Post from Lacey Dotson

Hey guys!

I read this on Lacey’s blog yesterday and asked her if I could re-post it…it’s something God spoke to her in her quiet time.  Here it is (emphasis added by me): 

So sleep, my beloved child, in peace as you lay in the lap of the Lord.  Feel each breath of life in rhythm with your heart. Hold close the dream that fills your mind and with will, pursue it as your destiny. Eternity is within you, so draw it from the pit of your soul and align your life to reflect it. Sleep now, my child, and gain strength for what is about to come. Be well rested for when the time comes I will recruit you. As you were once a child, you are now my soldier. For once you were a Christian, you are now my warrior.

Take my will and fight for the King’s heart.

Become part of my revolution.

Lead my uprising.

Be the one I have chosen you to be.

Come my army and fight on the front line for I have chosen you to do my Father’s work.

I felt God put this on my heart and on my mind to say that the time of waiting is over….we need to get to work in fighting for His name…if no one else is standing for Him we must do so!

 -Lacey Dotson

Lacey is an amazing and extremely talented high school student who is in love with her Creator.  She is an example to all of us, young and old, that if we sit at the Lord’s feet and actually spend TIME in His presence, He will speak to us.

All You Need is…Faith

I was reading in Matthew last night about the different people Jesus healed.  It dawned on me after reading Matt. 8-9 that they all had one common thread – they all had faith!  Not just a wishy-washy kind of faith, but a BOLD faith!

 In Matthew 8, Jesus encounters a man with leaprosy.  The man said, ”Lord, if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” (v. 2)  Then Jesus healed him. 

In verses 5-10, Jesus encounters a Roman officer whose son is paralyzed. The officer asks Jesus to heal him – but from the exact place He stood…he wouldn’t let him come to his home. He knew that Jesus could heal him just by declaring he was healed – not by going to his home or even laying hands on his son.  He didn’t have to be at home to SEE his son be healed…he just knew it would happen.  Wow!  What faith! Jesus responds in v. 10 with, ”I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” The Bible says Jesus was AMAZED at this man’s faith. He then goes on to tell the officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And his son was healed.

In Matthew 9, Jesus heals a paralyzed man – because of faith. Verse 2 states, “Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ‘Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.’” And the man took up his mat and walked!

In verse 18, Jesus raises a little girl from the dead.  Her father said, “My daughter has just died,” he said, “but you can bring her back to life again if you just come and lay your hand on her.” 

And the woman with the blood disorder…all she did was touch the hem of Jesus’ robe. The Bible says all she thought was (in v. 21), “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Notice that she never spoke this…the Bible says that she thought, not spoke. Jesus didn’t have to hear her say she wanted to be healed…he knew how much faith she had!  “Jesus turned to her and said, ‘Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.’  And the woman was healed at that moment.”

Then Jesus discovers two blind men following Him (v. 27).  They ask Jesus to “have mercy on them,” and Jesus responds with, “Do you believe I can make you see?” The answered yes of course!  Jesus touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” Then they opened their eyes and could see!

Did you notice that in all these verses, not one person questioned Jesus’ ability to perform the miracle?  They were all very bold in either their thoughts or their words about Jesus healing them.  They all said, “You can heal me!”  Not maybe, sorta, will you, can you heal me…but, YOU CAN HEAL ME!  These people didn’t have just a little faith…they knew without a doubt that Jesus could heal them!  So faith must be the “secret ingredient” in any “miracle” we want in our lives, no matter how big or how small it is.  Of course, if that is His will…

If we could just learn to BELEIVE when we ask for something…imagine the possibilites. I want faith like these people had! Not an unwavering faith, but a courageous, confident faith! 

Something to think about.  Let me know your thoughts! 

New blog

Hey guys!

Emily has a blog now! She is posting from Peru…good stuff! So go check it out and post a comment. www.emilymorrow.wordpress.com GO!! 

NOW!!

What are you waiting for?

Seriously!

Are you still here?

Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hehe!!

How long can you hold your breath?

Hey guys!

Someone sent me this commercial a while back and I thought I’d post it. It’s hysterical! Girls, have you ever done this? =D

In Limbo

Ok, here is sort of a continuation from my last (and really my first) post:

I had a lot of time to think on the plane home from New York.  So much went through my hard head while I was there…actually it was just confirmation of what God has been speaking to me over the past few months. I have felt very “unsettled” over the past couple of months and I couldn’t figure out why. I don’t even know if “unsettled” is the right word, but that’s the only way to describe the feeling I have. I just do not feel satisfied any longer where I’m at – with my career and spiritually. I want to learn more and grow more.

