Highly Recommend

I am almost done with this book and I LOVED every page of it. It is written so prophetically, it blew my mind away! Higly recommend this book to anyone. The author is 18th centure writer, but they updated her language :)
This is book is written in a "love letter" from God type of thing. REALLY GOOD!

Merylin Dey and I

hhmmmm

have you ever walked to work and thought to yourself, "what should I blog about???"....this was in my head this morning...I don't think i have anything smart to write. SO, I guess, I can just update you on things in my life.
Last weekend I helped with the VBS in my church and I was supposed to help in the kitchen , but I ended up in the nursery. How? Don't ask. I tell, you, I am still recovering :) last time I changed messy diaper, when Natasha .B. was 3, she's 8 now . I got really shaky and sweaty performing my nursery duty (or should I say "dudy" LOL ). But it was good training.....i guess...
On the serious note. We started the Tabernacle with my Bible study group!!! Yay! Oh, I love the Tabernacle! Last night was our first lesson- it went great. We had a new lady joining us. My home girls are awesome, I love them all!
and that's about it for today....hmmm...I want to write more...better go read my Bible and ask God for the thrill of the day, He does it all the time with me, gives my something I can't keep my mouth shut :):):):)

BIG DREAMS

Not too long ago I was sitting at home, feeling so sad. I was on a date with Jesus-just two of us- me and my God. And told Him how I felt at this particular season of my life and here is what I told Him:
"You know what Jesus? You have been so good with my dreams my whole life! I accepted you in my heart when I was 11 and that's when I started dreaming. When I was 12 I really wanted to be a part of the youth group and pretty soon I was. When I was 14 I REALLY wanted to be in the worship group- and there I was in a worship team shortly. When I received the calling on my life, all I wanted to do and go and preach the good news ...and there I was 19 years old at the airport of Tbilisi- my new home for a while. Then I wanted to learn English and you gave me people who taught me language so well. But now here I am in Nebraska and I don't even know what to dream about....it's not that I don't think you can do it, because I KNOW You can! It's just I don't even know what to dream about :( and it makes me sad. Because a dream can motivate you, it pomps you up and makes your heart go faster everytime you think about it..I want to be excited about something...put a dream in my heart , will you?"....then Jesus and I had more time to talk about other stuff and that was it.
The same day we had a prayer meeting at our church and I went there with my husband. At the end of the prayer meeting, a friend of mine came to me and said, "the whole time I was praying, I heard God telling me the same thing over and over again and it made no sense to me, but He told me to tell you, because you'll know". I asked him what it was and he said, "God spoke to me to tell you this, "Dream BIG! You're serving a BIG GOD, so if you want to dream again, start dreaming BIG"- that was his exact words! My chin droped down and my eyes were full of water. This guy looked at me and said, "does it make sense". I whispered back, "you have no idea!".....why didn't God tell me that in the morning Himself? Could it because I would think it was me and not Him and surely God wouldn't tell me such a silly thing?...I think that was a reason...but this I know, my daddy told me to dream BIG and this is what I want to do. I serve a BIG GOD and He can give me the desire of my heart (Ps.34) and He will catch a falling star for me if I ask Him. That is true romance.God's voice is whispering to my heart, "child, you were meant to have great dreams, because you're MINE and I have great dreams for you too!"...I guess my big dreams just show that I get it from my Dad, Heavenly Father that is. He has great imagination. I can almost see Him and Jesus sitting on their thrones talking great dreams over yours and mine lives and I can see them getting excited about it. God is crazy about me and I love every bit of it! I am just as crazy about Him! My faithful, loving and VERY Romantic God! I love you so much!
In Jeremiah 29:11 we all know this Scripture where God says, "for I know the plans for you.....", this word "know" in Hebrew is "machashabah" means "imagine"....God is imagining great things for you, your family, your ministry, your life....how far would you go to get it all??????????
Oh, I want to dream BIG and let GOD show up!

what would be your banner???

