mike went walking by himself to get gas. We were MILES away from the closest station and it was below freezing. I said a quick prayer, asked the children to pray with me and before I could finish reading a child's book, a car with Mike riding as passenger pulled up next to us. He had been picked up, taken to the gas station and driven back! More proof that God had us even when we didn't have ourselves!

When my tire blew in the jeep, I was around the corner from the mechanic we use at Glidden Fence and was able to park the car there overnight without worry and even got a ride to the library to meet up with Mike and the children! We managed to find and purchase another tire for a mere $35.00!

When the car overheated, I still managed to get to the children to school one minute before the they would have been counted tardy. As it turned out, it was a problem Mike was able to fix for under $20.00!

When the car broke down on me again with all the children in the car, I landed in the only place for two miles in either direction that had an enough of an emergency lane for me to get completely off the road. Had I fallen just 20 feet short or puttered another 20 feet forward that would not have been the case! I was even blessed enough to have the local sheriff call me at work looking for Mike to see what his plans were for the car. They promised not to tow it as long as we got it off the road before nightfall. Mike did not get the problem fixed that first day, however, we were allowed by a kind person to move our car onto their property.

The next day, Mike and I prayed for help with the car. Amazingly it only cost us $160 rental deposit that was fully refunded for a tool that he rented to assist in tracking down the problem. As it turned out with running out of gas in that car not once, but sadly twice, we had built up air in the line. Once bled out, the car fired up and has been running beautifully. The entire time I chose to remain certain that God had me. For He is faithful.

Now, here comes the toughest part of this certain story. In between day one and day two of the last vehicle breakdown incident, my father came into the office and inquired about my car. When I told him what had happened, he went on a brutal attack. He said out loud the words Satan had been trying to get me to listen to. "Since Mike has returned you have had nothing but bad luck. Almost as if you've been cursed."

The attack went from Mike to my children to this blog and it didn't stop there. I don't know how I managed to stay as calm through all of it as I did, but it is my belief that being able to keep my focus on the truth was my saving grace. I was blessed that this assault took place with only 15 minutes left of my work day. I had no transportation that night as Mike had not gotten back yet and I had all the children. My father had not only yelled at me, little Jeffrey had heard him yelling and had gone in to give him a hug. I think how he was treated by my father was the hardest part of the entire assault.

The blessing in all that would be that the children and I left promptly at five pm walking down the road on our way to the library to meet up with Mike. As I approached the light a block from my office, a woman driving a van on her way to mass got my attention and offered to give us a ride. Turns out she is a follower of Christ, has five grandchildren that she drives back and forth to school three times a week so, not only did she have enough room for all of us, she even had the right car seat for Jeffrey and Delilah! Knowing once again that my heavenly father had provided all my needs was a gigantic comfort. She and I agreed that my father needed some prayers.

My father is not a follower of Christ, he doesn't wear any armor for a spiritual battle and he was being used against me. Please, don't think for a moment I was not hurt or that I did not cry, for I wept silently like a baby for almost 24 hours.

That following morning, Mike had dropped us all off at the office. I had accidentally kept the keys to the limo after I unlocked the front door, so I called him to let him know before he drove too far. When he returned I was having a moment of human weakness and it was obvious to Mike that I had been crying.

He asked me, "Why are you crying?" I said, "When it comes right down to it, I'm just a girl. Sometimes we cry." He gave me a hug, told me everything would be okay and he headed off to work on the limo. As my father had accused the day before, Mike indeed turned out to be the hero when it came to figuring out the problem.

I love how well my heavenly Father had been preparing me for this latest attack. For the last three weeks, He has been reminding me to not let whatever outside circumstance was going on in this world to get the best of me. The best of me is Christ in me. He is the source of my inner light. Satan must truly love the dark for he was out with a vengeance when it came to trying to put out my light.

As long as I keep my focus on Christ and His love as well as God's word, I am wearing the protection I need for such assaults. With the proper attire, Satan can't blow out my light.

I'll openly admit, the father of lies fooled me once. He tricked me into believing God had it out for me. What a liar he truly is. He should be ashamed of himself. Instead he tries to fill us with shame and guilt so we live in fear. I will not allow that to happen again. I now know and understand my purpose. It is to serve my Lord however He sees fit. He is the provider of all my needs and the source of my strength. After all, I'm just a girl!

Father today I pray that all your children are able to keep their focus on the truth. I pray they don't let outside circumstances steal their light. I pray that they don't let it get the best of them. I also pray for more strength for myself. In three weeks I was kept from being able to write. I pray for protection for myself as well as anyone under a spiritual attack from the dark side. I want to thank you for how you provide me with all that I need, including rides from here to there or the perfect place to park my broken down cars! You never cease to amaze me with all your blessings. I know full well that you loving me does not mean I won't experience trouble or pain. I thank you for how you comfort me through it all. Thank you for your faithfulness and your never ending love. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, walks with God
Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

Do You Want To Be A Champion?

