In battle...

Dear Blogland,

I'm sorry I haven't been more faithful in recent days.  Know that it isn't because I don't want to be, but more that I am struggling with some pretty heavy things at the moment, a battle if you will.  A battle in which I am being hit on every side, to the point that I am discombobulated and exhausted at the end of nearly every day.  And I feel like I'm fighting alone, which is no fun either.  I am constantly in conversational prayer, trying to make some sense of it all, and waiting on answers and confirmation.

So this morning, as I briefly surfed my Pinterest feed, I came across these things which I will share with you today.  May they encourage someone else as they have encouraged me today.

1) "God can restore what is broken and change it into something amazing.  All you need is faith."  See Joel, Chapter 2

2) "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."  Jeremiah 33:3

3) "Make your anger so expensive no one can afford it.  And make your happiness so cheap, that most can get it for free."  - Unknown

4) "Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be.  You must move against it with the weapons of faith and love."  Rick Warren

Now don't mistake my battles for a life without blessings - God is STILL in the blessing business and He keeps on blessing me even in the midst of my storms.  The thing to remember, and what I tell myself every day, is that the battle is not mine, it's God's.  My job is to stay faithful and pray for His will, direction and the victory!

That's it, that's all.  Pray for me as I pray generally for you.  Side note:  if you do want me to add you to my prayer list specifically, then you can Holla @ Darvi by email at: heydarvi@gmail.com.  I would love to have your name on my answered prayers list!

I am heading off to a crafting retreat - I need the break!  I hope to have a praise report real soon, a victory in the battle!!!  Enjoy your weekend and be blessed!!!

I got a feeling...

Happy Friday, everyone!  I wasn't sure whether I was going to write again today after just writing yesterday, but, well, since I have something to say, here we are! 

We've been having our typical Chicago weather - warm one day, cold and rainy the next.  I've learned just to always dress in layers, keep an umbrella in my bag and even a light scarf because I never know what the weather will turn out to be and the forecasts are of no help (I still say that weather person is the only job where you could be wrong everyday and yet, still keep a job!  Try that if you wanna if you work at a bank or restaurant where your job depends on accuracy... just saying).  Anyway, I digress.

I'm feeling some kind of way.  Have you ever felt restless, anxious, excited and a little scared all at one time???  That's how I feel right now (for about the past week) and I'm not sure why.  Well, scratch that, I have a pretty good idea of why.  There's so much going on, that my head is on swivel! But, and let me clarify this, not in a bad way.  I think I am truly in shock and awe at how quickly things can change, ever heard the phrase "turn on a dime?"  Yep, that's my life right now.  (I paused for a moment because all of these old gospel songs just popped into my head; may have to boot up iTunes...).

So let me try to break this thing down outta my head and onto this page! 

Restless:  I feel restless typically when I feel something coming and I'm not sure what and I'm trying to wrap my little OCD head around it.  I also feel restless when I feel like I'm not doing everything I should or could be. 

Anxious:  Well, the OCD makes me anxious at times, but this is more than that.  Again, I'm feeling like something is coming and I want to be prepared but I don't know what I'm preparing for.  But I feel like I'm being urged to move and get things done, so, to manage this anxiety, I'm trying to get things done.

Excited:  I'm excited about a few things (my scrapbooking retreat for one and also working on December Daily for the first time ever!  I FINALLY found page protectors for my album and I just had to run out and get them this evening, so now I'm ready to start playing and planning my album.  Why did I have to have them this tonight?  Because I wasn't going to be able to rest until I had them...).  But as exciting as those things are to me, I know that they are not the true reason for my excitement...

A little scared:  I feel a little scared because I don't know if I'm prepared for what's coming...

Got it?  Of course not, I know that was as clear as mud!  Let's try this again, shall we???
I'm feeling some kind of way.  I'm feeling like I'm tap dancing on the edge of the biggest thing to ever happen to me, but I have NOT ONE idea of what it is!  A few weeks ago on new member Sunday at church (y'all know, but just in case you forgot - Victory Apostolic Church), each of us was given a rock with the letters "A.P." on it.  Ok, so I was kinda late that Sunday and had missed the Sunday before so I had NO clue what was up with the rock thing, ok???  Anyhoo, besides taking a group photo (which is currently hanging in the foyer of the church), we watched a testimonial video from some Victory members who had some severe life challenges but were there to share their victorious testimonies with us.  And then Pastor Singleton explained to us that we, the new members, were part of the original members prayers that the ministry would grow.  Accordingly, the rock was given to us as a tangible reminder of "answered prayers" and that perhaps we could share our answered prayers with the ministry.  How neat is that????  

