My Life Verse

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not undo your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Thank you God for the reminder

Well I sit here typing away completely humbled by our awesome God again...I say again like that is a shocking thing.  That God of ours blows me away every single time he does what He does and boy does He do it best.  Now by no way shape or form am I a pro writer nor will my words always flow but the one thing I do know is that when God works it doesn't take a writer to translate that to you.  About five months ago I blogged on a subject about what is our blueprint. So I am gonna recap on that then add some more to it about what has happened over the last weekend.

Here is the old post:

Often we go through life and we have so many different questions? What is our purpose here? Why did God put me here if all I have is bad things that happen? When will I ever find love, husband, wife etc? Well I hear these questions all the time and here is my thought on it…

I don’t think we always know what our 100 percent purpose is on this earth. However I do know this. God has a plan and a purpose on this earth for you. Sometimes we get so caught up in all the what if and whys that we miss the little picture that usually leads to the bigger picture.

For years I always wanted to know what MY purpose was on this earth but I do know this God gave me the gift of “gab” as I call it. For a while I used to wonder this…am I to much for people, to loud, to obnoxious etc…then I had something profound that God confirmed that my gift of “gab” was right what He had intended for me…

We attended a church at our last base and one Sunday a fellow volunteer said okay there is a lady here who attended our Christmas service and has come back for a second time. Can you please find her and chat with her (knowing that I NEVER meet a stranger) etc. Her name was Renee. (I will never forget that name because it had a huge impact on what my purpose was.) So as we sat down I looked around with the description she had given me…(a lady with brown hair and a jacket that had cheetah print around the wrist) could not find her..finally as the music started I looked around again and to my left in the next section was that lady…I scurried over there to introduce myself. I said, “hi I am Tiffany and wanted to know if you would like to come sit with my family” happily she obliged. After that service I then introduced her to the pastor as a new attendee that started at our huge Christmas service (which we know that two times a year people come to church for Christmas and for Easter) and that she loved it and so did her daughter (who had begged to stay for two Christmas services because she had so much fun.). Of course for me that was so good to hear because I loved my church. I was a teller at our last church counting tithes and after I was done that next week my pastor stopped me and said you remember the lady that you introduced me too…I said yes, He then said she called me on Friday to tell me her husband was killed and she was so thankful that at that moment she had a church family, even if it was just a short time since she had been going to church. She asked our pastor to do his funeral. As we attended that funeral we saw so many people that loved that guy. He was a hard core Harley rider and was a repo of cars. (He took his tow truck out and was hitching a car up…as he raised the car up onto the tow truck he then went behind the car to look at it and the car then came loose and back over him sadly taking his life.) That was a huge break through for me and God’s gift He gave me.

I was questioning my very nature that God had implanted in my life….HE wrote that quality about me in my blue prints when He designed me. That very incident confirmed that my God created me with a gift….a gift of being outgoing and never meeting a stranger. Had I second guessed myself that day Renee would have come to church every week (if she continued to come) maybe with no one investing in her. The very blueprint God created was used for His glory which satan had me second guess. What we think how come, why not etc may not be in God’s bigger plan for you….stay focused on the little things you can do to further His kingdom not satan’s what if and how come bondage…

My point if you are wondering is this…if you stay so focused on what if, how come, etc you will MISS the little details that are written in your blueprint. When you start catching God’s little details…He starts to reveal the big picture.. So my advice is do things everyday for HIS glory and not your fleshy gratification and you my friends will see that you have a gift that was written in your blueprint…until next time..

So the new post starts here:

So this past weekend God blew me away again.  As you read before I had and still have a insecurity with my gift of gab.  I know God uses it for His purpose most of the time but He confirmed this weekend that it was for HIS timing.

So I have been volunteering at the Lifechurch South for almost two years.  The past two years our (my entire families) life has been changed.  For two years we have driven 40 miles round trip to go serve and attend the church.  About four/five months ago I moved my volunteering from Sunday to Saturday night.  Although on Sunday's I still volunteered I felt God was calling me to coach on the host team for Saturday night to build a strong team.  So I obeyed and man He never lets me down.  Watching numbers go up in attendance and in volunteers...huddles with praise reports out the wazoo I was so so grateful.  Then the time came for what most of us that live in Midwest have been praying for.  A Lifechurch Campus in Midwest City (MWC).  It has been said yes, then no, then yes that it is coming well it is here.  We have been open since July 3 and WOW is God working something crazy.  Okay I know I am getting off on a tangent so I am reeling myself back in...lol.  For just two short years we have been here.  I, with my gift of gab, talk to everyone.  I have a specific neighbor, Deborah, that I know without a shadow of a doubt put us in each others lives.  A few years ago she lost her husband to cancer which I am sure left a huge void.  David was a mighty man.  I know he had a kind heart, love his family and loved life.  I have seen that through Deborah as she talks about him.  They had a awesome daughter named Amy that is my age.  In April of 2010, I was vacuuming my car and God said go to Deborah's...I was like okay...so I did.  The door was open but she did not answer.  So I walked back over and continued back to what I was doing...God said nope...walk right back over there so I did.  This time she answered the door.  I went in and sat down just like usual but then God said ask about Amy (at this point I had never met Amy but had heard so much about her) so I did.  To say the least God knew exactly what he was doing.  She welled up with tears and then proceeded to tell me the news.   Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer.  As a mom my heart ached for her at the thought of losing a child and as a female at the same age of 38 I knew how young we still are.  I then just started praying with her.  For the next several months things would be hard, tests, surgeries, set back, more test etc.  During this time I was NOT going to give up on either one of them.  I knew that deep down Deborah was mad at God to an extent but I knew she loved God.  She knew the same sweet Jesus that I did.  One time Amy came down (she lives in Dallas so Deborah has to travel back and forth for all of the treatment etc) and I finally got to meet her and not just through her moms eyes or a phone but in person. Amy had not hair, drains in place, and I was SOOOO excited to meet her. I prayed with them and I knew some how God had a plan.  We have talked endless hours of how I think God used David's (her husbands) death to allow her to be able to walk this with Amy, not that is makes it any easier but it gives you a little perspective when you start to look at it that way.  I even snuck into her house one day around Christmas time and decorated...yep you guessed it pink stuff not just any pink breast cancer pink.  I bought a pink table top tree and lots of ornaments that were breast cancer silver charms, you name it I bought it.  You see she had not done Christmas decorations in a few years...well that was gonna change in my book.

