Ordination Memories

Time sure slips by. This is my 100th blog post! Now that would be something if they hadn't been spread out over such a number of years...but hey. Life happens.

"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

Never did I ever imagine that God would call me to ordained ministry and that I would accomplish that goal, but last year, on July 12 I did!

I was one who was late coming to faith. I was thirty-two and a stay-at-home homeschooling mom of three girls when Jesus reached way down and plucked me out of the muck and mire and welcomed me to His family, forgiving me and restoring me to wholeness.

As I grew in my faith, I devoured the Bible and many Christian books to learn and grow in my faith. I had a lot of ground to cover. Time was flying by and I was already behind.

As I grew in my faith I began teaching, leading worship and Bible studies. As I did, I was growing and passionate about Jesus and He called me to write what would become my first published work to help people grow in their faith.

As time went on, I continued writing, then He called me into ministry. This call took some time to process and accept. Long story short, I finally surrendered to His call in January 2012. With encouragement, I decided that whatever it would take, I would follow the call.

The road has been rough, with many pitfalls, setbacks, and discouragements. Yet, there were people along the way who encouraged me and prayed me through. July 12, 2019 will be an Ebenezer Stone in my life and ministry. Without the Lord, I certainly wouldn't be here.

I look forward to sharing the love of Jesus each and every day to whomever I can. May the Holy Spirit direct me and give me strength to follow His call as I praise God and live in the fullness He provides daily.

Following are some pics from Ordination Day.

Rollie and I before the Ordination Service. I was ordained with 7 others that day!

 Ordination Service was surreal. Something I wasn't convinced would ever happen. 

During the one-on-one words from our DS Rev. Peter Moore to each ordinand, he used the word persevere to describe my journey. What a timely and perfect word I will treasure as I reflect and remember!!

Photo from the receiving line after Ordination.

Honoured to be Ordained in the year Rev. Arnold Stairs was recognized for 70 years of Ordained ministry in The Wesleyan Church. What a joy to hear all about his ministry and witness his humility and heart for people. Being 47 when I was ordained means I won't likely see 70 years of service!!!

Breathing Thankfulness

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

In this time of year, with Thanksgiving just around the proverbial bend, leaves falling from the trees, days shortening, and much cooler nights, we tend to be torn. Our desire is to be thankful, yet we complain about the cold, darkness, and falling leaves. What if we change our ways? What if we take Paul's advice and make the choice to always be joyful, always pray, always give thanks? What would happen?

From personal experience I can tell you that a person can choose joy. There will be moments of sorrow, but those moments don't have to last forever, nor do they get the choice to drag you down. We can choose. Hold on a moment - for those of you who are thinking "Yeah, what does she know?!" I've been there. I've suffered seasons of depression so bad that suicide looked the only way out. I've been in seasons of abandonment, depression, loss, grief... However, these things DO NOT define me. Nor do the negative things in your life define you.

In this verse is a key that unlocks the door to joy - thankfulness. When we are thankful to the Lord for the things in our life: good, bad, and ugly, He begins to do a work within us that words cannot describe. Remember, there is nothing that you will go through that God does not know about and there is nothing you will walk through that Jesus doesn't understand. If you have surrendered your whole self to Jesus and accepted Him as your Lord and Saviour, you have the Holy Spirit within you and He will guide you. Do not believe the thoughts or voices that tell you 'you are alone' or 'nobody cares' or any other negative lie.

Jesus came to this earth - leaving the perfection of heaven behind - to be our example. He grew up, suffered and died at the hands of other people. In this world things can be tough, but when Jesus is on our side, we are victorious even if it doesn't feel that way. You are not alone and you are loved more than you will ever know. Remember, Jesus' story doesn't end at the grave. He rose from the grave defeating death and hell. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and is interceding for each and every person who calls on His name. You are not alone. You are not forsaken. Choose Jesus and choose joy.

I want to encourage you this Thanksgiving and each and every day forward to choose joy by choosing thankfulness. When you're happy, thank Jesus for something. When you're angry, thank Jesus for something.When you get down, thank Jesus for something. Look around, it isn't hard to find things to be thankful for. Make thankfulness a habit. What are you thankful for today?

Happy Thanksgiving

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5 NKJV Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving. Have you thought about the things you are truly thankful for? In each one of our lives, there is something to give thanks for. It may be something small or something huge, but we can all find at least one thing to be thankful for. Take some time this weekend and record some of the things you are thankful for. The promise of an eternal life in heaven with Jesus is something I am thankful for. Knowing that everyone is on level footing and all are welcome is something to be truly thankful for. Forgiveness, grace, mercy, peace, hope, and wisdom; these are all promises to His children. Isn’t that cause for thankfulness? When we enter into His presence, we can do so with boldness knowing that our prayers will be heard. We can enter with thanksgiving because He is and always will be. We can make the conscious choice to praise Him even if we don’t “feel” like it. If you are going through a bad time, take a moment and praise God for something. Find one thing He has done and praise Him for it. Remember, His truth does endure. Pray that He will give you understanding and a discerning heart to hear from Him.