Good day.

     Good days are fabulous. I love good days. Today was a good day. Why? Coca Cola Classic. Regular customers. & a cute old couple. (Did I mention Coca Cola?) So stinking awesome. I've been MIA with Coca Cola for the past few weeks. But today was a bank holiday- so that meant that I got to drink Coca Cola. It was fabulous. And for the past few weeks my regular and favorite customers at the coffee shop have been MIA, and they all showed up today! And then I had the cutest older couple come in, and the man wanted me to tell him about facebook. I'm pretty sure he is 70 or older. But I loved it. Absolutely loved it.
     I feel so blessed when I have days like today. When I realize the blessings in my life. I woke up this morning and decided that today would be a good day. I declared it. I believed it. And it happened. Which, coca cola was involved... so of course I'm happy. ;) But, nonetheless, the Lord was so good to me today.
     He revealed and confirmed some things for me this morning in my quiet time. I love it when he does that. And I love it when he speaks on my level. He confirmed a dream I had a few months ago today in a scripture. It was good stuff. I serve such a great God. He has blessed me with amazing things in my life. I love my family, my church, my friends, my God, my job, my car, my shoes, and my new jeans. Seriously, thank you Jesus!

     So, if you are still reading- you made it through my ramblings.... but I want to know what makes you have a good day? When was the last time that you had a good day from all of the little things? I'd love to know. :)

Meet my Parents.

     I am a proud daughter. Yep, daughter. I have two of the most amazing parents. They are such an example to me and I am extremely blessed. Just look at how cute my parents are, I love them! Let me introduce them to you. Dad. Meet Billy Joe Gaddis, where I get my grin from and my cheesy jokes.

Still in Love too!

He is the best equipment operator in Owensboro and can make anyone laugh. He is so incredibly in love with my mother. He is the head of our household and the head encourager. Constantly talking about his 3 beauty queens... (mom, chels, and me) and his handsome son. He loves getting his back scratched and we are thankful for tv ears, because he's hard of hearing. He has the heart the size of Texas and will do anything to help anyone. That's my Dad! :) Meet mom. Robin Gaddis. One of the best Helix hair designers in Owensboro, and possibly the world. She is discerning and is completely obedient to the word of the Lord. She loves being outside with a good novel. She loves the beach and loves staying up late talking to me! :) I love my mom! They are such an encouragement to me. 

       This all comes about because I am doing a study called, "Secrets: Transforming your Life and Marriage". Yes, I am fully aware that I am not married, but I will be prepared on the glorious day that the Lord speaks to my husband and confirms that I am the one for him. As I go through this study, I have realized what a great marriage I have grown up under. And I wanted to share with the world the things I have learned from mom and dad. 

Marriage with Billy Joe and Robin:

1. God first, always, always, always. 

2. Spouse second. Not Brennen, Trae, or Chelsea. But spouse. My dad and I are a lot alike on how we receive love from mom. We like to spend time with her, and on numerous occasions Mom tells me that she has to spend time with dad and that later she will spend time with me. No fun at the moment, but I appreciate it now.

3. Never, ever say divorce. This has brought so much peace into our home. I never have to worry if mom and dad will split up. It's not talked about. 

4. We don't yell. Dad made the pact with mom before they got married that they would never yell at each other. And I've never heard them yell. Once again, peace. 

5. Respect. I hardly ever witness my parents responding to one another with eyes rolling, hateful tones, or mean words. 

6. They always agree with one another... even if they disagree. They wait to talk about it until later. I know that if mom says something that dad stands behind it, and vis versa. 

7. Dad still opens the door for her. Sorry boys, it's just something that women appreciate.

8. Dad always tells mom how pretty she is. Mom always tells dad how much she respects and appreciates his hard work. 

9. Mom is not dad's maid. It works out well. 

10. They make time for one another. Even if it's just a few minutes of mom scratching dad's head. 

11. Mom or dad never sleep on the couch because of an argument. They settle it before they go to bed.

12.  Laughter. That simple. They laugh together. 

13. They dance... not always... but most the time after a movie when the credits are rolling... they dance. 

14. Trust. They trust one another. 

15. They hug and they kiss.... in front of us. We pretend like we don't like it, but it reassures us that they love each other. 

     Mom and Dad would be the first to tell you that their marraige is not perfect.... but I say they have something good going on. I am so excited to see where God takes them in their marriage and to see what else God has for them. I pray blessing, prosperity and joy over their marriage. 

     Thank you Mom and Dad for loving God, one another and then loving us. You two have taught me more than any marriage study book could. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We appreciate it. 