A few months back while in my One-on-One Discipleship class, when we did the unit on prayer, our leader, Evangelist Harrison, told us we should pray some God-sized prayers but to make sure that they were specific and measurable so that we would know when God answered them.  Shoot, I started asking for miracles!  Seriously, I took out my faith journal, turned to the prayer section and wrote out several specific things I wanted God to do.  I also verbally prayed over those same things and told God that I wanted Him to work it all out in such a way that there was no doubt that He did it (there are some other steps to prayer, but that's not what we're talking about at this moment - just don't want anybody to get confused and think this is like rubbing Aladdin's lamp and the genie appears to grant your wishes - uh, not!).  I have consistently prayed the same prayers for the most part since then.  I also have some friends who have also been praying with me.  Nothing big happened right away, just a few little things.  But then things kept happening and they began to stack up.  I became hopeful. Then a few huge negative things happened all at once and they crippled me for a moment.  Just a moment though.  I got myself back on track, and I verbally and mentally submitted all of it to God.  And just like that!  I could feel the shift in the atmosphere and I've felt free ever since. And the little things have continued and gotten bigger and now they're starting to stack up to the point that I am speechless!  To the point that all I can do is chuckle and say, "I see you, God." 

Now, does this mean I have it all together and that everything I've been praying about has worked out?  Nope, not all.  Being human and prone to worry, when bad or threatening things occur I get panicky and I want to pick things back up and try to fix them myself.  But you know what?  I've already tried that and it didn't work.  So I figure I may as well try it this way.  I can't remember where I heard this, and I have heard it many times from many preachers, but I'm gonna share it with you here:  sometimes God allows things to happen in our lives that we don't understand and that we can't fix ourselves so that we have to submit to Him and so that He can get the glory.  I'm talking about stuff that seems impossible to our human eyes, He can turn that thing around in the blink of an eye! 

So my feeling?  I got a feeling that God has just begun to show up and show out over here and when He's done, my testimony will be one for the record books!  So it is with restless, anxious, excitement (that scares me just a little) I'm just waiting and praying.  And listening to those urgings (which I know is the Holy Spirit) as I get myself in position.  I got a feeling that my miracle is on the way!

The song that was in my head?  Dottie Peoples, "For my good," you can hear it here.  It so accurately describes what I'm experiencing in my life and maybe it will speak to you as well, whatever your situations.  Know that even though the devil meant it for bad, God meant it for your good and you will win!  Now take that with you over the weekend!

Wanna see my rock?  It sits on my dresser as my visual reminder that God is still answering prayer:

 

And now I've shared it with you!  

So how about you, blogland - have you ever just "had a feeling?"  Or is it just me???  Holla @ Darvi and let's talk about it!  I like to celebrate victories with other folks, because it confirms that He is still working... Have a blessed weekend and I'll see you on Monday!  

Reflections on Grandma...

Hello, Blogland! Today is a special day, not because it's Thursday, but because it marks what would have been my late grandmother's 98th birthday.  And just because I can, I wanted to share some reflections in her honor.  Because I was, most definitely, a Grandma's Girl (I lived in my grandmother's house from 1979 until I got married in 1995).. 

My grandmother, Alberta Sims Givhan, was born on October 22, 1917, in Mississippi.  She was the youngest and only girl of seven.  She married my grandfather, James D. Givhan, in 1936, and migrated to Chicago in 1938 or 1939 (the dates are slipping by me and she's not here for me to ask...) after selling her cow.  When I asked her why she moved to Chicago, she said she didn't want to pick any more cotton.  She was so determined to leave that she left her husband and baby down there (he eventually got the message that she wasn't coming back and soon joined her in Chicago).  She said she came to Chicago for a better life and more opportunity.  She began her "career" in Chicago as a domestic worker and eventually became a factory worker (she was the first woman to run the die cut machine in the box factory where she worked) until her retirement.  She was very firm in her faith and active in her church (having helped to start a neighborhood church in the 1950s or 1960s).  She only had an elementary school education, but she was an avid reader (that may be where I get it)!  She was a great listener and gave great advice without being judgmental (if the many late night phone calls from friends, family and church members were any indication).  And she loved baseball (she would have been thrilled that the Cubs played well this year).  

