Where Christ is, There I Shall Be Also!

May he grant your heart's desires and make all your plans succeed. ~ Psalm 20:4, NLT

I love the Psalms. They make my heart soar. The closer you draw to God, the more you build a friendly relationship with Him, the clearer your eyes become. 

Have you ever heard that the bible is a living document? I have. Readers know how a book can come to life in their hands. How while reading it they are in a way transported to that place and time. I love that about a good book.

The bible is a collection of books. Today when I pick it up and have time to read and dive in, these books truly do come to life for me. I can hear Paul and David and King Solomon and often I find my self caught up in their moments. I love reading and the bible is hands down the coolest book I have ever held in my hands.
The other day I read this encouraging word:

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. ~ Isaiah 53:6, NLT

I was certainly a sheep that had strayed. An angry self centered sheep at that! Resolved to live my life on my own terms and in my own way. How foolish we become when we cut ourselves off from the Lord. We are so blind we cannot see the error in our ways.

This past month I have been watching faith based movies from the library. They are great family movies and they inspire me. We all need a little veg time when we are overworked. I am to the point that I need it to be positive quality veg time. It was in trying to find decent comidies I could watch with my family that I discovered the faith based category in the local library. What is being labled as comedy these days is not really that funny. Honestly the majority of the films seem to be more sad than funny and often more than not they are not family appropriate.

One of the movies I checked out last week was called:  'Luther' Here is the link should you like to view it for yourself. a link to the movie itself Rather than purchase it, I would see if your local library has a copy for free! It's not really a family movie so don't pop this one in while the children are still up! 

While researching Luther further, I discovered that he is not exactly the most liked person in history! While I am sure this scene is not a direct quote made by the original Luther, it is too good not to share! Allow me to paint the scene: Luther is explaining to the congregation what his view of God was like before he had learned about Jesus Christ. As he strolled away from the pulpit and stood next to the first pew, this is what he said in the movie itself:

"Those who see God as angry, do not see Him rightly, but look upon a curtain as if a dark storm cloud has been drawn across his face. If we truly believe Christ is our Savior, than we have a God of Love. To see God in faith is to look upon His friendly heart.

So, when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death in hell, tell him this: I admit that I deserve death in hell, what of it! For I know one who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, where He is there I shall be also!"

I found myself truly enjoying the entire movie. I think those who despise religion itself would truly enjoy this movie because of the true story behind it. Martin Luther was most indeed a mover and shaker in his day!

The other movie I watched was family appropriate. It is called The Genesis Code. I found a trailor clip off of youtube. If your browser won't let you view it from within my blog, just go to youtube itself and type it in.

The gist of this movie revolves around the opening book of the bible and explains how science and the first six days as described by God are not in conflict. 

I hope you find the time to squeeze these two movies into your viewing sequence! I think as far as movie's go they are both worth watching. 

Today is Weds, February 5th, 2014! I have three chapters left to complete for my next book entitled: You Are Worthy Too: Marriage, Motherhood and My Moral Meltdown! I plan on having it available to purchase on February 14, 2014. Deadlines. How quickly they approach! 

This morning Smashwords greeted me with a green light letting me know I had passed all requirements and my first book; You Are Worthy Too: In the Beginning is now featured in the premium catalog. I have discovered that I will not be listed on Amazon until I reach the first $2000. in sales! 

However, in celebration of my making it to this point in my journey, I issued a coupon code: LR67N for my first book! It is only good through March 6th, 2014 so be sure to apply it at check out when you purchase it!  

This is what one reader had to say about it:

Wendy,

I just finished your  “ You are Worthy Too: In the Beginning " Incredible!  YOU ARE WORTHY!  

You write very well, and your third party writing is also great.  

Your faith is unmeasurable…  and with faith comes confidence and with confidence and faith the devil has no chance in HELL! 

Chris was quite the character… I don’t think I like her at all….. devil inside her….

This book has got to make you feel so much better about yourself. 

Now go write one a NEW book with your confidence you have about the future…. As GOD has this also planned out for you.   YOU ROCK!!!  

Kathy

I was also told by a reader that when I had invited her to be in my sample audience, she was in the midst of trying to decide whether she wanted to check in more than she wanted to check out. She said the only thing holding her was wondering who would take care of her children. She said after reading my book that has all changed. She said she is not normally a reader but she loved how the book moved along. She said it really got her thinking. She told me that my book needed to be read by others like her. Needless to say her words moved me to tears. 

