"Multiplied" by Needtobreathe

Amazing song that captures it all - my love for the Lord! Oh my God! Your love is absolutely amazing and utterly indescribable! Who am I without you or your love? I prais4e you my God and your purpose!

#LoverofHispresence #IHaveSurrendered #Thankful #Blessings #Love #God #Hallelujah

Your love is like radiant diamonds
Bursting inside us we cannot contain
Your love will surely come find us
Like blazing wild fires singing Your name

God of mercy sweet love of mine
I have surrendered to Your design
May this offering stretch across the skies
And these Halleluiahs be multiplied

WATCH THE VIDEO!! http://youtu.be/fGF-MGGLpB0


Read more: Needtobreathe - Multiplied Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Needtobreathe. Youtube. 13 June 2014. Web. 23 June 2014. http://youtu.be/fGF-MGGLpB0.

Happy Mother's Day!

This Mother's Day was an amazing day spent with my 2 Moms. It began at Covenant Church with an awesome worship service & also where my Mom was awarded as a "TOP MOM!" Then we had a wonderful lunch at Dos Charros & rented a redbox. I can never thank you enough Mom for your sacrifice every day in caring for me. You mean so much to me. You have my heart Mom! You too Second Mom.

My Top Mom Submission:

Where do I even begin?
Not a single word I could ever speak could begin to explain how amazing my Mom is and how she truly goes above and beyond in every way. She is an extraordinary mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, caregiver, and woman of God.
I was in a car crash 9 years ago with an 18-wheeler and almost died. In fact, I did die four times but God breathed life back into me and I'm forever grateful that He did because it is through such life that I learned how incredibly blessed I am, how much God loves me, and how much my family loves me. I was in inpatient recovery hospitalization for 5 months (in 4 different hospitals) and my Mom was with me every step of the way, every day. Nearly every night, she stayed in the cot next to my hospital bed and every day, she was persistently advocating, motivating, praying, and speaking life over me and still does to this day. In a place and state full of despair and can'ts, she reminded me that I still have a purpose and to keep my faith. When it was time to come home from the hospital, my loving Mom quit her job of nearly 25 years to become my full-time caregiver, a tremendous sacrifice. She released all of who she was and wanted to be - completely dropped it - to take care of me. She not only cooked and cleaned the house but now also dressed and undressed me, cleaned me when I messed on myself, bathed me, fed me, changed my catheters, turned me in the bed at night to prevent pressure sores (as did my Dad and boyfriend), and all the other many little (and big) things that able-bodied persons and families could not even imagine. She does and does and does for me and others until she can do no more and then, hunched over from exhaustion and grimacing from aching feet, still asks if there is anything else she can do. She is an absolute blessing. Her heart and spirit radiates and captivates the world around her. She gives and serves so much to those in need but hardly ever takes time for herself. I began my response in saying that words cannot express the kind of woman that my Mom is and I conclude with that same declaration. My Mom is so special, so deserving, so wonderful of a person and I just want her to know how much her love and sacrifice means to me. It is through her sacrifice and love that God revealed Himself to me and helped me to truly understand His love and who He is. "Greater love has no man than he who lays down his life." She lays down her life every day.

THANK YOU COVENANT CHURCH MCKINNEY!

Live.In.Peace Aunt Lillian

My Great Aunt Lillian Nix passed away today. This picture was taken in late 2010. I remember how appreciative and happy she was that we came to see her. Her smile was contagious. Live in peace Aunt Lillian! Love you!

Live.In.Peace Mr. Robert Milam: 3/15/1945 - 3/20/2014

Mr. Robert Milam, a good friend and Meals On Wheels client of mine, passed away Thursday. He had a beautiful heart and spirit and was confident in who his God is! He had a lot of medical diagnoses and had been in quite a bit of pain for a long time. I just spoke with his daughter and she told me that his organs shut down. One thing I know though is he is in NO more pain and is with our Lord Jesus! God bless you Mr. Milam! Till we meet again! :)

 Obituary

Live.In.Peace Uncle Cecil

My Great Uncle Cecil passed away today. Incredibly blessed to know you and have a relationship with you. Love you so much Uncle Cecil. Looking forward to seeing your beautiful smile again one day!!

