Hello all...It just dawned on me that while I have posted a few random posts over the past few years, if this is something I would like to get into doing more often, I should probably introduce myself!
My name is Laura, and I come from a small town in Western New York. I am a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant and absolutely love my job. I work in an outpatient facility so I get to treat patients with a smorgasbord of injuries/illnesses/issues. This leads to a wide variety of people I get to interact with each and every day!!
I absolutely love to work out, and kickboxing and pilates are my top 2 favorites. I don't mind going on a run, but I have to be in the "mood" for a run...and that doesn't happen very often. I played sports growing up, so I am sure this plays a factor into my activity levels.
My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is number 1 in my life. He is always with me, and even when I wandered away through college, He never left me or forsook me. I am tempted to say my faith has never been stronger, and I pray that my co-workers, patients, family, and friends see the love I have in my heart for my Lord and Savior!
I think I will let the introductions end for now...but trust me, you'll learn more about me in the upcoming days/weeks/months.
Talk to ya later...
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Spring Time Flowers
I live in Western New York, and Spring is one of my favorite seasons...because to me, it represents LIFE! After a dead, gloomy winter the spring time flowers, grass, and even buds on the trees shows the cycle of life coming alive again!
This reminds me of the rebuilding process the Holy Spirit guides and directs us through. Lets face it, too many times we mess up and say the quick "forgiveness" prayer without really asking for forgiveness. I don't think it is until we do something "really big" that we truly seek after forgiveness. For me, these past few months have been about reconnecting with my Heavenly Father. College took me much farther away from Him then I even like to think about. Even once I came home, and got reconnected with my church on a regular basis, my walk certainly wasn't what it was supposed to be.
Back in January my sunday school class started a new devotional book, "Lord, I need Grace to make it Today" By Kay Arthur. I didn't realize at the time just what this book was going to force me to examine, but only the Lord could have known just what my broken heart needed. This book brought healing at a level I never expected possible. I still struggle admitting to others my mistakes, but I think at this time they aren't necessary. This book took me through the necessary steps for healing to really begin.
I had to come face to face with my wrong doings, yet see how much my precious Savior gave up for me that day on the Cross. It should have been me on that cross. I should suffer eternal separation from my Lord and Savior. Yet with the salvation offered to me, and the "wipe the slate clean" Lord I worship, I will see Him face to face someday.
So as I finish this sunday school book, I feel like the spring time flowers, blossoming in new, vibrant colors, ready to show the world that the "long winter nights" can bring me down, but they won't kill me off! My guilt is still there, but I no longer fear for my salvation. I know that the Lord will use my past mistakes into something positive in my future!
This reminds me of the rebuilding process the Holy Spirit guides and directs us through. Lets face it, too many times we mess up and say the quick "forgiveness" prayer without really asking for forgiveness. I don't think it is until we do something "really big" that we truly seek after forgiveness. For me, these past few months have been about reconnecting with my Heavenly Father. College took me much farther away from Him then I even like to think about. Even once I came home, and got reconnected with my church on a regular basis, my walk certainly wasn't what it was supposed to be.
Back in January my sunday school class started a new devotional book, "Lord, I need Grace to make it Today" By Kay Arthur. I didn't realize at the time just what this book was going to force me to examine, but only the Lord could have known just what my broken heart needed. This book brought healing at a level I never expected possible. I still struggle admitting to others my mistakes, but I think at this time they aren't necessary. This book took me through the necessary steps for healing to really begin.
I had to come face to face with my wrong doings, yet see how much my precious Savior gave up for me that day on the Cross. It should have been me on that cross. I should suffer eternal separation from my Lord and Savior. Yet with the salvation offered to me, and the "wipe the slate clean" Lord I worship, I will see Him face to face someday.
So as I finish this sunday school book, I feel like the spring time flowers, blossoming in new, vibrant colors, ready to show the world that the "long winter nights" can bring me down, but they won't kill me off! My guilt is still there, but I no longer fear for my salvation. I know that the Lord will use my past mistakes into something positive in my future!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Todays Message
Church today really got me thinking...good thought and not so pleasent thoughts. What kind of a Christian really am I? From the outside, I may appear to have it all together, and be the "perfect, little Christian", but deep down inside I bear many scars. Scars that My Savior, while He knew I would encounter them, forgave me for.
My Pastor has been focusing on Matthew 5:1-12, the Beatitudes. He has come up with little "catch-phrases" to help make the verses more "modern", shall we say.
Vs. 3-- Bankrupt over sin Vs. 7-- Mercy Givers
Vs. 4--Broken over sin Vs. 8--Purity Seekers
Vs. 5--Control over sin Vs. 9-- Relationship Restorers
Vs. 6--Crave righteousness over sin Vs. 10-- Righteous Witnesses
There's a reason why I have them paired up this way....pretty much God has taught us that we must deal with the Inward Traits(column 1) before we can have an Outward Demonstration(column 2).
The pairing that hits me most, is actually the 2nd one. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted", vs. 4. When I think of the word Mourn, I think of funerals, and how I cry over the sadness of losing someone that I loved. I really feel that God wants us to no only repent from our sins, but if we are willing to make a life-style change, that we have to physically MOURN our sins. WHAT!? you ask? God is placing it on my heart, that I can't really move on from sinning without prayerfully, humbly meaning it from the deepest parts of my heart.
