A New Thing in 2012!

Happy 2012!

Well my friends, its here! And like a mighty rushing wind, we are already in full swing of things this year. Consecration has begun at our church, and my family is standing on the Word of God Isaiah 43:19 "Behold, I will do a new thing". New things all around The Sullivan House. Mind, Body, and Spirit for Jesus in 2012! That’s our goal! And as a FAMILY we are doing this! And in reading in Isaiah, and in reading a Commentary on this passage it mentioned: It shall spring up as the grass does from the earth. And this got me to thinking…a seed is planted…watered….and then it has to breakthrough the earth to begin to flourish. And it isnt until the seed breaksthroughs the earth that it can be seen with the human eye. Friends…..there is breaking in any New Thing. And the breaking isnt easy, its hard…and it takes strength and power. (Lord help us!) But once it breaks thru….ahhhhh. It can be seen! And humor me for a minute….I began to see that even a bud of grass has a testimony. It has been planted….watered….and broke through the ground. It has to go through the breakthrough process to grow! And even when it breaksthrough the ground, it still has to grow to be Fully Matured! And if its not continued to be watered and nourished it will not grow to full maturity. The breakthrough isnt pretty. I like things all packaged up with a pretty bow. A Pink One! But Life isnt always that way, packaged and pretty. But there is One who will take you thru the breakthrough. One that is perfect! Because in the breakthrough process He can have His way. And there are times when the breaking is almost unbearable. And we may think we cant do it or its not even possible to breakthrough the hard ground above us. But with Him! He is God of the BreakThrough! And its in these times of unbearable "growing", that we offer up a sacrifice of Praise.

Sometimes the Breaking Through process doesn’t happen on a Sunday morning in the alters, sometimes it doesn’t happen when we want it to, Sometimes it happens in the midnight hour when we are alone with Him and our circumstances have brought us to our knees. Oh, do I know this feeling. When you’ve gone to the alter time after time and told God you wanted to give this to Him, and you’ve turned around and walked back to your pew and reached out and said…"But this little piece God…I just want to hold onto this for a little while longer." Ive been there. Sometimes it happens in spite of the fact you’ve asked God to wait or your just not ready yet….Not ready to give that up, or put that down, or Walk away, or Begin A Fresh. He knows when your ready and He will bring you through, even if it hurts. Even if the ground is hard. Even if you are too weak..He will be your strength and Power. Trust Him that He knows when your ready.

And this is something Ive learned, and I hope this helps someone today. Sometimes, we can share openly with others our cirmcumstances, and allow others to be His hands and Feet. And other times, we cant share the grief, sorrow, or pain and hold that things have on us and it may seem like we are walking completely alone. Let me encourage you, whatever you are going through today, public or private, He is With You. You are not alone. Call His Name… He will Answer. Trust Him! He will meet you right where you are. And He will bring you Through the BreakThrough!

New Things…that’s what we are focusing on this year, and I pray that God does a New Thing in each of you. I pray that every good and perfect gift be released to you and your family, pressed down, shaken together and running over in the year to come. Remember when things seem unbearable….that the BreakThrough must be right around the corner, get on your knees, and Pray! With every New Thing comes growing and maturing and its not going to be easy…..but Oh Friends….Its Gonna Be Worth It!


