About time for a new blog post...

Hmm, where to even start? So a few weeks ago I mentioned some news- I couldn't really talk about it then but now everything is out in the open so I can share it. I was asked to consider a job change- still here at the Ranch but moving into the office as the "office manager". At first, I wasn't thrilled about it- in fact, I completely dreaded it. I was so wrapped up in my wishes that I couldn't see how the Lord could use me or change my heart. While it's still a daily choice to die to myself, the Lord has taught me so much. One big catalyst is a sermon from Matt Heard, the pastor at Woodman Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs. Woodman is kind of the ranch's "home church" but I had connections to Woodman long before I knew about the ranch. Matt's doing a series on The Lord's Prayer and a few weeks ago, his sermon was on the phrase, "Your will be done." You can find the sermon here. I definitely recommend listening to the series called Conversations that Matter. Anyway, one of my biggest take-aways has been to try shifting my focus to the Lord's will, instead of my own. It is no coincidence the Lord wanted me to hear that sermon at that particular time. Submission- I need to learn it, we all do. And I need to live it. I need to submit to His will every hour of every day, and it is a daily battle. Man, it is HARD. I have the tendency to want to do things and work towards characteristics with the mindset that if I get it right for one day, it'll stay that way. That certainly isn't true and it definitely isn't true in regards to dying to myself, submitting to the Lord's will each day and asking Him to take control of my life. And then to tie in all those lessons on trust I've been learning. It's so hard but it's so good. Joshua 24:15- "choose for yourselves this day who you will serve." Nothing has been decided, I've done a couple of "test days" in the office but otherwise, things are pretty much the same, but ya know what? I'm okay with not really knowing right now what all this is going to look like. I believe that the Lord has good in store for me and all I need to know right now is that I need to take life a day at a time, not worry about tomorrow for today has enough worries of its own, and simply do His work. One last verse to leave you with, Malachi 3:10- "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it." There's so much other scripture that has been reminding me so much of God's truth lately, but most of it is mentioned in that sermon. So listen to it. Also, a few prayer requests that I'll hopefully expound more on soon- my friend Julie- her back and job possibilities, my friend Lauren- her family, her grandma in particular, her being so far away, and the Ranch staff- we leave tomorrow for our staff retreat for the week, pray for safety, fun, unity and fellowship, and that we would see the Lord clearly. Thanks all.