A Vessel in the Potter's Hands

From 'Flawed ~ to ~ Awed'

2012-02-11T12:29:00.003-05:00

My strength is made perfect in weakness. II Corinthians 12:9

Been a while since I've been able to write..and actually I should be studying for a physics test which is Monday. . but I wanted to log this lesson as a written reminder to myself of what God has taught me over the past week or two.

One day, I will hopefully look back on this specific time in my life and admit that the difficulties were worth every single degree of suffering, or pain. . .and actually I am almost certain that I will...because it is when I realize and readily ADMIT my weakness, and visualize my "smallness" in comparison to the all-powerful-strength and creativity of our God (Who is beyond any measure or limit) that's when my perspective on life's difficult challenges begin to change.

One way to do that is to take a step back, and look at our universe....go beyond myself and look at the vast expanse of God's creation...keeping in mind that even the universe can not contain God.

A week ago, on my way to school, several mornings the sun was shining so brightly that as traffic was traveling along the interstate and began to round the corner, beyond the trees, the sun was so blinding-bright that traffic began to come to a crawl. . there as we crept along the interstate and I tried to see past the bright, almost white, sun, I began to realize....this is just the sun. . and look at how we all come to a screeching halt!!

Imagine when we are with God in all His glory . . .purest brightness, in His holiness. . . surely no one will be able to move...but bow down and worship Him.

After feeling unable to "do" what is required of me at this present time, and feeling so unable, and weak, this difficult time reveals my flaws. . . but God's strength is made PERFECT in my weakness.

Taking a step back, and looking at the marvellous wonder of creation, and seeing the majesty of His power at work around me. . .and that's when I go from feeling "FLAWED" to "AWED.

It's also very helpful for us to remember that even though we may "Feel alone," we really ARE NOT alone..and that the very Creator of the universe not only loves us, but is watching us every second of the day! "I will guide thee with Mine eye."

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for looking around, at my tiny "box of space on earth" and thinking that this is it...losing perspective on the bigger picture..on Your power, and how MUCH You truly love me and my fellow family in Christ! I pray that everyone will begin to grasp this truth: Yes, we ARE flawed! But the only way to tap into YOUR strength is to go from focusing on being "FLAWED" to being "AWED" by Your power!! Thank You!! I again declare my trust in YOU and Your strength!

Please be made perfect in my flaws and weakness.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

Encouraging Update on Michael :)

2012-01-19T10:48:00.003-05:00

Just a note to let everyone know the latest on my cousin Michael! I will copy and paste the email from my Aunt Dianne below! Thanks so much for praying for him and the family as well! Like she said, cancer affects the entire family. Pray for strength and grace for each day, and for the LORD to heal him and get the glory! :) Romans 8:28

Big hugs and many thanks! Thanks also to those of you who have left sweet comments and sent personal emails to me! These have been a source of refreshing encouragement to my heart!! <3 Big hugs!!! :)
Tammi

Hello, Michael's Team!

We are amazed at how well things went yesterday for Michael. We give the glory and praise to God. Every where we go with Michael and his team of doctors and nurses in Charlottesville ,we see God's hand at work for Michael. In the beginning someone told me that God was using Michael as a witness for others and I believe it. Sometimes we have to walk in the valley to be able to be on the mountain when God needs us for his service. As we have always heard from the televisions that cancer doesn't just affect the person, but the whole family. How true.

We arrived at Charlottesville at 8:30 yesterday. Our older son went with us and to drive us "old people "right up to the door. We were getting out of the car at the Emily Couric Cancer Center and this nice gentleman walked up and wanted to help us get our things from the car and be on the way to our appointments. I guess my son told him about Michael and to our surprise , this nice man whom we have never seen was a Liver Cancer survivor. He came inside and asked if he could talk with Michael. Of course, he wanted to share his story with Michael who was there for his first chemo treatment. This man did not know us and we didn't know him, except for the fact that he worked for UVA and he was the first person we saw at the cancer center. Back in 1996, he battled liver cancer and survived. He was telling Michael that it was hard , but worth all that you go through. He has been cancer free 14 years. What a blessing and uplifting to Michael.

We saw the cancer doctor and she had good news for Michael. She told him that the only differences in his Cat Scan from the 4th of November was the lymph node in the middle of his chest has grown a little, still not worried , chemo will take care of it. The tumor hasn't grown and therefore a slow growing tumor will be a slow shrinking tumor. We were told the pros and cons of his treatment and one thing that the doctor and nurse pushed was that right away, he would not be able to eat or drink anything cold, even to the fact of cold wind blowing in his face would feel like cracked glass. So far as of today, Wednesday the 18th at 1:30 p.m., he has not had this to happen. He is feeling great for now and seems to be in a good mood.

He ate breakfast this morning and everything has stayed down. He wants to go to Walmart, guess this is another good sign. Don't know what tomorrow will bring. For now , we are thankful for what has happened.

Also Michael's blood work was super. it has stayed the same as when he left the hospital on the 2nd of January.

Michael had a wonderful nurse and upbeat people in his circle of patients yesterday that were getting chemo treatments. The ladies who volunteer were always coming around and asking him if he wanted anything to eat or drink, a warm blanket, anything they could do for him. After five hours of treatment and watching T.V. or being on facebook, he got up out of his chair and danced and smiled his way out of the cancer center.

Thanks for all of the prayers and concern for Michael and his family. We will be returning on the 1st of February for his second treatment.

T.R.Y. God

2012-01-13T17:04:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone! Just had to say a quick, "I MADE IT THROUGH THE WEEK!!" LOL   Yes, tis a very difficult program! But, with God's help, I'll survive. :)

Just wanted to post a quick lesson I've been thinking about as I face mounds of work already.  The demands of this program at first glance look to be too much for one person. But whenever I've felt overwhelmed, the Lord reminds me that I am to not "TRY" to do this in my own effort. . . but rather: T.R.Y. God by going forward, each day:
Trusting in
Relying on (and)
Yielding to

God!

So....that takes a lot of pressure off of me. "Lord, I am choosing to TRY You!!!"   This could be a much longer post, fully loaded with lots of thoughts to chew on. But for now...this week, everyone, let's TRY God!

OH!!! How will YOU "T.R.Y. God" this week!??

Love and hugs and miss you all!

Oh, BTW, T.R.Y. --- that's my initials! LOL

The Long GoodBye

2012-01-06T01:25:00.001-05:00

Well, it's been a while...and I just wanted to do a "final post" for what may seem like eternity. . . .(for me that is.) :) Anyway....my ultrasound program starts Monday....I've been looking at the syllabi's for each of the classes, and it's obvious that I will be swimming up to my ears in homework and reading. . . so if you ever think of me, please whisper a prayer! thanks so much... I trust God has brought me this far and will take me as far as He wants me to go in this..which will hopefully be to the finish line. :)

A few of my thoughts before I go:

God's timing is PERFECT! He led me to start this blog back in Feb 2010 .. I had no idea WHY! I just knew He was urging me to do it. . .And He led you all to this blog for multi-reasons: Hopefully to be a blessing to your hearts....but I do know for sure that YOU ALL have been a blessing to ME! And even though I've been AWOL in the blogging world lately, there are still some of you sweet friends who check in on me. ..and I get your emails usually when I'm on the run or most recently when I was in between a break and class time. . . and it cheers my heart....even if I'm unable to respond right away. T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U!
I absolutely need to depend upon God each and every day...ASK HIM to be the Source of my Energy and Strength.
God wants me to PRAISE HIM OUT LOUD each morning even before my toes hit the floor! WHY!? Because That shuts the enemy up....He has to stop and listen! PRAISE IS A WEAPON! Why don't we USE IT MORE OFTEN!!!!!????? (I think because our enemy KNOWS it's a weapon and his "goal" is to keep us UNDER the weather, down in the dumps, and doubting God instead of PRAISING GOD! So, let's all right now OUT LOUD say PRAISE THE LORD for HE IS WORTHY! Praise His Holy NAME! Whoooo!
God sets the boundaries of the ocean and sky, the universe, even though He is limitless, infinite! So I trust Him to take me to the limits of what He has called me to do...and when I reach the end of a particular chapter, He will lead me to the next phase in my journey.
God is not interested in my ultimate OUTCOME and comfort nearly as much as He is INTERESTED in me TRUSTING HIM in "my NOW!"
There is POWER in the cleansing blood of Christ. Name it! CLAIM IT! Plunge deep into the cleansing fountain of LIFE! It is foolish and futile to depend upon anything LESS THAN the POWER OF CHRIST!
GOD wants us to succeed! Once we place our hearts and lives in His hands by accepting His gift of Salvation through Jesus, HE IS ALL ABOUT OUR SUCCESS : Spiritually! HE HAS PROMISED if we SEEK HIM FIRST, His RIGHTEOUSNESS---that is JESUS! SEEK HIS DEAR SON JESUS, FIRST, then HE WILL MEET OUR EVERY SINGLE NEED GLORIOUSLY!!! JUST SIMPLY TRUST AND SEEK JESUS! (And no, I'm not "yelling" by typing in all caps.. . just wanted to stress this lesson to my eyes as I am typing this. ) :)

Okay....I will miss each of you. . .and think of you...and do hope and pray to be back. . .this is not the "end" but just "I'll be back as soon as I can, Lord willing." I know He's not done with this blog because He's not done teaching me!! LOL (Remember: this blog is a place for me to journal those lessons.)

Also: I am posting the music videos (You Tube) that He has allowed me to put together and some were done at my concert in October. . . I've struggled with "letting go"---of what my IDEAS were ... It seemed "obvious" or "logical" that music was how God had "wired me" to serve Him...But He is causing me to release my grip on the music once again. . .possibly pruning this part of my life...maybe, hopefully, Lord willing, the music will come back stronger and more powerful through His Divine enabling, for His glory. We shall see, in His time. However, for now, the dust cover's going over the Korg (Keyboard) and the music will be "out there" for all that He leads to YouTube. . .may it be a source of refreshment to the hearts of His children.

ONE FINAL NOTE: I have a promise card box with cards of verses...the other day I drew a card saying "I need to hear from You, Father..." And two cards were drawn at the same time. Here is what they said,

AS I WAS WITH MOSES, SO will I be with you..I will not fail you nor forsake you. Josh. 1:5

ASK and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. Matt. 7:7

SO....as Moses had an idea of God's calling on his life, but yet was sent to the desert for 40 years for training first, so I too am going. . . to a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. (Psalm 63:1) Funny how I turned 40 last March! ?? hee hee And, no, I didn't get sent out because of a murder. :) Actually, it is sort of: the Death of the Flesh of Tammi. . .Egypt represented the world, and flesh. . . Moses killed an Egyptian. . Well, the death in my situation is the death of the Egyptian represented by Tammi's flesh. I am surrendering to God's will, and depending not on ME, but on GOD!

Anyway....I'm off...."and I know not where." BUT I do know this: I'm in GOD's HANDS...and He is leading me, "in a way that I don't know." Just as He promised.

God bless you all and Keep in touch . . .my homework load for this semester is an average of 4-5 hours a night. ooomph. ouch. . . yikes ! hee hee. .. (that's a sort-of laugh!) HA Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful New Year....and we shall see what GOD is going to do!

REMEMBER PRAISE HIM OUT LOUD!

Tis our weapon!!!

Love and hugs!
Dear Father, I'm off....to where YOU are leading me. . .trusting YOU ... thanking You for this opportunity. . looking only to YOU..Begging You to afford me the time to keep myself rightly related to you. RxR like the railroad crossing....Rightly Related to You....by looking to the CROSS....the finished work on the cross by Your Son, Jesus. . . I can not succeed in any area of life without YOU..and it's just silly and foolish to even try. My initials are T.R.Y. But I'm not going to TRY in my own strength. I will most certainly T.R.Y. Trust, Rely and Yield to YOUR PERFECT WILL! Thank You for this blog, for leading me to start it 2 years ago, and for the special friends You have given me. . . bless them this year....and may You bring me back in Your time, only stronger, and in the center of Your perfect will. . In Jesus' Name!! amen.

Joy to the World!

2011-12-24T23:06:00.000-05:00

I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. No matter how many (or how few) presents you may have under your tree, may you sense the best "Present" of all this Christmas and New Year: Our God, Who is a very present help in time of trouble. He is our Refuge and our Strength!

God the Father spared not His only Son, Jesus, and gave Him for us, while we were still sinners. Christ set aside His glory, and came down to earth, to live the perfect life in our place, and pay the sin debt we owed. He has risen and is coming again one day. May we all be looking for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Merry Christmas! And God bless you all!

