Julie Chapus's Blog - Posts Tagged "help"
Girl In The Mirror
Have you ever noticed the girl in the mirror points things out to make us feel bad about ourselves. The girl in the mirror pointed out yet another gray hair today. She is very observant, and nothing gets by her. ''Oh my, what's that on your forehead? Oh, I see you are getting wrinkles.'' She didn't hold back to tell me about the few extra pounds she noticed either. All of a sudden I was feeling very bad about the girl in the mirror. But wait, what's that voice I hear? Telling me to turn away from the girl in the mirror. What is He saying? Can I really be hearing this right? ''I love you, you are perfect just the way you are. You are My creation. What the girl in the mirror sees is a dull comparison to what I see. I see the heart I have given you. I see the generosity I have poured into you. I see my love shining brightly in you. I am changing you from the inside out. What the girl in the mirror sees is only a dull reflection. What I see is a beautiful piece of work, always learning, always changing, and always growing in love. Stop listening to the girl in the mirror. She only sees one layer and it is only skin deep. I go much deeper than that. I see my Spirit in you, always refreshing you, always renewing you and always helping you be who I created you to be. You are mine, and I love you. Listen not to the girl in the mirror for she seeks to tear down and destroy based on looks only. I seek to renew, refresh and build up the one I love, the one I created, the one I never ever want to be without. You are loved more than you will ever know. Stop listening to the girl in the mirror, and start listening to Me.''
Abbey of Genesee
Have you ever thought about spending a weekend with God? I knew God was asking me to get alone with him and get real quiet, so this past weekend I went on a silent retreat to the Abbey of Genesee. It was an amazing experience. The monks hold prayer services at the Abbey where psalms are chanted. These services are open to the public, and the monks observe silence during their work. They are well known for their bread as well. Perhaps you have heard of it; Monks Bread made by trappist monks.
I really wanted to write about the Abbey because the grounds are just beautiful, and they have hard workers on staff that make our meals, and make us feel very welcome even though silence is observed by all. The retreatents lack nothing. There is a bathroom and sink in each guest room, and a shared shower. The grounds are so peaceful and very well maintained. There is a path that leads to the Abbey and to the greenway trail so you can really experience God in nature. I cannot say enough about this place, but to top it all off in the midst of silence, God draws out the things from the deepest recesses of our heart. I gained many insights and many things were revealed to me and I was only there for one weekend. Needless to say, I am going back. If you have ever thought about taking a retreat I would encourage you to do so. It is amazing, and I am sure quite a different experience awaits for each of us as only God knows what He would like to reveal to us. But even in the midst of dealing with hard issues, there is no better place to be than surrounded by God and nature. His peace certainly does reside in this place.
God bless, and please check out the Abbey of Genesee in Piffard, NY.
I really wanted to write about the Abbey because the grounds are just beautiful, and they have hard workers on staff that make our meals, and make us feel very welcome even though silence is observed by all. The retreatents lack nothing. There is a bathroom and sink in each guest room, and a shared shower. The grounds are so peaceful and very well maintained. There is a path that leads to the Abbey and to the greenway trail so you can really experience God in nature. I cannot say enough about this place, but to top it all off in the midst of silence, God draws out the things from the deepest recesses of our heart. I gained many insights and many things were revealed to me and I was only there for one weekend. Needless to say, I am going back. If you have ever thought about taking a retreat I would encourage you to do so. It is amazing, and I am sure quite a different experience awaits for each of us as only God knows what He would like to reveal to us. But even in the midst of dealing with hard issues, there is no better place to be than surrounded by God and nature. His peace certainly does reside in this place.
God bless, and please check out the Abbey of Genesee in Piffard, NY.
Hope for Tomorrow
Have you ever had one of those days when you wish you could just go back to bed and make the day be over with already? Have you ever just wanted to fast forward to tomorrow?
We have all had days that just seem to bomb from the minute we wake up to the minute we go to bed. But just hoping for tomorrow really steals the gifts God has for us today. I know we may not feel well or we may be facing a huge problem.
We tend to think we can't take anymore and sometimes we really do wonder how we will make it through the day. God is with us though, and He promises we will never be given more than we can handle.
As I have been studying my bible recently, I have discovered that a lot of our problems are just opportunities for us to practice handling them God's way.
It's amazing to see what happens when we determine to do something the right way. Our level of peace grows, and I have been amazed at the calm I have experienced in my heart regardless of my outward circumstances.
