My Notes from Pastor’s Sermons

I’ve recently started learning about what it is to live a life of Faith, and prayer.

I listen to different Pastor’s online and on SiriusXM, I thought I’d share what stands out to me. I speak these over my life and listen to these messages every day. I hope it reaches someone in need of a savior. I know I needed this in my life, and it has helped me.

Joel Osteen message #691

DON’T RELY ON PEOPLE

If you stop looking to people for help, support, compliments, encouragement etc. and look only to God, your anointing will increase.

I think the you’ll experience a deeper closeness to God and you’ll get what you really need to feel whole if you look to Jesus to be your strength and comfort, instead of human beings.

Are you wondering, how much harder can you try? (My letter to Jesus)

I started this faith journey, like really trying to build a spiritual connection and relationship with God, Jesus, my maker.

Testimonies of profound experiences with God surrounded me.

I could understand the words I was hearing, but they weren’t altering my life, or were they?

There were moments during alter call when people who are anointed layed hands on me, that I felt the gap was bridged between me and Jesus. I would feel completely well, and healed. I’ve always been soulful, but I have been cut off from feeling my spirit for some time. I’m not sure if it was my fear of seeing spirits that developed when I was a little girl that caused it, or if it was my chronic illness. That illness made me more aware of human behavior, but it caused a disconnect between my mind, body, and spirit. I delved further into studying human behavior from a psychology and philosophy perspective, but intellectualising humanity certainly didn’t nurture any spiritual growth in me.

It was frustrating how difficult it was for me to reconnect with my spirit, and feel a connection to God.

Then came the pouring out of emotion at the alter in church, and while I was at home watching sermons on YouTube. Tears that I didn’t know were trapped inside me. Tears who’s origin I had no knowledge of, but they seemed endless.

Breaking down in front of the congregation made me feel vulnerable, even though no one was even watching. They were all laying their own hearts, and concerns at the alter for God. However, I still felt uncomfortable, and wanted so badly for this part of my walk with God to be done.

It made me hesitant to go to church some weeks. I wasn’t sure I was up for the emotional outpouring. I would leave feeling exhausted, and empty. Two states I was far too familiar with. I learned that emptying out all my past hurt was necessary, so that God could restore my mind, my heart, and my health, but it was not easy. Growing pains!

What did God want from me? What did Jesus want to do with me?

What was required in order to receive his council, love, promises, miracles, healing?

Then came the suggestion to read the story of JOB.

All this information, coaching, bible study, what was it amounting to, for me and my life?

Was it sinking in?

What could I do to ignite this holy spirit in me, to receive a blessing?

I started praying more often, and for longer periods of time. I was experiencing growth, so I thought.

I was excited to be able to spin again, even if it was only once a week.

I thought I was finally on the right path in life. Every day I prayed would be the day I would experience more breakthroughs in my health, and my career as an author.

I didn’t want to put God in a box. I was just trying to speak life into my situation. I needed help with my health, and my income, so I could put a roof over my head.

I had a major setback when I listened to advice to stop any treatment that was keeping me mobile, and leave it to God.

I was new I didn’t know who to take guidance from. But, I eventually went back to being treated by my chiropractor and my health slowly started improving. The healing in my spine was really making progress, but the rest of my symptoms remained.

Back to discovering the story of JOB. I couldn’t believe I was reading words of desperation in the bible that I’ve spoken myself. My darkest thoughts were there in print in this ancient book. I got stuck there in a very dark place with JOB’S words.

As everyone around me was tripping the light fantastic and posting it on Instagram, here I was at fifty-three alone taking all my worries to God, and very few things were changing.

Not being able to support myself was a huge concern, it’s embarrassing, and humiliating. I had no equity, no home, no retirement fund, because I’d been sick since I was eighteen, and that meant living day to day on whatever income I could make. I had no one to turn to for help, it was just me and God. I say that like it’s a bad thing, but I’m learning that I actually have the most powerful person in the universe on my side, guiding my steps.

I’m writing this today because there are people who need to hear from someone in this situation, at this age.

Because, I know what it’s like to not be able to imagine for a second anything getting better. I know what it’s like to be drowning in worry, and see no way out. To have tried your absolute hardest and to only know defeat. Was this going to be my ending? Was I just going to be this pathetic charity case, that people wished would go away, an unfixable burden?

I knew I wasn’t going to make it to church by the end of this week with JOB. I wasn’t up to putting on a fake smile of joy.

Fake it til you make it, was an expectation that followed me throughout this life. It was something I couldn’t sustain.