Hope you enjoy the above arrangement of a Christmas medley the Lord gave me to share. . Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will be doing this live at church, with the music video playing too. May it be a blessing to those who are there..May they sense the true meaning we celebrate Christmas...the Lord!

Christmas Love and Hershey Kisses!

The Meaning of the Manger

2011-12-18T16:55:00.001-05:00

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:7

Have you ever wondered at the significance of the Lord being

born in a stable and placed in a manger for His bed? It seems

that if we pause and take a closer look we stand to find that in

His humble beginnings we are given an example to follow.

Once we accept Him as our personal Savior, the Lord is to live in and through us on a daily basis. Just like when He was on this earth and grew in wisdom, stature and in favor with both God and man, we are to allow His life in US to grow as well. Others are to see His life and the characteristics of His life manifested in us each day. How do we do this? Just like John the Baptist said: "He must increase, but I must decrease." We are to go "lower" or humble ourselves.

Is it any wonder that God says for us to "humble ourselves under" His mighty hand, and He "will exalt us in due time." ?? As we humble ourselves and find rest at His feet each morning, He finds "a place to rest" in our hearts. . . just like He did that first Christmas when Mary placed Him in a manger: A feeding trough.

As the life of Christ is nurtured in our hearts by us reading the Word, and humbling ourselves each day, others will see Him in us. The world is hungry and in such a need for the only True Food that satisfies: Jesus Himself! Just like the little animals in a stable who go to a manger to feed, others will be drawn to the Bread of Life that lives within our hearts too. Only Jesus satisfies!

Jesus says, "and I, if I be lifted up...will draw all men unto Myself." John 12:32

May the Lord find a humble place to rest in each of our hearts this Christmas and in the New Year to follow so that others will be drawn unto Him and find the Bread of Life and the Living Water that satisfies the longing in each hungry, lost soul!

I'll try to write an update soon, but I wanted to share a little lesson from the Lord to my heart in the midst of this Christmas season. :)

Merry Christmas to you all!!

Be back soon, Lord willing! :)

Update on my cousin, Michael

2011-11-29T22:30:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone. I sure hope that you all have enjoyed your Thanksgiving and are now embracing the Christmas season that has so rapidly "snuck up" on me that I can hardly believe it's that time of year already... AGAIN! : )

Anyway, this week is "finals" week at school...and tomorrow's my daughter's 13th birthday! Wow. So there's much to do...but I wanted to share an update on my cousin, Michael, for those of you who are following and praying on his behalf.

I will post the latest email update I received from my Aunt this week:

"We wanted to let you know that Michael will not be going tomorrow (Nov. 29th) to Charlottesville. The nurse called today and said that the three biopsies that Michael had on the 17th showed something different from the first biopsy that he had at Maryview. (our local hospital). It didn't show the same as what he had here. They said that it showed the kind of cancer that may have come from some cancer cells somewhere else in his body. They were already planning to do a bone scan and a head scan on him and they hadn't done it. Soooooo.........with that flag up, they decided to do a full body scan on him next Tuesday, the 6th of December. They also will do the bone scan at the same time. She also told me that if they went through with the ablation tomorrow, that it had a lot of side effects that could make Michael real sick and it might not even work. One of the side effects was that he could get an infection and that would make him really sick and they don't want to make him sick if this might not even work. So until they find out if there is any more cancer or cancer cells in his body this will be put off.

After next week they will know more of what is going on,

and how to treat Michael.

We ask that you still keep him in your prayers and pray that there is no more cancer in his body.

We will keep you updated as we go along.

Thanks for your love and support.

Michael's Team

I thank each of you for your prayers and concern in regards to Michael and our entire family. :) God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above ALL we could ever ask or (even dare to) think! :)

I'll be in touch A.S.A.P. Until then, have a great week!

Christmas Hugs and "Hershey Kisses."

The Unknown: Something to Be Thankful For

2011-11-24T01:20:00.005-05:00

I was on my way home from classes early Monday evening...it was rush hour. . . in the last few minutes of my "mini-journey home" the Holy Spirit seemed to burden my heart to pray. . . so that's what I did.

For two days prior to that, I had been reading in one of my devotionals how Abraham had sent his servant to find a bride for Isaac. The servant had prayed for God to grant him success. And basically that word for "success" is 'qarah' "to be put in the right place at the right time." The devotions were actually referencing success in our every day lives and the daily duties we each have. But the Holy Spirit pointed out the fact that we have been given an assignment too. . and that's to go out and preach the gospel to every creature. . .to share the Gospel with others, and allow the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of the lost and bring them to Christ, Who is our Bridegroom. The saved are His Bride. Is there anyone out there that we can introduce to Christ, the Bridegroom?

As I was almost home, that's what I felt burdened to pray: "God, put me in the right place, at the right time, to bring someone to Christ...to add them to our family, the Bride of Christ."

However, as I switched to the middle turning lane on the main road outside our neighborhood, traffic was heavy. As I began to approach the street that I was going to turn "left," I noticed in the middle turning lane ahead of me a large construction truck barreling down the lane, head-on, in my direction. I began to slow down to a "crawl" as I wondered what that driver was doing. Was he going to turn left into the neighborhood across the street from mine?? Based on his speed, I quickly realized he was not going to be turning and was headed straight for me. By this time I had come to a complete stop, prior to the place where I would've been waiting to turn left into my neighborhood. When the driver did not turn into the other neighborhood and kept coming towards me, I began to honk the horn, and at the last minute the driver swerved to miss hitting me!! All I remember seeing were the headlights of the truck, the color red and a ladder on the side of the truck. After he swerved, I began to approach my street to turn left into our neighborhood, and realized I had stopped my car far in advance of where I should have been.

God had placed me at the right place, and at the right time, for had I been waiting where I should have been turning left, the truck would have plowed into me and probably pushed me into the backseat of my car.

It took a minute or two for me to fathom what had just happened, and what may have happened if the circumstances had been different. Needless to say, it shook me up. . but I am so thankful for God's protection, and how amazing that as I was praying the words for God to put me in the right place at the right time, He did just that.

Wow! Anyway, tonight's Thanksgiving service at church gave me a moment to share this testimony of praise with others... however, I began to realize that I do not know WHAT damage, injuries (or worse) that God spared me from. Is it difficult to be truly thankful for something that we're not really sure of? I could have been killed, or severely injured...more than likely I'd be in the hospital right now, unable to even post a blog or prepare tomorrow's meal. My family may have been preparing for my funeral instead of Thanksgiving dinner. Who knows?

This reminds me of our salvation. God in His infinite mercy, has made a way for us to be SPARED from eternal damnation and separation from Him . .and that Escape is Jesus and His shed blood on Calvary. At some point in time, if you're saved, you have been rescued from something that you will never experience. Thank the LORD!

I don't know the exact details of what God spared me from on Monday evening in that near head-on collision. All I do know is I was helplessly sitting in that lane, trapped by traffic on both sides, with a big red truck barreling in my direction. GOD in His infinite mercy and Divine Protection, caused that driver to be able to swerve and miss hitting me at the last minute. God spared me from something that I will never experience. Even though I will never know what He saved me from that day, I am still thankful.

I may be unable to grasp the extent of what He did for me on Monday, and especially on Calvary, but I pray He would constrain my heart by His love and cause me to be overwhelmed with thankfulness! And I pray this for you too! :)

May He continue to put you and me in the right place,

at the right time, to grant us success in our endeavor

to win souls for Christ!!

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you!!

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your protection over me, especially on Monday. Thank You for burdening me to pray on the way home that afternoon...I have no idea what may have happened; all I do know is that because of Your Sovereign control over our lives, You caused me to stop my car further back, and that gave the driver enough time to swerve out of my lane. Without a doubt I am sitting here tonight, because of Your unmerited favor and Divine Presence in my life. And I owe this all to Your Son, Jesus!! Thank You so much for Your many blessings---blessings that I am totally unable to grasp. . .especially the blessing of never knowing what eternal life apart from You will be like. This is because of Your mercy, and grace through Jesus Christ. And because of Him, I am wrapped up, in Christ, forever Yours, for all eternity. I thank You, In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Urgent Request

2011-11-10T23:45:00.006-05:00

Please keep the candle burning
for my cousin Michael!

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him. I John 5:14-15

I just wanted to send an urgent request for prayer for my cousin, Michael. I still want to refer to him as my little cousin, because I can picture him as a little 4 year old at my Granny's house. . . curly brown hair, cute as a button. He just recently turned 21, and has turned out to be a fine young man.

Sometimes things happen in life that we wonder "Why!??" And this is one of those times. Michael was recently diagnosed with an EXTREMELY rare form of liver cancer. In fact, there are only 2 in 10 million that have this form of cancer. And he is one of those two. He is currently being seen by a team of doctors at the University of Virginia medical center. The tumor is approximately 12 inches...so it is a large tumor.

The local doctors said that this cancer does not spread outside of the liver (metastisize). HOWEVER, the doctors at UVA have told them that it in fact does spread. So a bone scan is to be done soon. They are also planning to do three more biopsies of the tumor.

Our prayer is for them to be able to remove the tumor (and the affected part of the liver) and have Michael be able to keep 20-25% of his liver. The liver can regenerate itself, so even though 20-25% doesn't sound like much, it's actually a lot! If he is unable to keep at least that much of his liver, the entire liver would have to be removed, and he will need a liver transplant.

So....for now, please be praying for:

Michael, and his family, especially his parents who are travelling with him to and from his appointments to UVA. Pray the cancer has not spread and that the tumor (& affected liver) can be removed without him needing a liver transplant.
Also pray for God, Who is our Great Physician, to give the team of doctor's wisdom. Because this is such a rare form of cancer, the doctors are having to research this as they go along. Pray for God to guide them in their research and give them wisdom.

Even though we can't begin to understand the "why's" in this, we need to focus on the Who. God is "the WHO" that is ABLE!

So, let's not focus our energy on the WHY, but on HE WHO IS ABLE! "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, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21.

Look at the word POWER in that verse. The Greek word for power here is from "dunamai."

Definition: (miraculous) power,

might, strength

MIRACULOUS POWER!! But catch the fact that this is referring to God's miraculous power that is working WITHIN US! We have His Holy Spirit working within us!

I John 5:14-15 says we can have CONFIDENCE when we approach God in prayer. HOW:

pray according to God's will
You must BELIEVE (know) that He hears your prayers...and when you REALLY BELIEVE that HE HEARS your prayers, He says that whatever we ask, we know we have it!

So, lets entrust the Holy Spirit to energize our prayers, as we lift our requests to the throne of God! May we begin to see God's glory manifested through the miraculous work that will be done on Michael's behalf!!