Live.In.Peace Aunt Carol: 4/15/1937 - 1/1/2014

My Great Aunt Carol Nix went to heaven early this morning. She was a wonderful person with a wonderful heart. My Mom, Uncle Marty, Aunt Lana, and I had the privilege to visit her this week and pray with her; a memory I will always cherish. Also, she LOVED the Cowboys! Love her and love you family. Praying for all of you.

Photos taken 6/2013. Aunt Carol is in the blue.
Obituary

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 13

Day 13: I am thankful for being blessed with such a great extended family! Thank you all who have been a part of my life before my accident, (especially) those who were there for my family and I when I was in the hospital, those who have visited me since my accident, and those who are there for us today. Your love and thoughtfulness mean so much to me! Happy Thanksgiving family! Love you!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 12

Day 12: I am thankful for my amazing friends - those who visited my family and I while I was in the hospital, those who knew me before my car accident and have been a part of my life these past 8 years, and those friends who God has brought into my life (or back into my life) since my accident. You all are such blessings to me, more than you know. What words could I form to express my gratefulness for you? Your love, compassion, kindness, prayers, faith, support, and time . . . Not just anyone can be the type of person you are and the friend that you have been to me. No, you are special. You each have an amazing heart. I praise God for all of you, especially those who are there for me today and help me when necessary! With all sincerity, thank you.

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 9

Day 9: I am thankful for my church Covenant Church McKinney! I started attending this church in 2010 and since then, have grown tremendously in my faith and knowledge of my God and my self. There is something so amazing and awesome about this church. You can feel it when you enter - the people, the atmosphere, the worship team, the worship music, the sermons, and the prayers - something about this church just strikes you and penetrates through to your heart. All stress, worry, and burdens lift upon entering. As soon as the music begins . . . boom! That "something" hits you again and you realize what it is: God, like never before! His presence is so thick, so captivating, and so real at this church. You can't help but release all the pain, hurt, and struggle you have up to God and as you do, there is an instant feeling of His love, peace, joy, healing, and restoration. Such a transaction in itself is a miracle. I have grown so much, in so many ways, the past 3 years from being a part of this church. I now am confident of who my God is and who I want to be and I owe it, in large part, to this church. Much love to my Covenant family!

http://www.covenantmckinney.org/ 

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 8

Day 8: I am thankful for my morning caregiver and friend Teresa Mitchell! She has worked for me nearly every week day for 3.5 years (on/off). She comes in early, lets Buster out, stretches my legs, helps me with my catheter, waits a good 10 minutes for me to decide what to wear (lol), dresses me, helps me get into my chair with a slider board, fixes my hair, helps me with breakfast, does housework that I could do if I was able, picks up everything I drop, and helps take me to school and to run errands. She does so much for me, is the best one at getting me up, the best one at making my favorite breakfast, and can always keep herself busy. She does things for me and for others that go unnoticed and even though she knows this, she continues to do them. May God BLESS you for this Teresa and flood your life with mighty breakthroughs! May He reveal to you who you are to Him - beautifully and wonderfully made! Love you!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 5

Day 5: I am thankful for my sister Natacha Winchester! She is my only sibling and because of that has made an even greater impression on my life. I have always looked up to her and admired the person she is. When I had my accident, she moved in our house for 2 years to help take care of me and even when she moved out, she continued (along with my Mom and Billy) to help shower me and do my shower program every other night (which is BIG!). I appreciate her, respect her, always go to her for advice, love spending time with her, and cannot help but have fun when with her. She is beautiful inside and out and deserves nothing but the best and happiness. Love you sister so much!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 4

Day 4: I am thankful for my Dad Gerry Winchester! Where do I begin? One thing I love about him is how affectionate and loving he is. He displays how a woman should be treated, has the best hugs, and doesn't hold back from telling me he loves me and is proud of me! I can always feel how grateful he is for me in every hug. He has also always been a great provider, teacher, and encourager to strive for the prize. He has instilled in me a strong work ethic, character, perseverance, compassion, a foundation of faith, and a little bit of OCD :) I appreciate him, love him dearly, and wouldn't trade him for the world! Xoxo Dad!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 3

Day 3: I am thankful for my loving family and boyfriend who remain by my side. They are my number one supporters in every way. They always have been. Today, I dedicate to my Mom. She truly goes above and beyond for me and does things for me that no one else will do. Without hesitation, she quit her full-time job to become my caregiver. The four months I was in the hospital, she spent the night with me nearly every night. She does and does for me until she can do no more and then still asks if I need help with anything. She has a beautiful heart, tries her best to help everyone she can, loves God, and always provides a positive outlook on every situation. Oh and she's got this crazy sense of humor that rocks also! She is my best friend and is absolutely amazing and I love her so much! God tremendously blessed me when He gave me her as a mother!

