And All the People Said, "Amen"

As many of you know, I subscribe to K-Love's encouraging word; it is also one of my favorite radio stations. This morning the song 'All the People Said Amen' by Matt Maher began playing and my heart was overjoyed to have all my children sing and dance to the song. It is a catchy tune you know! If you've never listened to it, click on this link and get ready to bust a move!

The more you get to know God, the more you see Him moving in your life with your 'faith eyes' and the more often you find yourself uttering the praise, "Amen". Psalms is one of my favorite books in the bible; who am I kidding lol. In going to college I have taken so many classes, I have been blessed in reading and understanding parts of all 66 books. Regardless, this is the verse I am sharing today:

Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us and not we ourselves. (Psalm 100:3, my alphabet picture)

I think one of the most interesting things I have read in the last year came from a book called, 'The Fear of the Lord' by John Beverre. In it he shares the truth that in man are the very elements found in the earth. Seeing how man was formed from the earth, it makes perfect sense that this would be the case. However, until I read it, I had never thought much about it. Today I think about it every time I till the soil.

I bring up God alot in my daily conversations with others. I can't help it. Often when someone is sharing things about their life and why they are stressed or worried, I ask them this simple question, "Where are you in your walk with God?"

When you begin walking with the Lord and building your relationship with Him, the biggest thing you will notice is that you are able to find peace in the midst of turmoil and stress no longer holds you in slavery. This stems from the promises He makes His children:

1. Romans 8:28: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
2. Psalm 91:15: "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 

When it comes to worry, Jesus lays this to rest with one simple challenge:

Matthew 6:27: "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?"

These verses, these truths, speak volumes to me for I have seen them play out in my life. Those of you that have read my book know that I did not create an easy path for myself, however, God, true to His promises, has indeed used all of what I thought was rotten and useless and has in turn allowed me to see others blessed by it. I promise you when stuff like that happens you are often left in utter joyful tears. I blogged on such an instance once. I still cannot read this post without crying! Lost or on a Mission?

When it comes to trouble, I often joke that it is my middle name. I know I am not alone in that thought for I have had others tell me the very same thing. As I have built my relationship with the LORD over the last few years, trouble has come barreling down my door. Through it all I have managed to stay positive and at times I have even flourished through it all by leaning on the promises of God. Indeed, He has not only rescued me, he flipped the situation and I have found myself redeemed if not at times honored. Knowing the LORD is FULL of blessings, I encourage you to join a bible study group or better yet, read my past entries and build your own personal relationship with the LORD. It will truly enhance your life no matter what you get sidelined with.

I still have moments where worry tries to grab hold of me, but I have gotten pretty good at raising my shield of faith. I have found humor helps in the midst of worry and that is what I find in the advice Jesus gives on the subject of worry. When it comes to adding an hour to my life, I know that God alone is responsible for that. I say that because I died in a house fire and I was given breath and brought back to life. It is one of the stories in my book You Are Worthy Too: The Proof is in the Pudding!

I know many people have prayed for something and have not seen it come to fruition, I have been in that boat as well. I have also witnessed my prayers being answered and when I read that when I call on Him, He will answer, I also know that this has been the case. I have several stories about answered prayers in my book. Often I read my own stories because oddly enough, they remind me of who I am to God. They remind me of who we all are to God. We are His children. His creation. You can fight against that truth all you want to but it is a fight you will never win. 

I think the most confusing things about God for many are tied directly to the biggest gift he allotted to mankind; free will. God knows your heart, while He may try to reach you through circumstances that take place in this fallen world, one thing He will not do to reach you is strip away your Free Will. 

So, as I have asked many in person, I ask you today, "Where are you in your walk with God?" If you are in a place of doubt, I encourage you to go to Him with that. As I wrote recently in a post titled Come as You are, But Don't Stay There!, God will meet you right where you are. The true question is, "Are you ready to meet God?"

Today I say for you the same prayer said by Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus:

Ephesians 1:17-19: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. [18] I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, [19] and what is the surpassing greatness His power toward us who believe. Amen!

May you be blessed in your travels with the LORD.

Wendy, Mom of Many, walks with God

© Wendy Glidden 2015

Personal Reflections on Psalm 23 & 139

Session III: Reflection Paper, Psalm 23

            The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:1-3, NASB)

            Due to crazy weather, I find myself sitting in a restaurant next to an electrical outlet and all the time in the world to get my assignment done; hence I shall not want. As we first sat on the side of the road trying to figure out what our next move would be, I reached for my devotional and indeed had my soul restored as I read the message of the day based off of Psalm 46:10. In reading His word and focusing on Him, I indeed am guided onto the path of righteousness.

            Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4, NASB)

            I actually found myself saying that verse last night as our RV rocked back and forth in one of the worst storms I have ever lived through. It is a verse I say every time I find myself afraid of something.

            You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23:5-6, NASB)

            My heart jumps for joy as I read those last words. I truly believe that the Lord is my shepherd and in keeping my focus on Him and His direction, I know I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever!

Session III: Reflection Paper, Psalm 139

            O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. (Psalm 139:1-4)

            The mere truth in these words never ceases to amaze me. As a child I foolishly thought I could hide my thoughts from God. Today I know He knows everything about me.