I needed more of God’s spirit.

Or

Maybe God wanted me to be in a position in which I had no one who could help, so I would learn to turn to him first. So I would learn to rely solely on his counsel, and learn how to receive direction from him. I needed to build a strong foundation in my relationship with Jesus.

Since I’d never had a strong connection to the spirit world, and I didn’t have a healthy fear of hell or God’s wrath it made this faith journey difficult for me. Being sensitive to receiving guidance from God was something I had no clue how to do.

Then it occurred to me why that might be.

My parents were my God. They were my strength, my rock, my love came from them, my counsel, my security, my peace. It was devastating when I lost them. My sister had been my sounding board, all my life, but she didn’t have the answers. It was not easy to try and replace the physical comfort and love I had from my parents, with a spiritual being.

My acupuncturist tried to comfort me when tears streamed down my cheeks from the grief I felt, and the fear I had from being alone to figure all this out. He said I was too good for this world, I was an angel. I certainly didn’t feel like an angel. (well maybe on my best days)

But….

Was I?

Were my wings clipped?

Because I was a brat?

Would I get them back?

Would a fallen angel do the things I did out of loneliness?

What is God’s purpose for me?

I’m convinced that I will be healed, that I will experience major breakthroughs in my career, and I will have a testimony that will rock the belief system in this world.

Thank you Jesus.

Do You Know What God Can Do?

33 years ago there were a few articles about Epstein Barr, CFS, Fibromyalgia, an invisible illness with many titles. I remember reading about a doctor, or nurse that had committed suicide over this illness, because they’d lost the ability to do anything other then sleep, and lay down.

I could tell you the endless things I’ve tried, and some helped keep me from being completely bedridden but nothing gave me my quality of life back.

In 2019 we have great access to people who express how we all feel, and how we all hear the same hurtful, frustrating responses to our situation.

There are so many people who offer help for a price. The funny thing about that is most people who have this can’t work so how can they afford your help.

If we grew up taking our worries to God and prayer and had experienced results from our Faith we would turn to Jesus and have understanding that there is something to be learned in this condition while we await healing.

If you didn’t grow up praying, you probably take your concerns to medical professionals or talk to friends. Both are not very effective with chronic illness, and prayer seems ridiculous to you. But, talking to people who can’t help seems ridiculous to believers, so who’s right?

The people being blessed and healed are the people I want to listen to and this advice you’re reading is free. My spine is in much better shape since I joined a Church. I continue to pray that I will be able to tell you very soon that I’m completely healthy, that my body has been restored to it’s youthful strength. I will never charge people, I will only share my truth and try to help.

I Wouldn’t Be Here Without You

33 years ago I was struck down in the prime of my life. I pushed through the illness, as best I could. Made it through College, University, my twenties, my thirties, but in my mid forties pushing through the chronic illness led to damage in my spine, and that caused a whole new boat load of sickness, pain, and symptoms that debilitated me. I was benched, I couldn’t work, couldn’t exercise, I could barely walk across the street most days.

I couldn’t believe things had gotten worse, after already struggling for 3 decades.

Someone very close to me all those years, has also suffered from this B.S. illness and had to deal with all the shitty treatment from people that comes with it. If I didn’t have that person all these years I don’t think I would’ve survived. Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened to me or them if we didn’t have each other who believed us, and also understood how complicated and debilitating it is. It kinda makes me crazy that I’ve had to fight people’s attitude while I was fighting to survive.

I’ve recently turned to Jesus for help, and I can only think that this whole experience and the extensive effort I put into getting better without God that ended in failure, is going to be a healing testimony that I’ll be able to share that that will change thousands of lives. I believe God gave me that person to share this horrific experience with to get me through this, to be my witness of the truth that will come from this supernatural healing, because they are not a believer but when my healing comes we’ll see if that changes.

Truth

I’ve been sitting, praying, and waiting for the moment I could share with you a victorious story.

Then it occurred to me, that it might help some people if I share the journey, not just the destination.

Hopefully if you get to know me, you will trust and believe me.

Some of you do know my history. I’ve talked, and written about it. At this point, I think it’s important to make you a part of my story, so I don’t forget how far I’ve come.

One of my doctors had a severe disc injury, it was so bad her husband had to lift her off the toilet. She is a holy spirit filled Christian. It took a couple of years but she did recover. Her mother at 87 suffered the same injury, and couldn’t get out of bed, she completely lost her will to live, in time she too recovered. Both these women pray in tongues, yet it never occurred to them they were healed due to prayer. I don’t want to forget where I came from, and what God did for me.

