Good Father

Last week (26 April 2017) while at Engage Night at our church, The Worship Center, we heard a song about our father. The idea of Engage Night is to go over a topic that has a lot of meaning that should be engaged a lot stronger and deeper. This night was prayer. How did I forget about the Lords Prayer? Every Christian and some non-christians know this prayer. 

Matthew 6:10-13 Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts. As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation. But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

How did I forget the prayer that really started the best relationship we could have with Our Father in heaven. As we talked through each section (5 of them), we worshipped and prayed ferociously and proudly. One of the songs was by Chris Tomlin "Good Good Father" and even though I heard that song probably a couple dozen times I started to weep, because the fact finally came to light at that moment in my personal life. Some of us had great fathers and some of us not so great fathers. We want the good memories of a family and father that encompass it, but some people have only bad memories or no memories. The Bible is not discreet in telling us about our relationship with God. I found that God is talked about as our father roughly 265 times in the Bible. But the fact is as a child we want to be loved, as we grow up we want to be loved, and as adults we just want to be LOVED! We often forget that the the lord created us a heart because he wanted us to know Him and we will return to Him with out whole hearts - Jer 24:7. 

In the words of the song it says "Oh, I've heard a thousand stories of what they think you're like But i've heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of night And you tell me that You're please And that I'm never alone. OOOOOOHHHH now thats powerful! 

At the end of the night I saw my husband raise his hand high in the air as if he was wanting God to reach down and touch him. Of course I am a bag of tears bursting all over the place by now. And the Holy Spirit was strong in my soul. The song that was played has been one of my all time favorites and is currently played in our home every day now is "Unstoppable God" by Elevation Worship. It is upbeat and so true to the core of my Soul!!! "Jesus our God unstoppable"

I pray that you all have a blessed day and I am so sorry I have not been on here typing more. I plan to begin again and even talk about some of the new things I am currently doing in my own prayer and spiritual life. 

God Bless,

~Vickie

Week 8

This weeks post in told by my wonderful and amazing Mother - in - Law Carol Clouse. Enjoy!

As I was reading the assignment of week 8, the Holy Spirit continually gave me the message of Give God the Glory! When we try to do anything in our own power, in our own unworthiness we will come up short every time but when we set out to give God the Glory, we will always have the victory. We are only equipped by God when we are a child of God, we are only empowered by the Holy Spirit when we have laid down our sins at the cross and confessed our sin and asked for the forgiveness that only Christ can offer. 

On day 2 we watch the wrestling match and see how her focus switched from trying to win to try not to lose. We see this quite often in the lives of Christians that feel like the world is beating them up so they retreat and do not take an active role in the community. Stop going to church and let Satan get a foothold in their lives. We need to fit our feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. This word peace is an action word, the battle is mine says the Lord! 

When reading day 3 my heart felt so sad when I read the words we shoot our wounded and leave the lying in the dirt to find help on their own. We are so afraid of getting into the mess of broken lives, that we find a reason to stay out of it. As Christians we also put a price on forgiveness, I will forgive you if you do this...this is not how Christ asks us to forgive. We are to live as Christ and Christ went to the cross with no expectations our stipulations of Him dying for us. He just knew He needed to for God to forgive us for our sins. Pray earnestly that God will reveal to you those that are hurting, those that you need to carry the cross for. 

Day 4 finds us looking into the eyes of the giant Goliath. What is your giant? What do you worry so much about that you have sleepless nights? Have you made that your giant? The Lord says to cast your cares on Him, to trust Him, do you have power over your panic?  

In day 5 we see the verse Romans 8:31, "if God is for us, who can be against us?" This sums up the whole weeks reading by telling us that nothing is too difficult for God, when you and 

I face the storms in our life, and we will, let us not be led as sheep to the slaughter but stand firm in our faith knowing that we have a all powerful God that nothing is impossible for Him. Be strong my friend, have faith, pursue peace and stay in your Word!

God Bless,

Carol Clouse

Week 7

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart 

and do not lean on your own understanding. 