Now, my grandparents' house was nothing special in the grand scheme of things, it was just a regular Chicago bungalow, in a regular neighborhood, on a regular block on the south side of the City.  It definitely wasn't fancy, but it was always welcoming (I know I mentioned that part in a previous post).  We had plastic slipcovered furniture in the "front" room (you know, the room no one could go in unless company was over) and a set of praying hands on the coffee table all through my youth.  We had two phones, a rotary, wall-mounted one in the kitchen and one in her bedroom (I eventually persuaded her to get touch tone dialing in the 1990s...).   

It was at grandma's house where our family gathered: for the everyday and the holidays.  It was also at grandma's house where I learned to cook, to mend socks, sew buttons back on shirts, pay bills and balance a checkbook.  I also learned faithfulness in tithe-paying, praying and the importance of regular church attendance (and studying the Word on your own).  She was generous to friends, family and strangers.  She was nice, but she was also strict.  I wasn't allowed to play secular music in the house until the mid-1980s.  I had to be home when the street lights came on.  Church attendance was mandatory and I had a RIDICULOUSLY early curfew when I was in high school!  She did not tolerate lying or stealing from anyone.  She kept her a "piece" in the house and had no qualms about pulling it out if necessary...  She was a breast cancer survivor and rocked chemo (never lost a single strand of hair or was ill during her treatments).  She was also fun:  she loved watching game shows, and playing games, and at the church picnic each year, she would hit the heck out of a softball!  As she got older, she was just plain funny; she was famous for mixing things up:  referring to "condoms" as "condos," called a "Gucci" purse a "coogy purse," and her version of "the talk" was "keep your legs closed, skirt down and panties up."  Yep, gotta love grandma!

As I got older, I took great pride in being able to do things for her because she did so much for me.  I paid bills for her, bought her furniture, bought her clothing and jewelry, and we had many breakfast, dinner and lunch dates.  She was my favorite date!  Two of her favorite places to go were Moy's Chinese Restaurant in Beverly (it's closed now) and Mattson's Steakhouse on Cicero.  We shared many great times together over meals.  As she got older, and the different health ailments began to arise, I would drop whatever I was doing and go to the hospital and sit and wait.  When she came home, I altered my work schedule so I could sit with her (I was blessed to have a very understanding boss who gave me the flexibility to do it).  And guess what?  I didn't mind at all because of all she had done for me. 

She's been gone just over 5 years now, and I think I just got used to the idea that she's not here anymore.  I just deleted her phone number from my cell phone when I got my new phone last month (that was very hard, by the way).  I try very hard to walk the path she showed me, I don't always get it right, but I'm still working on it, grandma.  Sometimes, like right now, I am just so overcome by the loss that it is almost unbearable!  But even through my tears, I smile and thank God for allowing me to have her for 39 years and for both of my children to know her and love her also.  I knew realistically that she would have to go eventually, but I still wasn't prepared.  I thank God for being at the hospital with her all day on the day she died (she waited until after my mom & I left to make her transition, I think I would have been forever traumatized if I had witnessed that, just saying).  I still miss her very, very much - the sense of loss never goes away, and sometimes I do cry, but I know that she is with me in spirit. 

Now, I'm sure that everyone thinks that their grandma is special, and I'm sure she is.  That's how it's supposed to be.  Grandmothers are special.  But mine?  She's still my favorite girl... Happy Birthday, Grandma!!!  I love you to the moon and back!    

Me & My Grandma, circa 1974/75

And just because this song always makes me think of my grandma, I will share it with you:  Diane Reeves, Better Days (The Grandma Song) here.

So here's to the great grandmas in the world - tell me about yours!  Holla @ Darvi!  Have an awesome Thursday, everyone!!! 

Cozy House Chronicles (Part I): How to DIY a Pantry...

