HE Speaks: Annie's story

So happy to share another sweet heart today...



Annie is so awesome and I loved reading her heart about how God has spoken, and how she has listened and responded....so encouraging!!
And i love her heart to spread the love of Jesus.
Thanks for sharing girl!!

hello, racing towards joy friends! i'm annie and i'm super excited to be guest posting for sarah today! you can usually find me writing over here and tweeting like a banshee over here.
(ps. i'm not really sure how banshees tweet, but my roommate from college and i used that to emphasize the speed or frequency with which something is being done. in this case, tweeting.)

now one of the things about which i am deeply passionate is missions. i particularly love international missions. i have been on five mission trips, four of which have taken place outside the country.

two years ago, i wanted to go on a trip to hungary but after a metaphorical stabbing in the eye i realized it just wasn't going to happen. i was getting The Itch, though. you know, The Itch to travel. i would have gone just about anywhere and done just about anything.

so i was sitting in church on february 15, 2012, when i saw a small announcement in the church bulletin for a meeting about a trip to honduras.

and i burst into tears.

a few things you should know about me:

1. i don't just cry.

2. i'm from honduras and we thought our last trip there would be the one we took
in the summer of 2010.

3. i don't just cry.

so i'm sitting in church basically trying to contain the ugly cry so i don't disturb anyone (i call this the Ugly Contain), and praying, "God, You wouldn't put this in front of me to take it away, would you?"

well, i missed the meeting. there was no contact information in the bulletin. by the time i figured out who would be a good person to contact, apparently i could not summon the energy it took to write a short email asking for information.

i was home a few weekends later and saw the missions brochure for my home church. there were two trips to india, a trip to uganda, a trip to spain, and a trip to paris. i asked my mom if i could go on one as a joke.

i think she got that it was 75% a joke because she answered with these grand plans of the family doing it together, and i knew there was no way that was going to happen. & really all i was trying to do was gauge her reaction to a trip to honduras anyway.

but i still didn't know if the Spirit was leading me to this. i knew so far, based on the message i'd heard at church on february 15, that if i were to take a trip, it would need to match my spiritual gifts, which are teaching and discernment.

the trip to spain? teaching ESL.

but i still wanted some deeper confirmation. i wanted to KNOW.

enter march 25, 2012.

our pastor spoke on walking spiritually. i can't remember where he went with that.

i do remember, though, how God went with it.

all i could think about was spain and honduras, honduras and spain, the entire time, knowing that spain seemed more likely for a variety of reasons, like matching my gifts and safety. (honduras has the dubious distinction of being the murder capital of the world this year. americans are particularly at risk, even if they are half-honduran like me.)

while my tiny, fearful heart was beating missions, missions, missions, our pastor was speaking on listening to the Spirit. and the one thing i heard distinctly was this: that listening occurs when we speak to each other with "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" and submit to each other "out of reverence for Christ." by doing this, we build community; by building community, we invite the Spirit; when we invite the Spirit, He speaks.

& let me tell you something, friends: HE. SPOKE.

on march 25, 2012, the Spirit gave me 150% certainty that i was going to spain that summer.
and on july 6, 2012, i boarded a plane for madrid to teach english as a second language,
with an emphasis on relationship-building and pre-evangelism.

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Annie,
I love that you answered God's voice in your life.
And that you were patient for His timing.
That's such a blessing for others to hear, that might be waiting for the "Go".
My prayer is that you would continue to use those gifts He had put in you, and follow WHEREVER He leads you, no matter the cost.  He's so good!

go make a new friend!
Annie blogs here and tweets here

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I have so enjoyed doing this series on hearing God's voice.
I have been blessed and encouraged myself, and hope you have been too.
I think it's always great to hear about other people's stories.
If you'd like to share your story about how you hear from the Lord,
email me! I'd love to share your heart here. :)

HE Speaks: Becky Marie's story

So I first need to say that I am blown away and so encouraged by so many responses to 

my post yesterday,

about starting to share more of the deep things in my heart and about my testimony...

I plan to share one of my stories with y'all on Friday.

Still praying about what I will share, but I know He will lead me.