For 18 months I was benched. I couldn’t exercise, I could barely walk, I worked 1 day a week for 5 hours, barely made it through that, then had to sit for 6 days to recover from that shift so I could do it again. I couldn’t push myself because my legs would buckle, the pain would increase to the point of me throwing up, and my spine would just give out. You can’t function if your spine is not intact. I was completely distraught. I had no idea how I was going to survive.

I started going to Church, a holy spirit filled church. In less then 1 year since I started praying, I’ve been able to work 2 days a week, and exercise 1 day a week. I know that may not sound like a miracle, but it is. I could barely lift my leg to put my pants on.

I have a lot of things I need help with in life, but now I’m not alone in figuring them out. This Church experience is better then any self help book, guru, or life coach you’ll ever find. Walk with Jesus and you’ll see change that you can’t make on your own. No human can bring you the same healing, advice, comfort, joy, peace, or opportunities.

I watched a preaching yesterday. The message was to Align yourself with God’s will, and God’s plan for you.

At the end the preacher shared his personal experience with putting this into practice. His marriage had fallen apart, his wife was messed up, she’d taken the kids, and it didn’t make sense but he spoke life into that situation. He made himself think good thoughts, God thoughts, and grateful thoughts. He had no hope but he had trust in God. He believed God had an assignment for him, and he stayed aligned with his marriage. One day 27 months later there she was at his door. They didn’t know it at the time, but they were both being healed, and restored by God when they were apart. Today they’ve experienced 18 years of married life together.

What do you do if you don’t know what God wants you to Align your life with?

I keep praying for a revelation on that.

I know my efforts have not worked, even though that goes against what society will dictate to you. Sometimes it’s true, that people really are trying hard in life.

When you ask God to align your life with God’s plan, and God’s promise, he can do something amazing.

Open your heart so God can lead you to his assignment and take you from the process to the promise.

I’ve been asking God to take away my hearts desire if it’s not congruent with his will. I asked him to replace it with his plan for me.

Last night I dreamt that Amazon Prime had turned my book into a movie and television show.

GOD IS MY CHIROPRACTOR

My life experience supports this scripture❤.

I made all kinds of plans, and goals, went after them with passion, hard work, and discipline, for decades.

I educated myself with books, College, and University. I traveled across Canada, and the USA trying to make a life for myself.

I was called weird for going to the movies by myself, was told so many times by employees at the mall, the coffee shop, and construction workers that they notice I’m always alone, 🙄 so embarrassing. To be called, “The Lonely Girl”, while using all the courage you have to walk down Ocean Drive alone on vacation, is unnerving.

I sought comfort, affection, a feeling of mattering to another human being in casual encounters, because I didn’t know why I was here, except to suffer it seemed.

I researched, and fought to find a cure for my chronic health issues. I dealt with so much ridicule, gossip, and arguing over something that challenged my every move.

I used to think I could help people, but all the advice needed, and often what we already hear, comes from one much wiser, and greater then man can ever be. Now I look for my answers, strength, and guidance in the bible.

You just need a great Apostolic bible group to help you see, and understand.

I’m still scared sometimes, but I’m still learning to grow in this faith journey.

Finding God&Apostolic Christianity

I’m not sure if they will ever know how much it means to me, that I feel wanted. For so many years, I felt like my presence in this world didn’t matter.

I am so thankful for the people at my Church, both for the moments they’ve prayed for me, and for the life changing moments they’ve prayed at the altar with me.

I’m grateful for their comforting embrace, and for the times they gently reached out and touched my hand when tears welled up in my eyes during service.

Christianity was presented to me several times throughout my life, but I pushed it away. I thought I was being targeted because I seemed weak.

Even though I thought I didn’t need to go to Church, or need a stronger relationship with God, each one of those people who approached me throughout my life was a gift, because they left a strong impression on me on what being a Christian meant.

It is because of those encounters that I learned that Christians are kind and helpful in a time of need.

They aren’t just practicing sin,

repent

and repeat.

When I was in trouble, I knew I could turn to a Christian person and they would do whatever they could to help me.

I’m sharing this, because I want both Christian and non-Christians to know the impact they’ve had on someone’s life.

You may not be there to witness the moment the person you spoke kindly to about God, finds God, but it’s important for all of you out there spreading God’s word to know that it could be: your behavior,

your faith,

your act of kindness,

your peacefulness,

your words that saves someone’s life, down the road.

