Trials Bring Triumph

Hi friends,
Sometimes life gives us trials that seem to be overwhelming, we wonder if there is way too much stuff for us handle. Persevereance is one of the key principles that enables us to go through tough times, and press on to the promise of eternal life.
God doesn't give us tests of faith to make us miserable, He desires to help us grow in the knowledge of His presence... that is constantly at work in our life! Trials also strengthen our faith and make us Pliable to God's will, like moist clay in the hands of The Potter OR silver being melted by a silveersmith.
Today you can know that God will not give you anymore than you can handle. The trials we face will end in glorious triumph, when we receive all that God has promised us.
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. " James 1:12
God loves you, I love you& YOU are formed for his use.

We are a Work of Art

Hi Friends,
Every artist has a masterpiece, I want you to know that you are God's masterpiece... a work of art carefully crafted to be just who you are.
Sometimes we (myself included)question our vaule and purpose in this life, in fact we even begin to doubt God's will for us, this leaves us feeling useless. No one is useless in the eyes of God, because He has already prepared amazing things for us!
It's not always easy to see what God has in mind, because life can pull us in all sorts of directions... God slowly clears a path, and reveals what we can do for Him.
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. " Ephesians 2:10
God loves you, I love you & You are formed for His use!

The Greatest Gift

Hi friends,
I wrote this poem yesterday, I pray that you will exept this gift of love given to us by God himself. Merry Christmas dearones!

The presents the look so nice, wrapped in shiny paper and tied with bows, but they can’t give us freedom and peace.
What is the greatest gift? Who knows?
You won’t find it under the tree, but it is meant to be shared with everyone you meet.
Falling like snow from heaven to earth, a sacred birth.
Look! can you see the star shining from afar?
Our Savior has come, a gift of love from above. A baby, whose hands and feet are prepared for scars.
He has left His throne, to live in a world so cold.
The sins of man now atoned, because of Him; we can call heaven our home.
Jesus is the greatest gift!
Have we made room for Him in our hearts today?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
God loves you, I love you & you are formed for His use!

A Promise of Deliverance

Hi Friends,
Mabye you are struggling with depression right now...you feel as though it has sucked the life out of you. I have gone down that dark path myself. Don't loose hope, God will deliver you. Your life isn't over untill He says it's over... all of your days have been ordained
by God, he has a purpose for your life that can only be fufilled by you!
This is your promise of deliverence:
For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 116:8&9
God loves you, I love you & YOU are Formed fo His Use.

Never, ever Quit

Hi friends,
I know life is a challenge sometimes, it would be so easy to throw in the towel and give up. Perhaps you have had your last straw and you are thinking, giving up is the only option...It's not! God will give you the strength you need to keep going. The problems you and I face can leave us feeling broken or crushed, but I Promise that God is using those problems and broken pieces for his glory.
When hard days come take hold of this promise:
"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. " 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
Never,EVER quit! God Loves you, I Love you & YOU are Formed for His Use!

Hi friends,
Our problems don't outweigh God's provision!

Love is Deep

Hi friends,
Do you have trouble loving yourself sometimes? I do too. But I know that God's love is so much deeper, so much wider, and so much higher than I can fathom. He made each of us in his own image. Our self worth shouldn't be based on our ability or what other people say or even how we feel about ourselves. I want to encourage you today to love yourself for the person that God made you to be. Maybe you've never experianced his love before today he extends it to you no matter where you are or what you are going through. Don't loose heart because he loves each of us more then we could ever know.

He loves us enough to die on a cross and shed his blood for us. Always remember dear friends I love you, God loves you, and you are formed for his use.

Ephesians 3:18-19
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Faith is Freedom

Hi friends,
Do you feel held captive by something in your life? Mabye its your work schedule or an addiction. Right now you could be dealing with a terminal illness. Are you in a prison of insecurity? Or mabye your relationship with God has been supressed by the rules of religion? I don't know what might have you bound. Maybe you've tried out all that the world has to offer, but it can't satisfy your need fo freedom; only Jesus can.

Before I put my faith in Jesus, I too felt held captive, by self pitty and cerebral palsy. By faith I was set free, and you can be too! Galatians 3:22-23 says;"But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. "
You Don't have to stay lock up by the circumstances of life, or the chains of sin and shame... I Pray that God will give you the courage to step into the life of faith and freedom that he has for you. I LOVE You, God loves you + YOU are formed for His Use!

