My Grilled Cheese Moment

Hi ladies, Marcy here : )  It's my pleasure to introduce you to a very special guest writer today... Michelle Wheeler is a wife, momma, small business owner, and my neighbor!  When Michelle told me about her "grilled cheese moment" a few weeks ago, I knew we just had to share it with all of you too!  Michelle was gracious enough to take some time and bring this post to you today...  

God often speaks to me through my children.  One day last winter will always stand out to me as what I like to call "my grilled cheese moment."  I had been worried about finances and wondering how God was going to work out all the details.  I was doing dishes and praying to God to just answer my prayers now.  I felt very impatient and began to plead with God in my head, wondering if He was listening. 

Just then my son came up to me and asked for something to eat.  I asked him if he'd like a grilled cheese.  He excitedly responded, "Yes!"  I love to show my love through my food that I prepare!  So I gathered some Havarti cheese, pumpernickel bread, Kerry gold butter, and even started to cut up some thin apple slices.  This was going to be the best grilled cheese he had ever had! 

My son, only being 2 at the time, saw the Havarti and demanded some cheese pronto.  I gave him a slice to hold him over as I prepared this decadent sandwich of love for him.  He couldn't wait and quickly came over, demanding more cheese.  I looked down at his precious face and said, "Son, if you could just wait... I have something much, much better!"

I looked up in shock, picturing God watching my reaction, realizing that God was talking to me right now.  If I could only just trust God and wait because much like I was doing for my own son, God was lovingly constructing my very own “grilled cheese”. 

I smiled and a peace passed over me as I realized for maybe the millionth time, God has not forgotten me and He never will.

Post by: Michelle Wheeler

One Little Word

We are one month into 2017 and for many it doesn’t seem to be fairing much better than 2016. Marcy said it beautifully in our last post, When All You Can Do Is Pray, about how unstable last year felt. As 2016 came to end I saw an abundance of posts on social media about how terrible 2016 was. Some were funny memes that gave me a little chuckle and others were more extreme. I thought to myself, “I don’t think I have ever heard (or seen) such a larger number of people agreeing about how terrible one single year was.”  It felt overwhelming to me. I found myself agreeing with all the Facebook posts.  But I know how easy it is for me to get caught up in the “hype” if I am not careful so I took a step back and decided to evaluate.

Much like Marcy, I saw hurt, illness, hardships and tragedy all around me. And it seemed like so much more than “usual”. I thought about my own life and remembered the number of transitions we experienced this past year and... Yeah, I can’t say it was fun. After processing the collective data, I could certainly see how so many of us were more than ready to say “Farewell!” to 2016. I think it can be easy to believe some lies as we look back on the tumultuous ending to 2016. And that can leave us feeling confused, upset and overwhelmed.

…“that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”  Ephesians 4:14 (ESV)

We don’t have to stay that way though! We serve a God who is unchanging, unwavering and faithful to the end! Let’s not be tossed by the waves but stand, anchored, as we keep moving forward.

As 2016 came to end, I felt God pulling me to withdraw from some things and out of that I got my one word for 2017. I am not a resolutions type girl, that carries too much pressure! A few years ago I learned about choosing one word for the year and I have adopted that practice each year since. I try to listen and follow where God is leading me on this (because again, it takes the pressure off). So I would like to share my word for this year with you!

My one word for 2017 is ABIDE. It comes from John chapter 15.  Abide means to stay, remain or wait. It makes me think of the words home and anchor. So as I tuck my one word in my heart (and write it down of course!) I look to 2017 with hope, peace and purpose.

I don’t know what your 2016 looked like, but I pray that you can look forward with hope! Maybe it means prayerfully choosing your own one little word or a verse from the Bible or even a song. But as we embark on 2017 we can use these things to keep coming back to, regaining focus and pressing on; using it as an anchor to withstand the waves that will come.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV)

Share your one little word (#OLW) with us in the comments below! We'd love to hear what God has been speaking to you...

Post by: Jimmie Lee DiIanni

When All You Can Do is Pray...

Am I the only one who had a tough time in 2016? Raise your hand if last year was full of ups and downs.  (I’m raising both hands and both feet!) I feel like I am simply treading water as I limp into 2017.  What about you?

From health issues to emergencies to even the state of our country, 2016 had me wondering what to do next.  There were so many times when I dreaded when the phone would ring because it was only going to bring bad news.  I was afraid to check my email, fearful of what I might find.  Not to mention my Facebook newsfeed. People are scared and hurting. And so many of these instances were out of my control.  Some, deeply far from my grasp.

When we find ourselves in those times...  Difficult, trying, even downright scary times... What do we do?

Pray.

