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I was only 18 when Darrel and I married. He was 17. Gosh, can that be true? Could we really have gotten married THAT young? Yep....we sure did.
Foolish????? I'd have to say yes. ALL the odds were against us and I do mean ALL. But somehow, we've made it 38 YEARS now....39 on June 29. Through much struggle AND growth, we've lived and loved 38 YEARS as one.
When I look back over the past 38 YEARS, I honestly have to wonder how we made it those first 8 years before we knew Christ. Now THAT, is a miracle for sure.
Don't really know why I'm writing this post, just been thinking a lot lately about all the years we've spent together, where we came from and what we've come through. Heartaches and disappointments have been many but so have joys and happiness. We've worked through our differences, talked through our finances, discussed our opinions and found common ground through it all through Christ. We've been tremendously blessed with 3 children and 16 grandchildren. We've owned 2 homes. We've learned more about each other AFTER giving our lives to Christ than we ever knew, or cared to know about each other, before Christ.
We have been blessed by God and I am so thankful. 38 YEARS have come and gone and I thank God for everything He has given us, for the wisdom He has imparted because we asked for it and the love He has lavished on us all these years. He has knit us together and I am so grateful.
One of the things I have always abhorred, is PEER PRESSURE. I suppose there are times that it can be a good thing, but for the most part, PEER PRESSURE will change who you are IF you fall into it and not usually for the good.
Just moments ago, my 9 year old granddaughter was commenting on FB that she was going to dress up for Book Character day tomorrow at school. She was pretty quickly told by her little friends that "they weren't that type of person" and they weren't gonna do it. They thought it wasn't cool and they were too old for it!
I'm telling you, I about came through the screen of my laptop! How sad it is that 9 year old little girls are already learning that to "be cool" they cannot do things like dress up as a book character at school! It really bothers me that the pressure to conform to others standards is already being forced down her throat at such a young age. Moments after Yaya got her two cents in and told my granddaughter NOT to listen to those friends and that they were just "little girls" NOT grown women, one of the "little girls" deleted her post! My granddaughter said she guessed she was embarrased by what she said.
PEER PRESSURE is stealing away our children and grandchildren and IF we choose NOT to encourage them in their God given gifts, encourage them in the Word, encourage them to be who GOD has made them to be and encourage them NOT to fall into negative PEER PRESSURE, we will loose them to the world.
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2
Lately, I've been doing a lot of THINKING. I suppose I'm always doing a lot of THINKING, but the THINKING I've been doing lately has been on the more serious note.
Praying for others is not new to me. I count it an honor and great privilege to pray for others. But the other day while in prayer, I felt more of an overwhelming sense of heaviness than ever before. Not just for those I was praying for, but for God Himself.
I began thinking about the times that my own children have broken my heart, disappointed me, hurt me by their actions or decisions and all of a sudden, my own selfish thoughts turned to how God's heart must feel when His "billions" of children daily hurt Him. I began crying out and felt tremendous empathy, sadness and heaviness at how God the Father must grieve constantly over our actions and decisions. He has poured His love into us and yet so many deny Him, disappoint Him and live just as WE please instead of what would please Him.
THINKING about the billions who have grieved His heart has broken mine.
Maybe God is doing a new work in me.......I'm still THINKING about it all.
Many thanks to those of you who are praying for my sister Lou. Words cannot express my gratefulness.
Thought I would update the latest on her cancer, treatments and health.
She began experiencing some pretty severe headaches from the radiation to her head. She was started on a medication for the headaches to help relieve the pain and another to help reduce the swelling. Both have helped. She is experiencing fatigue and weakness as well as some hair loss on the left side of her head. The daily treatments will continue until February 17th, at which time she will have a 3 week break. During that time, I am planning on going up for another visit with her. At the end of the 3 weeks, she will go through MRI's and CT's to determine the effects of the treatments. After determining that, a new plan of attack on the cancer will be decided upon by the doctors.
Thank you all for lifting her to the throne. I continue to give Him glory for all that He is doing and is going to do. To HIM be all glory, honor and praise.
There's a stirring deep within me.....
A rumbling....a groaning, if you will.
It's as though the party is about to start...
The guests are being invited and the excitement...
Is building.