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 1

I've decided to jump on the 30 days of Thanksgiving! 

Day 1: I am thankful for my Father, Christ, & Holy Spirit. When I rededicated my life (a couple years after my accident), I finally reached that point where I was ready to give up my self and live for God. I asked God to reveal Himself to me, my purpose, and how much He loves me. The experiences I've had; the revelations, prophetic words, and spiritual gifts I've received, and all the prayers that are beyond coincidence that I have seen answered ... I could never deny Him or live without him. And although this life with paralysis is difficult, I would never go back. I didn't know who I was, I didn't grasp the love of my God or family, I took EVERYTHING for granted, and I lived for MYSELF, never satisfied. I was broken, shamed, abused, and discarded by the world. God has shown me who I am and who I'm not, what's important and what isn't, and most importantly, who HE IS. Oh His love and presence... they absolutely captivate me. You have my heart God. Truly. I love you.

Beautiful Pay-It-Forward Story

When I woke up this morning, I opened my Yahoo! homepage to this story. 

After experiencing the sudden passing of their 18-year-old daughter Alyssa Josephine O'Neill, this couple decided to bless 40 people in honor of their daughter by paying-it-forward at a Starbucks and it caught on - everywhere! May this story inspire your heart!

http://shine.yahoo.com/ellen-good-news/parents-pay-forward-pumpkin-spice-lattes-221300973.html

Ellen's Good News. "Parents Pay it Forward with Pumpkin Spice Lattes." Yahoo! Shine. 27 September 2013. Web. 28 September 2013. <http://shine.yahoo.com/ellen-good-news/parents-pay-forward-pumpkin-spice-lattes-221300973.html>

We Must Strive Harder to Be and Live as Great Examples

I was reminded yesterday that there is always someone watching and observing the people we are and the lives we lead and that is why it is so important to lead an exemplary life - one you are proud of and one that encourages and inspires greatness. Our behaviors, attitudes, words, and interests reveal who we are - our strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, goals, and priorities in life.

The people who are in our lives are in our lives for a reason. We have been purposely placed at the locations we live, work, and frequent for a reason and these reasons are much greater than ourselves. May we recognize this fact and live as so. These people and places are our spheres of influence and you hold the power of the way they are influenced.

A friend once told me that there are three things we can do for a person - make them feel the same, worse, or better. The fantastic thing about this is, in most cases, we already know the potential consequences (good and bad) that a spoken word, behavior, or reaction can bring and make someone feel. That is the hard part and it is already done! We have been given the ability to recognize good and evil and right and wrong. May we take control of this ability and utilize it!

One of my speaking points is we only have one life, one body, and one chance to make the best decision in every situation. There is no going back. We cannot undo what we say, a decision we have made, or an impression we have given and we live in a society that is unforgiving and remembers every time you fall; every time you fail to meet perfection.

Your children, spouse, parents, co-workers, friends, neighbors, and community are your sphere of influence. It is time for us to stand up, rid ourselves of the things that hinder and corrupt us, and strive without ceasing to be and live as great examples and as the men and women God has created us to be because there are too many who are lost, who do not know God's love, and who are looking for "something" to fill and satisfy their void. These people in your sphere of influence - their lives, future, and very being - desperately depend on you and need to see God in you. So show them greatness. Show them love. Show how God has changed you. 

What is the point in all of this?

- Live a life that inspires.

- Live a life that encourages.

- Live a life that brings out the best in others.

- Live a life where God's love, fruit, and Spirit shines bright, radiates, and completely captivates others.

- Be an example.

As you do this, watch how you are strengthened and changed. This reward is as sweet as honey.

