Oh my goodness! I had such a huge God moment yesterday! Let me explain:

I drive a black 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier with 174,000+ miles on it. I have a lot of affection for it having bought it as my first and only car at $300 as a fixer-upper. And let me tell you, it was a piece of work, but I loved it all the same.

It's been two years since my dad and brother fixed it up and I've haven't had any problems with it besides the recently replaced exhaust coil...at least until yesterday.

After work, I drove to Subway for supper. I paid for my meal and planned to eat in my car before heading to the library and Bible Study. I dove right into my chips and turned the key in the ignition for some heat. My radio flashed on and my dash lights blinked to life, but my engine was silent. After several failed attempts my car's engine refused to turn over. It was dead as a doornail. Sad day.

I whipped out my cell phone and first called my mom. No answer at home or on her cell phone. Next best idea: call my little brother who knows auto mechanics. Straight to the answering machine. Aw, bummer. And here I had hoped Nate could talk me through the problem while I popped the hood on my car. That was a no go. Hoping he was still at the office I worked at, I called my co-worker, Tom. Thankfully he answered, and I explained my problem to him. His initial thought was maybe the battery had died, but because all my lights were coming on that scratched that idea. Being unable to help me otherwise he wished me luck and I went back to munching my chips pitifully. It was forty-some degrees outside and had been raining steadily all day. Hoping to warm up my little car I turned the key to at least get the car heater working...or not. It only blew cool air because the engine was cold. I mentally slapped my forehead. 

In a last ditch effort I called my dad whom I thought was still out of state. Again, I hoped he could council me through it. After too many phone rings, he picked up and I breathed a sigh of relief saying, "Thank goodness you picked up!" "What's the problem?" he asked. Again I explained what had happened. After I got off the phone, I started texting Tom to let him know I was okay when he called to check up on me. I told him I was able to get ahold of my dad and that he was going to take care of things. If I hadn't been able to find help, Tom kindly said he would have offered to drop me off somewhere. Oh how the Lord blesses me with wonderful people in my life!

God was really looking out for me, because my dad had actually arrived home the day before. (I slept at a friend's house that night so I missed his homecoming.) He and my mom were just coming back from dropping a trailer off at my uncle's fiancee, Marlene's, house twenty minutes out of the city I was stranded in. They happened to be passing my area when they picked up the phone and were able to swing by Subway within minutes. Dad checked under the hood while I held an umbrella to protect him from the chilly rain. Whatever we tried didn't work--including a jump.

Dad decided it would be best to go back to my aunt-to-be's house and pick the trailer up again and load my car onto it taking it back to our home forty-five minutes south of the city. I let the Subway employees know we'd be back for the car and I piled into the Suburban with my dad and mom. On our way to get the trailer Mom explained God really was looking out for me. They were actually leaving Marlene's house when she called letting them know she was there and wanted to catch up. They turned around and talked for another half hour before heading in my direction. If Marlene hadn't talked to them for that half hour my parents would have almost been back home. Oh my word, such a close call there!

When we got the trailer I hopped in my car to steer while my incredible father pushed the car from behind onto the trailer. I watched my dad's technique for future reference as he tied it onto the trailer with straps tied with double and triple half-hitches. Once it was secure we gratefully got into the warm Suburban and headed home.

Although I didn't go to the library or Bible study, I felt like I experienced God's protection and love in a way I haven't ever experienced before. It was incredible. :')

Dad looked at my car today and the problem stemmed from the starter. It'll be fixed today so I can still drive to work on Monday! Praise God!

So that's my story for today. ^^ Keep an eye out for the blessings in disguise God sends your way!

Blessings,

~Twyla

This is a bit of an explanation.


We moved.


That's the reason why I haven't posted anything new for a month. I've been too overwhelmed.


Things were out of my control and changing all around me. It was wholly and utterly in God's most capable hands. We found out were were moving on March 1, 2012. The house we had lived in came with my dad's job, and since he was resigning, we were moving back to the house we originally moved from a small town just 40 miles south of our "job house". (We had kept our old house just in case this happened, thank the Lord.)


Rather than going into the details of the move, I'd rather tackle the spiritual lessons I learned through this unique experience.


Initially, I was very opposed to moving. My job, the Bible studies I attended, and my friends were all in that town. But more than that, I desired to stay in that home. Not necessarily the job, but the house. After six previous moves, I was ready to live in that house for much longer...well, at least until I moved away from my parents. ;)


The more time passed, I naturally desired to leave our "job house." The politics of the job were becoming stressful to me. Don't get me wrong, we had many blessings living there for the 6 1/2 years, but I think the Lord was whispering to us, "It's time to go now."


