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!
Jill Miller, Akron, IN “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17 NIV
Ann usually from St. Louis, MO; today from Dakar, Senegal
Acts 2:45
They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
Christine of media pa(esv). 1thessalonians 5:16-18.rejoice always,pray without ceasing,give thanks in all circumstances;for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you…
Diana, Round Hill, VA -THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,”
Hebrews 12:1 AMP
Terri Sickles, Richmond, MO
for I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39. ESV
1 Samuel 12:24
But be sure to fear The Lord and sincerely worship him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you.
NLT
It is a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.
Proverbs 20:3 NIV
Romans 8:38-39 NIV
Lora Leftwich, Indian Land, SC
Thank you so much Melana. I’m asking for it all! I’m begging for Angel Armies to fight my battles, praising Jesus for his sacrifice which strengthens me today to continue on and walk in forgiveness while meditating on the absolute immeasurable love of God who is working ALL things together (mine included) for good. I do love him and I do believe that I am called for such a time as this for His purposes, though I cannot see them clearly just yet. I’ll take your verses this next few weeks and make them my own. I’ll write them on the tablets of my heart, probably my hands, my phone, my computer and all.
“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. Romans 8:38-39 NIV
Declare His glory among the heathen; His marvelous works among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised:… 1Chronicles 16: 24-25 KJV
Debbie B. Marietta GA
1Samuel 15:22
But Samuel replied: “Does The Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying The Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
Hailey Boone, Wilmington, NC. My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
Independence, MO 2 Samuel 22 : 30 NKJV “For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall.”
‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. (Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV)
Krista Ripley WV
John 8:32 kjv. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Rachael Sol from Marietta, GA
“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”
Romans 1:16 HCSB
crystal. Livonia. Michigan.
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewithal ye are called”
Ephesians 4:1
Kjv
Carol Poplar Bluff, MO Jude ESV Verse 14
It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones.
Jana Dominguez-Peuker Troy, KS
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 KJV
Letha,Cullman, AL. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things were created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16 ESV
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 (ESV)
Anna from Indiana
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. Proverbs 31:19 (NIV)
Lana, Bryant, AR “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
1 Timothy 4:8 NIV
Angie Diemer, Battle Creek MI. Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.”
Connie, Dallas, TX.
1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
Sent from my iPhone
“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”
Psalm 143:8
Jennifer, Rosemount, MN. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 28:8
Houston, TX – “The LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6 NET
I am the Lord of all mankind. Is anything to hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27
Donna, Ponder, TX A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. Luke 6:45 NLT
Sunni Sutphin Mount Airy North Carolina NASB Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
Sorry I am late…Life is going on all around me! VBS preparations along with personal issues… You know ladies, it is something all the time, but God is still using me
Lori, Toledo
Proverbs 4:6-8, “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.” (NIV)
Amy 7634
“For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.”
Colossians 2:9 (NLT)
Peggy
Orange City, IA
Psalm 116:3 NIV
The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; i was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27 NIV
Robbyn Hanstad, Frisco, Texas
Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
Lynette, Nashville, TN
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; (Proverbs 2:6 ESV)
Vicki Bolton– Lubbock, TX
I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3John 1:4
HCSB
Rebecca, Akron, OH
“The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Exodus 14:14 ESV
Apryl, Raleigh, NC
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a Woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”
Proverbs 31:30 NIV
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 135:1 (NIV)
Krista Valdes Zamora Round Rock, Tx
“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4&5 NIV
Diane from Cypress, Tx:
(NIV): Psalm 73:25-26
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Courtney, Lima, Ohio. “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said.” Luke 1:45 (NLT)
Lucille Goins ,New Bloomfield Mo.
James 1:4 NKJV
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Troy, Ohio
1John 3:23 NIV
And this is his command: to believe in
the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and
to love one another as he commanded us.
Marilyn Brown in The Plains, OH says:
If the Lord had not been on our side-let Israel say-if the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive; they would have engulfed us,the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away.
Ps.124:1-4 NIV
Psalm 51:10 KJV
Create in me a clean heart, O god, and renew a right spirit within me.
Sarah Brookhaven. MS
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 1 Peter 4:7(ESV)
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” 1 Peter 3:8 NIV
Bonnie Mink Hendersonville TN The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 NIV