The physical illness I’ve had since I was 18 made me a fighter, but it also has defeated me in this life.

When I was diagnosed with a terminal illness earlier this year, it was a relief. Someone asked me to come to church so their congregation could pray for me, but the truth is, I didn’t want them to, because I was relieved when I received that news. Finally, my years of suffering would be over.

When it ended up being a mistake,

I was devastated.

I didn’t know how I was going to get through this life with the chronic illness I’d been battling for thirty-two years. For the first time in twenty years, I had Sunday’s off, due to that diagnosis, and since this kind lady was still inviting me to come with her to church, I thought,

maybe it was time to give God a try.

I believe that God took away any distraction, or obstacle in my life for a reason.

I met Tara for the first time for coffee.

I instantly noticed she spoke with a purpose.

She was there to deliver a message to me.

She had a peacefulness and kindness, that was palpable in the air that surrounded us.

Spending time with her made me more aware of the words I speak and how important it is to speak life into everything.

To speak the result, not what we see. That’s what Jesus did, when he performed his miracles.

Over the past few months, I’ve been blessed to hear so many amazing testimonies from the people who go to this church.

Hearing how God came into their life, has changed my life.

One of the first things I prayed to God for, after I started attending, was to let my parents tell me he was real, because they were the people that I trusted most in this world.

A week later, God used a member of the church as a vessel to deliver a message to me. It wasn’t only the message that they received that touched me, it was the fact that it was delivered to them while they were out of town in a small city close to where my mom was born. Somewhere that is not a popular travel destination, Regina, Saskatchewan.

It’s the people at LifeChurch, all of them, they are the reason I have faith.

I believe God is going to use those decades I suffered to give me a powerful testimony so that I can use it to help save other people’s lives.

Only God can restore hope, if you feel hopeless, turn to Jesus, because his promise is, your life will be transformed.

It didn’t matter how hard I tried, I simply couldn’t improve my circumstances, or get well without God.

People could tell me to feel grateful for what I did have, even though I had health issues, which caused financial difficulties, but I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried. I was

angry,
depressed,

in alot of pain, and I felt

hopeless.

I have only recently found myself experiencing genuine moments of gratitude, and

I know I never would have gotten there if I hadn’t come to such a wonderful place of worship.

I was wandering aimlessly through life praying to God for a purpose but nothing was happening. Now, I have hope that God is going to show up, and reveal my purpose to me, and I believe it will save people from the same desperate pain, that I was in.

The kind words, acceptance, and worshipping of Jesus, that everyone has shown me at this Church, is beautiful. That’s what love should look like.

Our Pastor Steve’s honesty, and powerful service brings life to this church. He and his team deliver Gods presence. Our church is alive with Gods presence.

Pastor and his family have cultivated an amazing church family that we are all thankful for.

This group of people has been brought together for a purpose.

Having all of them guiding my prayer at the altar

is saving my life right now.

I’ve driven to church and to church conferences in so much pain, feeling so ill that I almost had to leave during service, but I stayed. When I went to the altar at the end, people put their hands on me and prayed, and I felt complete wellness overtake the sickness, and pain in my body.

I’ve gone home and danced around at times because I felt so good.

Thank you, Jesus!

I tried life without God and I was like a hamster on a wheel. When God’s timing is right, I believe He will completely heal me.

In a world where I see so much pain, anger, and stress on people’s faces, it is such a blessing to see God’s joy, and peacefullness shining through the people I get to attend service with every Sunday. God is using them to deliver peace, hope, joy, and healing to people like me, who are in desperate need of that.

I still have to remind myself that’s my responsibility now….

to be aware of how I present myself out in the world.

I have to pray to God to help me to become that vessel who people meet and say,”Wow what a kind, peaceful person.

How did you get like that? I want that.”

And I will say, well let me tell you my story…

THE WHAT IF GIRL

“I grew up in a few towns and cities in Ontario, Canada. I think that makes me a hybrid. I’m a small town/city girl.

After my sister’s daughter started dating she fell into the same unhealthy patterns of falling for Players, as I had. My sister would call me for advice frequently, and to my surprise all the experiences I had made me quite an expert on how to detect player behavior, and when to walk away.

At the time I was pursuing acting, and working as a waitress, so in turn I would call my sister to vent about my ridiculous day serving the public. Due to these two scenarios my sister started telling me to write a book.

After six years of her harassing me to write, because she believed I had great advice and funny stories, I decided to poor my heart into a novel, and give my sister’s ear a rest.