            You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain it. (Psalm 139:5)

            That verse makes me realize that the LORD has me protected on all sides. No matter what I face in life, His hand is on me. It truly is an overwhelming thought. The following verses reaffirm that no matter where I land, the LORD is there as well.

            I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:14)

When I am feeling down about myself, I remind myself of all the beauty that the Lord created. He created me too and I am indeed fearfully and wonderfully made!

            As I read the rest of the Psalm, I am reminded of events in my life where I can see that God stepped in and protected me against various enemies. My biggest plea today is that I go forth in life showing love and if indeed there is anything about me that needs improved that He helps me with that.

The Essence of Faith

It's Fantastically Fabulous Fun Filled Friends and Family Friday! Man oh man!! It is only 10 AM and I am on top of the world. So Joyous I feel like dancing! Starting your day with God is so the way to start.

I have gotten in the habit of checking out the encouraging word from K-Love each morning before I do much of anything else. This year, the encouraging words have truly lifted me up into the clouds.

The more you walk with God, the more supernatural things you witness take place. These events strengthen your Faith and I promise you, the stronger your Faith, the more supernatural events you will witness. It truly is an awesome flywheel to spark.

This morning on Facebook, I had this to say when I shared the encouraging word from K-Love:

I just love the encouraging word via K-Love today:

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. ~ 1 John 5:14-15, NLT

I am confident that He hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him. My heart soars when I read truths like this. For within various chapters of my life are testimonials regarding answered prayers, some of them in the craziest ways. It pleases God for us to pray for each other. I just realized I need to get a blog going for my heart is overflowing. I leave you with a link to a story from my past regarding a prayer I said for my mother and the answer I received.  Be blessed and be a blessing 

http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2013/01/awoken-by-answer-to-prayer.html

I am truly blessed to have had my faith strengthened again and again. Faith allows you to drop to your knees and share all that is on you heart because you know He hears you. Even though the Lord already knows your every thought, He Loves to see your heart at work. Secretly I think He even gets a chuckle out of the fit prayers we throw for within those we reveal passion. God is Love in it's most unconditional form. 

Faith helps with your ability to stay in today and not fret about tomorrow for you know God has always got you. You may even have even taken the time to armor yourself with a bit of scripture to help you with anxiety regarding the future. This is my personal favorite reminder: From Matthew 6:34 NIV:

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~ Matthew 6:34, NIV

Anxiety is a weapon the evil one uses. If you don't believe in spiritual warfare, you should! I dress for battle every day. Even though I know my God is bigger and I have nothing to fear, I am not foolish about such things. Even Jesus tangled with the Devil. If you don't think he is a formidable foe, well, you don't truly understand how he works. 

As children, we all quickly learned what silent but deadly meant and when someone said that we quickly exited the room. I promise you that the evil one is as close to silent and deadly as a paid assassin. You don't see him right away and often you are already in a fight for your life before you even realize he has entered the picture. 

I read a lot and I listen to great teachings on Moody Radio when I get the chance so you will have to forgive me for I cannot recall where I first heard this but the truth in it is undeniable. Forgive me for this is not the exact quote either. I have a way of compiling information and consolidating it. With that being said, in a gist this is what I took away from the lesson; 'If you think the devil hasn't come across the likes of you, your ego is too big. He has been at this war for a couple thousand years. To date, Jesus is the only one that defeated him. Don't you think you ought to get to know Jesus?' 

When I first started seeking God with all my heart and joined a bible study group, one of the first books of the bible we studied was Ephesians. That is where I learned about the armor to wear and how best to protect yourself against Satan. I would like to take you right to the book of Ephesians, beginning with Chapter 6, verse 10:

verse 10: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

verse 11: Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

verse 12: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

verse 13: Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything to stand firm.

verse 14: Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH THE TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,

verse 15: and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;

verse 16: in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

verse 17: And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Quite an impressive list of armor don't you think. Today I am mainly focusing on the shield of faith and how taking it up you are able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Flaming arrows, that paints quite the picture. The flaming arrows are thoughts meant to take you out. Don't fool yourself for one second. The devil is here to steal, kill and destroy. He will do that by any means possible. Including getting you to believe crazy lies. Think crazy thoughts. Do things you would not do without something, someone pushing you over the edge. These things all stem from you being bombarded with flaming arrows. Put up your shield of faith and protect yourself. Life is a completely different scene as you learn that you truly can make a difference in this battle. All you need is Faith. Don't let the Lord say of you, "Oh ye of little faith". Stand strong in the Lord, remain firm in your belief. He came so you could live this life abundantly. That my friends is some really good news in a world that longs to beat you down, you have a Savior. He is right here with you, waiting for you to call out so He can reveal more of His glory. It is never ending. It is a bright new day. Make the most of it.

