Follow up to Sunday Morning's Post....

rethink Group, Inc.

‎"When your parents split and you doubt God cares, where will you let your doubt take you? When your friends leave you out, turn their backs on you and you doubt God hears your hurt, where will you let your doubt take you? When you sit in your science class and hear your teacher rail on your faith, and you start to doubt whether belief in God is relevant at all, where will you let your doubt take you?" Stay tuned....

“This is where we have to learn to embrace the doubt and allow it to lead us to belief.”

We have a choice to make (whether we realize it or not). We can both walk away from our faith/beliefs (as many people do) or stay and persevere. When referring to BOLD Christians that made the choice to stay and persevere, “That is where they are different from a lot of people. Yes, they doubted, just like you, but doubt did not dictate their lives and their actions. Belief did that. Like them, we need to learn how our faith and our doubts can reside together in your relationship with Jesus Christ, and mine.”

As humans, we will always have doubt. “Our doubt can be part of the process in the path towards deeper belief. Life is learning to make as much as possible of the doubt and the faith-knowing that where we choose to put our faith, doubt will appear to some degree.” I don’t know about you, but this provides MUCH comfort for me! I have worried, in times of doubt, if anyone else feels this way too. Rather than feeling ashamed of the feelings, I can take advantage of the opportunity to deepen my faith in Him.

“Doubt is not bad, not even when it comes to Christianity….Doubt can actually deepen our faith. It can test it and try it and ground it in ways that blind acceptance never can.” I don’t know if you have encountered a season of doubt; I know I have. As a matter of fact, my season was LONG (approximately 10 years). I am here to confirm this statement – my doubt became a way for God to confirm His presence in my life. I was given an understanding of life that I never thought possible-I was given peace beyond understanding. Had I not walked the path of doubt, I would not have experienced His deep, abiding, love, and peace.

“We would be misled if we thought God fears and flees from our doubt. And we would be missing out if we let doubt have the final word when it comes to our relationship with Jesus.”

(While searching for a graphic for this post, I came across the most amazing article - please read it here: http://newauthors.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/faith-and-doubt/#more-6167)

A Confident Heart memorable quotes....

"From the time we are kids, we look to people: parents, friends, teachers, bosses, boyfriends, ministry leaders, or whoever else is in a position of importance to us. We long for their approval because it gives us a sense of significance, but then we feel like we are only as valuable as our last accomplishment."

"Our schedules are full, our minds are full, our stomaches are full, our refrigerators are full, our closets are full, our lives are full. Yet we find ourselves with so many empty places."

"Is there pain from your yesterdays or disappointments in your today that have caused you to lose your confidence and hope? When you have been wounded, the risk of getting hurt again seems more costly, and perhaps even more likely, doesn't it? The things that hurt us are as varied as the lies we believe because of them...."

"Worry...... robs us physically, leaving us exhausted; robs us emotionally, leaving us anxious; robs us mentally, leaving us scattered; robs us spiritually, leaving us depleted."

"You are....Emmanuel, El-Channun, El Hanne'eman, El Roi, El ha-Gibbor, El Shaddai, El Sali, El Olam, El Elyon, Elohim, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Shalom, Yahweh Tsuri, Jehovah Rohi, Jehovah Shammah, Abba"

"Remember, God is not looking for a woman who is perfect. He is looking for a woman who wants to walk with Jesus and find her confidence through her daily dependence on Him.

Chapter 12 contains Powerful Promises from God. One example...

When I say, I can't figure things out, God says, I will direct your steps.

Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Book Review - A Confident Heart, How to Stop Doubting Yourself & Live in the Security in God's Promises

Renee Swope is a popular national women's conference speaker, radio show co-host, and the executive director of radio and devotions at Proverbs 31 Ministries. She's also a contributing author to three additional books, including a Gold Medallion finalist and a People's Choice Award finalist, as well as several online and print magazines. Renee is featured writer for Encouragement for Today online devotions that currently touch over 450,000 lives each day across the world. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children.


Step out of the shadows of self-doubt to live with a confident heart

Ever feel like you're not good enough, smart enough, or valuable enough? Renee Swope understands. Even with a great family, a successful career, and a thriving ministry, she still struggled with self-doubt. Sharing her own personal story, Renee shows you how to rely on the power of God's promises to find the security you need and the confidence you long for!

