The Conception of a Dream

For years I knew that God wanted me to write a book. It was one of those dreams that was in me but it wasn't very pressing. I knew that someday, somehow, someway, God would give me more direction. Well, last year after our Corpus Christi Living the Life Women's Conference, the book idea was birthed from my message. The dream was conceived. I now knew what I was to write about!

As with any pregnancy, there is a nine month preparation period. Well, since last year's conference, life has been very busy and crazy (as it always is!), but with determined vigor and focused efforts, I made myself sit down and write. I'll be honest with you, it wasn't easy. At times I was so tired that I wondered whether I had anything good to say. At other times, I felt like I didn't have words at all. However, when it is GOD who conceives something in you, that dream comes from Him and so does the inspiration and motivation to bring it to pass. I endured my trying trimesters and kept on writing.

Due to unexpected life circumstances, it delayed me writing my book by my deadline. It was now mid June and as a result, I had to find a different editor and publisher FAST, not to mention additional monies! I was beside myself. I just prayed and asked God for His intervention. I was amazed at how within a two day period, God provided EVERYTHING I needed. Yes, within two days!! I received it as God's divine provision and affirmation that my book was His will and more than that, His message.

I now pause to ask, "So what about you? Has God conceived something in you?" I pray that the Lord will give you clarity, strength, determination and provision to help you bring it to fruition. Don't give up on your dreams! Yes, life throws us curve balls and we may be detoured or delayed, but choose to be determined and focused as you trust Him who gave you the dream to begin with. After all, it is still His dream. He just chose you to be the carrier. He is the one who brings it to pass!

Well, I'm eight months pregnant with "Living it Up! Four Lifestyle Keys to Help You Live the Life Jesus Came to Give" and my baby will soon be birthed in September. I'm a happy and blessed momma to be!! My greatest desire and prayer is that my book will help countless of believers (or even nonbelievers!) to grow in their personal relationship with God and live the life Jesus came to give in greater measure.

My prayer for you is that God will continue to develop in you His dream (or dreams) and that the pregnancy process will birth His destiny in your life in amazing ways! AMEN.

Draw Me Nearer!

As some of you may remember, our theme for last year’s Corpus Christi conference was “Reaching Higher” and our song was inspired by the woman with the issue of blood who pressed through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. Well, this year, our conference theme is “Draw Me Nearer” and our new theme song was inspired by another woman found in the Bible.

As I was writing the lyrics for our new song, the Holy Spirit showed me a picture of Mary, the sister of Martha. Remember them? Imagine with me. Martha is frantically going back and forth from the kitchen to serve Jesus and whoever else was there. After all, this was her house and she was wanting to be a proper host. Then, out of nowhere, Mary decides to take a break to sit at Jesus’ feet. Well, as we know, Martha didn’t quite like that, but Jesus quickly reminded Martha that Mary had chosen the best part.

I don’t know about you, but I can probably relate most to Martha as there are always things to do, places to go and people to see. However, I am reminded by the Holy Spirit (almost on a daily basis!) that I need to slow down and spend some time before my Master and choose the best part. These two women loved Jesus. Martha was a servant. Mary was a worshiper and guess what? We can be both.

As you read the lyrics to our conference theme song this year below, I ask you to read them out loud and make it your prayer today. May we be reminded of Mary and how like her, we too need to take time out of our busy schedules to be still before our Lord and cry out to Him, “Draw Me Nearer!”

May I sit at Your feet
Let this world fade away
As You sing over me
With the unforced rhythms of Your grace

May I gaze into Your eyes
Will You speak life to me
Let Your words pierce my heart
May they bring me to my knees

Draw me nearer, closer to You
Take me deeper in the shelter of Your hiding place
Pull me further into the depths of Your endless love
Draw me nearer in the mysteries of
the mysteries of You

I cry holy cause Your worthy
I cry holy cause Your worthy
I cry holy cause Your worthy
I cry holy cause Your worthy

The Real Me

We just had a wonderful time in Taft, Texas this past weekend as the Living the Life team and I shared with a group of women. One of my talks was entitled "The Real Me".

