Happy Sabbath

This morning I woke up feeling excited about a wonderful  Sabbath in store for me.  I took Patches for a walk and a left to go run with Black Girls Run around Centennial Olympic Park.  I happily paid for parking as a result of having just paid for three parking tickets with only one being mine but that is another story.  I thought to myself (actually I believe it was the Holy Spirit prodding) I needed to double check where I parked so I will be able to find my car when I finish my run, but I did not.  I had a great 3.1 mile run listening to my iphone and keeping pace with a few awesome ladies. 

At the end of the run,  I encouraged the other ladies as they finished and then I started walking to my car I thought.  After about 15 minutes of wondering around trying to find where I parked, I got some help from a really nice police officer, who did not think I was completely crazy for not knowing where I parked my car.  The Lord is so good to me because I thought for a half a second about panicking but I thought better of it and reminded myself it was a car and I will find it eventually.  But I was getting anxious about being late for church.  The Lord calmed me and I found the car and thanked the police officer. 

I continued to drive home.  As I was seating at a red light listening some great Christian music, I noticed a police car behind me and thought ahhhhhhhhh.  Ok.  When the light turned green I started off and then I saw blue lights from the police car and thought ohhh really ok.  I initially hesitated like is that for me so I eased over to the side of the road and he informed me that I was speeding going 50 in a 35 and I was ohhhhhhh ok.  And I thought ohhhh devil you are really good at your job, but my God is so much better at His,His grace and mercy covers me.  The devil was really trying to through off my wonderful Sabbath and keep me or delay me from going to church.  The officer gave me a ticket and I was completely smiling the whole time because I knew it was not about him it was the devil at work.  The officer explained the whole ticket to me and I just felt myself beaming and he asked did I have any questions and I said no and thanks  for the ticket and I proceeded to tell him he was really cute (and he was)  and to have a great day.  We both laughed.  I continued my drive home waiting to see what the devil was going to through at me next. 

I got home, showered and  dressed  in what I must say a really cute outfit and out the door in record time.  As I am driving to church I am encouraging myself with God’s word in my mind and song on my lips.  The Lord favored me with getting my parking space even though I was much later than my normal.  As I am thanking God for his favor, the devil sends a phone call to distract me from preparing my mind for worship.  I just had to say devil get thee behind me in the name of Jesus.  I come into God’s sanctuary completely ready to see what the devil wanted to keep me from experiencing.  The message was given by Pastor Boston and he spoke about listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit.  It really spoke to me because believe the little small voice in my head that speaks to me throughout the day and advises me which way to go and unfortunately I do not listen all the time. 

I left church and visited a friend who is having surgery this week and is homebound until then. I relayed the above to him and the devil trying to come at me and he stated well it is just like a player who always attends practice eventually all of the work at practice will come in handy during the big game. 

Father, I know this day is a small part of the game that is my life but thank you for preparing me to defeat the enemy on today’s fight.  I pray in advance for the next time the devil tries to discourage me that I will identify the devil as the enemy and not the person or situation. 

Chickens

Yesterday I was in North Georgia.  There are a lot of chicken plants in this area.  On the way back I was behind a tractor trailor with cages and cages of live chickens.  There feathers were flying back  towards me as I was driving.  My thought was wow a lot of chickens and then I became really emotional and sad and teary eyed as I thought those chickens are going toward their death and then to someone's table, it sadden me deeply.  I am already vegetarian but I have never had such an emotional response to thinking of an animal's impending death.  I thought of how they were breed to die for someone to eat.  I am getting a little emotional now as I express this in words but the actual experience was very reflective to me.  As I reflect on it more  and a little then Christ was born to die for my sins and how much His death means to me and each person that accepts Him as their Savior.  I need to live each day in thankfulness of His sacrifice.  Unless an animal or a person is making that kind of sacrifice, I do not want them or it to die.  Death is serious.  It means that person or animal is no longer on this earth, and the question arises - is it worth it.  Should something die for me to casually it on my table, I have not eaten dead animals in over twenty years never as I result of thinking of the humanity of it but as a healthier living choice but now I can say it is both especially since I live in a country that I  have easy access to a non animal diet and my body can live without eating the flesh of another animal.

I had a really cool experience last night when I got back from my trip.  I had dinner with a friend and I recounted the above experience with her.  She asked a few questions about my diet and the question that got me was Do I eat eggs? and I said occasionally but not as a normal occurance.  And she so easily said well you do not eat dead animals but essentially you abort them from ever being born by eating eggs.  A light bulb went off and I said to myself I will NEVER eat an egg again.  By eating eggs I essentially economically encourage the porduction of chickens to produce eggs that will never live to become little chicks.  So that was that, her simple and so easily spoken statement has changed my diet for ever!!!  thanks Ms. C.  I appreciate the ease of your revelation to me and I hope you have many more to share in the days, months and years to come!

Almost Wordless Picture of the Week

This week was my mom's birthday and I spent the day with her and my sister in law.  We got pedicures and manicures and I had been wanting to to get one and have black polish and Ifinally got it and I love it.