My book can be purchased as a gift, so if you know someone that might need a ray of hope, please share it. I would have never guessed this girl was feeling that down and out. It truly gave me pause. 

I leave you today with another encouraging word:

Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

~ Isaiah 41:10, NLT

He is Faithful. You can count on that promise!

Father, I come to you today simply amazed at how you are taking my story and touching the lives of others. I am thrilled to be your humble servant. I love being a part of what you are doing. Use me father in greater ways. I want to be a ray of hope. I want others to find encouragement in their daily lives. You created us to live abundantly, I pray others are broken from the chains of bondage. May they understand they have a savior in Christ. May they stand up to the evil one when he tries to enslave them! In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, walks with God,

Mom of Many

©Wendy Glidden 2014

A Prayer of Protection for the Children of God

It's Tremendously Thankful Thoughtful Thursday! I love this day. Honestly, ever since I renamed all the days of the week a year ago, I have fallen in love with every one of them. I am working on a calendar to go along with the renaming. There is so much work I have set myself up for this year! I am truly super excited to see it all come together.

As many of you know, I start my days out with K-loves encouraging word. Today is one of those days where you see or hear something and you just know it was created especially for you. Many of this years encouraging words have made me feel that way. Today's encouraging word comes from Matthew, Chapter 6, verses 26 - 27:

verse 26: Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

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

For me when I read this verse it was as if God was personally reaching out to me and reminding me that He always will take care of me. I will never go without. Therefor don't worry about things like, "If I am pregnant with another child, how on earth will I manage everything?"

As of today, I am behind schedule and very well may be pregnant. The old me, the girl who attempted to do everything in her own strength would be freaking out to the max right now. Instead, I see this for what it is. Either a blessing or a gentle reminder to remain firm in my faith. I have no idea what God has in store for me, but I have Faith it is all good.

The other day. Sunday as a matter of fact. We were all getting ready for church. As often happens in a home with more than one child, various arguments were beginning to brew. I have been trying to get my children to realize how silly their disputes are to no avail.

However, something happened this past Sunday and I can only believe it was the Holy Spirit speaking through me to my children. I don't remember exactly what happened prior but what ever it was, it made me call an emergency family meeting with the children.

Once I had every one's attention, I began talking. "Do any of you know how sneaky the father of lies is?" No one answered so I wondered if they knew who I was referring to. I talk about him often but you never really know what your children pick up on and what they don't, so I continued, "The father of lies is Satan. He is so sneaky he can say things to you and make you think they are your own thoughts. The thoughts he plants inside of your head can make you angry or jealous and before you know it you are in a fight with one of your sisters or brothers." Now I had their full attention.

I have often wondered why when you have more than one child riding in a car one for any length of time one of them is always bound to begin crying out, "Stop looking at me!" I know I did this myself as a child. Today I truly believe this is one of many arrows the evil one launches at innocent minds; The feeling that a sibling is somehow making fun of them by simply looking at them even when they aren't even being looked at! So, I used that scenario to paint the scene of silliness for them. Using humor when teaching is often effective!

After that I asked them if any of them knew how they could protect themselves from Satan. Wide eyed and captivated they all looked at each other to see if anyone had a hand up. No one did. I told them I was going to teach them a prayer that would protect them and that they would need to say it every morning and every night and anytime they felt they might be under an attack. This is the prayer I taught them:

"Good morning God. I know that I am in a spiritual war. I am just a kid. I do not know how to protect myself. Please protect me in all your mighty ways. In Jesus name I pray. Amen."

Simple, sweet and right to the point. We said it together line by line. Then I asked, "Who knows the first line?" and continued until we had said the entire prayer. As they took turns saying a part of the prayer they either changed it a little or added words to it. I smiled and said, yes. That's it. You don't have to say it exactly the same every time, you just need to say the prayer how it comes out. You are praying for protection because you know that you are in a spiritual war. You are asking God to help you win the battle.

Next I asked them if any of them knew why we pray in the name of Jesus? None of them did so we talked about the sacrifice Jesus made for us. We talked about how He could have called out at anytime to stop it all yet He did not. We talked about how His blood had to be poured out for our sins to be covered and it was in His dying that He concurred death for us. We talked about how important it was to get to know about Jesus. We talked about how after He left, the Holy Spirit came and how we walk in the Spirit today. It seemed to make quite the impression on them. God never ceases to amaze me. I was surprised to hear myself speaking the words I was speaking but I continued to let them be spoken for I knew the source.

