Uh Oh, Tomorrow!!!!

It has been a very busy week.
A great week, but very, very busy.
We are having a revival at our congregation that started Sunday morning and will end, (the preaching by the guest speaker will end, not the revival), tonight.
Tomorrow morning my husband and I will fly to Arizona so he can preach his uncle's funeral. We will then fly back on Saturday to then attend a local event.
Like I said, VERY busy.
The first thing I thought of when I opened my eyes this morning was tomorrow.

We have to be at the airport at 5:30 am.
The airport is 90 min. from out home.
That means we have to leave at 4 am.
This translates to a 3am wake-up time, after a late night at the revival.
I began to worry, just a little, about the day tomorrow.
Oh and did I mention, we change two time zones, so we will have a VERY LONG day!



Then my daughter came in to do her quoting for Bible Bowl this morning, and she quoted this verse:

Matthew 6
³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Wow! A message from God to me.
STOP WORRYING ABOUT TOMORROW!
I have enough going on just to get through today!
I have people to minister to.
I have a family to get ready so I can be away for three days.
God has work for me to do, that I cannot get done, if I only worry about tomorrow!
SO today, I choose to be about my tasks at hand, not to be concerned over the schedule of tomorrow, and embrace and enjoy the precious gift of TODAY that God has given me.
I will also be prepared for the little bumps that will come with today, God said EACH day has it's own TROUBLE, so I am now prepared!

Thank you God for you words of love and encouragement to me today!!

Chasing After Their Hearts,
Glenda Johnson

Football And Joy

It is football season. I love football. I am a home team girl through and through!

 Go Ravens!

 

Go Easton Warriors!!! Local High School team; Our kids are home schooled!

                         

                                       

And unless they are playing the Ravens: Go Cardinals! (I was born and raised in AZ, what can I say!)

But My 9yo son, Noah, he LOVES LOVES LOVES football. Right now, every move he makes in the house is a football play. Most every conversation has game stats from some game he has watched in the last week. He can explain, with enthusiasm, the play of the game that was the pinnacle of that game.
 
Which is interesting.

He doesn't play the game in an organized sport.

Until a couple of Fridays ago when I took him to a Easton Warriors High School game, he had never seen a live game.

SO why the passion for the game? Why does joy just pour out of him while watching football?

I have been really enjoying watching my joyful son. And pondering his attitude.

This is what I have observed:
My son always has a song and beat going. He is always, and I mean always singing. 90% of the time it is what most would label as "worship" songs.  But he really likes Dan Smith parodies.(http://www.whitedj.com) He just SINGS!! Or he is dancing to a beat that can only be heard in his head.

It was while I saw him dancing that it hit me.

The song he was hearing in his head that caused him to dance, was actually,
IN HIS HEART!

Psa 71:23  

My lips will sing with joy when I make music to praise you. My soul, which you have rescued, also will sing joyfully.

My son finds overwhelming joy in football, because the joy is already there!
He is a joyful child.
(except with food, he is a picky eater. He has grown into being more joyful with that too!)

When you have a heart that is filled with joy, it spills out in everything you do. I see this with my son so wonderfully. He sings while he does his school work. He sings while he does his chores. He sings while he is playing.
All the time.
His joy spills out!

Matthew 18:3

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

This verse has always been very meaningful. I love the fact that we are to become like the children, not make them into stuffy adults!

I think , that as I watch my boy, I have glimpse  of what Jesus meant when He said it. Jesus saw joy in little children.

Why this joy?

They have very few cares in this world. They don't worry where the next meal is coming from. They trust it will be there when they are hungry.

They don't worry about where they will sleep. They know where their bed is. They trust that it will be there waiting at bedtime.

They don't worry about what they will wear. Clothes are in the drawer

We have been given a life of hope, security, love, and an eternity with King Jesus, who, died for us! Why are we not singing, dancing and overflowing with joy every moment of our lives?

Could it be we lack trust in our "Father"?

Matthew 6:25-34 

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I will choose today, to trust and live in the abundant joy that Jesus has called us to!

This song helps me to remember this very fact!

Trading My Sorrows

Chasing After Their Hearts,


Glenda Johnson
womanaftergod@gmail.com
http://www.twitter.com/GlendaJohnson63
http://www.facebook.com/BibleBowlGlenda

A Long Way To Go

The are days I wake up and all the problems from yesterday crash down even before I put my feet on the floor. Then almost immediately, the problems I anticipate for today collide with with those of yesterday and  my attitude is in the toilet, before I ever even make to the bathroom.

I will bet that some of you are the same way. Why do we put ourselves through that? Not only ourselves, but how about our husbands, children, friends, coworkers, and everyone else that comes across our path?

Our attitude affects them all.

I cannot control all the situations around me. That is a hard realization from the
"Control Freak Queen"!

I can however change my responses.

I saw a video that made me feel ashamed. Then, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes as to what I needed to change.

The video was of the Haitian people singing praises to God. That might not seem so life changing, except that it was the very night, just a couple of hours after the huge earthquake last week.
Even more amazing is that they did the same thing the next morning, the next evening, and continue to do so.