John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Ephesians 5:33 "The wife must respect her husband."

1 Corinthians 13:7,8 "Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. "

Coca Cola Obsession

       I decided to do something really stupid about 2 weeks ago. One of my lovely friends, Ashley Abney, and I made a pact that we wouldn't drink soda except for on bank holidays. This is seriously, one of the stupidest things I have done.

       Let me share with you my obsession. Coca Cola Classic. Before this pact, I was drinking at least two 32 ounce cups of Coca Cola, if not more (from Hucks, the greatest gas station in the world, ask Adam Kees). I'm telling you, I love me some Coca Cola. However, Coca Cola doesn't love me. I fluctuate with my weight according to how much Coca Cola I am drinking. Jeans were getting too tight and my face looked like a balloon, so no more Coke for a while. 

     Yesterday, I was having some withdrawals. Major withdrawals. Luckily, Ashley would kick my booty if I drank one, so I resisted. But, I will say, some days I can go the whole day without thinking about a Coke. This runs parallel to eating out at restaurants as well. The more you eat out the more you want to eat out. And in return, the more you eat home cooked meals, the more you want home cooked meals. Or maybe, this just applies to me and my fellow extremists.

       This correlates with our walk with the Lord. Whenever we sin, we want to sin more. That sounds so generic, but bear with me for a minute. Whenever you lie, it becomes easier to lie the next time. Whenever I drink one coca cola, I crave more coca cola. Whenever the drug addict smokes one joint, they crave the second joint. (Do you smoke a joint? I'm not positive, forgive me if my street lingo is off.) It's this big chain of sin. The more you do it, the more you want to do it. 

       Many people have asked me, why don't you just limit yourself with cokes. I can't. It's all or nothing for me. If I go cold turkey off of them, it's so much easier than "weening" myself off of them. This morning I was reading in 1 Peter 1:13-16, check out what it says; 

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be give you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

     We have to get serious with the things we struggle with. We have to cut it off. Prepare ourselves in advance for how we are going to react when your mom asks you to unload the dishwasher, or when your wife asks you to mow the lawn, or when your daughter asks you to go to a "bad" friends house. If you are prepared, you are ready to be self controlled, instead of spouting off something mean and hateful, or responding in a way that is not respectful.
       So, I urge you, to rid yourself of whatever is bringing you down. If it's a bad habit that is unhealthy, if it's the way you speak to your husband, if it's a credit card that you can't quit swiping.... get rid of it. Cut it off. Live a life of self control and holiness. And, if you're going off of cokes, you get to look forward to bank holidays. ;)
      

Mean Witness-ers.

     About 10 minutes ago I had an experience I knew I would have to blog about; I love it when that happens. I normally work at a local coffee shop but to help out I work once a week at the gift shop next door that my boss owns as well. I am still learning what all is in the store, how it works, what credit cards we take, etc, etc. Today, I am working at the gift shop. I have this older lady that comes in and asks me if I have goblettes, which I have no idea what that is, or if that is what she said. She explains that they are glasses with a stem. I show her where they are displayed and tell her the price of each set. She chooses blue ones and when I tell her they are 23.75 she says, "I thought they were $20" I then have to explain that the other set of glasses were 19.95 this one was 21.50 or something.... and then explain that taxes are added. She changes her mind, asks me a few more random questions that I simply said "I have no idea, but I'd be more than happy to find out for you." She is annoyed. I can tell. I'm frustrated with the lady.

     It comes time for her to pay... finally. She asks if we take Discover, I say- I'll swipe it and find out. She asks very rudely, "You haven't worked here long have you?" I stay calm, hold my tounge and make a joke. She pays. Then, hands me 2 magazines on prayer and knowing who God is. 

     I simply stood in silence holding back laughter. I know that's horrible that I wanted to laugh, but I mean really? I didn't explain that I had a personal relationship with Jesus or that He was the love of my life. I just stood and politely said thank you. I looked up the website of the magazine, it's a Jehovah's Witness magazine. Which, is totally fine. I'm not trying to make jokes on religions. I don't even know what they believe. I know what I believe. And I know that if I was being mean to someone I certainly wouldn't be witnessing after I acted like that. 

     

     Do our actions and words match our passion? I'm pretty sure thats a VBS song from a few years back... Yep, and I found the video.... but in all reality- it is totally right.

  

      My life has to match up with the love of God. The world will never follow something that they don't see lived out. Or they will do the same thing you are doing, claiming a faith but not living it out. I hope I never am not able to share the love of Jesus because of my actions beforehand. I hope that I'm never rude to the waitress and then want to leave a card inviting them to church. The church, in a whole, has to get serious about our lives matching our passion [or what we claim to be our passion]. Or else, we will never reach the lost.