Totally Tripping Tremendously Thankful Thoroughly Thoughtful Thunderous Thursday! Can I hear a boom boom! Oh I am so in love with Christ. I am so in awe of what He has done for me. What a friend! What a Savior! What a King! What a Lord! I mean when you consider that He didn't just die for us, He allowed himself to be hung on a cross for our sins when He was sinless. Before his sacrifice, we all faced a Certain death. A Finality. Sure, there are various ways we all die. Some of them seem so wrong and cruel and vicious and unjust and truly many times they are just that. What we need to remember is that this death is no longer our Finality. Thanks to Christ, when we believe we are saved and while we die here on earth that is not our final hour. What an amazing blessing to be bestowed with such Grace.

For me it gets even better than that. You see before Christ died, He Taught. He taught us a better way to maneuver through this life. A way that would allow us to live abundantly! Abundantly!!

We are not capable of living out the Law. No human can live all their days here on earth without stumbling when it comes to the Ten Commandments. Jesus took that law handed down and expanded it's meaning to show us that without Grace we would never make it. Today I am so thankful for Grace, especially when I read today's encouraging word from K-Love:

Don't sin by letting anger control you. 

Think about it overnight and remain silent. ~ Psalm 4:4-5, NLT

Not sure about you but I have moments of anger rise. It is only by my desire to walk in the Spirit that I am able to follow in Jesus teachings. This is not to say I never get angry! Sadly I still have my moments. However the Voice of Righteousness convicts me of my emotions and reminds me who I am in Christ. 

That transformation did not happen overnight. It has come about over time by the renewing of my mind. I am happy I read today's encouraging word before coming to work this morning. No sooner than I sat at my desk, I had a phone call from an angry person that wasn't even our customer. I felt truly sorry for the person on the other end for anger was in control of them. You could literally feel it coming across the phone. I tried to get them to see that while they were angry and threatening me that all I was capable of doing was listening to their rant but in the end the result would remain the same. 

Sadly this only made them angrier and they began calling me things. I recognized that this was their feeble attempt to get me upset. I was wearing my armor and their words dissipated into the harmless vapor they were all along. 

Anger is one of the evil ones best weapons. He gets in your head and can spark that rage to ridiculous heights. Just think of Cain and Able. He has been playing this game since the beginning. Anger and Jealousy are two of the top weapons the evil one uses to get one person to hurt, harm and even murder another. 

Realizing that anger in itself is a sin. Knowing that sin separates you from God, can you imagine a life without grace? It would be short lived! We would all be toast for real in the end no matter how we made our exit. Today that is not the case and that my friends is the good news. These are the words you should repeat to yourself every morning and night and reflect on just what they mean for you. 

Jesus. Grace. Saved. Redeemed. Saints. Rest. Fruit of The Spirit. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self Control. Walk in The Spirit. Convicted of Your Righteousness. 

Now many false teachers believe if they tell the world all about Jesus and help others actually see the truth, then those that listen and get it will go crazy thinking they have no cause to be or do good. 

The truth is, when you realize the truth, the Holy Spirit convicts you of your righteousness and you will Want to walk in the Spirit. You will understand and truly feel the difference. Walking outside of the spirit will not feel good. 

It is true some accept Jesus and walk in a moment of darkness. After all the evil one is not going to let you go simply because you accept Christ. Oh no. No. NO. He is going to come after you with a vengeance. You see, the father of lies cannot allow you to accept Christ and proceed to easily walk the rest of your life on cloud nine knowing the truth and sharing it with others. Nope. He is going to throw everything at you. This is why it is so important to renew your mind daily with the word. It is why our Lord went to such lengths to leave us with such great writings of advice and council. You are blessed and protected in the reading of the Word. It truly is armor. 

Should you wonder how I can be so sure of such protection you should go back and read just one of my blogs from this summer. I will highlight it at the bottom. It is a timeline of when and how the evil one came at me with two barrels fully loaded. I felt the blows. Trust me I did. The more he came at me, the more I turned to the Lord and dove into His word. 

The armor we are advised to wear makes a GIGANTIC difference in how well we dance through the battle being waged upon us. Every day you wake up, you should dress for battle. We truly are in a spiritual war. The evil one is quite the adversary. He has had thousands of years to watch us. You think he hasn't come across the likes of you before?

There is one person who walked this earth in a human form that lived out the law and when He was crucified and His blood was poured out, everything changed. The most important thing you can do in your life is learn about and understand just who Jesus was. The next most important thing you can do with your life is spend it sharing what you have learned with anyone and everyone. 