I am currently in the process of writing a new study on Tabernacle. For some of you who know me well, you know that Tabernacle had started my passion for God and His Word. I absolutely fell in love with Jesus through the Tabernacle. My first time even learning the word "tabernacle" was with a VERY DEAR friend of mine; we decided to do that study together and it was so much fun. We did it in 2 different languages- she read her Bible(in english) and read mine(in Russian)- both of us knew those 2 languages, but it was more comfortable doing it together this way....anyways....Tabernacle is my passion. I told my ladies last night, "if you don't like the Old Testament, give me a chance to make you fall in love with it, if you still don't like- find a different teacher, because it's not that O.T. is boring, it's someone not teaching it right".....so....this morning I was studying for it as part of my devotional time and I found something I never saw before:
In Numbers 2:1 God told all the tribes to position themselves around the Tabernacle and here what else He said, "The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: "The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting some distance from it, each man under his standard with the banners of his family."
A family banner? hmmm that's interesting...I wonder what they looked like...made me think "what would my family banner look like? it has to have something on it that represents your family, something that shows your uniquiness, your passions, your priorities"..........Mine probably would have some sort of a music sign for sure, because my husband loves worship and he hears God through music and a bookshelf that represents me :), ok may be just a Bible and a journal.....I don't know....just a thought....But if you were to draw your family banner- what picture would be on it? Better yet, if God was to draw your family banner, what do you think would He draw to represent your family as He sees it........just a thought.................

LONGING FOR SOMETHING NEW?

IF YOU WANT GOD TO DO SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE THAT HE HAS NEVER DONE BEFORE, THAN MAY BE IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO DO SOMETHING FOR GOD YOU'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE......

A Profound Mystery

I love that show "Kids say funniest thing" . I once read a child's letter to God and it said, " Dear God, I went to a wedding today and they kissed IN THE CHURCH! are you OK with that?"
I believe God LOVES weddings. The Bible begins and ends with the weddings. On the first pages of the Genesis we see the very first walk down the aisle of a proud Father and His -Eve. And the end of Revelation we see the same proud Father presenting the Bride to His Son Jesus. God loves weddings! He takes marriage very seriously too. When it came to the Marriage covenant in the Bible you never see Him messing with it. WHY? I asked God and here is the answer He gave me: In Ephesians 5:31,32 Paul is repeating the very first, the most origional wedding sermon :"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." Adam and Eve didn't have earthly parent, so it was really for us. Oneness, unity is the key for the marriage. Then Paul gives the clue why: " This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church." For those of you who's married- you are a walking, breathing, talking profound mystery of God! that's HUGE! God chose YOU and YOUR SPOUSE to demonstrate the profound mystery of Christ and His Bride.
The world today takes marriage so lightly, it breaks my heart. I wonder, how many teenagers loved God, have they seen more of Christ in their Dads and how many kids would love Church more, have they seen Church not only on Sundays and Bible Studies, but 24/7 in their mama. Yours and mine marriage meant to show the profound mystery since the begining of time!
So I encourage you to be the living, walking, talking, breathing, life changing profound mystery with your spouse. It is not a coincidence you're married to this person! God had a plan!

the desert time

I was reading the book of Hosea the other day and God's tenderness overwhelmed me...read this for yourself: Hosea 2:14-19 (my comments are in light color)
"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. (some of us may go through the desert- the place where life is heating up, the place of thirst, the place of hunger and low energy,the place where you are tempted to give up the most, but this is the exact place where the LORD is going to speak to you tenderly. Take courage, beloved, His voice is going to heal you!)
There I will give her back her vineyards (all the things that the enemy stole from you, God is giving you back in the desert! who would've thought that the desert can be a place of treasures!?),and will make the Valley of Achor (which in Hebrew means "trouble") a door of hope (how many of us are going through trouble? Just think how God can turn your trouble into hope! oh, my God is so good!).
There she will sing as in the days of her youth,as in the day she came up out of Egypt.(the desert is the place where you take your vocal lessons ;) He will put a new song in your heart and make sure the vocal cords of your heart are capable of carying the tune ).
"In that day," declares the LORD, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master.
I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;no longer will their names be invoked.
In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety.
I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD.
"In that day I will respond," declares the LORD........(He will respond to you! what is it that you're asking Him? does it feel like the wind and the sand and the dry heart are going to rob you of His voice? we have a sure promise- HE WILL RESPOND!)
but wait! there is more!!!! :):):)
If you read the rest of the chapter, the end result of the desert is the new wine and oil a.k.a. fresh anointing, fresh joy and strength and in v.23 God said "and I will plant her for Myself". May be some of us are in the process of transition- new place, new job, new situation- whatever it is that is NEW, I believe that God is in the process of planting you in the new soil so that you will bear much fruit for Him and while you're waiting, enjoy His tender voice! After all is done, you will have brand new spiritual diamond on your finger :) He said He will betroth you to Himself there! And let me tell you- 5,6,7 karat is nothing to Him! He is going to give you MORE than you expect!