I have to tell you, the fights in my house have diminished tremendously since they all began saying this prayer. In all honesty, there has not been a fight between any of them that I can recall this entire week. Traveling in the car has even been peaceful. That my friends is amazing.

Satan uses whatever he can to disrupt your day in an attempt to put your light out. Don't think for one second he is not out to steal your joy, kill your dreams and destroy your family. Children are a great weapon for him to use against adults and use them he does.

God gave me that prayer to share with my children. This morning as I was spending time with the Lord, this prayer came full blown to me again along with the above title of this post and I knew what I would be writing about today.

I love that God gives me titles to write on. They seem to unlock writers block for me. This month I have been doing so much reading and researching and learning that I have not written a lot myself. Yesterday as I went to bed I was thinking to myself, 'It is already Wednesday night and I have written nothing new this week.'

I know it is silly but sometimes I fear no more words will come to me. That is a fiery arrow from the evil one! I know that because of the vision that God gave me last year.

I was in a meeting with my life coach, Cathy Padgett, and she was praying over me. I had my eyes closed and all of a sudden a whirlwind of post it notes were whipping all around me. Quickly they began sticking to the walls in perfect order. One right after the other, side by side, all blank. I told Cathy about the vision and how I was not sure what it meant. I was focused on the post it notes. I am not a fan of them. I thought it was odd that they started out in a tornado like fashion and then quickly got in order against the wall but I admitted I had no real idea what the vision meant.

It was on my way home that I got the second piece of the vision. I was in the process of asking God what the post it notes meant when I clearly heard, "You will fill them all."

Suddenly I knew! He was showing me that I would indeed have the desires of my heart. The whole thing was so abundantly overwhelming I cannot even put into words how big my heart expanded.

I hope in me sharing this amazing testimony you also are better equipped to recognize Satan's fiery arrows. I know he wants to keep me from writing. This is why he fires the thought at me. He wants to grip my heart with fear so that all I can think about is his fiery arrow: 'What if the words stop'. God gave me the vision so I could quickly distinguish that negative soundtrack from playing. The words will never stop. They belong to God and they are never ending.

I also know that Satan does not want me praying. He doesn't want any of us standing firmly in our faith. He will try with all his might to shake it. He never rests, he never stops fighting, he is relentless, shrewd and wise in the ways of war and how to best wage it against you. Don't for one second think you have defeated him! You must put on your full suit of armor every day. Pray for others always and when you think of someone out of nowhere, say a quick prayer for them. There are no coincidences. You thought of them for a reason.

I am learning more and more about God, His Word and how to protect myself from the evil one. However, I also know just how shrewd the evil one is and how quickly he can attack you out of nowhere. So, it is my suggestion that everyone say a daily prayer for protection. You can make it simple, you can use the one above and change it to fit who you think you are. For example, you could say: Good morning God. I know I am in a spiritual war. I am just learning about spiritual battles and the armor I need to protect myself. So I am here to ask you to please protect me in all your mighty ways. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Or you can say something like, "Good morning God. I thank you for all you do for me in the ways of protection. I thank you for always having my back. I am not the wisest when it comes to the ways of war and I have moments of weakness. I know that is all the evil one needs to come at me full force. When I put my guard down Lord I pray you shake me awake so that I quickly see my foe at work and understand all I need is to trust and rest in You. You are faithful Lord. I know that. I trust that. Help me be a mighty warrior so I can help more captives break free. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Prayer is incredible. It is a form of protection and one you should use daily! I used to fear saying prayers out loud. I was afraid I didn't know how to pray the right way! The funny thing is I have been saying prayers most of my life, I just never thought of them as prayers. I thought of them as talks with God. It is impossible to say a bad prayer. Satan wants to keep you from praying for he knows their is actual power in prayers. Don't allow him to keep you from praying. We all need to pray every day. We need to come to God with joy in our hearts knowing how incredible He is and thanking Him for everything. Next we ask for help with something. After I ask for the help I need, I thank Him again. He is the almighty God and nothing is too hard for Him.

