Don't know how I missed posting yesterday!  I thought I did!  Old age, folks, I'm telling ya . . .

Hope you're having a good day today.  I have a busy one in store for me and unfortunately I'm not feeling totally up to par so far.  But I just popped some drugs, so hopefully good times are coming!  :0)

Just want to share a beautiful Bible verse today.  Hope it will encourage you as it has me:

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.  Ephesians 1:7-8

Have a grace-filled day!

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Last night, in the middle of the night, I was wakened by the gentle sounds of sawing lumber.  :0)  (The lumberjack shall remain nameless.)  And while I was awake, I started thinking of my worries.  Like, my son is going to Kentucky this week with his grandparents.  He'll be out on the lake with them, it will be hot, what if.....????  I can't even put those worries into words.  The next worry is financial - we need a new car.  We haven't had a car payment in years - at least 8 years.  What will a car payment do to our day-to-day living expenses?

And so, as my mind reeled, I had to pray words of peace.  Jesus.  Calm my heart.  Quiet my mind.  Be with me, stay with me.  Jesus.

It reminds me of the Christmas song by Amy Grant, "Breath of Heaven."  The song is from Mary's point of view, awaiting the birth of Jesus.  I know if God can calm her fears - and hers were so much more reality-based than mine! - then He can definitely take care of mine!

When you're overcome with worries, what do you do?  Sometimes we don't even know what to say, and that's ok.  Romans 8:26 says, "We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

Just say His name, and let the worries roll away.  Just focus your thoughts on Him, and worry can't take root.  Just be with Him, and let Him be with you.

Hope your week is starting off in a wonderful way!  Below are the lyrics to Breath of Heaven:

I have traveled, many moonless nights
Cold and weary, with a babe inside.
And I wonder, what I've done.
Holy Father, You have come.
Chosen me now, to carry Your Son.

I am waiting, in a silent prayer.
I am frightened, by the load I bear.
In a world as cold as stone . . .
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now, be with me now.

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever with me, Breath of Heaven.
Breath of Heaven, light in my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness,
For you are holy
Breath of Heaven.

Do you wonder, as you watch my face?
If a wiser one, could have had my place?
Yet I offer all I am
For the mercy of Your plan!
Help me be strong . . .
Help me be . . .
Help me . . .

Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven.
Breath of Heaven, light in my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness,
For You are holy.
Breath of heaven. 

It's a Good Thing

Happy Friday!  Hope you have monstrous weekend plans.  Me, I'm having one last rummage with a friend.  Last opportunity of the summer to make some money.  Selling junk is always a good thing!  (Buying someone else's junk is pretty fun, too.)

My Thursday night Bible study met last night - I call them the Ya Yas.  Thursday nights always involve food, another good thing!  And speaking of good things, we're studying Ephesians, and last night we talked about our lives being reflective praise on God.  How we treat people, interact with them, handle ourselves in difficult times - those are all ways we give praise to Him.

Paul tells the Ephesian church, that because of the way they have served God, been His church, been a praise to His glory - because of all these things, he never stops giving thanks for them.  And then he tells them how he is going to pray for them:  for a spirit of wisdom, for eyes of understanding, for knowledge of hope. 

Do you pray for others?  God created us to be a community of believers, not just singular souls barricaded against one another.  He's a relational God, and just as He created us with a need for Him, He also created us with a need for each other. 

This prayer is a good one to pray for family and friends:  "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."  Ephesians 1:17-19

This weekend, instead of just praying for your needs, pray for the needs of those around you.  And beyond their physical, immediate needs, pray for these things:  Wisdom.  Revelation.  Enlightenment.  Hope.  Power.

It's an awful good thing!

So There's The Joy

We had such a good Bible study last night!  I've said it before, but I can't begin to tell you the lengths to which I have enjoyed this Holy Spirit study!  I have learned so much and come out each week invigorated and excited to know more.

We were talking about some of the things that steal our focus from God.  Beyond activities, worries, etc., we found another answer:  church.  Responsibilities and activities of ministry in church can quickly become more of a focus than God is.  But even worse is when there are problems or concerns within the family of God, and they can steal our time, our energy, and even worse - our joy.

