My name is Melana Cummings (aka MooseMama…story to come). I live in Sheridan Wyoming. I have been married to Tim Cummings for 32 years. We met through a letter and he asked me to marry him in a letter. (It’s a very long story, but oh so sweet and God designed!) The first time we kissed was when he put the engagement ring on my finger. It’s not a common way to start out a life together, but we were best friends who got married. He’s still one of the dorkiest people I know. He makes me laugh. He makes me shake my head. He has always said that if I ever leave him, he’s coming with me. We have a 26 year old daughter Sarah, a 16 year old daughter Emily, and a grandson, Jensen, who is 3. I have worked for the State of Wyoming for 28 years, and have a degree in psychology from the only university in the state. I was raised in the Lutheran church but had no idea what a personal relationship with Christ was. When I was 21, Christ sought me out, and I prayed to receive Him. From that day forward JESUS HAS BEEN MY LIFE!
In 2006, I prayed that I would grow even more in my faith and in Christ. About a week later a snippet of video was played about the Bible study, Believing God by Beth Moore (never heard of her!) that would be starting soon. A prayer answered!
A few months later this Beth Moore was going to be in Salt Lake City with Living Proof Live, so myself and 5 friends drove to see her. She taught from Ephesians 3…how wide, how long, how high, and how deep is the love of Christ….to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. One phrase she said “All excess is a result of emptiness”, hit me hard. As a woman who has been overweight all my life, all I could think was “nuh-uh”!
That one Bible Study and Living Proof Live event were the beginning of many more Bible Studies and live events through the last 9 years. My prayers for growth were being answered! I loved reading Beth’s blog and made a lifelong friend through it: Adrienne Hudson (aka Fuzzytop in Tennessee) and I became online friends. In 2008 a friend and I drove from Wyoming to San Antonio Texas for the Living Proof Live, and “Siesta Fiesta”, where I finally got to meet Adrienne face-to-face. I wish I could name all of the Siestas I have met over the years! They have become so dear to my heart and really, an integral part of my life in Christ! Honestly, the kindness, love, support and joy these women have brought to my life is no small miracle.
The most hilarious part of that trip was a stuffed Moose with a Wyoming bandana on his neck. It was my intention to give the moose to Beth as a gift. Well, we started to take pictures of “Miesta Moose” (Miesta is a male Siesta), along the trip. The pictures got posted on a secondary blog that a couple of Siestas had started, which was all about the Fiesta. By the time we arrived in San Antonio, Miesta Moose had become somewhat of a celebrity. And so it began. I took him to every Beth Moore event I went to. He would even end up in recap pictures, and then Siestas from all around the country, most of whom, I had never met, asked me to send him to them so they could take him to the event in their area. He has been kissed and carried by some of the most wonderful women! Around his neck, he wears the wristbands from the events he has attended. I became MooseMama. He became so recognizable, that women asked to have their pictures taken with him. It pleased me that he showed up at tapings and book signings that Beth was doing.
In 2009, I felt God really was telling me that I could be more of what He wanted for me if I lost that excess weight and fill the emptiness with Him. I lost 120 lbs. in a year’s time. I was leading Bible Studies. I was teaching Sunday School. I even went on a mission trip to Africa with my church. Something I never would have tried when I was so overweight. Prayers answered!
The year 2011 brought with it a season of severe loss and struggle. A heart attack altered the health of my husband, my oldest daughter became a widow at 22. Two weeks following her husband’s death she discovered she was expecting our grandson Jensen. I grew steadily depressed with these changes and gained back all the weight I had lost. I felt like I was trying to hold everything from flying apart. I was exhausted. We stopped going to church. But God…
We returned to church last year, and God is showing me how He used Jensen to redeem these past few years. His faithfulness to me never faltered. This verse has never meant more to me, than now. Today it is my verse to memorize:
Romans 8:38-39 NIV
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
AMEN!
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10 (NIV) Twyla McAmis, Cleveland, Tennessee
Debra
Baraboo, WI
Romans 8:8 ESV
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
“You are my God, and I will confess, praise, and give thanks to You; You are my God, I will extol You. O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.”