Love You All!
Too blessed to be stressed………
Michelle

The Peace of Christ

Well Friends…

Thinking on the past week …and the word that stands out today is Thanksgiving. Not the feast we had, but the emotion of Thanksgiving. I have been a mess, the tears have flowed so easily the past week and I have been overcome with Gods Goodness to me and my family in such a real way. I am pretty sure I've not lived my life always embracing His goodness. But….this past week….ahhhhh. I have embraced it. If it was waking up with both my babies snuggled up to Shane and I in bed, or watching my babies laugh at The Muppets…….I found myself overcome….and the tears flowed. I stopped this past week….and just took in His Goodness. Sometimes….you just gotta stop and see it….Its There Always. And as I was taking in the smiles and laughter of my home, God has been revealing to me more about this time in my life. More about what matters most. More about the importance of Giving, Honesty, Trust, Faithfulness. More about Living and Loving Real. And as I thought about that Wednesday night and saw people who had come to a church for a Thanksgiving meal….I couldn’t control the tears as I thought of their lives.....and I thought of my baby girl serving food to people who that night would return to a homeless shelter, I have prayed….God I want her to embrace your goodness always. I don’t want her to get caught up in the world….and the mess that I have…I want her to see Your Goodness in Everything. Every blessing….every trial….every Victory….I want her to See You, Seek You, and Love Like You. And as we sat in a theater preparing to watch The Muppets....and the preview was a commercial for St Jude Hospital, and someone said...."These kids dont want the latest toy...or the name brand clothes....they want to be healthy and home with their familes this Thanksgiving". Ugh...I lost it then too. And Thursday as we prayed together as a family, I looked around and thought….my cup runneth over. All that I have….I owe to Him. And through Him, This is what Thanksgiving is.

And there are many scriptures of Thanks that people spoke about across this world on Thanksgiving. But this is the one that God put on my heart. Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. The peace of Christ. I know in the back of all our heads were the ones that werent there with us this year. But there was peace. Their was an attitude of gratitude. Grateful for who was there….in that moment. I glanced around the room and saw the smiles and the hugs of my loved ones…and I was grateful. No issues….no junk….just grateful. The past year for our families has been filled with many tops…and many valleys….okay..lets just say it…. trenches. Can we actually say?? Its been the best year and the worst year too? But through it all…I can say…God has never left us. And because of that….we are still standing. We didn’t stay in the valleys…because of Him….the dark trenches didn’t close up around us….Because of Him. And there were smiles and happiness…pain and sorrow. But now….today….we have peace by the Grace of God. And as I sat and listened to a family member tell me of a friend of theirs that they lost this past weekend…not the way most of us think of losing a friend….but lost because they stood on the side of right. I couldn’t help be reminded. We cant change the past, we cant change people…or their hearts….but we can trust in God. We can let go, pray, trust in Him and learn to be better and more loving people because of the valleys. That’s what Thanksgiving is about. Letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts….and be Thankful….for one body. Not only for our physical church body…..but The Body of Christ that we have been called into. HIS BODY. Not yours, not mine…but His.

So today….Just a friendly reminder (to maybe just me)….Not only to Be Thankful….Not just know the Peace of Christ…......but let it RULE our hearts.

You can make the difference

Love you all…..
Too blessed to be stressed…….
Michelle

Necessary

Friends, it is here!
Not a few months away anymore, its here! Thanksgiving and right before us Christmas. Ahhh, the Christmas Season. I Love it! And We as Christians we celebrate Jesus and his birth all year. But this is the time....that whether they know it or not....The Entire World Celebrates His Birth! HAHA! And every year I say (doesnt always work but I try) I am going to Enjoy this Season. To not be caught up in the hustle and bustle of this world, and just remember what this season is about. Christ! His Birth!

And today, I was reading someone’s comment about what the word Busy means. And this is the word that I sometimes refer this season to: Busy. Webster defines busy as: engaged in action : (Yep that’s me! Engaged in Action…sounds a lot better than busy, huh? ) Occupied : being in use : (Me too! Being in use, that’s a good thing, right? ) Full of activity, (Hah! Got me there too, lots of activity going on here). And then I read the next definition busy…. And I felt the conviction…. Bustling : foolishly or intrusively active : meddling : full of distracting detail…… Ugh! Full of distracting detail. Wow, I think busy might sound better than that. Foolishly or intrusively active…. yea, been there. So, the question came to my mind…How do I be "engaged in action…..In use…..and full of activity….without???? being foolishly or intrusively active, or full of distracting detail???? Anyone got the Million Dollar Answer? I sure don’t….But then I read this scripture…

Now as they were on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."Luke 10:38-42

And when I read this….I thought ..... See….even Martha was busy serving…doing the things she thought was of importance, and Jesus had to show her….One Thing is Necessary. Ahhhh…Necessary - required: important in order to achieve a specific result, or desired by authority. Jesus told her yes you are busy serving, but one thing is Required. And Mary chose that, the one thing that couldn’t be taken away from her. Now Martha…she could serve everyone, that was her position……that is what she took on as importance….run the errands, cook the food, try to please them all, and somewhere…sometime…. That could be taken from her. But Mary….Oh Mary….she chose the one requirement that No One….No time…No Place…..could be taken from her……Blessing Jesus at His Feet. That was the requirement.

