How many of us have ever heard the phrase "diamond in the rough"? I know I have heard it before, but the impact of it has never been clearer to me than it is now.

"A diamond in the rough" was a phrase that really came to me the other day as I was handwashing a very delicate new shirt that I had gotten. It's one of those shirts that is really pretty, but the glitter and things that cover it come off so easily. So, later, I noticed that there was a shiny something on the carpet. It was a speck of glitter from the shirt. It was so small, but it was shinning brightly as the light hit it and caught my eye. It just amazed me how something so tiny could draw so much attention in the midst of the dull brown carpet surrounding it. That is when the phrase "a diamond in the rough" came to mind.

We are all small tiny little specks in this world. And, the sinful world around us is dull and ugly. But, Jesus wants us to shine! We were MEANT to shine!! So, he sheds His light on us; His precious jewels. And, with HIS light, we sparkle and shine for all to see. When we shine like that, people can't help but notice. We are the treasure in the midst of the trash of thish world. No matter how ugly and awful the "rough" world is, with the light of Jesus we will shine like stars!

Which also brings me to another point. That speck of glitter wouldn't have been noticed had it been in the shaddows or just existing there on its own. The LIGHT had to shine on it. So it is with us. We aren't going to shine just by "existing" here or trying to be our own light. No, we have to have THE LIGHT (JESUS) shine on us!

We are all valuable treasures for God and are meant to shine in this dreary world. Can you imagine if everyone stepped out of the darkness and into the light of God how wonderful this world would be? Wow!! Oh how this world would sparkle and shine and radiate with the warmth and goodness of the light that is reflected!! That's what we are; reflectors of God's love. We need to be true ambassadors of our Lord and King and reflect to others who He is by our actions. We don't even have to say anything. St. Francis of Assisi once said that we should preach the gospel to all the world and if necessary use words. I've always remembered that because actions really do speak louder than words.

So, I encourage all of you to SHINE!! Be a "diamond in the rough." STAND UP AND STAND OUT!! Step into the light and shine on!!!! :)  

For all of my Hoosier comrades out there, this will be especially meaningful to you - even more so if you are keepin' the faith. ;) Today, we went to the Christian bookstore where Coach Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts was signing autographs for his book "Quiet Strength." So, we went up there and bought the book and waited around to have it signed (and wow, what a turnout! There were lots of people there!). It was so great to see him and meet him, and I truly admire his faith and how he broadcasted it to the world.

I got so many books piled up that I am reading, but that one will have to be a priority. :) I am just so proud of him to be representing Indiana and that he is a man of character and integrity. Praise the Lord for his faith and that he can stand up and proclaim it!! Many sports fans who wouldn't even think of going to church might be reached through this avenue because of Coach Dungy's bold faith and proclamtions. I pray that the Lord's annointing is on this man's life and on the book that he wrote. I pray that it will reach many people and change their lives!! If you get a chance, I recommend getting the book! I know it will be a great read!

Ok, I’m not sure what all that is supposed to mean for me, or why that verse would come to me, but the only thing that really speaks to me is “the noise of a cry.” I guess I am just thinking about all the prayers and sounds we offered up to the Lord last weekend, and since then. I know that God is hearing our prayers and together, we are making a lot of noise. The noise of our prayers are being heard in heaven, and God is moving. That noise is tearing down walls and demolishing strongholds. And, like it describes in the previous verses, (Read the whole chapter of Zephaniah 1 for more) God is tearing down the idols of the people, just as he is tearing down ours. I believe the Lord is going to strip us of our idols and humble us so we will come to Him. Some are already coming, others need a little more convincing. How much harder it will be for them, because in the later verses it says: The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

The end is drawing closer every day. It is great joy for those who believe, but for those who don’t, it will be a day of great mourning. The things that will come to pass will be a harsh and frightening wake-up call to the lost. The Lord is going to wake us up, and some people are going to have a more difficult wake-up call than others because they wouldn’t listen to the Lord’s gentler call before. And what, then, can save us if we don’t have the Lord to save us? Nothing! Not silver or gold; not our money or things. We will perish in our own greed!! Oh, America, WAKE UP!!!!