In all your ways acknowledge Him, 

and He will make your paths straight"

Proverbs 3:5-6

"He is my Father who knows what is best for me" (p.145). 

"You don't have to understand God to trust Him" (p.142).

I start off with these two, because it stuck out as soon as I read them. How very true are these two statements and especially for someone who is unsure of their faith or their faith is not as strong as they want it to be. These whole reading for week 7 was pretty intense. I did a lot of underlining and reflecting of my own. Lets just get right into it and as we do keep in mind the two statements above.

When suffering and trying to weather the storms of life sometimes you wonder is God even there!?!?! Think about when Jesus was crucified how do you think God felt? He knew that would happen, but watching would be worse then the actual act of what Jesus went through. The storms we endure today are what tests our faith and spiritual healing. He is always right by our side and when we are going throughout painful times He allows it so it will work for our ultimate good.

When God says NO! He has a reason for it. I think after awhile we feel that God and the Holy Spirit have abandoned us, but in actuality we are granted grace in the perfect moments, times, days, and also for each stubble we go through. It is all about weather or not you accept the grace that is being offered. the Lord gives me grace that strengthens me when I am weak. This goes hand in hand with a strong faith!!! If he says no it does not mean He does not love us, because He knows what is best for us!

In this series the key take away is FAITH and TRUST. In our reading it says "faith is an anchor of hope for the believer. Trusting God is a core essential" (p.148). It is ALL about choosing to trust Him and not doubting Him. ALL meaning your life and lifestyle and how you live your life as a follower of Christ. Psalm 34:18 says "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (p.147.). Know that your faith and trust in God are the things that you need in order to fulfill Gods objectives and live a God-centered life! If you cannot do that and are only doing the bare minimum as a Christian how do you think others view you are a believer? Not just that, but what kind of "power" do you think you will have in Gods kingdom? That is what it is all about my friends, it is about what you will do once in the House of the Lord!!!

Lastly, I don't know about you, but do you pray often for things other then your own struggles? i know I look at my own life and feel that my struggles are nothing compared to those that are REAL! The Lord know what is going on every min of every day and is in total control. Your struggles are also real do not forget that, but take time to pray for those things that tug are your heart, because that is the Holy Spirit working in you! Psalm 59:16 from the reading says "But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble" (p.154).

Lets Pray:
Lord Jesus, thank you for allowing me to spread your word and to those who read and receive it thank you for leading them here. I know at times your answer is No to our prayers, help us to better trust in you because you know what is best for us. We come to you in times of pain and helplessness. I need your strength and power of grace to strengthen me when I am weak. When I am weakest your are strongest, and I know then that you are shaping and molding me into the person I am supposed to be in honor of You! Help me to live what I believe in and spread your word with more courage tomorrow and the days to follow all in Your glorious name. In Jesus' sweet an holy name I pray, Amen

God bless,

~Vickie

What Do You Believe?

From the website here http://www.gotquestions.org/Christianity.html#ixzz37h54V86x I searched for what christians believe and found words that explain exactly what I wish to say. "The core beliefs of Christianity are summarized in1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Jesus died for our sins, was buried, was resurrected, and thereby offers salvation to all who will receive Him in faith. Unique among all other faiths, Christianity is more about a relationship than religious practices. Instead of adhering to a list of “do’s and don’ts,” the goal of a Christian is to cultivate a close walk with God. That relationship is made possible because of the work of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit."

The music video below also speaks of what as christians we believe. Next post I will talk about if we don't live it, then we don't really believe it. Those are some hard things to even think let alone write a post about it. I am guilty of it myself thats why I feel I have to express it to the "world" and get the truth of what I should be living compared to what I believe. 

Christians can have victory in the struggle with sin by studying and applying God’s Word in their lives and being controlled by the Holy Spirit—that is, submitting to the Spirit’s leading in everyday circumstances. 

Sounds like complicated, but I tell you NOW it is NOT!!! Let the Holy Spirit work in your heart and let him speak to your heart. Do not second guess him! Go in peace with the Lord!