I know when it comes to praying all of us have gone to God and asked for something and have felt like we didn't get it. The best example I can think of is those that ask for a loved one to be healed and instead of being made better, they pass away. This is a big reason many in the world have lost faith in God. I would like to remind all of you that our days on earth are numbered. We don't get to chose where we are born and we don't get to pick how we exit this life. We are born, we live and we all die a physical death. We should not fret over this. We can and should always pray for healing but we should not lose heart when a loved one does not recover. It is my belief that it was their time to die. The way they exit may indeed cause much heartache and despair so pray for the lives around that person as well.

It's been a few posts since I have added a song to a blog post. I am sure I am meant to share this song with you here on this post for it just began playing in my head. That is no coincidence for my son is sitting next to me watching a kid show on Netflix and there is a song playing that is nothing like this. Try thinking of a song on purpose while another song is playing. It's hard. With that being said, I leave you with Sanctus Real and their hit song, Pray: 

Father, I thank you today for all you have done for me. I am blown away by the visions I see now and all I can say is thank you thank you thank you. I am humbled to think you love me so much. After all who am I? Yes. I am a child of yours. Plain and simple. You love your children. How that knowledge explodes my heart. Help me be a bright light Lord. Help me be a mighty warrior. I want nothing more than to help my fellow brothers and sisters break out of captivity. Please use me Lord. In every way you see fit. I am so pleased to finally be doing what I have always wanted to do. Write words of encouragement. Thank you for using me in such great ways. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy Glidden, walks with God

Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2014

Do You See What I See?

Today is fantastically fabulous fun filled friends and family Friday!! The first one of 2014 as a matter of fact! With Christmas and New Years falling mid week, I have to keep reminding myself it really is Friday and not Tuesday. With the added days off from work, courtesy of the days I was gifted off from my boss, my routine has been thrown off a bit. However, I have loved the extra time off to spend with my family. Trust me when I say I am not complaining about feeling like I should be doing Tuesday office duties rather than Friday's!

Last night when I got home, Michael was putting the finishing touches on dinner. I helped dish it out to the children and once dinner was completed, I offered to do the dishes. Mike laughed and said, "Nice. You work all day and then get stuck doing dishes after dinner."

I laughed and replied, "I like doing dishes. There is something about having my hands in hot water that helps me gel my rambling thoughts." It is true. I don't know why doing dishes has that calming almost grounding affect on me, but it does. Even though I have a dishwasher in our new place, I still hand wash the dishes. I have found the dishwasher is the perfect place to put everything to dry. We truly only have enough plates, bowls and cups to serve everyone once. Doing things this way saves me time and energy as well as space. I don't have to put everything away in a cabinet. What would be the point? We will be dragging the dishes out again in a few short hours!

As I was washing dishes, I began unfolding the events and conversations with others I had had over the last couple of days. I was reflecting on how a persons viewpoint changes what they actually see. When that epiphany hit me, I had what I refer to as flashes of insight. I quickly went to my bedroom, pulled out a notepad from my nightstand, and wrote the word viewpoint down before it faded from my brain and then went back to washing dishes.

Usually when I have flashes of insight, if I'm on my game, I find myself writing a blog about all I see. As I continued washing the dishes, I reflected on viewpoints and how sometimes our own viewpoint can actually blind us to certain truths. Suddenly, my mind longed to see things from God's viewpoint. What a view that must truly be!

Many times, when my brain has flashes of insight, I ponder on them. I was appreciating the fact that no two people see something in the exact same way. This point can be made by reading eye witness accounts from a vehicle accident or a crime scene. I have always found this truth fascinating. It was while reflecting upon these things, that the above title for this blog came to me. The night was winding down and honestly I was exhausted and in much need of what I refer to as veg time. I quickly jotted down the title and threw my notepad into my carry case knowing I would blog upon it today.

Do you see what I see? I can remember playing this game as a child. Who knew it would take on such a grander meaning in adulthood? I mean in all honesty, sometimes I look at something and a certain part of it stands out bigger than the rest, yet when I go back to share it with someone, I am almost blind to the thing that originally jumped out at me. This happens the most often when it comes to reading something and then later attempting to share what I read with someone else. I have told myself again and again that I should keep a highlighter on hand for such times! Then it would be easy to re-spot and share down the road. However, I am a mom of many. Things like highlighters are harder to keep hidden away from little ones than treats! Just being able to have a pen or pencil in a given moment can often be a challenge. I cannot tell you how many times I have jotted a note down with a crayon!