I love that this verse comes before the teachings of Jesus and I love Psalms. We are taking a deep dive into four Psalms at my home church on Sundays. King David, the same David that defeated Goliath, was truly a man after God's heart. I am indeed a woman after God's heart. So it makes perfect sense that King David's words make my heart leap with joy. I feel my blood race through my veins when I read various Psalms written by King David. Honestly, I get the same feeling when I read some of the things written by Paul as well. They remind me of champions for the Lord. I want to be a champion for my Lord. I want others to understand and feel the Love the Lord holds for them. I want them to experience it for themselves. There is no greater feeling in the world then knowing your Heavenly Father is smiling upon you. 

Father I come before you today with songs of praise. What a loving Father you are. What a foolish child I was. I am so thankful for your Grace and your Faithfulness. What a blessing they are. I truly love how much you care for me. Your ways are amazing and I am often left in awe for the the many blessings you bestow upon me. I am unsure what I ever did to earn such favor but I am sure thankful for it! All I long for the rest of my days is to be a champion for you. A mighty warrior. Use me Lord to reach out to others. Please use my fingers to say what it is you want to say. I love all the words you have left for me to read through others. They make me sing and dance and laugh and leap with joy for I know they are all true. You love your children. You desire for us to live abundant lives. I pray that others feel your love to such depths as I Father. May their hearts sing praises to you. May we glorify you in all we do. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

* As promised, here is the link for the timeline blog: http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2013/09/god-is-always-good.html

On a final note, I just watched the new Mercy Me video for their new song called 'Shake' put on your dancing shoes and get ready to bust a move if you have a device that will allow you to listen / watch! Be blessed and be a blessing!

Wendy, walks with God

Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 

Blessed in So Many Ways!

Marvelously Magnificent Miraculous Monday! This past weekend I was moved to tears by the kindness of two strangers who gifted my family and I and disappeared into thin air. I was not able to thank them directly and knew in my heart God had moved them to bless me in a way that gave all the glory to Him. So very thankful for the hands and feet of Jesus. 

Today's encouraging word reminds me that Jesus is not only my Lord and Savior, He is also my friend:

There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. ~ John 15:13, NLT

So this weekend was truly something indeed. I left work Friday, jumped on the interstate with five of my children and my five gift bags to attend my 'Ladies of Hagar Saved With Amazing Grace' annual fundraiser for 'The least of these'. 

We had a fantastic night and I was blessed to be able to share my wallet story with another girl who markets for Scentsy. I met her on Facebook and fell in love with her attitude before I ever met her in person. 

If you are into candles but fearful of house fires, you should really check out her website. Beautiful warmers and non toxic wax! I learned that the wax begins cooling instantly, so no fear of your little ones getting hurt should they become curious and tip the warmer over! Here is her website http://www.pefleybelieves.scentsy.us should you like to take a look for yourself. These make great gifts for your friends and family as well as for yourself! 

I could not resist this warmer with a single tree on it that lights up. I love trees. There is just something so magnificent about them. As soon as I saw this warmer I knew it was the one for me! Years ago when Mike and I first moved back to Indiana, he went to work on a tree farm. I was blessed to be able to work with him for a summer and help him plant trees. When you walk into a barren yard and plant 10 tall trees you truly appreciate how they beautify the scene. Mike had an art of dropping a clump birch tree into the freshly dug hole. I would stand back and watch in awe as he would spin this monster tree, they were never smaller than 15' tall, and place it in the ground making it look as if it was always there. It is still one of my favorite trees.

Funny enough all the scents I picked out were lilac and lavender scents! They have all kinds of amazing scents, many of them smell like home baked goodies. I joked with Tammy and said, no food scents, I still have 40 pounds to lose! This candle warmer is my reminder of the home I lived in surrounded by trees for seven years before the state plowed my home and all the trees down for the new highway.

All in all we had a great night. Many of our guests won a gift of some kind. I believe we have raised enough to sponsor 80 children at this point. Our next event is going to include horse drawn carriage rides and personally handing out the gifts to the children. I can hardly wait to see their faces. What fun it is going to be. 

So speaking of gifting others. As many of you know, Mike is in Florida currently. He has not been able to help out financially as he landed in hot water almost as soon as he arrived in Florida. Nothing of his own doing but from an event where lose ends were not tied from over seven years ago! I will know tomorrow when he will actually be allowed to head back home. I had earnestly prayed at the end of August, beginning of September for God to either convict him or remove him. Many of you have read about all of this in previous posts and know how it went down already. For those who have not, I will simply say, when you pray God hears. How He answers is always according to His will. Since God is always good no matter what strife we face here, when you pray, my advice would be to let it go, have faith in God, and keep your focus on Him! I have done my best at this. 

Being a single mom of many children can be scary. Every month I make out my budget, look at these growing children and say a prayer for provision. Going into November I knew I was going to sponsor a child so my clothing budget had to grow a little. I also knew I was going to this fundraiser and I would support anyone who stepped up and came to the event. It just so happened I was looking for a night light of sorts so thank you God for helping me make my dollars stretch to do all they need to do in a given month!