The invitations are going out....
The table is being set....
The preparations have been long in coming...
Will you come and enjoy His presence?
HE'S ON THE MOVE...
We must prepare our homes, our lives...
Our hearts.
Will you come and partake??
He will meet us there.....He will be waiting....
HE'S ON THE MOVE....
It's time for us to respond.
If you travel into the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho, you might find Dr. P, an IMB missionary, working in clinics in the mountains of South Africa, sharing not only his knowledge of health care but of the Gospel.
All over the world, this scenario repeats itself as servants of God are called into missionary work and give all to share the love of Jesus with the thousands of unreached people groups across this globe.
FOR YOU and FOR YOU and FOR YOU.....Jesus Christ paid the ultimate cost with His life. Today has been one of those days that I have been overwhelmed considering the price that our missionaries make and the price that HAD to be paid by Him, not only for me, but for those that He loves in the Maluti Mountains too. The spreading of the Gospel MUST be carried by us. It is our duty and "should be" our joy.
Let us remember to pray for our missionaries across our world, who for the sake of the call, have given all to share Jesus.
Let us remember Dr. P. and the thousands others just like him, George & Kara, Chris & Katie, Jason & Gracie, April F., Shane S. leaving soon, and all the other missionaries who have forsaken self. Their number 1 goal in life is no longer what new car to buy, what color to paint their house or where to go out for dinner. Their number 1 priority is Jesus.
Father, protect our missionaries who simply seek to shine forth Your light. Provide their needs, protect them, comfort them, give them courage in the darkest of nights. May Your name be praised to the heavens and the glory be given all to You.
Lately, this picture explains perfectly how I've been feeling. It seems like there is an insurmountable list of problems, almost like a BALL AND CHAIN of health issues, relationship stuff, LOST people, disappointment in myself, sadness etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. everywhere I look.......and I am simply overwhelmed. Maybe cause it's just that I'm finally pressing in praying more for others than ever before and I'm more aware of it all. I don't know. Maybe it's just cause I'm so selfish. I just don't know.
My flesh screams out that I want to run from it all, I'm so weary of all the battles. But I know that I cannot. To give in and give up is the evil ones' desire for my life and I will not allow the battle to be won by him. But I admit, this weight of burden is so heavy and so difficult to carry.
Once again this morning, I take it to Him, the Giver of all good things, the Healer of my mind and body, the Peacemaker, the One who calms all storms and I long to hear Him gently whisper in my ear.....
"And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still And the wind ceased and there was a great calm."
Mark 4:39
The mere sound of HIS voice, calmed the angry waves. The toiling stopped, the spray was no longer on their faces and the wind ceased its' howling........ALL at the sound of His voice.
Father, I need to hear the sound of Your voice this morning....I need there to be peace. The weight is so heavy for me to bear.
It may sound strange, but especially in winter time, I miss my GRANDMA'S HANDS.
You see, in the winter season, GRANDMA'S HANDS were constantly helping me bundle up, one layer after another, to go out into the snow. Gently and lovingly, Grandma would make sure that each layer of warmth was "just enough" and that I would be warm once outside.
Grandma would make me stand on a clear hallway plastic liner that was just inside the door when the process would begin. First came the undershirt, then the long sleeved shirt of her choosing, then a sweater, then the first layer of socks followed by the wool socks. Then, on came some sort of long underwear type of thing, then your pants, then your leggings. Next layer was the face mask, then your winter coat, hood and all. Once the coat was on, she'd pull your hood up. THEN, she'd reach up into the sleeves of your coat and pull out the little elastic piece that had a clip on the end that was attached to your mittens! (This way, your mittens were always attached and you didn't loose them PLUS they'd stay tucked into your sleeves!) Next, she sweetly wrapped my scarf around the outside of my hood and neck so that my head could barely move! If you've ever seen the movie, "Christmas Story" then you know what I looded like! I could barely move by this point but who cared, snowballs fights, ice skating, sledding, riding the coaster and making snow angels was just outside the door, waiting for me. Then finally, she'd kiss me on the forehead, tell me to be careful and to come back when I was wet!!!
Yep, once you'd stayed out long enough and got packed down with snow, you'd have to come inside, stand on the plastic liner, be stripped down by GRANDMA'S HANDS and start the process all over again with another whole set of dry clothes from the bottom up!!!