We all have our own viewpoints. Everyone has their own set of biases that they base their beliefs upon. Trying to help someone see things from your vantage point is not always easy. If they are closed minded the task becomes that much more difficult. As we grow and mature often our viewpoints shift and even change completely. This mere fact alone may be why some are afraid to open their minds enough to listen to what someone else has to share.

Recently, I came under attack from another person online. They accused me of harming others by sharing my faith. They called me lazy, stupid, slow, and ignorant among other names.

It never ceases to amaze me how some people, while in the process of trying to convince you that your belief system is built on a faulty foundation, find the need to be so abusive. Often, when you point out the truth that there is no reason to be so cruel to get one's opinion across, they truly seem to be blind to their own verbal abuse.

I truly thank God that I am who I am and that I am discovering who I am in Christ for I can honestly say I like myself. This alone helps me rise above such situations to the point that I find myself being led by the spirit to pray for those that attempt to insult me or cause me harm. I see that they are lacking truth and light in their life and I know full well how living outside of either of those feels.

There is definitely something to be said for walking in the spirit. It helps you rise above such situations. I think one might often find themselves in a petty exchange of words in the midst of such assaults were they not wearing the recommended daily armor required for such attacks. This is not to claim that I myself never stumble. It just does not feel good when those moments take place and very quickly the spirit of rightousness convicts me.

I know for me, my heart physically ached for this particular person. I have never met them face to face, and most likely never will. I found it interesting that I went to bed feeling sorry for them and awoke to find myself being led by the spirit to pray for them.

This, among other things, was what I was reflecting upon when the whole viewpoint and do you see what I see notion came to me.

I pray that no matter where you are at in life that you are open enough to try to see things from another person's viewpoint. If you are not willing to truly hear what they are saying, how do you ever hope to be able to have an impact upon their viewpoint. You must know where a person is before you can see how you might best be able to make a point or even better plant a seed. This does not mean you will have a positive effect on every person you attempt to lift. Sadly, when you read your bible, you know clearly some will not be moved.

It is not our place to judge others. We cannot change who they are. Only them being open to the spirit can do that. I try to remind myself to toss seeds regardless of my own shallow thoughts. As the parable about the seeds being thrown onto the ground suggests, some will take root and some will not. It is not my place to judge the ground which I throw them on. I am to throw them regardless of what I am able to see and trust that the spirit will do the rest.

I have found my own truest protection lies in my walking in the spirit as well as continually renewing my mind with God's word. I believe I encourage others and perhaps help them with the strengthening of their faith by sharing my life story. I also believe when we are able to love others in spite of how they treat us, we shine a light into the darkest corners of the world.

Today I pray for the blind and for those who believe that God and religion go hand in hand. Nothing in life makes me sadder than a person without hope or faith. I see them as a dieing flower that is in much need of nourishment. I am so thankful that even in the pit of hell I never doubted you were my creator Father. How blessed I have been all my life to know you truly exist. I pray for all who believe in you but have fallen for the lie that we are not good enough to be loved by you. Thank you for lifting me so high that I was able to see and grasp this truth. It was a real game changer. I can never thank you enough for that game change. I pray for more strength and more wisdom for myself. I only long to be the brightest light I can be. I thank you Father for all the blessings you bestow upon me and my family in a given day. I truly see myself as blessed. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy Glidden, walks with God
Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden

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

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

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

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

Rejoice!

Totally Tripping Tremendously Thankful Thoroughly Thoughtful Thursday! Today I am thankful I was able to keep my wits about me last night and in complete darkness while freezing, along with God's help, solve the mystery of no electricity and was able to get the heat back on. I must admit when I finished, I shot Mike a text and at first I was laughing. I think it would have to be classified as relief laughter which is also known as hysteria and then I immediately burst into tears. I miss him. He is my MacGyver. Had he been home, I could have rested under the warm blankets knowing he would fix the problem. Many might be surprised to know when Mike has a big problem on his hands he calls upon the Lord for help. I have witnessed him be against a wall and then pray and end up doing amazing things and you just know that wisdom to accomplish that task came from the Lord. There is simply no denying it. Not having him here to lean on pains me. I still have to fix the bigger problem because I am only able to run the heat right now. No lights, no TV, nothing but heat. However, when it boils right down to it, heat is the most important of those. I did cry out to God myself for help with getting the heat back on as I crawled around in the dark wondering where a flash light might be. I thank Him for showing me what to do last night for indeed it was as if a light bulb went off in my head and I just tried what came to me out of nowhere. Sure enough it worked. God in one fell swoop showed me both that He would always have me covered yet life is surely easier with a help mate to lean on.