Dear Heavenly Father, You have given us such a privilege to confidently come to You in prayer on behalf of Michael and his family. We thank You in advance for what You will do. Father, this situation comes as no surprise to You. But to us who know and love Michael, it has shaken us to our core. We ask for Your Holy Spirit to give us the words to pray according to Your will, and the FAITH to BELIEVE that You will hear and answer our prayers! Please give the doctors wisdom to know how to treat this successfully. We ask that the cancer would be contained to the liver. Please allow Michael to keep a portion of his liver too, Father, so that he would not require a liver transplant. I ask for You to strengthen and encourage Uncle David, Aunt Dianne, as well as Amy and Jay T (and their families!) They are so special to our family, and need Your strength and peace throughout this storm. Draw the family closer to You, Father, and to one another. Be glorified in this, and may You give Michael a renewed sense of Your Divine purpose for his life, Father. Allow him to be a shining light to others around him, in order to point others to his Inner Strength which is YOU. We choose to focus on what we KNOW and not on what we don't know. WE KNOW that You are in control. We KNOW that You LOVE Michael and his family (and all of us); we KNOW that You have already answered our prayers and even take time to listen to us as we pray, for Your Word says, "Before they call I will answer, and while they are still speaking I will hear." You do not lie, Father; You can not, for You are holy. You honor Your Word above Your Name. So we KNOW and we BELIEVE with full assurance that YOU have answered our prayers according to Your will. We do not know what the future holds or what the outcome will be, but we DO KNOW that Your will for us in this situation (and every situation) is to GIVE THANKS! It requires a LOT of faith to THANK YOU for THIS, Father. It makes no sense to the human mind to say "Thank You!" but maybe You're just wanting to see our hearts united in full faith and assurance of Your unfailing power and unfathomable love. You are ABLE to heal Michael; You are ABLE to keep this cancer contained, Father! You contain the ocean waves and tell them where to stop. You have set the boundaries of the universe...so we KNOW that You can set the boundaries of this cancer and tell it "YOU WILL GO NO FURTHER!" We ask You to have already done this, Father. Even as I sit quietly here, Father, and just wait for You to speak, I hear You gently whisper, "Thy will be done." Oh Father, we pray for Your will to be done not just in this, but in all of our lives, Father. May everyone around us see a difference in us, and may that Difference be YOUR POWER resting upon us so that others are drawn to You. We claim Your favor and presence as a shield around Michael and his family. . .and we ask that You would bring them to our hearts in order to pray for them at just the right moments when strength and comfort is needed the most, Father. The effectual fervant prayer of a righteous man or woman availeth MUCH, Father. You said it! And we are made righteous because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross on our behalf! So we thank You for this honor to pray for Michael, his family as well as for the doctors. The battle, Father, is not in the hospitals or doctors' offices around the world, NO! It is in the prayers of Your children. Father, as long as Moses held his arms up to You, the army below was winning. . .but as soon as his arms began to slip and fall down from exhaustion, the enemy began to overtake them! Father, lift up Your children's arms in this battle! May we never grow weary in well doing to pray for not just Michael but for ANYONE who needs our prayers! May we have eyes to see our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need of support in their prayer-life; and may we lift them up, just as Aaron and Hur helped to prop Moses' arms up! (Exodus 17:12) We lift our hearts to You, Father, on behalf of Michael. We ask for Your will to be done. Encourage Your children through this...May we see YOUR MIRACULOUS POWER working in and through us, and our prayer-lives, Father. Breathe life into our prayers by the power of Your Holy Spirit! In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.....

THANK YOU TO EACH OF MY DEAR BLOGGING SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN CHRIST. Please pass this prayer request along to your sweet blogging family! May the Holy Spirit renew our strength to come to the battlefield and PRAY for God's will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven!
**I've added an update from my Aunt Dianne in the comments section. I am so thankful for each of your prayers. Before I wrote this blog, I asked them if it'd be okay to share Michael's situation on the blog, because God gave me the faith to believe He will use each of you in a special way to be a part of this journey in prayer on Michael's (and the family's) behalf! Thank you for proving that God's people can pull together, even if they've never met, to pray for a special brother in Christ. :) Love U! <3

A Personal Invite

2011-11-04T14:18:00.008-04:00

"...But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him,

just as he told you.'" Mark: 16:7

Just wanted to touch base with everyone to let them know that the LORD blessed the concert efforts more than I could imagine, and how humbling it was for me to see Him working in the hearts of His children. What an honor to be used as a vessel in His hands to minister to the hearts of His children. :)

In preparation for last weekend's concert, I was searching God's Word to see whatever it was He would have me to share, and how would He tie it into the music He had given? I want to share those little lessons or "golden nuggets" with you here. ;o)

Remember how Peter pledged his allegiance to the Lord, and yet he quickly denied Jesus not once, but three times before the rooster crowed. . just as Jesus had told Peter? Can you imagine the anguish Peter must have felt knowing how he denied Jesus? And here Jesus had been crucified? Then how must Peter have felt when he heard the news that Jesus' body was not at the tomb, and in fact Jesus had risen? If I were Peter, I would have probably had mixed feelings: perhaps excitement, tinged with guilt and even fear of seeing Jesus again. Yet, in our verse today, (Mark 16:7) we see what the angel said at the tomb. "But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you." Does this statement "exclude" Peter as a disciple? No! Once we are saved, we are always saved. We find this to be a personal invitation. "Go and tell his disciples, especially Peter....." Why would Peter even need a personal invite? I'm sure he was wondering if the Lord would even welcome him into His presence!

This spoke volumes to me! I hope it will do the same for you as well! Jesus personally invites you to come to Him, no matter what you've done..no matter HOW long it's been since you've spoken to Him. . .and especially if you've been rejecting His invitation to "Come to Me.." Now is your chance to come and find that HE is here, just as He promised HE would be. A personal invitation, what more could we ask?

Luke 24:13-35 tells us of another account on Resurrection Day. Two of them were on the road to Emmaus. Walking along, discussing the events of the day, probably wondering about whether they would see Jesus. Then the Lord Himself began to walk with them. However, they did not recognize Him. In fact, He spoke with them and walked along for quite a while and even went with them to the house. It wasn't until Jesus was at the table, blessed the bread and then broke it that their eyes were opened. (verses 30 and 31)

Isn't it that way with us too? We can be walking along with the Lord in our spiritual "walk," and have Him speak to us as we read the Word; we hear His message preached, but it seems that when we become broken THAT's when we really see Him. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Purification is by fire. Removing the dross, purging the impurities away. This implies extreme heat (suffering and brokenness.) At the end of Job, when God had spoken to Job and caused Job to catch a glimpse of God's majesty, Job said, "My ears have heard of You, but NOW my eyes have seen You." Job 42:5 Job had been broken, but now his eyes were opened. His heart was purer than ever before. God allows us to be broken in order to purify our hearts, so that He can reveal more of Himself to us...and that's when we will reflect more of who HE IS to others. :)

Going through some extremely difficult times?

Could this be a chance for our Lord to reveal MORE of Himself to you? I think so. Be still and know that HE is God, and He will be exalted--even to you, right now, right where you are. :)

We all remember the account of when the parents brought their children to Jesus. . and the disciples "shooed" them away. Jesus rebuked the disciples and allowed the children to come to Him. I never noticed until last week, that the Bible says in Mark 10:13, that the parents wanted Jesus to simply touch their children. But in verse 16 we read "And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them." Jesus wants to do SO much more for us than simply "touch our lives." All we need is the faith to COME to Him. . .and then watch and see what He will do. . He will scoop us up into His arms, place His hands on us, and bless us!!

Do you have a child in need of a touch of the Master's hand? Keep asking God for more faith and continue to bring your child before the throne of grace! God wants to do more than touch your child! He wants to pick him or her up and bless them abundantly! And guess what!? He WILL! Keep on praying according to His will!

This lesson of the parents bringing their children to Jesus could also symbolize salvation. He wants us to come to Him for salvation (to touch us) but He also wants to "give us life more abundantly!" (pick us up, place His hands on our lives and bless us!) God is certainly a GIVER of LIFE, and "LIFE more abundant" too! :)

Jesus' life is to be lived in and through us. Each day, as we surrender our will to His, "He must increase and I must decrease." How is His life to find rest within our hearts? How can His life in us "Grow in wisdom and in stature and in favor with both God and man?" Simply look at the stable in Bethlehem. Mary placed Jesus in the manger. That was not a typical "bed fit for the King of Kings!" It is a feeding trough.

After Jesus had risen, and "reinstated Peter" by asking Peter three times "Lovest thou Me more than these?" He told Peter to "feed My sheep." How are we to feed God's sheep? By allowing the Bread of Life to live and grow from within our hearts. Our hearts are to be like the manger in that Bethlehem stable so many years ago. Once we have humbled our hearts, and allowed His life to find a resting place in our hearts, He will continue to grow, and others will see a difference in us...they are hungry, and don't even know what they are hungry for. . .But we do! They are hungry for the Bread of Life. Allowing Jesus to live in and through us, by keeping our hearts humble, will cause others to come to us. . .not for US, but to find the Bread of Life within our hearts. . we are simply the "trough" or "manger" that holds the precious Bread of Life within! God's great Master Plan for our salvation had a humble beginning ~ a stable in Bethlehem! And so His purpose for your and my life must have a humble beginning too: our hearts. :)

Feed My sheep! Jesus knows that His dear children are in need of nourishment and encouragement. What are we doing to allow His life to grow within our hearts so that others can find that we offer the Bread of Life to them--not because of anything we have done. No. But because of Him choosing us, like that little manger was chosen, to hold His life and allow His life to rest within our hearts. . .

May His life in us continue to grow so that others who are hungry will be drawn to the Bread of Life. "IF I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me." He was lifted up once, on that cross. Now, is He being lifted up in our hearts? In order to do that, we must "decrease." We must humble our hearts. . .

Oh dear Heavenly Father, thank You for these wonderful lessons You opened my eyes to. The "concert" last weekend was not about music, but rather about Your message of encouragement. Thank You for the privilege and honor to have shared Your message through not just the music but most importantly, Your Word, to the hearts of Your children. Please help us all to keep our hearts humble, so that Your Son's life, Who is the Bread of Life, can continue to grow and be lifted up. Please draw all men unto You, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, before our time on this earth is over. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Performer

2011-10-20T00:02:00.001-04:00

"I will cry unto God most high; unto God who performs all things for me."

Psalm 57:2

The Lord has opened the door for me to do a special musical presentation or "concert" on Oct. 30th in the evening. I've not been able to post many blogs lately because of seeking His guidance and working with Him on this, as well as still being in physics class.

This opportunity is way "out of my comfort zone." But I know that whatever He requires of me, He will enable me to do. And that's where today's verse fits into our post. : )

When you think of a concert, you automatically think of a performance by someone on a stage. Right? Me too.

But my prayer for this upcoming event is that it would not be a concert by me, a "performer," but rather a special time where we can all come together, "in concert," to have our hearts blessed by our Heavenly Father. . .and that Jesus would be lifted up. Anyone can be a performer, but it takes the hand of God upon a person's life to make them a blessing to others. God is The Performer, not me. :)

Jesus said if He be "lifted up," He "will draw all men unto" Himself. He was lifted up on the cross at Calvary, and my prayer is that He would be lifted up next Sunday evening, so that others will be drawn to Him and see that He can meet all the needs of their hearts.

Please pray that He

would use me as

simply the

paintbrush in His

hands to paint a

beautiful picture

of His Son.

For His glory!

On the way home from class today, He reminded me of a poignant moment nearly 15 years ago, when I stood by my sister's casket and told my former piano teacher, "I can never play the piano again. How can I play from a heart that is broken??" She said, "Ahhh, you have all the more reason to now." At the time, I really didn't think that I could ever "play" again. My heart was crushed. But by the grace of God, and through His healing comfort, He has brought the music from a much deeper place.

After all, we'd never enjoy the sweet juice from a grape if it had never been crushed, right?

What an honor and privilege to be used by Him. I'm still just a lump of clay in His hands!!

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for this opportunity You have given to me. The gifts that You give us are not to be kept to ourselves, hidden from others, but rather they are to be shared. As a river keeps flowing, sharing its goodness, we are to do the same. If we do not allow Your gifts to flow through us, then we will become stagnant and useless. Please be glorified in and through me. May Your will be done. For Your Name's sake, and for Your glory.

In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Where You Are

2011-09-28T23:33:00.002-04:00

The blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.
Exodus 12:13

How many times have we heard or read that verse, and just skimmed right over those three words, "Where ye are." ?? The Holy Spirit gave me a "pause here" moment a while back when I read that verse, and it made an impact on me. Seems like I had never noticed those words, "Where ye are," and I've missed the importance of their meaning.

Haven't we all felt at one point or another in life that we'd "do better" once we "got out of this situation" or "if only our circumstances were not so bad" we'd be different. ??

"Deliver us from this, Father, so that we can be free
to serve You (in the way that we think's best.")
(ever felt that way before?)

We need to realize that no matter where we find ourselves, God wants us to NOT WAIT "til things get better." He wants us to become fully dependant upon Him, right here, where we are ~ the way we are!

Sure, we all would like to have a fresh start, and a clean slate. But the chance to "start over" doesn't depend upon OUR circumstances changing. It does, however, depend on one "Thing," and that is the shed blood of the Lamb of God.

God told the Israelites to apply the blood upon the houses WHERE THEY WERE at the moment, not where they were GOING to be in a year or so. And that's what He wants us to do today. Whatever our situation may be today, we shouldn't wait for "things to change" or for "God to move us out of this circumstance" before we come to Him through Jesus.

There is power in the blood of the Lamb. Because Jesus willingly paid the price for our sin by shedding His pure blood in our stead, we can be reconciled to God from right where we are.

We can come to Him, serve Him,
and grow "right where He's planted us."

Whatever you're going through, don't wait for things to change. Go straight to the Savior...the Lamb of God! The answer to your need is found in the precious blood of the Lamb. He is the only One Who has the power to change our circumstances, when we fully rely and depend upon Him. The One Who passed over the houses that had applied the blood of the lamb on their doorposts is THE One Who wants to transform your life. What are you waiting for? :)

Just as I am, without one plea,

but that thy blood was shed for me,

and that thou bidst me come to thee,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

A.S.K.