I know that sounds so easy to throw out there.  But I am telling you from experience, when you don’t know what to do – pray.  When there is nothing you can do but pray – pray!

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16 (NIV) (Emphasis mine.)

I think I have lost count of the number of times in the last 6 months that I have dropped everything because there was an urgent need that I felt compelled to pray about.  An event that I simply needed to stop and bring to the throne of Jesus in prayer.  It just was such a great need, I had to press pause in my day and intercede for loved ones and friends.  Waiting for a quiet moment later was not an option.  I needed to take a few minutes right there, right then and fall to my knees in prayer.  Sweet friends, I urge you, when all you can do is pray – PRAY!

“Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful.” Psalm 69:16 (NLT)

We can’t control everything.  We don’t know all the answers.  Try as we might, we can’t fix everything either.  But, we know the One who does and can! It is through prayer that we bring to the Lord what is on our hearts not only for ourselves but what our heart is toward others.  When your heart is breaking for a friend or loved one, lifting them up in prayer is such a treasure.

Even in those times when maybe the request isn’t so urgent, don’t neglect praying for others.  When you tell someone that you will pray for them, be sure to follow through. By the way, I’ve never had someone not say “thank you” when you’ve revealed to them that you are praying or have prayed for them.  I’ve yet to come across a person, believer or otherwise, who has said they would rather I didn’t pray for them. And come to think of it, don’t you love to hear when people share that they have been praying for you?!  Doesn’t it make your heart happy to know others are bringing your needs to Jesus too?! So make sure you bring your prayers to God for others as you would want others to pray for you.

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:19 (NIV)

When situations come up that you are completely powerless to do anything about, bowing down to the Lord in prayer instead of cowering in fear; it’s a way to put our faith into action. We are approaching the throne of mercy and believing God is hearing our pleas. We are trusting Him to answer according to His will. And He will answer...

Prayer

Releases

All

Your

Eternal

Resources

-        Richard A. Burr

Post by: Marcy Gates

With Full Abandon

During our Christmas Eve service at West Ridge, I was reminded of a quote from Anne Lamott... which we will get to in just a moment.  It was during our time of worship and the worship team did this really funky and cool intro to get started. Pastor Erik encouraged us all to let go and just praise like a child. I watched my five year old move his entire body to the music and oh my, how I wanted to do the same! Throughout the rest of worship I thought of this quote and as you read on you will see how God made it my own.

(Now bear with me as you read… it will all make sense as you keep going!)

“Oh my God. What if you wake up some day and you’re 65, or 75, and you never got your memoir or novel written; or you didn’t go swimming in warm pools and oceans all those years because our thighs were jiggly and you had a nice big comfortable tummy; or you were just to strung out on perfectionism and people pleasing that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life, of imagination and radical silliness and staring off into space like when you were a kid? It’s going to break your heart. Don’t let this happen. Repent just means to change direction—and NOT to be said by someone who is wagging their forefinger at you. Repentance is a blessing. Pick a new direction, one you wouldn’t mind ending up at and aim for that. Shoot the moon.” ---Anne Lamott

In full disclosure, I haven’t read much of Anne Lamott but I came across this quote about a year and half ago and it changed the way I was looking at my life. It was a very freeing turn!

And so as I watched my boy, Maxson, and lifted my own hands with a huge smile on my face, I thought, “Oh my goodness! What if I reach the end of my life and I never praised God with full abandon? What if I never shouted His name in praise, or fell on my face before my King? What if I never danced for Jesus or lifted my thanksgiving because I was too worried about what everyone behind would think? What a tragedy that would be!” And I wanted to full out dance and shout right there.

But I didn’t.

Because no one else was.

My fear of being the only person, or fear of what other people might think held me back from really going for it.

I’d like to take you on a short journey if I may. During my more formative years the church congregation I was a part of was pretty conservative (nothing wrong with that at all), bringing out the tambourine was wild and crazy for us. So when I got to college and I witnessed folks raising their hands, clapping, jumping and dancing, I wanted more of what they had. But I was way too shy. The Lord has done and amazing work in my heart but still my fear hold me back. Deep down, what I really want is to just go all out for Jesus. And you know that might even look different every time! Sometimes it could mean dancing and jumping around and other times it could mean bowing in reverence and honor.

So as we enter this new year, 2017, I want to be ready to praise God in whatever way He is leading me. No more holding myself back due to overthinking and fear of judgment. I would like to encourage you to try the same. When you feel the Lord impressing you to lift your hands but that is not the norm for you, do it anyway! Do it and break down those barriers, knock down those walls. Don’t think about anyone else around you. It’s just you and Jesus, sing praises, dance for Him and worship him with abandon. Abandon fear and doubt or overthinking, whatever it is that holds you back, let it go and worship the King! We’ve really got nothing to lose. Am I right?

