Time to say Goodbye

Hi Friends,

As I posted before I feel God has led me away from the Desiring the Rain blog.

It was born and is tied to a different time in my life.  God has pushed me out of my comfort zone once again and I am strapping on my seat belt for an adventure like no other.

In a week I will shut this down but I would like to invite you to join me on my new journey.

The site is up and still needs a little tweaking  If you have some sweet suggestions, let me know.

Here's the link and hope you will join me!

http://cynthiamccutcheon.blogspot.com/

Still desiring the rain but at another location.

Cynthia

Update

Just wanted to give a quick update.

Following God is a must and when He says move you move. 
Therefore God has been urging me to move away from the "Desiring the Rain" blog.

I am in the process of launching a new site.  Once it is up and ready I'll post the link here then after a few weeks I'll shut this one down.

I am so excited about where God is leading me, what He is showing and teaching me and He is challenging me.

Hope you will join me on my continuing journey to be more like Him!

His girl!
Cynthia

Stand up

Stand up, Stand up for Jesus

Ye Soldiers of the cross;

Lift high His royal banner,

It must not suffer loss

Last night these words kept running through my thoughts.

Taking a stand is... hard.

Taking a stand is...something you really wish others would do.

Taking a stand...can leave you...well standing alone.

I have looked to scriptures to see some verses that call us to stand.

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."

Ephesians 6:13-16 

 "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong."

1 Corinthians 16:13



As we are called to take stands we have to put these verses into action. It is an action that readies us for that stand.  First we are to put on the full armor of God.  If you will notice that there is nothing covering the back of the one wearing the armor.  God never made us to turn tail and run.  Instead He calls us to stand in faith, be brave, strong and hold up the shield of faith to quench the fiery darts.  Believe me when you are called to take a stand the fiery darts will fly your way.

I want to encourage you that if you are called to make a stand first make sure it matches up with God's Word, put on the armour of God and make a stand for God.

Recently I have been called to make a stand.  I am so thankful for a faithful God that gives me words to encourage me along the way.  He brought me to this verse...

"Do not be afraid, Just stand still, and watch the Lord rescue you today. 

The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.  The Lord himself will fight for you.  Just stay clam."

Exodus 14:13-14

As I read through these verses I felt God say, "Cynthia can you trust me to fight for you and rescue you?  Will you stay calm and stand for Me?" 

I don't know what or who your Egyptians are but I want to encourage you not to feel trapped but have an attitude like Moses, to stand still and watch the Lord rescue you. 

When God rescues me I will give Him all the glory, will you?

Blessings.

Cynthia

Bold and Stouthearted

Isn’t it interesting that when God wants to tell you something He will keep repeating it until you hear it?


He can be specific to you even if it is in an arena with 8500 other women. That is exactly what happened a few weekends ago at the Beth Moore conference. Imagine if you will how my jaw hit the floor when she stated the topic for the weekend...Fulfilling Your Ministry. I know those sitting around me had to have heard the loud THUD!

Travis began by reading Psalm 138:1-3. Verse three says,

“When I called, you answered me. You made me bold and stouthearted.”

Stouthearted means brave, resolute, dauntless. What a way to call me to worship and seek what God had for me that weekend. I want to be bold and stouthearted. I want to be brave in what He calls me to do. I want to resolve to give it all to Him. I DO NOT want to be intimidated by what lies ahead.

Over the course of the weekend, Beth’s message was on 2 Timothy 4:1-8 and she gave the following 7 points.

1. Adopt a succinct life goal. God had already been working on this with me. I was challenged by a friend to ask others what they saw as my passion and then to create a short phrase capturing what I felt described my ministry. I came up with the tagline…”Stepping out of the Shadows, Into the Word”. That has now become my life goal, to help others step out of the shadows and fall in love with His Word.

2. Acquire the appropriate tools. Her questions that hit home were, “What would it take to do what God has called you to do? What self-discipline would it take?” I have to make up my mind that I will do whatever it takes!

3. Endure the hard for the sake of the good. Learn the art of pure perseverance.

4. Embrace the necessity and complexity of community. We can’t do ministry without people.

5. Accept God’s willing and healing. This was crucial to me. I had to be open to God’s will but not only that I had to let God fully heal the past hurts that I keep getting hung up on.

6. Entrust yourself to a divine “so that”. I have to accept that I went through things “so that” I can minister to others and glorify God.

7. Always and forever, come what may…Keep the Faith.

God is speaking to me ladies. How is He speaking to you? I would love to know what He is saying to you over and over.

Seeking to be stouthearted!

Cynthia

Fear! Just plain ol’ fear!

As I have been posting about this journey I have been leaving one thing out. What I feel God is calling me to do.

Recently a couple of readers have seen me in public and stated, “You just leave us hanging.”

Jokingly I think, “Well that will keep you coming back.” But deep within I know that isn’t the logic at all. It is pure FEAR!

You see if I never post it or say it out loud you can’t hold me accountable or better yet, you can’t shake your head and say “No Way” or look she failed. Believe me, you won’t have to do any of these because I already will have beaten you to it.

What God is calling me to do is so far out of my comfort zone that I have already tried to throw in the towel. I have wanted to crumble what I was working on and throw it in the trash and then walk away. It has been the most trying and humbling experience I have taken on. Then God gave me another verse (don’t you just love His timing!)

“Be strong and courageous and do the work.

Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God is with you.

He will not fail you or forsake you.