2011-09-19T00:43:00.000-04:00

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

Been thinking about the progression of Ask, Seek, Knock in the above passage of Scripture. Can you see it too?

A. Ask. When we're lost, and not sure which way to go in order to get to our destination, we generally ASK someone who does know the way, in hopes of them sharing their knowledge and pointing us in the right direction.

S. Seek. This is after we've ASKED for the directions, and now we're on our way. . or as Strong's puts it: "to go about, endeavor. . . "

K. Knock. The final step. First we were lost, and then we asked for directions; after that, we began to seek (or "go about") on our journey to our destination. Now we've arrived, and we just have to "knock" on the door.

The next verse says, "For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." This makes sense, doesn't it? In order to receive, you must first ASK. Then what will we do with the directions we've received? We will seek to follow them, right? We better seek, or that's the end of our quest. When we continue to seek (and endeavor to follow the directions), that's when we will FIND what we were looking for: which is our destination. Once we arrive at our destination, we must not just stand there, on the outside, but we must KNOCK on the door. . .and God says it will be opened unto us. Even after seeking and getting closer to our destination, once we arrive, we must still knock on the door. This implies a continual process, a gradually "getting closer" to our destination, until it's opened to us.

The gradual process of Asking, Seeking, Knocking, requires increasing faith on our part. I can finally arrive at the door, but become afraid to go ahead and "knock on that door," because of a lack of faith. I might begin to worry, "What will happen? Will He even open the door?" I wonder how many times I've arrived at a door that I sought, but because of a lack of faith, I never knocked, and that's why it was not "opened unto me."

Doubt keeps doors closed.

We can be "lost" in so many different ways. Of course, to be lost in the ultimate "spiritual sense" is to be headed in the wrong direction~our final destination will be eternity in hell, forever separated from God, if we're lost in our sin. Are you this person, lost and on the road to hell? You must ask someone who knows THE way to get to heaven, and do it now, before it's too late. Jesus said, "I am THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life, no man comes to the Father, except by Me." John 14:6 Since Jesus is THE Way, Seek HIM.

Even for us who are already saved, there are times when we can feel as "lost as ever." Maybe we need guidance regarding an important decision, or just with the challenges that life can bring. Let's remember to A.S.K. Ask God. He certainly knows the answer, because His way is always best. Seek His wisdom, seek His way, continue on "going about" His business in your life. Soon you'll have the destination in sight, and don't stop there. Go on and knock. He will open the door of opportunity for you.

God the Father has already opened the door of heaven to us through His only begotten Son's shed blood on the cross. Surely He will continue to open the doors of increasing wisdom, strength, comfort, understanding, knowledge, opportunity and spiritual growth on our behalf . . .if only we'll just A.S.K.

What "Door" are you seeking? I pray you've already sought and found THE Door---the door to heaven: Jesus.

Have a wonderful week everyone! Thank you all so much for your thoughtful comments. . they've been such an encouragement to my heart, as always! :)

Love and prayers for all of you.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for always answering our prayers. . . You've said no good thing will You withhold from those who walk uprightly. Please enable us to let go and quit trying to walk uprightly in our own strength. . . but to just allow YOU to live and breathe through us. Touch others' lives through us this week, Father. . in a mighty way. Equip us with Your strength, Your power, Your wisdom, Your love and understanding, and enable us to be on guard, for our enemy seeks to devour us. We thank You for the privilege to A.S.K. You for whatever we need. . and that You have promised to meet our every need, by and through Christ Jesus. In His name we pray, Amen.

God Cares for You

2011-09-09T23:03:00.000-04:00

God Cares for You

There is no sorrow God doth not bear.

There is no grief He will not share.

He sees and knows when your heart is aching,

And understands when it's nearly breaking.

He'll give you comfort, peace and rest;

And help you through this hardest test.

He'll never fail you. His Word stands true.

I know He'll sustain and strengthen you.

Trust in the Lord

a simple child-like faith;

He's here, He's there, He's everywhere,

And He is never late.

Trust in His Word,

It gives such sweet relief-

In sunshine or rain, sickness or pain,

And in our deepest grief.

Trust with all thine heart.

Hold nothing back from Him-

Every thought and deed,

even smallest need.

The way is never dim.

Lean not upon the flesh

for it will surely fail.

To understand is sinking sand

Along this Pilgrim trail.

written by my grandmother,

Belle Sandefur

March 7, 1980

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart

and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

What an Award!

2011-09-08T11:44:00.003-04:00

I recently began my fall semester which includes none other than physics! :) Thankfully, God has given us a wonderful instructor who, so far, has made learning physics fun. Anyway, adjusting to the school schedule for not only me, but also for my two "kids," I've not been able to post regularly, as well as blog-hop with everyone as I'd like to. . . so imagine my surprise when I check email and find that this blog has been given an award!

Maria, over at Life Lessons, was so kind to have awarded this blog with the Liebster Blog Award. It's an award that is presented to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. When I looked up the meaning for "liebster" it means "beloved, darling, dear, dearest, love."

It is an honor to "share the love" of the Lord by sharing special blogs with our friends. This award is like a "word of mouth recommendation." Each recipient graciously accepts it, and then awards it to five of their fellow bloggers. The key is those blogs must have less than 200 followers.

My prayer is for the Lord to use this opportunity as a way to shine the light of His love for us, and on those who share His love through their blogs.

Thank you, Maria, for sharing this award with me. It's truly an honor, and may the Lord receive all the glory, because if He weren't my Beloved, and Dearest Friend, I'd surely break while He's molding and shaping this vessel of clay. :)

Okay, on to the specifications of the award! :)

There's just a few "rules:"

Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.
Give the Liebster Award to five bloggers and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
Copy and paste the award on your blog.
Have faith your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
Thank the Lord for this opportunity to be a vessel in His hands, and enjoy His blessings! :)

* Special note: For some reason the links to each blog do not show up, but you can click on either the blog name or the name of the writer and that will take you to their blog or profile. :)

1. Cherie, over at Journal of Faith, has been such a blessing to me. She writes from the heart of experience. Walking by faith, in the midst of sorrow and trials is not easy...but Cherie allows the Lord to offer you encouragement and see things from a new perspective: His. God has equipped Cherie with the ability to write and minister to many through not only her blog, but her books as well. :)

2. Karen, over at Hallelujah Anyhow, has such a wonderful attitude, and is such a talented writer. She is able to express things that my heart is feeling, in ways that I'm not able. One thing I remember about Karen is that she listens to the LORD...even if it means put bloggin' aside for a while. If we're not careful, our ministry of sharing the lessons God is teaching us through our blogs can actually become more of a top priority than seeking God Himself. Then we're headed straight for a "Burn-out!" There've been times that she'll take a "Brief Bloggin' Break." Don't we all need to come away, by ourselves, with the LORD and get some rest? Thankfully when Karen comes back, she's refreshed and ready to pour out what the Lord is pouring in: His Refreshing, Living Water. :)

3. Lidj, over at Crown of Beauty, may live all the way around the world from me (She's in the Philippines) but whenever I read her blog posts, it seems as if she's right here, in the very same room. Her humble spirit seems to "beam right through the computer screen" and straight into my heart. :) God has taken her through some deep waters, such as losing her husband, yet she continues to seek His will for her life; and it's exciting to see how God is unfolding each new page in her life as she dedicates each day to Him.

4. Michele Katherine, over at Straight from the Heart, has allowed the LORD to transform the difficulties in her life into a stepping stone to bless others. She writes poems that are exactly as her blog title says, "Straight from the Heart." If your schedule is hectic and there's very little time to blog-hop as you would love to do, you can hop to Michele's and find that her posts are straight from the heart, and right to the point. :) Refreshingly crisp and heartfelt.

5. Nancy, over at Created for a Journey, has a heart for her sisters in Christ. God uses her and her ministry, to be a blessing and offer refreshment to ladies who may be exhausted from their journey. She and her family are currently enduring a heartache though. They certainly would benefit from your prayers. Hop on over and send her some encouragement. I have no doubt that God will use HER to be a blessing to your heart too. :)

There are so many other blogs that are special to me; and I must confess, with this new journey of me going back to school--only several months after I had begun a blog??-- I miss having the time to post and blog-hop. . . .but one thing's for sure: GOD uses each blog, but even more importantly: He uses the special hearts behind the blogs, to bless my heart and the good thing is: no matter how long I may be "away from the computer desk," i.e., blogger, they will always be here waiting to share something special that they are learning from the LORD! :)

A great big thanks to each of you and Maria too, for being a blessing to me! :)

Thorns and Crowns

2011-09-04T01:02:00.003-04:00

I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “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. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. II Cor. 12:7-10

Does it seem like more and more Christians you know are being persecuted in some form or another? Maybe you are having to endure some "seemingly-never-ending" battle with the enemy. Sometimes it seems like the persecution has become a thorn that is stuck in your flesh. No matter how many times you plead with God to remove it, for some reason, He will not remove it.

Ever been there?

I have. In fact, recently I begged God to remove not just one thorn, but SEVERAL, that torment me and have crushed my spirit. "This just doesn't make any sense, Father! This hurts so badly! It seems as if these thorns in my flesh will never be removed!"

But then the Holy Spirit began to gently reply, "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Rev. 3:21)

Then He began to "paint a mental picture" by saying, "Take these thorns that I have allowed, and imagine them to be woven into a crown, dear child.

I wore a crown of thorns too. . . but I overcame. If you overcome (and you will, through Me) I will turn each and every painful thorn into a beautiful jewel, and each of those jewels is woven into an eternal crown. You will share My throne with Me."

Jesus allows the painful thorns in our flesh for a specific reason. Maybe it's to allow us to fellowship with Him in His suffering. . but it doesn't stop there! In our weakness, His power will rest upon us, just like a crown rests upon a person's head. He turns the crown of thorns into the resting place of His power!

Each trouble, storm, and "thorn from the enemy" is painful and difficult to bear, yes, ~ but when I realize Jesus has allowed it, and by His grace I'll someday trade this "crown of thorns" for a beautiful crown in heaven, my heart is humbled. There is nothing in me that is worthy to even partake of His suffering.

Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

Dear Heavenly Father, why should You even allow me the privilege of wearing a crown woven full of thorns? Even though these "thorns" hurt, and are in the form of being ridiculed, despitefully used, misunderstood, insulted, hated and rejected, help me remember You are giving me a chance to understand more of Your Son's suffering that He endured on my behalf. He kept His eyes on the joy that was set before Him. . . so please help me keep my eyes on the joy that is set before ME too. The Joy of Knowing You, the Joy of Becoming More Like Your Son, the Joy of being broken and spilled out. The Joy of one day ruling and reigning with Jesus.

Just like the bubbling brook that laughs and sings as it splashes over the rocks, and goes lower and lower, help me find this Joy that only comes from You so that I may be a blessing to others who come in contact with me. I picture a babbling brook and someone dipping their tired feet in the cool water, just to find refreshment. The brook is low, at the feet of others.... a picture of humility. But on its way down, the babbling brook laughed and sang joyfully, as it overcame the rocks and "obstacles" it faced. Please help me be joyful as I'm on my way "down." Make me a channel of blessing to others. Thank You, Jesus, for wearing a crown of thorns for me! May Your power rest upon my head, just like a crown.

In Your lovely name I pray, Amen.

I.R.E.N.E. ~ What's in a Name?

2011-08-25T16:23:00.006-04:00

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me: for my soul trusts in you: yes, in the shadow of your wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

Psalm 57:1

**UPDATE**

After I posted this, the Lord began to remind me of how some named tropical storms are SO BAD that we retire them. No more will we have to endure a storm with the same name again, just due to the devastation that particular storm brought. I wonder, too, for us, if He allows some storms to be so bad, and the devastation is so destructive, that we will never have to endure another one of the same "name" again. Of course, HE helps us to recover from it in His time, but we don't walk away from it without a respect for what we learned from that particular named-storm. And at the sound of that name, we remember it's effects all over again. (Hopefully to remind us of the lessons He taught us from it.)

What storm am I going through spiritually? What's its name? Hmmmm.

Good one to think about.