God Bless,

~Vickie

Life-Changing Faith in Jesus

Up until probably a year ago I was not very open about my faith. I was never ashamed or doubtful just never knew what to say about it. I mean I believe, but it was hard to explain to someone when I didn't know the bible very well! I must admit even today I would be terrified to talk to someone about my faith yet I notice myself doing it more and more. I'm currently reading (yes on top of reading Trusting God) I Still Believe by Jeremy Camp. It's such a great book and I am only a quarter of the way through it!!! In the book Jeremy says: "Truly experiencing a life-changing faith in Jesus means taking His Words off the pages of the Bible and allowing it to sink into our hearts so that it directs our actions." I keep thinking I haven't felt this before. But I'll tell you what I have been so compailed by my daughters love, my husbands heart, and the pulling toward something else in life. I know it will come when that life-changing faith will knock me down and lift me right back up at the same time.

I think faith is something you don't see unless you search for it. How can you have faith when you do not have anything to have faith toward. No one would believe a miracle unless you had faith in something bigger then yourself. By chance you say??? I say by Gods grace!!! If faith is something that is still hard for you to explain then think of it like this: (this is how it was explained to me) can you see the wind? NO! So how do you know the wind is there? Because you can feel and sometimes see the effects from the wind! You can see the effects it has all around you weather it's just a breeze or a storm there is some sort of reaction. Same with your faith weather it be in a miracle or Gods love. Warning: it may not be what you want or when you want it. It is all in His time and His will!!! 

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”

- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

With the way God is working in my heart and life, I cannot wait to see where He leads me. Putting my faith in him, gives me a less stressed life. I am bored and he is starting to challenge me. I have to have the passion in order to enjoy what God has in store for me. I'm getting there I can feel it!!!!

God Bless,

~ Victoria

Week 5

It has been awhile since I have been on here, but here I am again. I wish I was able to make more time to get on here and post more. Maybe with starting on grad school I can make more time since I will already be around my computer and going to a christian college, Liberty University. 

Did this weeks reading touch you in any particular way? As you may have read from my last post, Child Like Faith, these past couple months have been an internal struggle for me personally in my professional life. It's like an endless cycle though, what effects us professionally also effects us personally. But it's all about how you live your life for God and what you do to live my his word. 

So let's answer some questions from this weeks reading:

1. Have you thought about your failures, falls, and frustrations? How have they shaped who you are today? Have you learned from them? Or are you still in denial of what lesson they have to still teach you? The show is not over regardless of where you are in life. 

2. Psalms 91:1-2 (p. 109). Is God truly your refuge and fortress?

3. Do you believe God is fully aware of where you are and what you need (p. 104)? I think at times this is fathomable to me. I mean one who is all knowing and all doing... Am I even worthy to be looked over? But my question back to that is why am I not worthy of His watchful eye?

4. In the reading in unit 3 on pages 98-101 really spoke to me this week. "A person of faith believes Gods promises because His promises are connected to His character". Image that for a minute! What do we promise that in turn defines our chapter? 

     - On page 101 it talks about having God-confidence and the faith He already has in us, our job is to listen, seek, and obey. Not to try to control an outcome that is not in His Will. By growing in our own understanding of Gods character we learn to trust Him more. 

God bless 

~ Victoria Clouse

I leave on this verse:

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Child Like Faith

When you are going through convictions in your life you always feel like you are the only one going through them and especially alone. My convictions are not the work of the devil or anything going bad in my life, but maybe just not listening to what Gods will for me is. So in all actuality it probably has the devils backing in the end, but for now I am going to tell you about my convictions and what is going on in order to let you all know that you are also not alone.

In 2005 as College became more of a reality for me I got accepted to a couple different ones and was super excited about my future. I was going to be an architect and build log homes and eventually offer to build non-profit homes. I have always wanted to help people and everything I have ever thought about as a young lady in High School never seemed to be enough. What better way to give back to people and help them then to serve my country. I did not have a single clue as to how to even pay for college. No real guidance or mentorship at all to get to my goals for the future. I knew that the Air Force would allow me so many great things such as an education, medical, dental, a paycheck, a great career, as well as the satisfaction of serving my country and the pride that comes from that. I was in high school when 9/11 happened, and at first did not know much about the military besides the little bit from my dad being in the Marine Corps.