The winter time makes me miss my precious grandmother's hands. She was a huge part of my life, as she lived with us all my growing up years until I was 13. SHE comforted me, watched over me, cooked for me and guided me when my mom was working during the day. I shall never forget her and I'm sure that I have modeled my own grandmothering skills after her. She was a constant in my life, always there, always teaching me and loving me in her quiet way. This picture of her was taken some 59 or so years ago, before I was born and is of her my sister Pat.
It's cold outside and I miss GRANDMA'S HANDS tonight.
"Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,
Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.
They would not accept my counsel, they spurned all my reproof.
So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way
and be satiated with their own devices.
For the waywardness of the naive will kill them.
But he who listens to me shall live securely
and will be at ease from the dread of evil."
Proverbs 1:28-33
This was the meat of our SS lesson today. In a nutshell....WISDOM LISTENS.......but those who "hate knowledge" will end up eating of the fruit of their own deeds.
YIKES!!!!
If you want to get wisdom......then listen. Be willing to listen to godly counsel.....First and foremost, our God and His holy Word....then parents, grandparents, teachers, pastors......WISDOM LISTENS!! Those who seek their own desires so much so that they care not what the outcome is, must hate knowledge. Otherwise, they would listen.
Though my flesh screams out from under my very pores and cries for its' own way.....the God who has saved me yearns for me to listen to the voice of WISDOM..........WISDOM LISTENS.
I may not be wise to the world, but I want to be known to the Lord God Almighty as one who listened to WISDOM.
What a thrill to receive this wonderful copy of Thomas Nelson's "Greatest Stories of the Bible!" This is a big book, over 600 pages, of story after story from our beloved Bible. Not every single story from the Bible is covered, but each one that is, is verse for verse from the Bible. The stories chosen are usually only several pages long, which makes it perfect for family Bible time or personal devotions. Each story is easy to find with the topic of each story listed and the chapters it covers. For instance, on pg. 143, you can read the story entitled, "Goliath's Brothers Killed"........2 Samuel 21:15-22.
This wonderful Bible story book will be treasured and used as I share stories with my grandchildren. It is also perfect for gift giving, especially for a family with children. I am delighted with this book and it will be cherished for years to come. I highly recommend it to anyone, young or old.
Over and over these days, I say to myself, "WHAT CAN I DO???"
My flesh wants to "do" something. SURELY there must be "something" I can do Lord about my sister, my son and so much more.
Tonight in our small group lesson, we learned about Hezekiah. MAN, what a lesson!
In 2 Kings 19:14-18, we read his reaction to King Sennacherib's (of Assyria) insulting letter about Hezekiah's "God of Israel" and HIS strength. He mocked Hezekiah's faith and made life difficult for him. In our day, we'd say that he worked hard at wearing him down daily with insults and challenges.
When faced with the question....WHAT CAN I DO?????......Hezekiah was right on the money with his response.....
He picked up the letter and took it to the house of God (the Temple) and laid it before the Lord.
"And Hezekiah recieved the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord."
2 Kings 19:14
WHAT A LESSON! WHAT CAN I DO????? I can do exactly like King Hezekiah....take it to the house of God and lay it before Him. Hezekiah did not do what the flesh would boil up and want to do. No.....his foundation, his faith, his trust and his commitment to the God of Israel was too profound.....
HE TOOK IT TO GOD AND LAID IT THERE!
Oh Father God, let THIS story stand as one of the greatest lessons I shall ever learn...EVERYTHING, absolutely EVERYTHING....must be taken to the Lord, the God of Israel.
As we read on in the story, the angel of the Lord slew some 185,000 Assyrians in 1 night and in the end, Sennacherib was killed by his own sons. Hmmmmmm.....seems to me, God handled it ALL just fine on His own. When will we learn that that's what God does??
WHAT CAN I DO about all these situations in my life and in our world today? I can take them to the Lord God of Israel and simply lay them at His feet.
Enough said???
Some 61 years ago, a chubby cheeked baby girl was brought home from the hospital, SHE WAS THE SECOND BORN daughter, to what would be a family of 3 little girls. Her face was round and she had a head full of hair. SHe was adorable. It would be 5 more years before the baby sister would be born.