This year, I enrolled Michael in basket ball. Thinking with no father in the house, being a part of a team would be healthy for him. We had our first game on November 2nd and I watched as Michael did great, stealing passes and rebounding, but he would have done even better had he not been sliding all over the place! I had not budgeted for basketball shoes in the month of November but knew he truly needed a pair for his own safety. I played on a basketball team most of my childhood. I know how much shoes matter. I woke up Saturday morning bound and determined to purchase a pair of shoes for him even if it meant being more creative with our menu selections this month.

So I loaded all the children in the car and off to Dicks Sporting Goods we sped. When we got there we headed to the shoe section and a kind employee helped us with the right size. I allowed Michael to pick out his favorite pair, praying that he would pick one of the least expensive pairs, which he did. Still, it was more money than I would spend purchasing shoes for all of them combined! He laced them up and I had him shift and turn and move around. He loved them. The employee handed me the box, told me he could wear them out and we went to go pay for them. The first cashier I approached was already calling for help from management so I asked if there was another cashier open. She pointed over to the other side of the store and said there should be someone on the east side. As I headed to that side, the same employee that had helped us came running up to me with an envelope. He informed me that he had no idea what was inside but he was asked to give it to me by another shopper. When I got over to the cashier, I opened the envelope and began crying. It was a gift card with enough money on it to completely pay for Michael's shoes. 

I shared the good news with the children and the cashier. It was awesome to watch Michael play this Saturday and not slide! We lost the game by two points in the final few seconds of the game. It was an awesome game to watch!

After that we headed off to the store, joyous that we had enough to buy two weeks worth of dinners and breakfasts and snacks as long as we were smart with our money. I have assigned all the children duties so that I don't have chaos in the aisles. Marissa is my tally keeper. Michael helps me pull the cart along. Delilah and Marie are my fetchers and Jeffrey is consulted on options. When we got to the cashier, she rang up all my items. We joked and talked as she is one of my favorites there. I've been shopping at Aldi's since I was a teenager! When she hit the total button she leaned forward and said, "I just have to ask, did you or your children talk to anyone in the aisle?" I said, "No. we didn't." She then held up some cash and said, "Well a lady that shops in here all the time like you said she wanted to bless you. So is it okay if we take this off your bill." Again. I stood in awe with tears in eyes and said, "Yes". 

I was so overwhelmed by it all, my eyes hurt from holding back tears. I told the children I needed to unload the groceries and then we needed to go do laundry. Jeffrey looks at me and asks, "Can we go to the hotel and do the laundry?" I thought to myself. With the money I was blessed with I did have enough to cover a room and it would be nice to not be in a laundry mat. To pretend I was doing laundry where I lived would be a blessing so I caved. When I called to see if there were any suites available I was informed there was. I booked the room. When I arrived, I was given the room for $10 less than my normal charge which is already a gift in itself. I got all the children settled in the room and went to get some quarters for the washer and dryer. When I got to the front desk, I was told they did not have enough quarters to give me change but was invited to do my laundry for free in their industrial machines. 

This week the Lord provided every need I had in amazing ways leaving me in awe. When I went to church on Sunday, as always we were asked if anyone had any praises or prayer requests, I had to share my blessings. I told everyone about my Saturday. 

I love my home church for I truly feel at home. I have shared both blessings and asked for prayers here. What I love most about my home church is that I truly feel at home there. 

This month of November the youth group decided it would add more fun to the day if we had 'Themes' for each Sunday. Last Sunday was 'Goodwill' Sunday. In other words go to goodwill and find an outfit that is not the norm and wear it. This Sunday was 'Crazy Hat' Sunday. I love having fun so of course I have been participating. Here are pictures of my outfits for the last two weeks!

So This is a dress I found on the rack at goodwill. It was obviously hand made. Pink was not anywhere in my wardrobe until I added this festive item! It helped me win the prize for the week. Up until it was announced I won best dressed for the girls, we did not know there would be a prize! I took this same hat and dressed it up a bit for the following Sunday.

As you can imagine, I got quite a few compliments when I wore it! One even from the bowling alley manager! I saw a lot of crazy hats this Sunday myself! 

This coming week is twin day and I am pretty sure I have talked another friend of mine into checking out my church. I have already worked out our outfits. This is going to be so much fun. We are ending the month with Formal Day as the final Sunday. I have my eyes open for a fancy dress I just know God will provide for me in the nick of time. That Sunday is also when we will stay after church and all eat together in the banquet room. Nothing like hanging out with family!! 

If you don't feel at home where you seek the word and are in search of a home church in Hamilton / Marion County, I would love for you to check out where I enjoy fellowship each Sunday. We meet at Pinheads Bowling Alley in Noblesville, Indiana, in the Bar or Banquet room. Worship begins at 10, but feel free to arrive a little early for conversation, donuts, milk, juice and coffee! You will learn right out of the bible and I promise you will be made to feel at home!