Father, I come before you today with great joy in my heart. As a child entering into the age of consent, I knew nothing about armor. I have often wondered how different my life might have turned out had I known all the truths I know today. As you tell us not to worry about tomorrow or yesterday for that matter, I know in my heart that nothing that has taken place in the past was for waste. You use all events for good. You are faithful. Your love is unconditional and I am so grateful for that. I am thankful that I recognize evil for what evil is and that I am today fully aware of my armor needed. I am so blessed to have learned about it when I did. Your timing is always perfect. I know you would have protected me through all of my recent battles regardless. In that I am confident. I also know by wearing my armor, I was able to better withstand the onslaught of attacks I faced this summer. Not only did I withstand, with your strength, I persevered. Here I am, with your help, reaching back in hopes of finding others held in the chains of bondage. Help me with this task Father. Help me be a better leader, help me to be a brighter light, help me call out to the lost and lonely, as well as the overwhelmed. Help my fellow brothers and sisters find their way home. Help them to lift their heads and see the truth. You love your children no matter what! In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Be blessed my friends and always be a blessing to others <3

Wendy Glidden, walks with God
Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2014

Photo Accessed on 1/13/2017 from: https://www.google.com/search?q=Free+Picture+of+shield+of+faith&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS711US711&espv=2&biw=1242&bih=557&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiYj57D4L_RAhWF2YMKHbM8AskQ7AkIKg&dpr=1.1#imgrc=PPcQRqWNRdLN7M%3A

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

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 

Stretching, Shrinking, Growing, Thinking ~ Are You Ready to be Renewed?

Marvelously Magnificent Miraculous Monday. Mike Lincoln has come under the realization that he is madly in love with me. He is speaking a language I have never before heard him utter before. I know he is being stretched. I know he is growing. He is in the process of waking up, of allowing himself to be convicted and my heart soars because of it. God is AMAZING in how he works. During our separation we have both begun changing. God will never work on just one of you. No if you think it is all your partner, probably better take a deeper look into that mirror. Just being honest. Not one of us is perfect. I think that's the whole reason Jesus said, "Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone." I'm sure it's where the saying, "Those that live in glass houses should not throw stones.", came from. It is what it is. I'm happy I don't have to pretend to the world that I am perfect. Wow. What a prison that would be!!  This brings me to K-Loves encouraging word of the day: 

I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments. ~ Psalm 119:45, NLT

Freedom. My father always quotes Janice Joplin and says, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." There is a ton of truth in that. When you become a follower of Christ there is nothing you can lose. You have salvation. True freedom that never goes away. I am a follower of Christ. I am blessed beyond measure for I was shown the truth. You see just like gaining or losing weight, it doesn't happen over night. Oh we all want it. Instant success, instant understanding, instant solutions. Life just doesn't work that way. I do know this though it all begins with a renewing of something. To lose weight it begins with a new diet and exercise routine and when it comes to following the Lord, well, that begins with a renewing of ones mind. Which I truly think stems from a desperate call from the heart for change. At least that is how it worked for me. When my heart truly longed for a relationship with the Lord, when I banged on that door and said, please, help, your will not mine, I don't have a clue how I will do this but I do know if I'm going to do it, I'm going to need your help, well, He spoke to me. He told me to get off my knees and then shared a few things with me. You could say that was a pivotal moment in my life. After that he worked on my faith a little further by stretching me through a house fire that by all rights I should have died in. You'd think that would totally wake a person up to God's love and grace and mercy but no. I was still thinking I was unworthy. Next I was on my knees praying again and again and again over my relationship with Mike and God sent a human messenger to me. That honestly rocked my world. I was in awe of what had happened and I shared this story with all who would listen, but I myself still did not understand salvation, grace or any of that. I was beginning to search for it though. A renewing in me had begun. It was through finding Moody radio and then through the death of my first love, finding fellowship and studying the word that the renewing has continued. Speaking of Moody radio, finding that station is a story all in itself. I must tell it soon. I have so much work to do. So much to share. Stories about wisdom being bestowed upon me through prayer, and so much more.

This Sunday our talk was on finding your passion. Mine is for sure my love for the Lord. He called me forth to tell my story and I have been sidetracked and am now committed to getting back to it this week. I am ready to 'bust a move' where my writing is concerned. 

I started this blog out by saying that God works on both partners when He is asked for help involving a marriage He was asked to bless in the beginning. He has stretched Mike and He also is stretching me as well as helping me shrink. My grandma always warned me be careful what you pray for, you just might get it. With Mike being removed, which my prayer was, 'convict this man or remove him from me.' I needed to focus my pent up energy on something. What better something than exercise. After all, I had also prayed for God to give my health back to me which included my body before my twelve pregnancies. Through fasting due to what I went through this summer with my mother and my children, as well as the turmoil I was in over Mike and I separating after almost ten years, I was prepped for diet and exercise. So, I began a diet and a workout on September 15th, Tomorrow is my thirty day mark but for fun, I am going to share my results after just 29 days of renewing my body with both better nutrition and a devoted workout. I must admit, I have not paid one bit of attention to the scale. I believe the evil one likes to use this evil device to torment you, so I avoid it. Instead, I pay attention to what I see in the mirror and I take measurements. Something you can truly track progress with. I am thrilled to announce that in twenty nine days, I have lost the following:

4 full inches off my chest!
1 1/2 inches off each arm!!
5 1/2 inches off my waist!!!
5 full inches off my hips!!!!
3 full inches off each thigh!!!!!

That is a total of 23 1/2 inches in the major places. We all know you shrink around these zones as well. I still have two full weeks of this diet and exercise before I hit my six week commitment mark. The only thing I'm changing is busting a move with a little more umph for my endurance, strength and determination have grown massively over these first four weeks. It is amazing what you can change in a mere 30 days if you truly decide to 'renew yourself'. 