Psalm 118:28-29 AMP
http://bible.com/8/psa.118.28-29.amp
“And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!””
Mark 15:39 ESV
Kitty Bennett, Bend, Oregon
“The Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2 (NIV)
Beverly, Huntsville Al, If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
Susan Sarver, St. George, UT
“And may the LORD cause your to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we also do for you.” 1 Thessalonians 3:12 HCSB
Allison H.
Wilmington, NC
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
Romans 12:14 (NJKV)
Sheila Johnson, Beckley, WV
Psalm 13:5 NIV But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
Jackie – Plano, TX
Hebrews 4:12 NIV – For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Leslie B
Cedar Grove, NC
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
DeAnne, Talmage, KS “The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name.” Zechariah 14:9 NIV
Denise Wilkin
The Woodlands, Texas
“And for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.” NKJV
Glenda Jensen
Belgrade, Mt 59714
Forbearing one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Colossians 3:13 KJV
Theresa, Glendale AZ, How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. Proverbs 16:16 NKJV
Connie, Iowa, I Chronicles 29:11 Yours O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all. I Chronicles 29:11 NKJV
Cedarville, OH
1 Thessalonians 1:4 (NIV)
We know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that He has chosen you.
Shan Copeland, Salina, KS
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Angela Dhans, Brooksville, Florida
Psalm 37:4 (NKJ)
Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall
give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 119:10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
Danielle Williams, Evansville IN
Isaiah 64:4
Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
Joyce, Corvallis, OR
Eph 4:29 NLT
“Let everything you say be good and helpful, so your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”
Nicole Eckblad Auburn, WA
“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do no have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Hebrews 4:14-15 ESV
Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings, he will not stand before unknown men.
Proverbs 22:29
NKJV
Susie, Harrisburg, PA
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message. That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
~ John 17:20-21 NIV
Rebecca Sprenger; Marana, AZ
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
Ephesians 3:20 NLT
Valerie, Ontario(Mansfield), OH.
Then Jesus said to the woman, ” Your faith in Me has given you life. Now you may leave and walk in the ways of peace.” Luke 7:50. ( tPt). The Passion Translation
Tina Crouch
Waxahachie, Texas
John 15:11 NIV
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
Lynne
Telford, PA
“For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation for all peoples, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,”
Titus 2:11-12
Charlotte Skadal, Houston, Texas
“You are my hiding place, You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7 (NASB)
Pineville, LA
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Carolyn O., Cypress, TX
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.
Philippians 4:6 NIV
Jan Horne
Bossier City, LA
Romans 8:5 NIV
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on that what nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
Romans 8:5 NIV
Michelle O’Banion, Grandview, TX
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. Psalm 139:11,12
Cathy Carter – Richmond, VA
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-24 NIV
Julia Posel, Munich, Germany. “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” (1 Corinthians 10:24 NIV)
Theresia Whitfield, Indianapolis, IN
“Everything is permitted, but not everything is beneficial.” (1 Corinthians 10:23 CEB)
Proverbs 3:5 NIV
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”
Sarah, St. Louis, MO
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14 NKJV
1 John 3:3 KJV
And every man that hath the hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
July 15 Littleton, CO
Psa 139:15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of th earth. (NIV)
Lisa, West Des Moines, IA “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.” Isaiah 59:1 (NIV)
Tracey Knight ~ Arkadelphia AR
So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up. ~Galatians 6:9 NET
(bless you, Melana! thanks for that!)
Monica, Abbotsford, BC Canada
Ps 56:3-4 NIV
When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals to do me?
Ann Royal
Spring Lake N.C
1 John 3:3 KJV
And every man that hath the hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Eva, KNoxville, TN – (cont.) a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:8b NIV
Casey Hale, Roanoke, Texas
“You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own.”
1 Corinthians 6:19 – CEV
Kathi Anglin, Sykesville, MD
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:12,13 NIV
Hebrews 4:16 (NCV)
Let us, then, feel very SURE that we can come before God’s throne where there is GRACE. THERE, we can receive mercy and grace to HELP us when we need it.”