Out of Gas ~ Anything Helps!

The other day I went to do a load of laundry only to discover this sign in my laundry basket:

I have no idea who walked by and left it in my laundry basket in exchange for laundry detergent but the exchange proves one thing for sure, "Anything Helps".

As my day proceeded, I kept chuckling to myself over the slogan and how much truth it held. I cannot tell you how many times I have found myself 'OUT of Gas!' I think I said the phrase in my head about 100 times during the day as I laughed and shook my head.

Those of you who read 'For Reals' know moments this year took a toll on me and I did find myself 'Out of Gas' several times. Each time this happened, I found renewed strength in the Word of God. I thank Him for sending me back to college as an answer to a prayer. It was due to the weekly assigned reading, discussions and assignments that I read books of the bible that I can promise you I would not have dove into on my own. As I read and gained knowledge, I found a renewed strength.

As I write this, I am listening to K-Love and this song by the band Finding Favor comes on and Wow does it ever speak to me right now. Perhaps it will resound with you as well. After all, it is Silly Sing Song Saturday!

This life is a journey we walk by faith
And there will always be the mountains in our way
But right here in this moment, may our strength be renewed
As we recall what God has done and how we've seen Him move

If there's anybody here who's found Him faithful
Anybody here who knows He's able
Say Amen
If there's anybody here who's seen His power
Anybody here brought through the fire
Say Amen
Anybody here found joy in the middle of sorrow
Just say Amen!

Sometimes through the darkness, it's hard to see
So just be brave and follow where He leads
Greater is the one who's in us, than he who's in the world
So child of God remember, the battle is the Lord's

If there's anybody here who's found Him faithful
Anybody here who knows He's able
Say Amen
If there's anybody here who's seen His power
Anybody here brought through the fire
Say Amen
Anybody here found joy in the middle of sorrow
Peace in the storm, hope for tomorrow
And seen time and time again
Then just say Amen!

Even in the valley of the shadow when you feel alone in the unknown
Just say Amen, just say Amen
Even when the storms are raging, stand and know your not forsaken
Just say Amen, just say Amen

Is there anybody here, tell me is there anybody here
Come on and say Amen

If there's anybody here who's seen His power
Anybody here brought through they're
Come on and say Amen
Anybody here found joy in the middle of sorrow
Peace in the storm, hope for tomorrow
And seen time and time again
Then just say Amen!

Often, I find myself so overwhelmed with gratitude that the word Amen says so much. I am thankful that God called me forth to put so much of my life into a book. It is in sharing our own testimonies that we find greater faith as well as inspire it in others. Recognizing the glory of God at work in your life does so much for your well being. 

As I reflect on that truth and just what sharing my story with the world has done for me, this song begins playing. Colton Dixon, "Through All of It"

"Through All Of It"

There are days I've taken more than I can give

And there are choices that I made

That I wouldn't make again

I've had my share of laughter

Of tears and troubled times

This is has been the story of my life

I have won and I have lost

I got it right sometimes

But sometimes I did not

Life's been a journey

I've seen joy, I've seen regret

Oh and You have been my God

Through all of it

You were there when it all came down on me

And I was blinded by my fear

And I struggled to believe

But in those unclear moments

You were the one keeping me strong

This is how my story's always gone

I have won and I have lost

I got it right sometimes

But sometimes I did not

Life's been a journey

I've seen joy, I've seen regret

Oh and You have been my God

Through all of it

Through all of it

And this is who You are

More constant than the stars up in the sky

All these years of our lives

I, I look back and I see You

Right now I still do

And I'm always going to

I have won and I have lost

I got it right sometimes

But sometimes I did not

Life's been a journey

I've seen joy

I've seen regret

Oh and You have been my God

Through all of it

Oh and You have been my God

Through all of it

Oh and You have been my God

Through all of it

I cannot imagine this life of mine without the LORD's help. I truly cannot fathom the mess I would be; the hopelessness I would be doomed to wallow in. I know this truth, the enemy came for one thing. To rob you of life, both here and for eternity to come. 

John 10:10, NASB: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. 

It is in discovering who you are in Christ that you will indeed discover a well of strength that never runs dry. 

[13] Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; [14] but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14, NASB)

In Christ you will indeed find a hope that you will find in nothing else. How often I pray to take what I know to be truth and transfer it into others. To be able to transfer my faith to them. We all have to discover the truth for ourselves; I ask you, "How can you discover what you don't search for?"