My challenge to you, start with your mind. It is the most powerful part of your human side. It is the place that Satan attacks so put on your fighting gear and join my army. I'll help you in every way I can by sharing what the spirit leads me to share. I will fully reveal my wellness secrets and anyone wanting to truly know exactly what I have done to rock this diet of mine, send me a message. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to help you get results like mine. I Love my Life. God truly set me free and He is wanting to do the same for you. All that you need to do is start out by giving Him 30 days. That's it, 30 days. If you're up to it, write me and let's do this together!!

Father, today I come before you with laughter and praise you are so Amazing. I love you. I giggle like a child over how you are changing me. No wonder you sent a lovely angel to tell me I am beautiful! I am beginning to see what you see and I want nothing more than to resemble to the world how you see me. Let me be a mighty light Lord. Help me shine to the darkest corners. Let my story be heard. Let others see your Glory. Oh it is so breathtaking my Lord. Thank you for allowing me to see what life is without Mike. I truly love him Father. Thank you for not allowing me to be deceived from this truth. Through our separation we have become wonderful friends again and for the first time since I fell on that ledge Father, I feel Mike's love for me. Thank you for working on him and stretching him. Thank you for our time apart where you have stretched and strengthened both of us in the ways we each needed work on. How do you do it Father? Oh to know your ways. To be able to implement them. Thank you for all my blessings, so numerous I don't know where to begin in thanking you for them. You know my heart father. I love that. I truly do. Please lift all my lost brothers and sisters Father. Send them your hand and foot servants to touch their hearts and open their eyes. Allow me to serve you in greater ways Father and help me with time management. I have so many more God stories I must get to sharing. Help me be more efficient. I love you in Jesus name I pray. Amen.

** Footnotes: Previous blogs that are touched on in this post:
(1)  Face to Face with an Angel (being told I was beautiful by a true angel) 
(2)  Saved by an Army of Angels (The house fire I should have died in)
(3)  On my Knees (Praying over a pregnancy I was not ready for)
(4)  Show me a Sign ( Praying about Mike and I where I received the message from God from another believer) 
(5) Unpacking Treasure, show me a sign Part II ( The believers letter to me almost a year later ) 

Wendy, walks with God,
Mom of Many


© Wendy Glidden 2013

Better Off With God!

Super Silly Sing Song Saturday. I have been listening to a lot of songs today. I drove around aimlessly as I waited for my hotel room to open up for the night. Mike and his mom went to Chicago to watch a Cubs game so I know they will be coming through Indiana again to grab his jeep on the way back to Florida.

It breaks my heart that he is going to truly be removed from my life. I know it was the second part of my prayer to have him removed should he not be open to becoming a man after God's heart, but seeing him so at peace about leaving me and his children behind and going on with his life hurts so badly it is all I can do to not fall apart.

In the process of singing with the songs on K-Love earlier, as tears streamed down my face off and on, I heard the greatest song. It is by Sanctus Real. Here is the link to the you tube video I managed to find of it.

I decided to get a hotel room tonight so I could have a place to crash on a real bed and honestly so I could also have a place to lay down where I can finally cry my eyes out. I am human after all. I devoted almost 10 years of my life to loving this man that I once fooled myself into thinking was mine. I watch our children play and I just don't get how he couldn't love our life. It is painful to say the least. I would love to go home and sleep in my own bed, but I am afraid to stay at our home until I know he is not going to be coming back for good. I need to stay strong. He called me last night and asked if I would come spend the night with him. I told him no. I have had countless people come forward and comment how light cannot be with dark. I had several women friends share with me that they knew I was not supposed to be with Mike but mentioned they could not tell me for that type of truth one has to discover for themselves for it to be truly received. Deep inside I have known it for a while. I am stubborn. I thought with enough prayer God would intervene. Sadly there is this crazy thing God granted us with. Free Will. Mike has his own free will and it currently has no desire to listen to God's word.

I have also received messages praising me for my faith. Please know I am just a girl after God's heart. The more I learned about His Word, the more I longed to follow Jesus, the more my eyes were opened to the life I was living with Mike. It was out of a righteous anger that I spouted off my prayer late Thursday night before I went to bed. My grandma always told me, "Be careful what you ask for, you just may get it." Boy did I ever get it. I know this is right. I belong to Christ. I am His. Like this song explains, "Whatever You're doing inside of me, It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace." I would type all the words within this blog for they all hit so right on. It's as close as I can put my feelings into words. I don't think I have ever heard this song before today. I was surprised to see it was uploaded onto YouTube three years ago. 

I am ready for God to open up my world. There is a peace in knowing that Mike is not going to show up with his negativity. In the same breath my heart lurches for I know I will not be with Mike again and that fact hits my heart with such a force it takes my very breath away. How can it hurt so bad to know he will move on as if I never mattered. I guess that is my flesh. For my heart tells me in closing this door I am about to have my world open up in ways only the deepest recesses of my heart have been allowed to desire. I have always longed to be a servant of the Lord. I have always wanted to enhance the lives of others. I have always longed to be a ray of sunshine in the dark corners of the world for others to see. God must know this about me for it says he knows all of your heart. If it is true that the righteous will have the desires of their hearts I can only imagine how blessed my life is about to become. Better than anything I could have ever dreamed up. That is what I am trying to keep my focus on. Peace, Hope, Faith, Joy and Love. 

