God in the Little Things

Wow so do I have a story to tell you all!!

A few months ago we gave our dog Dixie to some friends. A couple weeks ago I texted the friend and asked how she was doing. When no response came I wrote it off. Well, as the days went by I kept thinking about sweet little, rambunctious Dixie. So yesterday I sent him another text asking if they still had her. I came to find out that she had ran away about a week before I sent him the last message and she hadn't came back.

I get a wild hair and I go down to the county animal shelter and what do you know, Dixie is there!!! The woman working proceeds to tell me that Dixie had just arrived a couple minutes before I got there! What's even more amazing is what she tole our friends when they went and picked Dixie up...

You see our friends live in a small town about 30 minutes from here. The town pound had picked Dixie up the day she ran away. Because 3 weeks had passed and no one came and claimed her Dixie was sent to the county pound to be put down!

I'd like for someone to try to tell me that God wasn't at work here! This is a testament of how much God really does love us and how he cares about even the seemingly small things in our life!

Luke 12:26-28 says 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!

So today be encouraged!! God knows every single detail about you and your life, and He loves you anyway!! He cares about the fact that you have a headache, your dog ran away, your baby cried for you when you dropped him off, and everything in between! Don't worry!! He has it all under control!!

~Awaken Us~

Brenna Stanford

For Our Children

Genesis 26:4-5 NLT

I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.”

As I was reading this morning a few things jumped out to me. This scripture is the one that stood out most. It put the whole story in a different perspective for me.

If you're not familiar with the story of Abraham please go to Genesis and start reading it! This is a story of God's faithfulness to us. From Abraham descendants will come our savior Jesus! From the very moment God promises him that his baren wife will give birth through the resurrection of Jesus Christ God is faithful!

Any way, when I read the above scripture it clicked. Abraham obeyed God not for the blessings and wealth he'd receive during his life, but for the blessings and promises God has made for his children and their children and their children's children. All the generations to come!

At this point Abraham's son Isaac is getting old and has obeyed God for the sake of his children. As a new mother this makes more sense to me now then ever before!

My parents always told me that my choices effected everyone around me. As a stubborn,  "I'm going to do it my way", "make my own mistakes" teenager I didn't understand that fully. I am learning everyday that my obedience to God not only effects me but also my husband and my son and future sons.

Parents, let's live every detail of today even more for our children than we ever have before! We'll be amazed at the blessings we receive along the way!

~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford

Re-Start

"Re-start" is the theme for my local church this year. It is so fitting, not only for our church but for me personally. 2013 brought my husband and me some surprises. I also had to learn a few things, like as a mother you have to adjust every single moment of your days...and nights! Time has a new meaning.

One thing that I've learned is that the Awakening God gave me dreams of applies to my daily life now. At first I thought this was something that I needed to get everyone else to realize and wake up to. I am very well aware that I was not totally correct in my thinking. Yes, this dream is for EVERYONE...including me! 

In this year, after having 7 months to adjust to motherhood and all that comes with it, I am striving to Re-Start. Re-Start my devo times with God, Re-Start in serving in areas of my local church & community, Re-Start with my daily schedules and learning to make time. Re-Start & learn what it is to really walk each day with God. My awakening is opening my eyes to see that when I wash my son's bottles, my family's laundry, dust my house & clean my floors that I am glorifying God! He gave me all of this. Now I get to enjoy it, but take care of it as well!

I challenge you to Re-Start this year. Breathe in & think about all the areas of your life that needs a re-start, then breathe out & let it all go! God isn't mad at you & He wants to help you. He loves you! You are his child with whom he is very concerned about! Let him love you!!

~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford

Beautiful Death

As I'm sitting out back having some quiet time in the word I get distracted by the sound of the water in the pond, the rustling of the leaves in the wind and all the wonderful sound that nature puts together!

I begin to think how beautiful fall is and hows it's my favorite time of the year. Then I wonder why? Outside of the the crazy heat leaving it seems a little morbid, everything is dying. The trees, the grass, the plants. All the animals are leaving.