Fast forward to present day and where I am. I have an associates degree in Intelligence Studies and Technology and a Bachelors of Arts in Business Analysis and Management. I completed my BA January 2014 after being in the AF for just over 8 years. You would think at this point in my career after being very successful and getting my education that I should be very happy to move up in the ranks in the AF and move on with my career. It has been a very difficult couple years for me as a wife, mother, military member, and even christian. Difficult as in hard for me to find my identity within all of these. My husband is also in the AF as a Security Forces member (military police) and his job is typically a lot more demanding them mine is since we have had a child. The odds of that staying like that are very slim.

This leads to me doing somethings that are not just about me, but about my family as well as that dream of helping other people! These are the questions I ask myself all the time. Is the comfort of the military and my current job enough to satisfy me for what I want to do and who I want to be (both personally and professionally)? Can I go an do something else, which will require less pay starting out as well as a lot more schooling? Will it make me happier? How can I make the stability better for my family who are military? But more importantly is this what God wants me to do?

I was accepted for a job that is EXTREMELY competitive and one of a kind for the AF overall. In the end they could not find a job out there for my husband and because of that the job was canceled. I am not sure why God had me go through an intense interview process for the end result to be that we did not get it, but I do know that he has His reasons. And knowing that God has something else planned for us was a hard pill to swallow, because I "knew" this was a great job and an awesome experience for me. In the end I allowed God to take control and do what we need to do to make sure He was in control. It took me awhile and a lot of strength from my husband in order to understand that God has this.

My convictions today are answering those questions above and living for Gods Will. This day in age it seems almost impossible to do without sacrificing something of yourself or your family. How selfish does that sound? God sacrificed His ONLY son in order to show us his LOVE. I wish in everything that I still had that child like faith and just "knew" it would all work out according to His plan. For me to sit and write it as if I actually do it would be hypocritical of me…. so I sit here today telling you that I do not listen to God to read his word nearly as much as I should. However, that is exactly why I am writing this today to share with you the things that are going on in my life at just like your life. How amazing would it be to live like Paul did in Acts 21-22? He NEVER once doubted what God had planned even while his own friends wept over him leaving to be burnt and killed. I would not be human if I never questioned or doubted Gods plans for me, but by not even giving him a chance would be like I am not faithful in His plan for me. I learned today that you live for two things: to love God and to love others. Being here on Earth has nothing to do with YOU! While listening to that today at first I did not understand what that meant, but it brought me right back to my current day convictions….

These are leaving the military after 9 years of only knowing it as an adult, going into grad school to work on becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist (3-4 years of school) and soon after my PhD in order to work in areas that I can reach a lot more people in a very personal field. All the while trying to expand my family (currently have 1 child). This would mean full time student, full time stay at home mom, full time stay at home wife, and with very little income on my part. I would take on LITERALLY a whole new life. It takes some serious faith and prayers in order to make decisions like these. ~OR~ Do I stay in the military, make an it a career, go on to maybe do wonderful things for my country alongside my husband? While at the same time leaving my children to far away lands and not being able to get grad school done at all. I could rock the AF, but at what cost to my family and to others that God may want me to reach… I cannot answer either question until God gives me the answer!

My plan is to have that child like faith in the lord and let him lead me…. I believe that in order to get to this point I must read His word and let it lead me to where HE wants me to be. I CHALLENGE each and everyone of you to take out your bibles read a little, pray constantly and open your hearts to God and just know HE has something planned specially for you!

God Bless

~Victoria Clouse


"Read Gods Word; He WILL lead you to where you are to be" - Michael (LifeSpring Church Midtown)

Week 4

This is week 4 of the Trusting God book!!!! This week my focus is more on the actual act of TRUSTING GOD. In this weeks reading it talks about the act of trusting Him is a discipline and it is not natural. When it comes down to it and we KNOW we have to hand our worries over to God we want to "soul-scream". Isn't that exactly how it feels? It can be overwhelming…..But, the Lord wants your attention just as much as your family and worries that comprise of your stress take over your attention.