I had this back flash hit me yesterday as I was in the office. It was a memory from two decades ago of me reading a very detailed horoscope book. In a gist my horoscope claimed I would be better off alone as I was difficult to please, love and live with. It claimed I demanded too much out of a partner and few would be able to withstand me. It recommended I stay alone and never marry!

I realized yesterday that there was truth to what that book claimed but there was also a very big lie with it. This book was put together without God's word. It is another reason one should not dally in such things. The lies stick with you for decades. You see, I have come to understand that I may be difficult for those who are separated from God to love but those that live in his truth will always find me lovable enough. The sad thing is there are less and less men interested in being followers of Christ. The majority that are, are already taken. I feel I will be without a human partner for the rest of my life and I am okay with that now. I have given my life to Christ. I belong to him. He is sufficient. He loves me the way I deserve to be loved. The way I have longed to be loved all this time. I have spent so many wasted years showing man after man after man the love I have to offer only to have it be unappreciated almost as if it were unseen. I know with my desire to be loved, I have gone to lengths other partners would refuse to. I felt I had to, being so unlovable. I spent countless years of my life wondering what it was about me that made me so unlovable. Now I know, it is not me, it is the broken empty men that have been thrown into my path to keep me from fulfilling my purpose. My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ love me. God loves me. Jesus loves me. That will have to suffice for I have no desire to devote another minute to another male partner that needs a ray of hope. I will forever show them the love of Christ but nothing more. I will not be snared in a trap again. I will not be waylayed from God's promises ever again. My horoscope may have claimed I was better off alone but today I know I am better off with God!

Father, I do feel as if a tornado is whipping around inside of me. How is it possible to be at peace and feel like my heart is being crushed in the same breath. It is absolute chaos and I ask you to remove the pain. Take away this ache for I know it is aching for what never was. It is aching over the loss of time. It is aching due to being fooled for I have been a most foolish girl thinking I could fill the hole in my heart with a man. Only you can give me my hearts desires of my heart. I am tired of keeping busy trying to keep a man. Fill my life so full of your work that I have no desire to be sidetracked. Keep my focus on you Lord. Keep my hands busy and fill my life with work. Use me for what you created me for. I am ready Father. I am your humble servant. Prepare me for all you have for me. Reveal it. Put me to it. Please do not allow me to be idle. Thank you for removing the obstacles that satan has attempted to use to steal my joy, kill my dreams and destroy my purpose. Thank you for always having me. Thank you for my beautiful babies. I am so sorry I stumbled in my faith and did not accept three of those blessings. I have often wondered would I already have been fulfilling my purpose had I just trusted in you all along. Thank you Father for never giving up on me like I gave up on you. I wish I had known about your word in my younger years. I am blessed to have been enlightened now. Thank you for not allowing me to continue to wander in the dark. While I hurt today, I trust it will not last long. I love you Father. Thank you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, walks with God

Mom of Many 

© Wendy Glidden 2013

Don't Fret, God is Faithful. He ALWAYS Has 'This'

So, my last blog “Convicted by God” was completed Monday night, September 2nd, 2013, while the children played at play McDonalds and while Mike lost his patience with me blogging. Recently, after I read him the blogs “Have You Ever Been Pancaked” and “Suckerpunched”, I asked him what he thought. He looked at me totally deadpanned and said, “You need to find another hobby.” I looked at him totally astonished. “Hobby!” I exclaimed. “My blog is a far cry from a hobby! It’s my calling. You know I have to write. I am a mighty warrior in God’s army and my weapon is the pen!”  I closed my laptop and walked away shaking my head. Admittedly I was stunned by his comment. Me continuing to blog was not sitting well with him. So, while typing my latest blog at Play McDonalds, it was obvious that the longer I typed the more irritated he became. I wondered why he had even bothered to come with us. He knew I was bringing my laptop to get on the WiFi and finish my latest blog post. 

On the weekends we drive our home out into the country and camp out in the back acreage of some friends. It's truly beautiful and peaceful but I don't have WiFi there. So, here we were at Play McDonalds. The children were playing, I was blogging and Mike was losing it. He gave me and the children a 10 minute window to finish up. I laughed and continued to type out my blog. He walked over to my table and glared at me. I looked up and asked what he was angry about. He snarled at me and informed me I better hurry up because I was down to three minutes. Again I laughed and shook my head continuing to type. I was almost to my ending prayer anyway. I managed to save my blog and post it on both my personal page and my ‘YouAreWorthyToo’ fan page on Facebook as he stormed off with the children to get the car telling me my time was up. He pulled up next to the building as I finished up and Tia and I walked out together. Within minutes of publishing and posting my blog on Facebook my world blew up. I admittedly prayed that either God convict Mike or remove him from my life just four nights prior. However, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it all unfolding like it did. Here is my post from Tuesday on my Facebook page with my link to the blog post “Convicted by God”:

Funny how you think you have things figured out and just when you think you understand God's timing, you find yourself mistaken. I had thought Mike and I would be living in separate homes by the beginning of next year. Less than 10 minutes after I published my post last night, everything changed. I find myself without a home, 6 children in tow and a car that was given back to me late in the evening that is undriveable and needing the help of a mechanic. I refuse to fret. After all it was my prayer to either convict him or have him removed from my life. They say some prayers are answered in a speedy fashion. This seems to be the case for me. It is I that longed to have my relationship work out with Mike. Time and time again God has shown me I never had Mike, Mike had me. It is not the same. K-Loves encouraging word hits home like it often does:

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.

