I want to thank the LORD for HIS HAND OF SAVING GRACE!!! On Sunday morning, the Lord swept in and swept our church off its feet. Almost 40 people came to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Many had believed in Jesus (Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. James 2:19), but never believed ON HIM! (more have come to know Him this week as well)
What is so wonderful for our family is that our girls Am & Sis were in that number! Sis had been struggling for a couple months over her salvation. She was 11 and remembered some, but just didn't have complete peace over it. She looked back at me and I knew she had to get to that altar to make things RIGHT...... Unknown to us, Am had been questioning her's for a time. She came down the aisle, headed straight for her Daddy, and couldn't get to the altar quick enough.
I cannot explain the service, nor will I even try. All I know is the SUPERNATURAL HAND OF GOD was on WGBC that morning. I am sharing the service with you. You can make your own conclusions of what happened by watching the service. I will tell you that it is long...almost 2 hours. (although, it didn't feel long at all!) (Sis speaks at about 1:05 - and Am goes down about 1:35) FYI - Am was in the back nursery with Baby M....she could hear the service from the speaker, but she couldn't see what was going on in the service.....all she knew was she had to get to that altar.
Have you ever struggled with your salvation? Have you ever trusted the Lord as your personal Savior? Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Please take the time to watch this service if you don't KNOW HIM ....maybe you will once this service is over. Praying God will bless you through watching this. GOD IS ALIVE and HE is STILL in the MIRACLE BUSINESS!!!
Life can just be full of stuff, I can get so worked up over things....
I become overwhelmed
I become tired
I become anxious
I become a mess
So thankful the Lord knows my heart and He knows all these things and more about me than I do. So thankful He has delivered me before and HE WILL deliver me again!
Listen and be reminded what HE has done for you and will do again.....
Love these words......"I spoke to the wind, it hushed and I gave you peace"
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27
I don't usually post things of this nature.....but I felt as if I had to.....
Hickory Cove Bible Camp has been host to our children's summer camp Camp Sonseeker for many years. Not only that, they have also hosted Youth camps, retreats, etc for our church family.
This is such a special place that is near & dear to our hearts. Hickory Cove accommodates our need for a weekend camp, and provides the facilities and anything else we need. I wish that I could write a check for the funds to help with their dining room. Our children fill that dining room to overflowing each year, and it would be wonderful to be able to help them raise the funds needed. Since, I can't write that check, I can spread the word about Hickory Cove and the Auction that has gone live.....
I know a couple of you that read my blog don't live in this area, so, if you could I would appreciate your prayers that God would work in a MIGHTY way and bless Hickory Cove Bible Camp as they have blessed us for years!
If you would like to check out Hickory Cove Bible Camp and this endeavor - See this email from Hickory Cove -
The 3-day online auction scheduled from Monday, March 17, 2014, at 10:00 AM EDT to Wednesday, March 19, 2014, at 10:00 PM EDT features select items from our upcoming 3/22 in-person silent auction.
All proceeds go toward upgrading and expanding our 50+ year-old dining
room so we can continue to feed our hungry campers for years and years
to come.
**IMPORTANT**
Highest bids from this online auction will serve as the starting bids for the same items at the in-person silent auction this Sat, 3/22 at Hickory Cove Bible Camp. So, if you're the highest bidder on an item when this online auction ends at 10PM EDT on Wed, 3/19, you'll win that item IF (and only if) no one outbids you at the 3/22 in-person silent auction.
What are the 2 ways to give yourself the best shot at winning an item you want from this online auction?
1. Bid high enough during this online auction so no one will outbid you at the online auction and at the in-person silent auction.
2. Join us this Sat, March 22 from 6-8pm at Hickory Cove for our in-person silent auction
so you can make sure no one outbids you on these same items. We'll even
give you some tasty BBQ, live bluegrass by Dixie Moon (Charlotte Music
Award’s 2013 Bluegrass/Americana Band of the Year), and lots more unique
auction items to bid on!
Please let us know if you have any questions. Otherwise, happy bidding!
Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this and to pray!