We are promised the desires of our heart in the seeking of God. It is a PROMISE! Here is the catch though, God knows your heart. You cannot out fake God. There's great power in knowing Christ, but you should not seek to know Him only in hopes of gaining said power. Christ's power is not a destructive force designed for profit or gain. Christ's power reaps the fruits of the Spirit. Christ's power heals. It is a life changing force that transforms one from the inside out. It is in knowing who YOU are in Christ that you will find renewed strength and despite this fallen world and all it brings your way, you will be able to run and not get tired!

[28] Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. [29] He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. [30] Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, [31] Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:28-31, NASB)

Today, should you find yourself running out of gas, I encourage you to fill your tank up with God's Love. Get to know who Christ was and is; for He never changes! I think the Gospel of John will reveal the Love of God for you. As you read those chapters, I pray for you the prayer that Paul said for the church in Ephesus:

[17] 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 of His power toward us who believe. Amen. (Ephesians 1:17-19, NASB)

May your day be blessed

May you find peace if stressed

Wendy Glidden, Mom of Many, walks with God.

© Wendy Glidden 2015

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

Walking By The Spirit

Hello everyone! I hope the day has found with with a smile on your face and a song in your heart! Today I find God's love for me miraculous. His desire for me to live overwhelms me some days. In the realm of it all I am here but a moment just like you, yet He sent his son to save us all. What a gift. What a blessing.

I have these flash cards that my church printed up and I flip through them sometimes when I am trying to get in the mood to write. I found these three fitting for the mindset I am in this afternoon. This next weekend is the Women's Cross Roads Great Banquet #45. I attended #44 back in February. My small group is going to attend the send off this week.

Going to the Great Banquet helped me completely get the concept of Forgiveness, Grace and Agape. It is an experience I will never forget. In the simplest form, attending the Great Banquet was Life Changing.

It was while in reflection upon that weekend I found myself reading these flash cards. These 3 spoke to me and I have decided I must share all 3 of them with you.

Beginning with Galatians, Chapter 2, verse 20:

verse 20: I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Next we go to Ephesians, Chapter 4, verse 22 - 24:

verse 22: that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,

verse 23: and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 

verse 24:  and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. 

And we end with 2 Corinthians, Chapter 5, verse 17:

verse 17: Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.

It is my opinion that if you are not seeking God with all your heart, you are not reading His word. It is by reading His word that you begin to understand exactly what walking in the spirit feels and looks like.

I think many people believe that once a person accepts Christ for their savior they should no longer sin. It is also my belief that Satan planted that lie to cause confusion within the church as well as separation among believers. After all if you are saved and then you stumble how well does that represent God working in your life?

Satan convinced us to hide our shames and failures from one another. My sisters and brothers, we are flesh. We wake up day after day and go immediately into a spiritual battle. As soon as you spread gossip, as soon as you say something with a sarcastic tone, as soon as you react in anger, you have sinned. I don't know about you, but on occasion these fleshly characteristics have a way of making an appearance in my life.

These actions never leave me with a good taste in my mouth these days. My righteousness convicts me of this behavior. It is not what I desire to be and it does not sit well with me upon reflection.

Walking in the spirit means I try to resemble Christ in all ways. Satan knows this. He also knows my faults as well as my weakness in all areas. I am convinced the more one tries to walk in the spirit the harder the evil one attacks in all forms.  Last Sunday one of our members made mention of how he envisioned Satan checking his database for the best way to attack us. I know he is a smooth operator and quite capable of seeing through the cracks in my armor at any given moment. This alone is why it is so important to dress daily for battle.

My life belongs to Christ. I begin my days with preparation. Some mornings I read out of a devotional first thing. Every morning I listen to Christian radio. Singing praises and laughing will always put you in a more joyous, hopeful mood. Each day I have devotionals I read, I go through my flash cards, I check out my alphabet picture with Bible verses on it, I carry my Bible with me and I pray.

It is my goal to walk by the Spirit always. Jesus is my focus. With that being said, there are days when I stumble. Today I no longer convict myself of being unworthy of God's love. I know that is another lie from hell. Now, I get on my knees and pray for more strength, wisdom and understanding. I thank God for sending Jesus who died Once for All sin, including mine. I know I don't need to pray for forgiveness when I have occasion to stumble for I am already forgiven of all my sins for all time. The evil one wants me to focus on my sin and my fear of my sin being too big to be forgiven. God wants us to focus on our righteousness, understanding forgiveness because in doing so, we will actually improve our walk!
I find it ironic that the perfect song just came on the radio to tie up this post. I have been interrupted countless times and it has taken all day to put these thoughts down on paper. I hope they are an encouragement to you.