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100 (NIV)

As we walk into 2017 together, I pray we can let go of the fears that hold us back and enter fully into the presence of God. Worshipping Him with all we’ve got because He is worthy and He is faithful! Amen?

Have a blessed New Year sweet sisters!

With Love,

Jimmie Lee

The Countdown

We are in the final countdown you guys.  As I type this, there are less than 10 days until Christmas. (Eeeek!!!) I can tell you right now, I’m not ready. Yes, we’ve got the tree up, but there aren’t as many lights twinkling.  By this time last year all my cards were sent out and presents wrapped.  And usually by this close to Christmas, I would be joyously awaiting the BIG day – celebrating the birth of my Savior!

This year though, I can’t deny, it’s been a tough one.  There have been so many highs and so many lows, that lately, I have been just trying to catch my breath.  When I tell you that either myself, or another member of my family has had some kind of sickness since May, it’s no exaggeration.  Pneumonia, Lyme’s Disease, ear infections, colds, sinus infections, pneumonia - again, bronchitis.  I should buy stock in Lysol, Kleenex, and Dayquil!

And it is not just my household either.  I know many of you are dealing with health issues in one form or another.  For others, it could be finances, or relationships, or you are just under a terrible amount of stress.  So many of us are going through “stuff” and it is trying to pull us down.  Add to that, this holiday season, when the world is pressuring us to have that perfect Christmas card or Pinterest worthy décor, it can be so tempting to just throw up your hands and skip Christmas. 

But you know what?  I’m not giving up! And neither should you!  I may only have 9 days (and counting!) until Christmas but that doesn’t mean I have run out of time.  Sure, I missed the boat on that Advent devotional or maybe I am blowing my nose as I sing praises to my King, but I don’t want to miss this.  I don’t want to coast past this precious time when we can focus on the greatest gift – Immanuel. Sweet sister, it is so tempting, isn’t it?  But I urge you, with these few days ticking away, focus your eyes on your King...

“He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.” Psalm 107:20 (NIV)

God sent forth His Word – Jesus.  He sent Jesus to us!  He sent Jesus to heal us, not only of our sicknesses and hurts, but to heal our sin problem too.  He sent us a Rescuer to snatch us not only from death but also when life seems to be drowning us. What great love God has for us, that He sent us a Savior!  I’m so grateful He gave us Jesus, sending Him to earth, taking on human form in the humblest means. 

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8 (NLT)

Celebrating that great love, I can’t just skip it.  I can’t just focus on what I may be behind on or what challenges I face.  There is a great LOVE that left heaven and came to earth!   I will turn my heart to the One who gave it all for me, and for you too.  Jesus – Immanuel – God with us. 

What we are going through, the trials we face, remember, God is with us.  We have Jesus.  When the stress and fear begins to take your focus away from Immanuel, and all you can feel is worry; remember God is with us.  Forget the tree, the cookies you need to bake, the to-do list.  Let’s focus our eyes and hearts on Jesus... God with us.

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, God with us.” Matthew 1:25 (NIV)

 Post by: Marcy Gates

Because He Says So...

I am a recovering “rule follower”. This probably requires an explanation of what I mean by “rule follower”. As a child I tended to put the “rules” above everything else. I can’t really explain why or how this came about but I am positive that the reason was a combination of things, as most of our vices tend to be. Now, “rules” in and of themselves are not a bad thing, but the problem that came into play was my ability to “follow the rules” was attached to my feelings of worthiness. This mindset followed me through my teen years and beyond. In all honesty, it can still pop up as a struggle. Under the category of “rule follower” you might add people pleaser, fear of man and legalism. As I put my focus on “following the rules” as my measure of worthiness, it became my identity. I was the “goody-goody” I wasn’t just Jimmie Lee. I was Jimmie Lee, the girl who didn’t smoke, drink, cuss, flirt, party, etc. Again, not bad things to be defined by. Except that my identity was wrapped up in all the things I didn’t do rather than who I was. And while everyone else was defining me by what I didn’t do, I was defining myself by all the “should” I thought I had to do.

This showed up at its highest degree after I graduated college and entered into marriage/homemaking. The first year or two, out of the security of my parents’ home, newly married, starting a career, managing a house and raising a second grader, I was basically exhausting myself trying to keep up with all the “shoulds”. I won’t list all of my distortions here, we all have our own list of “shoulds” and you might be recalling some of your own now. I would spend the end of each day feeling like I failed… Big Time! I felt as though I was failing my son, my husband, my parents, my friends and ultimately God.