Well, it's Wednesday again and I for one am looking forward to the weekend!  Mostly because then it'll be closer to next weekend when I go on my scrapbooking retreat!!!  I'm so excited; I haven't been to a scrapbooking retreat since March 2013 when I went to Atlanta. So I am really looking forward to going and reconnecting with some of my online crafting friends.  

I'm also looking forward to the weekend because I have re-instituted the "Family Fall Outing." That's right.  For many years, mostly when the kids were younger, we did a lot of family outings:  pumpkin patch or apple picking in the fall, zoo lights and Santa visits in the winter, museums in the spring and a whole myriad of things over the summer.  But, then the kids start growing up ant they're busy and not so much interested in those types of activities anymore.  So I started drafting my other babies to go with and that worked until they moved across the country last year.  So no outings last year.  That didn't make me a happy camper, so I've decided we're going to the apple orchard this Sunday after church.  And so what if the kids think they are too big for it?  Anyone familiar with the movie "Georgia Rule?" Yep - Mommy Rule.  Translation:  Ya gotta go (and pose for pictures with the least amount of snarkiness and sarcasm your tween and teen selves can muster). Stay tuned...

So onto Part I of the Cozy House Chronicles.  So as I've said before, with this move, our family downsized to a house about a third of the size of our last one, and less than half of the one before that.  So it's a serious downsize!  But you know what?  I don't miss it, well, most of it anyway.  I do miss my bathroom, my craft room/office, my closet, and my pantry. The pantry is the subject of today's post - because this house didn't have one and with a smaller kitchen, I was really stumped on what to do with the dry goods (all of which, along with canned goods, extra spices as well as rarely used small appliances, were stored in the pantry at the old house).  So ta-da:  my new pantry! 

My new pantry!  Still needs painting and labels,
but I love it!

While the cozy house didn't have a pantry, it did have two hall closets, one of which is just across from the kitchen.  It was this closet that was designated for reincarnation as a DIY pantry.  Here is a photo of the plain, boring closet before (just a regular closet, with a single rod and a shelf), nothing exciting:

Regular ole closet, nothing to see here!

I used this opportunity to "cute up" the pantry; time to put some of those Pins I love on Pinterest to work!  I told you a few weeks ago that I went to Dollar Tree and purchased an assortment of baskets and other containers in fall/harvest red- those containers were used to organize/categorize food in the soon to be pantry as well as within some of the kitchen cabinets. Here's a breakdown of how I used the various sized baskets and bins to store and organize dry goods.  *Note, it was trial and error; I wasn't sure what was going to fit where, so a lot of back and forth to the various Dollar Tree stores in the area made it happen. There are a lot of pictures, as you will see.  

So first, the various containers and what they house:

Salad Dressings and condiments

Herbal tea collection

Jello, pudding and nutri-grain bars

Cracker containers (these came from Dollar General)

Extra snacks (pudding, fruit cups, applesauce, trail mix)

Crackers:  graham, ritz, club, snack 

Baking mixes (we usually don't have this many, but the extra was
purchased for a RMH project that we didn't make it to...)

Oatmeal

Pancake mix, syrup and grits

Noodles!

Side Dishes (pastas & potatoes)

Dry beans

Powdered drink mix, freeze pops

Soup mixes

Foil, storage bags, etc.

Rice Sides

Canned Chicken and Salmon

Sugar

More tea!

Light bulbs

Whew!  That's a lot of containers, I know (and I think I missed a few).  But, it will all make sense in a minute.  I borrowed a practice that I use in my craft room storage - whenever possible, I got rid of the boxes that the came in because they tend to be bulky and take up too much space.  

So onto the closet transformation.  First, the rod was removed, and three shelves were added.  The shelves were cut from particle board from Home Depot, which is relatively inexpensive and perfect for this project.  Shelf supports were cut from wood, also from Home Depot.  Now for the (un)finished product... I say unfinished because I haven't made it "cute" yet - painted the shelving or labeled the containers yet (still unpacking my craft supplies, so it will be totally done soon).  So I put everything where it was going to go to a) make sure that it all fit and b) to get those containers of food off of the kitchen floor!  So without further ado, here's the new DIY pantry (overlook the ugly, unpainted particle board - that's just a temporary situation...):

Top shelf is the original shelf that was already in the closet;
shelf below it was added

Lower two shelves (also added my airtight canisters)

Pantry floor

  I was even able to hang my aprons on the inside of the bi-fold door:

And there you have it - a DIY Pantry!!!  Once I get the shelves painted and the containers labeled, it will look as if it was always that way.  I was very pleased that everything fit; I didn't do any pre-measuring to make sure the containers would fit and all of that - I just bought them, made sure the food fit and crossed my fingers that they would fit on the shelves once completed.  All in alll, I think it turned out to be a successful DIY home improvement project in that it created storage.  Gotta love inspiration from Pinterest! 

