a new day.

i was able to move my blog to a new email address *one that i actually use* and save my blog. i was a little nervous at first with switching it and then i got very nervous when i had to hit the delete button permanently on my old blogger account. i figured that by some stroke of pure harassment from the devil, my blog would have deleted itself. but it's up and it's safe and sound, i have a new email address and it's all good! yay!

today was my second official service with my new female pastor at my church. well i and other members of our church hope she'll be our permanent pastor. right now it's 50/50, but she says she's praying to stay, and we're praying to keep her. although i am non-denominational, i go to a methodist church, and one of their protocols for the church is to switch pastors as needed. the main reasons being another church in need of a new pastor or a church starting out needing strengthening. so out of the blue, our presiding elder decided that our pastor was needed at another church, and we were left without a pastor. so in the interim, we were placed with a female pastor. now i won't lie, both services this woman had me in tears, what she preached was so simple, yet true. today i was so choked up and just full of the Word that i had to catch my breath more than once.

i will admit, it's taking some getting used to, seeing as she's the only female pastor, she's not married, and there are no reverends or bishops etc. residing in the church.

this shepard is definitely a feminine female heading a flock. albeit a small flock but we are a flock nonetheless.

i am so excited for her and for myself, because honestly i feel that because of her age, knowledge and ability she will help our church reach new heights, especially with the young. but i've had all male pastors for as long as i can remember and it's like wow--really a change.

but God tells us that we must be willing to accept change, to go with the flow, and to be willing to accept Him and His Word in many forms.

like anything new, it will take some getting used to her. but i have a feeling that when the time comes to switch pastors again, our congregation will be very sad to see her go.

smooth sailing.

I can honestly say that since I've become more serious about church, tithing,giving, helping others, Biblical studies and coming closer to God in general, a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and the quality of my life has improved tenfold. I no longer feel drudged down by the weight and worries of this world.

Some may have heard me say it but some may not have--this summer has been a spiritual breakthrough for me. I say this truly and sincerely. I suppose God believed that it was time for me to go to the next level in my spirituality, well I've made it there with flying colors! I can't believe how much I was missing out on concerning my relationship with Him before!

Now that I have this new relationship I pray that it doesn't dissolve, that I have the strength and faith and determination to continually walk with Him without letting the secularness of this world hold me back or cause me to second guess myself and God's love for me. Because while some people are absolutely positive there is nothing that makes them waiver in God--i've been angry with Him to the point of not even talking to Him, I've lost faith before and sometimes I've even understood the rationings of non-believers and have been struck with what I call the "What Ifs"--a period in which I question the reality of God. But I find that while the stronger I get in God the stronger the opposition gets, the easier it is for me to tackle my own doubts and insecurities and tap them down to resume my walk in, through and with Him.

I've found such a peace in my increased spirituality that I no longer get all wound up when problems come my way. I'm curbing a lot of the words coming out of my mouth and ideas coming out of my mind and I'm no longer feeling like I'm going against my own grain or what seems to be ingrained in me to the point that its simply who I am. I find that working on myself is becoming easier than ever. Its not EASY but its easier than it has ever been before for me.

I'm on my way...I am reaping the goodness of God in my life and I am bringing that goodness to and encouraging my family to find their own goodness in Him moreso than ever before. My children are developing a stronger relationship in Him as well. I can see such a marked difference in all of us in only a month, I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't experiencing it myself.

I am blessed with smooth sailing!

of things related and unrelated ~ 8/6/09

soon i'll have back a regular laptop. then i can get back to business as usual. until then, i'm still halfway lagged out because i have to try to find a laptop to use.

hubby and i are doing wonderfully, i can hardly remember what our fallout was about.

school starts in about three weeks, it's so bittersweet. it's been one of the best summers i've had in a long time with myself, the girls and God, and now it's almost over.

i'm going to see benny hinn in september, on the 17th and 18th for his Fire Conference!

organic is still best!

don't formula feed your children. formula contains toxins that destroy neurotransmitters. if i could go back, i wouldn't have ever allowed my oldest to be formula fed.

God is good (ALL the time!)!!

i want to move to south jersey as soon as possible, the more i think about it the more excited i get about it...hmm.