This 2nd born sister, is MY sister.....my sister Mary Lou. She has battled and won breast cancer some 20 years ago and now she is in for the fight of her life again as she begins the battle of glioblastoma, or brain cancer. Tonight, she swallowed her very first chemo pill, Temadar, with the first radiation treatment beginning tomorrow.
Please remember my big sister when you pray. God knows her name and I just want to make sure that you do also. Thank you and thank you Jesus. I anxiously wait on the Lord to see just what the future will hold. Knowing HE holds it makes all things well within my mind. May God bless you all.
I wonder if I could count the endless ocean full of times I have spoken these words....
"I CAN DO IT!!"
Yep, I CAN DO IT alright......but it's usually not done right when it's done within my own strength, power and abilities.
Little Titus wanted desperately to shoot the bb gun just like his big brother. He just KNEW that he could! But had we of let the little rascal do it on his own, someone would have gotten their eye shot out! With just a bit of instruction from Poppa, Easton "got it" and was able to shoot his little gun. But Titus, that's another story!
How often we stand up, shoulders flared back, eyes wide open, mouth aghast as we insist that I CAN DO IT! I am problably the number one worst person in the world who has tried this over and over, doing things on my own, and it's a failure each and every time. I have finally learned some hard lessons, but continue to have to learn them daily. I'll be honest....I don't want to learn them cause that would mean that I have to turn EVERYTHING within myself over to the Eternal One, Jesus. Then, that means that I don't have control anymore AND I JUST DON"T LIKE THAT!!!
But.......
I was never meant to have control over my life anymore than Titus was meant to have control of a bb gun at 2 years of age. It doesn't make good sense. I would even go so far as to say.....IT'S STUPID!
And so it is, I continue to learn through God's leading, that I CAN'T do it! I need Him every hour, every minute, every second.
God, help me to let THIS be the year that I STOP saying...."I CAN DO IT" because I know deep in my selfish prideful heart, that I cannot.
Looking back a few years, these slogans are fresh in my mind...
2007 - It's gonna be heaven
2008 - It's gonna be great!
2009 - Everything's gonna be fine!
But 2010.........last night as Darrel and I sat here together and talked, we spoke the words out loud that only if we "go with God" are we going to make it in this new year. Darrel's slogan was, "2010 - The beginning of the end."
Not so upbeat huh? But my dear friend Deb S. said basically the same thing as she was packing to hurry to her father's bedside in NC, with the diagnosis of pneumonia and cancer and a collapsed artery. She also said, this is going to be a difficult year.
And so it is I feel the same way in this, the first day of 2010.
THIS IS GOING TO BE A DIFFICULT YEAR. There is much I am facing on my plate in this new year, as there is with every single one of you. Illnesses, unresolved issues with family/friends, unresolved issues within ourselves that we continue wrestling with, lost family/friends that we are aching over and praying over, children/grandchildren whom we haven't seen or have none or hardly no connections with any longer, diagnosis of terminal diseases, financial problems, insurance problems, problems in our counties/states/government, sin is rampant and people are being hurt everywhere across the globe because of the actions/words that someone else has done or spoken about them. There are the lonely, the poor, the afraid, the hungry everywhere we look. Quite frankly, it is and can be overwhelming.
BUT.....THERE IS A GOD WHO KNOWS MY NAME ("Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows who are His,"...... 2 Timothy 2:19a) AND HE KNOWS ALL OF OUR NEEDS! THERE IS HOPE, THERE IS A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL YOU ARE GOING THROUGH AND HIS NAME IS JESUS!
As difficult as 2010 looks as though it's going to be, THERE IS A GOD who cradles us in His loving arms and encourages us onward. I am so eternally thankful that I know and love Him and have given Him my life, my everything. There are those who seek to harm others, but I know that my GOD will fight for me in every area of my life.
"The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,...." Deuteronomy 1:30
I need not fear and I need not retalliate. I will be silent and simply pray.
My friend, we will all choose this year whom we shall serve...
"If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15
I choose life....I choose JESUS in 2010....HE is all I have to cling to. Please know that those of you who read this, are in my heart and my prayers in this new year.