So this weeks thoughts/questions are:

~As the Lord desires to be sought after and found; what do you do to seek Him not have Him seek you?

~ Do you take time out of each day to thank God?
       -- I know for me before we had Sophia it seemed so much harder because I think we felt like we didn't have much to offer God and now we have Her to show God too. I know that sounds silly, but now our time with God, as limited as it is, is during dinner and bedtime. Will and I also do a weekly devotional and that is our time with each other and God! We do this not only for god and ourselves, but to be that greatest example we can be to our daughter.

~ Someone recently told me about something called a Silent Retreat. Do you ever just rest your soul for the Lord? I have never really thought about it honestly! But I have to say I LOVE the idea of it. What would you do to rest your soul?

~ This is just my personal thought, we should listen to the Lord. He knows that is best and IF and WHEN he answers your prayers He will do it in His own time and own way!

Watch this weeks video and take joy in your time with the Lord.

I end on this Bible verse:

*Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. (1 Timothy 4:7)

God Bless,

~ Vickie

Week 3

Good Evening Friends!!! This weeks reading really hit me! I'm going through a lot in my personal life (which has a lot to do with my professional life) and struggling with when and how to trust in God. This should be a no brainer don't you think. I guess for me its hard because I feel like God gives us freedom of choice as you will. He gives us situation's to make decisions for ourselves or does he?!?!? I mean if God is all knowing then he already knows the decisions I will make correct? He is not surprised by anything that is going on in our lives.

With that said even if you did not read this weeks reading or have the book the premise is all about no matter what do you love and trust in God? 

~ Have you ever thought that sometimes you are the unluckiest person in the world? Those times come and go and honestly are inevitable (as stated in the book), but while they hurt it is such an AMAZING feeling when you get past it. It feels like the painful part was so irrelevant to the pleasure you feel now! In the book it says that "scripture assures us that even when we are faithless, God remains faithful". Isn't this the perfect time for us to remain committed to God and Jesus? 

~ How about the song 'Jesus love me this I know…' ok stop singing :)!!! Do you love him back as he loves you? A lot of people feel unworthy of love or feel they do not deserve it. How about feeling deserted by God? Now thats a tough one to even fathom or think about. In the reading it states that the disciples were the ones who felt deserted by God. I imagine in your lifetime you have felt deserted as well, but would you give your life for Him?

~ Remember Jesus in the boat with his disciples and the storm on the Sea of Galilee? Could this not be the perfect way to trust in Jesus? He blatantly asks them to have faith in him and yet they still do not. Do you have faith in him in all you do no matter what, even when the situation does not turn out to your liking?

~ Ok so lastly, think of people you surround yourself with. Do these people show the same if not more faith in the Lord then you? If not how do you think your strength in the Lord is growing if those you surround yourself with have little or no faith? Just a thought to living a more gracious, meaningful life if you struggle with our faith because of those around you!

I could not decide on which verses I liked the most to end this week on so I decided to add both of these:

* Why are you afraid? Do you still have to faith? (Mark 4:40)

*Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today…. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. (Exodus 14:13-14)

God Bless,

Vickie

Carrot, Egg or Coffee?

Grandmother says... Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee; "Which are you?" A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose. Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft.She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The granddaughter then asked. "What's the point,grandmother?" Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her granddaughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?" Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level? ~Author Unknown

Have you ever thought that maybe at times when you do want to give up thats the devil knocking on your door? I certainly do! those times are the hardest, because without thought of mind its very easy to just give up. However, someone, somewhere, somehow loves you! Can you believe that that individual is the one who created you, the one who doesn't judge you until your own judgement day, but you have all that time on this plant to think about what type of person you are and what type of person you want to be. All in all that person you create here is the way of life you will live after death. Kind of a weird subject and strange thing to even talk about (after death) so... we will leave that for another time. Tonight above is enough to ponder with the way you live RIGHT NOW!