He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly.”

1 Chronicles 28:20

That first line got me! As if He were yelling at me “Do the WORK!”

Then He went on to encourage me and although at the time this verse was written it was about the temple in Jerusalem, He assured me that since I am His temple that He will make sure that it is finished correctly.

A friend told me that either I will have to say it on my own or God will make me say it.

So here it is…

God has placed two opportunities in front of me. One not as hard as the other but both are challenging.

The first is to facilitate a blog for women’s ministry leaders within our state. I will be an encourager to ladies that are in leadership and provide training and information along the way. This is very near and dear to me because I see that is a need that I did not have while I was a leader in women’s ministry.

The second is to go into churches and other gathering of ladies to share God’s Word. I lived much of my life in the shadows, the shadows of others and even my insecurities. God gently (ok not always gently) pushed me to step out of the shadows and into the Word. Now He is calling me to share with other ladies how to no longer be shadow dwellers but to live in His light and fall in love His Word.

I do covet your prayers! If I fall on my face please just extend a helping hand up without a shaking head. However, God has been doing some mighty BIG things regarding this so I might get a few scraped knees along the way but I don’t think He is going to bring me this far to let me fall on my face.

Stepping of the Shadows…Into His Word.

Cynthia

Journey or Destination?

I love to travel.

Someone mention road trip and I am trying with everything I’ve got to figure out a way to go.

Recently as my sister and I were talking about a get-away we are taking with our mother, we joked about how our husbands are all about the destination. We on the other hand are just as much about the journey as the destination. I guess we come by in honestly. Our dad is the king of the journey.

Our childhood memories are filled with what we did between points A and B. He was notorious for jumping off the Interstate and getting on the back roads to really experience that area. Oh the things we ventured upon and learned will forever be etched in our minds.

One trip my sons and I were on with my parents is still talked about. We were taking a car trip from Arkansas to Washington D.C. My dad would drive out of the way to visit things like horse farms, log cabins and famous bridges. After many side tours my boys begin to think we were really lost and would never find our final destination. Finally my oldest having so much fun, piped up and said, “Papaw we’ve got all summer to be lost.” Both boys were learning to enjoy the journey. They didn’t have their eyes only fixed on where the trip was suppose to end rather they were experiencing the trip.

This is the same with the journey with God. My heavenly Father is very interested in what lies between points A and B. He is setting me out on a new journey that will have adventures and lessons that will be forever etched in my mind and heart.

As I start out on this pilgrimage, God has provided me with traveling instructions.

Stop at the crossroads and look around.

Ask for the old godly way and walk in it.

Travel it’s path and you will find rest for your soul.

Jeremiah 6:16

I know that as I venture down this new path God has set out for me I will come to crossroads. Each presenting decisions in my route and it is up to me to pick the direction in which to continue. If I seek the godly path and make that course my path I will find rest.

Are you enjoying the journey? Are you more concerned about the destination? I want to encourage you to ask for the godly way and walk in it. You will find rest for your soul!

Enjoying the journey!
Cynthia

Freedom in the Desert

Have you ever seen the movie “Braveheart”? William Wallace, the main character, fights for freedom. It is the one constant push throughout his journey. Oppression heavily placed upon his country by rulers and other countries. But no matter what he encountered, William’s passion grew and even to his last breath he cried for freedom.


Through my journey I knew I needed freedom from the shackles that had clasped their bonds around me. I was assured by God that I was still looked upon with favor but within the recesses of my thoughts I was not free from the past, the hurts and discouragement. I needed to cry out and passionately pursue freedom even if it took my last breath.

Then God simply blew me away. You guessed it! It was time for another verse to commit to memory. This time God gave me:

Forget about the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:18-19

God was giving me the directions on how to be free from this desert I was in.

Forget and do not dwell. He was telling me to omit thinking of and dwelling on the past. Ouch! That was exactly what I had been doing. God wanted me to step away but learn from the journey I had just walked through. I don’t know about you but when I dwell on things too long it hinders me from moving ahead. I needed to let go and let GOD!

What I didn’t expect just yet was the “see I am doing a new thing”. I, at first, thought it was just a new thing in my heart. You know the fresh attitude or the clean slate in my thought processes.

BUT GOD…

God had other things in mind. He really was doing something new in my life. I still have a passion for women and women’s ministry but not being in leadership in the local church I was lost. God helped me to see that had I not traveled down the road and things had not happened the way they had, I probably would have been sitting doing the same thing again and again. He had a different plan for me and wanted me to rely on Him and start stepping out on faith.

Lysa Terkeurst said something once, “I want a faith that requires a little faith.” This was something I so desperately wanted. I knew I needed to have faith for the next adventure God was calling me too.

Cheri Keaggy sings a song with the lyrics, “a faith that has never been tested is growth that is long overdue.”

It was time for growth! God was springing up something within my heart that I knew was only from Him. I was certain that it was from God because it terrified me!

But as I watched God slowly soften my heart and slightly open doors I knew this path was for me to walk down. He is truly making a way in the desert and providing streams in the wasteland.

I am excited and nervous about this fork in the road. I can chose to stay on the path that I am comfortable with or I can step out on the other path and experience something that only God can provide.

I am choosing the unfamiliar path. Some will think I am crazy, others won’t see me doing what He is calling too.  Ha, I don't see me doing what He's calling me to do but I guess that is the growth part.

I want to experience all that God has in store for this Jesus girl!

Cynthia