Today I would like to encourage you to do the right thing. If you are facing any kind of problem look up issue in the back of your bible, read all about how to handle it God's way.
It is amazing to watch God work for us when we are determined to handle things His way regardless of our feelings.
Once we discover the peace He really wants us to have, we won't have to wish for our day to be over. We won't have to hope for tomorrow either, we can be content in where we are today.
Don't miss out on God's awesome power in your life! Let's be determined to start handling our problems God's way!
We have all had days that just seem to bomb from the minute we wake up to the minute we go to bed. But just hoping for tomorrow really steals the gifts God has for us today. I know we may not feel well or we may be facing a huge problem.
We tend to think we can't take anymore and sometimes we really do wonder how we will make it through the day. God is with us though, and He promises we will never be given more than we can handle.
As I have been studying my bible recently, I have discovered that a lot of our problems are just opportunities for us to practice handling them God's way.
It's amazing to see what happens when we determine to do something the right way. Our level of peace grows, and I have been amazed at the calm I have experienced in my heart regardless of my outward circumstances.
Today I would like to encourage you to do the right thing. If you are facing any kind of problem look up issue in the back of your bible, read all about how to handle it God's way.
It is amazing to watch God work for us when we are determined to handle things His way regardless of our feelings.
Once we discover the peace He really wants us to have, we won't have to wish for our day to be over. We won't have to hope for tomorrow either, we can be content in where we are today.
Don't miss out on God's awesome power in your life! Let's be determined to start handling our problems God's way!
Why I Do What I do
As many of you may have noticed, I only post on my blog when I am inspired to do so. However today's post comes from a broken heart and the need to do something about it.
In early December 2012 the Lord called me to write a book for Him. It was He who dictated what I was to write. I just obeyed. This happened only two weeks before the Sandy Hook school shooting. When that shooting happened, the Lord said to me, "This is why you are writing, Julie. You are going to reach my children before they go down the wrong path."
Now, I know you may be thinking, "Who are you, Julie, that you should write for God?"
That's exactly what I thought too. I have made so many mistakes and committed so many outright sins in my life. I thought, I can't possibly write books for God. But He laid it on my heart to do this and I was not in peace at all until I decided to obey Him.
These books were birthed out of obedience and a willingness to do God's will. What I never anticipated was that through all the fasting and prayer throughout the writing process, God would instill a love in me I had never known before.
A love for His children so great that I cannot even hear of them being harmed without being brought to tears. This is honestly not me. I do not know what God has done inside of me but I do know I have a heart for His children I have never had before.
So today I write because I heard of yet another school shooting. I have a need to take action but not in vengeance. This action makes me want to pick up all these kids involved in these incidents and tell them how much they are loved, how much they are valued and how unnecessary all of this killing is.
This post is a plea. Please help me get these books to our children. God wants them to know how much He loves them, and my heart breaks every time I hear of His children destroying each other because they just don't know how much they are truly loved. Will you please help me serve God and join me in my effort to reach our children before one more life is taken?
With a very heavy heart,
Julie
In early December 2012 the Lord called me to write a book for Him. It was He who dictated what I was to write. I just obeyed. This happened only two weeks before the Sandy Hook school shooting. When that shooting happened, the Lord said to me, "This is why you are writing, Julie. You are going to reach my children before they go down the wrong path."
Now, I know you may be thinking, "Who are you, Julie, that you should write for God?"
That's exactly what I thought too. I have made so many mistakes and committed so many outright sins in my life. I thought, I can't possibly write books for God. But He laid it on my heart to do this and I was not in peace at all until I decided to obey Him.
These books were birthed out of obedience and a willingness to do God's will. What I never anticipated was that through all the fasting and prayer throughout the writing process, God would instill a love in me I had never known before.
A love for His children so great that I cannot even hear of them being harmed without being brought to tears. This is honestly not me. I do not know what God has done inside of me but I do know I have a heart for His children I have never had before.
So today I write because I heard of yet another school shooting. I have a need to take action but not in vengeance. This action makes me want to pick up all these kids involved in these incidents and tell them how much they are loved, how much they are valued and how unnecessary all of this killing is.
This post is a plea. Please help me get these books to our children. God wants them to know how much He loves them, and my heart breaks every time I hear of His children destroying each other because they just don't know how much they are truly loved. Will you please help me serve God and join me in my effort to reach our children before one more life is taken?
With a very heavy heart,
Julie