God Bless!

~Victoria Clouse

"My Life" by Paul Thomas Mitchell

While watching America's Got Talent (AGT) tonight this was the last act of the night and WOW was he good. It made me think not only about my own life, but about those who go through so many struggles in their life, it is all for a reason. You go through so many horrible things and end up on top in the end is amazing. God is an awesome God and gifted him with this wonderful voice that I just had to share this with all of you. In times of despair the Lord knows what he is doing. TRUST in the lord!!!

To end this particular post I have a quote I found today which I believe applies now:

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be"

- Douglas Adams              

God Bless!

Victoria Clouse

Week 2

Above is the video from Week 2s reading in the book Trusting God from the ladies who created the Girlfriends In God (GIG). This video specifically features Gwen Smith speaking about somethings she wrote in this weeks reading. 

What I personally took away from this week is that trusting in God brings peace. Knowing that you can give your worries over to God and he will most certainly handle them is an amazing feeling. Having a recent conversation with someone has put a lot in perspective. When you trust God amazing things happen in your life. God gives us free will to make choices about the things in life that he has planned. I think we take the long sometimes not so scenic route to get to what God has planned for us. I found this paper and in it i found exactly what I am trying to convey:

"Ultimately, the only absolute freedom we have resides in a man’s free will. And that freedom was given us by our Creator, essentially, so that we might freely choose to love and serve him. .... It is in choosing to serve God, to do his will, that man achieves his highest and fullest freedom. It may seem paradoxical to say that our highest and fullest freedom comes when we follow to the least detail the will of another, but it is true nonetheless when that other is God" - Fr. Walter Ciszek for his book titled He Leadeth Me.

I guess my point is that you have to practice what you preach. If God Brings you to it He will bring you through it! He is not afraid and if he is always with you then why should you be afraid? Human nature I get it, but not when you have Him in your heart, mind, body and soul. 

The question I choose from the book this week is:

• What helps to bolster your God-courage and increases your faith strength?
• For me this comes in a coupe forms. 1. Being my husband. He is not afraid of what the Lord has in store and expresses it to me everyday. We are a good team at making sure we let God take the lead. We both know that we will not make it very far without God leading. He also inspires me in all my endeavors and without God working in his life he could never be the husband, father and leader of our home! 2. KLOVE! I know that sounds silly, but I love music and I pretty much only listen to christian music. Music speaks to me on a different level them just reading something. Plus the encouraging stories on there are a constant leap of faith for me that talk about Gods work in everyone around the globe. 3. Praying no matter where I am or who is around. I get my strength from knowing God is there. When you feel Him in your presence it feel natural yet also bone chilling at the same time. 

Share with me what increases your faith strength and God-courage? 

Also for those you do not have the book a couple main verses are 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, Isaiah 26:3-4, and my favorite from this (which goes with the music video below from a song that I know) Isaiah 40:29-31 that I thought were perfect for this weeks reading. 

   
Prayer:
Thank you lord for all the many times you have been there for us weather close calls or merely not running out of gas. Thank you for the courage, strength and understanding you give us in our times of unworthiness. We also thank you for all the creatures in the world that you had Adam name before giving him Eve. Thank you for giving us hope in the things that we sometimes try to handle ourselves. You are doing work in my life every minute of everyday and I ask that you give me the faith to give more of myself in your name to other people! In your sweet and Holy name I pray, Amen.

God Bless,

~ Victoria Clouse

Favorite Sites

I just wanted to explain some things on the blog. So to the right are things called widgets these are things that can translate the content of the blog into a different language. This Blog has been viewed by 3 different countries as of today. Your replies and comment are what brings people back to view more information and also share their own thoughts and beliefs. I encourage all of you to comment to the different posts. To comment you can go to the bottom of the post and hit either the "# comment' or 'no comment'. You will have to sign into your account that they offer. I have gmail so it was was for me to comment, but if you have something different I am not 100% sure what all the other accounts are that they offer for you to comment. You can also comment anonymous if you do please put your name at the end so we can reply to your post and refer to you by name. If you are having any issues email me at vdeshner7@gmail.com and I will share your comment.

