Beyond My Wildest Dreams

I feel like I am a living, breathing, walking, talking, blogging example of Ephesians 3:20 being played out, thousands of years after Paul poured his heart out for his fellow believers and made some pretty lofty promises as he spoke of all that God could do in and through their lives.

I'm not from Ephesus, nor have I ever been there.  BUT, I do serve the same God as Paul and the believers in that ancient city did so long ago.  He is the same God today as He was way back then.  And just as Paul was confident God could make those men and women "complete with all the fullness of [His] power," I too believe God can do His work in my life, today in the 21st century.

As Paul continued, his prayer turned to praise.  I can picture him kneeling by his bed, fervently bringing his dear friends before the Lord, and then being overcome with love and adoration for Jesus Himself.  I can just see him jumping up and shouting at the top of his lungs, "Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think!"  

Another translation quotes Paul, "Now all glory to God, who is able, through His might power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope."

Well, that's about how I feel right about now!  I am simply overwhelmed with God's goodness and the way He has been answering my prayers beyond what I ever imagined!

First, I have been excited about Ponca Bible Camp.

The first week of camp is just about a month away!  I have been praying for the kids who need to go to be signed up, for their hearts to be ready for what God is going to do and show them during their week of camp.  I have been praying for people to sign up as staff members and for all roles to be filled in a timely manner.  I have been praying for the speakers and directors. Basically for anyone and everyone who will be involved with Ponca in any way this summer.

Yesterday, my friend and midwife asked me how to register her son.  I had no idea he was even interested in going to Ponca!  He is all signed up now!  Then, this morning, I see a post from another friend saying she had registered her daughter.  I am super excited about her coming, especially since her family just moved to a new place and that can open up the Ponca experience to all the people in her town!  Ponca is spreading like wildfire!  I also got a message this morning from a counselor last year letting me know that she too had registered not just her kids, but had signed up to as well!  I talked with yet another mom yesterday who wanted to know how to sign up to be a cook the week her daughter was at camp.  Last week, another mom did the same thing for the week her son will be there!  I LOVE this!  Such an answer to prayer!  Ponca is special place in my heart, and I truly believe God works there in a miraculous way.  I want everyone to experience this amazing camp for themselves!!!!

Second, I have been praying for our neighbors and the opportunity to develop meaningful friendships with them.  Last night, Lawrence got to play volleyball on a team with a few of the neighbors, and he will again for the next two weeks.  No, we didn't present the gospel to them or talk to them about the Four Spiritual Laws, BUT we are definitely laying the foundation to introduce them to Jesus.  We want them to SEE Him in our lives, to WITNESS Him at work in us, and to WANT the same thing in their lives!  I have talked with two neighbor ladies and supper plans are in the works for both families!  I am excited to see what God is going to do as we become friends with our neighbors and introduce them to the Ultimate Friend Jesus Christ!

Third, I have been praying for my It Works team.

Some of these ladies I don't know personally, as my friends have invited their friends and family members all across the United States to join the team.   I love that!  Regardless of whether I went to high school with these girls or their sisters, worked with them at camp, or have never met them before in my life, I pray for each of them daily.  I pray for God to bless their business, to allow them to contribute to their families' incomes while doing something they are passionate about and enjoy.  I pray for God to use them to bless others as they help people get and stay healthy and change their lives in the process.  I pray for God to add new members to our team, so they too can get in on the amazing opportunity It Works provides.

Well, God has blown me away with the answers to those prayers for sure!  This morning as I sat down to eat my scrambled eggs and check my facebook, I read a message from one of my team members letting me know that she was in the process of signing a new distributor AND would be signing her mother-in-law this weekend!  I am so excited for her!  To top it off, for me to promote to the next level, I needed just one more distributor and that person needed to be under this very girl on my team!  Now, how cool (and divine) is that!  I was jumping up and down with joy, talking Lawrence's ear off about how wonderful this is!  I contain myself, sit back down, and go to our team's group page.  There I read a post saying another team member signed up her sister-in-law!

I am definitely going to keep praying for the FIVE people I have been talking with who have shown an interest in becoming a distributor and joining the It Works team.  Who knows what God can do with all that potential!

I am also going to be praying for my teammates who have friends and family interested in this It Works business.  I know of at least 4 individuals and 3 salons who are contemplating joining our team!

My goal, which seems so far out there some days, is to earn the $10,000 bonus It Works offers to distributors in their first 3 months.  At times I have laughed at the possibility of actually reaching the Diamond level in such a short time and getting an extra $400 in my account each month for 25 months, but then God does stuff like this.  Then, God reminds me, "Hey, with me nothing is impossible!"  He pulls me to His side and doesn't just whisper in my ear, but rather shouts, "I can do infinitely MORE than you can ever imagine or hope or even dare to ask!"  He waves a bright, flashing neon sign in front of my face, "Dream Big!" and has me read verses in Scripture that tell me over and over and over again that the God who formed the mountains, set the ocean's boundaries, placed the stars in the sky and knows them all by name is the same God who is at work in ME!

On my bathroom mirror, I have these verses from 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 posted so I see them every morning as I get ready for the day:

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

I definitely feel God's power in my life today!  No doubt about it!  No other way to explain it!  I truly believe He has laid the three things I have been praying about on my heart.  I have stepped out in faith, trusting Him to guide and direct us, to bless us as we seek to live for Him in every area of our lives.  And now more than ever I can see Him working to "accomplish all the good things my faith has prompted me to do."  Not only that, He is blowing my mind with the way He is answering my prayers in ways that are far beyond even my wildest dreams!

And as He does, I pray that His name will be honored and glorified.  Because above all, THAT is my utmost hope and desire in life!