Amazing

that God wants to do

in

and

through

me

(and you)

more than we can even

imagine.

What does that look like?

Think about it for a sec.

If God were to

let loose

and do in you

and through you

beyond

what you can even imagine . . .

what would that entail?

"Now to him

who is able to do

immeasurably more

than all we ask or imagine,

according to his power

that is at work within us. . . . "

(Ephesians 3:20 NIV)

So

what's holding Him back

from doing just that?

Ask Him.

Susie

Girls in the Sisterhood!

I have a friend who is offering

to give

a one-year subscription

to a teen girl

who can't afford

to purchase

SUSIE Magazine.

So take this invitation seriously.

And if you truly can't afford

the subscription

($23 a year for 12 issues),

let me know.

E-mail me at:

susie@susiemag.com

and label your e-mail

I NEED HELP!

and give me your name

and complete address.

You have to promise to

send her a thank-you note!

I'll get you connected.

Love,

Susie

Obie Shellenberger . . .

16 lbs. of mini-Schnauzer fur

Disassembled my cell phone—

took the back off, popped out the battery

and had the memory card on the floor.

Had to get a new $100 phone.

16 lbs. of gray fur

ate my blue-inked return address stamper

and inked himself, the carpet and the couch

BLUE.

Had to get a new $21 return address stamper.

16 lbs. of gray fur

jumped up on the table and chewed my GREEN Sharpie pen

dragging green ink across the carpet.

Had to shell out $110 to the carpet cleaners.

How can 16 lbs. of gray fur

cause so much commotion?

Just when I think he's learned . . .

I find his bottle of eye drops demolished

and I

shell out another $15

for a new bottle.

When I know he's exhausted

and has settled down for a 2-hour nap . . .

I come upstairs

to find that he has

ripped his doggie bed and shredded it to pieces

scattering stuffing all over the living room.

And I buy another one for $10 at Walgreens.

Sigh.

I can't help but think

of a girl—

just 5 feet and 3 inches

and at just the time she should know better,

she feels

some anger

or jealousy

tunnel right through her heart

and out of her mouth.

But You, God . . .

You just keep on loving me

no matter

how many things I shred

or

how much stuff I break.

I should have it down by now.

Shouldn't I?

But just the time I think I do,

I end up seeking Your forgiveness

so grateful

that You keep no records

and Your love is constant.

Thanks for never giving up on me.

Help me to be the kind of master

to Obie

that You are to me.

Your servant,

Susie

saturday, may 22, 2010

i walked at the park today

and the wind was so strong

here in colorado springs

i thought for a moment

that it might

blow all 16 lbs. of

my furry four-footed little friend, obie,

all the way to his grandparents house

in okc.

i choked and coughed

through the wind

as pollen soared

and stung my throat

but little obie seemed oblivious

to the difficulty

he chased a great dane

caught a frisbee

made friends with a st. bernard

and

sniffed a golden retriever

i was miserable

sneezing

swollen eyes

and ready to leave

after 30 minutes

the invisibles in the air—

the ragweed pollution

the dust

and everything that allergies are made of

wore me down

Lord,

make me more and more aware

of the other invisibles in life—

the small things

that trip me up

knock me down

and keep me from becoming all You dream for me

help me, like obie, to plow through

any obstacle

and find the joy

simply in being

content

to just walk with my Master

i love You, Father.

—susie

Girls in the Sisterhood!

Am thinking about Gideon today.

From the Old Testament.

He was a nobody.

But God chose Gideon to lead the Lord's army

against the enemy.

The enemy far outnumbered Gideon's little home-made army.

And God began whittling away at Gideon's army.

He couldn't figure it out.

Don't You want me to win, Lord?

he must have thought.

"The battle is Mine," said God Almighty.

"Trust Me."

God downsized the army three times

until there only 300 men left to fight against the giant army of enemies.

Gideon trusted.

And God confused the enemies, until they began to fight each other

and lost the battle.

Gideon won with only 300 men.

Wow.

God really does know what He's doing!

Perhaps He's downsizing some areas in your life.

Friends.

Money.

A job.

Those things that make you feel secure.

Though you may never understand . . .

can you trust without understanding?

The mark of a mature Christian is to

accept God's ways

without having to understand them.

Let me know your thoughts.

Love,

Susie Shellenberger

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Hi, Girls in the Sisterhood!

It's snaining today.

My own word for snow + rain.

Not quite snow,

but more than rain.

snain.

Feel like doing something constructive?

How about improving your

physical

mental

emotional

financial

and

spiritual

aspects of your life?

Sound like something you'd like to try?

If so . . .

You're going to LOVE

the 30-day challenge

in the June issue of SUSIE Mag.

The June issue just came out,

so you'll be getting it soon.

After you read through the challenge—

drop me a line and let me know what you think about it, OK?

Too tough?

Too easy?

Not interested?

Let me know what's going on with YOU!

And I promise to start writing more regularly

on here again!

Love you!

Susie Shellenberger

Girls in the SISTERHOOD:

I have a few things I want you to know about!

• The early bird discount for our "Never the Same" missions trip will expire at the end of January, so you need to get your application in! We're going to Antigua, Guatemala June 28-July 11, 2010. And we always need leaders. So if one of your parents wants to come, great! You can download the student application AND the leader application at: neverthesamemissions.com

• A precious woman in my Sunday school class has offered to purchase a one-year subscription to SUSIE Magazine for a teen girl who can't afford it. If this is you, send me your name and complete mailing address at: susie@susiemag.com and label it: I NEED THE MAG. (Please only do this if you really can't afford the subscription. If you can afford it but just don't want to spend the money, this isn't for you.)

• You have an entire year to save up for our SUSIE Magazine Mom/Daughter Cruise. It's Feb. 17-21, 2011. We'll depart from Miami and hit two ports: Key West, FL and Cozumel, Mexico (both known for swimming with the dolphins). I'll give more information on this later. But please talk to your mom, grandma, aunt and any other fun females you want to bring on this amazing cruise!

Are you reading the Bible?

Are you praying?

What's God doing in your life?

I love you and want to know!

Susie Shellenberger