Uriel Vega -How Great Is Our God

The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty Let all the Earth rejoice All the Earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light And darkness tries to hide And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voice
How great is our God, sing with me How great is our God

❤️

Good morning friends!

I wanted to let you know that I returned home safely from So. Calif. yesterday afternoon. And no, I wasn’t anywhere near the L.A. riots. My family is safe also. God’s protective hand was over me, because usually I fly out of LAX, but when I booked my flights over a week ago there was not any good options so I flew out of Orange County airport in Santa Ana, which was closer to my sister. I would have been on the freeways where the rioters were. This was God’s providence!

Thank you for your prayers for myself and my family over these last few months to weeks.

My brother’s memorial on Friday was beautiful. I was able to stay composed as I gave his eulogy.

The Memorial Paddle Out was early Saturday morning. His handful of surfing buddies and family members paddle out past the undulating waves on their surf boards in Huntington Beach where he lived. Some of his ashes were dispersed then. We have a drone video of that event. I am going to put together an additional video of that to share.

Right after the prayer during the paddle out. We saw a couple of dolphins breach right near the huddle. Then a squadron of about seven pelicans in near perfection formation flew right past them, as if to give my brother an honorary fly-by to acknowledge his surrender to the sea. Also, the waves in the surf got much larger all of sudden as if Greg was saying “One last wave, and I’m out of here.”

It was amazing! I believe God was winking at us.

I can’t tell you how many people came up to my sister and I to tell us how much our brother meant to them. All we kept hearing was how kind and generous he was. We were not surprised but it meant so much to hear all the wonderful stories about him we’ve never heard before.

Though we are heartbroken he is no longer with us, I know we will see him again in heaven. He is finally reunited with his wife Lisa now.

Friends, we know that life offers no guarantee of safe passage. It’s how we handle and navigate through it. Who and what is our source of comfort when the hard stuff hits unexpectedly?

In your deepest pain, have you known the comfort of God’s presence?

The Lord doesn’t ask us to be okay in order to mend. He doesn’t expect us to clean ourselves up before He is willing to come sit with us. His peaceful presence meets us in our mess, in our brokenness, our tear soaked cheeks and eyes even when we can’t see who it is that holds us.

When we cannot stand, He carries us to a place of rest. He gives us space in our pain, validating the weight of our grief. His grip is strong when we our weak. His patient presence is what heals our heart. He understands the depth of our pain and loss. We don’t need to explain ourselves to Him. He just holds us.

He knows. He understands the depths of the pain of our experiences. In Him we find the strength to move each moment, each day.

He waits—patiently for us, allowing us to express our grief, and yes even our anger.

Thank you Lord for your patient presence that holds and heals my broken heart.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4

Blessings
—Paula
@CallToBattle

Testimony Tuesday
I love how Ray (I believe that's his name) explains in simple but truthful terms to this gentleman God's plan to redeem sinners. You can see how the Holy Spirit has softened this man's heart. He is even ready to be baptized that very day. Keep praying for your loved ones. One day their hearts will be ready.
Thank you Lord, for this young man. I pray his faith will grow by leaps and bounds as his life is radically transformed. 🙏❤️

I love Corrie Ten Boom! She explains how the Holy Spirit works in all of us.👏❤️

I remember hearing this song at youth camp when I was a teenager. Love the story behind it.❤️

Me: “Lord, what do You want me to know today?”

God: “As soon as I give you an answer to that which you’ve prayed about, there will be no reason for you to doubt the direction I’m taking you. In the meantime, lean on Me and trust Me to handle it. I know what you need and when you’ll need to know more about whatever concerns you.

“This journey you’re on is much more amazing than you realize. Take it one step at a time, and don’t look back. Give Me your hand and your heart daily—I have wonderful things to show you and teach you. There will be so much to discover as I lead you on the adventures I’ve created for you and Me to take together.”