Exchange fear-filled thinking with faith-filled believing
Fail forward when life or sin sets you back
Embrace your God-given purpose, passion, and personality
See beyond who you are to who you are becoming in Christ
Powerful Scripture-based prayers are at the end of each chapter, along with Bible study questions and a chart with thirty-one promises to replace our most common self-doubts.

Endorsements:
"You'll never be the same after you read this book!"--Sheri Rose Shepherd, bestselling author of His Princess and His Princess Bride
"I felt like A Confident Heart was written specifically for me. Renee's depth, wisdom, and willingness to be real while sharing the real of Jesus blessed me beyond measure!"--Abby Rike, Biggest Loser, Season 8; author of Working It Out
"A Confident Heart is a captivating, story-driven book that provides real solutions to the real doubts and fears we all face."--Jennifer Rothschild, author of Me, Myself & Lies

Available August 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

REPEAT POST.....

WE HAVE POWER, WE HAVE POWER, WE HAVE POWER!!!!

And I am extremely grateful!

Funny how you don't know what you've got til it's gone!

Thank you Dominion Virginia Power!

(GO HOME IRENE!)

Weather Channel Virginia Information

Virginia

•State of Emergency: Governor Bob McDonnell has declared for the state ahead of the storm.
•Fatality: A child is dead in Newport News after a tree fell on an apartment building
•Power Outages: The Virginia Department of Emergency Management reports 701,650 people without power as of 6:30 pm.
•Curfew in Effect: The City of Hampton is declaring a curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. No one should be on the roads except emergency personnel, according to local Twitter reports.
•Homes Flooding: A Pinecrest resident reports the Pamlico River is flooding homes in his area, which is 8 feet above the river.
•Road Closures: Virginia Beach police closed Sandbridge Road on Saturday at 7 p.m. due to dangerous conditions in the beach community. Westbound vehicles will be allowed to leave, but no one will be allowed in until further notice.
•Route 258 in Smithfield and surrounding roads are closed due to downed power lines and fallen trees
•Wind Gust: Non-thunderstorm wind gust reached an astounding 66 mph at Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel.
•High Tides: Tides are already running 4 feet above normal at Sewells Point, and high tide is now approaching.
•Record Rain Reports: Wallops Island has received 4.4 inches of rain, breaking the old record of 2.83 inches, set in 1971.
•Road Closed: Colonial Parkway in Wakefield is closed due to amount of downed trees.
•Chesapeake Bay Tunnel: Closed until further notice
•Governor Bob McDonnell: Has said that people who defy mandatory evacuation orders can be prosecuted.
•State Level Emergency Responders: FEMA says it has sent incident management assistance teams to staging areas in Virginia, in anticipation of further deployment to potential hurricane impact areas along the coast
•Local State of Emergency: Declared for Virginia Beach, city manager James K. Spore warned residents to prepare for potential flooding and power outages
•Tolls Open: Northbound tolls on the Chesapeake Expressway have been lifted
•Mandatory Evacuations: Ordered for at least 11 localities, among them the Sandbridge section of Virginia Beach, a barrier island dotted with rentals, Accomack on the Eastern Shore, and for low-lying areas of Norfolk, Hampton and Portsmouth.
•Shelters: The cities of Norfolk, Virginia beach and Hampton opened shelters on Friday

Incredibly Thankful!

As I watch iCarly tonight, listening to the final effects of Hurricane Irene outside my window, accompanied by my youngest daughter, Kristina, I am reminded of the many blessings I have been given today alone.

1. The safety of my entire family.

2. The company of a beautiful, sweet daughter.

3. A devoted son on stand-by! (Answering every text message I sent within seconds! Constantly providing support!)

4. A home spared from Hurricane Irene.

(photo posted tonight on the internet - Hurricane Irene - North Carolina)

United States Postal Service

The United States Postal Service has no official creed or motto.


While conducting research for this post, I found this shocking information! I was looking for the "official motto" - but was saddened to discover one doesn't exist (Wikipedia post reference).

Often falsely cited as such, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" is an inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City, derived from a quote from Herodotus' Histories (8.98), referring to the courier service of the ancient Persian Empire:
It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a day’s journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed. (trans. A.D. Godley 1924)

I do want to send a SHOUT OUT to OUR POST MAN! He brought our mail earlier today! I couldn't believe it, but was extremely excited - as he brought a new Netflix movie! Perfect for hurricane conditions!

Praying the power lasts long enough to watch it!