Gut Check: You can't watch that anymore.

Everybody has their favorite TV show(s).  I'm right there with you!  I have a few that I enjoy watching and do so when I have the time.  What if God interrupted your day and informed you that you could no longer watch your favorite show?!!!  What would you do?!!!

There was such a time for me about 3 years ago.  I was a HUGE Grey's Anatomy fan.  I watched it religiously and knew pretty much all of the characters.  One night it was time for Grey's Anatomy and like each and every other time I watched the full episode but I GASPED HARD.  This was the first episode they introduced homosexuality into their show.  This was my favorite show!  I loved it, but I am a Christian woman who has stood and said that I would hold high the banner of Christ.  

The next morning on my way to work, God said, "You can't watch that anymore."  I should've known God would convict me like that.  I have to admit at first I was bummed out.  I was like what am I going to do with my Thursday nights?!!! What other shows will I watch?  After work I was driving home and I heard God say 1 thing and 1 thing only to me:  "Be ye holy as I am holy." 1 Peter 1:16.  I never watched Grey's Anatomy again.  

Living this Wonder Struck journey with God requires me to be very present and attentive for His still small voice.  It's convicting!  It catches me off guard, but obedience is what God requires of me whether I like it or not!

Last but not least, I'd like to address where I stand on the subject of homosexuality.  According to God's Word Homosexuality is a sin.  I do not hate people who live that lifestyle.  I treat them with the same love God has given me.  I'm currently witnessing to a girl who is gay and is an atheist.  My name is Alicia Roark, not Jesus.  I'm not perfect, can't walk on water, and didn't die for the sins of all men.  He's the judge not me.  I'm just here to share what God is doing in my life and what He says to me on this Wonder Struck Journey.

May God bless you and keep you today!

Living Wonder Struck,

Alicia Roark

It's a Good Morning-An Attitude of Gratitude

I am a morning person!  It's happy, happy, joy, joy from the word get up!  What do I love most about mornings?!!  Well, beautiful sunrises, hot coffee,and listening to the birds singing in the morning, and the fact that it's a new day! Did you know that God is a morning person too?!!!  I know you're thinking, Ok Alicia, where are you going with this?!!!  

I don't know about you but I do like my sleep! It just blows my mind every time I try to think about God never sleeping (Psalm 121:4)!  He's always awake!  Each new day/morning He's up ready to pour out His love, extend bountiful grace, and mercy.   Oh let me tell you!  I'm forever grateful for His mercies that are new each morning!  It  means we can begin each new day with a clean slate and a brand new outpouring of mercy.  Oh if it weren't for mercy and grace! Thank you Lord!

So, close your eyes, take a deep breath and thank God today for His mercies that are new each morning!

Here's a little song that will get you going this morning!  I LOVE this song and work out to it often!  It truly is a Good Morning!

Living Wonder Struck

Alicia Roark

A Wonder Struck Verse!!!

Over and over again God keeps bringing the following verse to me:

Psalm 23.  It's a very familiar passage to us.  It talks about God being our sheperd.  He's leading me and guiding me as I listen very closely for His still small voice.  I lean on Him for answers and He is collecting my tears in a bottle.  He understands.  Does that mean I currently understand?  No, but He doesn't ask me to understand, but just to follow Him.  He won't lead me astray.  He is ALL that I have.

If it were up to this stubborn sheep, I'd stray into other pastures where I'd either get lost, or bogged down.  He doesn't let me go there.  He leads me, guides me, and protects me.  He's my Shepard and I can tell you He's more than enough.

These days I'm feeling a little more like myself.  I'm not completely there yet, so I still covet your prayers.  What I can tell you though is that I have sight of the mountain and it's in sight!

Live Wonder Struck today!

Blessings,
Alicia

Going for Gold-Living Wonder Struck

I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying watching the Olympics.  I love the spirit of competition, and the sheer joy of the competitors when they when gold.  Just this morning God whispered, "Alicia, the journey I have you on is just like that. You're going for gold, and one day you'll win the prize but here on earth is where your training is."

What those atheletes don't tell you is that for 3.5 long years they train for long hours.  It requires endurance.  It requires time, pain, blood, sweat, and tears.  It requires dedication, and discipline.  It requires focus.  They train hard in order to win the prize.  

This Wonder Struck journey in 2014 is requiring lots of me early on.  It's exhausting currently, I won't lie.  I've had some big valleys lately.  I've shed enough tears over the past few weeks to fill a river it seems.  He sees, He knows and says, keep running this race with endurance.  It will pay off in the end.  You'll win the gold.    