Other widgets include people who are following the blog. This means you can follow from your google account (other accounts allow you to be a follower too) as well as receive emails when there are posts to the blog. There is a video widget that will allow you to view videos from different youtube pages that I have either used or found to be good video per the Blog content. There is also a favorite sites, which is the reason I am posting tonight. These are different web sites of authors that have been an inspiration to me or of our current read (books we are referencing), there are youtube pages on there as well as other encouraging web sites that I have come across or others have shared with me. If you have any that you would like to share I can post it to the page as well, just comment on this post. My latest web site that I recently found is God Bless You. It has lots of information, stories, videos, music and lots more on it and the first thing I noticed was a video by Francis Chan the author of Crazy Love. If you have not read this book there is a website that you can look at here Crazylovebook. What an excellent book!

Anyway... off subject a little, my point is that there are quit a bit of things to explore on this blog. I want to share specifically the different websites to use for your questions that you may have if you do not feel comfortable asking on here. But I assure you others with the same experience or same questions as you, but maybe scared to ask can help you rather then some websites.

I end of this note (back to Francis Chan hahaha). The video on this site Lukewarm and Loving It  is what I have been feeling about a lot of Gods followers lately. You cannot be lukewarm and think it is ok to live that way as a follower.

What do you know about follower-ship? Can you share your experience of this in Christ? How can you not be lukewarm?

God Bless,

~Victoria Clouse

Music Inspiration

 These songs have spoken to me in the pass couple days and I just NEEDED to share them with all of you!!!! 

First take a moment to listen to this song titled Don't try So Hard By Amy Grant and James Taylor!!!! I heard this song on klove the other day and almost had to pull over because I had such crazy tears in my eyes. Then, I started to cry when I heard the verse 'He gave you His love and He's not leaving; He gave His Son so you'd believe it'.

I thought to myself at that moment he does love me for who I am and I plan to open my heart up to Him and love Him for who I am! He has already accepted me, why not let him love me! I think sometimes you have to stop trying to hard and just let God take over. I have learned that very quickly and what comes with that is even more of a reward then I ever expected. 

Then literally the next day I hear this song. It just reminded me SO SO SO much of our society and what they think about marriage or relationships overall. I said a silent pray to God to guide them through their marriage/relationship. I know some of you can relate to this weather in a relationship, a past one or maybe someday even through the struggles you can relate and I prayed that for the past, present and future of all relationships good, bad and indifferent that you can find God and accept jesus into your life and know that without those two things in your life you cannot go on. God knows how to Restore better then anything in this life.

I am going to end on this video..... It speaks for itself!!!

Happy listening!

God Bless,

~Victoria Clouse

Week 1

The Girlfriends In God (GiG) Team has put together a weekly video that corresponds with the reading that I will also post. They are all very short little clips that each lady take a moment to talk to us. 

God knows what is going on in our lives as well as our hearts. I plan to be completely honest the whole time I am on this Blog. Not being honest does not help our trusting in God. What an eye opener for the first weeks reading! The stories were relatable on different levels and so  to think about in our very own lives. At the end of this weeks reading were a series of questions called "Now It's Your Turn", these questions are quit profound. I found a couple that hit me personally in my faith in God along with the reading. So lets get started on some of those questions....

• What letter did everyone pick about the "trust-bail"?
• I picked letter C, which is "I Know He's strong and can handle the weight of my fall, but I bail cautiously just in case He's not interested in catching me this time". I feel like this because at times i feel my problems are minor and not as important as others who have "real" problems. God should answer their prayers over my own mediocre stresses in life. 

• What part does human understanding play in the process of strengthening our faith in God?
• This question seems like there is so much more beyond our understanding in God. Our faith comes from faith and believing that you cannot see with our own human eyes. Understanding is believing in something bigger then yourself and acting upon it.