Thanks y'all...I'm still trying to reply all the emails and comments so bear with me...you have blessed me a lot with your interest in hearing some of the deeper things I want to blog about, and even sharing some personal things with me.  Please know that I take them to heart.

love y'all. :)

But right now I am excited to share another story with you about the way God has spoken to others

Here is Becky Marie's story...

(click on this button to see other posts)

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Hearing God: Being Available, Open, and Obedient

I grew up in a Christian household where prayer, study, and conversing with God were normal and expected. My parents both have told me stories of times they heard, very clearly and firmly, messages from God that caused them to make a significant change in their life. I was taught to pray and ask questions, expecting God to answer. In my experience he does: when you are available, open and obedient.

I have heard from God at numerous times throughout my life, but never in an audible voice, or even a whisper. Usually a thought or phrase, often scripture, will pop into my head as I'm praying. I am a musician at heart, and have always been very inspired and influenced by music. Most often I hear from God through songs, where lyrics I'd previously ignored are suddenly pressed upon my heart. In all cases, receiving a message brings with it an overwhelming sense of peace.

When I was a senior in High School, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I prayed very consistently, asking God to show me the best path for my life. Through routine prayer, I had fostered an open heart and was very willing to go anywhere God called me. I asked God to only open the door I was supposed to walk through and keep the others closed. I received a few college rejections in the mail, and then my first acceptance came. I knew it is exactly where I was supposed to go... I was called to military school, The United States Naval Academy. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but went anyway.

For the first two year, I could have left and transferred to another school without any additional commitment. The weekend before classes started our junior year, we had to sign papers committing to 5 years of active duty service in exchange for completing the last 2 years of college. At that point, I wasn't sure military life was the right thing for me. I enjoyed the challenge and had great professors. But I couldn't imagine spending 5 years driving a boat. Again I prayed and received a clear message to stay. I signed the papers and started my classes. Then doubt crept in.

My junior year was the hardest academically, and I spent several months sick with a mono-like illness that never was diagnosed. I was physically and emotionally exhausted for most of the year. In addition to the normal stress of college, I felt a strong sense that I wasn't supposed to spend my life in the military. It’s not really a good idea while attending military school to tell people you don’t actually want to be in the military. I kept most of my struggle to myself, and that made this year of my life much harder than it needed to be. So why was I in military school? I wrestled with God and became unwilling to surrender to any guidance. I continued to be available through prayer and open to messages from God, but was horribly disobedient. I didn't want to follow on faith; I wanted to know the plan. I was aware of my attitude toward God. I like to imagine God just sitting in the corner of my dorm room watching me throw a tantrum like a little kid; waiting for me to finish so we could have a real conversation about my future. When I finally swallowed my pride, repented, and approached God with a true willingness to be obedient, I received a great peace. My illness went away. I didn't receive the answers I wanted, but knew the plan was in place. I just had to be patient. A few weeks later, I saw the first piece in the plan, an option to transfer from the Navy to the Air Force. Upon graduation, I commissioned in the Air Force.

After 2 years of active duty in a job I wasn't thrilled with, I had an opportunity to separate from the military early. The Air Force had too many officers, and needed to make cuts. They were taking volunteers. Within about 3 months of deciding to separate, submitting my paperwork, and applying for a new job, I found myself teaching high school chemistry. That was God's plan for me all along. I needed the education, training, and experience from my 6 years in the military to grow up and develop the skills I used in the classroom. I absolutely loved teaching! I only taught one year before moving across the country with my husband and becoming a mom. Right now I'm called to stay home with my boys, but I know the plan is to return to high school teaching in several years.

As I prepared to write this and reflected back 12 years (wow, that makes me feel really old) recognizing where I was in my relationship with God, I realized several things. I'm more willing to be obedient to God's direction now than I was when I entered the military. I'm more open and aware of God's "voice" and how he is working in my life and the lives of those around me. But lately, I haven't been even remotely available to him. My short popcorn prayers throughout the day are not enough. I've been convicted and recommitted myself to daily quiet time with God. I humbly await the quiet moments, prepared to listen.

……….

Becky Marie is a stay at home mom to two little boys and is expecting a third baby this fall. She blogs about homeschooling, homemaking, dairy free living, family and faith at forthisseason.com.