Deborah knows my routine as it has been that way forever...church every Sunday but then a few months ago I added in Saturdays.   I usually chat with her on the weekends as she is out working in the yard.  So when shirts went out for the MWC campus I brought her one.  She has told me countless times that she wants to go back to church.  I have told her lots of times to come with us.  She will know someone etc.  She said I know, I will go one day.   Well this past Saturday I was over in the neighborhood picking up my mail and saw her outside...as I usually do I whistled. (that has always been my thing to watch her look around like what the heck..lol)  She turned around to the shock of hey I was there...after talking to my renters I went over there to chit chat.   She asked what I was doing tonight and I said heading to south.  Then I told her Sunday I would be over here at MWC.  She has heard all of the stories etc that I have shared.  She said I want to go one day...well my response...you have about four Sundays to go with me there before you can use the excuse I am not there anymore and you won't know anyone...therefor you won't go.  Deborah is a very quiet, laid back, passive person so I knew that would be her out...well yep she did not get that lucky.  She asked me about the times of the services and I told her.  Get ready here is to best part of the story.....are you ready....

Sunday....my phone is always in my back pocket.  It goes off several times with status updates, emails, and texts.  Well yet again my phone went off and I checked it.  The text name was Deborah Carlin.  My heart yep skipped a beat.  The time was precisely 11:20 am...the message went like this.  D:service time 11:30.. Me: Yes are you here?  D:Yes  Me: where I can't find you.   So I start looking and my heart is jumping up and down.  No answer back...finally after what felt like forever but it was all of ten seconds...I call her.  She answers and I say where are you, she says at the coffee.  I run over there like I had just won the lottery...although I did not win the lottery physically, I won the lottery God's style.  I said hey you...here first words were I love this place.  People are so friendly, I got out of my car and a guy in a golf cart picked me up and brought me to the door etc.  My heart was swelling up with pride on how awesome this host team is.   So we go into service...and she loved it.  Worship she just loved but she also loved the message.   I had told her that I would walk out at the prayer because I had to work at the table for host team to come find me right across the room when she came out.   With a little time to spare before going out of the room I stood in the back and watched as people gave and rededicated there life to Christ. In a moment...God's very precise moment she rose her hand and I lost it in the back.  Tears of joy, tears of thanksgiving, and complete humbleness that God used my gift of gab that brought someone to the precise place at that precise time.  Many talks of just girls talks, random things, or God talks. He knew right when it would be a reminder of His work is indeed far more than I can ever ask for.   Then when I thought it could not get any better after the one o'clock service I look up and boom did my eyes deceive me or was my vision correct?  My new neighbors from TLF (base motel) heard us talk about the church between the other neighbors as well and they came.

As I am on my way out to a new base and have to start over two of my family members will be leaving but the church has gained six new people.....SIX new people found a church to call home and further their  life for the kingdom of God.  How stinking amazing is that.  Well I know that yep I am a gabber and that is the gift God gave me and I am proud of.

until next time.

5 comments:

  1. Awesome, Tiff. Totally awesome.

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  2. The Tiffany wears on people and they can't help but fall in love with you and with the God you serve. Our God Does some pretty awesome stuff, he changes lives and works in mysterious ways!

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  3. Tiffany. Thank you SO much for sharing this. I am so thankful you came into me and my mom's lives. Through you, God has given us both strength. You have truly been a blessing to both of us. YOU were just the strength my mom needed at the exact time she needed it. For that I am grateful.

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  4. Nice work with the theme on this blog - it is very catch for the eye.

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  5. Amy...you have no idea as she needed me I needed her. She has truly been a blessing and I love how HIS timing is perfect. What a mighty God we serve. If you come down before I leave (the 20th) I would love for us all to go together....hugs sweet friend

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