Father, today I pray more of my fellow brothers and sisters wake up and begin seeking you. I pray they do not allow the evil one to convince them they are not worthy of your love. I pray they discover what your grace is. I pray they come to realize how special they are to you. I pray more and more of my fellow brothers and sisters begin seeking you in greater more devoted ways. I pray together, strengthened by You, we as the body of Christ become bolder. I pray we begin to move as a body moves when agile and healthy. Father I thank you for the strength and understanding you have blessed me with over my lifetime. I thank you for all I have lived through for living through such trials and tribulations has taught me to find the silver lining that always exists in the midst of all storms. I pray that all my brothers and sisters come to realize there is nothing more special about anyone of us when it comes to you and your love for us all. I pray they realize the difference in the relationship between you and all your children merely lies in whether they are seeking you or not as well as how often they seek you. I pray they come to know in their hearts that You are Faithful. You have provided us with a handbook for survival. Today I pray that more and more and more of us begin to get into Your word Father. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

Step It Up!

Wow! I can not believe it is already Tremendously Thankful Thoughtful Thursday. It really is still one of my favorite days. Just goes to show you the power of your mindset!

This week started out with a migraine from allowing the stress and venom of others to have it's evil effect on me. The best part of that day was when my headache faded as I chatted with my Heavenly Father. I couldn't help but crack a smile and say, "I just need more of you Lord. Soak me in your word. Let your Grace flow through me as my blood flows through my veins." When I bask in the comfort of God my whole outlook changes. Mountains disappear and become like vapor. Nothing is too big for God. How comforting that is. It fills my heart with joy. I know there is so much more to come. For those of you who have been reading my blog since last December, you know my travels have not been along the friendliest roads. My closet is full of uncomfortable shoes that were worn for miles. When God called to me and led me almost as if I was sleep walking to share about my life I was dumbfounded yet so enthralled with hearing him speak to me again that I had to obey. It was amazing to watch my life unfold onto paper. I have been shown things about myself and my past I never even saw while in the moment. I would encourage anyone who is in the midst of a trial and at a lack of Faith to read my story. I am only to age 22 chronologically. There are a few undeniable God Sign chapters in the mix that happened after age 40. I have a lot more to share. In the mean time, I have a crazy busy life and as we all know, life can have a way of spinning out of control!

I was getting caught up in the whirl wind and recognized it. I called out to my life coach and said, "I think we need to have a meeting. I need to get a grasp on this. Refocus." Cathy Padgett is my life coach and I love her. I showed up and she started our meeting with a prayer. She informed me that she had been given a word for me and she didn't want it to hurt my feelings. I said, "Okay". She said, "When I prayed on our meeting I was encouraged to tell you to 'Step it Up'. She then asked, "Does that speak to you?" I smiled. Oh yea, it speaks to me. I am overwhelmed at work. But that is work. When I leave that office all of that needs to stay behind. The rest of the day is mine. I need to embrace it and get busy. What job is out there that isn't rough some days? I have worked plenty of them and they all have there pros and cons. I honestly love my job. Sure some of the customer service conversations get crazy and people can be vile and hateful but it's because of their own fear. I need to recognize this and fight back with love, grace and compassion. I need to remember, if you throw no coal on the fire, the fire will run out of fuel and die down. Knowing this and following through on it can be tough if I forget to turn it over to God. I'm human. It's easy to get caught up in the moment. To call ridiculous and hateful by name can instantly enlarge the fire. It's not always the words we use, it's how we use them. It's not my desire to be petty or hateful so I must remember to guard myself from that behavior. The only true way I know that works against such evil is getting into God's Word. Seriously. I'm not talking about going to church on Sunday and listening to a sermon. No. I mean, "Get INTO God's word." Get into it In multiple forms.