This morning I woke up thinking about this, and I was like, you know what??  Enough!  I am not going to let anyone steal my joy!!  What George or Sally or Ted does is their problem.  They can be mean, hateful and divisive.  I don't care!  Because my joy in the Lord doesn't have anything to do with them.  I have joy in the Lord because of Him and me, because He's with me every day, in every way, and the only way I lose that joy is basically if I throw it away. 

I've been doing that for awhile, and I'm done.  George/Sally/Ted (mostly not their real names, lol) ---- bring it.  Because I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart.  (Where?  You know the song!)  See what I'm saying?  It's my choice, not George/Sally/Ted's choice.  My joy, my choice.

Psalm 51:12 says, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."  In the NIV Bible, there are 242 verses that speak of joy - from Genesis to Jude - that tells us so much about the importance of JOY in our lives!

Don't let anyone rob you.  Don't let Satan use even God's church to steal your joy.  It's your loss, and it's not a loss God has designed for you. 

How Great Is Our God

I could spend all day, everyday on blogland.  I love to visit decorating blogs, especially, and one of these days I'm gonna have enough courage to get my own going.  I have it - there's just nothing on it!  

One of the blogs I frequent [ummm, daily] is "Domestically Speaking."  Maryann has a "Power of Paint" party every Wednesday.  Those of you who know me, and my addiction to spray paint, can guess just how much this party excites me every single week.

But Monday's post on DS was a little different, and I asked Maryann for permission to share it with you.  And as you read it, you'll want to see her blog, and all the talent this woman has in decorating and creating a beautiful home and environment for her family.  So visit http://www.domestically-speaking.com/ - but wait until your done reading the post, below.

Thank you Maryann for letting me share this:

Today’s post is a little out of the norm, but something I have to share.  Today is our youngest daughter’s birthday… she turns 5!

She is sweet and animated, dramatic and stubborn and still loves to cuddle.  But every year on her birthday I have promised to share about the miracle I saw come to fruition.  

At my 20 week ultrasound when I was pregnant with “Jujubee”, we were told that she had double clubbed feet.  Now this was something we had experience with.  Our oldest was born with a right clubfoot (this is where the foot is turned in sharply and the person seems to be walking on their ankle).  We have no family history of clubfeet and when I became pregnant with our 2nd kiddo (“blondie”) we did some genetic testing in which they thought it was just a fluke.

Lying on the table as the ultrasound tech showed us the close-up of her feet I knew it was true.  I remembered the x-ray pics of my son… the toes turned in and the heel raised.  I was overwhelmed with emotions… how could we go through this again? 

If you were see my son today, you would never know of the trauma he went through the first 18 months of his life… he doesn’t even remember.  They never notice his clubfoot at the 20 week ultrasound, so we were shocked when he was born.  As a first-time mom I was overwhelmed with becoming a mom and now I need to figure out how we were going to help my son with his birth defect.

Thankfully we were referred to the best pediatric orthopedic specialist in our area.  At 2 weeks old he had his first full leg cast put on.  Each week we’d come back as they would cut it off (which he’d scream for) and the Dr. would gentle manipulate his tiny foot a little in the correct direction and recast.  The first 3 days after his cast were put on were miserable as his foot was aching from the new position.  This continued till he was almost 6 months old… when he went to a brace.  At 9 months old his Dr. told us that the cast and brace had manipulated his foot to the correct position, but his heel still had not dropped.  At 10 months old he had surgery where they made snips in his Achilles tendon to lengthen it.  Surgery was followed by casts for the next 2 months and then a brace for another 3 months.

So when we heard the news about my daughter I didn’t know how I could walk through that again!  I was overwhelmed… but I knew instantly that her middle name would be Grace, because I was desperately in need of HIS grace to do this again.  My husband on the drive home said some poignant words… “we’re going to pray that God heals her!” 

And we did… family and friends prayed… our church prayed.

I knew God was more than capable of healing her.  I’ve been to church all my life… I’d been on mission trips and seen miracles… I’ve read through the bible numerous times and know of all the miracles Jesus did… BUT it was hard for me to believe He was going to do it for me.  For me it was easier to just plan for the worse and let a small part of me believe in the best.

Then… one Sunday in church… a few weeks before she was born we were singing “How Great is Our God” by Chris Tomlin and I heard Him speak to my spirit that He was going to heal her so that people would know how great He is! 

In the days that followed my faith fluctuated… did I really hear Him?  Maybe I just had indigestion?  Hormones of pregnancy?

