Dressed for Success

I realized that I never did share with you how I became involved in Dressed for Success. Let me share:

It was on a Wednesday morning on my way to Heartstrings, the last study before summer break. As I'm driving down the road and thinking about all the problems in my life and how they seemed to be one right after another...my marriage, house payment, gas/electric bill, price of gas, I also remembered that I would soon have to buy my oldest son summer clothes ( his can be passed down to the middle brother). So I proceeded to tell God just what I thought about all this stuff going on in my life and how unfair I thought is was.

God was very kind in letting me rant and rave half way to Rock Island, until he literally stopped me dead in my tracks, and so softly asked me to look at my blessings. He asked me to look at all the things that he has provided for my family, and reminded me that some parents don't have a car to drive, some families don't even have homes, and some children wont even get hand-me-downs to wear. And to be perfectly honest, at the risk of seeming cold hearted, I shrugged it off, maybe even in thinking that I deserved and worked for what I had.

So I get to Heartstrings and sure enough as God would have it, the lesson was on giving extreme. The kind of giving that no one can understand, the kind that people scratch their heads and think "why are you doing that?". So needless to say, I felt an overwhelming sense of conviction through the entire study.

Now on a typical morning at our table we are all chatty, and for this being the last one for the summer you would think that we would have a lot to say, but, we all sat there silent. To me it felt like 20 minutes of quiet but, it was probably only about 2 minutes, and that is because the whole time I sat there in silence all I could hear was Gods soft voice telling me to share what was laid on my heart, to share our conversation on the way there, to share my convictions. So, I did. One of our pastors wife sits at our table and in complete shock, told me that one of the ladies in the office at the church had a similar "vision"(if you will) from God and told me that I had to meet her. I walked over and met Amanda, we got together, and Dressed for Success was born.

Today, after a lot of hard work, we got to hand out clothes to children who needed them. We went to Monroe school on 4th street in Davenport. 96% of children enrolled in Monroe are at or below poverty line. That number breaks my heart. We had 100 children come through and get an outfit, sock and underwear. Of course I wished for a bigger turn out, but I believe we helped the families that were needing it the most. I believe that God used us for a great purpose and that He will continue to bless this ministry.

Here is my conviction and my inspiration:


3While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his (Jesus) head.
4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.
6"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
Mark 14:3-9


It was her giving that is beautiful. Her love, her faithfulness...she wasn't concerned what others would think, she was giving only to please Jesus, nothing was wasted to her. I think that if she had another jar she might have even washed his feet with it.

I Do Believe

"I do believe; help me to overcome my unbelief"
Mark 9:24

I do...I truly believe that God has a plan for me, but still there is unbelief.

"For I know the plans I have for you....plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".
Jeremiah 29:11

I believe that...I truly believe it, but still there is unbelief.

I sat down here wanting answers to these questions:
-why are people so mean?
-why is my marriage ending?
-why did he cheat?
-why did I have to see what I did?
- why me?
-what are You teaching me?

I sat down here wanting to put God in a box, that is all I wanted to do. I wanted Him to give me the answers to all 6 questions in full detail so that I can mark it in my Day Planner and go to sleep.

But that is not what He wants from me.

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you...and bring you back from captivity"
Jeremiah 29:12-14

I would never ask for His help if I had His Day Planner, why would I? As much as I just don't get God, I get Him...make sense? I will never understand why He allows certain things to happen in our lives, but at the same time I kind of do understand. Because He loves us, he wants the absolute best for us.

This post may not make any sense to you, and I will share more about it soon. I am still trying to digest the things that are happening in my life right now. You probably see where this story is heading if you read my questions to God.

Father God,
Thank you so much for loving me,
thank you for everything you have given me and everything you will give,
Father, I pray and ask that you help me to be a woman with integrity,
with love and compassion for people just as you do for me.
Father help me to see that you want the best for me when I cant see your truth,
Help me to hear your voice when I cant hear
and help me to believe when I have unbelief,
I pray and ask these things in Jesus name,
Amen