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Thanks so much friend!!
go meet Becky Marie:
she blogs here, and tweets here

Another sweet friend will be sharing her story about how God has spoken to her...
that will posted on Thursday afternoon!
I have been so blessed to hear and share other people's hearts.
Y'all rock. 

HE Speaks: Esther's story

Esther is a precious friend that I have gotten to know in the last several months!

I am so so thankful she shared her heart with me so I could share it with you.

I LOVED reading it myself and know you will too.

I pray that her heart will be encouraging to you today, and will be a reminder that God loves to be in conversation with you, and He loves to bring you into a place of peace with Him.

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Hello! I'm so happy
to be here to give Sarah some time to enjoy her family.

I love Sarah. Her
heart is beautiful. She's beautiful. Her daughters are beautiful. Seriously.

My name is Esther and
I blog over at Lovingly
Thrown Together.

When Sarah asked me and
some other friends to guest post, I, of course, said an enthusiastic
"yes!"

She asked if we could
share about this question:

How does God speak to
me?

I've been sitting on
this for days and I really wish I had a concrete answer by now

but, nonetheless, here is what I came up with after some reflection.

source | via

In my every day life,
I think my heart hears God before my brain does.

Sometimes my brain
never even processes God's words... but my heart does.

My life, in the
world's eyes, might be pretty mundane.

I wake up, I drink
coffee, I make breakfast lunch and dinner,

I change diapers, I
go grocery shopping, I clean, etc. etc.

Nothing extraordinary
here.

But I'm a wife and a
mother

and I think those are
two of the most meaningful things one can be

and I know my God
thinks so too.

Those roles can take
over sometimes... okay all the time...

and as much as I wish
I could sit down and contemplate before Him waiting to hear audible words,

I can't and it's hard
to hear Him when a toddler is pleading (whining) for your attention

and your brain is
making a mental note of the pantry items you ran out of

while simultaneously
adding to the day's to-do list.

I am a believer
that God loves you in whatever phase of life you are in.

Often I have to
remind myself that He put me here in this life, in this very instance.

Today is no mistake.

But I can’t take that
love for granted.

A relationship with God, like a relationship with a person,
is a two-way street

and I have to give Him something in return for what He
gives me… which is everything.

I try to get up
before my son in the morning to greet the Lord in prayer time,

even if it's only for
ten minutes,

that short period of
time starts a establishes a conversation that expands throughout the day.

In that conversation
I praise Him, give Him thanks, and then I start to ask for graces.

I ask Him for graces
for the day because I know He will supply them.

He always always
always tells my heart when it's time to start my day.

He speaks to my heart.

He tells me,
"Thanks for these ten minutes, daughter. I will be with you today and
always"

and off I go with a
sense of peace that I know only comes from Him.

Our God is so
understanding. Isn’t he?

During the day when I
cry out to him in frustration, sadness, exhaustion, hunger, happiness, and joy

He's there. Speaking
to my heart. Telling me what needs to be heard.

Supplying me the graces
I need.

Giving me peace.

It's not like I actually
hear a thing but my conversations with God are based on a sixth sense of sorts.

When my heart is
peaceful, I know God and I are in sync.

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Thanks friend. I am so thankful for your beautiful heart!

Esther blogs here, tweets here, and facebooks here

HE Speaks: Joy's story

As you may have noticed, I am taking a little hiatus for a few days this week to get a million things done around the house, and just set aside the computer for a bit.

I am thankful for the awesome girls that have offered to step in in the next week or two and share their hearts about hearing God!

so...

Today, meet Joy.

Absolutely love her heart and how she shares about God truly showing up and speaking

about very personal and impactful things in her life.

He does that you know. He is so good.

Thanks Joy for sharing!

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I can tell you exactly where I was sitting when I heard Him. His voice. And while it probably wasn't the first time, it was the time that I knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was Him.

Three years ago we were sorting through debt and clearing our path to financial peace when our son Riley's right eye hemorrhaged. Months of searching for the right answer and praying for healing brought me to the second row pew in which I sat that day. In a matter of months our savings had been wiped out and the progress we had made in paying down debt had been replaced ten fold in medical bills. We still had no answers and clearly a long, expensive road ahead. Riley could not see through the massive amount of debris in his right eye.