I put out a challenge last week and I'm putting it out there again this week. If you honestly long to 'Renew Your Mind', I encourage you to change what you pour into yourself for 30 days. Ways to do this:

1. Make it a goal to read a devotional every day.
2. Make it a goal to read and grasp Acts in one month. It's a big book out of the bible. Read a Chapter a day. It won't take you more than 30 minutes each day to do both 1 & 2!
3. When it comes to the TV, turn it off. Yes. Turn it off. It's only 30 days. Some places in our country have been without electric for longer than that. TURN IT OFF! You will be amazed at what that alone will do for you.
4. Next, find a Christian Radio Station in your area and turn on the radio. Absorb yourself in it. Listen to the words. Get excited. I love music. There are some awesome Christian bands out there today. Great rhythms and the lyrics, talk about renewing your mind. Uplifting your soul.

I dare you to give it a go. By stepping it up myself, I am devoting One hour and twelve minutes each day to my relationship with God and my life's purpose. I was encouraged to say The Lord's Prayer daily. If you too would like to add this into your daily routine, here it is:

The Lord's Prayer

'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed by Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

 

** This prayer is taken right out of my MacArthur Study Bible from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 6, Verses 9:13. 

 

**After Jesus told them to pray in this manner explaining to them that the Father knows what you need before you ask Him, Jesus went on to explain, 'if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.' (When I read that I also receive that this truth is what it is Not because God's mean. But because your own heart will be hardened. You have to forgive to be forgiven. It's the first step in understanding Grace. If you don't understand it, how can you ever receive it?)

 

God HAS been calling me out. I already knew He was asking me to step it up. With Cathy saying it out loud there is no denying it. I laugh because I recognize my inner child that was pouting. I see it and there is no denying. God knows me too well! I know with Him I CAN step it up. No more cry babying about time and the hardness of my day. He has so much to share and I long to be his humble servant. I long to be used by Him in all ways. I pray He fills me with wisdom and love. I pray I stay still long enough to let His thoughts pour over and out of me to all my brothers and sisters. There is so much pain and devastation in the world. I pray all who are without hope begin to hear their Father calling out to them. I pray the white noise quiets long enough in each life for them to hear the call to come back home. I thank you Father for speaking to me when I called out to You. As always You are faithful. I pray we get out of our own way and let you step in. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

 

Wendy,

Mom of Many

 

 

 

© Wendy Glidden 2013

 

 

 

 



I'm Just a Girl

Through out my lifetime friends have paid me compliments such as, "You are strong" or "I really admire your strength."   I laugh and tell them, "I'm not strong. I'm just a girl. I have had my fair share of  "in shambles" moments just like everyone else. I just know that my life has changed majorly several times in the snap of a finger. . . who's to say next time won't be awesome? I realize that quality I possess is 'Hope'. How blessed I am to have that within me.

More recently I have begun getting compliments about how brave I am. I am not brave at all. I just discovered the truth. It is so freeing. It is such good news it will cause you to weep with joy when you completely get it. It is so simple. It is the Lord of Air that tricks us into believing it is complex! He will come at you Every Day, in Every Way. His purpose is to steal, kill and destroy.  Remember if it is not of Love, then it is not of God. Recognize the Emotion and Call it for what it is. You Have Within you all you need to win this spiritual battle. You have been given all the outside tools that will best help you remain victorious day after day.

Today is Totally Terrific Testimonial Tell All Tuesday! Yippee! Today my tell all is this:

Happiness Comes. It Also Goes
It's Joy that FILLS you from Head to Toes.
If you want laughter through the mess
Renew your mind it will reduce the stress.

Today I offered a couple of dares / challenges on Facebook. This covers the Renew Your Mind Challenge. Leave me a comment if you are curious to also take the 35 point Dare Challenge . . . it's more about health & fitness. This one is for your mind. Trust me when I say all aspects of Wellness touch on each other. Work on one area and you will begin a flywheel like none other!

I am offering a 30 day Renew Your Mind Challenge.  

For one month I challenge you to turn off the TV. Listen to Moody radio at home and in the car and even at work if you are able. If a program comes on that you feel is not for you, change over to K-Love or another Christian station. I guarantee you will experience a mind change. The more you listen to Moody the better. I cannot begin to count how much I have learned from their various programs. How much I continue to learn. We are blessed to have the privilege to listen to such teachings.

I also challenge you to listen to the teaching on Hebrews that I am listening to. I have not figured out how to add things outside of YouTube to my blog. . . deep sigh . . . one day perhaps I will gain that insight. For now copy and paste this and it will take you there: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/sunday-worship-at-pinheads. From this link you will have awesome access to learning who you are in Christ and how this knowledge will totally change your life.

My final Challenge is to pick up your Bible and Read the Word of God for yourself. If that seems overwhelming at the moment, find a daily devotional you can read daily. Tons of them are available on line.

