As I was driving to church this past Sunday the popular acronym “WWJD” came to me, it made me think very seriously at, what would Jesus do in situations that occur daily for each of us? Now I realize we all encounter different things and are inclined to be in conversations that may be radically different for one another so, I am going to use my own personal experiences to explore WWJD. I have attended a few different denomination churches in my life; spanning from Community non-denominational, Baptist, Methodist, and Lutheran. To be honest, my experiences had more to do the people of the congregations rather than the denomination and its particular traditions, sacred histories or symbols. My foundational belief is I believe in the Trinity, God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. I was created by God, I have salvation because of the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ’s through His life, death and resurrection and daily I am encouraged and directed by the Holy Spirit. In the past, I was drawn to churches for a variety of things such as times of services (crazy work schedules), the Pastors, classes/workshops and the congregation. As, I look back and ponder on these things, I am reminded how very happy I have found a church that truly feeds me, teaches me, supports me and loves me unconditionally. God knew my plan all along; it just took me a bit longer to find my path to free-ness and happiness. A church cannot and should not be the foundation of your faith, churches are merely buildings in which believers gather to share and praise God. My church serves communion weekly, this is an awesome experience and weekly I can refresh my spirit, recommit myself to God, and restore my soul. Church services offer a time for community and conversations, coffee and juice to feed nutritionally and scripture, message, singing and prayers feed the soul to overflowing. It’s a chance to engage with others as we work towards a common goal to spread the love of Jesus with one another but more overly our world. So, the question is WWJD…over and over throughout the Bible, Jesus meets with people, the common usually ignored people, He respected people and He loved people. He was sincere and preached to people in a manner that was simple to understand, not like the Teachers of the Law at that time. Jesus did not put on public displays all His power and authority for mere recognition, He healed and saved people whose faith allowed healing to take place. When Jesus prayed, He did not do so openly for all to see, He spoke with His Father in a quiet and private personal manner. God does not want His children to display themselves in a proud and gaudy way of worshipping Him; this only brings recognition to self. God wants and desires a personal relationship with Him; He wants to bless us beyond our capabilities to comprehend. God’s invitation is for all people, no one is excluded, NONE…we are called to share the Good News to all, all are created in God’s image and to bring glory to God, He has a plan for each of us…I recently, attended a workshop “Pursuing Your Unique Purpose,” it was a great workshop and I was able to name and claim my spiritual gifts as well as find clarity to put them into action. Life is meant to grow, increase and even stretch (as I recently discovered at the ACC sermon on 09/08/2013…look for it soon on the website if you missed it http://www.avonchristian.org/ Sermon “Refreshment for the Soul”) WWJD…confronting self and others with grace and mercy, stretching yourself to grow, refine and refresh your soul. I am going to challenge myself when confronted with decisions and actions, WWJD…we are all human and sinners and honestly judgment comes into life every day, what if we just meet people where they are with no expectations, just loving them as Jesus would, not judging but with grace and mercy.
Peace and Blessing~

I have been away for a few days and it was difficult to write during that time for reasons that are difficult to explain but my thoughts are filled with things I want to share. I have just returned from visiting with family, family…that word itself can ignite memories or develop a spark for what the future may hold. It is used to describe relatives by birth, marriage or adoption; people joined together with a common bond; and someone’s lineage. For me, family is the people in my heart! As I was driving home today from a long weekend with my father, brother, aunt and cousins I was awe-struck with an overwhelming feeling on blessedness. I have been fortunate to have known my great-grandparents; grandparents; aunts and uncles; cousins (1st, 2nd and 3rd generation)…but even more than my blood relatives God has blessed me with friends from high school; college and jobs, each are every bit my family as well. And, more amazingly God continues to place people in my life that are more than just friends, I love them as family. I guess I’ve known this extraordinary feeling of love for a very long time without truly recognizing its depth or reciprocal value until I had faced some very sad and painful events in my life. The one single thing that has remained in my life through all the good and the painful things that I have experienced and sadly I failed to see it on a regular basis and that is the everlasting, unconditional love of God. God has never left me, though I often leave Him out of my life. It’s sometimes easy to remember say thank you to God when life is good, but even then we think “look what I did!” and leave God completely out. But, we are quick to think of God when things go bad! I can’t lie; I have been guilty of the later more times than I care to say. We never want to take responsibility for the bad choices we make, it’s somehow God’s fault, and the good things that happen to us…Look what I did! God is never mentioned. I have come to this conclusion after rediscovering the most profound thing, I belong to God! Without God I would not be here, I would not have even been born. All that I am, all that I have is a gift from God. I am a sinner, I was born a sinner and only by the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ am I able to proclaim that I am a child of God, God is my family, He created me to bring glory to Him and He gave me a purpose, my life has a purpose. Daily, I struggle to be the person I was born to be, the struggle is my humanness and only by inviting God to be with us and in us through the work of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis can we truly be happy, the kind of happiness that fills you from the inside out. I am the woman I am because of God, because of the family I was given to…I have no regrets because if not for the experiences I have had, I would not be who I am now…through it all, a child of God. I could and have sometimes do compared myself to others, and think if I had only understood life and took it more serious years ago, I would not have wasted time and been doing God’s will and living out my purpose. There I go second guessing God; He precisely and purposely was in control the whole time. Thanks be to God! I feel as if my eyes have been opened, I am purposely starting and ending my day with conversations with God and invite Him on this journey through life. He’s always been there, and I think it makes God smile when I simply say, “Let’s go and meet the day together!” I do not understand all life’s experiences, but I know that God is with me, always. A very dear friend (thank you!) gave me Psalms 62 today and I pray it blesses you as it did me!
Peace & Blessings˜

Psalm 62
New International Version (NIV)

1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3 How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.
11 One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”