Going to New York made me realize that God has so many bigger and better dreams and  ministry opportunities that I could have ever imagined. I know that God is moving me. I have been so comfortable at the place I am – spiritually and physically – for so long, and He wants to take me to the next level. He has placed new desires and interests in my heart – things I would have never thought I could actually do. I am just now realizing at 31 years of age, that I have more skills and gifts that He wants to devleop inside of me. The problem is that I have to WAIT for these things to come to pass. He is gradually moving me towards bigger and better things, but He has told me to be patient, that they will come to pass – in His timing! God spoke to me very directly a few nights ago and said, “Your time is coming!” How exciting right? Well, now comes the hard part. I want to explode – literally. My heart is so excited but I have to quiet it for the time being…not easy!!

So now I feel like I’m in limbo…I’m halfway to the next thing God has for me, and I’m reaching out as far as I can to grab it but I can’t reach it yet. It can be frustrating if I do not keep my eyes focused on Jesus…and practice patience! Even though I can’t reach it, I know it’s not far away. God has stretched me tremendously through this past year of Elevate, doing things that I have been so scared to do in the past. I know this year (my 2nd year of Elevate) that He will stretch me even more. I know He’s preparing me for something so big…I can literally feel it!

So I want to leave you with one of my favorite scriptures. I hope it encourages you as it did me. If you are having feelings like I have had, knowing that God is about to take you to a place you’ve never been but are struggling with patience, know that God WILL DIRECT your next steps in life if you live for ONLY Him!!  Just keep your eyes lifted, keep your heart focused on Him, and be open to whatever His will is for your life. Just be open.

Psalm 37:23-24 -  The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
                                He delights in every detail of their lives.
                                Though they stumble, they will never fall,
                                for the Lord holds them by the hand.

By the way, I promise to post some pics from New York soon…as soon as Emily emails them to me and as soon as I figure out how to!!

Leaving New York

Ok, so this is officially my first post and I’m not really sure if anyone will actually read this, but here goes.  I just got back from my first trip to New York.  It was amazing! I fell in love with the city and especially Central Park. And even though people say Northerners aren’t very nice, I only met one person (working behind a sandwich counter) who was rude. Everyone we met was extremely nice and helpful.

Emily and I went to see my best friend, Jennifer, who recently got married and moved there (where her husband has worked for the past 5 years). We definitely needed the vacation and it was one of the best of my life – besides Disney World! We shopped and got some great purses in China town…it really made me laugh the way they do “business.” As soon as you get off the Subway, there are tons of people surrounding you asking if you want a Coach purse, a Dooney & Burke purse, a Dolce & Gabbana purse, a Prada purse, and so on.  The possibilities are endless. If you say yes, they lead you down the street and around the corner to a building and walk you up a bunch of flights of stairs. It cracked me up how secretive it is! Then you enter a huge room where many women are sewing. Then they took you to a corner of the room and open a door to a walk-in-closet sized room full of just purses, purses of every major designer…of course not the real thing, but you would never know! Then you have to negotiate, just like when you buy furniture. Every purse/handbag is $45…to start. But you don’t take $45 because you can get them down to around $35. It’s pretty hysterical actually. Some of the women selling the purses are very insistent on $45 but others are easily swayed. So Emily and I both came home with purses for $35.

We saw Chicago on Broadway, which of course was great! The dancing and singing was phenomenal…I loved it!  I will definitely be seeing it at the River Center when it comes soon! I think my favorite day, though, was Central Park. We spent Sunday (the last day we were there) all day in the Park. There truly is nothing like it anywhere else. It not only is huge, it is also the best place to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon. There were lots of entertainers, and plenty of places to throw a blanket on the ground and have a picnic. At one point, Em, the workout queen, took a jog while Jen and I just laid in the grass and talked. We felt so lazy! Just a great last day in New York!

So, as I’m leaving New York, I realize this huge world is out there…a huge world outside of Baton Rouge. I love Baton Rouge and have lived here most of my life, but it was just awesome to experience a city so diverse, so alive, with so many different cultures. I loved it. It’s very different from Baton Rouge and maybe that’s why I loved it so much. I was sad to leave, and sad to leave my best friend. But hopeful of what God has for my future. I think He’s showing me the world because He wants to give it to me. He wants me to think BIG and dream BIG! More to come on that thought very soon!

Well, I’m off to the Women’s meeting tonight but I’ll post again shortly. Later!