You see to endure to the end (on good days and bad) I've got to wear the right training equipment.  The armour of God.  It will protect me from the devil and will keep my heart at peace and will lead me onto victory.  I can't do without it.  So I'm currently bandaging myself up from my wounds of grief and am picking myself back up.  Gold is at the end.  This is a life long race.  I must run it with endurance and so must you.

You see, I can't stay down but for so long and won't.  It just isn't in me.  I can almost hear my precious friend Margaret Feinberg say, I double Dog Dare you to find a Wonder Struck Moment and send it to me.  FInd me some sunshine in your clouds.  So, I might just do that.  I might just send my friend a picture of a God filled Wonder Struck bright cheery moment today!

This race we run isn't easy, but let me tell you when we win Gold it will be worth it all!

Running with Endurance,

Alicia Roark

God and Honey on Monday! Living Wonder Struck!

Recently God has been speaking to me personally about my responses to events, situations, and circumstances in life.  He's been using honey as a symbol for me.  I LOVE honey!  It's one of my favorite things...speaking of which I need to add to my grocery list!

When I go to work I pray out loud to God.  It's my time with Him to prepare my heart for the day and work day.  Well, just about a week ago I finished praying and didn't turn on the music like i normally do.  God said, "Alicia, your responses need to be as sweet as honey."  It isn't always easy to be sweet when somebody has offended you or something didn't go quite your way.  Even on Monday God wants us to be sweet!  Mondays get such a bad rap.  The weekend is over, the work work begins along with deadlines, challenges, and challenging people sometimes.  But what if, we all decided to be SWEET like honey in our responses to them.  TO truly show God's love no matter what.  Hmmm...don't know about you but that's a lot convicting for me.

God's Word says, "Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body."  Proverbs 16:24 NLT.

So, I would like to challenge each of you today to let your words be sweet so they can edify others and glorify God in Heaven.

Living Wonder Struck,
Alicia Roark

In the Midst of Grief-Living Wonderstruck

I know I've said this several times, but God never promised me this WonderStruck Journey would always be a bed of roses.  Just last week, I got the message that my oldest brother Joey died in his sleep at the age of 48 of a massive heart attack.  I not only got that news, but along with it was the stark reality that there was no burial insurance.

I began to ask God some tough questions like:  "What am I going to do?"  "Where is the money going to come from?"  Then I began to pray and ask God to show up in a way that would leave me with no other explanation that it was Him so that HE could get the glory out of a very sad situation.

For all intents and purposes, God showed up!  It left me WONDERSTRUCK.  As I sit here typing this Joey's final arrangements are pretty much paid for in full.  People who had no idea who my brother was gave out of the overflow of their hearts.  They went out of their way to help when I was at my lowest.

My cousins let me stay with them for an entire week and wouldn't let me pay for anything.  They let me cry, talk, grieve, and sit in silence.  I'm incredibly thankful for my cousins Vernon and Lee Lantia, they are amazing people and I love them dearly.

Another Wonderstruck Moment came when we had a reception at my Aunt Velma's house where I gave a Eulogy and read a poem I wrote.  I had a house full of cousins show up!  There was reconciliation after years of hurt, pain, and disappointment.  We have agreed to keep in touch through email, letters, cards, and even care packages!  You want to talk about WONDERSTRUCK?!!! That too was it.

Last but not least, I would like to tell you about a young man God put in my path when I needed it most.  His name is Kyle Ardoin.  He's the funeral director at Lakeside Funeral Home in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  That young man did some extraordinary things to make sure my brother had a respectable farewell.  He told me he wasn't in business to take families to the bank but to be a small beacon of light for families in grief.  Well, this is very unusual for a Funeral Director to do anything like that.  However, Kyle did more than enough for my family and I will be forever grateful to that young man! Thank you God for putting Kyle Ardoin in my path when I didn't know what to do!

The only thing left to do is to take time to grieve, seek the face of God, and walk hand in hand with Jesus.  I can't do this without Him.  It's impossible, let me tell ya.

There is one verse that God gave me through this experience:

"I would have dispaired, unless I had believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living.  Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.  Psalm 27:13-14 NASB

One day from these ashes there will come beauty.  Until then I'll seek His face, trust His heart, and lean on Him with all of my being to get me through.  I will not question His ways for they are much higher than mine.

I journey on through this Wonderstruck life hand in hand with Jesus.

Living Wonderstruck Still,
Alicia