~ Psalm 143:10, NLT

Here is my latest blog post . . . I hope it helps where ever you are in your walk with God: http://youareworthytoo.blogspot.com/2013/09/convicted-by-god.html

Today, it is wild wacky wonderful Wednesday, what a crazy day! Here was my morning post on both my personal page and my “You Are Worthy Too” today:

Wild Wacky Wonderful Weds. I opened up K-Loves encouraging word today and this is what I read: "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

~ Matthew 17:20, NLT

I used to think this meant literal mountains and I would think to myself ‘Yea right! Impossible.’ Now I see them as mountains we create when we feel overwhelmed and it is true. With my faith I blast them to vapor. I KNOW KNOW KNOW my God always has me. It is undeniable. Come check out my blog! God gave me the gift of writing and called me out to share my story as a way to encourage and lift my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! and as I often do I posted the link to my blog.

I am blessed to have such faith and even more blessed to know the value of reading God's word. As my days have unfolded how much unnecessary worry I could have busied myself with. I did think to myself early Tuesday morning how sweet it would be if Mike were to go back to Florida and allow me to stay in our RV until my apartment was available, but there was no way I was going to ask him for such a big favor. Low and behold, he called me out of the blue Tuesday on my way back from lunch with Jean, my awesome sister in Christ who I am staying with this week, and proposed exactly that. I simply said, “Thank you. That would really help me out.” I still had no idea what was up with my car as it was in the process of being towed into the shop. Regardless, knowing I would have a place to stay for the next three months was literally an answer to a prayer. God is so good to me! He is good to all who believe and trust in Him.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Car Clinic called me to update me on what they had found. A broken u-joint and my drive shaft had fallen out. “I lost the drive shaft” I exclaimed. The girl on the other end providing me with the information kind of chuckled and said, “No, the drive shaft was still there but you are very lucky you made it to where you did.” I inquired about how much she thought it was going to cost. She answered they didn’t know yet. I was a little sick, for I had just had the wheel bearings and drive shaft fixed last December right after I had left Mike the first time. I found it funny in an ironic sort of way that I was facing the same type of damage with my car again. Last time, my invoice was just shy of $1500.00. I asked her how often I could expect this to be a problem and that is when she asked, “Well, exactly what happened before the car began shaking?” I filled her in on the events of the night. 

In a gist, Tia and I were the last in the car. My arm and neck were still hurting and Tia had asked if she could carry the laptop for me. I handed it to her as I got up and told her to place it on the box behind the driver seat. When we got in the car and closed the doors, Mike instantly pulled away from the curb and in the process almost hit a car that was coming around the building. He slammed on the breaks and Tia lost her balance. Mike yelled at her. She called him a jerk. He called her a jerk too. She then jumped out of the car and refused to get back in as long as Mike was in the car. I got out of the car to talk with her and then the children all jumped out as well after unbuckling Jeffrey from his car seat. I looked at Mike and said, “Please apologize. As the driver you should have made sure your passengers were ready for you to take off." He refused and drove off leaving all of us behind. I was exasperated to say the least. That is when I realized my money and bank card were still in the car. Mike stopped at the corner and as I walked up to ask him for my stuff, he was in the process of telling me this was the last chance for me to get back in the car. I said, “It’s really my car and it would be nice if you would get out. I’ll meet you at the shop and get your jeep jumped.” Before I could even finish my sentence, he sped off leaving me, Tia and all his children on the side of the road. I looked at everyone and said, well, it’s going to be dark soon, we need to get to walking quickly. We were around the corner from McDonalds in the park with the walking path when my phone rang. I answered and it was Mike asking where we were. I told him where we were and soon he found us. He was still refusing to get out of the car and walk himself and Tia was being just as stubborn. I finally got her to agree to go back to play McDonalds and wait for me to get back. She said that would work. Once she was safely there, I drove Mike to the shop and jumped his jeep.  I thought it was weird that at first he seemed to be following me but when we got to 31, I went South and he continued East of 32. Less than a mile down the road, my car begin shaking. I slowed my speed and began praying to make it back to McDonalds. I was less than a mile away. As I turned the corner I heard a really loud metallic pop that scared me to death. Then, as I pulled into a parking space I heard the more awful metallic sounds. I parked the car and sent Tia a text to let her know we were outside. Without transportation I was really hosed. It was dark. I could no longer walk anywhere. I had no clothes, no school back packs. I prayed for insight and instantly a fellow sister in Christ came to mind. I called her and she is such a true sister in Christ. She and her mom arrived within 15 minutes picked us up and in two cars drove us to her home. Her mother had brought extra ‘instant’ beds and luckily I had pajamas and extra clothes in my trunk for the children. Always be prepared for anything has been my motto for years. I sent Mike a text asking what he had done to my car as well as asking if he would be kind enough to bring the home back up to the shop so I could unpack it all. He agreed to bringing the home and basically denied doing anything to the car. I only told the girl at the mechanic shop about him driving off and then giving the car back to me. She replied, “Well, we aren’t saying this is what did happen, but the mechanic said the way the U-Joint broke indicated that someone was attempting to do damage to the car purposely. She went on to say the only way to break a U joint the way mine was broken would be for someone to put the car in neutral, rev it and then slam it in drive.” This was no shock to me. I already knew Mike had done something to the car. I think I wanted to believe it was him being stupid. Sadly I think it truly was done purposely. He, being a mechanic himself would know better than to do something as brutal to a car as that. I then asked how long she thought it might be before they had the car fixed. She said they were hoping to have it back to me by the next day late in the afternoon. I was amazed and stated that would be great. She told me not to hold her to that but they knew how badly I needed my car and they were going to do all they could to get it done quickly.

