It's Day 56 of  The Red Shoe Project and I have had several different pairs of RED footwear on throughout the day!  RED socks as I puttered around the house.  RED sneakers for my morning walk.  RED flip flops out in the garden. And RED suede flats as I headed out the door to facilitate a Bible class.  At one point, (between the flip flops and the flats), I totally kicked off my shoes, smiled as I glanced at my RED toe nails, and sat down at the kitchen table for lunch with my daughter.

I love breaking bread 

with someone special and 

discussing what God is doing 

in our lives.

Breaking Bread?  What's that?    Enjoying a meal together.  Conversing over a cup of tea or coffee.  Sharing Communion.   All of these suggest a time of intimate Christian fellowship... "koinonia." A huddling together, if you will, in uplifting verbal exchange.

With Someone Special?   Another Believer.  A Friend.  A Family Member.  A Fellow Servant of God.  Someone you care about.  Someone who cares about you!

Two is the minimum... because 2 is better than 1.

Why?    It's Someone to talk with.  Someone to listen to.  Someone to help solve the problem at hand. Someone who's smarter.   Someone to celebrate with. Someone who lightens the load.  Someone to confide in.  Someone to confess to.  Someone to uplift.  Someone who'll uplift you. That's Someone Special!

"Where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them". Matthew 18:20

 A two-some automatically becomes a threesome.  The Holy Spirit joins the group.  There are two or three of us, plus the addition of one Great GOD!  God brings with Him all His supernatural qualities and characteristics.  That means anything is possible!

Discussing what God is doing in our lives. Testifying of God's intervention.  Sharing God's secrets with one another. Lifting our voices in adoration and praise for what He has done!

I once heard a woman speak on divine healing.  She spent the first 1/2 hour sharing all her personal stories of how she, herself, witnessed God heal... her,  her family members,  her friends, and other people she met.  She proclaimed that she was "Stirring the Pot of Faith."  That's what happens when we share our testimonies with one another.  I stir the pot of faith for you and You stir the pot of faith for me.  My faith is increased in knowing that if  God did it for you, He can do it for me! and vice versa.


God is also glorified when we magnify his name and testify of His awesome works. We put Him in the spotlight for all to see.  We proclaim His Magnificence...  His Great Power...  His Great Love! We celebrate Our Victory in Him!  It's our way of Pointing to Him...  Pointing Him Out in the Crowd...  Elevating Him.  Lifting Him up for all to see!

These Great Times of Fellowship 

can often lead to 

Great Times of Prayer!

When two or more of us come together,  God joins the group...

"With men this is impossible, 

but with God All things are possible."

Matthew 19:26

As we testify of God's Mighty Works and His Goodness...

The Pot of Faith is stirred up within us... We BELIEVE!

"I tell you that if two of you on earth

 agree about anything you ask for,

 it will be done for you by my Father in heaven."

Matthew 18:19

My daughter and I finished our lunch together.  We took a look at some up-coming bills and placed them in the middle of the table. Locking our hands together across the table, we agreed that God is able, and asked for His Divine Provision.  Now,  we are believing together, and waiting in anticipation.  AMEN!

In RED shoes,
Gail

Day 55

It's Sunday evening,  Day 55 of  The Red Shoe Project.  I've popped on my cozy, RED slippers and jammies, grabbed a pillow and a blanket, and propped myself up on the couch to watch The Oscars.
In all honesty, I tuned in even earlier for the "Must Watch" RED Carpet prelude.   Oooooooo! Ahhhhhhh!  What girl doesn't want to see all of Hollywood's starlets dressed to the nines?  It's glamorous!  And it got me to thinking...

"How has this  "Red Shoe Project" 

 effected my sense of fashion?"

Just what is today's "Woman of God" wearing?  Yikes!  I don't know if I can live up to that, and I'm certainly not here to stir up any controversy... But I have made some interesting observations.

I must admit, weeks before I started The Red Shoe Project,  it crossed my mind that there would be times in which my RED shoes wouldn't match my fashionable outfit of the day. What would people think when the color of my shoes clashed with the color of my outfit?  I looked forward to discussing things like:  What do you do when your faith isn't in style? or What do you do when your faith doesn't match your style?  What I never considered was that by the time that day arrived, it wouldn't be about that at all.  Instead my conversation would go in a different direction.

* First and foremost... I never anticipated that I'd fall in love.  That changes everything!  Because when you're in love, nothing else really matters.  I don't really care anymore what people think about my shoes or my faith. 