On the morning of July 19th I had a stress test at the hospital (I was going between 3-5 times a week because of low amniotic fluids).  The nurse didn’t like the way she was responding to contractions, so I was staying and going to have the baby that day.  She was breech so I had to do a C-section. When the Dr. pulled her out I heard the miraculous words I was hoping to hear… “well look at that…her feet are perfect!”

So each year on her birthday I will recall God’s miraculous hand that healed my daughter’s feet.  I don’t know what you are going through right now, but I know that in our lives right now there are areas that seem IMPOSSIBLE.  When I look at them with my eyes and I don’t see any way that this is going to work out… but I know that with God all things are possible.  I know that sickness, financial issues, relationships, disobedient children… you name it…it’s not too big or too hard for GOD.

God graciously healed my daughter, but even if He hadn’t… His grace would have carried us through.

Note:  Maryann finished her post with a youtube video of Chris Tomlin's "How Great Is Our God."  I, however, can't get my internet video downloader to work.  However, you can see it at www.domesticallyspeaking.com or at www.youtube.com.

My Redeemer is Faithful and True

I have been thinking about the past a lot lately.  Between our anniversary and the gift of videos-put-onto-DVD, memories have abounded.  I watched DVDs of my little pumpkin boy as a baby, with his cute little glasses (his eyes were crossed and he started wearing them at 11 months old).  I don't know, it's just one of those times of reminiscence.

This morning I was listening to the Stephen Curtis Chapman song, "My Redeemer is Faithful and True."  And I thought back over the blessings of these memories.

When I was about 4 or 5 months pregnant, I had a test run that looked for characteristics of disease and deformity, like spina bifada and Down's syndrome.  It wasn't a diagnostic test, just an indicator.  But when Samuel came back with Down's syndrome characteristics, an indicator was a diagnosis for me.  It was an agonizing wait until the next ultrasound, where we could get a better look at him to try to determine if the test was accurate or not.

Of course, it wasn't, and Samuel was born perfectly healthy.  My Redeemer was Faithful and True.  He had answered our hearts' cry, and delivered to us the desire of our hearts.

Revelation 19:11 says this:   ^"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True."  Notice the capitalization of "Faithful" and "True."  These words aren't used as adjectives; they don't simply describe His character.  The capital letters tell us that one of His names is Faithful and True.

He IS faithfulness.  He IS truth.  How can we ever doubt someone who is named for what He is?

We all have stories like this, and after time we forget to share them anymore; or, because of other bad times, we think the stories mean less.  But bad times don't mean that He isn't who He is.  Thankfully, He still is who He is!  We just have different expectations than He does!

There's power in praising God, and there's power in sharing those stories.  I'd love it if you would like to comment and share your story!

Finally today, I have a friend in Texas who is going in to have her third baby this morning.  Please pray for Rebekah and Jeremy and that everything goes smoothly. 

Good Morning!

Good morning!  Hope everyone had a good weekend!  I celebrated my anniversary this weekend - 17 years.  Wow.  It doesn't seem that long . . .

There's a book called, "Experiencing God," that our church went through several years back.  I love this book, and the topic is very relevant considering the discussions between the hubster and myself this weekend.

One of the tenets of the book begins with something called, "a crisis of faith."  Now, this crisis can be your first encounter with God, when you see your need for salvation, or it can be one of the hundreds of situations we encounter through life that force us to make choices, to stake a claim in what we believe.

We're having a crisis like that, and it involves being purposeful.  Why am I doing what I'm doing?  Because someone asked me to?  Or because I'm strongly invested?  Why am I at the church I'm at?  The denomination?  What's the purpose?  And is God's purpose being affected by where I am and what I'm doing?

Those of you who go to church with me, don't think I'm leaving!  I'm not!  I'm just saying - I need to be at my church on purpose, by choice.  Not just because I've been there forever, or it's the easiest thing, or any other similar excuse.

The same is true in relationships, careers, even hobbies - it has to have a purpose.  (I'm not trying to channel Rick Warren here, just so that you know!  lol)

Another tenet of this book is, "go where God is working, and join Him."  So often we decide what we need to do, ask God to bless it, and move forward.  But we run around in circles, effecting very little.  And I'm not just talking in ministry.  I'm talking in life, in our families, our jobs, our relationships.