Now of course I did no woodworking, so shout out to Urban Dude for assuming the role of Handy Andy in this here little project (managed by yours truly, of course!).  I have a few other similar projects for inside the house (converting the other teeny, tiny hall closet into my shoe closet, as well as adding some shelving to the craft room closet).  In the name of organization/decor/storage, I will be sharing other stories/projects in the Cozy House Chronicles as I work to turn it into our cozy little home!!!    So stay tuned!

So how about you - any other DIYers brave the challenge of creating more storage space/becoming more organized in your own homes?  If so, care to share?  You know the drill - Holla @ Darvi!  Be Blessed!

Wait, not saying goodbye just yet.  It doesn't feel right to end this post without some word of encouragement, so here you go:

"God changes caterpillars into butterflies, sand into pearls, 

and coal into diamonds using Time and Pressure.  

He's working on YOU too!"  - Rick Warren 

Hope that brightens someone's day!  I'm signing off for real this time, but Holla @ Darvi with your favorite DIY home projects.  We are getting to the holidays and I will be sharing crafts and holiday decor soon - it's my second favorite time of the year!  What's the first?  Why, my birthday, of course!  Be Blessed, everyone!!!

See, what had happened was...

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had an amazing week and a half!

So yeah, I know I was supposed to post two Fridays ago, but it didn't happen.  Then Monday didn't happen. Nor did Wednesday.  Thought this post would be ready for Friday, but yea, about that.  Life happened...

Actually, part of it is due to unpacking woes, part is due to adjusting to new schedules, and the rest is the peril of not pre-writing.  But I will do better, promise!

Anyway, this past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to share in the 10-year wedding anniversary celebration of my Sigma daughter (one of) and her husband.  They are such a beautiful couple and it was a joy to be a part of their celebration.  So to Mr. and Mrs. Sean Gallardo, I salute you and your story, which is a testimony of the power of love (and its longevity), and keep inspiring those young people on your youth ministry! Congratulations again!!!  

I also had the opportunity to prepare a "thank you" meal in honor of one of my childhood friends who assisted with the move (even though he had to work) on two days.  He wouldn't take any money from me for his time, but he did agree to a home cooked meal, so I prepared a Sunday Dinner in his honor:  turkey wings and dressing, collard greens and macaroni and cheese!  We all enjoyed a great time fellowshipping together (and I think I followed the conversation about fantasy football?).  Thank you again, Alan Scott, for being a true friend!

So, as often happens when I get ready to write, I had one thing in mind but I've been led to write about something else.  And as often happens, these topics are born out of things going on in my world, or inspiration (or conviction) from my pastor's sermons - this is no exception.

My church, Victory Apostolic Church in Matteson, is launching a huge two-year capital campaign to secure funds to make improvements to the church's campus. In preparation for the launch, yesterday Pastor Singleton spoke on the "The Power of Unity."  The purpose of the sermon (as I gathered it) was to begin the process of unifying the church in thought and action for this campaign.  The text came from Judges 6:1-6. So here are my notations on yesterday's sermon:

If you aren't familiar with the book of Judges, it is an Old Testament book and covers the time when Israel had no kings, only judges.  Pastor Singleton said that the theme of the book of Judges is human failure and divine grace.  I don't know about you, but that sounds like good news to me!  

