The Year 2010

Hello after a long, long, long silence!!!
It has been a year filled with greater excitement and immeasurable blessings of our Great High King. So what is new in my life!!! OMG!! Where do I begin. About a year ago, precisely on the night of November 28th, 2009, I met my husband-to-be on the staircase of a friend's house. What a miracle!!! I often prayed that God would drop my husband in my arms and He practically did that. On that God delivered Prince, my amazing husband, into my arms and it has been a love story written by only him ever since.

It is amazing how God does things when the timing and the place is perfect and according to his plan because approximately 17day later on December 15th, 2009 (my birthday), Prince proposed and ask me to be his lifetime partner. Such joy!! Such perfect mystery unfolded by God himself. It was the best thing ever. The year followed with so many celebrations leading up to our wedding day.

On 02/21/2010, Prince and I were traditionally engaged!!
On 04/12/2010, Prince went down on one knee and proposed again with a beautiful ring.
On 09/24/2010, Prince and I were traditionally married!!!

And then at 11AM on Saturday, September 25th, 2010, I walked down the aisle to meet the love of my love and an hour later, we were joined together in the three-stranded cord love of God that can never be broken. Just about that time, we shared our first kiss and it was magical....words cannot describe. :)
It was beautiful day with clear blue skies and the sun shining so beautifully (a cool 77oF breeze on our faces)

Meeting my husband has thought one thing and that is this....I WILL NEVER DOUBT GOD EVER AGAIN IN MY LIFE. This is so true because, I trusted God for a man such as Prince, a humble, zealous, God-fearing, gentle, compassionate, handsome lover and leader and He gave me all of my heart's desires and more. Our theme throughout our wedding was based on Psalm 37:4 "Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of Your Heart" and that was exactly what happened. AMEN!!!!

I share this with joy and I pray that you will find joy in our Savior because He is truly a Promise Keeper. I pray your year was splendid in its own special blessed way.

Love & Blessings
Me

Seeking God's Face

What does it mean to seek God's face and to know His heart. I am not not quite sure, so I am embarking on a journey to know God in a deeper intimate way. I want to know His love for me so passionately because I am convinced that when we know His love, then life will be less complicated than it is already.

I want to fall deeper in love with my Father

I want to know Jesus passionately

I want to in tune with the Holy Spirit

I pray for discipline and strength to go through this.
Thank you Father!!!

We Should Let the Lord "Have HIs Way"

I heard Britt Nicole's song and it really ministered to my heart.
It certainly did convict me, broke some walls and floodgates inside of me and made me realise that I had to really have not let God have His way in my life in all moments.
I hope the lyrics minister to you as much as it did to me.

Feels like I have been here before

Why can't you just intervene,

Do you see the tears are falling?

And I'm falling apart at the seams,

But you never said the road would be easy,

But you said that you would never leave.

And you never promised that this life wasn't hard,

But you promised you'd take care of me,

So I'll stop searching for the answers,

I'll stop praying for an escape,

I'll trust you God with where I am,

And believe you will have your way,

Just have your way, Just have your way,"

Sense and Sensibility

So I was watching Sense and Sensibility the other day (the version with Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson and oh..............Kate Winslet) and I starting to think of our Abba Father as I follwed some of the characters.

The story is centered about the Dashwood girls which include Elinor (sensible and level-headed), Marianne (seriously unbalanced with a majorly unguarded heart = BAD NEWS) and Margaret (the baby of the family).

The character who spoke to me the most was Colonel Brandon, a older gentleman who is seriously attracted to Marianne Dashwood,but whom unfortunately does not return these feelings. Rather, Miss Marianne falls in love with another character who later betrays her which leads to her falling terribly ill to the point of death. Through all of this, Colonel Brandon loves her no less and stays by her side because his love for her is to strong to keep him away from her.
Thankfully, Marianne recovers and realizes the fickleness of her heart. Colonel Brandon does not admonish her but continues to love her no less. there is the final happy ending when the movie ends with Marianne and Colonel Brandon walking out of the chapel HAPPILY MARRIED!!!!

So, what is my point??? Hmmm!!! Well, you see, that is how our Abba Father loves us. He never leaves our side even when we are chasing after false love, false hope and fickle ambitions, ignoring His every attempt to show us what TRUE LOVE is!!!! When we have run and chased and exhausted ourselves and failed and finally realised how foolish we have been, he welcomes us with open arms and loves us like new, giving us a life that we can never dream or imagine in a zillion years.

I love that I am loved by the creater of love!!!
I love you DADDY!!!

Oh Boy!!! I have been a SLACKER!!!

Indeed, I have been a slacker!!
I was just visiting my blogspot and realized that I have not written any thing since January!!! :(
I wonder how life could be so busy that I cannot find 5 mins to share my daily journey with my Papa God!!! Hmmmmmmm..................