Today at 4 pm they called to let me know the car was fixed and I could come pick it up for $150.00!!!!!! Again, I say, I trusted God. I know He has a plan for me. I refused to waiver from my faith. I refused to fret or worry. We are advised against worrying in the bible.God is faithful. Trust in Him. Give it all to Him. Knock on that door and keep knocking. Get into His word. You will discover amazing truths.  You will begin to see how awesome and faithful our Father God is. You will also begin to understand the forces of evil and how to protect yourself. We are in a spiritual battle EVERY day. Don’t you think you would be better off knowing what armor you need in order to protect yourself and your loved ones?

I hope this post causes you to become curious enough to check out my full story. It certainly has been a most colorful one. Here I was thinking I had not lived much of a life myself until God began unfolding it all for me. Now I’m like, “Wow! I’m only 44 years old and I haven’t even told half of my story and really, I myself am amazed at the life I have lived!” I am truly blessed as all believers are. Do not fall for Satan’s evil web of lies. There is NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING you could do that would keep your Heavenly Father from throwing you a party should you decide you are ready to come home like the prodigal son. He came home with the intention of being a slave for his father and that is not how the story ended. Check it out for yourself. Your heavenly father is waiting for your return as well.

Father, I come before you today with such joy in my heart. You amaze me. You are so faithful. I am getting better at trusting in you with all my heart even when the father of lies is whispering differently to me. Thank you for that. It is you that has calmed my heart, given me strength, and seen me through. Why would you do that for all my life and then suddenly stop? The answer is you would not for that is not in your nature. You love all your children. We are so blessed. How blessed we are to call you Father. To have you save the day for us again and again and again. I know I should not have been in the situation I was in for you had confirmed that time and time again. Yet as a foolish girl, I longed for something that was not to be and you did not punish me. You simply waited for me to figure it out. I laugh now thinking why on earth did I not phrase my prayer like that years ago! Who knew you would move so swiftly to show me the truth of my situation. How I love you. I just wanted to say thank you for how much you love me. I feel your love beaming down on me like the sun. It feels wonderful. I could bask in it forever. I will bask in it. What a lovely place to be in life. Thank you Father. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy (walks with God)

Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

Clear the Clutter

It's Tremendously Thankful Thoughtful Thursday. Tonight I am going to the send off for The women's Cross Roads Great Banquet # 46. How the memories come rushing back. I will forever be thankful for how I grew that weekend.  It cost me nothing to go yet it was priceless. Pardon the pun! With the event coming up this week and in knowing I was going to be attending the send off, my heart has been overflowing with elated emotion. There is nothing that can compare to knowing God LOVES you. There is nothing that can compare to understanding His Grace and Mercy. There is nothing that compares to laying it all at His feet, accepting Christ as your Savior and understanding forgiveness. When these things take place in your life, you truly do become a new creation!

On my way to work I heard a couple of awesome songs I had never heard before. I am including this one today for it is so fitting to how I feel, what I desire. It's by Addison Road and it's a newer song of hers I believe "My Story"

I truly desire to serve the Lord. I honestly long to help my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ lift their heads and understand there is nothing, NOTHING God doesn't already know about them. All He is waiting for is for you to come to Him. I was lost for so long myself. While I believed in God, I did not believe I was worthy of saving. The evil one had me fooled. Even with all the signs and wonders God had made visible in my life, I was blind in a way that was detrimental to my well being. I know that place so well. I lived there for years. I finally get to do what I always wanted to do. I get to help God's children, my brothers and sisters in Christ. By allowing Christ to work on me and through me I am able to be a light for others.

I have been praying for a way to raise money for my ministry that won't take money from others. Recently God helped me recall a funny idea he had given me in my twenties. I shared my idea with my 14 year old daughter and she laughed. While she says I embarrass her with my thoughts, actions and dance moves, I know she loves me just the way I am! Last night, God clicked it together for me. Today I am here asking if you would clear out the clutter and help a girl with her mission! I am asking for donations of all broken, useless, unwanted crayons you may have. I am also asking for any and all empty vitamin bottles. If you would kindly collect these items and send them to me I would greatly appreciate your much needed donation! Simply address your packages to: Wendy Glidden, PO Box 481, Westfield, IN 46074

I can hardly wait to unveil the items God gave me to create as gifts. I promise, I have a smile on my face and laughter bubbling inside of me as I envision the laughter, joy and hope they will deliver.  