That is my goal this Christmas Season…not to just enjoy the season….but to Remain at the Feet of Jesus. That is what Jesus says is the requirement. Not to be so busy serving everyone else that we are foolishly active….but engaged….engaged in Him. Active…Being used….by Him. So this is me today…..Praying for my mind to be fixed on Staying at his feet. And this is my prayer for you. There are many that can say that they have been at His feet….laid their troubles at His feet….laid their insecurities at His feet…….laid their addictions at His feet. But He is reminding me today to lay my Praises….my Love….my Devotion….at His Feet. Daily. Oh friends….when I get so wrapped up in this world….this season….let me be reminded "To pour my oil upon His feet"….that is what is Necessary. That is how We Celebrate Christ's Birth. Daily.

Im praying for you....your families....your marriages....your children.....All that God has in store for you...May you be blessed....and May you Stay at His Feet not only this season...but Daily.

Love you all.....

Running This Race.........

Friends....I read today about a guy that was in a marathon. And he was talking about the point in the race where he felt like he just couldn’t do it anymore, his body, his mind, it was all telling him to quit. He said at one point he thinks he may have blacked out…he was still running, but the sweat, the pain, it was all too much. He said he was about to close his eyes and tell his body to stop when he heard someone on the side of the road yell "You can do it!" Don’t stop! Your doing great!!!!" Great? He thought….I’m doing miserably…about to give up! I can’t do this! And then he heard from the other side " KEEP GOING! YOUR ALMOST THERE!" And he snapped out of it and began to run faster…one foot in front of the other…..and the more cheers he heard….he picked up the pace. And when he got to the end of the race….all he could think of was those people…those "cheerleaders" on the side of the road cheering him on. Friends…sometimes…we all need someone cheering us on. Someone else to say…."You can do it! Don’t stop!" And thinking on this…..I thought of what part people can play in others races. Yes, there are the "cheerleaders", but there are also the ones that line the roads just to see you not finish. Just to yell at you "Your doing it wrong!, "Your never gonna make it" "I would run differently than you!" "I can do it better!" Ugh…haven’t we all been there? On both sides? Sometimes….we aren’t running the race well….sometimes we aren’t running this Christian race well. And that’s where we need our cheerleaders to yell "You can do it! Don’t give up!" Not…"your not doing it right! You might as well give up!" Not only are we all called to be "runners"…we are all called to be "Cheerleaders" too. You never know that the one thing you might say to someone might make their day….or be the one thing that makes them give up.So, I asked myself today….Am I a critic….or an encourager??? Now, I know there is a place for critics….but me….what am I? Today. What has God called me to be??? To my husband, to my children, to my family,,my friends, my coworkers…what is my place? And this is where God lead me…." I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" Ephesians 4:1-3. Ahhhh….doesn’t that just give you the feel goods…..its peaceful, all humility, gentleness, patience, Love, unity…..Sounds good…huh? And you know what the enemy came right in and said to me when I read this……."Really? What about when you were running the race…and you were just about to give up…and their was a person standing on the side and you reached for that cup they were holding out to you…and when you drank it….you realized it was SPOILED MILK! YUK! That’s unity isn’t it!" And I shook myself and said…."So what Devil!!!! Right past that person was someone else that reached out and handed me a COLD CUP OF WATER!!!!!!! And it was REFRESHING! And it made me forget all about the SPOILED MILK!!!" Who are you going to be today??? The one handing out spoiled milk…because they aren’t running the way you would….or because they may be running a little faster than you….or maybe too slow for you??? How about the one that has ran this race so many times…and given up before?? How about the ones that you know really didn’t train well for this race??? Or are you going to hand every single one of the runners in this race today….a cold cup of refreshing water…..HIS LIVING WATER!!!! Friends…..there are enough critics in the world….and there is a time and a place for everything….but Can I encourage you??? Today….Be an Encourager. Today….just make it a point to encourage instead of criticize. You could be the one that turns that persons day around. Encourage them with the Word! Show them the Love of God! You know….that unfailing….Love of God! No matter what they did yesterday…no matter what they did 5 minutes ago…..Show Them The Love of God. Ohhh its hard! I know!!! And if the way you have to encourage them….is by encouraging them to turn away from their sin…..Do It! WE CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST THAT STRENGTHENS US! I know this is for someone out there, and I hope you always know that every blog I write is out of Love.
We are imperfect people, living in an imperfect World, Together Serving a Perfect God.
I Love You Friends….Be Blessed!
Too blessed to be stressed……
Michelle