learning new things

Last night I had my Women's Bible Study and there I shared my first expirience in America. My faithful friend Carole took me shopping for the first time. I just arrived to the states few days ago and on my first hour oo the U.S land I paid $90 for a cab ride. So, obvoiusly, I had no clue about prices here. So, here were are- Carole and I at the store. I look around and I'm loving everything. Then Carole looked at me and said, "Let me teach you something, dorogaya (which means "dear" in russian). Rule #1 in shopping is "clearance"- it's your best friend, you look for it". I never even knew the word "clearance" before that! Boy, did I discover treasures with my now TWO best friends- Carole and Clearance :)
I thought about it not too long ago and I realized that clearance is not the only treasure that Carole introduced me to.....
I grew up in the Communist Russia, I was about 10 when the whole Communism System fell apart. So I am a child of a new begining, but raised by the "old mentality" society. I became a Christian when I was 11 or 12. That was something so radical and new for all who knew about it. I became a Salvation Army Soldier and was so in love with Jesus!My pastors (S.A. officers) were awesome! But they, just like me, grew up around Communism mentality as well, it's not their fault at all. They showed me God the best they knew. They taught me that God was Just and that He was Fair and that He is also God of wrath- all of it is true and it was enough for me to fall head over heals in love with Christ. When I was 18 God called me into the mission field and I said "yes" right away. That's where I met Carole.Our hearts mending right away, we loved to sit at night and talk about the deep things of God, we prayed together, we laughed together. Carole showed me the best example of what mother is like, she inspired me with her sermons, her passion for God made me more thirsty for Him. But she had something that I couldn't understand. She knew something about God that I didn't know. My spiritual taste buds were reacting to that something I didn't know. One day I found out what it was! I tasted some of it and loved it. Carole showed me the God of mercy! God's mercy is not something I was familiar with. His mercy that is new every morning!
It felt like I've been having the same meal from God every day and it was the same all the time. Just some bread, occasionally some jam, some tea or coffee on certain days- it was good, but I didn't realize there was so much more. Carole was using the whole menue! She was trying something new from God every day! That is what I learned from that woman! It's like she gently took my hand and showed me that there are many more pages of the choicest foods of God beyond my toast and tea. My heart was overwhelmed with the riches of God's love. All these years I've been eating the same not knowing how much more I'm missing. Mercy is my regular now that I take every morning, but I recieve a variety of spiritual food every day and I would never go back to the toast and jam again!
Thank you, Carole, for introducing God of mercy to me- we have become good friends :) and thank you for showing more of God to me.

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. (Ps.34:8)

are serving a safe kind of God????

I absolutely LOVED the "Chronicles of Narnia" movie. People at the movie theater, however, did not like it as much (I suspect, I was the reason :)) You see, during the whole movie I had Scriptures poping up in my head and out of my mouth without control. I surprised myself with the knoledge of the Bible I had. You know what I'm talking about? Almost every scene touched my heart in a different way. When Aslan roared and the queen sat down, I told my husband, "there you go- "every knee shall bow, every tongue confess.." And when I couldn't think of a Scripture, I just said aloud, "that's my kinda God!".....anyways, in that movie it was said , "is He safe? of course not! but He is GOOD!"
I thought about it as I prepared for the Bible Study last night. It is true, our God is not that safe , He requiers a lot of risk, but boy is HE GOOD!!! I spoke to my ladies and asked them, how much risk would they take to know His goodness?"..Sometimes to know His goodness we will need to risk something, to step out of our comfort zone just a bit. Sure we can be happy with just "ok", but you see an "ok" was never God's intend for us.
I remember going on the beach when I was a little girl and playing in the water in the "safe zone". I went just deep enough to walk on the sand with my hands, then I yelled to my mom , "mom! I am swimming! Can you see?" ..my head above the water, my body on the surface and seaweed between my fingers. I wonder how many of us as Christians do the same? We pretend to "swim" on the deeper end and appear like we know what we're doing but have no clue what it is like in real life and what a freedom it is to swim on the deep side of the lake. To let Christ -the Living Water hold you, allow His Spirit to rock you on the waves of God's breath, no seaweed between toes, no shells, no sand under feet- and THAT's risky...but again, is HE safe? probably not, but HE IS GOOD!!!!
So, beloved, get you swimming gear on , will you swim with Jesus?