Father today I pray that all and any who are in search of a home church find just what they are looking for. May the place be full of members of the body of Christ. There is nothing like hanging out with true believers and learning your word. I am so blessed to have found Leavener as my home church. I am singing your praises Father and am so thankful for how you shower me with love and as promised provide all my needs for me. May many more step out if Faith and be blessed in seeing how much you love them as well. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

* My wallet story can be read here:

#1:  http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2012/12/show-me-sign.html

#2:  http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2013/07/unpacking-treasure-show-me-sign-part-ii.html

** These are the blogs regarding my prayer for Mike to be convicted or removed:

#1: http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2013/09/convicted-by-god.html

#2: http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2013/09/dont-fret-god-is-faithful-he-always-has.html

#3: http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2013/09/better-off-with-god.html

All I ever ask of any reader is if you find yourself moved, encouraged, inspired at all, please share my blog link with anyone you think is in need of some hope, faith and love!

Wendy, Walks with God

Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

Revenge is NOT Sweet!

What better day than wild wacky wonderful Wednesday to dive back into ones past. I had been on a pretty good trend of typing out my life events up until the time that I gave a baby up for adoption. I managed to squeak out the next post entitled "The Aftermath" and then one more where I had a back flash on why I believe Bruce left me before we made it to the alter. From there I jumped more to present time and various topics I felt led to write on.

Here lately though God has been flashing things across my brain again. I know it is Him doing it for while what I have to share gives me pause God has been making me giggle about it. Just like he did when I was to the point of having to share when I was molested on the side of the road at a young age of 14.

While that event was something I would have preferred to keep tucked away in the deepest recesses it is nothing compared to what I have to share about things I did of my own accord in my twenties. Free will. You just have to accept that sometimes we make really bad decisions when we cut ourselves off from the Lord.

So, where to pick this up. If you have read my blog entitled, "How I came to know God", you know that I had been caught smoking cigarettes as a child and punished for it. I had prayed to God when it came to facing my punishment from my father and had promised to never smoke cigarettes again as long as I would not be spanked.

So here I was, age 22, still alive but honestly dead inside. After my bike wreck my mother had forced me to pick one job and I had chosen Dairy Queen. I ended up dating a guy from work and within a couple of months he moved in with me. I threw a New Year's Eve party at my home for all my employees and a couple of my friends. I did not know that the guy living with me had made out with another one of my employees until the day he left me for her. Then as often happens everyone steps forward to share what they knew about the situation.

You could say what I learned made me angry as if I needed any help in that direction. I was so tired of being hurt by men I honestly was out to hurt a man myself.

That spring I did some really crazy stuff. Any guy that hit on me, I allowed him to take me on a date. I was not myself. I gave nothing and took what they had to offer. I was even a little mean about it all. I went out to eat, out to movies and then I would simply never answer their call again. I was just out to use them. After all, I figured in the end that was what they had intended to do to me.

All the while my irritation grew at my ex and my ex-friend. Yes, the girl that had taken my man was supposedly a friend. I don't know why I ended up doing what I ended up doing and in no way am I proud of it, but let's just dive into the heart of what went down.

I was on my way down to French Lick to pick my children up from their visit to their dad's when I stopped in at a gas station. I very badly wanted to be out of my head for a moment. I did not do drugs or drink at the time, but I recalled cigarettes would give you a funny feeling. In the heat of the moment I bought a pack and a lighter. I got outside opened them up, got one out and lit it. I remember looking up at the heavens and calling out, "I'm breaking my promise. What are you going to do about it?"

Of course no lightening bolt came down from heaven, so I got a little bolder and continued, "Just as I thought, absolutely nothing. I guess you are as done with me as I am with you." I muttered to myself. A big part of me seriously wished a lightning bolt would have struck me and put me out of my misery but one did not.

I never intended on becoming a smoker when I lit that first one for I hated everything about cigarettes, but I remained a smoker for two decades! At first I only had a couple at night but within that first year that changed to smoking at work, in the car and wherever I was.

Shortly after I began smoking cigarettes, I ran into the so called friend that had stolen my guy and to this day I don't know why I did what I did, but I know I did it. I re-friended her. I pretended that I was happy she and my ex were happy together and planning on getting married.

She invited me over for a hang out and I went. You could say he was surprised to see me. I played very non-nonchalant that first visit. Next, I was invited to a party they were throwing and I went hell bent on breaking them up. I'm not going to beat around the bush here. It was a party with drinking involved. Before the night was over I had slept with her man who was originally my man and then I proudly informed her of what had happened and I left. The next morning I woke up feeling horrible about the situation. I remember walking into the bathroom and clearly hearing the question, "So, tell me, is revenge sweet?"

"No," I answered to an empty room, "Revenge is not sweet, it is very bitter."