The book of James is one that I have visited, yet never studied. There is something about going thru a study, pretty much verse by verse. James is a straight-forward character. NO beating around the bush. He says exactly what he means....and means what he says. With my children, they tend to nag, pick and put each other down from time to time. I tell them all the time, we need to encourage each other. Not tear one another down. Life & death is in words we speak to one another. With Chapter 3 James makes no bones about it ....our tongue can set a fire! True....huh? Harsh words can rip your heart out....or they can make you so angry that you can't see straight. (Well, maybe not you.....but that happens to me sometimes) The verse below is one that I use a lot with my children...but not until I used it on myself. I was convicted of my words over a year ago and I still have to repeat this to myself A LOT!
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. Proverbs 21:23
Well, once again I have been convicted of my words through this study. Below is words from The Message..... as I dug deeper into this passage of scripture the words in the message just penetrated my mind and my heart.
A bit in the
mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship
in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the
strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it
can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!It
only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or
wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can
ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send
the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from
the pit of hell.This
is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never
been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we
bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and
women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! James 3: 3-10(msg)
Father, please help me to chose my words carefully, and to speak life!
Just Friday morning, we had two inches of snow on the ground and by Friday afternoon it was long gone!! (Can you see me doing the happy dance?)
On Saturday, the weather was beautiful and temps were in the 60s!! On Sunday, it was so warm, so beautiful.....way to nice to stay inside!! We headed to the park for some sunshine & fun!!!
This boy loves to swing!!!
Pop, I wanna go high!!
Even Am was with us...we missed M (he was working!)
Not the best pictures....but it sure was fun!!
I think there are a few cold days headed our way later in the week....so we will take whatever we can!!
When this little fella started playing baseball.... I remember sunshine and high temps!!
I do believe I see some sweat!
Well.... when you get to be a BIG BOY..... Baseball season begins mid- February. For those of you that live in NC...... you know it isn't warm, sunshiny days. Not lately anyway.
My Bub in the catcher's gear.
Ready for action
There have already been 4 games and the highest the temperatures have been for a game is 42!! At the game above it was 39 when the game was over. Nothing like looking like an eskimo to watch your son play ball!! Bundled up from head to toe with a blanket..... Now the next night B was bundled up, long johns & all. And he was fortunate enough for a friend to loan him his little heater.
Yesterday's practice was cancelled due to the forecast of a wintry mix.....
which turned out to be over 2 inches of snow this morning!!
I took these pictures on the way into work. It is beautiful, but does it look anything like baseball season to you???
Just last weekend it was in the 60s and beautiful sunshine!! This ole' chic is ready for SPRING to come stay awhile...not just for a visit!!! It will be here again tomorrow, really..... 67 is the high! :)
Ever had one of those days that just seem to drag you down? How about weeks or maybe you have experienced months? One thing after another? Lately that has been the case in our family. I like roller coasters, but only the kind you get on, scream as you get the thrill and then BAM! Just that that the ride is over and you step off!.
Well, I am not liking this ride at all. It seems something new and unexpected at each and every turn. Some days it seems as if I am barely hanging on. Other days, I seem to straighten myself out and go along with the ups and the downs. As long as I am hanging onto God's promises I am pretty steady. But those days that I take my eyes off of HIS WORD and put them on my circumstances.........
A big ol' MESS happens. I scream, I kick, I seriously WANT OFF THIS RIDE.
And then it happens. Without a warning....the Holy Spirit reminds me -
"you know that you are not alone."
"God's got this."
"Trust in His Promises"
I then turn to the Word that comforts me...
"Be strong and of a good courage"
"God is MY refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1
"God is in the midst of ME, I shall not be moved, God will help me early in this trial" Psalm 45:5
He loves me and He is with me.... He is not surprised by this. He will hold me with His right hand of righteousness. He alone is my portion.
And a sweet peace stills my soul. I am reminded of His presence a few months back when we had a health scare with my sweet husband. During a gall bladder attack they found a cyst on his kidney. Once he had his gall bladder removed, we had to follow up with an MRI on his kidney. The results sent him to a Urologist which put us sort of in a panic. With a daughter and son-in-law being nurses, we found out way more than we needed to know. Oh, and you know the internet..... it is full of useful and SCARY, DIDN'T NEED TO KNOW THAT, OVER THE TOP INFORMATION. When I got to the C word. I FROZE! I could not breathe!! So, do yourself a favor. Don't be a surfing doctor. It leads to even more worry, more what ifs.......during the 2 week wait to see the real doctor.