At that time, the Israelites were living lawless basically, and doing whatever they wanted, which essentially amounted to living outside of God's will.  I think we all know a thing or two about that... but guess what?  While you can do whatever you want, you'll never get what you want without living in obedience to God!  (Don't you love these little nuggets my pastor puts in his sermons???)  Ouch.  See James 1:16-17:  blessings come from God above.  Because the Israelites were disobedient, God stepped back and let them suffer the consequences of their actions and allowed them to live a life without Him.  Let's just say that it wasn't pretty!  And so when it got really tough, they cried out to God and He heard them. Let's put a pin right there!  Despite their abandonment of Him, He still heard their despair and responded.  Isn't that a good thing to know?  I am a witness that even when you are disobedient to what you know is God's will, when you find yourself in trouble (whether due to your own actions or God has stepped back or He's trying to get your attention), when you cry out to Him, He will respond!

In this part of Judges, God raised Gideon to deliver the people.  So the story goes, Gideon took an army of 32,000 with him to battle the vast armies that were constantly attacking them.  God told Gideon that he had too many men.  God make him send away all of the men who were afraid.  So 22,000 left.  Say what?  Know this:  fear is an immobilizer.  If people are fearful, they won't be able to act when the heat is on.  Note that in Revelation 21:6-8 the fearful won't be in the number.  Third note - there are some people you will have to get rid of to go with God.  I'll just sit that right there... 

But God told Gideon that the 10,000 men he had left was still too many.  What the what??? So the next group to go were the stupid (I promise I didn't make that up, Pastor said that yesterday).  Don't believe him?  See for yourself:  Judges 7:4-6.  There's a whole story there about the men who lapped water like a dog (leaving themselves exposed to the enemy) as opposed to the ones who used their hands as a cup to hold the water (allowing them to be on alert while they drank).  After they were gone, Gideon was left with a whopping 300 men. If you're familiar with Gideon's story, you know that Gideon and his 300 men were victorious because of their unified faith that God would be faithful to His word and that they would be victorious!

So as I see it, we are left with two of my favorite subjects and the underlying theme of the message/passages:  faith and obedience.  So per Pastor Singleton, here it is in a nutshell:

1) you don't need to know how HE is going to do something, you just have to be comfortable that the Lord  will do it!  

2) victory starts with obedience to God!

My takeaways for the week?  Obedience to God always yields a greater reward than trying to do things your own way (sounds familiar, right?).  Faith is how you truly get to the next level.  When you are facing those giants in your life and you don't know how you will slay them, your job is to pray about it, then step back and let God handle it, knowing completely that He will.  *you can pause for a praise break now..."

What am I saying?  Same things I've been saying:  listen and be obedient to what you are being told to do and no matter what it looks like on the surface, believe that God is taking care of it.  That's it, that's all.  Easy to say, hard to do.  Work in progress...

Anyhoo, I promised that we'd talk about the cozy house but guess what?  I'm not ready yet! But I did snap a photo of the outside of the house for ya (excuse the overgrown bushes and crazy looking landscaping; I doubt those will be groomed before spring given the shift in our local weather.  Read:  IT'S COLD!)  But, here's the cozy house:

It's cute, right??? The inside is coming along; my storage challenges are immense, but I'm making it work!  Still a lot of unpacking to do, but we'll get her done!  

So until next time, have an awesome week!  Holla @ Darvi- I've missed you!  Be blessed!!!

Obedience is better than sacrifice...

So I guess you know what today is?  That's right, it's Wednesday, also known as Hump Day!  Do the Humpty-Hump, do the Humpty-Hump!   I hope the week has been kind to you; it's been a great one for me. Well, why is that?  Let me count the ways:

1) Both kids are enrolled and settled in their new schools - Amen!  The Teen was the last one, because the high school required different documentation than the middle school, go figure.  But we got him finished and settled in on Monday.  Shout out to his counselor, Mrs. Staples for being able to mirror the courses he was taking at his old school;

2) I (finally) got ALL of the internet/cable/phone issues worked out as of yesterday.  This move order turned out to be more than a notion!  Shout out to two very special technicians from AT &T who handled everything for me, including being familiar with my account and the issues BEFORE they arrived and making sure that everything was correct before they left:  Jorge and Kenneth;

3) I went downtown today for an in-person interview with a recruiter, and after a full 5 minutes (seriously, 5, no more than 7 minutes), I was selected for an upcoming project that begins Friday;

4) We are 98.5% finished with moving everything from the old house.  Yeah, I know that we started this move 3 weeks ago, but it has been slow going because we weren't completely ready (clearly) and we really only had about a week and a half to prepare for it on top of everyday schedules and no professional movers this time.  So this move has been one for the record books!  But, it is almost over!!! Now, to figure out where all of this stuff is going...; 

5) I was able to touch base with an old friend that I haven't seen or spoken with in at least 20 years on last night (we just lost touch).  That was kinda neat! 