Thank You For Doing That!

Happy Friday Friends.....

Been thinking on this the past few days and thought I would share. The other day after church I was collecting the trash from the offices and bathrooms, and one of the members of our church stopped me and said "Thank You for Doing That!". He kinda took me off guard. And I looked down at the trash bags in my hands and thought....Well, Ok, this isnt your trash, But...."No Problem". (And let me first say...this isnt about someone having to tell me Thank You or they appreciate me, because thats not why I do what I do, so bare with me) After I walked away and stood in the ladies restroom collecting the trash in there, I thought to myself: No one (other than Pastoral staff) has ever thanked me for taking out the trash?? And then as quick as I thought it...God said...."Have you ever thanked anyone else for doing what they do????" And thats where it came..... Conviction. And I started thinking of all the people that do things for the church, for My church....that I have never Thanked. Their faces started showing in my head and I asked myself.....Why havent I? And me being honest here...thought....well I guess Ive always thought of what they were doing as their job....just like I think of what I do as my Job at the church. And then I cringed, and thought....well no....thats not what I mean.... I mean "Job" sounds kinda cold, and "Serving" at the church isnt a job. Right? But then...I thought...that is what people (me) sometimes think it is. Thats where the problem is. Thats where MY problem is. Dont get me wrong...Ive always thought it was a priveledge to "Serv" in any area of the church....but then Ive never understood people that complain about Serving. And when I thought about people thinking their Serving was a job....I thought....thats why people complain about it. They dont look at it as a sacrifice to God, they dont look at it as a worship...(because it is folks....whether its sweeping the floors, or throwing out the trash it can be Worship). And I say Can...because it all depends on how you do it and the attitude its done in.
And maybe Im the only selfish person who has ever thought of Serving as a Job, but God is changing my thoughts.

Ive been listening to a song lately that says: Do everything You Do To the Glory of Him that Saved You by Steven Curtis Chapman,

http://youtu.be/d3YLJCOKOzM


Ahhhh. Love this song. And as up beat and fun as this song is.....I was singing along in my car (jamming)when I said this part.....God swept into my car...and I started to cry.
"Tell the Story of Grace, with every Move that you make". And when I sang this part....God Said..."Thats what Your doing!". With everything I do..... Working....Playing...Taking out the trash.....Sending Emails (hehe).....Im telling the Story of HIS Grace! Thank You God for your Grace. Im only here today...Im only singing in the choir...only taking out the trash....only giving my Tithe.....Living My life...Only Because of HIS GRACE! My actions are telling others the story of HIS GRACE!

Friends, like this song says....
whatever you do...whether its disciplining your kids, folding laundry, teaching someone elses kids, directing adults, changing diapers, greeting people, answering phones....you get the picture....DO It Unto HIM that Saved You! Dont do it for people...because can I tell you something not so secret??? People will fail you, and if your doing it for them...Listen to Me from Experience Here....If You are doing it for Them....then when They fail you.....You will be Bitter. But, IF you are doing it for HIM who saved you...you will look at HIM and say....."Their All Yours God" and Keep On Going! And God just showed me that this can apply to our marriages too..... Your Marriage is a Worship to GOD! It is Ordained by God!  And if You do your marriage unto HIM, then it doesnt matter what your husband or wife does....You Keep doing it UNTO HIM! THE ONE WHO SAVED YOU!  It doesnt matter what they do....You Do EVERTHING Unto Him!

I Love You Friends, and I hope you know that I never send these emails out thinking I know or have it all together. Because I DONT! But Ive learned to listen to Gods voice, and to know that what He says to me.....is not just for Me sometimes.