I began to seek the Lord with all my might!! I immediately went to Psalm 46 sitting in that MRI waiting room. One of my go-tos in times of distress..... when I got to verse 5 it was as if it were lit up. "God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved, God will help her and that right early" Psalm 45:5
I felt His peace and His presence at that moment.
The days were long and some nights were even longer. When darkness begin to shadow over the situation, we went to His word to bring light back into it. Everyday God gave us verses to cling to. It was if we were hanging on for dear life. The appointment came and once again we had to wait over a weekend for the dr to consult with another dr. When B called me with the news that it was just a "blood-filled cyst" again I was frozen. I didn't know what to say. The presence of God was so real that I was just in awe of Him. All I could do was thank Him. Praise Him.
That night, I was folding my umteenth load of laundry, and still praising Him with the radio on K-Love. This song came on a month of pure emotion, and praise began to fall from my eyes and my heart.
We got the kids together and we told them the good news, how our prayers had been answered. We shared a lot of things about how God works in our lives and how much He love us! How HE is always with us, even when we think maybe He isn't . We shared this song and immediately. Bub got his guitar and started learning it. Precious time for our family.
Last week my prayer list on Worship Wednesday - now some PRAISE for those requests
Please pray..... B's test results- PRAISE THE LORD! He has a cyst on his kidneys that they are monitoring every 3 months. Results from a recent Ultrasound - no change in cyst - THANK YOU LORD!! MRI in 3 months Am's surgery - went well, she is recovering well. Still has some discomfort. Praying that this worked for her stomach problems. My Brother & his family in Venezuela -please continue to pray. This country needs the Lord and our prayers. God protect and provide.... as they share the news of Jesus with the lost. Sis & school - LOTS of prayers were answered last week. May GOD continue to show her who HE is My mother - hurt her back during the snow a few weeks back. Slowly on the mend.
and many other unspoken that the Lord knows all about.God knows my heart about these situations and He will get GLORY for them.
We had a cutie-patootie come spend the night Friday night!! This little boy has grown up way too fast!!
He is no longer Baby C....he's a Big Boy!
He came to spend the night with us .... we made Mini Pizzas - as well as a bit of a mess
Uncle Kea was enjoying this too!
Pop can you help me??
Look Mom -I made my own Pizza!!
I had plans to make cookies with the boys....but I guess all the pizza making was just a little too much.... so while they watched a movie.....Lolli made these (sorry this is such a terrible pic!) They were not to tired to eat them though :)
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust:
his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91: 4
Father...you know my heart today. Our family has much to pray about this week. I am so thankful that you have us covered and under your wings we will trust your promises. I want to thank you for loving me, thank you for holding us close and for giving us victory in Jesus!! Please pray..... B's test results Am's surgery My Brother & his family in Venezuela Sis & school My mother and many other unspoken that the Lord knows all about. Thanks :) (Visit Raising Future Esthers for the final days of God's love devotions - missed the rest of the month?? Go back to Feb 1 and begin - you will be blessed)
My brother and his family are missionaries in Venezuela. And for those of you that don't know there is much political unrest in that country. He keeps in contact thru email, facebook and a blog on occasion. He has been asking for prayers for several weeks.
The Lord woke me up very early yesterday morning with my brother on my heart. I began to pray for him and his family. We know very little of what is going on there, but we know that it isn't good. I read an article and someone said, "we are a very rich country, but we cannot buy a kilo of flour". Those words pierced my heart as well as reading about attacks on the innocent.
I cannot imagine what it is like there. In my selfish, fleshly mind, I am thinking that boy just needs to pack up and get back to the states. I even sent him a message on Facebook that we were praying, as well as letting him know that he needed to get home. I tend to worry....I know those of you that really know me.... are thinking "tend"??? more like constantly. My mind does head to the bad and I can allow the enemy to come in and turn me upside down! Its a constant battle, but that story is for another time.