I shared about how we need to take off our masks before God and before one another. Jesus warned against wearing masks like the Pharisees:

"...But Jesus' primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, "Watch yourselves carefully so you don't get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can't keep your true self hidden forever; before long you'll be exposed. You can't hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can't whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day's coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town." Luke 12:1-3 (Message)

Jesus is concerned for us. Lord help us NOT to be phony or double minded! We are not to pretend to be something that we're not. A great example of someone who chose to be real is the woman who poured the expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus as she washed them with her tears and dried them with her hair. Mary's story can be found in all four gospels.

Mary knew Jesus was the real deal and came to a breaking point. She made a decision that she was not going to keep living the same way anymore. Unlike Simon the Pharisee who was hiding behind his mask of religion, Mary chose to remove her mask of reputation and be real with Jesus. That's not to mention that she did this during a dinner party in a room FULL of people. Wow! She was being real and didn't care who was there to see it. Yes, she was criticized by Simon and others, but Jesus defended her realness and her act of worship to Him. As a result, she found forgiveness, healing and freedom. And not only that, the fragrance of her perfume filled the room and served as a witness to all.

I want us to be encouraged that this world is not looking for perfect Christians, just REAL Christians. Christians who choose to remove their masks of religion, reputation, self preservation, etc. to allow Jesus to shine through their true faces. You'd be surprised how God can use those blemishes we try to hide. Those scars can serve as a testimony to others of how in the midst of our brokenness and pain, we found hope in a God who forgives, heals and restores.

Choose to show your true face to God and to others so you can be trustworthy and gracious enough to allow others to be real with you, too. After all, God is not glorified in perfection, but in brokenness. I love these lyrics from Natalie Grant's song entitled "The Real Me":

Wonderful, beautiful is what you see
When you look at me
You're turning the tattered fabric of my life into
A perfect tapestry
I just wanna be me

But you see the real me
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
Unveil me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
There's no need to mask my frailty
Oh,Cause you see the real me

And you love me just as I am
Wonderful, beautiful is what you see
When you look at me

AMEN.

To All Our Mommas....

I want to dedicate this post to my sweet mother. She is amazing in so many ways. She has taught me many things, not only by her words, but by her example. I'd like to share three life lessons I've learned from my mom that I pray will help you as they help me.

1. Keep God First. My mom has walked with God since she was 16 years old and since then, God has been #1 in her life. Even my dad jokingly says that he was jealous of God in my mom's life during their dating and early marriage years, because he knew there was a part of my mother's heart that he couldn't have. Even though it was difficult for my mom because my dad was not a believer for 15 years of their marriage, she never stopped going to church and taking all four of us children with her. Matthew 6:33 (NLT) says, "Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." She knew if she put God first, that God would take care of us and He always did.

2. The Prayer of Faith Works. My mom is a woman of prayer and a woman of faith and when you combine those two things, watch out! My mom prayed for my dad's salvation for 21 years! She never gave up hope that God would reach my dad even in his rebellious, alcoholic and stubborn state. She wholeheartedly believed Acts 16:31 (NLT) which says, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." My dad did come to the Lord Jesus and now even ministers God's word! She knows how to stand on God's promises.

3. Love others more than yourself. My mom is the most selfless person I know. She is not only faithfully loves and serves her family, but many others. If you ask anyone who knows my mom to say one thing about my mom, it would probably be that she gives without asking for anything in return. She gives her time and talent like no one else I know. If there is a need that she can help fill, she does. Jesus told His disciples, "The greatest among you must be a servant." Matthew 23:11 (NLT) She truly is a servant in every essence of the word.

Let's declare the praises of our moms this Mother's Day as we thank God for them!

Proberbs 31:28-29 (NLT) says, "Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!”

