May Update

Somehow May has come and gone but God has done so much this month.

I'll do quick bullet points (some with pics) and then come back with other post to go more in depth :)

• At the end of April, Jared gave a sermon on the importance of community and Life Groups, from this message we got one more Life Group started.  YAY!  God is on the move!
• Finally in a permanent place...I've moved!  I now live with a fabulous, young family from HOZ.  And my new home is only ten minutes from HOZ!
• Esther...love that book in the Bible.  The Lord has brought a lot of breakthrough in my life through her story: honing in on my identity in Him; breaking through disappointment and unmet expectations and again showing me how much I mean to Him (will go into more detail in another post :) ).
• Planned the next women's event....Ladies' Breakfast which we'll talk on what it looks like to encourage and exhort each other as women.  Each time we gather the Lord works in our midst and new relationships are built and existing ones grow deeper.  
• He CARES for me!  WOW!  Undone by how much He truly loves and so deeply cares for me and every detail of my heart (this too will be another post, He is unbelievably awesome.  I love Jesus SO much).

• Last but not least...I cut my hair.  I went short for the HOT months that await me :)
  
  As you can see, May was a month that God worked a lot with my heart, re-aligning me in many areas of my life.  What a privilege to be called his favorite daughter and to really know it!
  
  
  Thanks for supporting me in all your prayers! 
  hosanna
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First HOZ Ladies Night!

 It's HOZ Ladies Night!

Last Friday was the first ladies night of the year and we had a great turn out.  Twenty-eight women showed up ready to get to know other ladies and put their game faces on.  With seven tables of four, each team rotated through different games, accumulating points as they went.  Laughter, food and fun competition were all present.

 The night ended with a hysterical game of I NEVER.  I loved seeing women sitting on the edge of their seats ready to run across the room to find an empty chair or fighting each other off for a free seat. 

Thank you for all your prayers.  Nothing makes my heart so glad, as to see women begin to connect with each other and for friendships to start.  It was a great beginning where memories were made and friendships began.  Our next event is set for the beginning of June, please continue to pray that the Lord will continue to knit our hearts together.

"Not by works but by HIM who calls" (Rom. 9:12)

I find myself thrust into situations/seasons, that are not familiar, where I have to step into a role that is not comfortable or known to me.  It is good but I often find myself fighting thoughts of, 'What am I doing? I don't know how to do this? I know how I've lived in the past but this new life You're calling me to is VERY unfamiliar.  Are you sure I am the one that should be doing this?'

As these thoughts come, I can't help but think about Esther.  A woman who was a commoner, living with her uncle, unknown by most people.  Next thing she knows, Esther is standing before the King, dressed in royal clothes and a crown being placed on her head.  I can only imagine the thoughts racing through her mind the first time she dressed in her royal robe. 

"Me?! I don't  know how to walk in these shoes or the proper way to stand in the court.  Everyone is going to know that I am not of noble blood.  I feel like an imposter."

As the scene begins to play out in my mind, Jesus so kindly reminded me that it was the king that chose Esther.  It wasn't because of her performance or works or efforts that he called her to be his queen.  And so is true of me.  The King of Kings chose Me, and this is where my confidence should be placed.  It wasn't because of my resume of good deeds that has gotten me to this point, but rather it's because My King chose ME for such a time as this.

As Jesus kindly reminded me of His calling on my life, He also spoke confidently that if I have called you, you then can confidently walk into any situation or season, because I have given you authority and I have clothed you with your true identity.  Do not go back to the former things but press in for what I have for you now.  For soon you will not remember the Hosanna of old, but only know yourself as royalty.

"I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth" (Romans 9:17).

Testimony in the Making

Jesus is training me in a new way of life, the life of faith.  I was sitting at my desk sending out a round of support letters.  And my mind was swarming with thoughts of how am I going to be able to pay all my bills and find an apartment with an unknown income.

For someone who has always had a fixed income to budget and her Dave Ramsey envelopes to fill, this can now be difficult when you have no numbers to plug into your handy, dandy excel budget sheet. 

In the midst of all these thoughts, my phone rings (don't you love timing?!) and it's an unknown number.  Usually, I let it go to voice mail and return it when after I hear the message, but today I decided to pick it up.

"Hosanna, this is Karen.  You interviewed with us a couple of months ago and we would like to offer you a job."

What?!  A job with a FIXED income?!

Honestly, the first thought that came to my mind was 'how can I get back all the letters I sent out?'  However, soon as the thought came, the Lord quickly reminded me, 'I HAVE YOU.'

Graciously I declined the job offer and let them know I had already taken another position. 

As I hung up the phone, I sat back in my chair and was overwhelmed with emotion.  My life of faith has officially begun.

'Jesus, we are really doing this!  I am stepping out into the complete unknown, into a place that doesn't make sense to my logic wanting mind.'  And a flood of peace came over me. 

I don't understand how this is all going to work but I KNOW the ONE who does KNOW IT ALL, JESUS. 

A good friend of mine said to me, "Hosanna, when we experience moments that don't make sense at all and the only way they are going to work is if God does a miracle, these moments are all TESTIMONIES IN THE MAKING."

So true!  With that said, this is only the beginning of my testimony of God providing in radical ways for me.  I can't wait to share with you how the rest of the story unfolds :)

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His WORD that I am clinging to...

"The Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We don't know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And he who searches our hearts know the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."  Romans 8:26-27

It is so comforting to know that the Spirit prays for ME.  I don't know what I should be praying in this moment besides the basics but He does.  Jesus is SO good to me!

"If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his won Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"  Romans 8:31

The enemy can so quickly put doubts in my mind causing me to question if God is really going to provide for me...but THIS verse combats that lie with the TRUTH of how God loves me.

"In ALL these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."  Romans 8:37

I am MORE than a conqueror in Christ.  He already has my living situation figured out, my finances for what I need to live, all I need to do is lean on Him.  He's got me!

This is how it all began...