Not fifteen minutes later, B brings me my phone and its my baby brother!! (Isn't technology great?? its not even long distance!!) After getting my message he had to share with me what happened...or yet what didn't happen because of God's hand of protection. Assuring me that they are right where God wants them to be. Sharing Christ's love is why they are there. They are in the midst of people that practice Catholicism as well as worshiping 8-9 other gods all at the same time. Head over now to The Venezuelan Voice to read God's Timing is Perfect, my sister-in-law shares what my brother shared with me on the phone.
What faith! What love the Father has shown them and to those around them that they have been ministering to since they moved there in September. He was praising God for His protection, how He showed up and showed the lost that HE is God. My brother has such a peace about being right where he is. He is there to share Christ, and that is exactly what he intends to do. There is no safer place than being in the center of God's will. God's protection, provision. guidance, love, etc is what got them to Venezuela. He mentioned that they have about 3 weeks of food left, but he knows that God will supply all their needs.
As I hung up the phone, I was putting chicken in my crock-pot. My heart was heavy. How selfish I am. How blessed I am. I can open my freezer and my pantry, get out food, and if I don't have what I want or need. I go five minutes from my house to the grocery store.
I feel so unworthy.
My faith is weak.
BUT, my Heavenly Father loves me unconditionally, even in my selfish state of mind. The Lord reminded me He is in control and He has a plan. I just need to trust Him in all the situations going on on Venezuela, as well as what is going on in my family. And most of all, I need to love Him with all my heart, mind and soul.
Want to know more about God's Love - head over to Raising Future Esthers and check out Deidre's month of devotions.
Pray for my brother and his precious family. Pray for God's protection... provision of food.
For the past couple of weeks, I have been working on writing my testimony.
O.U.C.H.
I thought oh this will be easy, God has done so much in my life. Then I tried to think of where to begin..... Once upon a time a little girl was born to a loving mommy and daddy.
And there it stopped. The fairy-tale ended. My parents divorced when I was 5. Lots of stuff came after that... (one day, if God leads me to, I will post the full version) I could not get over how hard it was to re-visit some hard places in my life.
I thought of things that I haven't thought of in years. And some things that I know happened, I can't remember where or how they happened. Sad. Maybe my mind won't let me go there. Or my conscience has no intention of returning.
Oh God had such a plan for me.... until I came along and decided to do things my way. NOT GOOD.
Oh, but such a loving God that has a plan, one that took my mess-ups and turned them into good for HIS GLORY.
As hard as it was to write out, and re-live those tough places in my life. He reminded me of how he took each bad and made good from each one. Some, maybe I will never know the reason, but God will make good out of our bad. If only we will allow Him too.
Have you written you testimony out? If, for no one than yourself. Put down on paper to see your LOVE STORY. He loves us with an everlasting love. One that I, for the life of me cannot comprehend. But, I will accept and believe that His promises are true. He loves me and that is that!!
In all my wanderings, I was not unlike the Israelites....wandered in sin for a long time.....
I have to THANK HIM for being there no matter how far away I was. HE WAS THERE!!
I can't get away from these words I read this morning....
"God will search the most horrible places for us. Not only will He save
us from a life of sin, but He'll even wade through bitterness, pride,
jealousy, anger and betrayal to rescue you!"
I was reading my friend Deidre's blog post for today. (If you haven't been following her February Month of Devotions - you should be!) And these words seem to echo in my head. It was if she was talking directly to me, reminding me of what the Lord had delivered me from, when I was in a deep pit, with only one thing to do, "Look Up" to HIM.
He didn't have to search very far for me. Oh, He knew EXACTLY where I was. How I got there. How long I had been there. How far I would go. And then, I reached the end of ME.
There I was, at the end of me, with no where to turn. I had tried to do it all on my own for years. My way. And I was nothing. Going nowhere fast. Useless. Unwanted. Terrified. Ugly. (just a few of my names at that time) Wallowing in self-pity. There was nowhere to look but up. And there HE WAS!! He lifted me out of that pit, and set me on a path to redemption, love, and grace. Once again HIS MERCY SAVED ME from that life of sin, sadness, brokenness, anger, unforgiveness, that I chose on my own, to love me and redeem me.