Somewhere along the lines, I rendered all my fears and discomfort about the move to the Lord, and I felt the transition went much smoother.


We were officially moved in over Easter weekend. Now we live, once again, in our big, green house at the end of the block.


I've learned so much through this experience. Giving God the control is so much easier than trying to handle it on you own. A quote that I really like is "Every end is a new beginning." ~Unknown Author. I've also experienced the selflessness, love, and compassion of four families offering their home to me if I need a place to stay while I'm up in the big city. How wonderful the Lord is!


I still maintain my job, Bible studies, and volunteering. I just commute the 40+ miles to go to them. I'm paying twice as much for gas now, so while I work the minimum wage job I've held for the past five years, I am learning to be content with what I have and living frugally. I am so blessed that I can pay for my cell phone, my car insurance, and my parents rent and still have a tiny portion of my paycheck left.


I think the Lord really gives us a lot for a little, but because the world always wants more, many people don't understand that. I'm really having to think of the little things I never noticed before, and it's a blessing. :)


Blessings,


~Twyla

I may have mentioned this in an earlier post, but I'm not really a fan of change. Much to my embarrassment, I have a very rigid personality on top of being stubborn. They aren't very pleasant qualities and the Lord knows how to test my obedience by forcing me to open my eyes to the real world.


I have been faced with several unexpected and difficult decisions lately, some of which break my heart. Some of them feel over my head and complicated like college. 


I am in the process of choosing between two schools while comparing prices, driving distance, and course material. Plus, I still need to look up grants. :P It's a rather important and expensive decision, so I'd rather make the right choice for what God wants me to do. (Honestly, if I had it my way, I wouldn't even go to college. I'd save my money and get a house or save up for my own little business someday.) Debt is not something I want to carry.


Anyways~

I was just thinking about the apostles and how much change their personal lives went through when Jesus asked them to follow Him. They abandoned what they were doing and followed Him just like that. They left their homes, their families, their jobs, everything. They trusted Him so deeply and yearned to know the Son of God, the Savior of the earth, that they left their lives behind them in order to create a new life through Jesus. That is so incredible and inspiring to me, but I've always wondered in the farthest corners of my mind whether I would have done the same. In my head I think, "Yeah! Who wouldn't follow Him? He's Jesus, for goodness sakes! Of course I would." But that's in my mind... in my mind I'm really awesome and brave. In reality I'm a coward.


Sometimes I feel like the rich man when Jesus asked him to sell all his things and follow Him--hesitant. I am so comfortable being with my family and pets, my job and co-workers, and my friends. I am a person of habit and planning. Some days I can be spontaneous, but often times I need to plan out what I'm doing during the week. If Jesus asked me right here, right now, "Come, leave your things and follow me?" I don't know if I could do it or not. It makes me feel so guilty and ashamed inside. Granted, it may be different if He was here in human form again, but I never know for sure. Yes, I have given my life to Christ, but I'm still at my physical home and family. 


Just now I've thought of the quote, "Home is where the heart is" and for Christians isn't "home" Jesus? So wouldn't it be more like, "Jesus is my home whom my heart will follow"? So no matter where the Lord takes me in life I would always be home, right? I wonder if that's how the apostles felt...


I think I may have slipped off topic, but those were some of my thoughts recently.


I don't want to sound hypocritical (especially after this post), but I hope that, you the reader, and I will be able to follow Jesus no matter where He calls us. :) He loves us so deeply that He wants to transform us.


Blessings,


~Twyla

Are you a control freak? Personally, I admit to being one. When a situation gets out of my control I lose my composure and stress out. I was thinking on this yesterday, and I realized everyone has a little bit of "control freak" in them even if they don't know it.

For example, when I was in Australia with my brother and Grandpa the shower in our lodgings was a little tricky. If you turned the hot water knob, it was cold. If you turned the cold water knob, it was cold. We began to wonder, "Will we only have cold showers for two weeks?" My brother, who has the great gift of thinking outside the box, tinkered around with the shower and sink. He found if you turned the hot water on in the sink and waited for it to get hot, you could turn the hot water on in the shower and it would get hot. Hurray! After my brother, I took my shower. I quickly realized I could either have a scalding hot shower or a freezing cold shower. There was no happy medium.

When I came home and took a shower, my first thought was, "Hey, now I can turn on the water to whatever temperature I want and it stays that way." That's when it hit me.