I love the road I am set on. While I understand I live in a fallen world and chaos is bound to cross my road, I will not be driven from my purpose again. I am keeping my focus on Jesus and I know I will be just fine through all my future storms. I am Free. 

Father today I come before you with laughter in my heart. Oh how good you are to me. I am blessed beyond measure. Others may see my life as full of hardships, yet as I look back I see loads of laughter. I would not change my shoes with anyone. It is my prayer father that those who too have had a bumpy road and have been fooled into believing they are not worthy come to find Joy in you. I pray the evil one's connivery is counted as useless against my fellow brothers and sisters. Trials and Tribulations are a given. They stretch us, they prepare us, they strengthen us. Thank you for always holding me up through the storms I have lived through. It saddens me that so many are blind to just who you truly are and what Grace and Mercy truly mean. The world is so upside down Father. It must break your heart for I know it breaks mine. I pray your light shines through me. I pray it shines through others. I pray we begin to act like one body. I pray we discover our true purpose. I pray the blinders come off. I pray eyes are opened and ears begin to hear, understand and recognize the truth when it is spoken. I pray for broken hearts may they find you Father. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden, 2013

My Savior Lives, My Savior Loves, My Savior's Always Been for Me!

Hello! I hope the day has found you with a smile on your face, a light in your eyes and a bounce in your step! If not, hopefully what I have been given to share today will change that! I was on my way to work this morning listening to K-love and as this song began to play, big as day, I had my alphabet picture blow up in front of my eyes enlarging the next verse I needed to write on. If you have been following my blog you know that I have written on A - H to date. I have read what is under letter I a couple of times over the last few days and wondered when I would be inspired to blog on the verse. Today is that day. I am thrilled to introduce to you first the song that inspired the flash. It is "My Savior My God" by Aaron Shust.

And next, today's bible verse from my alphabet picture above my desk. It is taken from Psalms, Chapter 4, verse 8:

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord make me dwell in safety.

With the world being in the state it is in, I find much comfort in this verse.  A couple of years ago, when there was much talk about the end of the world as we know it, on a few occasions I found myself in a discussion group with several people.  They were discussing the best ways to ensure their food supply as well as safety should the worst come to pass. In the midst of all these great provisional ideas that were being shared, I would chime in with this: "All that sounds great should we be able to stay close to where we currently are. The likelihood of that being the case is not certain so I'm just going to pray that God throws me some manna from heaven. He's the only true protection I can count on." 

Throughout all the various conversations I have been a part of over the last two years, some have chuckled. Someone once stopped talking and stared at me as if I was speaking in another language. The best response in my mind was when I had a guy high five me and say, "I love that. That's what I'm talking about." He was a fan of Ron Paul. I have been a fan of Ron Paul since I first researched him during the 2008 presidential election. He has written several enlightening books on what goes on behind the curtain. If you are into politics he is hands down someone that should have caught your attention for he stands apart from the majority of representatives we are presented with as candidates especially when you take a deeper look at what he stands for. I find it absolutely hilarious that our news crews called him a kook among other unkind names when he was a Presidential Candidate during the 2008 election. However, once the election was over, they had him on as a knowledgeable source for questions regarding our economy! The irony of the situation did not escape me!

We turned off the TV in our household in April of 2008. Mike and I came to the certain belief that 96% of what came out of the TV had a negative tone to it. Not a good percentage to win 'front and center time' in any household, let alone mine. Today I have no idea how I ever had time to watch it. I know one thing for certain, I don't miss it. You would be amazed at how much your children don't know they 'need' when they are no longer being feed soundbites every day. I often refer to the TV now as white noise. I would encourage you to turn it off for one month and see for yourself if anything changes in your home. 

With all that being said, I end today's post with the acknowledgement of how freeing it is to KNOW 100% that God has this. I don't need to understand everything about God. I don't have to defend his existence. I simply am blessed to have testimonies to share with my brothers and sisters. I too know how dark some of the roads we walk down can be. I've walked many of them myself. I am so blessed to have sought God and His advice, for when you seek, you will always find. The more you seek, the more you find. The more you find the more you seek. Until one day you see things shrouded in Heavenly lights so bright it takes your breath away and leaves you in a state of awe. When you get here, you will experience such a freedom, you will finally understand rest! Brace yourself though for Satan does not want you to remain in that state of mind. He will come at you in ways you have yet to experience. Remember to lean on your Heavenly Father. He is faithful. He will always see you through. 

Today I pray countless begin to seek you Father. I pray they seek you daily. I pray they sing your praises morning, noon and night. I know how faithful you are. May they come to know this as well. How blessed I am to have felt so tangibly your love for me. I thank you for that. I am in awe of your love for me. How I am counted as righteous still baffles my mind. How loving and gracious you are! Thank you. I pray more of my sleeping brothers and sisters awaken and step into action. I pray they hear your voice and recognize the signs you send them. I pray I recognize the signs you flash before me. I pray for more signs! I thank you for past signs. How they caused me to lift my head. I pray for your protection when it comes to those the evil one and those unfortunate souls he has connived, deceived and lied to. As you promise the enemy is crushed under my feet, let me never fall victim to him. Protect my heart and my mind Father as only you can. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden, 2013