Believeland

     I am a HUGE Cleveland Browns fan!  Historically, there have been more football seasons filled with disappointment, than with excitement.  One of the things that I love most about being from Cleveland is the faithfulness of the Browns fans.  No matter how bad the season, we never give up on our Browns...it truly is more than an affair...it is a committed relationship!
     There are always seasons in our life that are not the easiest.  At times they could be described as not for the faint of heart, or a season that we wouldn't wish on our worst enemy!  But deep inside, something keeps us going, hoping, BELIEVING, that we shouldn't give up!
     I have had some of those difficult seasons in my life and yet I know what is possible when we choose to reside in Believeland.  The saying, "Hope Springs Eternal" comes to mind.  At the core of my residence in that place is the confident assurance of Jeremiah 29:11, "For I KNOW the plans I have for you, plans not to harm you, but to give you a Future and a Hope!"
    I invite you to be my neighbor in this place of residence where the vision of the residents is simply this...With God ALL THINGS are possible!!!  For those who choose to reside there it is not about religion, it is about a committed relationship with the One who knows us best!!
 

"Nothing Is Wasted"

    One of my greatest joys is sharing what God is doing in my life.  My blog has been inactive for some time, and yet the Holy Spirit has been speaking to my heart for this gift of sharing through the written word to be resurrected...He does that often, so thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life. 
     The past few months have been difficult and yet in the midst of grieving the loss of one season of life there is a great expectancy for what God has ahead.  Part of my grief comes in the wondering if I may have missed something in my pursuit of where God was taking me.  I have had days when I wondered if getting my BS in Religion was right or if going on to get my Mdiv was part of God's plan.  Was 12 years of Pastoral ministry my idea or God's?  Now what...ministry?  A non-ministry profession??  What???
     In this season of transition, and trust me, there have been many of those in my life, we have had to make some difficult decisions and even more difficult actions.  I say we because my life is not "Diane centric", but is Jeff and Diane together.  We have shaken the dust off our sandals and moved on! 
     God has been speaking three simple words to me in the past few weeks and wanted to make sure I got those words clearly on Sunday..."Diane, with me, NOTHING IS WASTED".  It was the last song in our opening worship set on Sunday, and the first song I heard on K-love when I got home..."Ok God, I understand".  Whatever He has for my next steps will be possible because of my whole life experience.
     In this season of the wait, He is making it clear that there are things that He so desires to firmly plant in my heart and life...His truths...and one of them is simply this...NOTHING IS WASTED!