The Lord gave me this for a reason, and I feel that I must share it!! Please heed, all who read this. For some reason, 9/11 is also coming to mind. I feel that something else along that scale could be coming if we refuse to pay attention, turn back to the Lord, turn from our idols, and put God back in control of America. He is the ONLY one that can protect us from calamity and from terrorism. He is our greatest defender. He will make or break us. If He is Lord of this nation, we will be safe. But, if we continue to push Him away and even vote against Him when it comes time to vote for those who would help to stand up and protect us, we are sealing our own fate.

I write this not to scare, but to prepare. Right now, my heart is burdened and troubled. Now is a time for prayer and repentance. I fear not for myself so much as I do for the rest of America. I don’t know what is to come, but all I know is this is what I am feeling on my heart right now. May God be with us and draw us to Him in Jesus name! 

Remembering our goal is crucial in getting there. We mustn’t let ourselves be deterred!! We need to remind ourselves of where we are going and journeying towards. We need to keep our goals and objectives at the forefront of our minds. “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.“ - Philippians 3:14.

We all know what the “prize” is. Our prize is Jesus Christ in whom we have our salvation. Heaven is our home, and our ultimate goal. But, while we are here, we must live according to the purpose to which we were called so that others might run the race with us. Living our purpose will inspire others to live theirs. Can you imagine how life-changing this world would be if we all lived out our calling? Revival would be happening!! MORE souls would be saved and people would begin refocusing on God and on the MEANING of LIFE! J

Thinking about this made me really focus and think. What is my purpose? Well, I know that there are many reasons that God has me here. I know that He DEFINITELY wants me to use my writing talent and encouraging abilities to reach others for Him. He also wants me to write that book that He placed on my heart seven years ago when Mitch and I first got together. And, regardless of how insignificant I may feel at times, if God says the world needs my book, then the world needs my book. My story is unique, and it needs to be told. If only for the sake of one, it will be worth it. This book is all about waiting for the one that God made for you to be with. What if, perhaps, the only people that read it are the two people that my children will marry? If only for the sake of those two, it would be worth it, but I am sure it will touch many more lives.

If anyone has read The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair they will understand what I am about to describe next. Aslan gave Jill Pole a mission to find the missing prince. He gave her four signs that he told her she must memorize and repeat to herself over and over again so they would be fresh in her mind. As long as she remembered his instructions, and was guided by his signs, things would go fine. Aslan stressed the importance of remembering them and said, “Nothing else matters.” When I read that, I remembered thinking about the signs that God gives us; as it pertains to the end times, and also our purpose in life. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!!! We MUST pay attention to the signs. If not, we will fall into trouble like Jill and her friends did when she forgot the signs, mixed up the ORDER of the signs, and got distracted by other things. They nearly lost their lives! But, once Aslan came to her in a dream and reminded her of her mission, she refocused on the goal and journeyed towards it once again.

Aslan was a lion, and that lion represents Jesus. We must follow His ROAR!!!!! We must know our signs and follow His instructions if we want to have success. Our “own way” never works…it just doesn’t!! If you don’t believe me, look at your own life. As I look at my own, I see powerful examples of success and see how they were connected with obedience to God’s way. Then, I see my failures and realize that they were a result of doing it “my way.” One of the best recent examples is my weight loss. Doing it God’s way has brought me more success than I have EVER had on my own!!! Every other time, I only lost a few pounds and never made it out of the 200’s. Then, I eventually gave up and just yo-yoed up and down all the time. Now, I am 185 and falling!! It’s a big resounding “duh” to me, because I should have known better. I could have been thin a long time ago if I had just included God in the process. As long as I focus on Him and make sure that I am led by His instructions, I succeed. But, when I become distracted and “forget” and do things my own way, I fail.