Have a Great Weekend and Remember.....

Do Everything You Do to The Glory of Him Who Saved You!!!

And if I havent told you.............
THANK YOU FOR DOING WHAT YOU DO FOR HIM!

too blessed to be stressed.............

Michelle Sullivan

Kindergarten 101

Hello Friends.....

School is officially underway, and Fall is Here! Yes! The kids are getting used to schedules (somewhat) and our routines are becoming easier. We have the same conversations on the way home each day....How was school? What did yall do today? and Jack is always excited to tell me....."No Color Change Today!" Now, this is a big deal to anyone who has or has had a Kindergarter. One of the first things they teach the kids in school is....If you dont follow the rules...You get your Color Changed. And to a Kindergarter....this is a big deal! And today, while reading a friends blog and seeing a picture she posted of kids lined up in a hallway one behind the other... I  was reminded of a comparison between Kindergarten and Christianity. Thought I would share....

Jack was taught the first day of school the rules of the classroom. Rules that included what and how to walk around the school. He was told to, Stay in Line, Follow The Leader, Keep Your Hands to Yourself, No Talking, and Stay with Group, NO WANDERING OFF! Wow..... Novel Concept, huh? Seems alot like what God tells us to do when we follow Him. Galatians 5:25 says to Live by the Spirit, let us Walk in the Spirit. The definition of walk is to move over a surface by taking Steps...one step in front of the other. Moving Forward. Following The Leader. See the Comparison? Rules are in place to keep order in the school. Can you imagine a school of kids running around doing whatever they wanted? Well...you know what you would get? THE WORLD! We have forgotten that God gave us a list of rules....He gave us HELP, Help to keep us in line....Help to Keep Order, Keep us from Wandering Off. He gave us very simple rules to follow....but as hard as is it for 5 year olds to stay in line and keep their hands to themselves....Friends....its hard sometimes to keep us from Wandering Off. Hard to stay in Order.

And what happens when Jack doesnt follow the leader. He gets his color changed. He gets punished. Is he caught off guard? No. Does he not know what is going to happen? Yes, he knows. He was given the rules, he sees and hears them everyday....but still sometimes....He steps Out Of Line. In Psalm 119:10 the Psalmist says..."With My Whole Heart I have Sought Thee....Do not let me wander or Step Aside from your commandments...." With his whole heart.....he wants to do right....and he is pleading....please.....do not let me Wander Off...Do not let me Step Out of Line. Oh, if our children....If We, Could see what an important lesson they are being taught in school. If they will Follow The Leader (Christ), Keep Their Eyes on Him, And Dont Wander off, they will stay out of trouble. Now, does that mean that trouble wont coming looking for them? No.  Does that mean the kid in front of them isnt going to turn around and try to talk to them? No...it means....Keep Your Eye on The Leader! 

And one day, Jack came home very sad. He had gotten his color changed. And I, his parent, who had gone over all the rules with him, who wanted to see him do good, was disappointed. My heart hurt for him. (And God said....Now you know how I feel when you dont follow my rules.) He came in and we sat down and talked about it, talked about what he did to get his color changed....and what he could have done different. And afterwards....I encouraged him. He knew what he had done, he had been punished... Dont do it again. Learn from this.

Now, there is so much for Kindergarters to learn, and they walk in school the first day and think they will never know it all, and they are scared, and are intimated by the big kids that seem to move with such ease through the school. They think the Big Kids (the kids that have already been there) know Everything. Oh How they want to be like them. Sound familair? You come to church...it all seems overwhelming, you pick up your Bible, and it just seems like so much...and you look around and there are The Big Kids....Christians who seem to move with such ease in life....they seem to have it all together...they seem to know all the rules. And you think....will I ever get there? And what you dont realize is....they have been where you are and they are still moving forward. No one has it all together, Life is full of new places to go. New experiences.
But God gave us Rules to help us along the way. Follow Him, Dont Wander Off, Stay With THE GROUP!