***Another Update*** (Aug. 26, 2011)

Thank you Lidj, from Crown of Beauty, for pointing out something very special. The name Irene means, "Peace." WOW! As we await the arrival of Irene, I will think of how Irene means "Peace." Seems like the LORD is driving home a lesson: Peace in the midst of the storm! Sending a hug to you, Lidj! :) All the way from the Hampton Roads, Virginia USA area! :)

Just a quick update. Our area (Hampton Roads) is watching Irene's path closely... Hurricane Isabel left the Hampton Roads area with bad memories!! And we do not want to see another storm like Isabel (or worse) come through here. However, according to the latest track models, they have Irene's eye going right over top of Virginia Beach. Isabel formed another "inlet" on the Outer Banks. . . and I have to wonder what in the world Irene will do if it stays on the forcasted track. ??

Anyway, we were without power for nine days when Isabel came...and hopefully and prayerfully we will not have to endure the same type scenario.

One thing is for sure: nothing is certain. I can watch the meteorlogists' reports, and with each passing hour I get this strange feeling that we'll never really know what track it's going to actually take 'til it's basically over top of us. Best thing we can do is Pray and Prepare. . and then when I look at Psalm 71:14, "But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more." ... that makes me want to add one more word: "Praise." So . . . guess we can Pray, Prepare and Praise... for only God knows which way He'll steer Irene.

And if the storm churns up the sea along the entire Atlantic coastline, it helps to remember that He's allowing it all for a reason.

When Jesus was walking on the stormy sea, and called out to the disciples to "not be afraid," Peter replied, "If it IS You, tell me to come to You." What faith Peter expressed! Would we have faith enough to ask Him Who is walking on the stormy sea, to invite US to step out of our vessel (Step out of ourselves, our strength, and our comfort zones) and WALK ON the "STORMY IMPOSSIBLE" in victory with HIM? Whew. That's some faith! I take comfort in the fact that Peter did step out and walk on that water in Victory With Jesus. And even though Peter quickly shifted from the "naturally impossible" *(walking on water) to the "naturally expected" (sinking), Jesus allowed him to experience the impossible-with-man, but POSSIBLE-With-GOD. This is a testimony for US to glean a lesson!
After sinking into the stormy sea, Jesus lifted Peter up and he climbed back in the boat... and others worshipped the LORD. I wonder what Peter would have named that storm? Thinking of names, it's rather ironic to note that Peter's name means "Rock." Petras. From a human standpoint, if I throw a rock into water, it's going to sink. But, Jesus allowed Peter to do the humanly impossible: WALK on water. . Peter stayed afloat, all because of Jesus.

No matter what we go through, and even if we feel like we've fallen and failed due to a "sinking-faith-moment," Jesus can still redeem our failures and turn them into victories and bring God glory through them.

What relief!

Thank You, Jesus!! Each of us has a "Named Storm" that we are enduring. Sometimes the storm is such a devastating one that once it's passed, we'll never go through another one with its name! Even though that storm may be "behind us" and its name "retired," help us to remember the lessons we learned during that storm, so that at the very sound of its name, we remember how You used it to teach us valuable lessons and bring us closer to You. We believe You will keep us safe during our storms, and even if we do lose faith for a brief moment, please redeem it, and receive all the glory and praise! In Your Name, Amen.

Quakes and Storms

2011-08-23T21:22:00.000-04:00

For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

Today was a rather unusual day for us. At the eye doctor for my daughter, and while she was being tested, I was sitting nearby. . . all of a sudden, I heard this "sound;" at the same time, the building began to shake, and I began to feel like I was sitting on a freight train, barreling down a track. At first it reminded me of when Hurricane Isabel was roaring through here, in 2003. With the news and focus on Hurricane Irene which may make landfall near the Outer Banks and then come through our area, my mind was already on the idea of a hurricane coming through. So as I heard the sound, and felt the shaking of the building, my eyes went directly to the window and saw the bright blue sky. That's when I realized this was no major wind/storm event, but rather an earthquake. That's just something that doesn't happen around here y'all. "Bizarre" was the only word I could think of.

Immediately I picked up my cell phone to check in with my husband....no cell phone coverage. . . for a long time. In fact, no one in the building had coverage, regardless of who their cell phone company was.

Seems like as soon as something earth-shaking happens, we automatically turn to our phones and call our loved ones, to check on them, or to reach out and find out what is going on. And in times like this, it seems that "all circuits are busy" for quite some time, and we can't "get through."

With all eyes on Irene, and as we face uncertain times, we need to remember Who makes us to dwell in safety. It's rather ironic how my physical life today seems to mimic my spiritual: unexpectedly shaky, and another big storm on the horizon.

As I glanced at my little perpectual calendar here, and read the "thought for the day," it was appropriate, so I thought I'd share it here.

"God's presence stands between

the turmoil of the world and my spirit.

His peace is my safe harbor in the storm."

B.J. Hoff

I'm so thankful that when I'm shaken by the storms and quakes in life, I can reach out to my Heavenly Father, Who knows all things, and I will never have to worry if I'll "get through" to Him. In fact, not only can I be assured that I'll get through, I can find assurance in knowing that He is with me in the midst of the storm.

The LORD your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV)

Thank You, Father, for keeping us safe today, and please have Your will regarding the storm that is churning out at sea. I remember how Jesus had "constrained" the disciples to get into the boat, and He knew that there was a huge storm awaiting them. He had just done the miracle of feeding the 5000, and they had witnessed Him doing that. Yet, in the first big storm after that, as He began to walk towards them, on that stormy sea, they not only didn't recognize Him, they feared He was a ghost. I can understand how they felt. At least Peter had the courage to call out to Jesus and say, "if it is You, tell me to come to You." And Peter did step out of that boat. The others remained in the boat. Of course, like Peter, I take my eyes off of Your Son, and look at my surrounding circumstances, and then I sink. I can hear Jesus whisper, "Why do you have such small faith?" Oh Father, please forgive me for how quickly my faith can be rattled, and allow Your Son to pick me up; and if He chooses to put me back in the boat, may others see that He is Who He says He is, and may they bring Him glory too, just like the disciples did when Peter climbed back in the boat. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Overcoming in this World

2011-08-18T01:54:00.004-04:00

This is a note for anyone who may find that the storms of life are overtaking them. . .that the waves crash, one right on top of another, without any reprieve. There seems to be "no rest for the weary." This is for anyone who has ever felt like they could just use ONE DAY with good news. . .one moment in time where there was peace from the ongoing storms of life.

When everything seems to be so discouraging, remember Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

He says "IN HIM" we may have peace. "Abiding in HIM" (and "He in me") is the way for me to experience peace in my storms. God's Word tells us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. To be a prince, a male must be born to the royal family of that particular country. He inherits the title Prince, by birth, and the country is what He is the "prince of." Peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He IS peace. And He is the ONLY ONE Who can speak Peace to our storms. Wait a minute! He is the Only One Who can come IN the MIDST of our storms, and set up His kingdom and "reign" down His Peace to our hearts.

The Prince of Peace, Jesus, tells us that He has overcome The World. The World of worry, the World of fear, the World of meanness, the World of selfishness, the World of pride, the World of self-righteousness, the World of greed...the World of SIN.

He also tells us, in Revelation 3:21 "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." Go back and substitute YOUR name where the words "TO HIM" are. "To Tammi, who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with ME on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne."

Take heart, dear friends. In this world, this world filled with sinful, fallen mankind, we will have trouble. It's just inevitable. But because HE OVERCAME every single sin that mankind is capable of committing, (and will commit) we too can overcome our storms ~ the storms that are either caused by others' sinful natures, our own sinful mistakes OR they are sent by our Father, Who, motivated by His love for us, sends them in order to purify us.

God allows these storms to strengthen us, and "agitate" us--- like the washing machine. If it weren't for that agitator, the clothes would just sit in that soapy water, and soak. They have to be agitated in order for the grime and dirt to be "knocked loose."

God knows what He is doing. He knows what He is after when He allows these storms and trials to come, sometimes one right after another. . . but He has promised that they will not overtake us.

Father, Thank You so much for encouraging my heart in the midst of the Storms of Life. And when I look at the initials of those three words, I see S.O.L. That reminds me of the "Standards of Learning" that our children have to take at the end of each school year. What am I learning in the midst of my storms of life? Am I making the grade? Am I becoming more like Your dear Son? Or is there a lesson that You have to keep bringing me to, because I just do not learn the lesson? What could it be that I am missing? Please open my eyes, through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for Your patience, Your long suffering, and tender loving care. And for Your Faithfulness.

In Jesus' Name...Amen.

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. Isaiah 43:2

Lessons from the 'Midst of Trouble'

2011-08-11T01:17:00.003-04:00

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me. You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies and Your right hand will save me." Psalm 138:7

This was the verse God led me to write down on an index card for today. As soon as I saw it I thought, "Uh oh. In the midst of trouble...? That doesn't sound good. Will there ever be a day when I do not have to walk in the midst of trouble on this earth?"

As I reflect on the events of the day, yes, I can see how God is good, and His Word was just what I'd need. He was good to have given me that scripture to cling to throughout the day. A few things He has pointed out to me from that scripture are:

Though I am "walking in the midst of trouble...." Sometimes we feel like we're surrounded by trouble, and this word "trouble" means "Affliction, distress, adversity, anguish, tribulation." It's very difficult and exhausting to STAND UP, much less WALK in the midst of affliction, distress, anguish, tribulation and adversity, isn't it? But here we see God has promised that even though we are walking in the midst of trouble, HE will revive us. He will revive our exhausted spirit as we strive to keep walking with Him, even in our storms.

What if our storms are caused by an enemy that could be compared to a fire breathing dragon? An angry person whose behavior is irrational? God says He will stretch out His hand against the wrath of our enemies. I noticed something in this verse though. It doesn't say He will stretch out His hand against our enemies, but instead, against their wrath. . their anger. . .the fire that they are spewing out. Psalm 76:10 says Surely the wrath of man shall praise you: the remainder of wrath shall you restrain. God can use even the very wrath and anger of man to bring Himself glory. "...the sins of the wicked are made an occasion for the display of the divine perfections in maintaining law; in the administering of justice; in preserving order. But there is another sense, also, in which the wrath of man is made the occasion for glorifying God. It is, that since there is such wrath, or since there are such wicked purposes, God makes use of that wrath, or of those wicked purposes, as he does of the powers of nature - of pestilence, disease, and storms, as instruments to accomplish his own designs, or to bring about great results...." (Barnes' Notes on the Bible)

And it's good to note that He says, "The remainder of that wrath He will refrain." The leftovers that He doesn't use for His glory, well, He'll just bind it up...and the wrath of our enemies can do us no harm. It's like having a barking dog on a short chain. The dog can snarl and bark for ever how long it wants to, but as long as it's bound by that chain, it can do us no harm, providing we are not within its reach.

And the last part of today's verse: His right hand will save us. What a picture! Who is seated at the Father's right hand? None other than our Savior-- Jesus! So God wants us to understand that He will spare no expense or strength to save (deliver) us from our enemy. And He has SPARED NO expense, because He gave us His Son, Who gave His life as the payment for OUR SIN. Jesus saves! AND He will deliver you and me from whatever our enemy spews out at us each day.

Just remember though, we've got to keep walking. :o)

Father, I needed this verse today. Thank You for this lesson from Your Word. Apply this Word to my heart like an ointment, that will heal and strengthen me. Thank You for Your precious promises! I claim this one tonight, and pray for my fellow sisters and brothers out there who may be walking in the midst of trouble. Stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of our enemy, who is Satan... and we thank You for the promise that Jesus, Who is at Your right hand, will deliver us! In His name I pray, Amen.

Food for Thought

2011-08-08T19:45:00.002-04:00

This morning I felt led to write two verses on 3x5 cards. Just wanted to share them with you too. Little did I know just how much they would mean to my heart at the end of the day.

Be ye doers of the Word, not just hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22 Ironic how easy it was for me to read the following words of wisdom found in Proverbs this morning and think "Wow, that's good advice." But the first time someone did a "wrong against me," how quickly my flesh became offended, hurt, wanted to defend or fight back. I had completely forgotten the Word of Advice the LORD had given to me this morning.

Now that I look back, I can see myself, as a little child running to my Heavenly Father ~ not seeking "to tattle," but to find His wisdom while trying to swallow the lump in my throat, and have Him dry my eyes. In the midst of my prayer, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the two verses He led me to write on those cards many hours ago at the start of my day. And He also reminded me of just how unlovely I am apart from Him. That's when I found the ground to be level at the foot of the cross.