This was by far one of my least proud moments. I did not understand then why I had even done something so awful to another human being. Just because she had done it to me first did not make my actions okay.

Today, I know that I allowed my emotions; anger, resentment, jealousy just to name a few, to take over. This is all the evil one needs to use us against each other and use me he did. From here I just sunk further and further into the pit of hell as I refer to it.

I am happy to have told the truth about myself regarding being a home wrecker. While there were no children, these two seemed to be happy with their lives before 'wrecking ball Wendy' came in and knocked some holes into the walls!

My feelings about myself were reeled into even more darkness for this same man showed up at my house crying saying he loved me and wanted me back. He knew I was inside because my car was in the drive way. I know he did not truly love me, but I was freaked out by it all. I did not take him back. I didn't even open my front door.

I almost ended up going back to Jeff after this incident. I was so sure all men were rotten and I was beginning to believe I was under some curse for trying to out wit God and then not staying in my marriage that I thought I was supposed to go back to him and live with him until death do us part. I ended up seeing him a few times and very quickly realized I'd rather be dead then spend the rest of my life un-cherished and unloved than be with someone I did not truly love myself.

I guess this is as good a place as any to share today's encouraging word from K-Love:

Love each other deeply with all your heart. ~ 1 Peter 1:22b, NLT

Sometimes loving others means being kind enough to not lead them on or hurt them. I have not always been the best at this as I have clearly explained. I would like to point out that I did these things in a season of darkness. I am not proud of them but they are truths from my closet. Shoes I wore and stomped around in. Shoes I tried my best to wash off and stash in the back of my closet. No matter how hard you clean some shoes, the only true way to clean them is to come clean yourself. I believe this is what I have done. 

My advice to anyone dealing with rejection, heartache, jealousy, anger, resentment, or any other emotion not tied to Love, give it to God and let it go. Don't allow it to eat you alive, literally. The evil one loves these emotions. He will use you as a weapon. Don't allow that to happen. Trust me, revenge is not sweet at all. Twenty years later, I would love the opportunity to tell that girl I am sorry for my actions. 

Father, today I pray for all hurting hearts. I pray that they come to you and give up those emotions that bring no goodness with them. I thank you Father for taking me back. My outright defiance and rudeness to you would be acts undeserving of forgiveness but that is not the type of Father you are. I am so blessed to be so loved by you. I ask that you hold my hand as I go forward and continue to share more shoes that I never wanted to drag out of that closet of mine ever ever again. I know you are always with me and I know you are always faithful and I am so very thankful for that Father. As I see how far I have come I get choked up for in seeing I also see clearly the love you hold for your children. May more of my brothers and sisters also begin to see that truth about you Father. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, walks with God

Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

'What Can Mortal Man Do to Me?'

Good morning! According to my calendar, it is Totally Terrific Testimonial Tell All Tuesday! Here is one of my testimonies: Last night I was assistant coach for my son's 2nd grade basket ball team. I was able to participate in all the drills and it was awesome!

A year ago everywhere I went, I shuffled. Lifting my feet off the ground was something I simply was not capable of doing. Toward the end of summer, I prayed to God to have my healthy body back. I cried out in anguish. After being in massive pain for almost three years, He had answered my prayer for healing regarding my back and had literally placed a wellness doctor in my path. He was delivered to me in such a way there was no denying it was God that was placing me in his care.

Upon my first visit to him, he began putting my bones back in place. I knew I was in bad shape, I just did not realize how bad! I began seeing him late April / early May and now I only see him once a month for an adjustment.

With his help, I had the confidence to begin a workout routine that another friend suggested I try. She had been pursuing me to try one of her companies workout videos and I had told her about the fact I truly needed a 'Physical Therapy' kind of work out video to follow and she knew just what I needed. She excitedly told me about it and I decided to give it a go.

I am so happy I did. In 42 days, which is only six weeks time, I have dropped 36 pounds and 34" of body fat from my skeletal frame and have gained amazing agility and flexibility in the process. I am so happy with how far I have come I could cry tears of absolute joy. I am now one of 'those girls' with a fat loss story that is unbelievable! I have not made it to my goal size or weight but I now know it is 100% possible in the next 42 days to get the job finished!

My goal is to lose 78 pounds. This will also mean losing 4-5 more inches around my waist, 2 - 3 more at my hips and another 1 - 2 off my chest area. With that my arms and legs will also shrink a bit.

I read once that for every pound you take off of your body it is like removing 4 pounds of burden. I know my frame appreciates the lighter weight it must still tote around. I can only dream about how awesome getting back to where I want to be will feel! Only 42 more pounds to shed!

I have promised to reach back and help anyone who is desiring to truly lose weight. It is hard work. It takes determination. However, this works so well and is so healthy, you will secretly enjoy watching yourself melt. If you need a coach or someone to encourage you or whatever label you want to slap on it, I would be thrilled to be that for you. Simply email me at wendyglidden123@gmail.com and indicate what you want help with.