I loved her post. It was so for me. A wonderful reminder of what God did for me. He loved me right where I was at that very moment. And He loves me right where I am today, right now. Even in the midst of trials and life. He will never leave me. He is always with me.
Are you at a place, where you have no where to turn? Maybe you feel that you are not loved by a Holy God? The ONE true God? Oh, sure there are days I don't feel worthy of His love, and days I am just not enough. But, I do know this, HE DOES LOVE ME. He sent HIS Son to die for me. And that my friends, is more than enough! If you are at that place that you just don't know that God loves you..... join Raising Future Esthers for the rest of this month as Deidre shares The Relentless, Transforming, Redeeming Love of God. (be sure to go back and read each day's post....you will not be disappointed!!)
And if you haven't read Hosea..... you really should. And if you want a good read that is "A powerful retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea," Redeeming Love is a life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love.
If you read this my post "I Hear an Echo" from the other day, this is sort of a continuation of that post.
Yes, this is still echoing in my head, and my heart. I have been asking, "What is it Lord? Why does this continue to come up? I keep thinking, what is it that I am missing? How can I make a difference? It seems I am always, "doing something". So what is it.
My husband and I have worked in Children's Ministry for a better part of 14 years. Over the years B has directed our children's summer camps and each year we meet with our counselors. One thing that I share with them year after year is the child that may drive you the craziest, is the one that needs you the most. We don't know what that child faces in his everyday life. Sad, but true. We hear, everyone is battling something. Well, children are no different. Except for the fact, they have a harder time fighting it. Another thing we share with our Ministry team is that we may never see the fruit of our labor, but there are those rare times that we see that we have made a difference in a child's life. Not all the children that have grown up in our ministry have stayed the course. Not all are faithful to the church or to God. But, there are others that you know "got it" as a young child, and we have seen them grow up physically and spiritually. Those rare ones that still seek the Lord are serving Him and walking with them. Oh, we would love to make a difference in ALL their lives, but that isn't always the case.
The Lord reminded me of how we make a difference in the here and now. We are not to worry about what happens tomorrow. We are to love those children, and to point them to Christ. Period. He will take care of the rest. He reminded me of this story.....
So, for now the answer to all my questions about, If not me, then who? If not now, then when?" is that I am to take each opportunity as it comes. Here I am wandering around, trying to figure out the BIG picture. It must be something BIG and GREAT that God is leading me to. But, for now that is not it at all. And that's ok. Because He is going to use me to make a difference, maybe not in the thousands., and certainly not to make this world a better place...but to make a difference for the here and now and to "make a difference for that one" that He placed before me.
We each have a purpose. God has ordained that. He chose us. In all this soul searching, I asked God to show me my purpose. He created me to praise Him. To glorify Him. Another answer came the other day when I made something my husband wanted. He said, "You take care of me don't ya?" As he hugged me, God nudged me...."there's your purpose". I said, "Yes, I try, because, you are my purpose." Not only is my husband my purpose. But, my children as well. I tend to forget that they are my first ministry. So, you Mommas that think you don't have a purpose. God CHOSE you to be your child's mother. You... and He has a plan and a purpose for you in that. Everything else will flow from that .....
Do Something........anything
Pray...send a card...call...encourage someone...support a ministry...volunteer...buy a pack of toilet paper, toothpaste, trash bags, etc and donate to a shelter...put someone else before yourself...God's word says to love one another....
The next video is a little long, but so worth listening to.....take a moment to focus on God's love for you.
Sometimes I struggle.
Sometimes I fail to understand God's love for me.
Sometimes I forget He loves me just as I am.
Sometimes I try to earn His love.
Sometimes I feel as I am just not worthy.
But, all those thoughts are nothing compared to HIS love for me....and for you!!! Are you struggling with trying to earn His love? Maybe you don't really understand His love. For His love is like NO other. Dig deeper into God's Redeeming Love at my real-life friend's blog during the month of February....you won't want to miss a post.
I have something that has been "echoing" in my head, in my heart, in my everyday.......