But oh how beautiful!!!

Then it hit me, God is the only one who can make death beautiful!!! Fall. Everything is dying, but in such beauty!! The only beautiful death I've ever experienced has been those who God is the center of their lives. There's no doubt about their eternity. There's more happiness then sadness in their dying. They've gone HOME!!

Just as the trees, they haven't really died at all. In the spring the trees get a new beginning, a new chance at life. These people get an eternity of life, a much more wonderful life then they could ever dream of having here!!!

Just as in everything there's always an opposite. If there's a heaven, then there must be a hell. Those are the sad funerals, the ones when you aren't positive they're in heaven. You don't know if they had a relationship with the Savior. Please don't let that be you! Romans 10:9 says if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead then you will be saved. The old is gone and the new has come!!

Let your spring start this fall!! Let God make death beautiful in your life!!

~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford

Even HE messed up!!

Paul tells a story in Galations 2 of how he rebuked Peter. Now I know that Peter was a very impulsive disciple, but something in this story struck me.

Paul starts by telling of his visit with Peter and a few others and how they decided who would go where and preach to who. Then he jumps up to when Peter came back to Antinoch and he had to "oppose him to his face."

Paul did this because when some "popular" "rich" "cheer captain" "boss's wife" "footbal star" "cool mom" "wealthy person" etc. came Peter started treating the "plain people" "poor" "nerd" "weirdo" "janitor" "working class" etc. like the others did.

Well Paul being Pauls tells him off. When reading this it was almost a sense of relief and hope. Peter messed it up too. AFTER he had already grown so much. He wasn't following around Jesus learning anymore. He was the "preacher". He'd been doing this for a while and teaching others. He still messed it up. His life ends with him being crucified upside down because he refused to die the way Jesus did. Peter did so much in his ministry.

The relief comes because I'm not a failure because I've messed up. The hope comes because I'm still not okay that I do mess up but I kmow just like God forgave and worked in Peter, he forgives and works in me.

Walking with God

I thought I would just share a little something with you. Currently in my life I am learning what it really is to walk with God everyday. As a wife and mother I am learning daily what it is really like to know that in every frustration God is still there. In every mistake God has already given us grace for that. Also how to give grace and love unconditionally.

I want to encourage you, in whatever walk of life you are in. No matter what your circumstances are. God is still in control. Lean on him. Walk with him and allow him to walk with you. There is peace in the midst of every storm. There are answers for your questions, even if it is trust without knowing.

Have a great day!!

~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford

Alluring Acceptance

I embarked on a small journey to read the story of Hosea and Gomer before starting a novel that was written about them. So as I began reading the book of Hosea I started to see this beautiful story being painted.

Chapter 2 God begin by saying how terrible "she" (a parallel of Gomer and God's country Israel) was being. How she has had other lovers (gods) and because of that His judgement would come in it's fullness. She would be ridded of everything she had acquired. She would be shown in full vulnerability for what she is and all she has done.

BUT THEN, in verse 14 God begins again "Therefore I am now going to allure [to attract, to fascinate] her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. THERE I will give her back her vineyards, and I will make the valley of Achor a door of hope. THERE she will ding as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came out of Egypt."

I love the absolute unconditional love that is shown here. The first part shows what is deserved of her actions. BUT THEN God intervenes and says that He wants depseratley to allure us, to attract us to him so that when we choose to accept Him and turn away from our other "lovers" whatever it may be that keeps us from God, that He will restore us! That in THAT specific moment, in THAT place,THERE, He will poor out his love and blessings on us.

Vers 16 goes on to say that in that day we will call God "my husband". We will no longer call Him "my master." This shows the love relationship that He desires to have with every single one of us!

So I ask you now, have you accepted God's alluring Spirit?

Roman 10:9 Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Christ is Lord and that God raised him from the grave then you will be saved

Proverbs 24:16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford