Justification, sanctification and glorification ...sweet.

Ok so today was another amazing day. This is going to be a long one...go ahead and get some coffee.. I will give you a little background first... When I saw the movie Passion of The Christ some years ago, God began a work in me. From then on I knew I belonged to Him...I never questioned it, not once. I feel extremely blessed to have found a church home where I am challenged and educated on The Word. I for some time have felt the Call to make Jesus famous and spread the gospel, either here or abroad...I don't really care where. I am always asking people if they know Jesus, and lately I have been challenged more than ever. I had a long amazing conversation about the difference between being religious and being a follower of Christ with a homosexual acrobat, at a bar in Las Vegas, it was intense! I loved it and he loved me for talking to him about Jesus and not judging him but loving on him...he was the best hugger ever. I have made friends with some strippers and they are currently asking questions. I had a four hour conversation with a lady on the airplane..she couldn't go anywhere and neither could I...She is one of 3 people lately who believes that if we don't get it right the first time we come back until we get it just right..I was like "what is your scriptural basis for that theory?" She had none. By the time it was over I think I was able to at least put a few holes in her boat and plant a seed.

To say the least God is really putting some challenging people in my path. I love it but I feel completely inadequate and quite uneducated to answer most of the questions they pose. So I call my friend Hwa Ho ... it seems that he has since quit taking my calls, as I call just about everyday. I trust him and as much as it pains me to say this...he is usually right. He doesn't dilly dally around and sure doesn't sugar coat things..I like that.

So I am a hairstylist and a little while back God brought me this broken spirited, shy and completely sweet angel for a client. In fact we will call her Angel...Angel has been coming to me for several years and she has been watching me. Then one day out of the blue, she asked me a question about God. I feebly answered her question and I began saying prayers for her.God said to me "Love on Angel, I love her". Each following appointment we got more and more in depth. She starting revealing more and more about her past. She said she trusted me and she was not sure why, she didn't trust anybody. I felt honored. We began hanging out as friends and I invited her to study the book of Matthew with me and to go to the Village. She loved it! She felt like finally something had filled that hole in her heart that she had always had.

After a while she started having some doubts about the sovereignty of God. She had a hard time with the He chose us deal. I was completely frustrated because I am ill equipped for a conversation of this magnitude. I am not that smart. I never went to seminary school, for crying out loud I didn't even go to Sunday school. I was a meth addict, party girl. Not a whole lotta sovereignty sermons under my belt, hence my feelings of complete inadequacy. So in between our conversation at lunch today, which to be honest was again way out of my league. She had said "Why would God create some people to go to heaven and others to go to hell? If that is your God I will just be an atheist". I just said lets go to the Christian bookstore. On the way there I was calling everyone in my phone that I thought would be able to help me, as Hwa didn't answer...Dana Nolette answered and I was like "Dude she is gonna be an atheist, what do I say??" He sweetly said "Don't say anything". I was like you suck at this where is Hwa, but I did what he said...We got to the bookstore and we found a little stack of books and one of them was titled. Know what you believe. So we thumbed to back and then sat down at a table in the back...She began to read about how God already knows who will reject Him and who won't, therefore knowing who to CHOOSE to reveal Himself to. It was like a light bulb went off in her face. She exclaimed "I GOT IT, I JUST GOT IT". It was a beautiful thing. We also learned about the meanings of Justification, sanctification and glorification..who knew? She bought the book and we went back to her house and we re listened to "The Two Wills Of God" by Matt Chandler...so to wrap this up...I am so thankful to have her in my life, she challenges me to ask some questions and to find the answers that I just never thought were really important. I just knew that God loved me... If God is challenging me, I had better step up my game. Who knows where or better yet who is going to have a question next. I think I will always feel this inept, but maybe God will make Hwa answer his phone. Thank you, Lord, for telling Dana to tell me to be quiet. Thank you for revealing yourself today. YOU are so good!! Love yall ..Lisa

So far...

Well I have been walking almost everyday...it is so hot!! I get headaches and it doesn't make me feel good at all. Actually I hate it, I hate even the thought of it. I so envy those people with the genetics that require the amount of activity it takes to take a nap to stay slim. That would not be me. I am trying. I have also started what I am calling my "Intake Journal". It is just a pocket notebook where I will right down everything I eat. Statistics say people who keep a food record lose 60% more weight... I just got it yesterday, so today is the first entry...

Smoothie...handful of fresh spinach,two spoonfuls of fat free plain (nasty) yogurt, 5 or 6 slices of frozen peaches, 1 banana and 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice. Blended in my Magic Bullet.(Side note...I love my Magic Bullet...bestest blender EVER!)

