540 Days Saved - A Walk with Christ 

Open letter to Pope Francis, 

"Except a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." John 3:3

Dear Pope Francis,

I was born and raised a catholic. For some blessed reason I missed confirmation because my parents decided to change churches. I declared Christ on my own time (re-born) at age 33. Being reborn is not something that can be pushed, forced or wished on someone (at age 14). It must be chosen and wanted by each individual. Not by  the teachers and not by the parents. 

I cherish my catholic up-bringing and education and fully wish it upon my own children to this day. One other thing that was missed and must be addressed is that the Catholic Church must teach its children to pray for each other. In my Catholic school growing up we never prayed over each other in class or placed hands over each other. Learning to pray upon others is empowering. It is the Holy Spirit displaying its fullest blessings. Gifted and to be shared by each child of God. 

As my journey in discovering (Re-Learning) how to walk with Christ continues this is what the Holy Spirit brought to me today. I pray this message gets to Pope Francis and things begin to flourish in the Catholic Church. We Christians are in this together, so let's join as one force! There are greater battles to face but we need each other! 💜

💜 - Lea 

539 Days Saved - A Walk with Christ 

#VacationwithJesus

Truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord. Micah 3:8

Joy is flowing and I'm learning that I was forgetting to take time to be alone with God. My friend texted me a quote that said, "Do not work so hard for Christ you forget to pray because strength comes through prayer. 

This a was a sweet conviction and nudge from above to remind me that in order to have a peaceful and clear mind I must turn to God before I turn to people. 

I  am currently on vacation in New York City. This is my first time alone and on vacation in eight years. I was worried I would feel alone but I do not feel alone one bit. Quite the opposite actually. The Holy Spirit is very close and I'm keeping Him very near. I'm starting a new small book series which will be available on Amazon. The series is called Vacation with Jesus (New York). It's all about taking time to be fully present and alone with the Holy Spirit and working for the Holy Spirit. It's an adventure! 

The Challenge: 

You do not have to go on a luxurious vacation to spend time with God. That's the power of the Holy Spirit! When you tap into Him through prayer it's almost like a refreshing vacation away which will reboot and energize your soul. 

538 Days Saved- A Walk with God 

Such Grace

My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Such Grace God pour out onto us when we cry out to Him in desperate needs of relief. I'm feeling better after a few sad days. Victories have came and yes when we are still God will fight for us. 

Through sorrow we truly do find joys in Godly things rather then worldly. Often I rush through bedtime with my kids just to get to other things. Last night I took time to lay with them and listen to my new favorite song Broken Things by Matthew sweet. Sorrow truly makes you love and cherish these special little moments even more. 

The Challenge: 

Feeling sad? Take time to listen to 'Broken Things.' Imagine God singing right along with you. 

537 Days Saved - A Walk with Christ 

Seeing Jesus 

Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John 1:29

I'm baring through my suffering but I do know that suffering is a fruit of the spirit. When we tap into the fruits of the spirit instead of suppressing them God gifts grace in miraculous ways. 

Grace has come in some rather intense ways. Last night while driving home the pain I have been feeling was so real I had a split second out of body experience. In this time I saw Jesus just as they say. He was in this gorgeous white light. Like staring at the sun without hurting your eyes. You don't need to blink. In fact you don't want to miss a thing. He was right there standing tall in the light. He was at a far distance but the peace took over my whole being. 

When I snapped out of it and realized what just happened I cried sweet, quiet and joyful tears. My husband asked what's the matter. I said, "I just saw Jesus." He then said, "So those are tears of joy?" I said, "Yes!" 

The Challenge: 

Although the grace God gifts seems unreal we must know and share the truth! It is real! He is near and He is coming soon. Repent! 

536 Days Saved - A Walk with Christ 

Casted Out

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so everyone can see your progress. 1 Timothy 4:15

Traumatizing events are happening but I'm standing firm and proud of how far God has brought me. I'm falling, getting back up, dusting myself off and trying to keep strong and show my progress to my readers. Yesterday was a day I wish I could redo. I was invited to a homeschool Christian conference to share about my journey. After much confusion and a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding on their part I was asked to leave. It comes down to this I believe I was casted away because of the way I appeared. I wore this dress as pictured and it was not a expensive dress (not working to be flashy)  rather given to me for free by a sweet friend. I wore my Christ crusader cape as a promotional tool for my Childrens book coming out in two weeks and as you know I'm unashamed to be draped in Christ armor. As always I wore my precious flower halo because my mom makes them and they have very special meaning to me. 

This conference was very very conservative and honestly I was naive and completely unaware of what I was walking into. Now looking back I wish I would have worn a different dress and been more timid in my marketing approach but I still would have worn my cape and flowers. 

Yes, I'm humiliated but our God is refining us! He's making diamonds out of dust! I know one thing about my father in heaven He knows I'm trying, he knows I'm only human and through Jesus he showed that He loved the ones who suffer because in heaven last will be first.  He shared  with the lowly ones the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the adulterers. He loved them and he forgave, He never ever casted them out or shamed anyone! And we shall walk the same! 

The Challenge: 

Isn't this the Challenge -  being whom you are, not living for how the world wants you to look all the while making our father in heaven proud? 

535 Days Saved - A Walk with Christ 

Sabotage or denial 

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives but those who speak rash will come to ruin. Proverbs 13:3

I briefly asked my psychologist why when I feel something is changing in relationships I sabotage. She confirmed this is a part of the learning and maturing process. Some sabotage and some act in complete denial. 

When we feel something changing in our world it makes us feel uncomfortable, fearful and nervous this then moves into all areas of our lives. So what is that feeling? It's the Holy Spirit giving a cue. Preparing you for what's coming. If your walking in the Holy Spirit it becomes more and more of an acceptance rather then a sabotage or denial type of experience. 

Lets give an example. Cheating. Sometimes when people are feeling uncomfortable or fearful of change instead of sharing with their boyfriend or girlfriend they instead sabotage everything (unknowingly) by cheating or speaking ill of their partner. Many times it's a way out for them. This type of behavior is not of the Holy Spirit but if we let God lead then we handle these challenges more gracefully. Instead of cheating or ending things terribly we would realize it's time to move on, make changes and/ or bow out gracefully. 

The Challenge: 

Are you naturally in denial, sabotaging or completely working to speak and walk gracefully in the spirit? 

534 Days Saved - A Walk with Christ 

Oh Sweet Chosen One

For many be called but few chosen. Matthew 20:16

It is miraculous and unbelievable what the Lord has done in my life in only two years. He is catching me up. He does that you know. It's like being a sleepy college student the entire semester. Sleeping in, missing classes, drinking with friends then all at once the final comes. Through miracles some can study over night, cram the information and pass the test the next day. Sadly, some just don't even make it to the desk to finish the course and try that final.

The Holy Spirit just moved that out of me but what I'm suggesting is that as a once sleepy Carmel Christian I was lazy in my faith but when the big man came a calling and said, hey your a second time (A second chance) get your act together, I took Him very serious. So he's been sharing A LOT!!!!  I will work my best the next few days to get the message across. I pray the Lord gifts great strength and perseverance to sort all this and share ALWAYS in His way not mine! That's the key you know. I'm learning, dots connecting and lights turning on! Bright! 

The Challenge: 

Many are called but few are chosen..... Why? Because they have not studied, crammed or even attempted to sit in the seat to finish that  course! You must try in order to be called but then try even harder to get chosen! In the end it's up to no one but YOU!