It hurts so badly to think about the sins I have committed. Conscience decisions that I made to do wrong. Even though I knew they were wrong, I still did them. Time and time again. And yes, I have asked for repentance. BUT if in that situation again, will I stick to my convictions??
This is where vs. 8 comes into play. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Pastor Dave referred to them as "Purity Seekers". They are truly broken over sin and are seeking a pure heart....so they may not repeat the sin cycle. They see the sin as God sees it, and they want a clean (pure) heart before the Lord.
The part that really has me thinking is that they are "broken over their sin" so they "won't repeat the cycle." I long for God's forgiveness, which he has given to me. But I think in my heart, I "hurt" for my sins...but am I "broken" over them? This is where my thoughts dive deeper into my inner most being, as I force myself to study my heart and see where I really am.
I have played the hypocritical Christian before. Most people don't know just how badly I fooled them. I knew what to say, how to act, and how to respond to any and every situation. I have been working on my relationship with the Lord for a while now, and finally feel as though I am "through" the "fake" stage...although it wouldn't take much for me to get back to that. I NEED Jesus to be real in my life. I have far too much hurt in my life to do this on my own. I've messed it up enough. I need Jesus to be my light. While it kills me to not know the future, it's also where I need to just trust him.
Wow...talk about rambling. Guess I had a lot on my heart tonight...
My Pastor has been focusing on Matthew 5:1-12, the Beatitudes. He has come up with little "catch-phrases" to help make the verses more "modern", shall we say.
Vs. 3-- Bankrupt over sin Vs. 7-- Mercy Givers
Vs. 4--Broken over sin Vs. 8--Purity Seekers
Vs. 5--Control over sin Vs. 9-- Relationship Restorers
Vs. 6--Crave righteousness over sin Vs. 10-- Righteous Witnesses
There's a reason why I have them paired up this way....pretty much God has taught us that we must deal with the Inward Traits(column 1) before we can have an Outward Demonstration(column 2).
The pairing that hits me most, is actually the 2nd one. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted", vs. 4. When I think of the word Mourn, I think of funerals, and how I cry over the sadness of losing someone that I loved. I really feel that God wants us to no only repent from our sins, but if we are willing to make a life-style change, that we have to physically MOURN our sins. WHAT!? you ask? God is placing it on my heart, that I can't really move on from sinning without prayerfully, humbly meaning it from the deepest parts of my heart.
It hurts so badly to think about the sins I have committed. Conscience decisions that I made to do wrong. Even though I knew they were wrong, I still did them. Time and time again. And yes, I have asked for repentance. BUT if in that situation again, will I stick to my convictions??
This is where vs. 8 comes into play. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Pastor Dave referred to them as "Purity Seekers". They are truly broken over sin and are seeking a pure heart....so they may not repeat the sin cycle. They see the sin as God sees it, and they want a clean (pure) heart before the Lord.
The part that really has me thinking is that they are "broken over their sin" so they "won't repeat the cycle." I long for God's forgiveness, which he has given to me. But I think in my heart, I "hurt" for my sins...but am I "broken" over them? This is where my thoughts dive deeper into my inner most being, as I force myself to study my heart and see where I really am.
I have played the hypocritical Christian before. Most people don't know just how badly I fooled them. I knew what to say, how to act, and how to respond to any and every situation. I have been working on my relationship with the Lord for a while now, and finally feel as though I am "through" the "fake" stage...although it wouldn't take much for me to get back to that. I NEED Jesus to be real in my life. I have far too much hurt in my life to do this on my own. I've messed it up enough. I need Jesus to be my light. While it kills me to not know the future, it's also where I need to just trust him.
Wow...talk about rambling. Guess I had a lot on my heart tonight...
Monday, December 8, 2008
Whirlwind weeks...
Life has taken several unexpected turns the past few weeks...ultimately leading to the death of my Grandpa Jim. 2 weeks ago, I was down in Florida enjoying an early Thanksgiving Dinner with him, and now cancer has taken him away from me. They always say hind-sight is 20/20...well if I knew just 10 days ago what I know now...I would have said good-bye to my Papa a little bit different then I did. See...Nov 21st we were told it was Bronchitis...the 28th, he was being admitted into the hospital, the 3rd, biopsy's came back that he had cancer in his stomach & esophagus, and the 5th, he passed away.
For me, this is just another reminder of just how short life really is. You never know how much time you have, or how many more breaths the Lord has in store for you. It has been a long 2 weeks, but we have 1 more week to get through. Since he was in Florida, and I was in New York...I know that the tears I have cried, are only the tip of the iceberg, as visitation and funeral will be here in New York....
For me, this is just another reminder of just how short life really is. You never know how much time you have, or how many more breaths the Lord has in store for you. It has been a long 2 weeks, but we have 1 more week to get through. Since he was in Florida, and I was in New York...I know that the tears I have cried, are only the tip of the iceberg, as visitation and funeral will be here in New York....
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