So, the bottom line is, know your purpose of your journey. Think about what you are journeying towards. Is your goal worth it? Is it kingdom worthy and kingdom centered? Are you going to follow your “mission” that God gave you? Can He count on you not to bury your talent in the sand? When God speaks instructions and affirmation towards you, whether through dreams, other people, prophecy, etc. LISTEN UP!! REMEMBER those confirmations! Live a life of purpose and journey towards that prize! NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!!!!!!!

Then, add to that all the millions of babies that have been slaughtered and it just brings you to tears! I sure cried. In fact, a former abortionist stood on stage weeping and begging for forgiveness for what she had done. You could tell her heart was just broken. She had killed who knows how many babies for none other than PLANNED PARENTHOOD. (And, in case you didn’t know, planned parenthood receives OUR TAX DOLLARS to do so because they are a “health organization” to sign the petition to make it stop, go here: http://www.stopplannedparenthoodtaxfunding.com/ )

I think these two things are major stumbling blocks that are holding out revival. I believe that if we start respecting life, respecting people and children, stop the murders, stop the sexual addiction, that revival would happen even sooner. Think about it. 1 Corinthians 6:18 says: “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.” Abortion is also similar to that because we are killing a body within our own body. I am so tired of hearing that “it’s our bodies” excuse because the body we are killing isn’t our own, it’s someone else’s life, and we have no right to do that. Type in “abortion” at http://www.photobucket.com and see what “choice” REALLY looks like - if you have the guts.

I am just so glad that they talked and prayed about some tough issues. They also talked about adoption, and that the church needs to step up and take care of widows and orphans like we are called to do. I pray that one day, we will have the means to be able to adopt. There are so many kids who need rescued. They need families and stability, and living in the foster care system and being shuffled around is no life for them.

So, that, among other things, was what we prayed for. We also prayed for each other and for God to reveal His purpose in our lives. I already know that God has plans for me, and that I need to write that book that he placed on my heart SEVEN YEARS AGO to write. When I realized that it had been seven years, and that it was 07/07/07 and everything, just the whole thing with those numbers blew me away. The time is now. I will complete the book this year, and God will then show me what is to come next and how to get it published and all that. If you don’t already know about it, it’s a book about waiting for the one God has for you. He laid it on my heart when Mitch and I got together, so that we could share our stories and show people that God really does have a perfect match for all those looking to find a mate and that when you trust Him, you will find the spouse of your dreams!!

That is all I have for now. I will be writing something else in a little while. It was something that came to me while I was riding in the van going home. It is only one of many things that has changed my life this weekend; including the many answers to prayer (mainly the answer of a husband who was drawn back to God and is being raised up into the man of God I always knew he was!! THANK YOU JESUS FOR ANSWERING MY PRAYERS FOR MITCH!!!!) J I have no doubt that EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED; and for the BETTER TOO!! All glory to God!

I just experienced a writer's worst nightmare! You might know what I'm talking about. It's when you write something really good, and then "poof," it's gone!! That's why after many hair-pulling, fist-banging, experiences, I would write something and continually hit the "save" button to make sure I wouldn't lose mass quantities like that. However, this time, I didn't start my blog on a document, but rather on the site itself. And, before I hit "post" I highlighted it to copy to make sure that if I got an "error" message, I wouldn't lose my text. But, instead of hitting "copy" my hand slipped and I hit "paste" and it got wiped out!!! OH THE FRUSTRATION!!

However, like my original blog was about, God has a time and purpose for everything! He must have wanted that to happen for any variety of reasons. Maybe I said something He didn't want me to say, or maybe I wrote too much (oh you don't say! LOL) or something. Regardless, I have no doubt that this blog will be better because He has a reason for it!

That was part of the theme that our guest pastor talked about today. He talked about how God has chosen everything to be just like it is. Our purpose, our life-span of living, even the times in which we live! As a matter of fact, he even suggested that we might be one of the most important generations. Because, like an "anchor runner" in a race, the last to run is the most vital. You have one last chance to catch up and win it for the team! So, we may very well be his "strong runners" to finish this race; because I believe we really are in the end times.