It has been a fast couple of months and I cannot begin to tell you all that has happen. It almost seems like a movie when I pause sometimes to reflect on all that has gone by!!! There is one thing I know though, and it is that , my God has been soooooo FAITHFUL!!!!

Faithful in his LOVE for me!!!

Faithful in the GRACE he bestows upon me each day!!!

Faithful in his PEACE that I cannot live without!!!

Faithful in his COMFORT which I have needed many times!!!

All I know is that I am truly blessed and I have a LEGITIMATE GOD who loves me passionately and is FAITHFUL!!!! :):)

I am not making any promises but it is my prayer that I am motivated to post on this blogspot, the words my Papa shares with me!!

Blessings!!!

Greater Things are yet to Come!!!!!!!

Happy Wednesday,
What a joyous day to be alive and to know that our God is still God today. What an honor and priviledge to know Him and to live in His love.

Everytime I hear the song "God of this City" by Chris Tomlin, I am deeply inspired to know that God is not done with His children; that He has great plans in store for us. That, the promises He has made to us will come true and are starting to be manifested in our lives if we will only make room for Him in our lives.

I am encouraged everytime I hear it and I wanted to share it with you. I pray it will minister to your spirit.
Blessings :):)

GOD OF THIS CITY by Chris Tomlin

You’re the God of this city

You’re the King of these people

You’re the Lord of this nation, You are

You’re the light in this darknessY

ou’re the hope to the hopeless

You’re the peace to the restless, You are

There is no one like our God

There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come

And greater things are still to be done in this city

For greater things have yet to come

And greater things have still to be done in this city

For greater things have yet to come

And greater things are still to be done in this city

For greater things have yet to come

And greater things are still to be done here

There is no one like our God

There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come

And great things are still to be done in this city

MIGHTY is my GOD :)

I just had to share this verse today!!!!

Isaiah 55:8-9

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Stay blessed!! :):)

My Agenda or His? I Choose Dad's

Psalm 119: 124-125 from the Message Bible reads "Let your love dictate how you deal with me; teach me from your textbook on life. I'm your servant—help me understand what that means, the inner meaning of your instructions.

Do you often go to God with your agenda for the day and then ask Him to bless it? What about the agenda for your life, your future? I am guilty as charged!!!!!!!!!!

I can only imagine the surprises I have missed out on because I was so focused on my own agenda. I wonder if Daddy just chuckles and says, "well, I will let her make her choices and have her way...my surprise will have to wait." I do not want to miss out anymore.

The Lord shared Psalm 119: 124-125 with me this morning and I was convicted and humbled to want to come before the Lord in LOVE with the readiness to learn more about God and from God each and everyday of my life. I no longer want to present my own agenda for my life. He is the author of life as we know it, and who is more qualified to teach than He.

It is my prayer that I will daily go into the presence of the Lord in love, ready to learn from Him, receive from Him, be obedient to His teachings and his leading and to allow Him to fill my heart with abundant LOVE & JOY!!!

Is there Happily Ever After? I believe so!!!

One of my favorite christian authors are Eric and Leslie Ludy with books including "When God writes your love story" "When dreams come true" "Authentic Beauty" and such.

Leslie Ludy has her own ministry targeting at young women and she usually blogs on her website. I found this recent blog as I was browsing her website the other day and I loved what she wrote so much that I had to re-post it and share with everyone.

For all my married friends, I hope this will energize you inyour relationships. For my single pals, let this ignite intense passion in your heart to pray specifically for a future spouse who loves the Lord more than anything else. For me, it does not only give me hope, I am excited for what the Lord has in store for me. WAHOOO!!!!

Leslie Ludy's blog - Celebrating Happily Ever After

December is always a big month of celebration for us. Eric and I met on December 15th. We got married several years later on December 10th. Our birthdays are in December, just one day apart. Our first child, Hudson, was born in December. And of course we have the biggest celebration of all – remembering Jesus’ birth. So December is a whole month of special dinners, parties and presents in the Ludy home.

This December 10th was our fourteenth wedding anniversary. When people first meet us and find out we’ve been married fourteen years, they usually gasp and exclaim, “You don’t look old enough to have been married so long!” Which I always take as a compliment! But honestly, I don’t think people’s surprise comes as much from us looking young, but rather from our attitude and approach toward life and marriage. People who have been married longer than ten years aren’t expected to be passionately in love and super-enthusiastic about marriage the way Eric and I are. Rather than treating our marriage as same-old, same-old, we are excited about our ongoing love story, even after fourteen years. That, I think, is what takes people so off guard.