My book, “The What If Girl”, turned into a story about a woman navigating through two decades of being single. Some of the stories I shared were to create awareness about the reason behind choices I made. I developed a live in the moment attitude towards life, and made risky decisions to escape the chronic pain I’d been coping with throughout those years. Sometimes it was the isolation I felt that influenced my choices, and then there was the emotional rollercoaster ride of grief.

These journey’s include Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Toronto, athletes, even a P.I. In this life journey I take you behind the scene’s of dealing with chronic illness, judgement, adult bullying, and grief. A woman who was just trying to find a way to survive, looking for a purpose in life, and a reason behind the solitude she kept finding herself in.

Welcome to The”What If”Girl

Some people who have “everything” their heart desires still experience a feeling of emptiness inside. I wonder if that is a calling to your spirit to seek something beyond the physical and material life we are living?

EMPOWER YOURSELF

I was consumed with wanting everyone to like me. I came to this realization years ago when I was in a play. One of the actors in the cast of this production was being very rude, and difficult with me, for no reason. I was hurt, so I mentioned it to my voice coach and he asked me this,
“Do you like this woman?”

Of course my answer was no, because she wasn’t a nice person.

“Then why do you care if someone you don’t like or respect, doesn’t like you?”, was his reply.

That simple interaction, changed me, it empowered me.

Twenty year old me thought about that question for a few days, then I realized my answer was, “I don’t “.

From that moment on I was freed from caring about being accepted by people, who don’t treat me with respect. This doesn’t mean I went around acting horribly, because I didn’t care what people thought of me. It meant, I wasn’t bound by the approval of those who were not kind. I spoke my mind, instead of allowing people to walk all over me. I didn’t flirt with men I didn’t want to flirt with, a behavior I must say, that is not well received.

It was not an easy path to embark on, I kind of became a lone wolf when I chose to live this way. It’s been an eye opening experience to see that people who behave horribly, don’t think anyone has the right to tell them not to. The men I worked with didn’t like being told they can’t say perverted things to me, or about me. Society isn’t comfortable when someone doesn’t conform to what they’re used to.

Part of my new behavior also incorporated something I’d read, “Teach people how to treat you.” My mom argued with me about this one. She said, “You can’t control what people say, or tell them what they can and cannot say to you.”

I did not go up against my mom very often, throughout my life. Mostly because there wasn’t any reason to. But also because, she was strong willed, sometimes a little scary, and I respected her.

But this was one of those times I did, and it actually helped my relationship with my parents.

My answer to my mom was, “Yes I can!”

Now, if you’ve ever been in a theater production, or worked in the restaurant industry you know they are both full of drama, and sexual harassment. Neither men nor women in those industries like being told what they can’t say, or what tone you won’t tolerate being spoken to in. Once I reached my forties, I was done pretending it was okay for people to instigate crass sexual exchanges with me at work. It was a constant battle, that often resulted in me being alienated, but I didn’t care. Well I did, but I didn’t. Being true to who I wanted to be, and how I wanted to be treated was more important to me, than playing the role they wanted me to play.

You can be nice all the time, bend over backwards for people, and still be crucified. I didn’t want to be that person anymore.

The words we speak are received whether it’s to someone’s face, behind their back, heard around a corner, or simply sent out into the universal energy. Yet it seems that no one wants to suffer the consequences of the words they speak, or the actions they choose. It puzzles me why some people can’t see how they are the source of their issues. If you experience the same undesirable conditions no matter where you go, you should spend time observing your behavior. I try to, and I realize constantly that I can always improve how I communicate. There is always something you can learn about yourself that you can change, to help improve your circumstances. Of course certain environments are more toxic than others. I’m not placing the blame on you, I’m suggesting self awareness can help everyone. I am however, encouraging people to stop tolerating the abusive behaviour from those of you who are wicked. But, I’m mostly speaking to the people who feel victimized. Find a way to empower yourself. A way that will improve how you feel about yourself, and your journey in this life.

Find the strength to stand up for your rights, and demand to be treated properly.

Don’t follow the crowd.

Hopefully you will be blessed enough to have good people awaken your strength, as I have throughout my life.

There were also several books that helped me see the flaws I wasn’t aware of. They were like having a mirror that revealed the parts of me I needed to work on.

Here is my reading list; “The Law of Attraction”, series by Esther Hicks, Joseph Benner “The Way of The Impersonal Life, Louise L. Hay, “You Can Heal Your Life”, Ben Lerner, “Body By God”.

And a wonderful group of people at an Apostolic Christian Church.