Ps. 34:4 (NIV) ~ “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

Hey friends, I just realized I forgot to post my brothers memorial. Thought I would share. He worked for the Walt Disney Company for 35 years and had just retired last year. He mostly worked on the Live entertainment, stage and lighting, AutoCad, and such. He also got a lot of people into to Disney for free, hence the Mickey Mouse signed cards by those who got in because of him. Thought I would share with you all. Thank you for your prayers for our family.❤️🙏🏻

Here is the Paddle Out. My brother lived in Huntington Beach, Ca. Being a water sports family growing up, it was only natural for Greg to live near the ocean. His ashes were dispersed in the ocean after the prayer on shore.

There are places in your heart you don't even know exist until you love a child

Happy Fathers day to all the brave men who have taken on the magnificent role as leader of a family. May God reward you and give you the strength you need in order to shoulder such a wonderful challenge!

Testimony Tuesday

Here is a testimony of encouragement for you.

There is a huge difference between opportunities that often come so easily and attractive versus waiting on God and His timing for something. Sometimes, His pathway may feel like you are forgotten because you have been praying and waiting for a long time for answers.

We know God loves His children and wants to bless us, but He also wants us to go to Him first, trusting in Him for the timing. He wants us dependent on Him. Often, His way is a test of our faith, for He wants to build our character and strengthen our faith muscles.

It’s easy to walk on a pathway that is paved so beautifully and smooth, but sometimes that direction is an illusion, a distraction to draw you from God. This is what the devil specializes in—for he knows if he makes things easy, comfortable, and all wrapped up in a nice package, you’ll always be drawn to what he has to offer. It’s a trap for sure.

Oh, but God’s way is soooo much better, because there is a purpose in waiting for the blessing. He is drawing you into His goodness, while trusting Him with all of your needs, choosing His will over your own. He is ordaining the pathway and not only that, everything will come into alignment and in agreement for His purpose when you are fully surrendered to His ways. Also, He will seal it with an indelible peace deep within your soul. You will know it is from Him. All along, He is strengthening you, building you, training you, investing in you because He sees the value, and your worth.

Listen to this woman’s encouraging words about trusting God’s ways vs falling into the devil’s temporary pleasures.


Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Good morning dear friends!

I came across this video (it’s funny how the Lord just drops these kind of things in my lap) I want to share with you a powerful lesson that changed my viewpoint and how I approach being overly available to others.
Side bar: Yes, I know I am not the only one out there…still learning to improve in these things.

Often times, Christians are conditioned to always be nice, always do kind things for others, always be available, always say yes, always put others needs before yourself, etc., which can be good if balanced with the right motives behind it, but if this discipline is draining you it is not of God. Somewhere in our minds perhaps we thought if we make ourselves constantly available we would be more Christ like. But what if I told you that Jesus wasn’t always available to everyone? Didn’t Jesus practice silence, retreating, seeking the Father?

Well, here is a great Biblical approach on the discipline of becoming unavailable.

I’ll post the video link below. Let me know what your thoughts are about the subject. Everyone I’ve shared it with thus far has stated that it resonated with them in a powerful way. It changed their perspective, by learning to set boundaries within themselves to avoid being drained and feeling used or taken advantage of.

Here is a sample trannoscription of the video:

Many of us are forfeiting our souls on the altar of constant availability, gaining the approval of others while losing our connection with God. The truth is that the more you place yourself at the center of others stage, the more you disappear from your own being.

Being available all the time is a subtle form of self abandonment. It’s a disguised way of seeking approval, avoiding rejection, trying to control the image others have of you. But this control comes at a price and the price is your peace.

It’s your vital energy being distributed as if it were infinite when in fact, it is very limited.

Now some might think:

“But doesn’t Christianity call us to serve others?”
“Didn’t Jesus tell us to deny ourselves?”

Indeed Jesus calls us to serve, but notice that Jesus’ service flowed from his solitude. His giving came from a place of fullness, not emptiness. His availability to others was intentional, not compulsive…

I hope this video resonates with you as it did for me. It’s about 18 minutes long. I also transcribed the entire video in PDF so you can use it as a Bible study. I’ll post that below as well.


Blessings,
—Paula
@CallToBattle