With the help of my small support system, those feelings decreased but the attachment of worthiness and doing “the right thing” remained. I spent a lot of my life feeling as though God was mad at me… Had those moments? Are you currently there? 

It wasn’t until after I had my second child that I started to get a grip on reality. To be exact it was about two years after he was born that I began what I refer to as my grace journey. I started yielding to God and allowing Him to heal me from this life of “rules”, “shoulds” and legalism. It has been a ride for sure, but I like to look at myself as being in “recovery” because my heart is being transformed and renewed daily. I like to keep my heart in check so when I read the following verse a few months back, I knew it wasn’t just for me and I felt compelled to share this with you...

Isaiah 54:8-10 (MSG)

In an outburst of anger I turned my back on you—

    but only for a moment.

It’s with lasting love

    that I’m tenderly caring for you.

“This exile is just like the days of Noah for me:

    I promised then that the waters of Noah

    would never again flood the earth.

I’m promising now no more anger,

    no more dressing you down.

For even if the mountains walk away

    and the hills fall to pieces,

My love won’t walk away from you,

my covenant commitment of peace won’t fall apart.”

    The God who has compassion on you says so.

For even if the mountains walk away… My love won’t walk away from you… The God who has compassion on you says so. I hope that this brings you joy! You see part of God’s promise to us is that His love will not walk away from us, it will not leave us. His love will never fail us no matter how big we feel like we have failed.

God’s not mad at me, because He says so!

That is a promise, a truth, his covenant with us as believers in Christ! Isn’t that good news? I’m so glad for it! I am so thankful for God’s faithfulness. His love, He himself, is always there.

Psalm 139:7-10 (NIV)

Where can I go from your Spirit?

    Where can I flee from your presence?

 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

    if I settle on the far side of the sea,

 even there your hand will guide me,

    your right hand will hold me fast

Be hopeful today sweet sisters!

How can we pray for you today? Do you struggle with “rule following”, trying to please everyone or just plain legalism? Are you struggling with something else? We want to stand with you in prayer! Leave a comment below or email us at: women@westridge.cc

Post by: Jimmie Lee DiIanni

Stunning

I complained silently in my head about all the laundry I had to do as I hauled the overflowing laundry basket across the living room.  Wondering if it was time to start cooking dinner, I glanced over to the tv to check the time.  And that’s when I noticed it. 

I can’t remember the station, but I recognized the movie that was playing, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”.  I’ve seen this movie many times before.  It’s a beautiful movie that is based on C.S. Lewis’ classic book.

As my eyes focused on the screen, Aslan, the lion was about to be killed.  The White Witch was looming over him with a spear.  She then dramatically plunges it down into him.  While onscreen, we don’t see the actual spear penetrate or the gore associated with it, you do see the agony on Aslan’s face as he endures it and dies. It grips your heart.  My eyes grew wide and filled with tears.  Right there in the middle of my living room, laundry basket on hip, I stood stunned.

I remembered Jesus at that moment. The beatings, mockery, and abuse He went through leading up to the crucifixion.  The pain and suffering of being nailed to a cross.  My sweet Jesus took all that on for me.  And for you, for the whole world!  Our precious Savior, our mighty King, stepped down from His throne and died for us. 

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

In that instant, as I stood frozen, I prayed.  My heart swelling with love and gratitude, I whispered, “Lord, may the cross never stop being stunning to me.  Jesus, thank You.  Thank You for all that You have done for me.”

After all this time, the cross has never ceased being stunning to me.  Stop in your tracks – breathe deep – stunning.  And it should continually capture us.  It should always cause our hearts to skip a beat and leave us in awe. 

So I wonder today, has the cross stopped being stunning to you?  How often do you think about your salvation? Do you recall with regularity, what your life was like before you accepted Jesus as your Savior?  I do.  I remember my life before I really knew Jesus.  I’m not dwelling on my past sins and mistakes, beating myself up. Not at all, that stuff is forgiven.  It has been wiped away. 

“So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:28 (NIV)

I am remembering that I once was a sinner but now I am a saint.  I am recalling that old life that was broken and dead, is now new and free!   And as I remember, my gratefulness grows.  As I quickly sift through a few memories and moments from the past, I am thankful.  Jesus and the cross are still stunning to me.  Still precious.  Always worthy of my attention, worship, and praise.

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 1 Thessalonians 3:9 (NIV)

May the cross never be just another part of the Bible.  May it never be just another event in history.  No! Let it be as amazing and tender and stunning to as when we first heard the story.  May it cause our hearts to break open day after day with love and gratitude.  And may we never keep it to ourselves.  Share it with others.  Tell them all about our loving Savior.  And may they too, find this incredible King... Stunning.

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.” 1 John 4:14-15 (NIV)

Post by Marcy Gates