Sitting in the pew that day I clearly heard God say in a firm, strong voice "Quit your job." I could feel the weight of His hand on my chest and I knew that this was His calling. I knew it would require more faith than I had ever known and that He would be faithful.

Riley was later diagnosed with an eye disease (in both eyes) called Pars Planitis that leads to blindness. He endured four surgeries on his right eye in the last three years: all of which God has been faithful to provide for.

Two years ago God began to whisper to me about one of the greatest desires of my heart: adoption. Through a series of weeks in Spring 2010 God awakened me in the night to pray for a baby a did not know. In Summer 2010 he spoke to my husband's heart and from there we were led into foster care. In November 2010 our girl was born and just a few days later she was delivered to our doorstep.

Foster care is not foreign to us as we have served in this venue before, but this particular journey in foster care has caused me to be still a listen to Him. To wait on His timing. To trust in His plan.

Our girl will celebrate her second birthday soon. She is still in foster care. There's yet a long road ahead. Daily God reminds me "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23. His word is living and comes to my mind throughout the day. The very word that I need at just the right time.

Hearing God's voice through whispers, through His Word and through the voice of others is what has sustained us over the past three years. It has been through the comfort of His voice and the firm guidance of His hand that we have learned so many things about leaning on Him even when it seems crazy.

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Thanks Joy....so glad you shared, I was so encouraged and I know others will be too.

Maybe someone reading this is waiting, and hoping, that He will speak and act...

and by hearing the word of your testimony, hopefully they will be encouraged and reminded of His goodness!

Joy blogs here, tweets here, facebooks here, and has a cute little shop here!

and remember, you can click on this button on my sidebar to hear stories from several bloggers about how God speaks to them.

This has been such an encouraging series for myself, and I hope it will be for you too! :)

HE Speaks: Kara's story

So glad to be sharing another beautiful heart with you in my little series about

hearing God, and about how God speaks to different people.

Today you get to hear from s good friend of mine, Kara.

She's basically amazing. :)

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..."God in community"...

hi, I'm kara. wife to marc. momma to nolan fox age 13 months. coffee lover. blogger.

follower of Jesus.

I blog over at sunrise & sunset

you can find me on twitter @kara_murano

and on instagram @karamurano

I have been a follower of Jesus since about 3rd grade. I grew up very involved in a non-denominational church here in CA. growing up in the church I heard the phrase "god speaking" a lot and to be completely honest, had no idea what it meant. another area which I always struggled to understand was the idea of God's will for my life. how could I get Him to speak to me and find out what His will was for me?! one way that God has used to speak into my life is my quiet time, prayer & through His word.

for most of my life I thought these were the only ways to hear from God.

it wasn't until a couple of years ago around the time we were leaving our former church, that I realized that God had been and was using community to speak to me & help me discern His will. previously I had seen my relationship with God as something private & personal which of course it is, but I was leaving out a huge part of life...Christ-centered relationships.

we joined our current faith community last february and one of our pastors said something that has always stuck with me:

"God not only binds us to Himself, but binds us to one another"

to me this meant that God not only calls me into relationship with Him but calls me into relationship with others.

if He can speak to me Himself then surely He could use others to speak His will & His truth into my life.

as I looked back I could see how God to spoke to me through my parents, mentors and even peers. I began to see how God had used and was using my husband to speak God into my life. God used my friends who were church planting to show me new ideas of what church actually is and what it looks like in a practical way.

God used my community group to reveal new truths about His character.

I notice that God often uses my son to show me my strengths and weaknesses.

as I began to focus on my oikos (friends & family that surround me) instead of myself,

I saw ways that I could speak God's truth into the lives of others around me.

our God wants us to learn from one another and grow together.

we were made to do life together, as a community.

today I am thankful for a God who doesn't want us to figure out life alone.

sweet Sarah, thank you for having me on this sweet blog of yours. thankful for your friendship and the ways that God uses your words to speak into to my life.

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Thanks Kara. I love you!!!

I totally agree with all that Kara just shared. I see clearly how He has used community to speak into my life...especially more in recent years than ever before.

Community is an ever-important thing in life, and people that know Jesus or not would agree.

I am so thankful that this blogging world has ADDED to the community in my life.

love you all...be blessed today!!

Kara blogs here, tweets here, and facebooks here