Rita's Blog

Surprise Me God

I was recently asked by a friend to read a book called "Surprise Me God". I encourage you to pick up a copy at your local bookstore. It is a man's view (basically a journal/blog) of his daily encounters if he simply asked God to surprise him daily.

This simple statement "Surprise Me God" started my brain to churn. If you truly open up your heart daily to the Lord and ask him to bring forth whatever he has planned for you (this will include some items that will NOT be on your list), you'll begin to realize more & more that He truly has a plan for your life.

You will continually be faced with challenges and Satan is always at work, but it is how you choose to react to those circumstances that matters. This is always a challenge for me, but I do remind myself of a childhood saying often taught in bible school - "WWJD - What Would Jesus Do?" Think about that. What would he do if he were faced with the same situation. Sin surrounds us and we are not perfect - but God provides us the tools, His comfort and most of all His love. But, you have to open your heart to it.

My prayer for you today is that you will open you heart to new things. Open your eyes to God's blessings in your life. Don't ponder the negative, focus on the great things around you. I promise - they are out there.

"God, you are my God. I search for you. I thirst for you like someone in a dry, empty land where there is no water. Because your love is better than life, I will praise you." Psalm 63:1-3

Blessings - Rita

TGIF - Thank God it's Forever

It's Friday .... yeah! I know many of you (including myself) are thankful for another week completed and a weekend to look forward to. Remember the Sabbath day and truly embrace His spirit and set aside time to rest your soul, your mind and your self. I know in todays world it's easy to roll one day over to the next, but God created the Sabbath as a day of rest and to soak in all that He has to offer.

I can't leave the blog this week without writing about the recent developments of one of the most powerful women in the world - Oprah. A friend forwarded me this link Unbelievable Oprah's New "Church" a few days ago and I am still shocked by what I heard and viewed.

I kept asking myself how someone with such Christian roots could so easily turn her back on Christ? Does she not know that all that she is, all that she has and all that she has become is because of Him? Surely the most powerful woman on the planet could not be so stupid? The influence Oprah has on this generation and those to come is enormous. She has been provided a platform to say and do pretty much whatever she chooses, yet she has chosen to follow this "new wave" Anti-Christ thing-a-ma-jig!

People .... wake-up! Oprah is just that .... Oprah. The bible clearly states that Satan is beautiful and will use whatever means to attempt to destroy. We as followers of Christ need to follow his Word and remember that the only way to reach heaven is through accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. You will not get there by breathing a certain way, through good works or listening to some Podcast.

Needless to say - Oprah is no longer a show I will watch nor will I promote anything she does. Don't get me wrong, she has done many great things through her philanthropy efforts. However, her story is beginning to remind me a little bit of Mary & Martha. Running around doing all sorts of good things - yet all the while - forsaking Him. I will pray for her and all her followers (as the good Lord knows she has millions) and I will pray that she will ultimately see the only light - Christ.

I will leave you with this wonderful story:

"Friend, when we become disappointed, angry, frustrated and desperate, Satan can have a field day in our minds. He can load our minds with so much junk that we can't hear God or won't pay attention to the Holy Spirit when he's trying to talk to us. It doesn't matter how much we study the Bible, how long we pray, how constantly we praise God, Satan and his demons are waiting for one tiny port of entry into our minds to deceive us. Satan's job is to confuse and frustrate us to the point of retaliation, rebellion, disobedience and distrust in God. He is always out to disturb our peace of mind while we're waiting for the manifestation of God's promises to us." By Thelma Wells (NIV - Women of Faith Study Bible)

"God's voice thunders in marvelous ways: he does great things beyond our understanding."
Job 37:5

Have a wonderful weekend.

Blessings - Rita

No foolin'!

Well .... here I go again. Writing in my blog!

Since it's April Fool's Day, I thought I'd start by telling many of you that I'm not kidding. Yes, I truly am writing a book. Many of you have sent me emails inquiring as to what my book is about. In a nutshell, it is sort of a biography/story of what I have learned over the last 17+ years from being a working mom.

For decades this has been an incredible debate - working vs. not working. My book does not give a "right" or "wrong" answer to this debate, but rather explains what I've learned, mistakes I've made, things I loved about being a working mom, plus providing valuable tools for the "new" mom about to venture out into the work force while leaving her little one behind.

Being a Christian myself, obviously there are distinct views on this topic from the Christian community. When my first child was born I would have loved to have had the privilege to be a "stay at home" mother, but it was not an option for me. I also knew that God gave me talents that were unique to me. He designed me to his liking and gave me many gifts. It was up to me to choose how best to utilize those gifts - which included being a wife and mother.

Many view "working moms" as selfish. I beg to differ. I worked my tail off putting my way through college (holding down 2 jobs) so I could assist with providing for my family later in life. Did this mean by becoming a mother I had to throw it all away? Not at all.

You only have one opportunity in your human form to live life to the fullest each and every day and to utilize your God given talents. The key is trying to fulfill God's plan for you while putting Christ first in all that you do. This is what my book will explore. If I can help one mother (or father) build a Christian home while providing for their family and pursuing their ambitions - I will have succeeded.

You can have it all while developing well-rounded, Christ like children. It just takes some pre-planning!

Until the next entry - may your day be blessed with His presence. Take time to be with Him today - alone. Just you and Him. :)

Blessings!

I'm a blogger!

This is a whole new world to me. Write me and tell me what's happening in your world.

I'm a Denver Broncos fan and a Dallas Mavericks fan. The Mavs have a BIG game tonight against Denver. Tough one for me to call - but go Mavs! I am a Christian, love my family and sports.

Currently I am writing a book that I hope to get published within the next year. I love to do creative things like draw, paint, write, design, knit, crochet and any sort of crafts!

I love to exercise, lift weights and play tennis. Currently I am learning how to play golf and I've realized quickly it is going to test my patience.

Have a very blessed day and remember through Him all things are possible. Even getting a one inch white ball into a hole 300 yards away.

Bye for now!