* Walking and talking with God each day has been a transformational experience (inwardly and outwardly).  I'm not in the same place with God that I was when this all started. 

My gosh... it's only day 55.  Where will I be, what will I be wearing and what will I be saying on day 155? or 255? or 365?  Only time will tell.  

* My RED footwear  is reflective of my faith, and my faith is how I fashion myself.  My RED Shoes remind me of Christ and the priority He takes in my life.  How I dress should be an accurate reflection of that relationship. I've become very sensitive to the fact that I don't want to misrepresent The One whom I'm looking for each day.  After all...  

He is "The Almighty God."  I don't take that lightly.  Have you heard of the phrase,  "FEAR GOD?"  Enough said.

* My dearest friend Mary Ann  and I are often mistaken for sisters. We've known each other for 30 years.  We've spent so much time together that we've picked up habits and characteristics from one another. People comment that we resemble one another... think like one another... even talk like one another.  One time a neighbor of mine, unbeknownst to me, met Mary Ann.  While they were talking to each other, she blurted out, "You remind me so much of my neighbor!" What a laugh Mary Ann had when she discovered that I was the neighbor. 

 I say all this because hanging out every day with God has it's benefits.  One is that His character... His Word... His Love... (and so much more) have begun to rub off on me.  That is a Good thing!  The Bible exhorts us to "Be imitators of God."   That means that we should be an accurate reflection of Him.  I've by no means arrived, but I'm daily moving along in the right direction.  I'm starting to think more like He'd think.  I've begun to say things that are more in  alignment with what  He would say.  So that ultimate "look" is slowly coming together.  It's a work in progress.

* People ask me all the time,  "How many pairs of RED shoes do you have?"  Not that many, I'm on a budget.  I often wear the same Ruby slippers day after day.  This isn't a fashion show by any means.   But, I have found that when I am in the greatest need for a touch from God or to hear from Him, I throw on the brightest, sparkliest, RED rompers that I can squeeze my feet into.  

They might come across as ridiculously obnoxious to onlookers, but they fill me with the HOPE I need to find what I am looking for that day. 

* I used to think that people would wonder, "Who does this lady in the RED shoes think she is?"  I thought that  I'd stand out in a crowd, almost demanding attention.  But being with Him has had a humbling effect.  Not only do "the shoes" remind me of Him...  but I've come to realize that "The shoes" are not for ME to stand out in the crowd, but for HIM to stand out in the crowd.  If and when people comment on the RED shoes, it's as if the door opens wide for me to introduce them to my daily companion... God!

The Oscars have all been given out for the night.  I can turn off my television, pop off my RED slippers and crawl into bed for the night.  As for me personally...

 FASHION isn't so much what I'm wearing on the outside

but Who's living on the inside. 

My prayer is that my RED shoes  will continually reflect

The One I Love, as I step out into the world each day!

Gail

Day 54

Day 54 of  The Red Shoe Project found me tired, shoeless, and wiggling my RED toe nails as I sat slumped in my chair, looking for answers.  Being "TIRED"  can mean a number of things...

Exhausted, Drained, Weak, Weary, Fatigued, Depleted, Tuckered out,

Worn out, Lacking sleep, No energy,   Not functioning correctly, and more!

When that happens...

WATCH OUT!

"Be sober!  Be vigilant!

For your enemy, the devil, 
is prowling around 
looking for someone to devour!"

(1 Peter 5:8)

I need to remember that!  Because it points out that when I'm tired, I'm basically a "sitting duck"...

Open

 allowing access or passage - a "clear shot"

and 

Vulnerable 

susceptible, an "easy target" 

to emotional, physical and spiritual  attack. 

During that time...

• I can let my mind wander and think too much.
• I can dwell on unprofitable things.  
• I can get caught up in conversations I don't belong in.
• I can be easily deceived or taken advantage of.
• I can be discouraged.

Those things are such  a petri dish for "UNBELIEF" to grow and multiply in.

Instead, the Apostle Peter instructs us to:

Resist the devil 

and 

Stand Firm

in the faith!

(1 Peter 5: 8,9)

Tonight I did just that in 3 ways:

First... I texted my friend and spiritual mentor asking for prayer.  Not only did she gather together her prayer partners, but she forwarded to me some good, solid instruction from The Word for me to meditate on.

Second... I threw on my RED SHOES and went to church expecting God to speak. And He did!  He spoke through the minister who delivered a powerful Word -- which just happened to fit my situation perfectly!  (I love when God does that!)

And Third... I opened up my Daily Devotional.  I love how God can use a message from a random book, that speaks to thousands, and still uniquely apply it to me! Even the scripture references were "right on!"

It seems that God delivered the answer to me in three different courses which built  one upon the other.  I had to figure it out... work it out... and pull it together in blog format for this Red Shoe Project, but now that it's all done and over with, I am putting it all into practice.



Resisting and Standing Firm 
in RED SHOES!

Gail  

It's late afternoon on this 53rd Day of  The Red Shoe Project.  Yes, my car is back from the auto shop and all is well!  I have pulled off the road and into a Starbucks to sit awhile before my next Divine Appointment.  It's beautiful outside.  I have kicked back in my RED slip ons, under a green umbrella, and am typing away on my laptop. What shall we talk about today?

Earlier in the day, I read something online about being judgmental... of churches... of Christians... of people in general.  I get that people can be passionate about sharing their wisdom with others... especially if they have learned the lesson themselves, "the hard way".  I know that I'd  love to see others learn from my mistakes and not have to go through all the difficulty of figuring it out on their own.  Learning "the hard way" can be costly!  What price did you pay to learn that last difficult, (but valuable), lesson?  Was your bank account depleted?  Your reputation kicked down a notch?  Maybe it cost you a treasured friendship? Or perhaps you spent way too much time going down the wrong path of discovery?  Yeah, we'd all like to help someone we care about "get it" a little quicker and without losing the shirt off their backs. But you know what?  I've rarely learned those "big" lessons from others, so I'm not sure why I'm so adamant about others learning them from me?  I've determined to let go of that.  Most often, I think people have to learn for themselves.  And when it comes to our grown up kids...

We should be careful not to rob them 

of figuring it out for themselves. 

Learning it  "the hard way" has great value.

 It's where the passion is injected.

Personally, I find it difficult these days to find the time to focus on what others should be doing.  I'm way too busy keeping myself in order.  LOL!  Seriously, I want to make sure that I'm doing the right thing... and that's time consuming in and of itself.  Who has time to worry about how You should be doing something differently?  Not me.

Ok... so believe me when I say that I'm not trying to be insensitive here. I have found, however, (looking back over my 30 years as a Believer), when I have judged someone, rarely did I have all the   information necessary to make an adequate assessment.  There were times that I jumped the gun and thought I understood the scope of it all, only to discover later that I really didn't have a clue. On occasion, I was so far removed from the playing field, that I should have kept my ignorant comments to myself.  Have you  heard the term, Arm  Chair Quarterback?  or perhaps  Back Seat Driver?  Yikes! How often have I spouted my thoughts from the back seat?  and without a driver's license no less?  Not to mention that, at the time, I never thought that I didn't know what I was talking about.  In fact, quite the opposite.  I believed my opinion was right!

It's amazing how I can give great advice without having any real experience on a matter.  God has often taken care of that by "Putting the shoe on the other foot"...  On my foot that is.  That's right,  I thought I had all the answers until one day, quite unexpectedly, I found myself in that very same situation, that I had so easily judged someone else.  How humbling that can be!  That's when "my eyes were opened" and I really "got it!"  I've always been deeply grieved over those eye opening lessons.  I've found myself repenting and asking God for forgiveness.  I'm usually quiet for a long time after that.
I become a better observer... a better listener... a better understander... a better sympathizer.  It didn't take many of those lessons to change my way to God's way.

In scripture (Matthew 7:1-6),  Jesus exhorts me not to judge others of their issues,  (which He points out are rather small in comparison to mine), but instead to focus my attention on working through what's on my own plate.   Hmmmm

Yes... focusing on the issues of others can be a great distraction from what's going on in My life! But working on Your  issues doesn't help Me a bit!  Before God... You are responsible for your stuff, and I am responsible for my stuff. So I've got a lot of work to do.  Should you want my advice... don't hesitate to ask.  But even then...  I encourage you to go to God for your direction and guidance. Not only does He have all the answers, but He knows you and your situation better than even you do, yourself.

So I'm off to ponder these thoughts for myself,  praying that I'll be more loving and patient with my kids, my friends, and those around me.  Meanwhile, I'm slipping my RED Shoes back on, and heading back on the road for whatever God has in store for me next.

Love you all!
Gail