Grace is enough

Hi friends,
I don't wake up every morning with a smile, but I know that God's grace is enough to help me through each day. God extends his grace and unfailing love to you as well.
We all have challenges, or something that we might consider weakness... guess what?! God is right there in the middle of it all, and his strength is made pefect in our weakness. "But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. " 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Always remember, I love you, God loves you + YOU are Formed for HIS Use!

A little Patience

Hey friends,
I get so impatient with my self sometimes, in the little eveyday tasks of life: getting out bed, brushing my teeth, stand up to transfer etc. Oftentimes it is easy to run out of paitence When we get tired of circumstances that we have no control over. This produces a feeling of defeat in us. How do I know? I know because I've been there too! How do we end this visious cycle of impaitence and defeat? We fix our eyes on Jesus, who is so much bigger than our present circumstances!
I love you, God loves you and YOU are Fomed FOR his use.

Hi friends,
This life is filled with all kinds of things that seem to consume us: depression, loss of a lovedone, sickness,and much more. Not every day is made up of sugar + spice + everything nice, but God's mercy toward us is new with each sunrise!
Lamentations 3: 21-23 says, "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "
Always remember dearones, God loves u, I love u + you are Formed For His Use!

Life in a wheelchair- a blessing or a curse?

Hi friends,
When I wake up every morning, I have to make a choice: today I will view my circumstance as a blessing, not a curse. This decision enables me to live life out loud! Or I could choose to see the wheelchair as a curse, which leads me down the path of self- pitty and distruction... YUCK, YUCK YUCK! So how do I Live an abundant life with cerebral palsy? The answer is simple, by listening to God's voice and trusting that my life is in hands.

We will always have problems in this life,but together we can enter a life of blessing by choosing to love God; who is the provision in all of our problems. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live,and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

I don't know what you are going through today, but God does and He will never leave you. Always remember dear friends: I love you, God loves you and you are Formed For His Use!

an Encouraging Word

"For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. "
Psalm 116:8&9

God is Faithful

Hi friends,
r u facing a challenge right now? Be encourage with this promise from Romans 8:28,"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. " You are called according to His purpose + he loves you no matter what.
Remember God loves you, I love you & YOU r Formed For HIS Use!

God's Grace is a gift!

Hi friends,
God wants you to know that his grace is not earned, instead it is freely and willingly given to you!
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- Ephisians 2:8
Always remeber, God LOVES You; I LOVE You and YOU are FORMED FOR HIS USE!

r u Bleeding?- Mark chapter 5

hi Friends,
Somtimes life's circumstances can make us feel like we R bleeding on the inside... we have tried everything this world has to offer, and found that nothing brings Healing. This is because; it is only the unconditional love of God that can heal our pain + take away our shame. Take some time tonight, reach out to the one who bled for our healing and the remission of our sin...God will honor the amount of FAITH YOU HAVE. Always remember,God LOVES you, I LOVE you + YOU are FORMED FOR HIS USE.

We are God's Tapestries

I found myself needing some encouragement yesterday. I wondered if I was "cut out" for this job of living with CP...then, after reading this poem, I realized that God didn't "cut" me out, but that I have been woven together by His masterful hands, EVERY day!
The Weaver...
"My life is but a weaving, between the Lord and me. I cannot choose the colors He worketh steadily. Oft times He weaveth sorrow and I in foolish pride forget He sees the "upper", and I the "under" side. Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why. The dark threads are as needed in the weaver's skillful hand as the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned."For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.


Psa 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.


Psa 139:15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,


Psa 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Always remember, God LOVES You, I Love You & YOU are FORMED FOR HIS USE!

A bit of my life!

