Day 106

Before I had a chance to even think about it, Day 106 of  The Red Shoe Project arrived.  After a few whispers to God, I jumped out of bed, got dressed, popped on my RED sandals, and headed out the door to get about the Lord's business.  Today was the ladies' Bible study and my ride was waiting for me.
Our study is never "normal"-- "the same old, same old" -- or even "what you'd expect"  because God keeps showing up per our request!  Today, a mom brought her teenage son with her.  If the angels of God were watching, they had to be laughing.  We are a diverse group of Christian women, to say the least, with many bold personalities... and here's this young man amongst us for two whole hours.

 But God has a plan

for that young man's life.  

In the last fifteen minutes, one of our gals said that she wanted to share a vision God had given her prior to coming.  Apparently, it included this young man, whom she'd never seen before.  She asked him to sit down in a chair in the center of the room, and  WOW!  she began to prophesy over him a word, that reminded me of Samuel the Prophet anointing the boy, David, to be King.  What a glorious event to have witnessed! Time will tell how God manifests in this boy's life.  Hmmmm. We'll have to keep our eyes him.


What is also quite astonishing is that God continues to raise up different women in the group week after week.  This woman who was prophesying is usually meek and mild... a lovely woman... a good listener, very sincere, and contributes her two cents worth here and there.  But today... well, today was different.  Like Gideon, The Holy Spirit came upon her, and moved through her in a powerfully, prophetic way. This is starting to become quite common in our group.  As we are yielding to Him, our little group of women are becoming vessels for God to move through! --sometimes prophetically, sometimes prayerfully, other times with a song,  or divine revelation, even with gifts of teaching, healing and wisdom, the list goes on and on.  I'm liking this group a lot!

God has a plan to use each 

 and every one of those women!

As I headed back to my office, I remembered what the rest of the day had in store for me.  I had a business meeting later in the afternoon, in which I needed to bring my pledged offering.  I also had no gas in my car to get there. And no money in my account for either.

But there in my purse was a bunch of bills that a couple of the Bible study ladies had insisted upon giving me. Another gal had dropped a little "card" in my bag as well.

Between all of them, there was exactly enough to pay a tithe to my church, get gas, pay the pledge and purchase a ticket for our annual business luncheon that I'm expected to attend. Another gal had brought me a beautiful RED print blouse that she wanted me to have.  It fit perfectly and  matched my RED shoes to a "T"... so I wore it to the meeting and got several compliments!

THANK YOU LORD! and THANK YOU LADIES!  
Today's manna had arrived!  I was really glad that I hadn't had time to even think about it, or worry about it for that matter.  I was too busy with what God was doing right in front of me.

God had a plan

and I didn't even know it!

I read that little "card" in my bag.  The prophetic words penned on the paper, blessed my soul!  Already, I was seeing the words come to pass as God gave me liberty this evening to speak about my faith.  People I didn't expect, told me that they are following The Red Shoe Project, and a business associate even asked me if God could guide her in her everyday life.  I feel like...

God is rolling out the plan of my life 

and we are moving right along now.

Yes... it was evident today that God is the Master Planner!  I wish I could say that I'm totally comfortable not knowing the details of God's plan.  LOL.  But I know why He doesn't tell me.
Anytime in the past, when He's shared the details with me, I always immediately jump out in front and try to accomplish the plan, on His behalf.  Yeh... and I end up falling flat on my face, because I'm not capable of miraculously working the plan... only He can do that -- THE MASTER!  So I will say this... At least I know that now.  And I don't really want to know the details.


 I'm content at just 
putting on my RED shoes,
and taking one step at a time, 
one day at a time, with Him.
That's all the plan I need to know!

Until tomorrow,
Gail

Day 105

Today is Day 105 of  The Red Shoe Project.
All afternoon, I could be found wearing my
RED high heals, joyfully bopping around town to several important meetings.  BUT I didn't start off all happy-go-lucky.  I woke up this morning tired, a little under the weather, and dragging.  I wasn't looking forward to getting out of bed.  It just happens to be a Monday, but Mondays don't usually have that kind of effect on me. I headed straight for the shower in hope that a blasting stream of hot water would cure my grumpies.  NOT!

After getting dressed, I sat down at my desk to take care of a few emails.  Just then, I received a message via text from a friend who was obviously having a dreadful day herself.  With every word on the screen, I could feel myself sinking further and further downward.   This was not good!  I knew she wanted a phone call, but  I was in no place to lift her up.  I was sinking myself!
So I texted her back...

"Have you spent your quiet time with God yet today?  
If not,  find a quiet place -- 
take a walk in the neighborhood,
 go to the park and sit under a shady tree, 
breathe in the salty air at the beach -- you choose.  
For now, put all your concerns aside -- shelf them!  
Start off by singing a couple songs, 
then read a little Bible and thank God 
for all the things that are going right! -- No negativity!  
Then ask God what He wants you to do today.  
That's what I'm about to do.  I'll catch up with you later."

It may sound harsh, but at that moment, I had nothing for anyone.  I hadn't had my quiet time yet.  I immediately shut my phone off, and turned up the Christian worship on my computer.  I was determined to follow my own advice!

An hour later, I was heading out the door in my RUBY REDS, ready for anything.  The day wasn't so bad -- now that I was sporting a new perspective.  I'm not going to kid you... I had to push through at first, but at some point, I'm not exactly sure when, things took a turn for the better.  God led me to meetings I hadn't even planned for.  And they all turned out to be quite profitable.

One meeting in particular gained me a new "RUBY"-- That's what I'm now calling my Red Shoe Project followers...

"Rubies"

Surely you know how precious you are to me.  Your faithfulness in following me on this journey, (some of you actually traveling The Yellow Brick Road in your own RED shoes),  along with your wonderful comments, prayers and encouraging words is a major blessing to me!  THANK YOU!

Yes...  so as I was driving down the street, I had a strong prompting in my spirit to stop in at a local organization for some information. I could have just called in or checked their website, but I thought it would be better to actually meet someone in person. That's when I met Kaci -- What a wonderful gal!  I noticed that she has some "Wizard of Oz" pics by her desk, (which of course opened the door to all sorts of magical conversation), and next thing I know, she's showing me a picture of her wedding day, and guess what?

She's wearing RED sparkly shoes under that beautiful wedding dress!  How awesome is that? We became instant friends, and she'll be checking out the daily blog!  I love it!

That's two new RUBIES in two weeks that God divinely set me up with. Time will tell what God has in store for them.  I'm already blessed in just having talked with them.

I love when God sets me up like that!

It's a divine little kiss on the cheek from The One who loves me most!

It's one of the little ways He says... 

"I want you to know that 

I'm thinking about you, 

and I know you love it when I do this!"  

And He's right.  He's the only one who can do that -- set me up with that kind of surprise!  It just makes my heart dance in my chest.  Even now... my feet, (still clad in RED shoes), are tapping up and down with excitement, just thinking about His love for me!  You might think, "What's the big deal?"  And that's just it... It is a BIG deal!  It would be nothing if it were just once or twice.  But He does little things like this to me all the time --  when I least expect it.  I can almost hear Him saying... "Got ya!" LOL.

Gail

Day 104

On this 104th Day of  The Red Shoe Project,  I was wearing RED flip flops, while traveling along the highway on a mini road trip.  Even though I don't particularly enjoy driving,  there are some things that I simply love about it!  My RED shoes never stop reminding me that my car is an opportunity to meet with God.

For one thing,  I always start my road trips off with a prayer for Traveling Mercies.
When I'm the one doing the driving, and especially if I'm driving alone,  I have noticed that my prayers are longer, more intense and said in greater detail.  I might say something like this:

"Lord... Please extend to me traveling mercies as I head out on the highway.  Thank you for watching over me and  keeping me safe.  Help me to get to my ultimate destination with no problems whatsoever.  Fill this car with your Holy Spirit. Any other spirits that are not of The Holy Spirit...  Be gone!  You are not welcome in this place.  God...  place your angels around my vehicle -- not to mention around the vehicles near me.  Father, please speak to me as we travel together.  Tell me what's on your mind.  Amen."    

Of course I make sure that the radio is turned off.  Sometimes I sing a little.  But usually I'll just start talking to the Lord.  Many times, people will come to mind, so I will lift them up in prayer.  If pressing situations or concerns pop into my head, I'll talk to God about them and ask for his guidance.

Sometimes I just wait and listen for God's voice.  He speaks to me a lot in the car.  He'll remind me of a situation, and tell me what I should do.  For example, He'll say something like, "Remember that situation the other day with that girl?  You should call her and invite her to join you for tomorrow's meeting." Or He may say something like, "You know the gal you told me about with the bad attitude? She's that way because she's been abused and that's the only way she knows how to protect herself.  You should give her another chance. Why don't you call her later and say hello?"

Tonight, I listened to an inspirational message via CD.  At the same time,  I was listening for God's voice.  He has a great way of pointing out how the message can be applied to specific areas of my life.  Yes... He is a personal God, and He can get personal!  He can get right in your face and tell it like it is. After all, where am I gonna go?  It's not like I'm going to jump out of the car.  Right?  LOL.

That's what I love about the Christian walk.  It's personal.  In fact... it's pretty much personal every time.
Well... it's personal as long as I stay open and vulnerable to God.  But it's all done right there... without an audience, in the privacy of my little two seater vehicle.  I'm just always hoping that no one's looking too closely as they drive by.  They may wonder why I'm crying... or laughing... or singing... or who I'm talking to!  LOL.  All I know is that when I'm done meeting with God in my car... it's always VERY GOOD.  I'm very good!  I can't believe that all that can happen in my car! But it does!

 Speaking of praying in the car...
I heard one of the greatest testimonies of all time this week.

My friend was coming home from a meeting last week.  He pulled into his driveway, shut off his car, and headed for the front door.  He noticed something rather unusual.  His grown sons and their friend were sitting in their mom's car with the windows rolled up.  As he walked by, the tinted window moved downward and his younger son simply stated, "Dad... Get in!" and the window closed.  He jumped in the back seat of the car, closed the door and asked what was going on.  "We're just having a little prayer meeting. Care to join us?"  He responded affirmatively.  As they went around and around, each man lifted up a prayer concerning his life.  Next thing you know, there's a knock on the window.  The  neighbor boy pops his head and  says, "Hey guys, what are you doing?"  "Praying," they responded.  "Great!" said the neighbor as he opened the door and jumped in.  Around and around they went again and again, praying up a storm. All five of them.

How great is that?

Now if I could just get them to wear RED shoes, that would be over the top! LOL.

Til next time,
Gail

Day 103

On Day 103 of  The Red Shoe Project,  I chose to wear RED sneakers.  They seemed an appropriate choice for a day filled with extreme challeges on every level:  Emotional, Physical, Financial, Spiritual.

I was reminded of a DVD that a friend had given me once about River Rapid Kayaking.  When I watched it, I was totally mesmerized.  I couldn't figure out what it was about the DVD that had so captured my attention.  And then it hit me.  I felt like I was watching a clip of my life on one of it's most challenging days.

There's some very interesting take aways from River Rapid Kayaking
 that we can all benefit from.
FIRST... There are people all over the world that set out each morning to find a dangerous set of river rapids to throw their kayak into.  Yes... purposefully!  Their goal for the day is to conquer the river, and have fun doing it!

Hmmm.  So I'm wondering if  I am perhaps approaching life from the wrong angle.  Maybe I  need to be more on the offensive each day and LOOK for the challenges with tenacity and vigor, instead of them finding me?


SECOND... I noticed that each participant is given a little stick about three and a half feet long with paddles on each end.  Now you know that stick isn't worth squat!  Those rapids are so powerful, the real key here is to just be able to go with the flow.  The stick is to just give a nudge here or there, to assure that you don't crash into those big boulders and die!  Got it?


Hmmm... So I am wondering why it's so  difficult to "go with the flow?" On occassion, my life can be just like those rapids!  I don't know about you, but in those times, I got nothing! I'm just being moved right along at a pace that's not all that enjoyable.  More often than I'd care to admit, I can be found, panicking or even attempting to use that little stick to gain control. SNAP!!! There goes the stick. Yup... many times I've learned the hard way.  Now it's time to sit back,  breath, keep my mouth shut, trust God and let go of trying to control the uncontrollable.

THIRD... On occasion a kayaker will find herself plunged into the water and upside down.  That's when "The roll" is critical.  It's one of the first things a beginning kayaker learns.  There's a special technique you  must master that rolls you back to the upright position, so that your head is above the water. One's ability to do that successfully each time can be the difference between life and death!

Hmmm. So I'm noticing that "The roll" is mastered in advance.  In life, there's also a critical maneuver that must be mastered in order to be successful. Just like the roll, you have to be able to fall into this technique without thinking.  It has to be second nature, and it can mean the difference between success and failure.

 The key is knowing The Master 

and being in continual fellowship 

and communication with him.  

It's also important to have a plan in place, and to review it often, so that I don't fall into panic mode, operating out of fear.
 It's a plan for Guarding My Heart.

1.  Face each day with a positive, enthusiastic attitude.
2.  Make it a goal to conquer whatever life brings your way.
3.  Have fun.
4.  Let go. Give the control over to God.
5.  Breathe and Go with the flow.
6.  When things get a little scary... let out a victory shout in advance!
    "Jesus!"  "Yahoo!"  "Glory!"  "Yes! I'm doing it!"
7.  Approach the challenges with faith not fear.
8.   Remember, you are never alone.
9.  Talk to your Divine Partner in Life.  Don't shut God out!
10. When it's over, smile,  give the "thumbs up," and thank the Lord.


FINALLY...  It's always important to end on an up note.  All of the people in the DVDs were exhausted, soaked, and some even had scratches, bruises and bleeding cuts.  Yikes! But they were all smiling from ear to ear, overjoyed at all they had accomplished.  They couldn't wait for the next opportunity to "get back in the rapids!"

Hmmm.  So I'm thinking that I need to change my mindset a bit.  I'm very optomistic and positive about a lot of things... but every once in a while, a challenging day can leave me feeling defeated.  No more of that!  I'm seeing very clearly that how I end the day is as important as how I start it... upbeat, enthusiastic, in RED shoes and with God.

See you in the rapids!
Gail