I'm into total wellness so from helping you with your mindset and your relationship with the Lord to losing weight and getting into the size pants you want back into or into for the first time, I am here for you! Nothing would please me more than to reach back and help someone who has tried almost everything and failed.

Recently God has been flashing me things from my past again. As far as my life line goes I managed to get beyond the adoption to the point I almost lost my life in a bike wreck due to literally working myself to death so that I could fall asleep without thinking. Absolute off the charts craziness is what follows that scene and I have once again been dragging my feet.

However, this past Sunday, when we were asked what becoming a believer in the cross and Jesus Christ had changed in our life, I replied, for me it had meant freedom of fear. Fear of judgement from others, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of anything.

It reminds me of David when he asks, 'What can mortal man do to me?' I love David's Psalms. We are covering 4 different Psalms in November. Last Sunday we covered Psalm 32 and touched on Psalm 56, which is one of my endless favorites. I am going to share David's words here, right out of my MacArthur study bible. I hope you love his trust and enthusiasm half as much as I do! Psalm 56 in it's entirety:

** My study bible highlights this as Supplication for Deliverance and Grateful Trust in God. This took place when the Philistines seized David in Gath.

verse 1: Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me.

verse 2: My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me.

verse 3: When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.

verse 4: In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

verse 5: All day long they distort my words; All their thoughts are against me for evil.

verse 6: They attack, they lurk, They watch my steps, As they have waited to take my life.

verse 7: Because of wickedness, cast them forth, In anger put down the peoples, O God!

verse 8: You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?

verse 9: Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me.

verse 10: In God whose word I praise, In the Lord, whose word I praise,

verse 11: In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

verse 12: Your vows are binding upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You.

verse 13: For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

I love the trust King David places in the Lord. I know just how he feels. As I go forth and share more things from my early to mid twenties, I too will trust in the Lord knowing that He is using my stories to inspire and encourage and call others home. All for the glory of God.

I thank the Lord for all He has delivered me from. While I have shared a ton, I have so much more to reveal. I keep saying I am going to get to it and truly I am. I must go back and refresh my memory of where I ended exactly so that I can continue from there.

Should you just be joining me in this journey, I invite you to go back to my introduction post, in my mind humorously titled, 'In the Beginning' and read the personal posts up to 'Saying Goodbye to Amanda Rose' there is one after that where I share my bike wreck, but for the life of me I cannot remember it's title right now.

It is my prayer that my story inspires hope and reveals the glory of God. It is also my prayer that it helps you in building your trust and your relationship with the Lord.

I have missed out on sharing the last couple days encouraging words by K-Love on my Facebook page and I love both Monday's and Today's, so I am going to share both of them now:

Monday 11/4/2013

But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength ~ 2 Timothy 4:17a, NLT

Tuesday 11/5/2013

I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles. ~ Zechariah 9:12b, NLT 

The Lord has stood with me time and time again and has given me strength. I know this as truth for I have felt myself drained of all strength, yet remain planted on my feet, held up firmly by the mighty hand of our Lord. 

I too am beginning to witness what I would say are more than two blessings for each of my troubles. Perhaps it feels like more for I have had much trouble over my life span! Us saints are not promised an easy life you know!! I hope I have managed to leave you with a smile today! Remember be blessed and be a blessing to others!

Father, today I come to you singing praises for all the miracles you have performed concerning me. I am blessed to call upon you and have you deliver me. I am blessed to have the relationship that I do with you. For decades I called upon you in times of big trouble but turned my back on you in my daily life. What a fool I was to think you were not for me any longer. What a fool to believe the lies that were being fed to me by the evil one. He is clever but not wise for he set himself against you to begin with. Thank you for speaking to me. Thank you for your signs and wonders. I pray I am witness to many more for they tickle me to no end. Father, it is my prayer that more of my brothers and sisters that are today where I have been in my past concerning a relationship with you step fully into the light and draw much closer to you. May their eyes and hearts be opened my Lord. May they begin to seek more of your wisdom and love and may they grow and become workers. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, walks with God
Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

When Anger Rises, What is Your Game Plan?

Fantastically Fun-Filled Family Friday! I awoke today to discover the place I get all my health food and cleaning, laundry, bathroom necessities, first aid, cough, cold, fever relief, and beauty supplies is offering their annual membership for a mere $1.00 . . . all new customers also get $20 worth of free items to try when they come back for more goodness in their second, third, fourth and fifth month!!!! That's $100 worth of free items to try that I already know you will love. I switched to this store in March of 2011 and have been a more than happy customer ever since. As my friends know I'm a penny pinching momma. The money this store has saved me is mind blowing. The best part about shopping here has been the peace of mind knowing this manufacture cares about health and wellness. Also this is where I have purchased my 'weight loss supplies' so tasty my children won't keep out of them and yummy enough that you actually enjoy consuming them yourself! Oh and if teeth matter to you, they have the best tooth polish on the market, and all their dental and skin care is safe for those going through chemo or anything like that! Switch stores, save money, provide better health for your entire family. Let me know if you want more details! This is the best gift one friend can give to another. I already did my shopping this morning and threw in the items I need by next week. Upon checkout I was offered buy one get one free items and two of them are my favorite 'candy bars' with purpose! I am so excited!! I am telling you this company should have been called the Rocking Fireworks Health and Wellness store because their sales are so spectacular!.