• What does the word all mean to you when it comes to trusting God "with all your heart"?
• We hear this or we say this when we absolutely love someone or something such as an unborn child or a spouse. When we love someone so much we give them our all, we give them everything even our lives. Could you give yours in the name of God? The God who people claim to never see, never hear, never believe, and to never trust. 
• When you say "with all your heart" you must put God above all!!! Trust that He will be the one there in all times and darkness, all times of stress and pain, even when you seem like you can no longer go on, He is there. When you think you made the wrong choice, and life seems unfair, He is there with you guiding you to your next adventure on Earth!
• What does it mean to you???

• This question God to me the MOST..... this is the question of questioning Gods decisions..... If God has given angels charge over us, then why are some people protected in a car crash, but others aren't? If God really loves me, then why did He let this or that happen? Why didn't He deliever my loved one from cancer.... from the accident... from temptation?
• How do you answer this? However, my feeling about this is that God has a plan for everyone and everything and those unfortunate things are apart of it. We tend to look at something like losing a family member in an accident or to cancer as we lost our loved one, instead we should look at it as the other family/friends loved one got to live. Or when you ask God why he allowed the other person to live and not your loved one, you are basically asking God to put them in as much pain as you are currently going in. It almost seems unfair at times.
• Can anyone elaborate on this?

• The last question is very hard to answer.... most of you have someone to catch you when you fall. Who would you trust to catch you? Are you more often the friend on the tall stump needing to trust or the friend on the ground encouraging another to trust? 
• Above all my HUSBAND! Besides him though I have a couple friends I can say that i trust to catch me, but I feel more often then not that they are to business for me, almost like the how I feel God feels for me at times. Pretty crazy to think that about another person who I am supposed to trust and care for as they would for me. My problems are not as important or again are mediocre compared to what other peoples are. I would rather be the one there to catch someone else then for someone to have to worry about taking time and effort to catch me.

I end this weeks reading with the things that stood out to me in this weeks reading. First is on page 14 "God wants you to trust Him... right where you are. It might be scary. Tears might be shed, But God is faithful and can be trusted". The next one on page 17 "when we ignore our Father's warnings, we forfeit the safety of His shore and plunge into the ocean of harm's way". Also a prayer from that same page from Psalm 144:7 "Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and reuse me from the mighty waters". 

Prayer:

Thank you lord for this day, thank you for your blessings in our lives seen and unseen. We thank you for the love and pateince you give us to wait for your calling. Guide us through those storms that come with darkness to find the calm in the storm and trust that you will be there to catch us if and when we fall. We pray for those who have not found or are search for your trust that you weigh on their heart and send them understanding to love will all their hearts. In your sweet in holy name, Amen.

God Bless!!!

~Victoria Clouse

In the Beginning.......

Hello and Welcome!!!!

I am excited that you have decided to come check out this blog titled God's Beautiful Imperfections. This blog is to bring together people of all backgrounds, all races, all genders, and all ages to learn and share with other readers what your purpose is in God's creation.

For the next couple months we will focus on trusting God with this book, ironically, titled Trusting God. The authors are three women named Sharon Jaynes, Gwen Smith and Mary Southerland who created this ministry for women who call themselves "Girlfriends In God". In this day in age with technology there is no reason that people cannot come together, for us its on here or elsewhere on the world wide web, and fellowship!!!!  The idea of this book is to share with others our experiences, our stories about the bible and God and also learning from others about Gods plan or how to figure out God's plan for our own lives. I will post from this book starting in the next couple days. Any and all comments are welcome. If you would like to follow along I will be posting information from this book every other week and comments throughout the week.

Here is the link to the actual page of their devotionals. There are also 12 short videos that I will post along with the book information.

http://www.girlfriendsingod.com

If anyone would like to join my email distro list please send and email to Victoria Clouse at vdeshner7@gmail.com. This distro list is just to inform you that I have posted on this blog not as spam.

I end on this note..... God created all that was in 6 days and on the 7th day he rested, which signified the end of God creating by himself!!!

God Bless!!!

~ Victoria Clouse