In a sermon a while back an evangelist, David Ring (has cerebral palsy), used a very compelling example in his message. He asked for help for a drink of water, he asked 7 times before anyone came to help him get a drink of water. I totally blew it. I never thought to get up to help him. I did think maybe my son (who was sitting on the front row), or maybe my husband, or, someone. But, when he began asking a few people, "Why didn't you help me?" And he told them, "You blew it!"
How many times have I seen someone that needed help?
How many times have I thought, "someone should do something"?
How many times have I questioned why a thought or a burden is in my heart?
Why didn't I? Or Why don't I?
More times than not, I blew it... or better yet still blowing it.
In another message by Pastor Todd Good not long after that he said, "If not you, then who? If not now, when? Talk about a statement.... I don't have a clue what he said after that....because that stuck in my head..... I wrote it down over & over.
How many times has God put something in my heart?
How many opportunities have I missed?
How many times did I think that's someone else's job?
I sometimes think:
I could never do that....someone else would be better at that.
I am scared.
That is out of my comfort zone.
I don't think God means me.
What will people say?
I have enough to do. (just being honest here)
When I laid my head down that night, I accepted the fact that I had
to step up to a situation that has been haunting me for over two years. I have been praying about this for a long time and questioning God as to why it was taking so long...... Over the years, I have learned to pray over things instead of jumping headfirst into it... of course that is what we should do. I am afraid that I have taken that to the extreme at times.
After putting some thought and prayer to that thought. Many times I have prayed that He would use me, place opportunities in my path, to show me my purpose.....and then and there He showed me some things that He had placed before me. But, it wasn't something that I wanted to do, or it was inconvenient, maybe it came with sacrifice, or it was too hard, scary, embarrassing, etc. Guilty of not doing what God placed in my path, who knows the number of blessings that I have missed. I have blown it more times than I even know!!
OUCH! a hard pill to swallow.
Situation after situation over the past few months the words "If not you, then who?" have echoed in my head. I have shared it with a couple people, even when they questioned what they should be doing. And those words come up A LOT!!
Just last night I got a text that said, "Go NOW and watch" (the following video) pay attention to the chorus lyrics
Needless to say... there is an echo and now I believe it is on REPEAT!!
What have you been praying so hard about?? Do you think that God will change His mind about what He is showing you? Would you stop and pray about helping a child across the street? Would you pray about helping a single mother that needs food for her children right now? If someone has fallen would you help them up, or would you stop and pray about it, or see if someone else helps? Sometimes God places those opportunities at that very moment. The moment that we have prayed for.
Each of us has a purpose, and maybe you are waiting on God to show
you the BIG GRAND PURPOSE you think He has for your life. While you are
waiting on that just ......
Oh my two days in a row.... no I am not on a roll, just had some thoughts with one of the pictures that I put into the birthday collage yesterday.
Some comments were made about this picture yesterday......and I was thinking about when, where, what about this picture...... well, I am older and sometimes my mind leaves me but I do remember several things about this picture.
My wonderful hubby said I looked like I was 14-15 in this picture. Uh, no, I believe I was 26?? Maybe that's not right, because he looks like he might be 21?? Sweet baby face!
I am really short... and no, he isn't standing on anything.
Sweet girl smiling was & still is a Daddy's girl!
We were headed to a concert to see Reba McIntyre.
Yes, we all had on our Cowboy boots!
We were at the Steakhouse where I worked - that thermostat looks vintage!
I think I was more excited than Am was!
We were not married yet....
That shirt is hideous..... what was I thinkin???
I don't know who took a picture when I was in mid-sentence, I know I had to be talking!!
My hair was dark then...with just the beginning of gray here & there. (Thank the Lord for Miss Clairol! )
Looking back at this reminds me of how far the Lord has brought me and how much he has blessed me!
(Once again I have allowed months to go by without posting. This family scrapbook is going to have gaps..... but I didn't want today to get by without posting this...)
I met this sweet young mother, when she was 5 years old. Such a precious fun-loving Daddy's girl!! A couple years later I was blessed to marry her Daddy. One thing that I had in my heart for this little girl, was that I didn't want to treat her as I was treated by a couple of my step-mothers (yes, a couple). Being a step-parent isn't always easy, there is always another person to consider. I have the Lord to thank for giving me grace, forgiveness and love for the situation I was in. I knew before I married B, I would have to accept this situation as it was, for better or worse. It was not always easy, but I give HIM all the glory for working in my heart. When God gave me love for this child, it was for good... so I threw out the STEP a long time ago. She is my daughter. I don't think I could love her any more even if I had given birth to her.