I am looking forward to my weekend with the children. Michael has his first basketball game tomorrow. He is so excited. He woke up today thinking it was game day! I had to deliver the bad news that today was another school day.

When I got into the office and was finally able to check my email, I read K-Loves encouraging word for the day.

A gentle answer deflects anger. ~ Proverbs 15:1, NLT

I had to giggle to myself as I read this truth. If the bible is not a handbook for how to best walk through situations in life, I don't know what is! When I have a child that is angry and another child steps in to comment on the situation, I have gotten into the habit of stopping them short by simply saying, "Please don't throw gas on my fire!" Meaning the situation is obviously volatile and I do not need any of them increasing that intensity. Dealing with someone who is angry is almost as difficult as dealing with someone who is intoxicated. Anger, in my belief clouds the mind and keeps us from making wise decisions. I know this is also why we are advised to steer clear of anger. Hands down, anger is one of the evil one's best ways to get a foothold into your heart and have more control over your thoughts. When you find yourself getting angry you need to have a game plan to calm yourself down. You may even have to have a basket full of ways to deal with your emotions. One for when you are in the car may not work so well out in the public eye! In the car I call for a moment of silence or singing, their choice. I tell the children I need a moment to calm down and I turn the Christian music up a little so that they know I'm serious! At home, I have even put myself in a time out! It's amazing how little ones will quit what they are doing when you tell them you don't trust yourself because you are so angry so you are going to put yourself in a five minute time out so that you can have a conversation with your heavenly Father! When getting angry at a spouse I refuse to fight it out in a moment of anger. I openly admit I cannot think rationally and I don't want to say something I can't take back. I also have threatened and followed through with prayer as many of you know from the blog post 'Convicted by God' that I published in September. Should you find yourself curious to see how that all played out, here are the links to the three posts that play that entire scene out: 

1. http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2013/09/convicted-by-god.html
2. http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2013/09/dont-fret-god-is-faithful-he-always-has.html
3. http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2013/09/better-off-with-god.html

As my grandma said to me when I was younger, "Be careful what you pray for you just might get it." To which I asked, "Why would I pray for something unless I wanted it?" Which she replied, "God has a sense of humor Wendy, you never know how what you desire will be delivered!" Boy was she ever right about that! My advice don't pray in a moment of anger!! I will admit God is wonderful and he uses everything to work good. I have witnessed it time and time again. Even what I am going through right now. I am amazed to see the changes that have occurred in my life over the last two months. I'm like, pinch me. Is this really my life? I know it is. Even in the midst of turmoil I am dancing in the rain. This is the major difference in living life with your own strength and only for yourself and giving your life to Christ and following Him. I prefer an adventurous life. Of course if you have read my blog posts from the beginning you know that much about my story already! The crazy thing is my life has been MORE adventurous since I got on my knees and said, "Your will not mine".

I hope I have peaked your curiosity enough to get you to at least read those 3 linked posts and even more so to dive back to the beginning of this blog and read it all. There are miracles and all kinds of crazy stuff inside! I have been blessed to have been allowed to be a witness to God's glory in so many ways. I still have so many things to share. I am excited to get back to it as what the Lord has been flashing to me takes me back to after the adoption and my near death to some seriously crazy events. I was fearful on how to share and as with all the rest God is giving it to me in flashes and has me laughing. This weekend as my children go to bed, I will begin drifting back in time! I hope you decide to stick around and read more of my life journey!

Father today I come to you with childish wonder. What an amazing Father you are. How blessed I am to have woken up and returned home. How blind I was. How far I ran. Yet when I got on my knees crying and wailing you opened the door again and welcomed me home. Since then you have saved my life, sent me a witness, allowed me to see my current home shrouded in crystals and so much more. I love how you work. Even through pain you flourish me. I love who I am in Christ. Thank you for grace and mercy. Thank you for your son whose name I pray in. It is my prayer that many more of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ also get on their knees and give in to your will. Had I only understood that your plan is so much more for me than I could have designed on my own. I am sure I am not the only rebel in the family! Call my fellow rebel brother and sisters home. Break them down Father. Stretch them until they know they can only make it through on your strength. While the process may at first feel painful, I know the beauty on the other end and I pray they are able to glimpse it early on so they are not hurt and confused by the events that will take place. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, walks with God
Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013