I also went to weigh in at Weight Watchers and it was so weird...the scale said I had gained 1 lb and I am still down 9 lbs since I first started...so bizarre, I was sure I had put on a third grader but whatever. I am still just as motivated to reach my ideal self!! Keep asking me people..it gives me the accountability I need!! Love Ya L.

This video will touch your heart!!

An amazing Sunday...

Today was an awesome day...I was given the opportunity in Discovery to reconnect myself to ME. To really envision my future, the way I want it to be. I was even given the tools to take the steps to make that happen.

I am going to post some of my goals and the steps I am going to take to achieve these goals, in efforts to gain some more accountability...
Goal #1 ...is a personal goal... To live a healthier lifestyle...
step #1..I am going start back on the Weight Watcher Core Plan...I loved that plan and it works, I just got side tracked. So I am going to get back on it!
step #2.. I am going to walk 30 minutes a day, in the morning.
step #3..no more excuses!
My next goal is a spiritual goal...
Goal #2...is to grow in my walk with Christ .....
step #1..is to look into small group leadership at my church.
step #2..is to look into bible studies (Alpha)
step #3..have more quiet time...be still and listen.

Thats all for now, it has been a long weekend and I am exausted!! If you see me, sweetly, ask me how I am doing on my goals, please. I really want this. When I was asked to draw a mental picture of my ideal self. The first image that comes to my mind... looks nothing like me. Well, to be honest, as I am now, it looks like I ate that person. It is obvious that it weighs on my mind and keeps me from being truly happy. I want and deserve to be truly happy..and now I am embarking on a road to a healthier lifestyle...I know, many of you will say...here she goes again, lets see how long this will last...You know what, how many times have you failed at something??If never, then praise God, cause you are perfect!!If not then please, just extend Grace, and support me in this, one more time, if you love me...if not..first of all, quit reading my blog and secondly, you can just sit on the sidelines and mock me if you want. I am loved and worthy and soon to be much much smaller so... nanner nanner!!...Love yall Lisa

Things are going well...

Ok so yesterday I got to play the role of husband and I went with Andrea to the OBs office to find out the sex of the baby....drum roll please....It is a girl!!! Andrea cried when the Doctor told her the news, she was just so excited...I am so excited too! I said it was a girl from day one! Everything looks perfect, she is moving around and kicking like crazy. I am sorry I haven't blogged much lately...I just feel like I have nothing to say. I am just working and studying, and chasing His Face. Love yall...Lisa (aunt to Luke Roma and Hanna Hope Hughes)

Side by side comparison of wound...GROSS WARNING

Ok this is a side by side comparison of my wound, taken 5 months apart! See how far I have come!! Praise The Lord!!

I love hands...which one do you like more??

 

 

Las Vegas and my friend Lena!

 

 

 

ok ok one more

I was just editing this one a different way. I love this shot so much!!

 

One more....I just love these

 

More of Aner and Luke...

 

I am back~!~

Hi everyone, I got back late last night and went to Marcos and Angelas house to pick up my Zeusy. He was sleeping when I got there and and I poked him with my finger to wake him up. It took him a few seconds, but when he realized it was his momma....I wish you could have seen how excited he was!! He shot up and danced around me, rubbing his face all over me. He couldn't believe it was really me! He made a B-line for the door and he was ready to go!! I know that he had a good time while he was there and he was very well taken care of, Angela slept on the floor with him his first night there! So he was loved. He didn't eat very well, I guess he thought I had left him forever. SO sad. He ate well this morning. My other doggies are good too. Stetson seems to be feeling better. I only took a few pictures, Las Vegas is growing and growing and right now there is alot of construction everywhere, so alot of the classic shots of Vegas are ruined by ugly construction. I got a few from the Hotel room window. We stayed at the Planet Hollywood...I gotta say, I would highly recommend this hotel. It has been completely renovated and right now it is brand new. The lobby is gorgeous and the casino is on the second floor so you don't have to go through it if you don't want to. I just wish they would outlaw smoking there. It is gross everywhere. It was a great hair show, I think the numbers were 137,000 attendees at this one. It was an overall great trip, we went out every night and our first night there we went to see a show and that show included dinner and dancing at a club! It was very cool. My feet were killing me the next day as I walked all over Las Vegas in 3 1/2 inch heels. Ouch. But I looked very cute. We went to some clubs and I met lots of local people and chatted with everybody I could. The next night we went to Paris hotel and ate at Mon Ami Gabi...that was so good!! I like French food, but it is so rich. The next night we went to New York New York and ate at the uber chic Italian restaurant there ( I forgot the name but I know that it is Italian for the Baker) it was sooooo good! We ate good food and drank great wine, and it was great company! Overall a much needed "business trip".