(Me, my mother and my girls during a fun photo shoot in the Fall!)
http://pixbypaige.weebly.com
She has grown up to be a loving, caring, wife and a great mother. She is still fun-loving and so very giving to her family, but also as a nurse she has such compassion for others. I love you sweet girl!!
I wrote about her here in a Thankful post in 2011.
I want to wish my wonderful husband a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I thank God for you every day!! You are my best
friend, love of my life, the best Dad, an awesome "Pop", and so much
more!!! You mean the world to me!! I am so thankful that God created you
and that He made you for me. I know that God worked in our hearts as we
were growing up to bring us together and bless our lives together.
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Father, we know that your WORD is true, and that while we are waiting YOU will renew our strength, you will help us to run this race and not be weary. YOU say you WILL and I know YOU WILL!!!
Please pray for my husband, B. We are in WAIT mode for a health situation. Thanks for praying!
Doesn't that sound great... and wonderful?? Doesn't it make you feel special, lifted up, trusted?
Well... NOT ME... that is a terrible definition of friends. Ok... I get it, maybe, if its a casual acquaintance, someone that is not your enemy.... and I guess I could say that may fit some people in my life.
BUT. NOT MY TRUE FRIENDS.
My best friend in the world is my hubby. He is the person I can trust with my heart, my mind and my soul. He is God's gift to me and he completes me.
But, I am talking about true friends that I can share life, love, struggles, fears, etc. The friends, I just didn't pick out of a crowd because they were like me, or they were popular, or beautiful. I am talking about the friends that God places in your life
to lift you up
to pray for you
to point you to Christ
to trust you
to share life with
to carry you to Jesus....when you don't know if you can take another step
and loves you even at your worst!
This week I was shown this story in scripture TWICE in one day (Sunday School & Sunday night service) so I would "get it" (cause I am slow like that :)
Mark 2: 1-5 (KJV)
And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.And
straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no
room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached
the word unto them.And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And
when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered
the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the
bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
The man that was sick of the palsy was brought to Jesus by his friends. They knew that Jesus could heal their friend. They didn't give up because there was a crowd. They didn't wait at the door for the crowd to leave. They took matters into their own hands, because they had FAITH knowing that Jesus would heal their friend. They did what they had to do to GET him to Jesus. And Jesus did heal their friend, "When Jesus saw their faith". This wasn't the faith of their friend they were carrying. It was the faith of them... the friends!!
Do you have friends that will carry you to Jesus, when you can't take another step? Do you have someone that will tell you the truth in love, whether you want to hear it or not? Do you have friends that point you to Christ and teach you things about Him? Some of you may know the type of friendship I am talking about. The friendship that you know in your heart, was God ordained. If you do, let them know how much you appreciate them, and let them know the importance of your friendship. Take time to spend with them and lift them to the Lord always!
Some of you may not have a friendship that I am writing about, but you really wish you did. Well, first of all ask the Lord to open doors for a friend or friends like this..... I will let you in on a little secret - before you can have friends like this....you have to be a friend like this. You have to open yourself up to others, trust where you haven't trusted before, and let someone in to those hard places in your life. You have to put them before yourself. Give more than you take. Listen more than you talk. Pray more and go to God's word before just giving your opinion when talking over issues or giving advice.
In this season of Thanksgiving, I want to thank my special circle of friends for carrying me to Jesus, when I can't carry myself. Loving me in spite of my failures. Holding me accountable in my walk with the Lord. Supporting me even when its tough. I am so thankful to the Lord for ordaining our friendship and for giving us each other to stand shoulder to shoulder with. Thank you for the prayers, the love and for being there anytime I need you! I love you girls!!
Thank you Lord for the blessing of true friends, ones that I know that you sent my way. Lord, bless them and their families, pour out your grace and mercy as they serve you. Give them a special touch. Help me not to take them for granted, but to take them to You.