Hope these will bless you too:

A wise person is P A T I E N T . He will be HONORED if he IGNORES a wrong done against him. Proverbs 19:11

From this, we can gather a promise from GOD. God has promised to honor us if we ignore a wrong done against us. How can we do this? Oh...I'm so glad you asked! :o) God is able to make all grace abound to us. II Cor. 9:8 And sometimes that's exactly what it's going to take: GOD's grace!

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife. Proverbs 17:1

Feeling slighted? It would be wise to patiently ignore this offense, and gracefully "take the dry crust given to us" while remaining peaceful and quiet instead of demanding to be heard and having an over-abundance of material things.

Thank You, Father, for loving me, and for prompting me to come to YOU in my time of need. How easy it would be to pick up the phone and call a friend and "V E N T," but this is not what You want. You want us to come to You just as soon as we feel the need, just like a child would run to its mother when it falls down and gets hurt. We should just automatically RUN TO YOU in our time of need, so that You can make all grace abound to us.

Thank You for your patience with me. . and this is an understatement! In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Confidence in Prayer

2011-08-04T15:19:00.007-04:00

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. I John 5:14-15

Just wanted to share a little note or "formula" that I jotted down to add to my 3 by 5 cards of special verses. It has to do with the verses above.

CONFIDENCE IN HIM ASK

*No doubts *through Jesus only *According to His will

*nothing that I can do

on my own

HE HEARS US

We will have the things we have asked for, as long as the above mentioned conditions are met. Have confidence, that leaves absolutely NO ROOM for doubt in GOD! Realize that you and I must come to our Heavenly Father through Jesus. Imagine us being wrapped up in Jesus, and we can boldly come to God because of Jesus' redemption power surrounding us. We are "hidden" in Christ. (Colossians 3:3) Ask according to HIS will, knowing that whatever we ask will be granted along the lines of HIS perfect will. How does our petition fit in with His will? We may not know, but we DO KNOW that HE does, and He WILL answer it according to His perfect will.

What confidence do we have? That He doesn't see US in our sinful nature when we pray; but our Father sees His Son, Jesus, for we are hidden in Him. He sees the suffering and redemptive work accomplished by Jesus' shed blood, and He will answer our petition according to His will. Jesus came to give us life, and that more abundantly. (John 10:10) And whatever we are petitioning our Father for will be worked out for our good and His glory. (Romans 8:28)

We know that HE HEARS US. (Micah 7:7) And as I John 5:15 says, we know that we will have the things we have asked Him for...for His answer will always line up with His perfect will.

No matter what, we can not lose.

The key is, confidence in and through Christ Jesus, and praying according to His will. . . believing He will hear us and answer our petitions according to His will.

Be encouraged! Do you have anything that you need to pray about? Have confidence in HIM!

Thank You, Father, that we can have confidence--that means have NO DOUBT, in YOU. You will never fail! Not one Word of Yours has ever failed, and it never will, for YOU never change! Thank YOU! Father, we just praise You for the power You've so graciously given us in prayer, by and through Christ Jesus.

We pray in His name, Amen.

Another Journey Begins

2011-07-30T02:10:00.006-04:00

"Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long." Psalm 25:5

"Lord, let me walk so close to You each day,

that I am always ready with welcome

for Your surprise visits to my life." B.J. Hoff

Well, dear friends....This blog began in 2010 as a way for me to journal whatever it was that God would give me to share, and really I had no idea that anyone would become a follower besides my parents--(Hi Mom and Dad!)

This has been an online journal of lessons He's been teaching me along my way. To know that He has allowed you to join in and even receive a blessing from these lessons is so overwhelming that I can not even begin to grasp it. :) He has proven Himself, over and over, and surely He will continue to do so. Amen? Amen!

First of all. . .God is faithful. Am I faithful?

I look back and see so many times my faith has been tested, and I suspect even wavered, in the midst of the storms.

Instead of faith-ful, I was faith-less.

Instead of fear-less, I was fear-ful.

The main thing I was concerned about was: What is God's purpose for my life? How can He make a difference through my life while I'm on this earth?

LESSON LEARNED:

Do not seek God's "purpose for your life" first and foremost, but rather seek GOD HIMSELF .

The other thing I most frantically tried to find answers for was: How will I arrive "at that special outcome" that He has planned for me?

LESSON LEARNED:

God will not show us the "final result" of what it is He has planned for you and me. In fact, He will only reveal His plan for us on a day-by-day basis--kind of like a flower---opening up one petal at a time.

And IF we do not follow each step in obedience, we'll become sluggish in our walk with Him.

And does the arrow have anything to do with it hitting the target? No! The Archer places the arrow in the bow, and stretches that bow. He finds His target, and when the target is in sight, the Archer will fling that bow, and the arrow is set in motion! Same with us. We are to just rest in His hands as He prepares to set us into motion.

So...I said all that to say this. I went back to school last fall. Exactly one year ago I was wondering why in the world He would lead me to go back to school. (fear made me doubt everything!) I went through the required classes so I could apply for the ultrasound program this past May. There were 140 applicants, and they only accept 16 students each year.

Today I found out that I was accepted! As the Lord has opened the door for me to pursue a field that I never dreamed would be possible for me ~ or something He would even have me to do in the first place based on how He's equipped me "musically" ~ I just wonder what does He have in store? I "thought" He would have me share His music. And yes, He has opened doors, and continues to receive glory musically. . .but there is someone He wants to reach in this field ~ someone that can only be reached if I go through that door, in His power and in His might, and for His glory. The "ultra-sound" will be the sound of His good news being shared. :) And as He teaches me how to look in to the depths of the human body and understand His creation, may He open my eyes to even more depths of His wisdom!

So, instead of worrying about how life is about to change dramatically for me and my family, I'll just rest in the fact that God has opened a door, and He wants me to keep my grasp firmly in His, and step through it. I do believe that is G R O W T H. :o)

Giving God the
Room to

Override my ideas while I'm

Waiting and

Trusting Him to

Have His way

That's what "GROWTH" means for me today.

Oh Father, Thank You for allowing me to make it through this past year and for teaching me so many valuable lessons, not just in the classroom, but in the school of LIFE. Like I told my dear Grandmother tonight, "This past year has been so rough. . .but maybe God is using the rough times to be like sandpaper and smooth out the rough edges in my life.". . .please smooth out the rough edges in me. And oh, there's a plenty!! I'll not worry about tomorrow, but just take each day as it comes, for You've promised grace only for each day. Please use me somehow, for Your glory, even as You lead me to a new path. Strengthen and encourage not just me, but also my dear friends who may be entering a new path that is unfamiliar territory. Thank You for Your longsuffering with me. I'd have given up on me a long time ago, Father! Thank You for not only rescuing us in our present time of need but also consistently rescuing us each time we call out to You.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

When You Have NO-THING to Live For

2011-07-22T15:37:00.002-04:00

Saw this little video today, and felt led to share it with you. It's just a little over 2 minutes long, but very powerful.

Going through life, trying to live for "this" or "that," or trying to "accomplish this or that," but not living FOR God, will cause us to come up empty everytime.

We may even feel like there's 'nothing' left to live for. That's just it, my friend; we are not to live for any THING, but FOR a Person, and that Person is God.

When you feel you have nothing else to live for, it's time to turn to GOD. He will give you a purpose for living. He will give you Himself.

"You may have no power to do it...

but if you surrender to Christ,

He'll give you the power."

"Time will decide if you will not,

and time always decides against you."

Checkpoints to Finding Joy

2011-07-16T14:59:00.005-04:00

IF YOU:

keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and
from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and
if you honor it by not going your own way and
not doing as you please or
speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the LORD,

~ and ~

I will cause you to

ride on the heights of the land and to
feast on the inheritance
of your father Jacob.

The mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 58:13-14

In the fast paced world in which we live, it's so easy to become too busy to remember the goodness of the LORD, unless we deliberately pause and think about Him. If we're not careful, this fast paced life style will drain the joy right out of us.

He warns us: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)

If you're feeling like your Joy in the LORD is "zapped," and you're running on empty---remember, there is joy in His presence. He is everywhere, but don't forget to go to church and be with His people. It also seems that He is telling us to allow His Holy Spirit to do through us what we can not do, even down to controlling the very words that come out of our mouths. . . .and when we do our part, He will do His part. We can be assured of this because the mouth of THE LORD has spoken! ;o)

Be encouraged.

Thank You, Father, for Your patience in teaching me lessons throughout this journey. Thank You for Your encouragement, and allowing the Son to shine through the clouds to reassure me that YOU are STILL on the throne. One day we will spend eternity with You, in the eternal Son-shine of Your presence, and there will be no more storms nor testing of our faith. As we seek Your face, we find there is joy in Your presence, and this is our strength. Thank You! In Jesus' name, Amen.

God = Love

2011-07-09T22:21:00.000-04:00

". . . God is love." I John 4:8

Well, it's been one of those weeks where you wonder what day it is, because it seems like it's just been one long, exhausting day. Last Friday (July 1) my husband's grandfather passed away unexpectedly. So instead of heading down to North Carolina for our planned holiday trip, it ended up being to bury his grandfather. So, the past week has been exhausting emotionally as well as physically. But through it all, I know that God has been with us.

He sent little messages of hope to strengthen us. . .
like the night before the funeral,
we saw a double rainbow!
photo from stock.xchng

Just knowing He is with us during our storms helps doesn't it? Have you ever been afraid and not known what to do with your fear? Wanting to be rid of your fears, but unsure how to do it, you wonder, "When will I ever get over my fear?" Well, the night we returned, it was in the wee hours, and I was exhausted...(We all were.) After I went to bed, I heard my daughter calling out to me. . .oh boy...."It's almost 1:30 a.m., can we not talk about this in ~~a few hours~~ the morning??" But she quickly revealed to me how she was feeling afraid. (This is her first time experiencing a death in the family.) In the process of our conversation, the Lord began to reveal to me the following little formula:

In math, we know that both sides of the equal sign (=) must be equal, so they are interchangeable. Well, as soon as my daughter told me she was afraid, the Lord reminded me of ". . . perfect love casts out fear." I John 4:18 Then He reminded me of "God is love." Now, we know that math just doesn't come to a person's mind at 2 in the morning, :o) (LOL) so I know that the visual for this formula had to come from the Lord! I began to picture GOD = LOVE and then substituted the word "LOVE" in I John 4:18 with the word "GOD."

If God is (=) LOVE and LOVE is (=) GOD, then I can substitute the word "love" with "GOD" in

I John 4:18, and that means that:

GOD (perfect LOVE) will cast out my fear!

No more pressure to try to overcome our fear! HE will do it! And HE HAS done it! All we have to do is trust! If we are afraid, it is stemming from a lack of trust in God.

It's amazing to me to know how exhausted my body and mind have been lately, and see how He continues to speak words of encouragement to me, and gives strength to the weary! ;o)

Be encouraged! When you're in the midst of the storm, He is still speaking! Just tune your ears towards Him and believe that He will speak in the midst of your storm!

And. . . He WILL!

Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July! Freedom is not free. And we know that our ultimate freedom was purchased on Calvary!!

If the Son therefore shall make you free,

you shall be free indeed.

John 8:36

Thank You, Father, for speaking strength, encouragement and Your perfect, reassuring LOVE to a weary soul! I pray for my dear friends, wherever they are in their walk with You, to find Your perfect Love truly capable to cast out all their fear! In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Get Up

2011-06-30T15:26:00.000-04:00

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Romans 15:20

Been going through some "things" that have given pause to much time to seek God, reflect, and deal with the issues of my heart. Felt knocked down... bruised, and broken. Defeated. Knowing that these feelings are not of God, but of the enemy, the enemy of our souls, but not quite knowing how to overcome them---I've just said nothing. . . . just seeking God and waiting.

Greater is HE Who is in us than he who is in the world, right? Right! And GOD has promised victory!

Today I noticed something... of course it was the Holy Spirit that revealed this to me. In the verse above, the God of peace (not confusion or suffering or pain, but PEACE) will SOON crush Satan. But notice where Satan will be... UNDER OUR FEET!

How can Satan be under my feet if I'm knocked down, flat on my back, feeling defeated? Could it mean that perhaps I must BE UP, on MY FEET, so that GOD will GRANT the victory!??

OH FATHER, Please grant the strength and courage for us to stand up when we've been knocked down. In standing up, our faith will be renewed, our courage to move forward will increase, and we know that the faith and courage comes not from US, but from YOU! So we humbly ask for Your grace and strength to stand up, even now! In Jesus' Name, Amen!