God has showed me today that He is putting us in places that we may not be comfortable with, New Experiences, but He still wants us to Follow The Rules, Seek Him with our Whole Heart. For He is a God of Order. And this is where I had my aha moment..... Every day....Jacks color goes back to Green! And He has A Fresh Start! It doesnt matter what happend yesterday....His teacher takes his color and puts it back on Green. New Mercies Friends....Every Day! Just Like God! Oh, how Thankful I am that I have a fresh start today! We may be punished for wandering off and not following the rules....But New Mercies....EVERYDAY! Thank You Lord!

Dont let the enemy remind you of yesterday friends, Start today Fresh. Follow the Leader Today! And Stay In Order Today! Dont Look Back, Just because you may have wandered off yesterday....Keep Your Eyes on HIM and Follow His Rules. He has your best interest in Heart....HE is teaching You!


Happy Friday Friends....

Love you all....

too blessed to be stressed.........
Michelle

16 years!

This weekend Shane and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary! If you've read many of my blogs, you will know that All Glory and Honor for my life I give to My God. And I believe and Try my best to Live His Word. This weekend,  in celebrating our 16th anniversary from the day we stood at an alter in Dallas, Tx and devoted our lives to each other, we snuck away. It was wonderful! I am such a trip planner, and this time....we didnt plan! It was everything I could have hoped it would be! Wonderful!~ A weekend away from everything but each other. Sometimes...You just gotta go there! We went to a hotel in a local Downtown and just......enjoyed being together! And, as busy as we are most days, this way so nice to do. Refreshing! No clocks.....No reservations....No appts! Just us on our own.
Over the past 16 years, we have celebrated with Elaborate Vacations, Fancy Dinners, and do you know what???? SSSHHHHH...dont tell Shane....(because I do like the Elaborate Vacations and Dinners) but I do believe......This was my favorite! For many reasons....but this time....it was different. God has brought us through so much over this 16 years, and so much just over the last few, that I cant help but just throw my arms up and say "THANK YOU JESUS!" And what is exciting is that I know OUR Best Is Yet To Come. And thinking on memories, God brought me to a place of such appreciation and Thankfulness for my husband. And I believe His Word says to give honor where honor is due....So here goes.  My Husband  is everything I could have ever asked for. And as I sat on a trolley and looked across at him yesterday....I couldnt help but beem with pride and think.... "Thats my husband!" And I am honored and humbled to be his wife. He has been there through so much with me....and there is not much time in life that I dont recall him being there. There to hold me.....to Love me......to comfort me....To sit back and support Me, and To pick me up off the floor and carry me. Literally. He has been so patient, so understanding....many men would have cut their loses and ran when their wife seemed to care more for the dead than someone who was right there. But not him. He carried me. When I couldnt hear God voice, because I had my ears closed.....He was there. And I am so greatful. Im so glad he took our vows to heart....in the good times and bad.  Look what we would have missed if we would have given up. I know God has a plan...and I am so thankful and grateful that 20 years ago, he chose for our paths to cross. I cant erase the past, and I dont know I would if I could, but I can cherish today. I know so many people who search their lives looking for that one perfect person to spend their life here with. Maybe not to anyone else....but to me.... He is that One, (Im)perfect for me.  Not that I ever questioned it, but God has shown me so much this past year about perfection. And that we lose opportunities sometimes, looking for that perfect thing, that perfect friend, perfect job, perfect Love, and none of us our perfect. And Ive said it before, and I will say it again.....How do expect to have Perfect Relationships with ImPerfect People? And today....Remembering 9/11. Im sure their our wives and husbands out there, that wish they had one more kiss goodnight, or one more hug from their ImPerfect spouses that they lost that day. And I bet they look pretty perfect to them right now. Friends, dont spend your life with one moment that you will regret if someone you love or if You yourself dont have tomorrow. We all could spend our lives bitter because people dont do everything the way we would do it, or today....we could choose to tell our spouses....How Much We Love Them. The Good and the Bad, because whether we like to admit it or not....we all have both. And we should be grateful that they love our Good and Bad too. Remember the Lives Lost Today.....and Cherish Each Day. You never know when you or them will be called home.

Happy Anniversary Babe....Heres to two Imperfect People.....And Many More Years Together!

I Love You ALL,

too blessed to be stressed..........
Michelle