6) I ordered my first ever December Daily kit; and

7) I have peace and joy in my world!

And not just for me, prayers for my friends have been manifested as well:

1) a friend from college who has had to undergo two hip-replacement surgeries following an accident last year is recovering nicely after both successful surgeries, still praying for you, Torry!

2) my friend who was diagnosed with cancer almost 2 years ago finished her last cycle of chemo today.  Way to go, Lisa!

3) my friend, my sister, my buddy Pam started her first full week of work on Monday!  Woo-hoo!!!

Isn't that awesome???  I think so.  I'm sure you are scratching your head and trying to figure out how this ties in with the topic for today.  And as usual, I'm glad you asked!

The times up until now have been the best of times and the worst of times (meaning the past few years). They were filled with lots of good things.  But they were also characterized by tremendous valleys and insurmountable chasms!  It has been exhausting, frankly.  There have been so many times that I just couldn't fathom why things were going so horribly wrong... 

But, I'm still here.  I've always subscribed to the theory that God hasn't brought me this far to leave me.  It's what comforted and sustained me through college, through law school, through divorce and other just bad times during my life.  But this time it didn't seem to be true, I thought He had left me this time because this time has been so very different.  

You see, this is the first time in my life I have ever endured a continuous assault; it began in December 2012 and I'm still not free of attack yet.  I mean, I prayed, I cried, I prayed some more, I cried some more, I had low-lows, I screamed, I withdrew, I shut down, I bargained, I begged and I've pleaded.  But, nothing.  Until I took action...

Remember about 6 weeks ago I wrote about being able to "hear?" This year I realized that there was so much noise going on in my life:  stuff, events, people, personal commitments and just all around busyness that I couldn't hear.  So I started clearing out the junk so I could hear.  It has definitely been a process this year, and I've lost some "friends" and other associations along the way, but it's ok, I understand that everybody can't go where I'm going.  So I'm good.  I won't lie and say that the backlash hasn't hurt, but I'm ok. That was all part of obedience.  I can hear again and I'm listening.  Listening allows me to be obedient and so I've been doing that as well, even when I don't understand it... That's the most important thing at the moment.  

Let me break it down.  There were these two huge, huge things in my world that have frankly been sucking the life out of me!  And I was giving them so much time and energy that I rarely had time for much else. And I don't mean to say that they weren't good things, in moderation, but they had taken over my life.  One of them was the thing I referred to in that prior post and I can truly say that He made things so uncomfortable for me with that situation that I had no choice but to move my feet and get far away.  I even tried to negotiate away from what He said and let's just say that it's not happening.  Full obedience... The second thing is something that I felt convicted about, but had no means to fix it.  But you know what?  Once I expressed the desire to be obedient and to have it changed, it happened. Just like that.  Now, I was not expecting it to happen so quickly or in the manner that it did, and I was blindsided just a tad, but you know what?  It has all worked out in my favor and for my good.  In letting those two situations go and allowing Him to take care of them, I exercised obedience and have regained peace and a lightness that I haven't experienced in a few years! The other thing I gained is manifestation of what happens when we trust Him.  The lesson?  He has this, so stop worrying and just do what you're told!  Now of course that doesn't mean that everything is peachy keen, of course not!  But, I'm learning not to question and to just move when He says move, no matter what the circumstance and what it looks like on the surface.  

So all of that to say this:  stop fighting what you are being told to do.  Be obedient.  Move ya feet!

I promise you that what is on the other side of obedience is better than whatever it is that you are holding onto!

So how about it - anyone else like me (translation:  a work in progress) on this faith walk thing and learning to be obedient???? Holla @ Darvi!  Be blessed...

P.S. - Friday we will start talking about the transformation of the cozy house - can't wait!!!

Hot or Cold????

Happy Monday, blogland!  I'm baaaack!!!  I had a (brief) hiatus last week due in part to trying to get settled in with the move and the kids in new schools (and everything else that goes along with moving) as well as the fact that my phone/cable/internet move order was cancelled.  Three times.  So yeah, I had no internet!  And no, I'm not done unpacking (or moving for that matter - this has to be the longest move in the history of mankind!).  But, everything is coming along...