When Eric and I were newlyweds people would always tell us, “Sure, you are young and in love right now, but just wait a year or two. Pretty soon the romance will fade.” We would argue back and say that if God is at the center of a marriage, the romance only grows more beautiful with time. But only having a few months of marriage to our credit, people didn’t take our youthful ideals very seriously.

Now, though, it’s a different story – because we have a track record of fourteen years. We have seen through personal experience that when God is given first place in a marriage, the romance doesn’t fade. Eric and I are far more in love with each other now than when we were first together. And with each passing day, our romance flourishes and our appreciation for each other deepens. Just last night, after the kiddos were in bed, we sat in the kitchen and talked for two hours. We talked about life, about faith, about our hopes for the future and about all God has done this year. We truly are best friends, and we never run out of things to talk about. We never grow tired of each other’s company. We never need a break from being together. And we don’t complain and gripe about the other person behind each other’s back. Instead, we build each other up. In fact, for my birthday this year, Eric wrote the absolute sweetest blog ever – click here for a peek.

I believe strongly that Eric and I weren’t just “lucky in love.” We didn’t just happen to get a great marriage. Rather, we invited the Author of romance into our relationship from the very beginning. And we have allowed Him to remain at the center for the past fourteen years. We have made our romance with Him an even higher priority than our romance with each other. And as we’ve grown closer to Him, we’ve naturally grown closer together. The more we make Him our first love, the more we are able to love and serve each other with His selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, rather than basing our romance on the unstable ups and downs of human emotion. This is not to say we never have misunderstandings or that we never have to ask each other’s forgiveness for being insensitive or selfish in our actions. But honestly, after fourteen years, I can say without question that a marriage scripted by God is truly a marriage worth waiting for.

Eric and I have faced many battles, challenges, struggles, and heartaches over our fourteen years together. But our struggles have not been with each other. Rather, because of the strength of our marriage, we’ve been able to stand shoulder to shoulder and face trials and challenges as a team. Each difficult circumstance has only served to strengthen our love, unity and commitment to each other. That’s the beauty of God’s ways.

I hope that as Eric and I celebrate our fourteen years together, you will be encouraged that modern-day fairy tales really do exist, when Jesus Christ is given His rightful place. Our God is in the business of happily ever after tales – all we must do is give Him the pen.

p.s. though this blog wasn’t really about Christmas – I hope and pray you had a wonderful time of rejoicing in the birth of our Savior, and that you will ring in the New Year with great hope and expectation for all that lies ahead in God’s amazing endless frontier!

A New Year!!! Are you ready for an adventure!!!!

Happy Happy Happy New Year!!!!
It has been sooooo long and I need to make a new resolution to blog more often.
It has been an exciting 2008 with many new adventures and blessings and there is so many stories to share. We will have make a coffee date sometime to chat so taht I can tell you all about it!!! :)

I am certainly looking forward to the new year.............2009. For the first time in my life, I did not enter the new year going before God and placing my requests. No, this time, I said, "Father, USE ME for your GLORY and your KINGDOM!!! That is my prayer!!!!

I am looking forward to a year of sharing what God lays on my heart in the moments I share with him, allowing His sweet Spirit to minister to me!!!

Are you ready for an adventure, because I am.

Lots of blessings!!!

Behold Woman!!! A Creation of Beauty

A friend of mine shared this quote with me a couple of weeks ago and I remembered it today, so I decided to share.

“A woman’s heart should be so close to god that a man has to seek God in order to find her.”

“So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. And the LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. And the man said, "This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." (Genesis 2:21-24 NASB)

While God created the world and all it contains, He did something a little special when He made woman. The NASB translation says He fashioned Eve. He didn't simply make you -- He fashioned you with extra special care and meticulous detail. You are a thing of beauty, a sight to behold, and one of His most spectacular masterpieces - a work of art, a valuable original, a one of a kind.

BE BLESSED!!!

Another Day, Another Blessing!!!

It is a cloudy and rainy day here in Saint Louis and I am wondering if the whole of winter will be this dreary!!! I hope not!!! If there is something about me that you should know, it is that I love light, I LOOOVVVVVEEEEEE light, sunshine and anything that is BRIGHT!!!!

I am not the most productive person when it is cloudy and dark outside at a time when I know it should be sunny!!! Often, I try to find the excuse of not getting my work done on a day like this but I am learning that I have the power to rebuke the spirit of laziness.

The Lord has given me the power of hardwork, inspiration and of wisdom and these are all tools to shape my day into what the Lord wants to use me for. As a princess, I have a job to do both in my spiritual and physical career and there is no room for laziness or complacency or for excuses.
I am challenged to step beyond the pessimism of a dull, rainy day and look at it from a positive view; it may be that plants need alternative days of sunshine and no sunshine in order to grow and bloom better, maybe, I guess so:):)

It is a definitely another day but it is most certainly another blessing of life from my King.
WAHOOOO!!!!!