We say, I'm going to Mexico for vacation!  Made all the plans, all the arrangements, paid all the money.  Now, God, keep us safe from harm and help us have a good time . . . well, that's how I've lived my life, anyway, and I'm really realizing that I have it backwards.

Being purposeful is starting with God.  It's being mindful, praying without ceasing (I think I read that somewhere), waiting on Him.  It's approaching a Mexican vacation like this:  "God, I have this vacation time.  I'm thinking about Mexico.  But what do YOU think?  I want to go where you want me to go, and I'm not making any arrangements until I'm satisfied of your involvement and blessing." 

Asking God to bless plans we've already made is like trying to add eggs to an omelet that's already been served.  It might end up tasting ok - it's got yummy veggies, cheese, meat.  But the most important ingredient is missing!   (I came up with that all by myself!) 

So right now, I'm having a crisis of faith.  But it's a good crisis!  Because I want to live my life on purpose - God's purpose!  Hope you do, too.

Hello? Is It Me You're Looking For?

Remember that old song, from Lionel Ritchie?  I love that song!

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, and my word - I have been a day late and a dollar short all summer.  I can't keep up, having Samuel at home, all the projects I have in the air . . . so I'm making some changes, going back to my roots.

When I started this blog, it was just to organize my thoughts, pour out my love for God, and sometimes to study publicly (!) His word.  Then I think I got a little forward with myself - hey, I'm not a scholar or theologian.  I'm just me, a seeker, thirsting for God.  What do I know?

Not nearly enough!  So to try to expound on books like Isaiah - wow, there's just too much there and honestly, I'm a little scared to get it wrong!  lol  So, I'm just going to go back to sharing about me, not trying to teach anything, and document this journey through the gift of life.

Tomorrow is my 17th anniversary.  There have been lots of times in the last 17 years when I've thought we weren't gonna make it.  But we've endured.  That sounds really . . . I don't know . . . un-romantic.  But there have been times when life wasn't a fairy tale for us.  And, there have been times when it absolutely has been a fairy tale.  And then there are all the times in between.

All I know is that I'm grateful that my husband has stuck with me for almost 2 decades, and I'm grateful that God has blessed us with love and joy and peace.  He has given us a wonderful child, opportunities for ministry, and blessings beyond what we could have ever imagined in 1993. 

So much has changed.  Yet God's faithfulness, His love for us has stayed the same.  It's only because of Him that we've been able to persevere.  Marriage is hard - relationships are hard - but they are worth fighting for, because our relationships with other are extensions of our relationship with Him.  He is a relational God, intimate, loving, and caring.  Can we do any less for each other?

Check out "Marriage is Worth Fighting For" at Facebook.com.

See you next week!

Look to the Day

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;
       and the earth will shake from its place
       at the wrath of the LORD Almighty,
       in the day of his burning anger.  Isaiah 13:13

God is a powerful god.  Scratch that.  He's not A god, He is THE God.  He is GOD.  Period.

And He's not just powerful.  He IS power.

We see His power all the time, in both good and bad ways.  But Isaiah is talking about the day - THE day.  That day in the future when God says, enough.

The thought of that day may scare you.  And that's ok, because it will be a frightful day for many, many people.  It will be the worst day for many people.

But for those of us who know Him, who have asked Him to capture our hearts and lives and to live in us and with us forever - it doesn't have to be scary.  Yes, His anger will still burn.  His wrath will still be felt.  The end will still be the end.

But WE have hope for an eternity with Him, not separated from Him.  An eternity of love, not of anger.  An eternity of fellowship, not of isolation.

We have hope, because we have Him.  Pretty simple, huh?

Let me just say now . . . if you don't have Him, this coming day will be terrible.  God does not want you to experience that day.  He wants you to come to Him, to choose Him, so that you do not have to face an eternal wrath.

Christians can look to the future with hope, and stand bravely in the face of uncertainty.  If you don't have that hope, come to Him today.  Here's a simple prayer you can pray:

Heavenly Father:
I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of my Sins.  I confess with my mouth and believe with my
heart that Jesus is your Son, And that he died on the Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven and have
Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and Savior. I repent of my Sins and will Worship you all the day's of my Life!. Because your word is truth, I confess with my mouth that I am Born Again and Cleansed by the Blood of Jesus!   In Jesus Name, Amen.