Anyone wanting to start this challenge, feel free to email me at WendyGlidden123@gmail.com with an I'm taking the 30 Day Renew Your Mind Challenge! You don't have to. It's just there for those of you who want to.

I leave you with one final thought: I am not brave, I simply fear no evil. My God is Bigger. There are a million songs I could post that I sing daily. Today I am sharing this one: Whom Shall I Fear?

Today I pray for all who have lost hope. Father, please meet them right where they are. I also come before you today asking you to watch over and protect all who are out sharing the good news. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2012-2013

Terrific Testimonial Tell-All Tuesday

Sometimes I catch myself laughing so hard when it comes to the way that God works. Yesterday I was sharing this letter about the evil one and how he gets us busy being busy with everything but God's purpose for us. In the midst of that Jordan, a wonderful brother in Christ, had called to check on me to make sure I had managed to get my car back. I was at work and busy but wanted to tell him something. I quickly typed him a message. Then about an hour later I received an email from Bridget, the Leader of my Great Banquet. I wanted to share my news with her too. Since I was in a crunch on time as well as energy I simply went into my message from Jordan and pasted it over to her . . .  I was so tired I then went about pasting what I thought was the letter about the evil one. This morning I checked my notifications on Facebook and saw another friend of mine had liked a comment I had made in a group room on Facebook that we are both in. I was confused at first as it was my message to both Jordan and Bridget. I busted out laughing wondering how many places Our Father had me share it. Who am I to object? So today my this is my testimonial tell-all! 

Jordan, I wanted to tell you that when I was in my prayer circle with our Shepherd I prayed for strength through the ridicule I was sure to face come Monday morning.

Sure enough I came in quietly because I wanted a moment to myself before I faced my earthly father, however you know how hilarious Our Heavenly Father is . . . I brought some of my books in with me . . . as soon as I walked away from my desk to check on the credit card machine I heard one hit the floor . . . I whipped around as the final 3 hit the floor right behind the first.

My father called out . . . "Who's in there banging stuff around?" 

I said, "It's me" and I walked back to his office to say good morning and give him a hug as I do every day. 

Two of our foremen were back there with him. In front of them he asked, "So how did your religious outing go?"

I said, "I didn't go on a religious outing." 

He looked confused and said, "I thought you went to a church event."

I said, "Well . . . kind of but not how you are thinking." He looked at me confused and I said, "Sheesh dad it's not like I went off to learn how to be a Pharisee . . . I just hung out with the hands and feet of Christ and learned about God's Love. That's cool right? You do think I deserve to feel the Love of God don't you?" As I said those last two sentences I walked around and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek. Then I turned and walked back out to my office. The back room was completely silent for an entire minute.

Thought you might enjoy that. Thank you for checking on me . . . sorry my phone is off . . . the battery is dead. Haven't had much time other than for work and responding to letters I received that I am able to write back. I set yours and Chalices to the side as I wanted to put more thought into my responses . . . God already let me know what to say to Chalice . . .

I am ready to drop as I type this . . . funny to think I'm going to the Y after work to check it out and possibly work out a minute or two. I bought a family membership.
You and your wife have taught me so much in the last year and a half and I love you like family. I am praying on what to write back to you. I am humbled by your letter.

2:54pm

Jordan Dailey

Wendy there is no need for a response to my letter. Just knowing you enjoyed yourself is a huge blessing to me. I'm glad this weekend wasn't Pharisee training for you, but instead a time to draw closer to God. I'm glad you made it home ok. Much love and prayers headed your way. Love Ya

So, again it was God's strength and knowledge and words that helped me when I came face to face with what I knew would happen I just didn't know how it would come to pass. No since in playing anything out in my head. Pointless . . . I simply prayed for strength and I was given it and the perfect thing to say. 

Today I pray you find a fellowship of friends and begin your own journey getting to know Our Father.  I pray I am able to be a Fisher of people. I pray I walk as close to Jesus that my light shines bright enough for others to long to follow me and learn what I am up to! I pray for healing of hurts of the heart and the opening of eyes who have been blind to the Grace being offered to them. May I be a perfect representation of the Glory of God. I pray I never lose sight of my purpose. I am a servant of the Most High. I pray he finds Joy in Me.

Wendy, Mom of Many

Copyright © 2013 Wendy L Glidden. All Rights Reserved.