Loads of love & blessings!!!

Hello

Hello there,
Today I decided that I wanted to start blogging!!! LOL!!!
It is amazing how I can wake up and just come up with crazy ideas but the more and more I am growing in my walk in the Lord, I am learning that most, if not all the great ideas that come to my head are the desires and inspirations, my father God fills my heart with.

Over the last year, my father God has been showing me what he means by a love relationship with him, and though I am so slow and so reluctant at times, I am finding myself falling deeper and deeper in love with him everyday.

The love and emotions I feel are too good to keep it all to myself and I felt blogging is an excellent way to share this; it is also a wonderful way to document the daily adventures with my Lord and King so that I will never forget.

Daughter or Son of a Great High King, if you are here reading this, WELCOME!! AKWAABA!!!

MY thoughts on November 4th, 2008

Whoa, what a night. I cannot begin to describe the emotions, the feelings, the thoughts and I just want to write it all down before I forget.

Last night was more than a victorious night; it was a remarkable, life-changing and an extraordinary night. Senator Barack Obama became the first African-American President-Elect of the United States of America. OMG!!!! is all I can say!!! I am soooo excited!!!!

I have been praying that the Lord will let the right person win this election and I told God that whoever He picked, I will respect and I will know that He has a plan for that President’s life. Last night, as I saw how the electoral map changed colors and the landslide by which Senator Barack Obama won, I knew that God wanted this to happen.
There were no “It’s too close to call” moments; there was no “this is going to be a tight race” moment. No, none of that, it was smooth, it was safe and it felt right.

Originally, I thought it was going to be a long night and I had planned to bake a cake as I waited the night, guess what, the night was over even before I started to bake. LOL!!! One moment, Obama was at 207 electoral votes and then I blinked for a moment and he was the next President-Elect. WOW!!!! I cannot say it enough, WOW!!!!

Let me pause for a moment here and say this, I have such a new-found love and a different level of respect for Senator John McCain. The man gave such an honorable speech last night, he re-gained all my respect. Senator John McCain, I commend you!!!!

Then it was time for President-Elect Barack Obama’s speech, at which point, my sister who I was on the phone with, hanged up on me and said, “He is coming up, Bye.” LOL!!! As I listened to this man, I knew that this is the man the Lord wants to lead this country.

His words “And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too” communicated the heart of this man.

His speech could have been one of those that talk about victory and present a magical future because of a victory, but no, it presented honesty and humility!!! What a man!!!
When he said “This is your victory”, that was when I balled. To think that not just America but the world has come this far!!!! Whoa!!!

I watched people of all walks of life and all races hug and shed tears as they watched this man give his speech at Grant’s Park and something inside of me told me that, for all the yuck that has transpired in this country, it all had to happen to get us to this moment. (Double OMG moment!!!)

As I was having my time with the Lord this morning, he spoke to me and said, “Orie, I want you to promise me that you will pray for Barack Obama every single day from now through the entire 4-year term!!!” Yes, Obama will need prayer for every path and direction he chooses from now on. He will need prayer that he is filled with the wisdom of God and the intuition from the Holy Spirit every single day. He needs prayer that he is surrounded by advisors who are men of God. He needs prayers for protection and safety everyday.
Some may think that the hard part if over, but oh no, it is yet to begin and we need to be hopeful each day both physically and spiritually!!!

For those, who have disliked Senator Obama because of his stand in the Abortion Rights issue, this is what I say, “instead of you being so angry, why don’t you get down on your knees and pray that God will change his heart about this issue.” Turn your cynicism into passion for prayer and let the peace of God fill you!!!

For those, who insult him and judge him, have you looked in the mirror this morning!! I did and guess what I saw, I saw a very imperfect Oriana and I know I have no right to judge anyone. We are all sons and daughters of God and he loves each of us the same. God loves Senator Barack Obama and He also loves Senator John McCain equally!!! Please do let the devil get a hold of you and cause you to judge.

I saw some of the youth in my church make negative comments about Senator Barack Obama on Facebook and they had comments like “We need God” and “we need to pray.” Whoa, if it takes the election of an African-American President to make our children start praying and seeking God, then it was all worth it. Need I say more….. :):):)

I just want to end by saying that, I am so proud of the people of the United States of America and I am so proud to be present in this country and alive to witness this monumental episode in the history of the world. Praise God!!!!

Friend, I challenge you to commit to pray for Senator Barack Obama every single day from this day, please join in the intercessory prayers that will go up every day for this country to move in the right direction.

With lots of love and blessings,
Oriana