"My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise renews my life." Psalm 119:50

"He knows just what it means to be alone---to feel rejected, forsaken, deserted, even in death. The One who endured the loneliness of the cross is the One who comes to comfort you when you're alone."
B.J. Hoff

A Word for the Oppressed

2011-06-21T02:16:00.000-04:00

The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

Psalm 103:6 (KJV)

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, said the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffs at him.

Psalm 12:5 (AKJV)

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. Proverbs 29:25 (AKJV)

Hold you me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect to your statutes continually. Psalm 119:117 (AKJV)

For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke 1:37 (KJV)

"This is the way God sees your problem. Turn what faith you have loose in the middle of this great promise and go on to victory. Father, I look to Your Word, and I pray that You will meet the need of each of us, no matter how hopeless it may appear, in the name of Jesus, Amen.

And Thank You."

(Prayer by Herschel B. Dean,

from "The Golden Treasury of Bible Wisdom")

In the Dark? Here's the Key...

2011-06-10T07:50:00.003-04:00

Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon His God. Isaiah 50:10

Have you found yourself to be in the dark about something? Wondering where God is taking you, or what He is up to. Wondering how things will ever work out? Have you remained ever faithful in your healthy fear (respect) for the LORD? And you're still obeying His voice, as He speaks? Yet ... there you are, still in the dark....having no light?

Take heart my friend! As soon as I read this verse in my devotional today, I noticed that I had written "2010" on the corner of the page. Here I am, exactly one year later, and still wondering how in the world this particular situation (that I've not mentioned. . . . YET) will ever work out. But I have found HOPE! I have found the secret to NOT losing hope! You can too! It's right here in the Word!

continue to fear the LORD...respect Him.... be "afraid" to hurt Him or let Him down. That will keep you on the right path.
Continue to obey Him as He does speak words of guidance to you..Obey immediately, or else you'll become sluggish in your walk with Him. Obey at Once in each little tiny step throughout your day.

And, if you're like me, still in darkness, not sure about things, the command for us today is:

trust in the name of the LORD. TRUST in the POWERFUL NAME of the LORD. The One and ONLY Lord. The One that at just the SOUND of His name, every knee will bow and tongue will confess that HE IS LORD. TRUST IN our Precious LORD's name! ONLY! Not in money, not in other people....in nothing else BUT His lovely name!
STAY UPON Your God. Rest on Him. Rely upon Him. The Hebrew transliteration is "shaan" which means to Lean, to support oneself upon. Lean Upon the strong arm of the LORD. Rest upon Your God. Did you realize that HE is YOUR God!? How personal is this? Isn't this wonderful? Not only is HE the Creator of the universe, my dears, but He is YOUR Very own, One and Only, Loving, Tender, Compassionate, Forgiving, Patient, Gentle, Sweet, Strong, Heavenly Father---He is Yours! And you, my friend, and I, are HIS!

So....keep on walking, obeying, trusting, relying on Him...SOONER or LATER, He shall shed His wonderful LIGHT upon your path! and upon YOU!

"...the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
Numbers 6:25-26

Praise You Father, for bringing hope and encouragement to us who are following You, yet still "in the dark" about things. We know that You tell us if we walk with You we will walk in Light...and we fellowship with YOU, Who IS the LIGHT of the World. . .we thank You that You understand we have the desire to understand things . . .and yet we are unable to. Thank You for encouraging us to keep on walking in the direction You are leading, as we know You have said You will lead "the blind in a way that they have not been before." How very scary to be blind, and in unfamiliar territory! Help us continue to obey You, and trust and fully rely upon YOU! We thank You for when You WILL break forth the Son-shine, we shall see what this was all about! And we pray it will be for Your glory!! And for our good!
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Flat Lined Faith

2011-06-08T23:43:00.002-04:00

And Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief: for truly I say to you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Remove hence to yonder place;' and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you." Matthew 17:20

Are you facing any obstacle that seems impossible to overcome? Has this caused you to feel "negative" and view life through the eyes of a pessimist?

See no evil; See nothing BUT evil; Half-way-see-no-evil!

Jesus told his disciples to SPEAK to "their mountain" even with faith the size of a tiny mustard seed. What words are being uttered from your mouth today? "This is impossible." "I can't do this." "This is totally unfair." "This makes absolutely no sense." Negative thoughts that are "uttered into the air" are pollutants, aren't they? Of course they are! They not only make living difficult for others around us, but the negativity also causes our faith to flat line...just like the negative (-) sign is a small "flat line."

Look at Mark 16:3 "And they SAID among themselves, 'Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?'." They were anticipating a potentially REAL problem. Heading out to the tomb, they anticipated the huge stone being there and them not being able to move it. How many of us borrow trouble? And when we borrow trouble, we not only get trouble, we are charged lots of interest in the form of stomach ulcers, lost sleep, family problems, anxious spirits, and unconfessed sin in our hearts from a lack of faith in God.

Read the very next verse (Mark 16:4) "And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great." So, once they were within "viewing distance" from the tomb, they realized the problem was NO longer a problem...it had been rolled away.

Are you looking into the foreseeable future and anticipating a huge obstacle? I have been too. But, let's not question the size of the problem, okay? We can at least admit that there's a "P.P.O." ~ "Potentially Problematic Obstacle," but still have faith that God is already aware of and has already remedied the problem. All we have to do is keep on walking in that direction.

Let's look up to the LORD, and view this from the perspective of the cross. The LORD overcame death and our sin just so we can face any problem in life, through the power of His shed blood on Calvary. Is there anything that is impossible for our God? No, there is nothing that He can not and has not already overcome.

Isn't it special that when we look to the LORD and the cross on Calvary, we can now see a positive sign? +
No more flat lined faith!!! :)

Number 13:30 gives us a wonderful example of positive faith! "And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, 'Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it'."

There's a mountain that God wants you and I to overcome this very day...this very hour. It could be a matter of obedience to a calling, or a need to overcome a particular stronghold...either way, let us go UP (and that's a positive thing to do) AT ONCE, and possess it! He's already given it to us....all we have to do is claim this particular victory as ours and then go UP at once and possess it! We are WELL able to overcome it. . .

but not by OUR might...but by HIS Spirit! (Zech. 4:6)

Infuse the air around you with positive faith and not "flat lined faith." Having trouble finding something positive to say? Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth." Commit that verse to memory and quote it, out loud, over and over, believing that HIS Praise shall be in your mouth---and that takes the pressure off in case you're having trouble finding the right "praise words" to speak. He'll give you the words to praise Him and speak to your mountains in faith! :)

What a gift! God will give you the praise and faith
to speak to those mountains!
Whatcha waitin' for? Time to start talkin'! :)

What's that I hear?
The sound from the rhythm of a heart beating once again!

Oh Father, we ask for You to place Your praise on our lips and keep our mouths full of Your praise, continually. THANK YOU for giving us the faith to speak to these "mountains"...believing that when we arrive, we'll find the obstacle already removed!!

In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Goodness and Mercy

2011-06-03T01:39:00.003-04:00

Surely Goodness and Mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 23:6

I've been thinking about our Good Shepherd and how much He cares for us. . . or maybe I should say I've been TRYING to comprehend how much He truly cares. . .and of course, my mind can not grasp His love. I'm so thankful that He understands we have this treasure of salvation in "earthen vessels." I'm sure you're familiar with Psalm 23 and the words of David--how he compares the LORD to being our Shepherd. The chapter may have just a few verses, but they're so full of "goodies," it's something that should be thought about, mulled over, and digested slowly but surely over time in order to receive its fullest blessings.

Have you ever thought about God's goodness and Mercy? How come they are mentioned here as "following" us all the days of our lives? Well, I wonder could it be that God's goodness and mercy are like the Shepherd's two "herding dogs"---keeping the sheep in line? If I've ever messed up and gotten out of line, the enemy tends to make me feel discouraged and even timid about going to the Lord for forgiveness. But it's God's goodness and mercy that will get me back in line every time! :)

How about you? Are you feeling like you've stepped out of line and now the ole enemy is causing you to hesitate in going back to the Lord for forgiveness? Look over your "shoulder"---do you see God's Goodness and Mercy? They're on your trail! Quickly get yourself back in line by going to His Word and repenting...He's sure to forgive and give mercy!

Thank the LORD, that no matter what season you're in--whether it be "spring" or "summer," and you're growing spiritually by leaps and bounds ~OR~ you're feeling like you're "falling" away and your heart is even growing cold----no matter what season you're in spiritually---The Goodness and Mercy of God remain ever faithful as your guide, to keep you on track! Trust Him. God is soooo good, isn't He? Thank the LORD! :)

Thank You, Father, for your goodness and mercy and for being our Great Shepherd Who will lead us in plain paths of righteousness for Your Name's sake. Help us to follow You as we listen for Your tender voice.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

S.U.R.R.E.N.D.E.R.

2011-05-23T01:07:00.002-04:00

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him."

Psalm 37:7

"God wants us to be expectant before Him. . .

to wait patiently, but with hope,

to work diligently, but with the understanding

that to HIM belong the final results of all our efforts."

The above song was recorded when the Lord brought me to a major crisis during the summer of 2008--where I had to surrender my will over to His. . .even though what He was asking me to do made no sense to me. As I was on the floor, face down, praying, and "giving up my grasp on this situation," thunder and lightning crashed and flashed right over our house. What a battle was raging within and outside too! After the storm passed, and all was quiet, He led me to record this arrangement. When I listened to the final recording, it was as if He were telling me, "I am not done with you, My child. You've released your grasp on life, and given Me 'permission' to begin a new chapter; and this song will be a memorial to the 'death of your desires and dreams,' and the beginning of a new chapter in life."

Dear Father,

When I surrender to Your will, I:

Simply

Understand that I must

Relinquish my

Rights with

Every

New

Day~

Expecting the best

Results: because You only want what's best for me; and I'll never be satisfied unless I am fulfilling "Your kingdom purpose" while I'm on earth. I am trusting You with all my heart. In Jesus' Name. . . Amen.

His Eye is on the Sparrow

2011-05-10T05:11:00.000-04:00

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value

than many sparrows.

Matthew 10:31

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Belated Mother's Day. I wasn't able to get on the computer to post anything until now . . . but it was a wonderful weekend. And I hope yours was too! :o)

When I was thinking about Mother's Day, and wondering what song could be a good one to not only honor our moms, but also reflect our Heavenly Father's love for us, the Holy Spirit brought this song to my mind....and the rest is HIS-tory. :o) He led me to record the song on Saturday night. And when it was finished, and I listened to it playing back, He reminded me of how my mom loves to watch the little birds from her backyard! She even has a few books to help her identify each colorful bird that perches on the tree branches near her kitchen window!

Can't you just see it now? Our Heavenly Father is keeping a close eye on all of His creation, even as we are bird watching too. :o)

I would like to dedicate this very first You Tube video to my Mom, Janice. :) When I was ten and began piano lessons, we didn't have a piano. So, Mom prayed for God to provide for this need. That's when He reminded her of a small insurance policy that she purchased while she was in high school. She cashed it in, just so I could have a piano. :o) Mom--I love you so very much, and appreciate everything you've ever done for me ~ and that's A L O T !! :o) Thanks for always being there for me! Love you, to the moon, and back, and then some. :o)

When I see the little sparrows, and birds, and how our Heavenly Father cares for their every need, it brings such a comfort to my heart---for I know He loves US so much more than I could ever comprehend!
To God be the Glory!

Something to Think and Pray About

2011-05-05T14:22:00.000-04:00

If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? Jeremiah 12:5

I was reading in one of my devotionals today, and the message spoke to my heart so deeply, that I wanted to share it with you...to encourage you to keep on keepin' on in the GOOD TIMES, so that when the bad times come you will be ready. If we falter in our "Comfort Zones," then how will we ever be able to survive in the "swelling of the Jordan," when we feel as though we shall be overtaken by the flood of despair or discouragement?

Asa had much faith in God, and God gave him a huge victory. However, later on , when a "smaller battle" came, Asa turned to the king of Syria instead of totally depending upon God~~and God was very displeased. II Chronicles 16:9 God is telling Asa, " For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein you have done foolishly: therefore from now on you shall have wars." Let us not only trust God to enable us to minister and serve Him in the toughest of times, but let us also wholly depend upon Him even in the "small stuff"---the small battles that we may be tempted to feel "are a piece of cake." Remember:

"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord Almighty." Zechariah 4:6

The following is taken from the Devotional "Daily Strength For Daily Needs."

