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!
Calgary Alberta
August 1
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Romans 12:12 (ESV)
August 15
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18 (ESV)
September 1
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!
Psalm 27:14 (ESV)
McAllen Texas
“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”
Romans 12:12 NLT
Tremont,IL
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May He send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! May He remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!
Psalm 20:1-5 (ESV)
Jackie UK
Psalm 119 verse 34
Give me understanding that I might observe Your law and keep it with all my heart.
Phoebe, Knoxville, TN:
So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
Acts 24:16 NIV
Sharon, Radford, VA
July 16, 2015
Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.
Marie Skipper of Granger,Tx
Ephesians 2:8
“For it is by grace you are saved, through faith- and this is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God.”
NIV
Michelle, Queen City, TX
Matthew 6:33 nlt
Seek the kingdom of God above all else and live righteously and He will give you everything you need.
Kay Richmond, Va
You are my friends if you do what I command.
Spanish Ustedes son mis amigos si hacen lo que yo les mando.
John 15:14
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.
Ephesians 2:14
Jacksonville, FL. Psalm 119:16 KJ. “I will delight myself in thy statutes, I will not forget thy word.”
Kari Ellis, Bloomington, MN: “No one, when tempted, should say, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one.” James 1:13 NRSV
Shelly Verley
Apache Junction, AZ
“bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” Colossians 3:13
Hebrews 10.23 NIV
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.
Anna, Tx
“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.”
Matthew 5:9 KJV
Terry Karlson
Winchester, VA
“When I call, give me answers. God take my side! Once In a tight place, you gave me room; Now I’m in trouble again; grace me! Hear me! Remix
Terry Karlson
Winchester, VA
“But me – I’m filled with God’s power, filled with God’s Spirit of ustice & strength.”
Micah 3:8 – Remix
Oops! That verse was Psalm 4:1 – Remix
Calgary,Alberta
They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings-and with him will be his called, chosen faithful followers.
Revelation 17:14 (NIV)
The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. Proverbs 15:16 NIV
Pat
Crawfordsville, IN
Tara Ford, Beech Creek KY
Proverbs 3:5 NIV
[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
Mechelle, Nashville TN
Do everything in love.
1 Cor 16:14
Rebecca, Winston-Salem, NC
“Teach us to number our days a aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12, NIV
Gwen McVey. Lonview,Tx – Who is like the wise?
And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,
and athe hardness of his face is changed. Eccl. 8:1
The Lord will watch over yor coming and going both now and forevermore
Psalm 121:8 NIV
Kelli Holland
Lafayette, IN
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.
Stephanie Jo
Crane Or
1 Chronicles 22:19a ESV
NOW, set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Arise and build.
Ashley Kurtz, Kingwood,TX
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.”
John 10:10 NET
Sheri New Atlanta, TX
…A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood.
Proverbs 6:17 NKJV
Natalie, Frisco, TX
“I will fully satisfy the needs of the weary and fully refresh the souls of those who are faint.”
Jeremiah 31:25 NET
Shannon, Buda, TX
See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of the peoples.
Isaiah 55:4 NIV
Scarlett, Round Rock, TX
“For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’.” (Galatians 5:14, NIV)
Christy, Conifer, Colorado
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine; he browses among the lilies.
Song on Solomon 6:3 NIV
Brigette Brock
Morehead, Ky
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
Isaiah 43:1
NIV84
Amy Smiley, Williams, AZ
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, she is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come?
2 Corinthians 5:17
Paula, Atlanta Tx
“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him; to all who call upon Him in truth”. Psalm 145:18 NKJV
Mandy, Raymond, MS
“All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”
Isaiah 54:13 ESV
Crystal Parrott- Everett, Ontario, Canada
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life promised to those who love him.” James 1:12 NIV
Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.
1 John 2:6 NIV
Dana
Boerne, TX
Sarah Miller, The Colony, Texas, “However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him—” 1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV
Rachel, Vancouver, Washington. “Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” James 1:8 (NIV)
Mandy Helm
College Station, TX
But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
Psalm 3:3 NIV
1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Vanessa Peacock, Augusta, Georgia
Melissa J
If we confess our finds, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 NIV
Nesha Vest – Mechanicsville, VA
“and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Eph 3:19 NIV
Amy
Buda, Texas
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1 NIV
Dawn Deare from Lafayette, LA
Colossians 3:1-2 ESV
Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on thing above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Michelle,
Bossier City, LA
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Luke 9:23 NIV
Sheri – Portland, Oregon
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 4
Austin, Texas
“Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” Romans 8:23 NIV
Holly from Alpharetta, GA
Psalm 40: 17 But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay. NIV
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
James 1:14 ESV