The Bully of Stress

Lately it seems that stress has become a person that follows me around everywhere I go, lurking behind every corner and staring at me with a snickering smile like a bully that's ready to pound on me. Why do I say that? Well, have you ever had days of overload at work and more things to do than you have time in the day for? A list of "gotta get done" stuff that keeps piling up? Ever been there? Some of you might be thinking, "When am I NOT there?!" It's just like that insurance commercial with the big red spot, "I'm there!"

I have found a way to beat the bully of stress if I only choose to do so. Simply said, it's prayer. Yes, seriously! My prayer times with God lately provide not only a time of fellowship between the Father and I, but a time of release and restoration. I encourage you to go to Him open hearted and open armed and "cast your cares upon Him for He cares for you." (I Peter 5:7)

In James 4:7-10 (Message) we are reminded:

So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.

I love that verse. In those moments in His presence, tears can be shed, stress can be relieved, faith can be lifted and joy can be restored. The bully of stress has to scamper! Prayer truly is a wonderful source of life and peace when stress is wanting to bully us around. Don't succomb to the stress (a/k/a the "joysuckers") in your life.

So stand up to the bully of stress today by getting on your knees before our Heavenly Father. Choose to put on a smile every day and speak God's word over yourself and your circumstances. EVERYTHING is subject to change and with diligent faith in action, they do. Sometimes, it is us who change and that is good, too!

Living the Life "2 for 1" Spring Special!

Hello my friends!

I wanted to share an exciting promotional opportunity for the Living the Life Women's Conference 2009 on September 18-19, 2009 at the Selena Auditorium. For the month of April ONLY, buy 1 registration and get 1 free!! What a great deal at just $25!

Please visit us online at www.LivingTheLifeCC.com to register. Pray about who you can bring with you and share the news with your friends. Don't delay, register today!

Benefits of Good Friends

As I shared in my previous blog, I recently celebrated my birthday. It was great. Even though I had to work during the day, our evening was wonderful.

After dropping off the kiddos with grandma and grandpa, James and I met some friends for dinner . We enjoyed some tasty wings in a variety of flavors including the super hot ones! After that, I was treated to a piece of rich chocolate cake with a scoop of yummy vanilla ice cream. Don't worry, I shared the calories, I mean my cake.:) Afterwards, we headed off to a coffee shop and hung out while I enjoyed a delicous latte. Yes, I probably gained about 10 pounds that night, but that was alright. To finish out my night, we attended our church's worship night which ended at midnight. It was the icing on the cake to spend time in my heavenly Father's arms as my birthday came to an end.

What I cherished most (besides ending my night in worship!) was the sweet fellowship and warmth of being around some of our closest friends. Being around our dear friends was like breath of fresh air. Knowing that you can be yourself with a group of people that will not judge you, but love you truthfully and openly, and sincerely listen to you is priceless. Due to our busy schedules, we don't usually get to hang out very much, but I know they are there for James and I as we are there for them.

I also have some close girlfriends that I know I can call upon at any time, day or night, with any problem or even a praise, for whom I am grateful for. God created us to be connected to others. I hope that you have a circle of friends that you connect with on a regular basis. Perhaps, you don't have a group of friends quite like that. I encourage you to find them!

Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Friendships are especially strong when they are Christ centered.

Here are few tips to help you find godly friendships:

(1) Go to church regularly. A family of faith is essential to spiritual and relational growth.

(2) Participate in bible study groups. Small groups are a great way to build personal relationships and promote spiritual growth, too.

(3) Participate in volunteer work either at church or community organizations. You'll often find individuals who are passionate about something that you may be passionate about which may spark a special friendship.

Lastly, maybe God is calling YOU to be a good friend. So many times, we tend to be takers, but God wants us to be givers, too. Examine your relationships and ask God to help you be a good friend to those around you. You'll be amazed at how precious you may become to someone who needs a breath of fresh air in their life!

If you have some dear friends, share a praise for them on this blog!

Thankful,
Rochelle