     On a side note, I pray blessings and truth on the cute lady that wanted to share her faith with me. I hope next time she's more careful with her words.  :)

<3B

Deep clean.

     I have a bad habit. Clothes. I have a horrible habit with my clothes. I am the most indecisive person getting ready in the mornings. I normally have one article of clothing picked out. Sometimes it's a scarf, a pair of jeans, a pair of shoes, or sometimes something as ridiculous as a pair of socks. I just get it in my mind that I want to wear it, and I don't stop until I get an outfit together.  Where's the problem? When I try on, and try on, and try on clothes..... and don't always put them back. I admit it. I can get messy, especially when I am in a hurry. The thing is- I get this idea in my head of the "look" I'm going for that day and I'm just not content without it. Usually, I am pushing for time as well. Anyways, this always leads to clothes on my floor. Not dirty... clean.
     The other bad habit I have.... is not putting my shoes up on the convenient shoe holder on my door. So I usually have a collection of shoes in one area of my room. I am not a dirty person. Let's get that clear, before you think I'm gross. I, sometimes, am just a little messy. BUT... the good thing is- I can only go so long with the mess. Then it is crazy Brennen cleaning up. Normally, late at night because I keep stepping on a hanger or something crazy like that.
     Well, the other day, I decided that I had had enough. It was time to be neat again! So I picked up all of my stuff. I also become like a 5 year old when I do something that my mom will be proud of, so I ran downstairs and made mom come look at my neat room. [Most of] my clothes in my closet, clean. My dirty clothes hamper empty... and a picked up room. I said, "Look Mom, I cleaned!"
     She, of course, smiles and tells me she is proud... but then corrects me and says, "You picked up, you didn't clean." And, she is right. If you looked close- you could see the dust on the furniture and could tell that my floor needed some swiffer attention.
     I get like this with the Lord sometimes. I let things go crazy for a while, then I can't stand it, and I "get right" with God. I get all my stuff together, get all my dirty sin taken care of, and I get excited and say , "Look Lord! Look at what I did! Aren't you proud of me!?"
     And, He is. But- I didn't really "clean up" my life. I just picked it up, put stuff back where it belongs. I didn't get to the root of the problem. I just snipped it. Made it look good, presentable. When it still needed work.
     I am so thankful that God is in the deep cleaning business. I can always count on Him helping me clean some stuff out. Getting myself clean of the things that drag me down. Just like I can always count on my mom helping me get my room cleaned, really cleaned. 
     Where have you just picked up lately? Is it time for a deep cleaning? Jesus! Show us where we need You to deep clean our lives. Give us the courage and determination to do it and to do it right.

  

Unfaithfulness to Perseverance

     After several weeks I have found myself back into Joshua, picking up right where I left off. I wrote several blogs going through Joshua 1-6, and then I read the heading on Joshua 7, "Achan's Sin", and didn't want a disappointment, so I wandered into other parts of my Bible. However, yesterday morning the Lord tugged on my heart to open back up to Joshua 7.   You can read my other blogs with these links. Strong and Courageous, Step into Your Jordan, Shout of Faith. And now that you are caught up on Joshua's story we can dive into Joshua 7.

     This chapter shows how much we are like Joshua, or at least how much I am like Joshua. The first verse in Joshua says, "The Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things..." it continues and says, "...so the Lord's anger burned against Israel." Basically, the Lord told them to destroy all of the "bad" stuff, to purge out anything that would cause them to sin, to get rid of the worldly things. And the Israelites did what we so often do. They say to the Lord, "Yes, I got it all, I'm through with it. Done with it. Never going back. Zilch. Nada." Even though somewhere, somehow they are still holding onto a piece of it.

     God knows everything. So, He had to know that they were being unfaithful, but He still allowed them to cross over the Jordan. God may allow us to cross the Jordan with some baggage, but it won't be everything He intended it to be. Why? Because of our lack of obedience. Our lack of obedience doesn't allow it to be everything He intended it to be. This happens with parents and their children all the time. A parent may allow their child to do something even if they know they aren't obeying, just so they can "learn their lesson". But, sooner or later, we will have to face the consequences and own up to our lack of obedience and faithfulness. We have to let go of that little piece that we are still holding onto, to receive the fullness of stepping into our promiseland.