I found an old CD that I had purchased over a year ago after service on a Sunday. A christian folk singer named Rick Stump had led our song worship that morning and I loved everything he sang. I was so thrilled to have stumbled upon it again. I had just wondered where it might be the other day. You see, for the last few weeks I have only had the girls 'One Girl Nation' Cd to listen to for music. I can get Moody radio to come in but that is it in the car. When going to an event at the children's school, I had put Jeffrey on the trunk of the car to put on his shoes and he broke my antenna and promptly yanked it all the way out! Somehow I managed to get it in far enough to pick up one radio station! The only station it will pick up is Moody Radio. I find that so funny because when we bought that car, every station was programmed to Moody Radio and that is how I found and fell in love with them! God gave me that car and through it is how I came to own the RV that I am living in right now. Long stories that I have yet to share. So much writing I need to get to. I keep wondering when God is going to allow me more time to simply write. My life is so busy and if it were not for the Lord I would be so lost right now. That is the biggest thing I am thankful for. My relationship with the Lord. Anyway, when traveling in the car with all the children, listening to a talk program is not always easy. I loved to turn on K-Love during those times but that station will not come in! With another CD to listen to and be it one I hadn't heard for over a year, I was thrilled as we headed off to the laundry mat last night with our new tunes. I love the whole CD. I am hoping I can find some of his stuff on You Tube so I can share. Anyway, half way there, the song, 'Made to Fall' came on and when Mike and I have our reception celebration, this will be the song we dance to. Alas, the songs I want are not on YouTube. I did find him on Facebook. I have liked his page and sent a message. We'll see where that goes.

**** I was sidetracked as often happens, but all of a sudden I knew how to rework things to get my RV chargers going again so my well pump will stay on and my lights will work. I also managed to get the TV running again. Life is good when you give your troubles to God! This morning has been so busy I just now opened my email box and read K-Loves encouraging word for the day. So fitting for Thankful Thursday!

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again-rejoice! ~ Philippians 4:4, NLT

I am suddenly laughing again for I do feel like rejoicing. My God is bigger. I am kept safe and all my needs are met. I love my Father in Heaven. I cannot imagine a life without faith. Just knowing He always has me is so comforting. Even in the middle of the night when darkness prevails, my God still can turn on the light so to speak! If I never manage to get anything else instilled in my children, I pray they pick up on how awesome our God is and how having a relationship with the Lord and accepting His Lordship over their life is the only true way to live. 

I love Philippians for that is where I get my comeback when my teenybopper says 'whatever'. Allow me to share more of this Book and Chapter as it is so good it deserves a deeper dive. Plus who knows perhaps you have a teenybopper at home too that loves to throw out the 'whatever'. This is the best comeback to that!

With that being shared, allow me to share, straight from my MacArthur Study Bible, Out of the Book of Philippians, Chapter 4 verse 4 through verse 9:

verse 4: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

verse 5: Let your gentle spirit be know to all men. The Lord is near. 

verse 6: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

verse 7: And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

verse 8: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell in these things.

verse 9: The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Just makes me beam as brightly as the sun when I read such encouraging words. As I typed be anxious for nothing, I saw myself last night as I had to deal with the electrical issues. I was able to keep my head about me because I called upon the Lord and remained calm. I am so thankful for the capability to be able to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I am so blessed to have the faith I do. I truly believe it is due to my seeking and His faithfulness that my faith is as big as it is. That means all who seek truly will find for our Father is a giving, loving Father and his promises ring true. I suggest you take the time to search Him out. It will be the wisest thing you ever do!

Father I come to you with laughter and a song in my heart. You are so faithful. Thank you for keeping my babies warm through the night. Thank you for hope and faith and love. Thank you for your words of wisdom that encourage me to press on even when in my own strength I say 'This mountain is too big!' and I fall to a moment of weakness. Thank you for picking me up and carrying me the instant I call out to you. My prayer today is for all who are without hope or faith and are fumbling in the dark cursing the obstacles in their path. May they come to know that you are there. May they begin to seek you out and lean upon you and discover how faithful you always are. In turn may they share their own stories and become workers that spread the good news. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

Wendy, Walks with God

Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013