It was just a shower, yet when I couldn't control the temperature I was dissatisfied. When I could control it I was comfortable and happy. Have you ever thought of the things you like to control in your daily life? I started to. Here's couple I thought of:

Air conditioning/Heating - We keep our house and cars the temperature we like it. Goodness, what I terrible thing when it isn't.

Backseat Driving - Have you ever sat in the backseat or passenger seat and critiqued the driver's driving because it didn't suite you?

What if we lived in a world where we couldn't control anything? Would you be happy or upset? Sometimes I feel like this can be my initial reaction to God when He presents a situation I'm opposed to because it's outside of my control which in turn, is outside of my comfort zone.

He has a plan for my life, and I want in on it. But that would ruin His surprise, His blessings, for me wouldn't it? If we knew God's plan, why would we need to trust Him? I'm learning every day that God cares for my well being and He challenges me to trust in Him. I'm truly thankful. (Though, I admit in the moment it's hard to feel thankful.)

I hope my question to myself also made you think. :)

Blessings,


~Twyla

Reverse gossip is an idea that the Bible study I attend and I want to put into practice more.

We recently finished reading through a Bible study book called, "Speaking Wisely: Exploring the Power of Words" by Poppy Smith. One of the subjects she covered was gossip. We had a great discussion on how to handle it using actual examples supplied by attendees.

It's shameful to confess, but even I have gossiped before. I did today and regret it. When I had the chance to lift someone up, I took the chance to tear them down and make them look bad. That was wrong of me. Although what the person did was wrong, I could have turned the situation away from their faults and complimented their strengths. Hence the idea of reverse gossip or encouragement.

I've been gossiped about at a previous job, and unintentionally overheard it. It wasn't about me so much as it was about my work performance and the lack of productivity due to my inexperience. It was very painful to hear and I went home and sobbed in discouragement to my parents.

No one wants to be gossiped about and no one wants to be known as a gossiper. So why do it? Because we like to be entertained. Negative things happening to another person entertaining to us for some twisted reason.

So my challenge to you (and myself), my kind readers, is to practice reverse gossip this week. Keep at it until it because a habit. Look at the person from different angles, put yourself in their shoes, empathize with them. You'd be surprised how differently you look at things when you give them the benefit of the doubt. ;)

~Twyla

I will admit: I am a coward. I'm scared of new places, new people, new sounds, and new environments. I'm scared of change because that happens to be outside the comfortable and familiar walls of my comfort fortress.


Sometimes when Change come visits with Opportunity, I fear them. I feel rather rude and ungrateful about it. Here I am getting along quite well in my lovely castle, not really moving forward nor backward, and God sends me these two fine visitors whom I sometimes dread and turn away. Is that a way for me to greet what the Lord has sent me? Two visitors who will help grow me in His ways and build my character? The honest answer, is no. Yet here I sit worrying about it.


Change and Opportunity came by recently and soon I will embark on a quest with my brother and grandpa. I'm scared that my anxiety will flare up or that something will go wrong while we're away--cut off from all access to what I am familiar with. Yet many people have sent me a couple more travel buddies--Prayer and Encouragement. Although I'm still wary, it feels good to have those two walk across my draw-bridge and into the unknown with me as well as the Lord and my family. :)


My prayer is that I will put my trust in God, so that I may be at ease and enjoy the trip to its fullest.


Psalm 56:3, "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You."


Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."


I just looked those up in my Bible and fine those verses very encouraging to me right now. ^^


~Twyla

I try not to base my faith on "feelings", but I know when I don't read my Bible consistently and pray often, I don't "feel" close to God. It's like my faith becomes stale and I "feel" like I'm not going anywhere.

When it gets to be like that, I feel depressed. Nothing too serious, but a deep sadness as if a boulder weighs my heart down. I had one of those days yesterday. I didn't really know what to do with myself, but a part of my soul starved for the Word, and I obliged it.

I opened in prayer and expressed my feelings as well as I could to the Lord. I knew that whatever I couldn't voice, He knew.

Then I cracked open my Bible and read 11 chapters in John. It felt great to get back to my Bible. I've read through John before, but when I was reading it last night it felt like the first time all over again.

Something I made for my Tumblr account last night after my God-time.

When I finished reading my heart felt a little lighter. As the evening progressed I  noticed that the boulder from before had been relieved from me, and I felt incredible peace.

When I "feel" I am reassured and my faith is renewed. So while I try not to base my faith on "feeling" I do believe it helps refresh me. :)

Blessings,

~Twyla