One example that he gave of God's perfect timing was when he was called upon at the last minute to preach for a prison Chaplain who had called in sick. He hadn't anything prepared, except for a story of something that had happened years ago. He had had to preach a funeral for three siblings the week before Christmas because they had fallen through the ice. Their youngest sibling had gone to get help, and the mother's phone was dead and as he ran to the neighbor's, the mom went out and found that they had already drowned.

That night, thirteen prison inmates were saved; including a man who was sitting there just weeping and refusing to go back to his cell until he talked to the pastor. He asked the pastor if he was the one who had preached the funeral, because he was that youngest boy. Wow! The fact that he was there to hear that message at that moment, and for that pastor to be there to give it, that is GOD at work! Praise the Lord that that pastor didn't waste an opportunity that God gave Him to make a difference in that man's life (who wasn't even supposed to be there either - he was falsely arrested).

Do you make every moment count? Do you seize every opportunity you have to make a difference when it is within your means to do it? If not, the Bible says if we know the good we ought to do and don't do it, we are sinning (James 4:17). That's why I had to try and write this blog again. As frustrated as I was, and wanted to just say "oh forget it," I felt like someone else would need to hear this. So, I didn't waste my opportunity to make a difference and I began again.

We DO make a difference! It's just like an illustration the pastor had us visualize: Suppose you had a cable that was stretched all the way from East to West. That represents eternity. Then, you take out a pen and draw a small line up and down on that "cable of eternity." That little "scratch" is your life. Even if we live to be a hundred, that is still nothing compared to that big long cable. Eternity is a long time! We need to be thinking about WHERE we want to spend eternity! There are only two choices, and not to decide is to decide. So, if you are riding the fence, you have already made your choice.

The good news is, it's never too late to decide. That is, until you're dead! Don't miss what might be your final opportunity to choose Christ! Live your life for "eternity" not for the "here and now." Don't spend your life concentrating on the "scratch" because that's not all there is. The money, material possessions, assets, and what not, aren't going to be worth a hill of beans! The money will eventually get spent (by you or those that inherit it after you) the house will fall apart, that new car will lose its luster, and all that you have accumulated will have to be left behind when you die. Do you think anyone cares how much "stuff" you have when you die? Is THAT what people talk about at funerals? Maybe in Hollywood they do, but does anyone care about ANY of that in the long run? NO WAY! The things people REMEMBER and the things that LAST have to do with the legacy you leave and the imprint you made on this world. Will yours be a life that people miss? How do you want to be remembered?

The only thing worth living for is a cause worth dying for. Is your life worth a house, a car, money, and "stuff?" Is that all there is? I would sure hope not! Your heart is where your treasure is. If your heart is with "stuff" of this world, then you will perish right along with it. If your heart is with Jesus, and loving and serving others, then you will last forever! Now, doesn't that make more sense?

True riches and wealth are in the things you can't touch or put a price tag on. The only thing I really want to touch are LIVES and you truly can't put a price on that! And, that kind of investment has GREAT returns!! God MUTLIPLIES the deposits you make in peoples lives! Just think of how the story the pastor shared today is touching so many people, including me, and now I am sharing it with you, and then you may share it with others! Just think of the reward that pastor is going to receive when he gets to heaven!! Now THAT is RICH!!

Work for Jesus and you will be richer than even the biggest billionaire! But, if you only work for "self" then the rewards of this life will be all that you get. Why work for temporary rewards? Stock up on the rewards that go towards eternity! After all, that is where you will be spending most of your time! This life is nothing but the dash between the dates on your tombstone. Life is short. Make your dash count and don't focus on the "scratch!"

If you are not saved, or if you are but haven't really committed your reason for living to Him, I pray that you will take these verses to heart: "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10).

Don't waste another day! Tomorrow may never come! Once you die, there are no second chances! Confess and believe in Christ! If you have made that commitment today, I would love to talk to you! Comment or send me a message and I will help you take your next step towards Christ! We're all in this together, and I'm here to encourage my fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord! I promise you, you'll never regret the day you met Jesus!! J You'll just wonder why you waited so long! God bless all who read this!