I have so much to share!  But, all in due time.  Today we're going to talk about being hot or cold (speaking of which, it is uber cold in Chicago; I'm not overjoyed that we have catapulted into late October/early November temperatures so soon).  I'm just saying...

Anyway, onto today's topic:  Hot or Cold?  

It's a question I have been asked many times as I order coffee, and my answer is always hot (I just really don't understand cold/iced coffee although clearly there's a market for it or it wouldn't exist...).  But we're not talking about coffee today.  Today we're talking about commitment, which was the subject of yesterday's sermon and also indirectly the subject of the movie "War Room," which I finally got to see yesterday (excellent movie, by the way). So let's go!

Commitment.  Betcha weren't expecting that!  What is commitment?  Commitment is defined as:  "the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc. 'the company's commitment to quality;' synonyms:  dedication, devotion, allegiance, loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity 'her commitment to her students' 2 an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action. 'business commitments' synonyms:  responsibility, obligation, duty, tie, liability, task, engagement, arrangement 'the pressure of his commitments'

Most of us think of commitment in terms of personal relationships, the ultimate of course being marriage.  But there is also a commitment required of your relationship with God if you are indeed to have a personal one...

On to the sermon.  It was titled, "Making a Total Commitment," and delivered by my pastor, Elder Andrew Singleton of Victory Apostolic Church in Matteson, Illinois (I promise that if you visit you'll have a great time!).  His scripture text was found in Luke 5:1-11, and it focused on when Simon Peter and Andrew finally gave their total commitment to Christ (go ahead and read it for yourselves).  Apparently it was the third time they had been asked to totally commit, and the third time was the charm (along with a miracle that took away all doubt).  Pastor Singleton noted that we live in the age of entitlement without commitment, and when something isn't right, people want to get out.  He made a very important point about your faith walk - when you don't commit to God, He won't commit to you.  Also, he noted that there is a difference between involvement and making a commitment. Whoa! Deep, right??? But, still relevant and makes sense.

After church I went to see the movie "War Room" with a friend (I truly recommend it, by the way).  And though the main theme of the movie was the power of fervent and effectual prayer, the underlying theme of the movie (as I saw it) commitment.  Commitment to God, commitment to a consistent prayer life, commitment to marriage, commitment to family. One scene in the movie questioned whether one of the character's spiritual life was hot or cold. Turns out she was lukewarm, much like the apostles in the sermon text.  She had yet to make a total commitment.  Once she did, she saw things change.

I believe that holds true for most things in life.  We have to make decisions, we have to make commitments.  All in or all out - not straddling the fence.  When you go to vote, you have to make a commitment to a party of your choosing before you can get a ballot.  When you go shopping, you have to make a commitment to specific purchases within your budget. When you go to buy a car, you have many options, but eventually you have to make a commitment to a particular one.  See where I'm going here?  Most decisions in life (big and small) require you to make a decision, right or wrong, hot or cold, and see the decision through to the end.  Unequivocal decisions take away confusion and mixed messages. There's no room for confusion once a decision is made.

So what does this have to do with anything??? I'm glad you asked!  At the beginning of 2015, I made a decision to stop being lukewarm in certain areas of my life, including my spiritual life.  I decided I wanted to be "hot."  To that end, I created a faith journal, committed to attending church regularly, began to research and study devotionals I found on Pinterest, took the one-on-one discipleship class - all things designed to reinforce my unequivocal decision to set things right.  That was one of the best decisions I've made all year!  I have seen prayers answered (that I have prayed for myself and others), I have clearly and unequivocally been able to use discernment on some things and most importantly, I've been able to hear.  That is probably the most important thing to come out of this decision to run hot.  I have some more things to work on, but that's just a little slice of what 2015 has meant for me.

So I'll leave you with the question - are you hot or cold?  Hot or cold in your spiritual life, in your marriage, in pursuing your education, in pursuing your career and financial goals, in your relationship with your children and other family members???  Something to think about, isn't it?  Holla @ Darvi and let's talk about it!  Be blessed and have a wonderfully awesome week!!!