     The Israelites went to battle with the Amorites and lost. They should have won, but they lost. Joshua was defeated. He lost hope. He immediately began to question God. Even saying, "Lord, we shouldn't have even crossed the Jordan, If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan." This makes my stomach turn. The Lord had done something mighty, crazy and supernatural, and Joshua is doubting if they even should have done it. He is doubting if God can handle what they've come against. How often do we receive breakthrough, expect green grass and nothing but happiness, then hit a road block, and we begin to doubt God. This is no bueno! Not good, not at all. This is when perseverance is soo key in our walk with the Lord.

     When you are in the center of God's will, a trial or problem does not mean to stop. It simply means to take a look at what you've done, see if you've obeyed completely, seek the Lord, and PERSEVERE.


     The Lord reminds Joshua of the Israelites unfaithfulness and tells them, "I will not be among you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction." We must get rid of the things that lead to destruction. We will not be able to stand against our enemies until we remove it from our lives. We can't leave an open door for the enemy to sneak in. Close him off, don't let him have a hint of room to get into your life.

     A lot more happens in the end of chapter 7. The family that was hiding the devoted things owned up to their sin, got stoned, and burned the devoted things. And chapter 7 ends rather abruptly. I'm still disappointed in the Israelites. But, man does it make sense why we act the way we do sometimes after a move of God happens. We have to come against that carnal mindset and set our minds on Christ, no matter what obstacles come our way.

     In my daily devotional book it talks about how a momma eagle will force her baby eagles to fly [when they are ready]. She'll tousle up the nest so they will fly, but then she will go and fly under them when they are struggling and give them her support until they can fly on their own. And as Hannah Whitall Smith said, "And so the Lord." He does the same thing with us. How comforting. :)

Be blessed and have a wonderful Sunday.

Dreams. Guest blogger: Stephanie Wright

Today, after reading one of my dear friend's blog I decided that what she had to say was better than what I had to say! So sit back and check out what my friend Stephanie Wright has to say on dreams. Stephanie is a local hair stylist, works as a personal assistant to Pastor Jeff with Promiseland Church, and she gets many calls from me on my dreams that I have. She walks you through your dreams and basically and biblically guides you in understanding your dreams better. Check out more of her blog posts on Shout Out Cafe.

Dreams

The  world defines a dream as an idea or image present in the mind but having no concrete or objective to reality.  An illusory or fantastic plan of hope, or to desire something urgently. But we know that God reveals to us in His word that He speaks to us through dreams. Therefore when in His promises, through prayer, we can actually be encouraged, guided and warned in our dreams.

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: Acts 2:17-18

I have found that most of the time a dream is absent from reality but portrays it.  A dream can symbolize a great plan yet to unfold, or an encouraging word for our brothers. Even more so than not, a dream could pose as a  warning to the intercessor as the plan of the enemy is revealed.

Why would God show us these things? Because prayer really does change things. Yes, our Lord and Savior knows the outcome before we do, but He still allows free will in our lives. Now it’s up to us on what to do with the information He gives us.

It seems that the church world today has dismissed this wonderful gift God so freely gave to His people. Dreams and visions are spoke of hundreds of times in the Bible.  Jesus Christ said greater things shall we do. So why then would it not be correct for us to receive more revelation than even that of the wonderful saints before? Greater things shall WE do!

So the next time God speaks to you as you rest, then take some time to think about what it is He is telling you. Many answers we search for in life comes to us in the middle of the night when we least expect it. Why is that? Could it be that it’s the only time God can speak without us interrupting?

REVELATION – INTERPRETATION – APPLICATION

Activate the gifts God has given and encourages the body of Christ to use today!

In most cases dreams are symbolic, while visions are literal.

A dream is like a snapshot which captures one brief moment out of a lifetime. It can not be understood fully without knowing something about the life of the person it concerns. Therefore it is not enough to know the meaning of symbols alone. Although without an understanding of symbols, we are greatly limited in our ability to navigate through for interpretation or even application if the dream are concerning ourselves.

There is a difference between a dream and a vision, a vision requires little or no interpretation. In addition to the actual vision seen, a vision can be accompanied by an audible voice that gives the primary meaning.

…and a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Acts 16:9-10.

How do I start understanding my dreams?

It is a great idea to keep a notebook, or dream journal by your bed. Many times we are awakened in the night by an extraordinary dream only to forget it by morning. This can be frustrating. Jot down the key points of your dream on paper to help with your revelation and application at a later time. Things to notice about your dreams to write down are the setting, the people, names, colors, and emotions. I have found that the more I pay attention, the more God speaks to me in my dreams. I begin to notice patterns, what certain objects represent to me, and what the Bible says about some of the things God is revealing.

Dreams are an extraordinary gift from God.

I can help you understand what is being spoke to you as you sleep.

Please feel free to post your dreams or message me for insight.