A heart unloving among kindred has no love towards God's saints and angels.

If we have a cold heart towards a servant or a friend, why should we wonder if we have no fervor towards God?

If we are cold in our private prayers, we should be earthly and dull in the most devout religious order.

If we cannot bear the vexations of a companion, how should we bear the contradiction of sinners?

If a little pain overcomes us, how could we endure a cross?

If we have no tender, cheerful, affectionate love to those with whom our daily hours are spent, how should we feel the pulse and ardor of love to the unknown and the evil, the ungrateful and repulsive?

H. E. MANNING.

Dear Father, please help us be very careful to not yield to the temptation to take on the smaller battles in the strength of our flesh. Help us by using our daily lives, the every day, run of the mill routines, to train us for the bigger battles that are ahead. Keep us on guard and ever faithfully trusting You. Enable us to obey You with our entire heart and soul.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Amen!

2011-05-04T11:00:00.000-04:00

Ephesian 3: 8-12, 14-21

Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles

the unsearchable riches of Christ,

and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery,

which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

His intent was that now, through the church,

the manifold wisdom of God

should be made known

to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

according to his eternal purpose

which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In Him and through faith in him

we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

. . . .

For this reason I kneel before the Father,

from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

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,

to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

Amen.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Food for Thought

2011-05-03T15:48:00.001-04:00

Thus said the LORD, Let not

the wise man glory in his wisdom,

neither let the mighty man glory in his might,

let not the rich man glory in his riches:

But let him that glories glory in this:

that he understands

and knows me,

that I am the LORD

which exercise loving kindness,

judgment,

and righteousness,

in the earth:

for in these things I delight,

said the LORD.

Jeremiah 9:23 & 24

A Treasured Gift

2011-05-02T00:49:00.001-04:00

I have hidden Your Word in my heart. Psalm 119:11

Life becomes a journey. And God's Word is a Lamp unto our feet and a Light unto our path. That gives the implication that it lights our way, step by step:as we take one step forward, His Word gives us light enough for the few steps ahead---not a spot light or stadium lights, brightly revealing ALL of the journey at once. Oh how I look back on my life, fourteen years ago, on May 1, 1997, and thank Him for NOT revealing to me what was just ahead.

Back in the early 90's, I worked at a preschool and daycare. . .I was the "teacher's aide" to a special lady who gave me a simple gift. . . something that she had no idea would become a treasured gift to last me for all these years. It is a simple "flip calendar" with a verse and poem for each day. It's perpetual, so I have been able to use it every single day since then. It's called "God's Caring Touch- Encouraging Words About our Loving God"

B.J. Hoff

Is there anyone that can know for certain what tomorrow holds? Of course not. But knowing NOW what I did not know then, I can see that God was gently preparing me for what He knew was about to happen. And He was using His Word to shed a little light on to my soon-to-be-darkened pathway. You see, May 1, 1997, was when my 22 year old sister, Sherri, passed away. I wanted to share with you the scriptures & thoughts from that calendar that are on the days leading up to her death, and how they have meant so much to me, especially with each passing year.

April 25th

"I have hidden Your Word in my heart."

Psalm 119:11

"Search out God's promises,

Make them a part

of a treasury of hope

carefully stored in your heart."

Little did I know that I would soon be clinging to God's promises as my 'life preserver,' and that I would so desperately be needing to find some sense of HOPE in the senseless and untimely loss of my sister's life. I urge you to carefully store God's Word in your heart too---for you never know when you will need to recall some precious promise to cling to in an unexpected time of need.

April 26th

Consider it pure joy. . whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." James 1:2,3

"Let me be willing to daily take up the cross You have assigned to me, Lord, without grumbling or complaining, without bitterness or whining. Let me bear my cross with joy because it leads me closer to You."

The cross that He would soon assign to me would be a new label: one of being a "Survivor of Suicide," and all the grief, despair and unanswered questions that come with being a survivor. Such trials, of many kinds---would they develop perseverance or bitterness? Would I reject my Lord or be led closer to Him?

April 27th

"Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. . .We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces. . . hope." Romans 5:1-4

"Our peace would be a feeble thing if we could bear no pain--

If our hope were based on happiness, our faith would be in vain."

On April 27, 1997, I thought I had much faith in our God. The faith and peace that I had was about to be tested in way that it had never been tested before. I was about to lose my only sister, Sherri, and take the hands of two new sisters: Sorrow and Suffering.

April 28th

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18

"Lord, help us understand that, though Your promises are true, You never pledged an easy life to those who walk with You."

This was the night that she became ill, and entered the hospital in the wee hours the next day. From that day forward began my "present sufferings." Looking back, I can see that those present sufferings, as difficult as they were, did not last forever. Of course, it took years for the Great Comforter to heal my broken heart completely; but like I've been told, "This too shall pass." When I look at the "Grand Calendar of Time," those sufferings~ as difficult as they were~ really were present for just a short time. Only until I reach eternity will I ever know the glory that will be revealed because of this.

April 29th

There is surely a future hope for you.

Proverbs 23:18

"Let me hold the hope of heaven in my heart throughout life's journey. . .Let me keep my hand in Yours, Lord, as I travel on the way."

If I could say something, specifically to a Christian who may be feeling hopeless or even worse--thinking there is no use to living anymore: As a Christian, sure, there is a future hope of heaven for you. . .of course there will be no more suffering there! But as long as God gives you breath, you are to cling to the promise that there is a future HOPE for you, here on this earth too. He has a purpose for your life, or else He would take you home right now. Hold to the hope of heaven in your heart---but not so closely that you just want to quit life! God has a plan and a purpose for your LIFE now. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Your life is to be lived for God's glory, so that your future home in heaven will bring you much rewards to lay at His feet. This life is to be LIVED, in a relationship with Your Creator and Savior, Your DeLIVErer. God's plans for you do not include HARMING you, so why should yours?

April 30

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you."

Isaiah 43:2

"The one promise we can cling to when the storms of life assail is that God goes through them with us---and His love will still prevail."

I remember going back to the hospitality house where our family was staying, and trying to get some sort of sleep...but wondering if she'd even make it through the night, and feeling overtaken by guilt: Why couldn't I grasp the fact that she was not going to survive? My brother and I both had the little devotional, Our Daily Bread, and the devotional for that day was: "To pray for something when we know it is not God’s will is to waste our breath. . . .The pattern for our prayers should be that of our precious Lord, who said, 'Not My will, but Yours, be done'." We both finished reading our copies of Our Daily Bread at about the same time, and then looked at each other and said something like, "Oh my." It was as if God was preparing our hearts to let her go. Thankfully He promised to go with us when the flood waters of grief began to rise.

May 1st

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. Romans 8:28

"Lord, give me the gift of a glad heart today and a faith that lets nothing stand in the way of Your peace. . .let me trust in Your goodness and rest in the confidence that Your love will send only my best."

She had passed away in Richmond, VA. When we finally came home that evening, I glanced at my calendar, and there it was: the promise to work ALL things for my good...if I loved Him. "Oh, Father, You promised to work even THIS out for my good? I see NO good that can come from this terrible loss. But You can not break Your promises. . .so You will somehow work this all out for my good and Your glory ~ s o m e h o w."

The next day, May 2nd, was another promise to cling to:

"I will bring health and healing. . . I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security." Jeremiah 33:6

"God hears the voices of millions, each cry unique and special. Every heart that comes seeking His healing love is welcomed and touched and made whole."

I came to Him, seeking His healing love. He welcomed me and my broken heart, and not only touched each shattered piece of my heart ~ He made me whole. If you have a broken heart, are feeling helpless, or just completely at a loss for words---look to God and His Word. His promises are true. He may not give you answers for tomorrow. . .but He has promised to give you grace for today. His Word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path-- take each day, moment by moment, one step at a time... Allow His Word to illuminate your pathway, each step of the way.

What about you? Have you allowed His Word to become a treasured gift? I truly couldn't have survived Sherri's death without having His Word to cling to. Even though I have seen much good come from her loss, I may never know the full extent of what He has done until I enter eternity. And that's okay, because the greatest good I have received from her loss was a closer walk with Him, and a deeper faith in His Word. What more could I ask for?

Thank You, Father, for knowing what we were facing back then, even though we had no idea. Thank You for holding us together, even though we felt like we were falling apart. I pray for my dear friends who may have a broken heart. . . may they find Your Word to be a lamp to light their pathway. Give them a promise to cling to and the strength to hold fast to You and Your Word. Thank You for healing my broken heart. May my life be a testimony to what You can do with a broken heart that is surrendered to Your will, for Your glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Standing Still

2011-04-28T11:16:00.002-04:00

"The Lord was not in the wind. . .The Lord was not in the earthquake. . .The Lord was not in the fire. . . And after the fire came a gentle whisper." I Kings 9:11, 12

As I sit here this morning, it's dark outside. On the east coast we're awaiting the storms that have been tearing through several states, causing catastrophic damage and widespread loss of lives. The way the weather is causing such record-breaking damage in such a short amount of time, it's definitely getting lots of attention, and hopefully causing people to look up---past the clouds and straight to the Maker of all creation~ God.

Maybe you've endured a terrible storm and are left, standing in the rubble of what once was your life. And, as usually is the case after a terrible storm, all is quiet. You're left to wonder what went wrong? How did this happen? OR--- WHY did God allow this to happen?

In the silence, you listen for some Divine explanation, but you hear nothing. God's Word tells us to "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10 When I read Barnes' Notes on the Bible, it says:

Be still - The word used here - from רפה râphâh - means properly to cast down; to let fall.....to be relaxed....especially the hands: It is also employed in the sense of not making an effort... and then would express the idea of leaving matters with God, or of being without anxiety about the issue. . .

And know that I am God - See, in what I have done, the evidence that I am God. See a work accomplished which none "but" God could effect. . . .
I will be exalted among the heathen - That is, among the nations. The nations abroad that do not worship Me, but worship idols, shall see in these deeds full proof that I am the true God, and that I am worthy of universal adoration. . .
I will be exalted in the earth-In the lands abroad; all over the world.

Just be still, knowing that God is in control. And, if you're one of "the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28), then He has promised you to work this, yes, even THIS, out for your GOOD and His glory.

I was reading in my "Joy and Strength" devotional today the following, and thought it would be helpful to add:

"Jesus STOOD STILL, and commanded him to be called."

Mark 10:49.

"Don't we sometimes feel, in trial or storms, that others would be a help to us if only they'd stop and listen? But they won't, and in their constant hurry we know it's little use to speak. Let us note this lesson for ourselves--and give what WE ask: leisure to hear, attentive, concentrated, not divided~ but calm, patient consideration for others in their time of need. It may be our 'busy work for the Master' overcrowds our lives that we don't have the time for this 'standing still.' Sad eyes meet ours, but we can't stay to read their story. Some look to us for help in battles which WE fought long ago, but we can't turn aside to see how it fares with them in the strife, or to even whisper the secret of victory. God would have said, 'Even though some plans of your own for My service were put aside, you have done it unto Me." (H. Bowman)

Jesus took the time to stop and listen. . . to get in the "trenches" with the people who were suffering and needy. It's just like my big bathtub. I can not lean over it, from the outside, and scrub the entire thing. Nope...I have to actually GET IN THERE and scrub the dirt away. Same with people and the storms of life: Sometimes we have to get in there...we can't stand from the sidelines and offer help "from afar."

So this lesson is two-fold:

If YOU are left standing in the rubble of your life, after a terrible storm ~ God wants you to be still and know. . . just trust that He is going to work even THIS out for your good and His glory.
And if by chance, you're on the outside, looking in on someone who's IN the trenches, in the fight of their life---yes, you may be busy about the Master's business...but sometimes it's best to Stand Still (as Jesus did) and stop what you're doing. Offer a shoulder to cry on, a comforting word, a strong arm to lean on, a guiding hand that will point them to God.

Father, You want us to be still. This is so difficult to do, when we're overrun by anxiety. Yet, Your Word offers us a command, not a suggestion, but a command---to be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made known to You. We want to do Your will, just as Jesus came to do Your will. Either we are IN a storm, standing in the rubble from a recent storm, OR we are bystanders. The way life is, we are going to be in one of those categories at some point or another all throughout life. Please help us to remember to be willing to Stand Still by trusting Your Sovereignty and taking the time to listen to someone else who may need an encouraging word. In Jesus' Name....amen.