Rebekah’s story is far from finished, but this is how God has carried her to the present!
She was born the fourth child into a family already challenged by financial pressures and a paradox of love & violence. Simply put, hurting people, hurt people…even when those people are children. The pregnancy, distraught by a fall, broken bones, DVT(deep vein thrombosis), & multiple hospitalizations, resulted in her premature birth. The emergency C-section delivered a tiny, fragile 2lb 11oz baby girl with her own set of complications. Each day that she survived was a victory, but also brought more issues to be addressed (under developed lungs & heart, digestion, hydration, ventilators, resuscitation, pneumonia, “death” of much of the white matter in her brain…), along with the prayers of many. With every new obstacle, her mother held on to what God had placed in her heart, over & over, since the time of her slip & fall, “My hand is on this child…she will be just fine”, never imagining that “just fine” held a larger definition.
By the time Rebekah was 18 mos. old, she had the diagnosis of “spastic-quadriplegic cerebral palsy”, and was now a child of a single mother (and would have no contact w/ her father for 11yrs). During the next 2 years, it became apparent, that a motorized wheelchair would be a vital part of this happy toddler’s life.
Loved and encouraged by her brothers & sister, mom, extended family, and caring therapists, she grew into her new found “freedom”. Even total strangers, were drawn & amazed by her infectious smile & personality…God’s “hand” was on this child and she already knew in her heart that He loved her and would use her to fulfill His purposes; After all, her grandma had been speaking Jeremiah 29:11 over her life since before she was born.
Entering school brought with it new joys, new friends, new challenges, and the growing sense that she was “different” from the other kids. Most of her class mates were drawn to her cheerful demeanor, but some seemed to be frightened by it and, hurting people, hurt people…even if they are little people. And even if they were only a few, those hurtful comments stayed with Rebekah, and began growing in a deep place in her soul, adding each new layer of hurt to the last, composting her pain and feelings of inadequacy. Words of rejection, whether real or imagined, further laid the ground work for deception and depression.
At the age of 7, her family moved back to her mother’s home town. Now her grandma could visit with her almost every day, and even though she often spoke the same words of encouragement offered by others, grandma’s words went deeper. So deep that Rebekah was able to turn her young eyes to the desperate need of Afghan refugees in 2001, and with the help of her trainer, family and community, raise over $1,500.00 in aid by riding her adaptive trike and taking pledges per pedal rotation. And she began to experience the fruit of yet another of her grandma’s favorite Bible verses to speak into her life.
“Now glory be to God, who by His mighty power, at work within me, is able to do far more than I could ever dare to ask or even dream of, infinitely beyond my highest thoughts, hopes, prayers and desires.”Ephesians 3:20
The recognition she received for her efforts didn’t make sense to her…she was only doing what God had placed in her heart to do. But that was the very reason He honored her, and with each interview, each speaking opportunity that would come, she would continue to honor Him.
Only a few months after this, her grandma was diagnosed with cancer. And the next few years would test, strengthen and even shake Rebekah’s faith in God and His goodness. She would begin to doubt God’s sovereignty, His purpose, even His love for her.
In May of that year, a healing evangelist was coming to Portland, OR. Rebekah, after years of praying for the healing of others, decided this was HER time. She prayed and read scriptures pertaining to healing, and asked her mom to fast with her for a week before the meeting. Certain that she would be walking out of the arena that evening, she left her power chair at home, opting for a folding manual chair. Before the speaker came to the stage, she felt a trip to the “powder room” was in order. She didn’t want to miss a thing! On her way back to the seating area, she noticed a man in a wheelchair, outside of the doors, and struck up a conversation (something she is known for!). Within moments, they were praying together for his needs and the needs of the throng gathered inside the Coliseum. As they left the meeting that night, in her wheelchair, but with a renewed sense of God’s power and purpose she exclaimed joyfully to her mother, “There must be something God has left for me to do in this chair, or I wouldn’t still be in it!”
13…a real teenager! And a tender heart towards God, Rebekah heard a woman talk about her salvation experience and realized that even though she loved God and asked Jesus to come into her heart as a small child, she had never asked Him to forgive her of her sins and accept His free gift of salvation. She prayed with that lady on TV, and began to understand just what was at stake. Eternal life!
During the next 14months, the deaths of 10 deeply loved family members, mentors & friends (including first her “Nana” & then her grandma, too), overwhelmed her with grief. The bitter tears flooded her soul right down to the layers of hurt. Those voices had been kept at bay by grandma’s constant encouragement and prayers for years, and now it was up to Rebekah.
She studied her Bible & prayed. She spoke to youth groups & at Summer Camps. With great conviction she shared, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13) She knew in her head about God’s love and power and truth. The value He places on each and every person; every person, except her. Why hadn’t He healed, or kept safe, the people she cared for so deeply? Why had He not delivered her from the prison of her wheelchair? Her prayers became something she performed out of a sense of duty. Reading God’s living word was reduced to a religious act. As she abandoned her prayer language, she began listening to the language of self pity, and hung on every word. Depression crept in. The enemy of her soul had gained a foothold.
There were moments when she would find encouragement and truth. Like when she saw a man, born without arms or legs, on TV share his testimony. He spoke of God’s love and of hope. There was the joy of forgiveness and restoration of her relationship with her father, his wife, and another grandma! There were further disappointments as well. She would not be graduating with her class. She would not be allowed to address them as a group. She would not be allowed to officially participate in the commencement (despite the best efforts of several school board members). By her 18th birthday, she had perfected in her mind just how she would end her pain. She was able to open the knife drawer, and if she insisted, mom would leave her home alone, while she went shopping.
That next week, everyday seemed darker than the one before, the voices louder. “You are such a burden. Nobody really cares about you. They all just pity the poor little crippled girl”. The depression deepened and by the time Sunday came, the desire for sleep and self loathing made the task of getting Rebekah ready for church next to impossible. But her mother was determined that God’s hand was still on Rebekah, and that being in God’s house, among His people, worshiping together was where she needed to be (even if she was 18!). As they entered the sanctuary that morning, something fell out of the bulletin. There were tears in her mother’s eyes when she laid the insert on the wheelchair tray, and asked if Rebekah still thought God had forgotten her. Nick Vujicic was coming as the 2009 Baccalaureate speaker, the man who had talked of hope on TV, and the whole community was invited! A peace and sense of expectancy flooded over her. Maybe she could exchange her self pity and depression for a life filled with power, love and a sound mind.
She began to recognize what was true again and asked the Holy Spirit to prepare her heart for the message that would be shared. Again, God’s word became alive in her heart, and she asked Him to do a mighty work in her school, fasting and praying for the breaking of strongholds in the lives of those who would hear Nick speak. Eph. 3:20 was about to find a new reality in Rebekah’s life also! Not only was she set free by the power of God in Nick’s testimony of hope and love, she was privileged to share her heart in a special time of prayer with him, and found courage to face the challenge of taking her eyes off of her disability and trusting in God’s ability, getting her focus back on Jesus and bringing Him glory.
In June of 2010, Rebekah was asked to pray the prayer of dedication for her senior class Baccalaureate, 2 years before the “projected” date of her graduation! She continues to speak at camps, to business groups, and in each new venue God provides, following her heart to reach a hurting world with the love of Christ and a message of hope & God’s transforming power, as He enables her to view her wheelchair, not as a prison, but as a pulpit with wheels. To God be the glory, great things He has done, is doing and will continue to do!