Red Cross

My heart goes out to these families and towns. As one of my Meals On Wheels clients put it, "We are one body, united. We are all affected and must pray for one another daily." Makes our daily struggles look insignificant in comparison. May we do more than pray but also learn from this, especially how truly blessed we are, and do what we can to help. Let's be the love our fellow Americans who were impacted by this need!

www.redcross.org

Go and Be Event - Helping and Meeting the Needs of McKinney Residents

Go and Be is a whole event where we deploy all our 3e McKinney partner churches to make a statement: there's a God in heaven who loves the people of this community, and we get to bring people that news through our humble acts of service. Let's join together as families, groups and as church family to serve our local communities with outrageous service, bringing a little bit of heaven to earth. This year, our primary focus will be on revitalizing one specific area in east McKinney, the Rockwall community. As we partner with the City of McKinney, 3e McKinney, Habitat for Humanity and Volunteer McKinney, we are accepting a God-sized challenge to show the love of Christ by renovating 25-30 homes.

  

April 20, 2013   this will be prep. Day for the projects, cleanup, power washing and some construction and scraping.  Getting ready for the paint to go on the home.

April 27, 2013 will be the big day.  One of the major projects will be painting, also landscaping and maybe some construction.

For those that want to meet the residents and not paint, we will also do surveys that day. I will provide a quick training class on how to complete form so ask for me.  So this is just walking house to house talking and blessing the people of the community.

All events start at 8 am and go to 4pm each day, but come when you can and leave when it is needed.

Please visit the 3e website to sign up as a volunteer or you can contact Leroy Smith.

Tentatively we are supposed to park in a truck parking lot at 800 elm st, mckinney

Smith, Leroy. "Go & Be Event." Message to Tonya Winchester. 15 April 2013. E-mail. 

Thank you for helping!! I can guarantee you will be blessed!!

Encouraging Pastor Warren, His Family, and His Church

Interested in encouraging and helping Pastor Rick Warren (who recently lost his son), his family, and his church? You can!

Statement from Pastor Rick Warren:

Dear Friends,
Kay and I have been overwhelmed by your outpouring of love since Matthew’s tragic death. You are true friends, especially with the vitriol from haters we’ve received. Friends show up when others walk away.
If you missed what happened, click here to read my letter.

You’ve asked, “Is there anything we can do to help you?”

The answer is yes! We could use your help right now in FIVE PRACTICAL WAYS:

1. Sign a petition that urges educators, lawmakers, healthcare, and congregations to raise the awareness and lower the stigma of mental illness, and also to support families that are dealing with mental illness on a daily basis. Thanks for adding your voice!

2. Offer your help and prayers to those around you who are caring for mentally ill family and friends. They need your encouragement more than you realize

3. Fight mental illness with an online gift to The Matthew Warren Fund for Mental Health. Your gift is tax-deductible. Or, you may mail a check to
The Matthew Warren Fund
Saddleback Church
1 Saddleback Parkway
Lake Forest, CA 92630.

4. Send a note of encouragement and sympathy.

Pastor Warren's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pastorrickwarren
Pastor Warren's email: PastorRick@saddleback.com
Or mail a card to the above address.

5. PRAY

We are reading every note. We’d love to hear from you here on Facebook, or you can email us at PastorRick@saddleback.com. Your prayers and words continue to strengthen us.

Pastor Rick

Warren, Rick. "Join Us In the Fight Against Mental Illness." Saddleback Church. 13 April 2013. Web. 15 April 2013. .

Pastor Rick Warren's Son Passed Away

Pastor Rick Warren's son passed away Saturday after an unfortunate decision to commit suicide. I have never met Pastor Warren or his son but I respect him and his beliefs and have joyfully been subscribed to his daily email devotionals for several years. Please keep Pastor Warren, his family, and his church in your prayers.

http://news.yahoo.com/church-pastor-rick-warrens-son-commits-suicide-211206608.html

Father,

We lift up Pastor Warren, his family, and his church to you and pray in the name of Jesus for your healing power to cover them, guide them, and bring them through this as stronger and greater for your purposes. We ask that you fill them with supernatural strength, endurance, perseverance, courage, and encouragement. In their weakness, sadness, and misunderstanding, may they look to you. May they remain focused on you God, trust that you have their best interest at heart, and grow in unsurpassable ways. Father let them feel your holy presence. At a time when all eyes are on them Father, we pray that their faith will not fail and that their love and trust in you will shine even brighter. Father we pray against all spiritual attack, hindrances, and harm on the family in the name of Jesus and pray for your mighty protection over their minds, hearts, and bodies. We know you have a purpose in this that exceeds our knowledge and we trust in you God for you are good. Father thank you for your love and for answering our prayers. In Jesus' name, Amen.