Just something to think about....

I am currently reading a book and something got my attention...I can't get it out of my head. It says "your commitment to the purpose is directly reflected in your faithfulness to a detail"..I thought to myself, "How many times I am so concentrated on a big stuff while small detail is neglected and then I cry when it fails..."..now I know why....
I am about to write my study on "Spiritual dicipline" and I think that would be my title... think about it...

Thankful for my freedom

About 2 years ago I have met a young lady at the Bible study. She looked so fragile and graceful. Her testimony was the most amazing one I have heard in a while. That lady have truly experienced THE REAL liberty in Christ. Satan used her for a while, but now she was free. Her "freedom speech" was so inspiring. I remember thanking her at the end for her story. At that time her husband was not a beliver. Back than she wasn't even sure if her marriage will last any longer. Her husbnad was still wearing "sin shackels" on his heart. May be 6 months later he started getting more serious about God.And now he an awesome man of God, totally different. That was absolutely amazing! I am blessed now to see how much stronger they grew in the Lord and how much their family had been transformed! Glory to God!
Yesterday I had to go to the court of this young man-husband and father of 3 little kids. His past was haunting him. (another proof that world has no forgiveness and how satan throws people away once he had enough of them). I set on the benches and listened to the judge's verdict. My heart broke as I heard the sentencing. I glanced at my friend Val, his wife- she looked so strong! I could see God's grace all over her! I looked back at her husband and all I saw is free man. Free in deed.His life is rescued by Christ, his sins are forgiven on the cross, his future is guaranteed through the blood. He is going to jail to pay off the old debt he owed to this world, but unlike many of the inmates there, he is going there as a free man and nothing will EVER change that.
After we left the court room, we all were silent. I looked at my friend and saw her smiling through the tears. She whispered, "I am excited.....I know God is up to something. Can you imagine how much better my husband will be at the end? I know God is good!" What a faith!!!!
She is right though! We saw God's mercy in the court room that day! He was facing up to 7 years, but only got 242 days! Is that awesome or what? He is able to get work release and still provide for the family! He might be able to come to church (if judge considers that "theraputic"....why don't you come , your honor, and see for yourself HOW theraputic God's presence really is ::))).....I just want to tell you- I saw God's handwriting all over yesterday and it was beautiful! Another slap on enemy's ugly looking face! Enemy meant to destroy him, but God turned the tables around!
All I could think of is the Scripture in Micah 7:8 "Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light."

I witnessed that first hand yesterday!

Please, keep that family in prayer!

autobiography in 5 days

autobiography in 5 days

The author is unknown, but I just LOVE it!it is a autobiography in 5 days.Day 1: I walk down the street. There is a hole in the ground, I fall right into it. It's not my fault! It takes forever to get out of it.Day 2 :I walk down the street. There is a hole in the ground. I try to ignore it, but I fall right into it. It takes a long time to get out.Day 3: I walk down the street. I see the hole in the ground. I fall into it- it became a HABBIT by now! How can I get out of it?Day 4: I walk down the street. I see the hole in the ground. I walk around it. I didn't fall.Day 5: I walked down a different street.That, my friend, is a walk of holiness. We strive to do our best and sometimes it involves a walk in a new, unfamiliar place, but that's where the glory is resting!!!1 Tim. 4:7 "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly."1 Tim. 6:11 "But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."

The Wealthiest Place on Earth

The Last few days I have been pondering on the same thing....Someone asked the other day, "what do you think is the wealthiest place on earth?".....and the answer was "a cemetery".........???????????? " what in the world?"- I thought to myself...a cemetery? Did I hear it right? "yes, cemetery", he continued. You see, cemetery is full of books that were never written, poems, that were never read, songs that were never sung...then I thought to myself "it is also full of ministry callings that were never answered,purposes that were never fulfilled, prayers that were never prayed, words of encouragement,that were never spoken outloud...."...I guess it IS the wealthiest place on earth. But my problem is that I don't want to add up to it! I want to die empty and say like Jesus, "it is finished!"...IT...I have my " It", you have your "IT"...will you leave your " IT" here on earth or let your "IT" be wasted.....let your "IT" be finished before you leave this earth. The wealthiest place on earth is the Christian who is fulfilling his purpose, being fruitful and effective for Christ and preparing him/herself for Heaven-the one and only wealthiest place EVER.