I Have cp; it will NEVER have me- voices

Hey friends;
I WOKE up in frustration today with all the can'ts of life yelling in my ears... YOU CAN'T walk, You can't dress yourself...WHO CARES? r u wondering the same thing?
Then I Attempted to stand up; but i landed Square on my noggin...LOL yOUR forehead is round!!
Imagine for a momment that all us of where able to get past the negative voices in our head. Some shout failure,others paralyze you with defeat,saying u r not good enough... there is a way to drowned them out for the last time... by tuning your ears to a still small voice that calls to each one of us, like a father calls to his child! This voice is Gods voice.
HE has called you by name out of a ok life to an extroidenary life filled with joy.You can call on him today... He will Answer you!

Spinning Your Wheels?

As a young person in a wheelchair, I know that sometimes life can cause us to spin our wheels... figuretively speaking. We get stuck in something ,wether its fear, depression loss of a loved one or insecurity.
In any circumstance good or bad keep moving forward in courage... knowing + Trusting that God knows exactly what your going through. He also knows what its like to be you!
Thought: Who or what have I placed my trust and confidence in today?
Prayer: Holy Spirit help me to fully place my trust + confidece in you, so I can move forward into your purpose- filled future you have for me. - AMEN
Jerhmiah 29:11

I know the planS I Have for you declares the LORD,plans to give you prosperity not to harm you, plan to give you hope and a future.