They did this amidst total devastation, death, and a very uncertain future. Also, while aftershocks continued on a regular basis. And are still continuing.

Humbling to say the least. Life changing.

Do I have problems? Yes.
Are some of them devastating? Yes.

Can I sing and praise God each morning?

The only right answer is YES!

This is the song I have been singing each day.




I am trying to remember that there is nothing yesterday, today or tomorrow, that God does not know about, or is not in control of.

To me, that is

INDESCRIBABLE!!!!!!

I have a long way to go, to a faith like the Haitians. I desire to chase God's heart like they do!


Will you sing with me today? Tomorrow?

Chasing Their Hearts,
Glenda Johnson
womanaftergod@gmail.com
http://www.twitter.com/GlendaJohnson63
http://www.facebook.com/BibleBowlGlenda 

Shaking But Held

Has your life ever been shaken so hard that you can barely keep your balance? As of 5:40pm, 1/12/2010, I have been shaken to the very depths of my soul. I am struggling to get my feet on the steadied on the ground and help those around me pick themselves up as well.

You see, my son is in Haiti. There was a 7.0 earthquake there just about 5pm on 1/12/2010. We got the news via Facebook at 5:40pm. I have not stopped shaking.

I know that God is in control. I know that God has put my son there for just this very purpose. I know everything will be ok, even if it isn't.

That's what is scary.

My heart promise for this year (chosen in December) is this:

2Co 9:8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

So today I claim this verse for me. To get through the worry and concern.

For my son. To do what God wants him to do. to keep him safe.

And while my world is still shaking, at least I know who is holding me, my son, and both of our circumstances.

So, this song is getting me through today. I've included the lyrics and a video. Maybe it will help you if your world is shaking.



I'm trading my sorrows
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying them down
for the joy of the lord

I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying them down
for the joy of the lord

we say yes lord
yes lord yes yes lord!
yes lord, yes lord
yes yes lord
yes lord yes lord
yes yes lord amen

I'm pressed but not crushed,persecuted
not abandoned
struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse for his
promise will endure
that his joy's gonna be my strenght
through the sorrow may last for the night
his joy comes with the morning!
---

And even as I was writing this, we heard from my son. His compound has be demolished and they are trying to make it to the airport. Please pray for God to continue to guide them safely to the airport.

Chasing Their Hearts,
Glenda Johnson
womanaftergod@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/GlendaJohnson63
http://www.facebook.com/BibleBowlGlenda

Are You Sure God?

It is one of those day. Not a bad day. It has actually been a very good and productive day. It has however been a day that in the back drop, slowly worry has started creeping in. Now as I sit here to write, I am exhausted. It is more of the mental kind verses the physical.

Have you ever noticed how worry can just zap you of you energy, joy and well-being?

As I worry I have a hard time having the energy to meet the needs of my two kids who have the flu.

*Hmm one of my reasons for worry......

As I am caring for them, I need to pack to go out of town for 3 or 4 days because my husband is having surgery about an hour and a half away from home. I am over-whelmed and too tired.

*Hmmm again one of my reasons for worry.....

As I think about my husband being in the hospital for 2 or 3 days starting tomorrow, I know I must also go with my daughter to the perinatalogist for a consultation for a pregnancy that is becoming an increasing concern for both my daughter's health and my grandchild's day after tomorrow. I know we probably have 28 more weeks of bed rest with me caring for my 16mo granddaughter. And I must care for my husband. AND I must be prepared to support my daughter and son-in-love if we have a loss .

*Hmmmm once again,the reasons for my worry.

As I write this I am tired.

Isn't it interesting that all the things that make me worry are things I need the energy to accomplish that the worry steals????

Are you tired from worrying about things. Real things. Things that are truly difficult and affect your ability to serve Jesus, or to be the wife or mom that He has called you to be?

Me too.

And once again Jesus speaks through His Word and through the Holy Spirit to me.

Mat 6:34  "So don't ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (GW)

Really? I don't have to worry about tomorrow, or the next day or the next?
Jesus said I don't have to.

Then He talks to Martha and says: 
Luk 10:41  The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha! You worry and fuss about a lot of things.(GW)

She was wearing herself out worrying over things that did not need to be worried about.

He could have just as well been saying,
"Glenda! Glenda! You worry and fuss about a lot of things."

Could your name go in there as well?

As we chase after Jesus' heart we must trust that in that heart everything is already handled for us.

You see He also said:
Pro 1:33  But whoever listens to me will live without worry and will be free from the dread of disaster."

There's the issue. We dread disaster. I dread disaster.

If we will listen to Him, the worry can march it's scrawny little,  obnoxious butt right out the door!

I am choosing right now to stop the worrying.

Want to know what is amazing?

I suddenly have the energy I need to get through the rest of the day!

What will you choose?

Chasing After Their Hearts,
Glenda Johnson
http://twitter.com/GlendaJohnson63
womanaftergod@gmail.com